Chapter 122: Departure to the Capital
After all, a visit to the in-laws in the Capital was a major event. With two elders heading the Gu household, gifts of premium malted milk extract and high-grade liquor were absolute necessities.
Wanyan tagged along on the shopping trip, happily serving as their designated porter. It simply wouldn’t be right to sit idly at home while her grandparents bustled about town running errands for her wedding.
For the first time in a long while, Grandma Sheng experienced the sheer thrill of shopping without having to constantly check the price tags. When Sheng Wanze had gotten married, Mother Sheng had handled all the wedding preparations. If her son and daughter-in-law hadn’t traveled to the countryside to source wild game this time, Grandma Sheng might never have had the chance to enjoy such an extravagant shopping spree.
By the time they returned to the tube-shaped building, Wanyan was laden with bags from head to toe. Seeing the haul, the neighbors couldn’t help but crowd around to ask a few questions. When they learned that the entire Sheng family was traveling to the Capital in a few days, a wave of shock rippled through the courtyard.
“The whole family is going?” one neighbor gasped.
“Yes,” Grandma Sheng beamed. “Our Wanyan is getting married, and the wedding banquet will be held in the Capital. We’re all heading up to visit the in-laws.”
“Oh my goodness! I haven’t even been to the Capital!” an auntie exclaimed, her eyes wide with envy. “Will you get to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City?”
To ordinary folks, those were legendary places only seen in newspapers or heard about on radio broadcasts. Everyone dreamed of seeing them in person.
“It’s a rare opportunity to travel that far, so of course we’ll make time to see the sights,” Grandma Sheng replied, her tone swelling with unmistakable pride.
“Your granddaughter is so incredibly lucky. After she’s married and settled in the Capital, she has to come back and visit her aunts and uncles here!”
“My parents are here in Chengdu, so we will definitely visit often,” Wanyan replied with a polite smile and a nod.
The neighbors clearly wanted to keep her trapped in conversation to dig for more details, but Grandma Sheng knew her granddaughter disliked noisy crowds. Finding a smooth excuse, she sent Wanyan upstairs first.
Left to her own devices, Grandma Sheng stayed behind to chat with the neighbors, showing off the family’s good fortune with glowing pride. Watching from the sidelines, Grandpa Sheng just shook his head, wondering why his wife felt the need to brag so much.
Grandma Sheng boasted to her heart’s content, only returning to the apartment when it was time for dinner. Seeing her walk in, Wanyan tactfully poured her a glass of warm water.
“Ah, I am so thirsty,” Grandma Sheng sighed, downing the entire cup in one go.
Wanyan couldn’t help but smile. She truly hadn’t expected her grandmother to be the type of old lady who loved to show off. But thinking about it, if a family’s children had achieved such great things and secured a bright future, who wouldn’t want to brag? In her youth, her son had made her proud; now in her twilight years, her grandchildren were bringing her honor. Grandma Sheng was truly a blessed woman. When the time came for her to be laid to rest, she would be able to face the ancestors of the Sheng family with absolute dignity.
Three days later, the Sheng family officially boarded the train bound for the Capital.
Mother Sheng had prepared a massive haul of dry provisions for the journey, and the family had pooled their resources to purchase tickets for a premium soft sleeper carriage.
Because each compartment only held four beds, Father Sheng had to separate from the rest of the group and take a bunk in the adjacent cabin. However, he only took a single change of clothes with him; all of the family’s valuables and remaining luggage were securely stowed in Wanyan’s carriage.
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng took the lower bunks, while Mother Sheng and Wanyan claimed the upper ones.
“You four need to be incredibly careful in here,” Father Sheng instructed, his tone serious as he stood in their doorway. “There are all sorts of characters on these trains. I’ll come over and stay with you during the day, but when you go to sleep, make sure the cabin door is securely locked and the curtains are drawn tight.”
The carriage door featured a small glass pane that allowed people in the corridor to peek inside, but it was equipped with a heavy cloth shade that could be pulled shut for privacy.
“If you need anything at all during the night, come next door and wake me up,” Father Sheng continued. “If any of you need to use the restroom in the middle of the night, do not go alone. Come get me first. Oh, and we absolutely cannot leave the elders alone in the cabin at any point. We’re a prime target, and I’m worried someone might try to pull something if they see two elderly folks sitting by themselves.”
Father Sheng’s protective nagging made perfect sense. Their group consisted entirely of women and the elderly, making them an easy mark for anyone with malicious intentions.
