Chapter 215 Boss Ren Returns to the Compound
When Ren Xiaosheng, the eldest son of the Ren family, went to the countryside, he was only fifteen or sixteen years old and still a boy. Now, nearly ten years have passed, and he has grown into a strong young man.
Ren Laoda was looking around the old courtyard house, a place filled with mixed emotions, where he had spent his childhood and adolescence, a time of bittersweet memories.
He thought he would never come back in this lifetime.
But unexpectedly...
Life in the countryside is tough on people, but it also toughens them up. Nearly ten years have passed, and Ren Xiaosheng is much more weathered and mature than before he went to the countryside. His skin is slightly dark and rough, and his clothes are covered with patches. He looks no different from the men in the countryside.
The change was so drastic that when he stood at the entrance of the compound, the older women didn't recognize him and asked in surprise, "Young man, are you visiting relatives in our compound?"
Whose relative is this? I've never seen him before.
The front yard is the CBD gossip center of the entire compound, where a group of middle-aged and elderly women who are not working often gather to chat.
An older woman spoke up, and everyone looked over.
Oh my, you're absolutely right!
This young man is a complete stranger; I've never seen a relative of his look like this before.
"Whose relative are you? You look unfamiliar; I've never seen you before."
Having been away from home for ten years, I've changed quite a bit, so it's no surprise that my neighbors don't recognize me.
I just don't know if my biological parents will still recognize me.
Thinking of this, Ren Xiaosheng forced a stiff smile and said, "Aunt Yan, it's me, the eldest son of the Ren family, I'm back!"
The eldest son of the Ren family?!
After racking their brains for a long time, they finally managed to pull this person out of the depths of their memories.
The person had been gone for so long that no one in the Ren family ever mentioned him. They acted as if he didn't exist in the family, and over time, everyone's impression of him gradually faded.
Only today, as this person stands before them again, have the memories of him gradually become clear in their minds.
Aunt Yan squinted for a long time before recognizing the familiar face on the unfamiliar one. Then her eyes widened, and her voice trembled with shock, "My God! It really is you, the eldest son of the Ren family! You've actually come back!"
"Oh my god! Big news! The eldest son of the Ren family is back from the countryside!"
This roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
The explosion caused an uproar throughout the entire courtyard.
Everyone remembered the poor, pitiful eldest son who used to be hungry and had to work every day in the Ren family.
"No, Boss Ren doesn't look like this, does he?"
"Yes, yes, I remember he was so thin!"
"That was so many years ago! So many years have passed, it's normal for people to change!"
"But he seems to be in much better spirits than he was at home before."
Many people sigh with regret when they recall the suffering that the eldest son of the Ren family endured.
Listening to the discussions around him, Ren Xiaosheng's memories were also pulled back to those dark years. Long-buried memories suddenly surged into his mind, and the slight joy he had just felt from returning to the city was instantly overwhelmed by darkness.
Ren Xiaosheng's expression also turned gloomy.
...
When Yu Junsheng heard the news, he hurried over.
Many middle-aged women surrounded Ren Xiaosheng, offering them words of comfort and concern.
"How are things in the countryside? Is farm work tiring? Are you getting enough to eat?"
Are you married?
"Why are you the only one back? Where is your wife and kids?"
"Are you coming back or not?"
He looked at the unfamiliar, robust young man in the middle of the crowd, and his heart trembled slightly.
"Brother Xiaosheng, you're back?!"
Ren Xiaosheng turned around and was also taken aback when he saw Yu Junsheng. Over the years, he was not the only one who had changed.
The boy who was just a kid has grown into an adult.
If it weren't for those familiar features, I wouldn't have recognized myself.
Ren Xiaosheng smiled with satisfaction and said with emotion, "Junsheng has grown up."
He then scrutinized Yu Junsheng's face again, saying, "You really do look like Aunt Yu. She must be overjoyed."
I remember Aunt Yu used to say that Yu Junsheng was lucky to look like her, not like his father, otherwise he would never be able to find a wife.
Actually, it's not that exaggerated. Neither Uncle Yu nor Aunt Yu are ugly. It's just that Mr. Yu's features are rather angular and not very delicate.
Yu Junsheng's smile stretched almost to his ears, full of pride. "Of course, my mom is most proud of how I look like her."
As for being frequently called a "pretty boy" because of his appearance?
Excuse me, Yu Junsheng said that those people are blind and don't know how to appreciate their own beauty!
He's clearly very handsome; he doesn't look like a pretty boy at all.
His wife says he's like a young scholar from ancient times, and she loves playing these role-playing games with him at night... Realizing he's thinking about something inappropriate for children, cough cough... Stop, stop!
