1. Prologue
◎I fell in love after getting off the train.
In the summer of 1982, the sudden appearance of a small wooden horse completely changed the fate of a city. In the same year, Teresa Teng's "Little Wooden Horse," released twelve years earlier, suddenly became a sensation, resounding throughout the streets and alleys of Fengtan County.
Yu Renjie was eight years old that year. He rode a brand-new old-fashioned bicycle, pedaling the pedals very fast. The "ding-a-ling" sound of the bell was drowned out by Teresa Teng's melodious singing.
He rode smoothly home along the steaming cobblestone road. Only when he put down the kickstand did he notice a few wilted, filthy pumpkin leaves hanging in the basket. Looking back, he saw that the rear wheel had also been damaged.
Yu Renjie knew who did it, and normally he would have gone straight back to fight. But today, a four-wheeled car was parked blatantly in front of his house, clearly indicating that guests had arrived. He quickly cleaned up the pumpkin leaves, threw them at the door to feed Dahuang, and then rushed home impatiently.
"Grandma! Dad! Mom! I'm home! I've learned to swim!"
As soon as Yu Renjie entered the room, he started shouting loudly, his eyes darting around, and sure enough, he caught sight of several unfamiliar faces in the main room.
The other person merely glanced at him casually out of the corner of their eye: "This is your child?"
Years later, after Yu Renjie finally became a father figure, he finally understood the implied meaning of those four words.
When people genuinely compliment him, they say things like, "Is this your child? He's really good-looking. I heard he just won some major competition? You're so lucky, Mr. Yu."
While Yu Renjie was emphasizing that "it's just a small, insignificant competition, it's not important," he belatedly realized that this was how "this is your child" was used.
His father, Master Yu, nodded slightly embarrassedly, then gave him a sharp look, gesturing for him to go into the inner room first. In Yu Renjie's memory, his father had been a well-regarded carpenter in town for half his life, and those who came to him all accepted his rules. While he wasn't always respected, he rarely showed such obsequiousness.
He sensed that the people opposite him were no ordinary people, so he slowly moved into the inner room, looking back every few steps. Just then, he saw his grandmother, Ms. Yu Wanjuan, sitting in the corner of the stove, quietly spinning bamboo strips.
Grandma was quite young that year, just over sixty, which in those days seemed like one foot in the grave, but Ms. Wanjuan still ate two bowls of rice per meal. Her children thought she ate too much, so they discussed taking turns caring for her, and this month it was Master Yu's turn.
He quietly walked over, intending to scare her, but his mother slapped him on the back.
She held a plate of fruit, glared at him, and whispered a scolding: "Did you sneak off swimming again? Aren't you afraid of drowning? Did you ride your bicycle? Your dad was looking for it and couldn't find it, which delayed him from getting to work. You're going to get a beating!"
Grandma turned around and used her two index fingers to gesture a long distance, threatening him, "It's so long and so narrow. I just saw him make it himself."
Master Yu originally made bamboo mats, and his skills were no less than those of a carpenter. Moreover, his workmanship became increasingly exquisite, and the bamboo strips became narrower and longer with each split, making them increasingly painful to hit.
Yu Renjie was terrified and was about to slip away through the back door. At this moment, the guests in the main room had already finished their tea and bid farewell to their father, saying solemnly, "Master Yu, we hope you can reconsider. This matter was sudden, and we didn't want to break your rules."
“I won’t lie to you. My schedule is fully booked for the next month. I’ve never seen the thing you’re looking for before. If I really want to make it, I’ll have to study it for a while. But you’re in such a rush that if I do make it, it will be a shoddy job. I don’t want to ruin my reputation,” Master Yu said.
Seeing that his father was adamant and stubborn, the other party knew he was a stubborn fool and didn't bother to say anything more.
"Really not going to do it?" The mother put away the freshly cut fruit plate with some regret. "This money is equivalent to several of your labors. They are really rich. They spend so much money to order a toy for a child. The deposit alone is so many grain coupons."
"What do you know?"
The woman stopped talking and silently cleared away the leftover food on the table.
His mother was mostly submissive, so he became the "rebel" in the family.
Ms. Yu Wanjuan was his protector. When his father really wanted to beat him, he would hide behind the old lady, and his father wouldn't dare to go too far.
At this point, he had to admit that filial piety does indeed come from strict discipline.
I heard that my grandfather beat them even more severely back then. Many times, he envied his younger sister because this family rule didn't hit girls.
His sister, however, told him that she could take the beating, as long as it was fair.
The principle of treating everyone equally is something no one in any dynasty or era can universally apply. Yu Renjie is thick-skinned and, since childhood, has always liked to run into his grandfather's crosshairs. Yet, his grandfather is most biased towards him, though it's unclear why; even the grandfather himself probably can't quite put his finger on it. Yu Renjie is certain of one thing: he's definitely not ugly.
**
Yu Renjie received a severe beating, and lying on the bamboo mat woven by his father with his skin torn and bleeding, he made a decision—no matter what, he had to become a father, a father of ten children. Only by becoming a father could he beat people without restraint.
