Hearing these words, Lu Feng could only give up trying to persuade her. Jiang Xiaoyan's approach to her child's education was no different from that of the other villagers. She was only willing to give her what she considered to be the best resources, resources that Jiang Xiaoyan could never have dreamed of when she was a child.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Feng called his mother to tell her that he would be going back the next day.
With everything arranged, Lu Feng boarded a private plane the next day and headed straight for his hometown.
In December, the North is a stage for ice and snow. Lu Feng didn't understand why many people would discuss whether the North or the South was colder years later. When he stepped out of the plane and faced the sub-zero temperature of minus twenty degrees Celsius, he felt his skin tighten instantly and hurriedly asked someone to bring him a thick coat to put on.
The sky was overcast, the sun overhead cast a dim, yellowish light, and a pungent smell filled the air—the pollution from every household burning coal is probably what countless people call the smell of their childhood.
After leaving the airport, we got into the car and headed straight for the county town. Along the way, the driver talked about the city's development over the past year or two, saying that money is worthless now. Although we earn a little more than before, it doesn't last long.
As Lu Feng listened to the rambling, he looked out the car window. The air conditioning was on inside the car, but the wind outside was biting cold. Frost had already formed on the car window, and to see clearly, one had to wipe the frost off with their hand. The icy feeling made one shiver.
Two rows of straight white poplars lined the roadside, bare, their trunks tinged with grayish-white. The previous heavy snow, which hadn't yet dissipated, had covered their leaves, making the world seem monotonous and desolate.
Occasionally, I would pass by a few houses with curtains hanging down on the doors and windows, and white plastic covering the windows. Coal was piled up in the corner of the windowsill, and the men who came out to shovel coal were wearing heavy cotton trousers. When they saw a vehicle speeding by, they would turn around and glance back.
Looking at the extremely familiar scene before him, Lu Feng felt a slight ripple in his heart, but he didn't know what to say. Every time he returned to the North, he would sigh for this place and think of his childhood, but he was unwilling to stay and actually do something for it.
He rolled up the car window, leaned back in his seat, and suddenly a sentence echoed in his mind: "My hometown, which I both love and hate!"
As the car entered the county town, the surroundings began to bustle. After passing through the most prosperous cross street in the county, the car stopped in front of a two-story villa. Red lanterns were hung at the gate, and the ground was swept clean. The family members were all standing at the gate waiting.
Lu Feng's mother couldn't stop smiling when she saw the car. This was Lu Feng's first time back in two years. The car door was opened, and his mother looked at Lu Feng with concern and said, "Are you freezing? Come inside and warm yourself up on the kang (heated brick bed)!"
Compared to the last time, there were hardly any people at home this time, only about ten immediate family members. Upon entering the house, the kang (a heated brick bed) on the first floor was already filled with all kinds of fruits and dried fruits, and the family members were exchanging greetings with each other.
Lu Feng didn't have much of an impression of his relatives, so he could only smile slightly and sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting about what he had been doing outside for the past two years.
Before we knew it, snowflakes were falling outside the window. Dad lit the stove early, and several relatives helped out, busy preparing to fry oil cakes for dinner.
"Xiaofeng, are you still in contact with Xiaoyan?" an uncle asked tentatively.
"We still keep in touch occasionally." Lu Feng didn't know how to answer, so he gave an awkward smile.
"Some things, let bygones be bygones, let's find someone better." The uncle looked at Lu Feng and asked, "Did your mother tell you?"
"What did you say?" Lu Feng asked, somewhat confused.
My mom came in and said, "Didn't I tell you? There's a surprise, but today isn't the right time to tell you. Before the New Year, go visit your grandparents and maternal grandparents. They'll be back in a few days."
"Someone's back? Who?" Lu Feng felt that something was off about this.
The uncle laughed and said, "He's such a grown man, why is he keeping it a secret? If this works out, it will definitely be a good thing. Besides, Juanzi is in the provincial capital, not in the far north or south, she can come back quickly."
"Juanzi?" Lu Feng sensed something was wrong and had already guessed what it was about. He said, "I'm quite busy. I might have to leave at any time if something comes up at the company."
“It won’t delay anything!” Mom said to Lu Feng, “You can’t manage on your own. Someone will introduce you to someone. You can meet her. Let me tell you, this girl is very beautiful. Everyone who sees her says she looks like a big star.”
Lu Feng felt helpless when he heard this. He really wanted to say that not getting married didn't mean he didn't have women. Besides, why didn't he just find a big star instead of someone who was like a big star?
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