Yu Junsheng promptly stopped his runaway thoughts.
He hurriedly called out to Ren Xiaosheng:
"Come on, Brother Xiaosheng, let's go to my house and rest for a while!"
He guessed that Ren Xiaosheng wouldn't want to return to the Ren family, and similarly, he figured no one in the Ren family would welcome him.
Yu Junsheng didn't want Ren Xiaosheng, who rarely came back, to have to put up with that family's attitude, so he pulled him to his own home.
Ren Xiaosheng understood his intentions and did not refuse. After all, he was not ready to meet that family yet, so he followed him with his luggage bag.
Yu Junsheng wanted to help him carry his luggage, but Ren Xiaosheng refused, saying, "I can do it myself, it's not heavy."
Seeing that there wasn't much left, Yu Junsheng stopped trying to take it from him and instead shared with him the changes he had experienced over the years.
"You don't know yet, do you? I'm already married!"
Ren Xiaosheng raised an eyebrow upon hearing the latter part of the news. "Really? You've already gotten married?"
I never imagined that the kids I watched back then would all be married now.
It seems I have indeed been away for too long.
Yu Junsheng said smugly, "How could it be fake?"
"Brother Xiaosheng, how have you been all these years in the countryside? Have you settled down and started a family yet?"
“You know, back when you went to the countryside, we lost all contact with you. My mom was worried about you for a long time.”
When this was mentioned, Ren Xiaosheng felt very guilty. "It was my fault. I made Aunt Yu worry. I should have let her know I was safe after I settled down."
Aunt Yu was so good to me back then. When I went to the countryside, I was afraid that my family would not let me off the hook if they found out my address, so I cut off contact with the people in the tenement and also cut off contact with Aunt Yu and the others. I should have made her worry all these years.
I wonder if Aunt Yu will think I'm an ingrate.
"When I see my aunt, I will definitely apologize to her properly."
His earnest apology startled Yu Junsheng.
He was just saying it casually during a chat, not complaining about anything. Hearing this, he quickly waved his hand and said, "How could that be? My mom said the same thing back then. You'd better not contact this place, otherwise your family will definitely come after you for money and food if they find out."
His mother didn't mind at all; on the contrary, she was very understanding of Ren Xiaosheng and always said that he had a hard time and hoped that he could live a good life outside.
Ren Xiaosheng smiled, a rare hint of childlike innocence in his expression. "Aunt Yu is always so magnanimous and doesn't like to hold grudges."
Then he talked about his days in the countryside.
“I’m not married yet. Life in the countryside is pretty good, and it’s not as tough as people imagine.”
Ren Xiaosheng glossed over the hardships he endured during his years in the countryside.
Life in the countryside is tough, but he didn't want to talk about it with everyone. It's all in the past, and there's no point in talking about it now.
Moreover, he actually felt it was already very good. At least in the countryside, he could eat his fill by working hard and no one would skimp on his food, unlike back home where Guan Ailian would always find various reasons not to feed him.
Having lived in the countryside for many years, he misses the neighbors who helped him back then.
If it weren't for these neighbors, he might have starved to death long ago.
Fortunately, I'm back this time, and I can see my old neighbors again.
The two quickly arrived at the central courtyard. Yu Junsheng pointed to his own front gate and asked, "Does it look familiar? Is there anyone you don't recognize?"
Ren Xiaosheng laughed and said, "How could that be? Your house is still the same as I remember it."
Looking at the familiar gate of the Yu family home, a warm feeling suddenly welled up in my heart.
It felt like coming home.
This is something that the Ren family, that "family," cannot give him.
Before he even reached his doorstep, Yu Junsheng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Wife, come out and see who's here!"
Cheng Jiajia never expected that the pitiful person she had just heard about from Yu Junsheng yesterday would actually appear in the compound today.
She stared in shock at the muscular man with slightly dark skin and a kind smile in front of her.
The group chatted as they walked.
Yu Junsheng enthusiastically introduced the two of them.
“Wife, come here, let me introduce you. This is the eldest brother of the family I mentioned to you, Brother Xiaosheng.”
"Brother Xiaosheng, this is my wife, Cheng Jiajia." Pointing to Cheng Jiajia's belly, he grinned and said, "This is my daughter!"
Ren Xiaosheng glanced at Cheng Jiajia's belly in surprise, then politely looked away and gave Yu Junsheng a thumbs up, "Not bad, kid, you've got a wife, kids, and a warm bed all in one go!"
Then he smiled at Cheng Jiajia and said, "Hello, sister-in-law! Junsheng is so lucky to have married you!"
"Of course!"
Cheng Jiajia smugly said something, then greeted them.
