paranoianovel Chapter 199 Revisiting My Hometown: The Fragrance of Time
Chapter 199 Revisiting My Hometown: The Fragrance of Time
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in 1996, the sound of firecrackers for the Little New Year in northern China was already sporadic in the streets and alleys of Beijing. Lin Chen drove his newly purchased black Santana smoothly into the blue-brick alley of Nanluoguxiang. Outside the car window, the red banner of the candied hawthorn stall swayed in the wind, and the elderly people carried newly bought Spring Festival couplets and New Year's goods with difficulty. The air was filled with the aroma of coal stove smoke and roasted chestnuts, instantly pulling Lin Chen's memory back to that cold winter solstice morning thirty-five years ago.
"Dad, are we at the courtyard house yet?" Lin Xiaoyu, clutching the small brass whistle his grandfather Liu Guangtian had given him, excitedly peered out the car window from the passenger seat. Su Qing, in the back seat, smiled and straightened her son's scarf. "Don't rush, look at that old locust tree, that's the place we're looking for." Following her pointing, a lush old locust tree stood majestically, its trunk bearing the mottled patterns of the thin iron nails Lin Chen had hammered in when he installed the security bell years ago, now worn smooth by time.
As soon as the car came to a stop, the vermilion gate of the courtyard house creaked open. Liu Guangtian, dressed in a navy blue factory uniform with a badge reading "Deputy Technical Director of the Steel Rolling Mill" pinned to his chest, strode forward to greet them: "Xiao Lin! We've been waiting for you!" Behind him followed Liu Guangfu, carrying two bulging net bags filled with freshly baked braised pork hocks and sugar-coated sesame cakes. "Knowing Xiaoyu likes sweet things, I specially had your sister-in-law make them."
As soon as Lin Chen opened the car door, he was enveloped by a familiar warmth. Qin Huairu, wearing an indigo apron, peeked out from behind the door. Although a few strands of white hair were at her temples, the smile in her eyes was still gentle: "Xiao Lin, Xiao Su, come in quickly! The kang (heated brick bed) is warm." Behind her, Jia Dang, dressed in a crisp textile factory uniform, held a roll of blueprints in his hand. Beside him stood a girl with a ponytail. "Uncle Lin, this is my daughter, Qin Yue. She studies environmental design and insisted on coming along to change the signboard for her grandmother's tailor shop."
As Lin Chen entered the courtyard, he slowed his pace. The once uneven ground in the central courtyard had been paved with smooth bluestone slabs. The porch where he used to dry scraps now held several bamboo tables and chairs, around which several elderly people were drinking tea and chatting. In the front courtyard, Yan Bugui's old house had been renovated and painted off-white. A wooden plaque hung at the entrance, inscribed with "Yan's Accounting Service Department." Yan Xiaowei, dressed in a suit, was calculating the New Year's bill for an old neighbor. On the corner of the table lay Yan Bugui's old arithmetic ledger, now framed in glass.
"Chairman Lin!" Yan Xiaowei looked up and saw Lin Chen, and quickly stood up to greet him. The old neighbors next to him laughed and joked, "This is a golden phoenix that flew out of our compound! Who would have thought that the young man guarding half a bag of old rice would become a big entrepreneur?" Lin Chen smiled and waved his hand, his gaze falling on the title page of the account book, where a line of small characters was written in pen: "Calculation is not as good as hard work, accounts are not as good as people's hearts - Yan Bugui's handwriting in his later years", the handwriting trembled but full of strength.
"Come inside and warm up!" Liu Guangtian pushed Lin Chen towards the central courtyard. Passing the Jia family's yard, Lin Chen stopped. Under the old locust tree where Jia Zhangshi had once hidden stolen chickens, now, hardy wintersweet was planted, its buds just beginning to sprout. Qin Huairu followed his gaze and said softly, "Back then, you said that earning a living with your skills was more reliable, so I planted these wintersweet here, thinking that one day I could live with some dignity."
Just then, the door to the west wing opened. Jia Huaihua, dressed in a nurse's uniform and carrying a medicine box, came out. She was taken aback when she saw Lin Chen, but then smiled and greeted him, "Uncle Lin! I just finished changing Grandpa Wang's dressing." She shook the medicine box in her hand, "Now that community hospitals are offering home-based care, the elderly in our facility don't have to travel far to see a doctor." Lin Chen nodded, recalling how frail Jia Huaihua looked as an infant, and how she had grown into a capable head nurse. He couldn't help but sigh at the passage of time.
