He Family Courtyard.

At 2:30 p.m., Grandma He finally returned to the village.

"Aunt Tan, you're back."

As soon as Grandma He got out of the car, the neighbors all gathered around.

"You look so different after going out for a while. Look at what you're wearing, all brand new."

"Your complexion has improved, and your face is fuller."

“It’s not that going out makes a difference, it’s that their granddaughter can earn money.” Neighbor Grandpa Gang joked, “Sister-in-law, is there a whole box of money in your suitcase?”

"If only it were a whole box of money," said Grandma He. "Expenses outside are huge; it's not as glamorous as everyone imagines."

Grandma He actually wanted to show off, but she thought it best to keep a low profile. She still vividly remembered how her husband had been targeted by a pig-butchering scam.

At this moment, the villagers asked, "Why haven't your children, Daming, Aizhen, and Linlin, come back?"

Grandma He said, "The children are in the county town and will be back later. Daming and Aizhen will be a couple of days later, and they probably won't leave until the day after tomorrow."

Grandma He didn't mention that He Wenlin was selling thermal underwear in the county town; if she had, everyone would have kept asking her questions.

Yang Gangyong unloaded his luggage and goods after parking the car in front of his house.

Neighbors also rushed to help.

While helping, I asked, "Auntie, who is this in your family?"

Grandma He smiled and said, "It was our food factory's driver, Master Yang. He drove us back first, and he has to go back to Shaoxing tomorrow."

"So this car was bought by your family?" The villagers' eyes widened.

The men in the village stared at the truck in front of them with envious looks.

Motorcycles were a rare sight in the village at this time, and four-wheeled vehicles were even rarer.

Grandma He said, "It's a used car that our Linlin bought with a loan. It's not worth much. People think we've made a lot of money, but actually, we have to pay car and mortgage payments every month. We're really living on a tight budget."

"Being able to get a loan is a skill in itself; at the very least, you should be able to pay it back."

"You can buy a car with a loan? That's too modest. A new car costs hundreds of thousands, how can you get a loan for hundreds of thousands?"

At this time, many people, especially in rural areas, don't have the concept of mortgages or car loans, so they simply don't understand what Grandma He is talking about.

Not only did they not understand, some of them even thought that Old Lady He was deliberately playing the victim and crying poverty.

“I don’t really understand the specifics, but anyway, I have to pay a lot of money to the credit union every month. According to Da Ming Ai Zhen, it’s like working for the credit union,” said Grandma He. “I’ll pack up first and we’ll talk later.”

The luggage and cargo have been unloaded.

Yang Gangyong said to Grandma He, "Grandma, I'm going into town first."

"You know the way, don't you?"

"Don't worry, I remember. If I don't remember, I'll ask someone on the street. Don't worry."

Yang Gangyong was going to rest at a hotel in the city. He Wenlin's old house was still there, with only three rooms, and the bathing was done in the most primitive way, which was very inconvenient.

So He Wenlin had told Yang Gangyong well in advance to stay in a hotel in the county town, and she would reimburse him.

After driving for half an hour, Yang Gangyong entered the city, found a small hotel, spent thirty yuan, and checked in…

...

The house has been uninhabited for six months, and it's covered in dust and cobwebs. There's going to be a lot of cleaning to do.

Grandma He was used to doing these things. She washed the pot of boiling water, filled it again, lit the pine needles with a lighter, and planned to boil a pot of water first, then use the hot water to wash the pots, pans, and other dishes, and also wipe down the tables and cabinets in the house.

"Auntie." At this moment, Li Jinfeng (He Hui's mother) arrived carrying two cabbages, two crisp radishes, two bunches of fresh spinach, a fresh grass carp, and a bucket of eggs.

"These eggs were laid by your chickens. Please take these vegetables and eat them. If you need more, you can pick some from the vegetable garden behind my house."

No one was home at He Wenlin's house this year, so there were no vegetables at all.

"Thank you for bringing so much food. I haven't even thanked you for feeding so many chickens. You can keep these eggs and eat them. Why are you bringing them back? Take them back."

"It's just feeding a few chickens. Our two Huiyas aren't as loving as your brother Daming, so we don't know what the situation is like. Auntie, please don't stand on ceremony with me," Li Jinfeng said. "Don't cook tonight, come to my house for dinner."

"I don't know when my Linlin will be back, so I won't be able to come to your house for dinner. We can do it another time."

“It’s getting dark, she’ll definitely be back soon. We’ll just wait for her. You’ve just gotten back, it’ll take you a while to get ready. So come to my house for dinner. I’ll bring you some smoked fish, cured meat and sausages later.”

No one was home this year, so we couldn't smoke the cured meats and sausages. Therefore, we asked Li Jinfeng to buy meat to make sausages, smoke cured meat and fish, and also smoke some cured beef.

At this moment, Kang Yinhua (Grandma He Shan) also arrived carrying a basket of vegetables.

"I've brought you some vegetables. Don't cook dinner tonight, come to my house for dinner," Kang Yinhua said. "I've already killed the chickens."

"No, no, no," Grandma He quickly waved her hand. "We'll eat at home, please don't be so polite."

"What's wrong with having a meal? My Shanshan and Xiaofei have definitely troubled your family a lot. Come to my house for dinner tonight, and Shanshan and Linlin will have some company. Your house is all cold and empty, and it will take you half a day to clean it. Come to my house for dinner tonight."

Li Jinfeng: "I'll go to my house to eat. Why don't you and Shanshan come too, Aunt Kang? My Nana has been talking about Linlin and Shanshan every day these days. It would be good for the kids to be together. I'll cook for you."

Grandma He: "I'm not going anywhere. Neither of you should cook for us. My two grandsons might be coming too."

Luo Yumei and Luo Guodong didn't say they were coming, but judging from how much they clung to He Wenlin, Grandma He figured they would definitely come tonight.

These children grew up together since they were little. Now that their granddaughter is a successful businesswoman, it would be strange if her two grandsons didn't come along to find out more.

Old Mrs. He refused to go, so Li Jinfeng and Kang Yinhua finally gave up.