The next day, he took Li Yan to F City to visit his uncle.
"Chenzi...is it really you?" The uncle stepped forward, reached out and gently stroked Li Jia's cheek, his old eyes already filled with tears.
"Uncle, it's me, the chubby little boy from before is back." After saying that, Li Jia opened her arms and hugged her uncle, feeling the deep affection as her uncle patted her back.
"It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back! Let's go, we'll talk when we get home. Yaya, you take Xiaoyan and Haizi home first, I'll go buy some groceries so we can have a good lunch!" After saying that, the uncle patted Li Jia's arm again, he was overjoyed. He instructed his eldest daughter Yaya to take Li Jia and Li Yan home, and then he turned and walked out of the community, heading towards the vegetable store not far from the community entrance.
Amidst the curious gazes of her three younger cousins, Li Jia entered her uncle's house. Her uncle's house was an apartment of about 80 square meters, a second-hand house that her uncle and aunt had bought. It had three bedrooms and a living room. Although it wasn't very big, the house was decorated very warmly. There was no high-end or luxurious furniture. The sofa in the living room was already worn out. The only valuable thing in the house was probably a 21-inch color TV. Oh, and there was also the refrigerator in front of the kitchen door. It was a model that Haier had long since discontinued, but it was still working perfectly.
"Xiaoyan, introduce your older brother to these three younger brothers and sisters." Li Jia
Jia saw her uncle's three children and Li Yan huddled together, whispering something, so she walked over, smiled, and said.
"My name is Ya Jun, and I'm Xiao Yan's best buddy." Ya Jun was the little boy, whose full name was Li Ya Jun. He was nineteen years old and the second oldest of three siblings. He was wearing a clean school uniform. He sat next to Xiao Yan, put his arm around Xiao Yan's shoulder, and said loudly.
Ya Jun's actions made Li Yan slightly resistant, but the scene that Li Jia had imagined did not occur, which shows that Li Yan really has a good impression of his childhood best friend.
"I'm Ya Ya, hello Hai Zi! I always hear Dad talking about you, it's great to finally meet you today." Li Ya Yan, sitting to the side in a simple white dress, introduced herself while looking Li Jiadi in the eye. She was her uncle's eldest daughter, and the same age as Li Xiao Qing—both twenty-two.
"Li Yafang, you can also call me Xiaofang." The youngest girl looked at Li Jia, her words full of confidence, and with her slightly raised face, she had the air of a little princess.
She is the youngest of three siblings, just sixteen years old this year. At home, she is a little princess. It's the same at school. Not only is she beautiful, but she also has excellent grades. Plus, being the youngest in the family, Ya Ya and Ya Jun dote on her to no end, and her uncle also cherishes her. As a result, Xiao Fang has developed a true princess personality.
"Hello, I'm Li Yan's older brother. You can call me Brother Chen. Or you can just call me Brother, whatever you prefer." Li Jia wanted to say her current name, but after thinking about it, she decided to just be Li Chen for once, so she chose to use the name Li Chen when introducing herself.
After getting acquainted, Li Jia had a basic impression of the three siblings. When Li Yan and the other two started chatting, she barely had a chance to join in. She smiled to herself, thinking, "Looks like there's already a generation gap between us." With that thought, she stood up and went out onto the balcony, looking around at the steel jungle of the city…
"Dad's back. Go help him." Xiao Fang's voice woke Li Jia from her reverie. She turned around and went to the living room. Ya Jun and Ya Ya had already taken the groceries from her uncle's hands, while Xiao Fang pulled Li Yan to sit on the sofa and started discussing a chemistry problem.
"Uncle, let Chenzi show you his skills today. Who wants to help?" Li Jia went into the kitchen. She took off her coat and prepared to pick and wash the vegetables.
"No rush, it's only nine o'clock. Let's chat for a while, your uncle really wants to know about what's happened to you all these years." Your uncle is in poor health; he's not even sixty years old yet, but his hair is already completely white, and the marks of time have prematurely crept onto his forehead.
Li Jia's uncle's full name is Li Dongfang. He is a cousin of Li Jia's father, Li Dongqiang. The two are only a few months apart in age, and Li Jia's uncle is exactly two months older than Li Dongqiang, Li Jia's father.
"Yaya, you guys go inside and play. Dad and your Haizi brother will chat for a while," Uncle said. Yaya obediently directed Yajun, Xiaofang, and Xiaoyan to move to their bedroom.
"Uncle, why haven't I seen Aunt? Did she go out?" Li Jia regretted her words as soon as she finished speaking, because her uncle's face darkened immediately after hearing the term "Aunt," and he murmured as he sat on the sofa, "She passed away three years ago."
"Uncle..."
"It's alright, so much time has passed. Let me tell you, after all these years, have you found Dongqiang?" The uncle smiled and turned to ask Li Jia.
"Me? There's nothing more to say. Not long after I left, I was sold abroad by human traffickers. I've been through everything over the years, and I barely escaped death to return to China. I don't want to talk about those things anymore!" Li Jia's words were truly from the heart; he really didn't want to bring up those past events again.
"Yes! No matter what, it's good that you're back! Stay a few more days this time and keep your uncle company." After saying that, the uncle coughed lightly a few times and patted the sofa. "Wait a minute, I have something to show you."
Li Dongfang got up and went into his bedroom. After a while, he took out a square wooden box about the size of a fist, came to Li Jia and handed it to her. "Here, take this back. I have finally fulfilled Honglan's wish of many years."
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