However, early the next morning, he was awakened by a loud, piercing cry coming from the courtyard.
Big Yellow died. By the time Master Yu found it, it was too late to induce vomiting by giving it soapy water.
The younger siblings broke down in tears, and their mother silently wiped away her own tears. "It must be those people. They tried to take Big Yellow last time, but your father found out."
Suddenly, something popped into Yu Renjie's mind. Without a word, he grabbed an iron rod from the doorway and rushed out, only to be pulled back by the quick-thinking Master Yu, who grabbed him by the collar. "Aren't you worried about things getting chaotic enough? Who are you going to fight? Do you think you can beat those dog-eating bastards?!"
Yu Renjie tried silently to break free from his father's control, but found he couldn't.
He was being held like a chick by his father, and finally, unable to hold back any longer, he shouted, his face red and neck bulging, "It wasn't them! It was Li Wusheng and his group!"
His father was taken aback. "How did you know?"
Yu Renjie then revealed the whole story about the pumpkin vine. Master Yu also realized that if it was those dog meat eaters, how could they have left Dahuang for them?
"I'm going to kill them all!"
Yu Renjie became somewhat hysterical and made a move to rush out again.
This time, Master Yu let go. His younger siblings, fearing he would act impulsively and cause trouble, clung tightly to the door until their father said, "If you always only know how to solve problems with your fists, then go ahead."
Yu Renjie found it amusing yet somewhat incomprehensible. He was always quick to beat them up, but when it came time to wield his whip, he told them that problems couldn't be solved with fists. The Li family was just a bunch of brothers who ran rampant in town.
Before the Yu family could even come to settle accounts, the Li family arrived first. Leading the way was Li Wusheng, the youngest son of the Li family. He rushed in and kicked the old bicycle that Master Yu usually couldn't bear to ride, sending it flying upside down. The two wheels spun like electric fans, making Ms. Wanjuan feel a chill in her heart.
Hearing the commotion, she came out and was about to shout "What a disaster!" when she saw Li Wusheng asking his younger sister with a stern face, "Where's your brother!"
With the matter of Big Yellow stuck in her throat, the younger sister, being a tough nut to crack, didn't want to say a word to them. Unexpectedly, the younger brother couldn't help but jump out and boast, "Brother went out to 'make a fortune'."
Back then, those who were good swimmers could hold onto the anchor and navigate the most turbulent and dangerous shoal on the Fengtan River. If they were lucky, they could find some treasures to exchange for food stamps to supplement their family income. But if they were unlucky, they might lose their lives. Generally, elders in the family wouldn't allow their children to go out and "fish for boat money."
Upon hearing this, Ms. Wanjuan rushed to the riverbank to retrieve her grandson as soon as the Li family boys left.
**
Yu Renjie had spent half the day splashing around in the water with little luck. As soon as he got ashore, he saw Li Wusheng standing on the bank waiting for him, holding his clothes and shoes. After settling old scores and new grudges, he rushed over without saying a word and kicked Li Wusheng to the ground.
Impulsiveness is the devil, and soon he was outnumbered and beaten to a pulp by the Li brothers.
Yu Renjie felt like he was being squeezed dry, but Li Wusheng said something that made him feel much better—
It turned out that Father had taken on the job from that person again. After they had refused the original job, the other party had contacted the Li family's carpenter. However, they didn't expect that Master Yu would return to the job because of Da Huang's death.
He was arrogantly trampled underfoot by Li Wusheng, who rained blows upon him. Finally, Li Wusheng ground his shoe heel, studded with several foreign nails, into his chest several times until blood soaked through the sole of his shoe. Before leaving, he threw down the words, "If your father dares to take my father's job again, I'll break your legs next time."
When Grandma arrived, she saw this scene. Yu Renjie's face was bruised from being run over; his left cheek was swollen like pickled vegetables, and his right cheek looked like a torn purple cabbage.
She was instantly enraged, grabbed a newly chopped sharp wooden stick from her neighbor's house, and, to everyone's astonishment, impaled Li Wusheng on the stick.
Li Wusheng spent a month or so in the hospital, just as he was about to settle accounts with someone, that guy driving a four-wheeled car unexpectedly secured a batch of wooden toy orders at a Guangdong wooden toy exhibition. This ushered in the era of the wooden toy economy in Fengtan, and the toys even gained popularity overseas at lightning speed.
That year, many people in the town became wealthy, and the number of households with ten thousand yuan increased dramatically. All the carpenters in the town were busy making wooden toys, and the feud between the two families was temporarily put aside, with no time to bicker with each other.
From then on, Yu Renjie tied himself to Ms. Yu Wanjuan, and even shamelessly told his father, "I'll protect Grandma from now on. Anyone who causes her trouble, I'll beat them up."
The old man smacked him hard on the forehead with his other hand: "You brat! Take the rag off my mother's head!"
Yu Renjie is just a reckless and impulsive man.
Until he was twenty-three, the financial crisis swept across Asia, foreign exchange exchanges issued bankruptcy announcements one after another, exports from Southeast Asia were restricted, and wooden toy factories in the town closed down one after another at the speed of autumn leaves falling.
