Chapter 532: Homecoming Journey 1: Encountering the Strong Man Liang Si
I originally wanted to have a good rest for a week, but in the end I couldn't rest for a moment.
On April 2, my father suddenly said that he wanted to go back to his hometown to hang green leaves on the ancestral grave.
My father almost never makes any requests to me. The fact that he made one at this time must be because my mother was encouraging him.
My father sighed, "Shanhong, your mother and I are far away from the sky, but we are close to the earth. We haven't been back to our hometown for many years. Come back with us."
Readers may not understand the meaning of this sentence. It means that as people age, they stop growing taller and become increasingly distant from the sky. As they age, they become increasingly closer to sinking into the ground.
This sounds very sad.
Without hesitation, I said, "Then let's just call Yifan and take turns driving."
My dad was very happy.
I could have taken the high-speed rail, but to go back to my hometown, I have to visit all my relatives' homes, so driving is much more convenient.
On the afternoon of April 2nd, my parents, Yifan, and I set out in our Land Rover. We arrived at our hometown, Heshui County, at 11pm.
Found a hotel to stay in.
On April 3, I returned to He Village and finally returned to my old house.
In order to prevent the old house from falling into disrepair, when my parents left He Village, they asked my cousin Wan Xiaoyun to move in and take care of it.
When the car drove to Pingli, my cousin Wan Guchun's family, my cousin Wan Xiaoyun's family, and dozens of neighbors were standing there waiting for us.
My cousins came over to help my parents. I got out of the car and greeted everyone, shaking hands and passing out cigarettes. Everyone gathered and led us into the house.
My cousins, aunts, and neighbors sat down in the living room with my parents, reminiscing about the past, and cheerful laughter could be heard from time to time.
My cousins and their wives poured tea and served fruit. My mother, as usual, bought a lot of candies from upstate and gave handfuls of them to everyone.
Everyone in the village knew that my family had moved into a villa, and everyone asked my mother how it felt to live there.
My mother couldn't help herself, saying it was too much of a house and difficult to keep clean. Luckily, we had a nanny to help. There were so many guests, people coming and going for Shanhong's fortune-telling, and I actually wanted some quiet time...
In short, all kinds of complaints and constant Versailles.
I understand her. She is just a villager in my village, but she has lived in the city for more than ten years. Her thoughts are no different from those of Chinese farmers. She longs for a happy life.
Once you have achieved a happy life, you can't help but vent to others. In fact, city dwellers are the same.
When people from Shangzhou go to Taiwan, they will definitely talk about the fact that Taipei still has iron roofs. Except for the Taipei 101, all the houses are low-rise and are not as tall as a prefecture-level city in mainland China.
To my surprise, the people in my village did not show any jealousy, but instead praised my parents for being blessed.
Then he started giving examples, saying that Murakami's four-eyed dog became rich in Guangzhou, and Santiago from the neighboring village became rich in Beijing.
They summed up a truth - people need to leave their hometown and be brave.
After sitting for a while, I called my cousin Wan Xiaoyun and said we should go for a walk outside. As we left the house, I started to talk about the neighbors.
The neighbor lady used to have a grudge against my family and cursed me all the time.
Wan Xiaoyun whispered, "He died a month ago."
As we walked and talked, he sighed, "Now that a bad man has left, the place is much quieter."
Wan Xiaoyun shook her head fiercely. "No, she's dead, but her fourth son, Liang Si, is even more powerful. He's now a village bully. He often bullies me."
Speaking of Liang Si, I had some impression of him, so I asked, "Did he bully you?"
"Yes, he changes his attitude very quickly. One moment he calls me Brother Xiao, and the next he says he wants to wipe out my family. We are not many members of the Wan family. You have moved to the city and it is quiet, but I have to face him every day."
I said, "There are too many people here, let's go to your old house."
Wan Xiaoyun took me to his old house.
When we got inside, I said, "Brother, I've been around the world and learned some wild tricks. Go get some paper and pen, and I'll teach you a trick."
He took out a pen and paper, and I wrote down a few Chinese medicines and taught him how to prepare them. I then wrote down a few more and told him that the first one was called an anesthetic and the second one was called an antidote.
This doesn't hurt your body, and it can't be diagnosed. It's a secret recipe for self-defense. If Liang Si bullies you again, you can't stop him.
Upon hearing this, Wan Xiaoyun thanked God and said, "You're really amazing. With this, we can gain a firm foothold in this village. Otherwise, we would really be living under his tyranny."