“Don’t worry, we’re the only ones assigned to this compartment, so we’ll keep it locked as much as possible,” Mother Sheng assured him.
“Alright. Just stay alert, and keep that latch secured.”
Having thoroughly briefed his family, Father Sheng took his clothes and headed next door. Since taking a shower on a long-distance train was impossible, he planned to simply leave his spare clothes on his bunk whenever he wasn’t sleeping in it. Leaving a set of men’s clothing visibly strewn across the mattress was a subtle deterrent, ensuring no opportunistic passengers would assume the bed was empty and try to occupy it.
The moment Father Sheng left, Wanyan firmly locked the cabin door and pulled the heavy cloth shade over the interior window. It was always best to block prying eyes whenever possible. The compartment remained perfectly illuminated anyway, thanks to the large exterior window letting in the bright afternoon sunlight.
“Let’s get everything organized first,” Mother Sheng said, unpacking the provisions. “We can eat as soon as your father comes back. It’s going to be a long week on this train.”
Wanyan grabbed her cloth bag of daily necessities and nimbly climbed up to her top bunk. Leaning over the edge, she suddenly popped her head down to check on her grandmother. Grandma Sheng, who had been standing right next to the bed arranging her blankets, jumped in fright at the sudden appearance of a face dangling upside down right next to hers.
“You little rascal! You nearly scared me to death popping your head out like that!” Grandma Sheng scolded, clutching her chest.
Wanyan shrank back into her bunk with an embarrassed giggle. Seeing her granddaughter act so playfully childish, Grandma Sheng smiled, shook her head, and laid down to rest.
An hour later, a heavy knock echoed at the cabin door. Mother Sheng carefully peeked through the edge of the curtain to verify it was Father Sheng before unlatching the lock.
“Hurry, let’s eat,” Mother Sheng said, opening her food containers.
She had prepared a lavish spread: several rich meat dishes, fluffy steamed buns, savory meat dumplings, boiled eggs, and fried eggs. Knowing the journey was long, the family prioritized the perishable items, treating themselves to a hearty first meal of braised pork wrapped in warm pancakes. Every bite was incredibly satisfying.
“Wanze wrote to me in his last letter saying he was scheduled to leave for the Capital the day before yesterday,” Mother Sheng mentioned happily between bites. “Our entire family will finally be reunited once we arrive.”
“And Xiao Gu sent a telegram yesterday to confirm our train schedule,” Grandpa Sheng added. “He said he’ll be waiting for us right at the station exit.”
Mother Sheng sighed wistfully. She missed her son terribly. She hadn’t laid eyes on Wanze or her daughter-in-law in over half a year, and they were constantly on her mind.
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng echoed her sigh. That grandson of theirs was always making them worry, to the point where they often lost sleep over his deployments.
“The children are being very thoughtful,” Grandpa Sheng noted. “We just need to follow their arrangements.”
“Speaking of arrangements,” Mother Sheng hesitated, her brow furrowing slightly. “My mother-in-law mentioned in her last letter that she had specifically cleaned out a private, four-room courtyard residence just for us to stay in. I’ve been thinking… it feels like a terrible imposition to trouble her like this. Shouldn’t we just book rooms at a public guesthouse?”
Mother Sheng had been agonizing over this. She felt it was highly unreasonable to drag their entire family to the Capital and expect the Gu matriarch to personally arrange private accommodations for them.
Grandpa Sheng paused, chewing his food thoughtfully before shaking his head. “No, staying in a guesthouse would be a mistake.”
“We owe the in-laws a massive favor this time, it’s true,” Grandpa Sheng explained seriously. “But Yan’er cannot marry out of a public guesthouse. Furthermore, consider the wedding banquet. If the prominent guests start whispering that the powerful Gu family forced their new in-laws to sleep in a common guesthouse, it would severely damage the Gu family’s reputation and face.”
Grandpa Sheng understood the delicate social politics at play. “Since we have traveled such a long distance, the most respectful thing we can do is graciously accept the host’s arrangements. Sometimes, trying to be overly polite and acting on your own can backfire and cause offense.”
Hearing her father-in-law break it down, Mother Sheng realized she had nearly committed a major faux pas. “You’re right, Dad. We’ll follow their arrangements, and I’ll find a proper way to make it up to my in-laws later.”
She mentally chided herself for not being thoughtful enough; she had almost inadvertently ruined the Gu family’s carefully crafted hospitality. The Gu lineage was a wealthy, powerful clan, and families of that stature always had profound, deliberate reasons for the arrangements they made.