The young people in the town also flocked to Guangdong and Guangxi like migratory birds, and even the Li brothers boarded a green train overnight.
Yu Renjie, this rough-and-tumble fellow, was eager to try his luck and said he wanted to go out and make a name for himself all by himself.
The old man was very perceptive: "Where to?"
Yu Renjie: "Hainan".
The old man swung his hand back and smacked him hard on the forehead again: "You good-for-nothing! Going on vacation, huh!"
Master Yu confiscated his savings book, bought him a one-way ticket, and threw him onto the train.
On that slow-moving, green train, Yu Renjie met Ms. Tang Xiang. They sat opposite each other, the endless wheat fields outside the window making even the woman's features appear exceptionally refined and striking. Yu Renjie almost instantly knew that this was his ideal type; he liked women who were poised, confident, and eloquent.
The two were from the same hometown. Tang Xiang was from Fengtan County and had an optimistic and cheerful personality. Before the train even left the station, she told him directly that she was going to Hainan for work—as the assistant lobby manager of the first five-star resort hotel in China. After getting off the train, the two quickly fell in love. Yu Renjie even put away his former impulsive nature and began to act like a refined scoundrel.
With Tang Xiang's help, he found a job as a bellhop in the lobby. Just as he was about to make his mark, he received devastating news: his grandmother had been in a car accident in Fengtan County.
Yu Renjie was devastated; it was the first time he had faced the loss of a loved one. Even with his usually tight-lipped nature, he gritted his teeth and bought a full-price plane ticket back to the provincial capital. He cried uncontrollably on the plane, and then clung to the ticket seller's arm, sobbing the entire way while transferring to a long-distance bus.
The fortune teller said the old lady had a tough fate, was cursed with loneliness, and wouldn't die easily. Sure enough, half a month later, Yu Wanjuan's condition miraculously improved, and she was discharged from the hospital a few days later.
Yu Renjie finally understood the difference between eating two bowls of rice and eating one bowl of rice. He originally planned to wait until his grandmother was discharged from the hospital before returning to Hainan to find Tang Xiang, but unexpectedly, he encountered his second uncle's funeral on the way. His grandmother had just been discharged from the hospital when his second uncle accidentally fell to his death while working at someone else's house.
Rumors spread throughout the town, saying that Yu Wanjuan was a cursed harbinger of misfortune. The old lady herself didn't care what others said about her and happily counted the years passing by.
But Yu Renjie had a short temper; he was quick to anger. Knowing who was spreading rumors about his grandmother, he immediately grabbed whatever he could and stormed the Li family's house. He kicked the door open, knocking the latch off. He never knocked before coming; he always just kicked it in.
Unfortunately, Li Wusheng's eldest sister was home this time, along with Li's eldest daughter—a truck driver who spends most of her time traveling for work.
Sister Li usually drives long-distance trucks outside the province and rarely returns to town. Given the Li family's way of life, Yu Renjie didn't think she could control Li Wusheng. Unexpectedly, before he could even speak, Sister Li rolled up her sleeves without a word, turned around, and slapped Li Wusheng twice across the face.
Yu Renjie never expected that Li Wusheng would cower like a quail, not daring to utter a single word. Just as he was about to look at this Sister Li in a different light, Sister Li turned around and slapped him without hesitation.
Yu Renjie: "..."
Both of them quieted down, standing inside and outside the door, covering their faces and staring at each other, until Sister Li coldly said, "Go home. I'll bring him to apologize to your grandma another day."
Yu Renjie, as if wound up, dragged his feet back with a mixture of belief and doubt. He rubbed his burning cheeks as he walked, pondering that it was rare to find someone in the Li family who was so reasonable.
Three months later, Yu Renjie returned to Hainan. He had just dropped his luggage and rushed to find Tang Xiang, only to discover that Tang Xiang had not only moved but also was dating a new boyfriend who was taller and less handsome than him. Yu Renjie boarded the plane in tears once again.
From then on, this love affair in Hainan became an unforgettable memory for him. He refused to go anywhere else and stayed at home obediently to dig for wild vegetables.
The townspeople were all talking about it, saying that this love-struck fool was doomed.
Until 2003, Tang Xiang brought a five-year-old child to his door. Before he could recognize her, Ms. Tang pushed the child, who was sucking on a jelly shell, in front of him like an undelivered package.
"Ah Yang, call me Dad."
Yu Renjie glanced at the child several times, scanning him from all angles, and immediately made a judgment in his mind:
Very well, this one is finished too. This one even sucks up Xizhilang's Crystal Love jelly.
[Author's Note]
I'm back!! It's been so long, I missed you all so much! And thank you all so much!
This story is free and not available for purchase. It will update approximately four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The update will be tomorrow. Future updates will be between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Any changes will be announced in the announcement section.
Because I haven't serialized anything for so many years, daily updates might be too much of a challenge, so this story will be free. My story is rather slow-paced and doesn't really take long to develop; please enjoy it at your own pace.
To celebrate the start of this post, I'll be giving away red envelopes to 500 lucky readers in the comments section tonight.
Thank you so much for your support! [heart]
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