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Qi Shuliang was very curious about this.
"Brother Dazhu, how much do these peaches cost per pound?" Qi Shuliang asked curiously. Such good peaches would be very expensive in the United States.
Qi Dazhu smiled and said, "I don't know yet, but with County Chief Niu here, he'll probably give us a good price."
"Oh!" Qi Shuliang said. Although he wanted to help the villagers, his business was in the United States and couldn't reach Qijia Village at all, so he had to give up.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go back together, brothers, and have a good talk," Qi Dazhu said, finally seeing the leaders off.
"Brother, aren't you going to pick peaches anymore?" Qi Shuliang asked. If they didn't start now, it would probably be too late by tomorrow.
Qi Dazhu smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll come over after breakfast tomorrow. There are plenty of people in the village, so I can manage. I can deliver it tomorrow."
"I see," Qi Shuliang said. "Brother Dazhu, come on, let's go to my house. I haven't even stepped inside yet."
“You haven’t just not entered the house, you haven’t even visited your second uncle. I’ll take you to see him,” Qi Dazhu said. The second uncle he was referring to was Old Man Qi.
He was Qi Shuliang's second paternal uncle.
"Oh, hurry, quick, Brother Dazhu, I have to kowtow to my second uncle," Qi Shuliang said. His mother had told him that if it weren't for his second uncle, she would never be alive today.
Qi Dazhu left the people who were guarding the peach orchard behind and led the group down the mountain directly to the livestock team.
Old Man Qi knew that Qi Shuliang's family was coming back today. Although he wanted to see his third sister-in-law and nephew, he thought that she already had a family, so it didn't matter whether he went or not. He stayed at home smoking his pipe and didn't go out.
"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, Shuliang has come to see you!" Qi Dazhu shouted as soon as he entered the gate of the livestock team.
Old Man Qi then came out of the house and looked at the dignified Qi Shuliang.
Upon seeing Old Man Qi, Qi Shuliang quickly took a few steps, knelt down, and kowtowed three times, saying, "Second Uncle, thank you."
Old Qi looked at his nephew, who was closest to him by blood, stepped forward and helped him up, saying, "Good boy, it's good that you're back."
Qi Shuliang looked at his second uncle, whose hair had turned gray, and felt a pang of sadness. His second uncle was getting old, but even in his old age, he could not hide the military bearing about him.
"Second Uncle, how have you been these past few years?" Qi Shuliang asked, looking at his second uncle's somewhat empty sleeves with a pang of sadness.
"I'm in good health," said Old Qi. "Come inside and sit for a while! Tell me what you've been doing all these years."
“Okay! Second Uncle,” Qi Shuliang said.
Qi Dazhu and He Jingyu helped serve tea and water, and the four of them talked in the small room.
Qi Shuliang recounted his experiences outside over the years, leaving the other three people astonished.
Before we knew it, the sun had already set outside.
"Shuliang, you did the right thing this time. This is your root. No matter what our country is like, it is still our motherland," said Old Man Qi. "Although things are not ideal in the country now, they won't stay like this forever. Please don't lose hope in our motherland."
Old Qi said earnestly that as a veteran revolutionary, he had dedicated his life to the country and deeply loved it.
Qi Shuliang nodded and said, "Second Uncle, I know. Now that I understand the situation in China better, I have more confidence."
"That's good," said Old Man Qi. "I'm very pleased. It's a pity your father passed away early and couldn't see it."
At this point, Qi Shuliang felt a pang of sadness and said, "It's all my fault for being unfilial, leaving my father with an empty house and leaving with regrets."
“Shuliang, this wasn’t your intention,” Qi Dazhu said. “When Uncle passed away, all of us brothers were there to send him to the afterlife. It’s just that the new society doesn’t follow those old customs, so we didn’t have a big ceremony.”
"Thank you all, brothers and sisters. I, Qi Shuliang, will remember this kindness." Qi Shuliang said sincerely, as his mother had told him all of these things.
People helped him see his father off at his deathbed, and Qi Shuliang owed them a debt of gratitude for the rest of his life.
“We’re all family, no need to be so polite,” Qi Dazhu said. “Although our village is remote, it’s been relatively peaceful these past few years thanks to my second uncle. Life has been tough, but everyone lives in peace.”
He Jingyu glanced outside, thinking it was almost dinnertime, and said with a smile, "Uncle Qi, come on, let's go home for dinner."
"No, I won't go," Old Man Qi said. "Your family reunion..."
Seeing this, Qi Shuliang said, "Second Uncle, my father is gone, and I only have you and my mother as my elders. What's the big deal about coming to my house for a meal!"
"Shuliang..." Old Qi was moved. He had no son, and he was very happy to see his nephew being so filial.
"Second Uncle, if you don't come back with me, I'm not leaving either," Qi Shuliang said shamelessly, determined to bring his elder home no matter what.
"Second Uncle, just listen to Shuliang. I want to go too. Let's all have some fun together," Secretary Qi said. "This is a joyous day for our family. Don't worry about all that nonsense."
Unless it's something important, Old Man Qi won't go to Grandma Qi's house.
Although he cared for his widowed sister-in-law, he was even more unwilling to let her be criticized by others.
"Alright." Old Man Qi nodded. Now that Qi Shuliang's family is back, those people probably won't spread rumors anymore.
The group went to Grandma Qi's house.
Liang Hongyu came over to see if there was anything she could help with. When she heard that the family was short of beds, she went home and had two spare large beds brought over and placed in the tidied storage room, and also laid out two clean bedding sheets on them.
When Secretary Ma and County Head Niu came over, it wasn't just to offer their condolences; they also brought a car and two truckloads of goods.
One thousand catties of rice, one thousand catties of flour, two hundred eggs, several dozen catties of meat, several dozen catties of oil, several dozen catties of white sugar, and some miscellaneous receipts and money.
This is part of the special funds directly allocated by the state to Huai City.
Qi Shuliang is rich, but it's all in US dollars, which can't buy anything in the country.
There wasn't enough room for all the grain, so some was stored in the shed in the backyard, and the rest was taken to Secretary Qi's house.
With food secured, Wang Shuping felt relieved, no longer worried about running out of food at home.
I put more effort into cooking dinner.
With Liang Hongyu and Zhao Dajiao coming to help, Wang Shuping's workload was reduced.
Seeing that Anna was inside the house and not in the yard, Zhao Dajiao whispered to Wang Shuping, "Shuping, Shuliang's wife has yellow hair, green eyes, and such fair skin. She's quite pretty. She doesn't seem like the monster people are talking about!"
Wang Shuping smiled and said, "There are many races in the world. The most representative ones are us Asian yellow races, European and American white races, and African black races. No matter which race, there are good-looking people and bad-looking people."
“That’s right,” Liang Hongyu said. “That Shuliang is quite capable; he actually managed to marry a foreign wife.”
******
Yun Ji, *Destined to Be a Phoenix*, Synopsis: If justice won't come, I'll take it myself. If fate doesn't favor me, I'll fight my way out. What does destiny matter? I'll become a phoenix! (To be continued.)
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