Liu Guangtian's house is in the backyard, the place where Liu Haizhong used to beat and scold the children. Now, a grape trellis has been built there, and under the trellis sits an old sewing machine, the very one Lin Chen gave to Liu Guangtian's wife back then. "This machine still works!" Liu Guangtian's wife said with a smile as she brought out hot tea. "Guangtian still often says that if it weren't for the forging manual you gave him, Brother Lin, he would still be swinging a sledgehammer in the workshop."
On the tea table, Liu Guangtian took out a yellowed notebook, densely filled with key points of forging technology, each page showing signs of wear on the edges. "This is the manual you gave me back then. I've worn it out three times. Now I use it as teaching material for Jianjun." He pointed to a photo on the wall, in which Liu Jianjun was wearing Chenqing Company's work clothes, standing in front of a precision machine tool. "This kid didn't let you down. Last year, the new type of bearing he developed even won the company's innovation award."
Lin Xiaoyu and Qin Yue were already close friends. The two children chased and played in the backyard with the firecrackers Liu Guangfu had given them. Su Qing and Qin Huairu sat under the grape trellis, looking through old photos of the courtyard house from back then. "Look at this one," Qin Huairu pointed to a black and white photo. In it, Lin Chen, wearing a patched cotton-padded jacket, was demonstrating forging techniques to Liu Guangtian. "Back then, you advised me not to act in melodramatic plays, and I didn't believe you. Now I understand that money earned through needlework is the most reliable."
At lunchtime, two round tables were set up in the courtyard. Liu Guangfu brought out a pot of freshly stewed sauerkraut and pork belly, the broth bubbling and steaming. Jia Dang brought some new floral fabric from the textile factory and made new cotton-padded jackets for Su Qing and Lin Xiaoyu. Qin Yue took out the design drawings and explained the new signboard of the tailor shop to everyone: "Grandma, I added the pattern of the old locust tree, which retains the old flavor while looking fashionable." Qin Huairu looked at the drawings, her eyes moist: "Okay, let's do it as Yueyue says."
During the meal, Lin Chen inquired about Yi Zhonghai's situation. Liu Guangtian sighed, "After being released from prison a few years ago, he rented a small house in the suburbs. I visited him a few times, and he always said he was sorry to Sha Zhu and the people in the compound." He put down his wine glass, "He passed away last winter, still clutching his old model worker award certificate in his hand." Lin Chen was silent for a moment, recalling the way Yi Zhonghai had privately warned him back then, and felt a mix of emotions.
After lunch, Lin Chen took his family to visit the former steel rolling mill site. The former forging workshop had been transformed into a modern precision manufacturing workshop, with a plaque at the entrance reading "Chenqing Precision Manufacturing Cooperation Base." The workshop director accompanied them on the tour, pointing to a large machine tool and explaining, "This is the improved version designed by Chairman Lin back then. Now, the precision of our bearings is even higher than that of imported ones." Lin Xiaoyu curiously touched the machine tool, and Lin Chen squatted down to tell his son the story of how he repaired the forging press with a homemade wrench back then.
When I returned to the courtyard house in the evening, the setting sun was casting golden rays through the branches of the old locust tree. He Yushui arrived with her husband, Li Jianguo, carrying newly purchased New Year's pictures. "Xiaolin, you're finally back!" He Yushui, dressed in her teacher's uniform and looking very energetic, said, "Thanks to your fund, the elderly care service station is bustling with activity now, with the seniors playing chess and practicing calligraphy every day."
The elderly care service station is located in an unused bungalow next to a courtyard house, with a red plaque that reads "Chenqing Elderly Care Service Station" hanging at the entrance. Inside, Grandpa Wang was exercising on rehabilitation equipment. When he saw Lin Chen come in, he greeted him with a smile: "Little Lin, come and try this thing you designed. It's much more convenient than going to the hospital!" On the wall hung the old man's calligraphy works, one of which, "Neighbors United," was particularly eye-catching. It was signed "Yi Zhonghai's late-life work."
