A foreign city, dear you

Chapter 497: Late Bloomer

When I got home, Cao Lanshan had not yet finished his evening studies.

Ye Lian suddenly wanted to call her mother.

I haven’t read the article I wrote, in which my mother is the protagonist.

But after the call was connected, Ye Lian didn't know what to say.

My mother is illiterate and my father can't read many words either.

Say, Mom, I wrote an article about you?

I guess my mother would ask, since you are not studying anymore, why are you suddenly writing articles?

Say, mom, I miss you?

It seems that I have never said such corny words to my mother since I was a child.

Ye Lian held the phone and thought for a while, then said the same words as usual: Mom, are you and Dad in good health?

My mother replied, I'm fine, you guys are busy with your own things outside, don't worry about me.

Ye Lian softened her voice and said, "Mom, I want to eat tofu dregs and pig blood balls."

My mother's voice was full of love. Have you finished the tofu dregs and pig blood balls I brought for you during the Chinese New Year? There are still some at home. Ask your father to send them to you. You like them. I will make more for the Chinese New Year this year.

Ye Lian hurriedly tried to stop her, "No, Mom, I was just joking with you. You prepared so much for me, it will last until the winter."

My mother laughed and scolded me on the phone, saying, "Kid, I don't know which of your words are true and which are false."

Ye Lian just giggled. She just wanted to act coquettishly in front of her mother.

She has always been her mother's hope and pride.

But there were two things that made her mother sad and angry.

The first thing he did was to disobey his mother's advice, resign from his public office and become a drifter in Yancheng.

The second thing was that he did not follow his mother's idea and persuade Ye Lu to divorce Lin Shushen.

But as time went by, my mother accepted the reality and changed from blaming me to caring and supporting me.

Although her mother regretted that she later stopped teaching, she no longer dwelled on the past when she saw that she was living a good life.

After chatting casually for a while, my mother suddenly said seriously: "Ye Lian, I want to tell you something."

"what's up?"

"You saw it when you came back for the Spring Festival. Many people in the village have built multi-story Western-style buildings. We haven't built any here because there is no road. These two days, my father and I have been thinking that we should not build a building at home because there are fewer and fewer people in the countryside. We might as well buy a house in the county town."

"Want to buy a house in the county town?"

"Well, your father and I think so."

"Then you might as well come to Yancheng and live with us."

"It's too far from the city, and the climate is different. Your father and I can't speak Mandarin well, and there's no one to talk to. In the county, we can speak the same language, and there are many people from the same village there. We can go back to the old house from time to time. Now that we can still walk and move, your father and I don't want to go out. It's quite comfortable for two old people to live by ourselves."

"Okay, then I'll go to the county town to look for houses next time I go back to my hometown, and buy the one I find suitable. When you go to the county town, you can also take a look and see which houses you like."

"Okay, you're the eldest, discuss this matter with your two younger sisters."

……

"What did you say to mom just now? What about buying a house?" Cao Xueqin asked when he saw Ye Lian hung up the phone.

Ye Lian told Cao Xueqin that her mother was going to buy a house.

Cao Xueqian listened and said, "Sure. After all, if we buy a house, it will not only be a place for our parents to live in, but it will also appreciate in value. So do you plan to pay for the house, or do you plan to ask Ye Wei and the others to share the cost?"

"According to the old rules."

Ye Lian is the eldest child, and she is the one who takes care of and makes decisions about matters concerning Lanshan’s grandparents at home.

The old rules that Ye Lian mentioned refer to that whenever Lanshan's grandparents needed a large sum of money for life, health or other reasons, Ye Lian would share the money with Ye Lu and Ye Wei. The ratio was 5:4:1, Ye Lian 5, Ye Wei 4, and Ye Lu 1.

This is a formal ratio, formulated at the suggestion of Cao Xueqin.

Originally, Ye Lian thought that since she was the eldest and had stronger financial strength, she could take more or even all of it.

