第二章

Grandma invited Uncle Liu to come in and sit for a while, have a cup of tea before leaving.

Uncle Liu looked at his watch and shook his head with a smile.

"There's still someone waiting for me. It's getting late, I can't be any later."

Grandma asked where he lived. Uncle Liu said in Yangpu District.

Grandma knew it was far away. Taking the bus there would take almost two hours. So she didn't insist on keeping him.

She said, "Then you must come and visit when you have time."

Then she carefully told Uncle Liu which buses to take and where to transfer.

Uncle Liu patted Qingqing on the head.

"Uncle is leaving. You must listen to Grandma."

He finished speaking, picked up his suitcase, and turned to leave.

But as soon as he took a step, he stopped.

Qingqing hugged his leg.

She held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help it. With a "wa," she burst into tears.

"I want to go back to Xinjiang with Uncle! I want Mom and Dad! I want my little brother!"

Grandma quickly came to pull her away.

"Qingqing, you are a Shanghainese now. What would you do back in Xinjiang? Here you have Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, and Little Aunt. Everyone will take care of you."

Qingqing kept shaking her head.

She felt that once Uncle Liu left, she would really be leaving Xinjiang. She would have to stay in Shanghai alone.

The more she thought, the more scared she became, and she hugged tighter.

"I am not a Shanghainese! I am from Xinjiang! I want to go back!"

People at the door gradually stopped to look.

A woman who was eating noodles came over and said, "This kind of child, a spanking will teach them to behave."

Qingqing cried while glaring at her.

The woman was taken aback.

"What a temper."

Grandma was a bit unhappy but didn't argue with her.

She just sighed.

"What does a child understand about these things."

July in Shanghai was hot and stuffy.

Grandma tried to pry Qingqing's hands away, but couldn't. She was so anxious that she was sweating all over.

Uncle Liu had to squat down, took the handkerchief from Grandma's hand, and gently wiped Qingqing's face.

He said, "You stay at Grandma's first. I'll go call your mom. If your mom agrees, I'll come back to get you, okay?"

Qingqing said while crying:

"Uncle, just call from here."

Uncle Liu smiled.

"From Shanghai to Xinjiang is a long-distance call. It can't be made from here. I need to go find a phone outside."

Grandma immediately nodded.

"Right, right. Let Uncle Liu go make the call quickly."

Only then did Qingqing slowly let go.

She still wasn't reassured.

"You must call Mom. You must come to get me. I miss my little brother."

"Okay, okay."

Uncle Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

He exchanged a few words with Grandma, then picked up his suitcase and left.

Qingqing kept watching him. Until he was out of sight, she felt like crying again.

People on the street had already started making breakfast.

An old man was cooking rice porridge. He poured the leftover greens from yesterday into the pot.

He saw Qingqing and asked, "Is this Yang Wenjie's daughter?"

Grandma nodded.

The old man sighed softly.

"Good, it's good that she's back. One can come back, that's one."

Grandma heard this, and her eyes got a little wet.

"Yes. It's all what we owe them."

Jianqiang helped them carry the sacks and suitcases, walking ahead.

Qingqing lowered her head, pulled forward by Grandma.

Both sides of the alley were hung with clothes. Sunlight shone down through the bamboo poles and clothes, casting light on the old walls and the red couplets at the door.

An old lady sat on a bamboo chair, slowly waving a fan.

A yellow kitten lay at her feet.

There was a shoe rack by the door. On it were a pair of pink plastic sandals. On the toe were shiny butterfly bows.

Qingqing had never seen such beautiful sandals.

She looked and looked, almost forgetting to cry.

Just then, a woman's scolding came from afar.

"You still run!"

A young man in a vest rushed out of the alley.

Behind him, a woman chased him with a broom.

The young man ran very fast. He almost stepped on the yellow cat.

He quickly jumped aside, but lost his balance.

With a "plop" sound.

The young man landed on his knees right in front of Qingqing.

Suddenly everything around them was quiet.

Everyone was looking at them.