He Yushui pointed to the duty roster on the wall: "Jianguo and I take turns coming to help. Now the service station not only takes care of the elderly in our facility, but also the elderly in the surrounding alleys often come." She took out a ledger, "This is the fund's expenditure details. Every penny is clearly recorded, so you can rest assured." Lin Chen flipped through the ledger and when he saw the entry for "Jia Zhangshi's asthma treatment expenses," He Yushui explained, "She had an attack last winter, and thanks to the service station's emergency equipment, she often comes to help sweep the floor now."
As night fell, the lanterns in the courtyard lit up. Lin Xiaoyu and Qin Yue set off fireworks in the courtyard, the dazzling sparks illuminating the gray bricks and tiles. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu kept Lin Chen company with drinks, reminiscing about their fun days in the workshop; Su Qing, Qin Huairu, and He Yushui sat on the porch, mending Xiaoyu and Qin Yue's cotton-padded coats; the elderly sat around the stone table, listening to Li Jianguo tell them about the latest happenings in the community.
"Uncle Lin, look what this is?" Yan Xiaowei walked over with an old iron box containing a faded eighth-grade fitter's badge and an apprentice's certificate. "This was given to me by my great-grandfather, Yan Bugui, before he passed away. He said he misunderstood you back then, thinking you were speculating, but later he realized you earned your living through genuine skills. He asked me to return this to you as an apology." Lin Chen took the badge, his fingertips tracing the rust on it. Recalling Yan Bugui's feigned poverty back then, he couldn't help but smile: "That's all in the past. Your great-grandfather helped me calculate costs later, which was a great help."
Night had fallen, and the children were fast asleep. Lin Chen and Su Qing sat on bamboo chairs in the courtyard, gazing at the starry sky. "I still remember when we first started our business, our little shop in Zhangcheng didn't even have a decent piece of equipment," Su Qing said softly, leaning on Lin Chen's shoulder. "Back then, you said that when you were able, you would make sure everyone in the courtyard lived a good life." Lin Chen took her hand and looked at the lights in the courtyard: "Now I understand that the best life isn't about how much money you make, but about everyone around you being safe and sound, living a secure life through your own hard work."
The next morning, Lin Chen took his family to pay respects at Yi Zhonghai's grave. The grave was in a public cemetery on the outskirts of the city; the tombstone was simple and unadorned, bearing the inscription "Tomb of Yi Zhonghai." Lin Xiaoyu placed a bunch of winter plum blossoms in front of the grave and asked curiously, "Dad, why didn't this grandpa have any family members visiting him?" Lin Chen knelt down and said softly, "He spent his whole life scheming to have others support him in his old age, forgetting that you can't buy kindness." Su Qing added, "So we must remember that no matter what, we must rely on ourselves and be sincere to others."
Before returning home, Qin Huairu gave Lin Chen a cotton-padded coat. The stitches were fine and dense, and a winter plum blossom was embroidered on the collar. "Jia Dang and I made this together. The material is the best pure cotton fabric from the textile factory," she said with a smile. "I've remembered the bowl of cornbread you gave me all my life. Now, all I can do is sew you a warm cotton-padded coat." Lin Chen took the coat, feeling its warmth, as if he could feel the tenderness that had settled over the years.
As the car drove out of the alley, Lin Xiaoyu leaned against the window, waving her small brass whistle: "Goodbye, Grandpa Liu, Grandma Qin!" Lin Chen looked in the rearview mirror and saw Liu Guangtian and Qin Huairu still standing there waving in front of the vermilion gate of the courtyard house. The branches of the old locust tree swayed in the wind, casting long shadows. Su Qing held Lin Chen's hand: "Come back and visit often." Lin Chen nodded, understanding that this courtyard, which held his memories of rebirth, was no longer just a simple old home, but a testament to his original aspirations, the warmest connection in the fragrance of time.
Outside the car window, the sound of firecrackers from Nanluoguxiang rang out again, mingling with the distant factory horns, composing a symphony of old and new eras. Lin Chen looked at the Level 8 fitter badge in his hand, then at his family beside him, his heart filled with determination. Skills can change destiny, and kindness can warm hearts; this was the most precious harvest of his thirty-five years of life, and the most valuable wealth he wanted to pass on to his son.