But Cao Xueqian said, "Mom is everyone's mom. Every child has the obligation and right to be filial. We should respect this obligation and right. It is inappropriate for you to take on so much responsibility. Although your original intention is to take care of your sister, sometimes it will give people the feeling that you look down on others. You can set an example and share the expenses. If any sister has difficulties, we can do it separately."

Ye Lu thought it made sense.

Filial piety is everyone's responsibility, and everyone should participate.

So Ye Lu came up with the idea of ​​sharing the burden in a ratio of 5:4:1. As the eldest, she would pay % more, Ye Wei was also in a better position, so she would pay %, and Ye Lu would pay %. The two younger sisters could pay if they were willing, and if they were not willing or had difficulties, she, the eldest sister, would take over.

Ye Lian showed the sharing ratio to her two younger sisters, and both sisters had no objection.

Therefore, this apportionment ratio has been used.

However, the amount of shared expenses was relatively small before, and Ye Lu was very determined to contribute her share; but now, buying a house and sharing hundreds of thousands of dollars is definitely difficult for Ye Lu.

Let’s do it this way for now. The house hasn’t been bought yet anyway. When it is bought, if Ye Lu has any difficulties, she, as the eldest sister, will help him.

……

"How about it? According to the old rules?" Ye Lian felt that she still had to ask Cao Xueqin. Although Cao Xueqin was never stingy, she still had to seek his opinion, even if this solicitation was only formal; and, after all, it was a matter of taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"Since it's an old rule, there's definitely no objection."

"Then let's go look at houses next time we go back to our hometown and choose one for Mom and Dad."

"can."

“Nowadays, many people in rural areas go to the county town to buy houses. There are fewer and fewer people in the village.” Ye Lian sighed.

"This is the trend. County towns have better medical care and education."

"Look at the field roads in the countryside now. They are deeply buried under the overgrown weeds and are getting narrower and narrower. They are no longer roads. When we were young, they were all big roads."

"If no one walks, the grass will grow everywhere."

"It seems that there are so many nice houses built in the countryside, three- and four-story ones that look like villas, but people still leave them empty, which is a pity."

"Everyone is vying to build a house. If everyone builds one, you have to build one too. But if you build one, you stay away from it all year round and don't live in it."

"Yes, there are only old people and children. When school starts, the old people take their children to the county town to go to school, so there are even fewer people in the countryside."

……

As the two were discussing, Cao Lanshan came back from evening study.

"What are you discussing?" asked Cao Lanshan.

"My mother just called my grandmother, and then they talked about some things in the countryside back home."

After hearing what her mother said, Cao Lanshan just said "oh".

Ye Lian asked Cao Lanshan: "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something else?"

Cao Lanshan shook his head.

Ye Lian gave Cao Lanshan a box of milk, and Cao Lanshan drank a bottle of milk every night.

"Son, do you know how honored you are?" Cao Xueqin suddenly asked Cao Lanshan with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Cao Lanshan was confused.

"Do you know who brings you milk?"

Cao Lanshan was still confused. He looked at Ye Lian and asked Cao Xueqin, "What do you mean? Do I not recognize my mother anymore? Or is the mother I see now not my mother?"

"It's your mother," Cao Xueqian said seriously, "but your mother is no longer an ordinary mother. She is already a writer mother."

Cao Lanshan said "Oh?" in surprise, and then asked for the third time, "What do you mean?"

"Don't pay attention to your dad, he's just joking." Ye Lian interrupted and glanced at Cao Xueqin with a blaming look.

"What is going on?" Cao Lanshan was getting anxious because of his parents.

Cao Xueqian then smiled and told Cao Lanshan about Lawyer Xu's high praise for Ye Lian's article in Shahong Park, the lively comments in his circle of friends who forwarded Ye Lian's article, and the various praises and comments on Ye Lian's article in Ye Lian's high school classmates group. Then he said, "Look, your mother is very popular now. Isn't she going to become a writer?"

Cao Lanshan nodded repeatedly and gave Ye Lian a thumbs up, saying, "Mom, you're going to be a late bloomer."