"Hello, Brother Xiaosheng, I am Yu Junsheng's wife. I just heard Yu Junsheng mention you yesterday, saying that you took good care of him when he was a child."
Cheng Jiajia was very grateful.
Ren Xiaosheng smiled nonchalantly, "No, I didn't do anything. Aunt Yu took care of me."
Ren Xiaosheng didn't think he had done anything wrong. On the contrary, Aunt Yu had helped him a lot, often secretly giving him food when he was hungry.
I only keep an eye on Yu Junsheng in my spare time, which is really nothing compared to what he does.
Cheng Jiajia disagreed, "If it weren't for you, he probably would have drowned in the cesspool. You're his savior!"
Yu Junsheng nodded vigorously, "That's right, if it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have this family today."
Cheng Jiajia asked the person to sit down and then poured them a glass of water.
Ren Xiaosheng took it and found that there was brown sugar inside. He quickly declined, saying, "Sister-in-law, brown sugar is precious. You keep it for yourself. Just give me a glass of plain water."
"Don't be shy, we still have plenty at home. We can't even use up all our sugar coupons."
"Yes, yes, Brother Xiaosheng, don't be so polite with me. My wife and I both work, and our companies give us a monthly allowance."
This was obviously an exaggeration, meant to reassure Ren Xiaosheng.
Ren Xiaosheng believed it to be true, and since he hadn't eaten all day and was starving, he didn't refuse. He took a sip, and it was indeed sweet.
The sweetness went straight to his heart, just like the first cup of brown sugar water he drank at the Yu family's house more than ten years ago.
Thinking of Aunt Yu, Yu Junsheng looked around the Yu family home and noticed something was amiss. He asked, "How has Aunt Yu been all these years? I haven't seen her in so many years, I really miss her cooking. By the way, where is she? Did she go out on something?"
Of all the years Ren Xiaosheng spent working in the countryside, the person he missed the most was Aunt Yu.
She helped him a lot back then, and even prepared a quilt for him when he went to the countryside, which was more than what Guan Ailian, his biological mother, did.
Cheng Jiajia looked at Yu Junsheng in surprise. Did Ren Xiaosheng not know that Yu Junsheng's mother had passed away?
Yu Junsheng grasped Cheng Jiajia's hand.
Based on Ren Xiaosheng's words, it can be inferred that he probably did not know about his mother's death.
That's true, Xiaosheng hasn't been in contact with this place all these years.
He paused for a moment before saying, "My mother passed away a few years ago."
Ren was shocked. "How could this be? Aunt Yu is still so young..."
Recalling those years, Yu Junsheng's voice was a little low, "Actually, after my father passed away, her health wasn't very good. That year, she suddenly fell seriously ill and didn't make it through. She dragged it out for several years..."
Those were the most depressing years for him, apart from the death of his father, as he was terrified that one day he would come home from school to hear the news of his mother's death.
Besides himself, Ren Xiaosheng was the person his mother worried about most before she passed away.
They were worried that Ren Xiaosheng was not doing well in the countryside.
Ren Xiaosheng is back now, but unfortunately his mother will never see him again.
"How...how could this be?" Boss Ren's eyes reddened uncontrollably.
He felt extremely guilty and regretful.
I regret that I worried about this and that and didn't write to Aunt Yu.
He thought there was still a chance, and he was also afraid of causing trouble for Aunt Yu.
Little did they know that this departure would be their last.
When he was a child, Yu's mother always treated him very well. After he saved Yu Junsheng, Yu's mother treated him even more like her own son. Guan Ailian had no feelings for him. Aunt Yu was more like a mother to him, giving him motherly warmth.
In his heart, Aunt Yu was more than a mother to him.
If only I had known... He wrote to Aunt Yu as soon as he settled down in the countryside.
No matter how powerful the Ren family is, they can't possibly chase me to the countryside.
At this moment, Ren Xiaosheng hated his own weakness and indecisiveness, which made him miss seeing Aunt Yu one last time.
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The three people inside the house were in a harmonious but slightly melancholic atmosphere, while some curious onlookers went to the Ren family's house in the third courtyard.
The man shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Aunt Guan, Aunt Guan! Your eldest son is back!"
"Your eldest son, who was sent to the countryside, is back!"
Guan Ailian was completely confused.
"What?!"
"What? What? Your eldest son is back from the countryside!"
Thinking of the past, the man said with ill intent, "Don't you remember that you have an eldest son?"
Guan Ailian then recalled from her old memories that she had an eldest son.
His expression suddenly changed, and he turned and ran outside, disappearing in a flash.
"Hey, why are you running? Your eldest son is at Yu Junsheng's house right now!"
Guan Ailian limped and rushed towards Yu Junsheng's house.
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