I said, "Now let me try it with you."
I tried the anesthetic and the antidote. Wan Xiaoyun practically knelt before me and let out a long sigh, "You've brought honor to the Wan family."
Back at my old house, most of the people had dispersed. My parents had gone out for a walk around the village. Only a few neighbors were busy helping with the cooking.
Wan Xiaoyun and I were sitting in the living room chatting about family matters when Village Party Secretary Liu came in with a few people. They shook hands warmly as soon as they met me.
I looked around and saw that, except for our team leader, everyone else was a prominent figure in the village. We exchanged a few pleasantries and sat down to chat.
Wan Xiaoyun poured tea and I offered a cigarette. Suddenly, a voice came from outside: "Brother Shanhong is back?"
I turned around and saw that it was my next-door neighbor, Liang Si, whom Wan Xiaoyun had introduced. I stood up and said, "Brother Si is so lucky! He eats well and looks so rosy."
The others also nodded to Liang Si.
He sat down without hesitation. Wan Xiaoyun passed him a cup of tea. Liang Si took it with one hand. He opened his legs and sat down with the air of a big boss, very arrogant.
After a few small talk, Secretary Liu took a sip of tea and began to speak. He first praised me profusely.
I recounted how I bravely entered the black country, made steady progress, then sprinted to the upper state, and then took root and flourished. To describe me more exaggeratedly, my wedding was attended by celebrities.
I guess he has said it many times, so the team leader and several other prominent people in the village can all echo and talk about the grand occasion of my wedding.
Secretary Liu concluded, "Shanhong is the pride of He Village, He Town, and even Heshui County. He is an outstanding figure and an outstanding representative in the hearts of the 600,000 people of Heshui."
Shanhong has loved his hometown and been friendly to his neighbors since he was a child. He even invited me, a little kid, to his wedding. He has deep feelings for every tree and blade of grass in his hometown.
My hometown, He Village, has seen some development in recent years, but compared to the coastal areas, it's a world away. It's too far to fly fishing.
At present, the Hecun Road is to be widened and paved with asphalt, and the mountain reds need to come back in time, so we would like to ask for your strong support.
After Secretary Liu finished speaking, everyone started talking.
Some people say that the road leading to He Village is too narrow and that you have to find a wider place to pass by.
Some said that Sangyaozi from the neighboring village donated one million yuan to build roads in the village.
At this time, Liang Si spoke. Without any polite words, he started by scolding the four-eyed dog in the village for leaving his hometown and not recognizing anyone, and only agreed to donate 200,000 yuan.
He said harshly:
"Siyan Gou's parents can only be buried in Guangzhou. For a boss like him who never asks for help from others, no one will carry his parents up the mountain."
I took Liang Si's words to heart. It was actually a threat. Four-eyed Dog donated 200,000 yuan, becoming someone who needed nothing. My parents could only be buried in Guangzhou; if I went home, no one would carry them up the mountain.
It didn't make any sense at all, but he had a good grip on the four-eyed dog's soft spot. When a person dies, he returns to the earth, and when a leaf falls, it returns to its roots.
Although Secretary Liu also wanted me to pay, he was doing it in a condescending manner after all. This Liang Si was simply issuing a declaration of war to me.
I smoked another round and said, "Thank you all for your compliments, especially our secretary. You're being too kind. I can't compare to Four Eyes. He's an entrepreneur."
I was merely asking for money from others. The wealthy said that Wan Shan Hong was quite accurate. If they were happy, they'd give me a few more dollars; if they weren't, they'd give me a few less.
I'm like begging for rice. I have to look at other people's faces to beg. So, over the years, I haven't learned anything else, but I have learned to be humble and cautious, to be kind to others, and to respect others.
I'm saying this for Liang Si to hear.
He didn't listen to what I said at all and looked disdainful.
I said, "Okay, I won't be in the limelight either. I'll be on the same level as Brother Four Eyes. I'll give you 200,000."
Secretary Liu's expectations were met and he led the applause.
But Liang Si pointed at me and said, "You have to pay 500,000. Otherwise, don't blame me, Brother Liang, for not giving you face. You earn so much money and you're reluctant to spend it. What are you doing back home? Do you want to bury your parents in He Village?"
This is simply insulting to me.
I endured it and said to Secretary Liu, "Let's go check the highway first."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
