One had to admit that the sign was truly essential for finding people or things. The moment Li Chuchu saw the sign, she was really startled. She felt her embarrassment was about to explode, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Sheng Li was holding the sign up, completely oblivious to the strange and curious looks from the people around. His eyes were fixed intently on the direction of the station exit. When he saw Li Chuchu's figure, his face lit up. He immediately tucked the sign under his arm and dashed over, shouting loudly, "Chuchu! Chuchu! Over here!"
The commotion was so loud that it was hard not to hear.
Many people looked in their direction. Li Chuchu quickly replied, "Uncle."
"Thank you for coming to the station to pick me up on such a cold day."
The vague face of her uncle in her memory gradually became clear.
He was thin, with a warm smile on his face. However, the cotton-padded jacket on him was neither new nor old, and his hands were red from the cold. He couldn't help rubbing them constantly. He had a stubbly beard, and it was obvious that his life was not well-off.
When Sheng Li saw his niece, the anxiety in his heart disappeared. He said in a relaxed and cheerful tone, "Are you tired from the journey? Your grandfather has prepared a lot of delicious food at home waiting for you."
This uncle was very amiable when he spoke. Although they hadn't seen each other for a few years, it felt as familiar as relatives who had been in regular contact. Li Chuchu originally thought that after not coming back for so many years, there would surely be awkwardness this time. She just planned to come on behalf of the original owner's mother to visit the old man and then leave.
But after her uncle's words, the uneasiness in her heart lessened a bit.
However, Li Chuchu couldn't help stealing a couple of glances at the sign in his hand.
Sheng Li followed her gaze and explained, "This was your grandfather's idea. He was afraid that there would be too many people at the station today and you wouldn't be able to find me, so he specially wrote this sign for me to hold. What do you think? Even though your grandfather is old, his idea is quite good." As he said, he raised his hand and knocked on the wooden board. The board made a thumping sound. He muttered to himself, "The quality of this sign is quite good. It can still be used when you come back next time."
Li Chuchu: ... It's really not necessary.
While they were talking, Sheng Li had secretly sized up Shen Yanshan behind Li Chuchu several times.
This should be Chuchu's husband.
Chuchu didn't inform their relatives when she got married. She just mentioned it in her reply letter to her father this time. The old man couldn't sleep well for several days because of this. He was worried that without Sheng Lan's care, Chuchu would be deceived by some scoundrel.
But now, judging from his demeanor and dressing, he shouldn't be too bad.
Shen Yanshan noticed Sheng Li's gaze. He turned his head and looked directly at him, nodding slightly as a greeting, "Uncle."
Sheng Li responded and then shifted his gaze. This nephew-in-law's aura was quite intimidating.
Grandfather's house was still some distance away from the bus station. Shen Yanshan was going to hail a pedicab by the roadside.
"Uncle, how much is it to South Lake Alley?"
The old man casually hung one of his removed gloves on the handlebar and stuck his index finger into his nose. When he heard there was business, he replied indifferently, "To South Lake Alley? One yuan and fifty cents."
The price was not cheap.
But during the Spring Festival, it was common for the fare to double.
Li Chuchu felt that she was almost used to being overcharged. She was just about to ask Shen Yanshan to put the luggage on the pedicab.
Suddenly, Sheng Li's voice rose several decibels. He said with an exaggerated expression, "One yuan and fifty cents? Are you robbing people? It only cost me twenty cents when I took the bus here."
The old man snorted disdainfully, "Then go take the bus! The bus to South Lake Alley comes once an hour, and the last one just left."
Sheng Li naturally knew this, but he still got angry. His face turned red as he said, "It can't be this expensive! It only costs fifty cents on normal days. You've tripled the price all of a sudden."
"The prices around here are all the same. If you don't believe me, go and ask around." The old man tilted his chin towards the other pedicabs nearby.
Sheng Li didn't believe it. He asked several other pedicab drivers one after another.
The prices were all the same, and they wouldn't bargain.
Li Chuchu patted her uncle's shoulder comfortingly and advised, "During the Spring Festival, these pedicab drivers must have colluded in advance. How about we just take the first one?"
Uncle was originally going to ask a few more drivers, but when he turned around and saw the huge luggage on Shen Yanshan's back. He suddenly remembered that his nephew-in-law had been carrying so much stuff and following him for so long while he was asking around. He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
"Okay, the first one then."
Li Chuchu finally got on the pedicab.
Shen Yanshan put the luggage in the middle of the pedicab. The pedicab swayed from side to side, but fortunately, the air outside was fresh. Li Chuchu smelled the cold and refreshing air and felt much more comfortable than on the bus.
After a while,
"South Lake Alley is here."
The old man knocked on the window.
Shen Yanshan got off the pedicab and was about to pay the old man.
But Sheng Li snatched the opportunity before him.
"Here's one yuan and fifty cents."
He had secretly counted the money in his pocket on the way. Finally, he managed to pay the fare before Shen Yanshan when they got off the pedicab.
He didn't even give Li Chuchu and the others a chance to decline.
Grandfather's house was right in front of South Lake Alley.
Sheng Li offered to help carry Shen Yanshan's luggage in.
Li Chuchu quickly refused.
Sheng Li waved his hand quickly, "This little bit of stuff is nothing! He must be tired from carrying it all the way. I'm strong. Let me carry it. It's okay."
Li Chuchu and Shen Yanshan followed behind him. Looking at his emaciated figure, even though he was wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket, his body seemed as if it could be blown down by a gust of wind. They felt quite uncomfortable.
Although they hadn't even entered the house yet, the scene was very different from what Li Chuchu had imagined of cold and distant relatives.
Shen Yanshan gently squeezed Li Chuchu's hand.
Li Chuchu let out a soft sigh.
...
"Dad, Mom, Chuchu's back!"
Sheng Li walked into the yard.
He dropped the luggage on the ground and excitedly shouted at the top of his voice.
Li Chuchu heard a flurry of footsteps from inside the house. Then, two old people appeared at the door.
"Chuchu's back! Grandma misses you so much, dear granddaughter."
Grandma walked forward with excitement in her eyes. She traced Li Chuchu's face with her eyes again and again, with tears welling up in her eyes, as if she was looking at someone through Li Chuchu's face.
Li Chuchu replied with a smile, "Grandma, I'm here to see you."
"Hey!"
The old woman was obviously very excited. She turned around to wipe away her tears.
Grandfather stepped forward and explained, "Your grandma hasn't been able to sleep well for several weeks since she heard you were coming. She was afraid that you would be suddenly held up by work at the factory and couldn't come, and she was also worried that you wouldn't be able to find your way here."
He looked at Li Chuchu with a smile on his face:
"It takes about six or seven hours to get here, right? Did the sign I asked your uncle to take work? Did it?"
Sheng Li quickly replied, "The sign wasn't even needed! Even if Chuchu didn't recognize me, I could recognize her right away. I saw her as soon as she walked out of the station."