"No, I just arrived, and I havenāt finished tidying up the house yet."
"Alright, you take care of it first, weāre heading back."
"Aunt Lin, I still want to eat."
Lin Wan paused for a moment, said nothing, smiled, and went back inside to get some more pieces for her.
After Wang Guihua and Miao Miao left, Lin Wan let out a long sigh, thinking to herself that when she has children, she must make sure they donāt act like Miao Miao, asking for food as soon as they enter someone elseās home. Itās so impolite.
Lin Wan mulled over this for a while, then shook it off, and went to bring the gifts she had prepared for Sister-in-law Zhang to their house.
Sister-in-law Zhang was at home teaching Pidan homework, and when she saw Lin Wan coming, it was an unexpected surprise.
"Hello, Aunt Lin," Pidan sweetly ran forward to greet her.
Lin Wan patted his head, "Pidan has grown a lot."
"Oh yes, except for his brain, his height and appetite are shooting up," Zhang Cuiping said without continuing about the child, instead asking Lin Wan when she arrived.
"I arrived yesterday afternoon."
"Han Yi is back, so I thought youād come for the National Day holiday. Itās been a long time since Iāve seen you. Have lunch with us today."
"Han Yi will probably be back for lunch. Saozi, donāt prepare anything else," Lin Wan sat next to Pidan, glanced at his homework, and asked, "What grade are you in?"
"First grade, we just enrolled him this summer," Zhang Cuiping poured Lin Wan a cup of sugar water.
"Is there a primary school in our compound?"
"No, itās in front of H City, not far from us. Itās about two miles away, H City Second Affiliated Primary School. All the children from our team go to that school. Thereās not much choice; the team has nearly a hundred children. Itās not cost-effective to set up a separate primary and secondary school. Besides a nursery class in our compound, primary and secondary are assigned to schools neighboring H City. Fortunately, itās not far. Itās a ten-minute bike ride. The team said that on windy or rainy days, theyāll provide transport, and starting in October, theyāll send a large truck daily for pick-up and drop-off."
"Thatās quite convenient."
"Yes, the teaching at the school is quite good. Your Brother Huang found me a job, just in H City."
"Saozi started working?"
"Iām cooking at the canteen of the government compound, close to the school, with weekends and holidays off, so it doesnāt interfere with taking care of the kid."
"Thatās a great job. Once it gets a bit colder, Saozi can ride the children transport bus to work."
"Exactly... Oh, right, Sun Yu from Yang Lianzhangās family is also following Jun. She graduated from college and was assigned to S City as a teacher. The house sheās been allocated is one of the newly built apartments at the back. The decor is beautiful. Many people from our compound went to see it and loved it. But I think itās not good-looking at all; itās so gaudy."
Lin Wan hadnāt seen it, so she couldnāt comment and simply smiled.
Lin Wan didnāt linger too long and went home just before lunchtime.
She steamed a small aluminum basin of rice, stir-fried some crayfish her mom brought, and made a mushroom meat slice dish.
Once the dishes were ready, Han Yi came back.
This time, Lin Wan was cautious of Wang Guihua and immediately blocked the door as Han Yi walked in.
Han Yi was puzzled and asked, "Whatās up?"
Lin Wan smiled, "Nothing, just donāt want to be bothered by some people."
Han Yi chuckled, understanding his wifeās meaning. His family used to have Yang Wei living next door for a while, and now it was vacant, with Instructor Fengās family next door on the other side.
His wife was famously known in the compound for her love of petty benefits.
"Iām off tomorrow and the day after, letās go explore the area," he said.