The distance from Zhaozhuang to Beichangji is sixteen li, which is not much for Sheng Xiping; he can walk there.

But Sheng Xizheng wouldn't allow it no matter what, so he borrowed a bicycle from his neighbor and rode it to take Sheng Xiping there.

When passing by Huangduiji, Sheng Xiping bought some snacks, canned goods, candies, and the like.

The village where the Zhang family lived was not much different from Zhao Village; both were filled with low, mud-brick houses.

Zhang Shuzhen has five siblings. Except for her second brother, Zhang Shoushan, who farms at home, the rest of them do not live in their hometown.

Zhang Shuzhen's parents lived with the second son's family.

When Sheng Xiping arrived, Zhang Shoushan, along with his wife and eldest son, had already gone up the slope to pump water for irrigation and were not at home.

The children have all gone to school, leaving only the elderly Zhang couple at home.

The two were sitting in the courtyard when they saw Sheng Xi leading in a well-dressed young man, and they were quite puzzled.

"Hey Xizheng, who's this? He looks kind of familiar."

Old Master Zhang Yusheng squinted and carefully examined Sheng Xiping a few times. He looked flustered, but couldn't remember who he was.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm Xiping, the eldest son of the Sheng family from Northeast China."

Sheng Xiping took two steps to his maternal grandparents, squatted down, looked at Zhang Yusheng, and said excitedly.

"Oh my, it's Shuzhen's eldest son. What brings you here?"

Although Zhang Yusheng was old, he was still sharp-minded. As soon as he heard Sheng Xiping's words, he immediately remembered.

This is my eldest grandson. No wonder he looks familiar.

"It's been so many years since I've been back, I don't even recognize him anymore. My eldest grandson has grown up so tall and strong."

Zhang Yusheng recognized Sheng Xiping and was extremely excited. He held Sheng Xiping's shoulder with trembling hands, looked him up and down several times, and couldn't help but shed tears.

Over there, Zhang Shuzhen's mother, Zhang Wangshi, also looked surprised and excited.

"My goodness, it's Shuzhen's eldest son back. Come on, sit down and let's talk."

"Xizheng, please sit down. You've come all this way, it's so hot. Please sit down, Grandma will get you some water."

Zhang Wangshi was an old woman with bound feet. She got up from the stool and shuffled her bound feet into the house to pour water for Sheng Xizheng and the others.

"Grandma, don't bother, I'm not thirsty. I have a lot of things to do at home, I'm going home now."

Sheng Xizheng hurriedly stopped Zhang Wangshi and helped the old lady sit down again.

"Xiping, well, you stay here, I'm going back first. I need to pump water to irrigate the fields at home, I'm busy." After saying that, Sheng Xizheng rode away on his bicycle.

Sheng Xiping put the things he brought on the small table and chatted with his grandparents.

Just then, there was a child from the village outside the courtyard. He looked about seven or eight years old and probably hadn't started school yet. Zhang Wangshi called out to him, and the child came running in.

Zhang Wangshi gave the child two pieces of candy and asked him to go up the slope to tell Zhang Shoushan and his wife that they had guests at home.

The child got the candy and ran out happily. After a while, Zhang Shoushan came running in from outside with his wife and two sons.

"Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Cousin." Sheng Xiping quickly stood up to greet his uncle and aunt as they entered.

Zhang Shoushan was both surprised and delighted to see his nephew, and he quickly pulled Sheng Xiping to sit down.

Sheng Liancheng only sent a telegram to the Sheng family, so the Zhang family was unaware of it. They hadn't seen Sheng Xiping for many years, and the family was overjoyed.

Zhang Shoushan quickly sent his son to the market town to see if there was any meat or anything else he could buy.

At noon, Sheng Xiping was invited to stay at the Zhang family's house for lunch. Zhang Shoushan's wife prepared a lot of dishes, and the father and son ate with Old Master Zhang and Sheng Xiping, and even drank some wine.

In the afternoon, Sheng Xiping stayed at the Zhang family's house for a while longer before getting up to say goodbye and leave.

The Zhang family tried their best to persuade him to stay, but Sheng Xiping was eager to return to the Northeast. He planned to head back tomorrow and couldn't delay any longer.

“My dears, once you leave, when will you be able to come back? Your grandmother will miss you all.”

Zhang Yushan and Zhang Wangshi saw him off at the door. Zhang Wangshi held Sheng Xiping's hand, tears streaming down her face.

At their age, every meeting with relatives is one less time they can see, and they never know when they will close their eyes again.

"Grandpa, Grandma, when I get back I'll talk to my parents and see when they have time to come back and visit you."

Sheng Xiping was also heartbroken. He had come back this time as if he had been struck by lightning. He hadn't even had a chance to sit down properly before he had to rush back.

His relatives were all very kind to him, but each of them was struggling financially, so he couldn't stay too long to avoid causing them any trouble.

Sheng Xiping took out fifty yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into Zhang Yusheng's hand.

"Grandpa, I came back in a hurry and didn't bring much with me. Please take this money."

I'll call my brother and the others later and tell them to buy some food and supplies. They should eat and drink whatever they want. I'll send more over when I get back.

"Oh, no need, no need. You send money and things here every year, and the family has benefited a lot from your generosity."

"Son, Grandpa won't accept this money. Take it with you. A poor family should be frugal on the road; it's quite a long journey back, and it'll cost a lot."

Zhang Yusheng refused to accept the money and hurriedly pushed it away.

Sheng Xiping stuffed the money directly into his grandfather's pocket. "Grandpa, I have enough money with me, don't worry. I'll write to you when I get home."

After saying goodbye to Zhang Shoushan and his wife, as well as Zhang's cousins, Sheng Xiping strode away from Beichangji and returned to Zhaozhuang.

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