inspire-indiana Chapter 292 Newly Moved In
Chapter 292 Newly Moved In
The morning sunlight streamed into the room through the carved window lattice. Yuan Bao opened his eyes and stared blankly at the mortise and tenon structure of the roof beams above his head for a while.
This was her first morning in her new home in Beijing, and the air still carried a faint smell of tung oil.
"Baby! Get up!" Aunt Yuan's voice came from the next yard. "Your auntie made soy milk!"
Yuan Bao leaped out of bed with a somersault, her bare feet landing on the cold gold brick floor, instantly waking her up.
"Miss, are you awake?" A soft knock came from outside the door; it was Butler Bai's voice.
"Wake up, wake up, Sister Bai!" Yuan Bao called the AI butler Bai "Sister Bai" to avoid any misunderstanding.
She opened the camphor wood wardrobe and picked out a pale yellow polyester shirt from a row of newly bought clothes—it was a new purchase the whole family had made at Wangfujing Department Store yesterday.
After getting dressed, Yuan Bao left the room.
Good morning, Sister Bai! Where's Grandpa?
"The old master is practicing Tai Chi in the backyard," Butler Bai said with a smile, handing over an embroidered pouch. "These are letters that arrived this morning; one of them is from Peking University."
Just as Yuan Bao was about to open the letter, an enticing aroma wafted over.
Little White, dressed in a snow-white chef's uniform, walked from the direction of the kitchen carrying a mahogany food box.
The AI girl, younger than Butler Bai, had two dimples when she smiled: "Miss, try this freshly made pea flour cake, seasoned with honey that just arrived yesterday."
Yuan Bao picked up a piece of golden pastry, which melted in her mouth, sweet but not cloying. "It's so delicious! Little White, it seems we'll have to study Beijing's cuisine more thoroughly in the future!"
Little White nodded: "Okay, Miss. This morning, my aunt made soy milk using new soybeans from Anhui... and she wouldn't let me help. Could you talk to her and say that the kitchen is my job..."
Yuan Bao felt that this AI, Little White, was becoming more and more human-like; it even knew how to tattle.
Just then, Baoguo, his hair a mess, rushed out from the east courtyard, sniffing, "It smells so good! Are they frying dough sticks?"
Before he could finish speaking, Butler Bai stopped him: "Young Master, please wash up first." She magically handed him a hot towel, and Bao Guo immediately wilted.
Breakfast was served on the octagonal table in the main room.
The soy milk was thick and white, served with freshly fried sugar-coated pancakes and Liubiju pickles.
Grandma Yuan clicked her tongue in amazement: "This skill is even better than the head chef at the old state-run restaurants!"
Yuan Bao didn't have time to eat breakfast. When he passed through the moon gate connecting the four courtyards and arrived at the backyard, he saw his grandfather practicing Tai Chi, his movements flowing smoothly.
In the morning light, the old man's white hair shimmered with silver light, creating a charming contrast with the vermilion pillars.
Good morning, Grandpa!
"Good morning." Grandpa stopped what he was doing and asked with a smile, "Are you getting used to sleeping in the new house?"
"It smells so good! It's just too quiet; I can't hear the roosters crowing in the county town, which makes me feel a little strange."
Grandpa laughed heartily and pulled a red cloth bag from his pocket: "Here, a housewarming gift. Even though the house is yours, we can't skimp on the proper etiquette."
Just as Yuan Bao was about to decline, his grandmother's shouts drifted from the kitchen: "Come and eat breakfast quickly! The soy milk is getting cold!"
Yuan Bao helped her grandfather quickly back to the kitchen.
Little Bai specially used the new stove to fry some eggs. The golden yolks trembled slightly, making everyone's mouths water.
"This stone mill is really useful," Auntie said, serving everyone soy milk. "It's much easier than the one back home."
Baoguo wolfed down his third sesame seed cake, mumbling, "Dad and I are going to buy a bicycle later, Yuanbao, are you coming?"
"Let's go!" Yuan Bao's eyes lit up. "It'll be a good opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings."
After dinner, Mr. Yuan took out a small notebook: "Let's split up. The original plan was for Baoguo and me to buy bicycles; Baoya and her grandmother to go to the police station to handle the household registration transfer; and Housekeeper Bai and her mother to go to the market. Should we change that now?"
