Feng Haidong and his family left the hospital with his third cousin, Liu Fenlin.
Liu Fenlin now lives in a family apartment allocated to her by the hospital.
Because Liu Fenlin's husband, Yue Kang, was also eligible for housing, the couple decided to live together. To make it easier for Liu Fenlin to commute to and from get off work, they requested a three-bedroom apartment near the hospital where Liu Fenlin worked.
After leaving the hospital, it wasn't a long walk to Liu Fenlin's residential community.
Liu Fenlin led everyone into the residential area, and when they arrived at her building, she called out to the upstairs neighbors.
"Old Yue, your aunt and uncle are here, and your Uncle Haidong, whom you've always wanted to meet, is also here, Rujuan."
Hearing the shouts, a head popped out of the kitchen window on the third floor and called down, "Auntie, Uncle, you're here! Haidong's here too! Come on up, dinner's ready as soon as you're here."
As Yue Kang, the third brother-in-law, poked his head out to greet them from upstairs, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
Not long after, a tall and graceful young woman rushed out.
The girl bears a resemblance to Liu Fenlin, and it's immediately obvious that she must be Liu Fenlin's daughter, Yue Rujuan.
Yue Rujuan ran downstairs and looked at the people her mother had brought back.
Liu Fenlin said with a smile, "Rujuan, are you greeting people? This is your great-aunt and great-uncle."
Yue Rujuan quickly greeted the two elderly people: "Hello, great-aunt and great-uncle."
Then Yue Rujuan looked at Feng Haidong, her eyes filled with curiosity, surprise, and excitement.
Looking at her daughter, Liu Fenlin continued with a smile, "This is your Uncle Haidong. Don't you recognize him? When you were little, Uncle Haidong often came with your great-aunt and great-uncle."
Feng Haidong said with a smile, "Third sister, it's been a few years since we last came. Rujuan has grown up so much. When we came before, Rujuan was only a few years older than our Lu Yue."
Liu Fenlin said, "Yes, Haidong, now that you mention it, it's true that you haven't been to the provincial capital for many years."
Yue Rujuan stared at Feng Haidong for a while, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, did you really write those articles in Reader's Digest?"
Feng Haidong smiled and said, "But what I wrote was originally published in our local newspaper. Later, the newspaper's editor recommended it to the readers. I never expected that the readers would actually use it."
Yue Rujuan said excitedly, "Uncle, you wrote so well! Many of our classmates like it very much. The article about teachers' ethics really resonated with us. And the following articles, which you co-wrote with your son, are really interesting. We classmates are all so envious of your son."
Upon hearing this, Liu Fenlin said, "What 'your son'? That's your uncle's younger brother."
Yue Rujuan immediately corrected herself, saying, "Yes, yes, it's my younger brother. He writes very well too."
Feng Haidong smiled and said, "Actually, those are just playful pieces written in my spare time. They're not very literary; they're just some random thoughts. I didn't expect you classmates to like them so much."
Yue Rujuan said, "Because it's really well written, it makes us feel like it's about all sorts of interesting things that happen around us."
Liu Fenlin stopped her daughter from continuing, saying, "Alright, alright, let's go upstairs first. You can't let your great-aunt and great-uncle, your uncle and aunt, and your little sister stand downstairs and chat with you, can you?"
After being told off by her mother, Yue Rujuan immediately came to her senses and quickly invited everyone upstairs.
The group went upstairs, where Yue Kang was already waiting for them at the door.
Upon seeing Feng Haidong and his group, Yue Kang also wore a broad smile, especially upon seeing Feng Haidong, where he showed great joy.
"Haidong, it's been so many years since we last met. Your third sister told me that you're running your own business now, and it seems like you're doing quite well."
Feng Haidong responded with a smile: "Third brother-in-law, that's a bit of an exaggeration from my third sister. I'm just running a small business."
Feng Chungu said, "Haidong, you don't need to be modest at your third sister's house. Your business is doing very well, especially since you've also boosted your hometown. That's really great."
Liu Fenlin and Yue Kang were curious and didn't quite understand why their uncle-in-law would say that.
When everyone sat down, Feng Chungu recounted some of the things Feng Haidong had done in the past six months, with Liu Guifang and Lu Wanling adding to the story.
Upon hearing this, Yue Kang exclaimed in surprise, "Hai Dong, you have truly accomplished something tremendous!"
Liu Fenlin was also somewhat surprised: "Haidong, you actually want to get the villagers involved? That's really impressive."
Feng Haidong smiled and said, "Third sister, third brother-in-law, don't listen to my parents' lively talk. I'm actually more concerned about my own needs. I'm getting the villagers to raise crayfish and fish because my restaurant needs them. I want to reduce some costs and make more money."
Yue Kang laughed and said, "Haidong, you say that, but your restaurant doesn't need that much, does it? The extra ones will just be sold to other people in the village to make money, right?"
Liu Fenlin suddenly said, "Haidong, since you're doing aquaculture with the villagers, I think you can sell those products to the provincial capital and open your restaurant there. With the fresh fish and shrimp raised in your hometown, you'll definitely succeed in opening a restaurant in the provincial capital."
Yue Kang replied, "Yes, yes, it just so happens that my older sister is currently running a food stall. Hai Dong, you can cooperate with her."
Upon hearing this, Feng Chungu asked, "Your eldest sister also runs her own business?"
Liu Fenlin and Yue Kang exchanged a glance, and then Liu Fenlin said in a deep voice, "Uncle, Aunt, we didn't tell you that my eldest sister was laid off."
"Laid off?"
Feng Chungu and Liu Guifang were both taken aback.
Lu Wanling was equally surprised.
Feng Haidong remained relatively calm, because he knew that many people would soon face the same situation.
Liu Fenlin said, "My sister's factory went under and was acquired by someone else. But the acquisition required that all employees over 45 years old be laid off, supposedly to reduce the pressure on the company."
Yue Kang said, "My older sister is 48 this year. She could actually retire in two more years. However, I heard that her factory is keeping her seniority on hold so that she can retire smoothly when she turns 50. But there are still two years left, so she's starting her own business."
Liu Guifang said, "I really didn't expect that something so serious happened to our eldest daughter. Why didn't you tell us?"
Liu Fenlin said, "As you know, my eldest sister has always been strong-willed since she was a child. And since you and my uncle have both retired, she didn't want to trouble you anymore, so she started her own food stall."
Feng Chungu nodded and said, "That's good too. Hai Dong is running his own restaurant now. He's found something to do and earns money through his own labor. As long as it's not illegal, there's nothing he can't do."
Feng Haidong said, "Yes, I'll go to my older sister's food stall later and learn from her."
Liu Fenlin said, "Okay, let's all go over tonight. My eldest sister will be very happy to see my aunt and uncle."
Yue Kang continued, "Then let's eat first. The dishes are all ready and will get cold soon."
So everyone sat down at the table to prepare for lunch at my third cousin's house.
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