Yu Zihan waved goodbye to her classmates and went her separate ways. Standing at the hotel entrance, she gazed at the unfamiliar city, her heart filled with anticipation and longing. She knew this was a rare trip, a journey of self-discovery. She wanted to see her second uncle, whom she had never met, hear his stories, and experience his life.
Yu Zihan bought a local map at the hotel and carefully studied every mark on it, looking for her second uncle's home. Her second uncle's home was not in the downtown area, but in the suburbs. Yu Zihan took a taxi.
After boarding the car, Yu Zihan explained her destination to the driver in fluent English. The driver nodded and smiled friendly, and the car began to drive towards the suburbs. The driver's driving was excellent, and the car drove smoothly, making Yu Zihan feel very comfortable. She looked out the window at the scenery and wondered what her second uncle's home would be like.
The car pulled onto a deserted highway, and Yu Zihan couldn't help but feel a surge of worry. She stared intently ahead, wondering what she would do if she were kidnapped. She could clearly sense the driver's expression becoming serious. She even planned where to jump out of the car, how to call the police, and how to protect herself. The more she thought about it, the more fear grew, and her palms were covered in sweat.
Fortunately, her worries were unfounded. After an agonizing hour, they arrived in front of a large villa. "This should be the place you're looking for," the driver said to Yu Zihan. Yu Zihan got out of the car, checked the address on the gate, and confirmed it. She paid the fare according to the meter in the car. As the taxi drove away, Yu Zihan stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
The doorbell rang for a long time, but no one came to open the door. Yu Zihan thought that her second uncle might not be at home. She was about to leave when she heard a woman ask in English, "Who is it?"
Yu Zihan replied in English: "I'm looking for Mr. Yu Zeli."
"Oh, are you my cousin?" the woman inside opened the door and spoke in Chinese.
The door opened, and a middle-aged couple stood there, with an elderly woman behind them. The middle-aged man was dazed when he first saw Yu Zihan, because he had never seen Xiaomei, let alone Xiaomei's daughter. However, the little girl looked very similar to their Yu family.
So he asked tentatively: "Are you Zi Han? My niece?"
"Yes, you are my second uncle and this is my second aunt?" Yu Zihan answered calmly.
"Yes, we are your second uncle and second aunt." The second uncle has a cheerful personality, which is completely different from the elegant personality of the eldest uncle.
"Aren't you supposed to come the day after tomorrow? I plan to pick you up in person the day after tomorrow. And we have also prepared a grand welcome dinner for it." Yu Zeli said.
"That's a pity. Our competition has ended and the award ceremony will be held in three days, so we have three days of free time in between. I took advantage of this time to come here and give my second uncle a surprise. I didn't expect to disrupt his plans. I'm very sorry." Yu Zihan apologized to his second uncle playfully.
My second uncle said, "What are you talking about? As long as you come, my second uncle and his family will welcome you. Come on in."
Yu Zihan followed her second uncle and aunt into the villa and saw a spacious, bright living room. It was decorated with luxurious furniture and decorations, and the walls were covered with famous paintings and photographs. She thought it was beautiful and warm. She thought, "My second uncle is a man of taste."
Second Uncle took Yu Zihan to the living room and sat down. He said, "You must be tired from the journey. Take a break first. I'll get you a glass of water. What would you like to drink? Water, orange juice, or coffee?"
"I'll just have orange juice," Yu Zihan said. Her second aunt asked the elderly woman to pour her some water. Her second uncle asked, "How are your grandparents? How's your mom? How's your eldest uncle doing lately? Has he contacted you?"
Yu Zihan was confused by her uncle's string of questions. She smiled wryly and said, "Uncle, can I answer you one by one?" Yu Zeli laughed and said, "Look, my uncle is really old. Take your time and take a break."
"Grandpa and grandma are in good health. They miss your family very much. If you have the chance, you should go back and reunite with your family." Yu Zihan said, and there was already mist in her eyes when she looked at her second uncle.
"This is what grandma and grandpa brought for you." Yu Zihan opened a package, which contained a lot of snacks from the capital. When the second uncle saw the things, he ignored Yu Zihan in front of him and cried while holding the snacks.
These were my brother and I’s favorite foods when we were little, but our family went through a major change and we left home when we were very young. We have never had such authentic snacks again.
Although he lived a comfortable life in a foreign land, he could not find solace in his homesickness. He spent countless days and nights missing his family and his hometown. Seeing these familiar things brought back memories of his childhood.
My second aunt also followed suit, wiping away tears. Yu Zihan didn't try to dissuade him; she understood his feelings. If it weren't for the movement, their family wouldn't have been separated, and they wouldn't have been unable to return home. She couldn't empathize with that feeling, but she could understand it.
While waiting for his second uncle's emotions to gradually stabilize, he felt a little embarrassed when looking at Yu Zihan.
"Uncle, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you." He lowered his head and wiped away his tears.
"It's nothing. When I first met Grandma and Grandpa, they cried even harder than you did. And when Grandma and Grandpa met Mom, they were in tears. But now they're both living in the capital, so we see each other often." Yu Zihan noticed an envious look on her second uncle's face. She continued, "The policies are very good now. You can go back and visit them anytime. You might also consider investing in mainland China. There will be a lot of opportunities in the real estate business in the next few years. My eldest uncle is even planning to invest in mainland China."
"Really? Although we are also paying attention to the domestic situation here, we are far away after all, and some news is delayed. I didn't expect that I would have the opportunity to return to my hometown in my lifetime." At this time, there was no sadness on my second uncle's face.
Can Yu Zihan say that she knew about these policies in advance before they were released?
"Take a look at this." Yu Zihan took the family photo from her schoolbag and handed it to her second uncle. She was a little worried that her second uncle would cry again.
Her prediction was very accurate. My second uncle held the family photo, looked at each person carefully, and rubbed it repeatedly with his hands.
This time he didn't cry loudly, but shed tears silently.
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