Hearing that his father already had a plan, Yuan Bao was happy to cooperate: "Then let's not change it!"
"Wait a minute." Grandpa tapped his pipe. "Let's take care of the important business first."
As he spoke, he brought out a red silk bundle from the inner room and carefully opened it—it contained a gilded statue of Guan Yu.
"When moving to a new house, one must first invite Lord Guan to ward off evil spirits and protect the home."
The whole family immediately fell silent.
With Mr. Yuan's help, the statue of Guan Yu was respectfully enshrined in the treasure cabinet in the center of the main room.
Grandpa personally lit three incense sticks, and amidst the rising smoke, everyone bowed three times devoutly.
After the ceremony, Yuan Bao took her grandmother's arm and went out.
In the alley, several elderly women fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans curiously observed them. Yuan Bao sweetly greeted them with "Hello, Grandma," immediately receiving a chorus of greetings in return.
"You just moved in?"
"That girl is really pretty!"
"Come over to my house for some fried noodles sometime!"
The procedures at the police station went very smoothly.
On the way back, Grandma found everything fascinating: "Honey, even the police station in Beijing is more impressive than the one in our county!"
As they were talking, Yuan Bao suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure at the entrance of the alley—it was Xiao Wang, Boss Chen's driver, standing next to a black sedan, looking around.
"Uncle Wang!"
“Miss Yuan!” Xiao Wang hurried over. “President Chen sent me to deliver some things.” He opened the trunk, revealing several bamboo baskets tied with red silk ribbons. “Household gifts, just some everyday items.”
Yuan Bao lifted the lid and saw: a basket of Jingdezhen porcelain, a basket of Hangzhou silk, and a basket of Beijing preserved fruits. At the bottom was a thick red envelope.
"this..."
"President Chen said we absolutely must accept it."
Yuan Bao had no choice but to nod.
As evening fell, the whole family returned home laden with their purchases.
Bao Guo rode a brand-new Forever brand bicycle, its handlebars covered with plastic bags; Yuan's father carried an electric fan, saying it was a prize from a department store raffle; and Butler Bai carried live fish and fresh meat, saying they were special items reserved for him by Aunt Zhang, whom he knew at the market.
The most amazing thing was that my maternal grandfather somehow acquired a pair of thrushes. He hung the birdcage under the pomegranate tree, and the whole yard instantly came alive.
Dinner was a lavish housewarming feast.
Little Bai prepared eight hearty dishes, including braised fish and four-happiness meatballs.
At the dinner table, Yuan Bao emphasized on behalf of Xiao Xiaobai: "Dear elders, Xiao Xiaobai made a request to me today, and I would like to make it clear here that from now on, Xiao Xiaobai will be mainly responsible for the work in the kitchen. I hope that you elders will not always try to take over her work."
Grandma, Aunt, and Aunt Yuan knew they were being talked about, and they laughed heartily. They turned to Little White and said, "We understand."
After a few rounds of drinks, Grandpa suddenly put down his chopsticks: "Today I went for a walk around Houhai Lake and saw someone selling candied hawthorns."
He paused, then said, "I bought one, but the taste... isn't as good as the ones Old Li makes outside the county cinema."
One sentence suddenly silenced the lively dinner table.
Yuan Bao saw his grandmother quietly wipe the corner of her eye.
"I miss Old Wu's sesame seed cakes," Auntie whispered.
"And there's that big locust tree in front of the cultural center," Bao Guo added.
"Aunt Wang's gossip on West Street..." Aunt Yuan sighed.
Yuan Bao stood up and served everyone a bowl of steaming seaweed and egg drop soup: "When winter break comes, let's go back and visit together. Now..." She raised her glass, "a toast to our new home in Beijing!"
"cheers!"
Amidst the crisp clinking of glasses, the thrush chirped merrily twice in its cage, as if in celebration as well.
The moonlight shone on the gray bricks and tiles of the courtyard house, giving this special night a silvery edge.
Before going to bed, Yuan Bao checked the locks on all four courtyard doors.
Back in my room, before falling asleep, I kept looking forward to the lively scene of the whole family moving in together in the near future.