Chapter 417: Old Man, You're Not Kidding, Right?

Chapter 417: Old Man, You're Not Kidding, Right?

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In a village in Songwang Town.

At the door of a brick and tile house, Li Xiaoyan was picking over water spinach with her mother-in-law.

Throughout the entire Bobai region, from March to October each year, the most commonly eaten green vegetable is water spinach. No other vegetable can compare to water spinach.

Of course, although they are all in Bobai County, the variety of water spinach they eat in Yangming World is different. The water spinach grown in the county seat is unique, and the water spinach grown in other towns cannot compare in taste.

While picking the vegetables, Li Xiaoyan would occasionally look towards the village entrance, frowning and saying, "Mom, what's going on?? Long went to a class reunion yesterday morning, and it's been over a day now. Why hasn't he come back yet?"

"It is indeed quite strange. Logically, he should have been back by yesterday afternoon. Why hasn't he returned yet?"

Zhu Mother was also a bit puzzled, saying, "Let's wait a bit longer. If he still hasn't returned by dinner time, I'll have Ah Hu go to Songshan high school to check on the situation."

Li Xiaoyan comforted, "Mom, don't worry. Nothing bad could have happened at a class reunion. I guess they haven't seen each other in ten years, and they're probably just having a good time, so the reunion is taking longer."

Zhu Mother nodded, "That's probably it. Speaking of Long's high school classmates, back then, two of his classmates got into university. One even got into Peking University. I wonder how they're doing now. One of them must be a high-ranking official by now, right?"

Li Xiaoyan said, "I heard that Peking University is one of the best universities. Graduates from such a school should be able to become high-ranking officials. One of them might already be a bigwig like the secretary or mayor of Songwang Town."

Zhu Mother sighed, "Ah Long used to play very well with them, but it's been ten years. That friendship probably doesn't remain much. If they had stayed in touch, maybe they could have helped Long a bit, but now it's probably a bit difficult."

Li Xiaoyan was just about to respond when she saw her husband returning from afar, carrying something. She immediately stood up, "Mom, Ah Long is back!"

Zhu Mother turned her head and indeed saw her eldest son returning. She squinted her eyes, "ah long, you didn't bring any luggage for the class Reunion, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"Then what are you carrying in your hand?"

"I don't know either. I guess he bought something."

As the two women were talking, Zhu Chenglong had already walked closer with the items.

At this moment, Li Xiaoyan could clearly see what her husband was carrying. She widened her eyes and said, "ah long, what's wrong with you? Did you buy a box of eight treasure porridge and a box of instant noodles? Did you have so much money you didn't know what to do with it?"

Zhu Mother also complained, "really, ah long, how did you start spending money so extravagantly?"

Zhu Cheng long put down the items and laughed, "mom, Xiaoyan, these weren't bought by me. They were given by classmates, and all the teachers and classmates who attended the reunion received them."

Li Xiaoyan was surprised, "ah long, you're not kidding, right? A box of eight treasure porridge and a box of instant noodles must cost at least a few dozen yuan. Even if only ten classmates attended, plus the school leaders and teachers, it would still cost over a thousand yuan. Which of your classmates could be so wealthy?"

Zhu Mother was also greatly surprised, "my goodness, over a thousand yuan of items were given as gifts. Which of your classmates is so wealthy?"

Zhu Cheng long laughed, "Not just over a thousand. This time, our 34th class's ten-year reunion had 36 classmates attending, plus the school leaders and teachers, making a total of over 40 people. Just the cost of one box of eight treasure porridge and one box of instant noodles per person would be over 2,000 yuan."

Hearing this, Zhu Mother and Li Xiaoyan were even more shocked.

"And that's not all."

Zhu Cheng long continued, "mom, Xiaoyan, do you know where our 34th class's reunion was held?"

Li Xiaoyan said, "I was wondering about that. Weren't you supposed to return to the alma mater, have a meal, and come back? Why did the reunion take so long?"

"We originally planned it that way, but this time, the classmate I play best with had already made arrangements..."

Then, Zhu Cheng long recounted the details of yesterday's class reunion to his mother and wife, leaving their mouths agape. Whether it was Deng Yunheng's various arrangements for the class reunion or his current status, both the mother and wife were stunned.

"My goodness, ah long, your classmate is truly amazing! I thought he'd only be a high-ranking official like the secretary or mayor of Songwang Town, which would already be impressive. I never expected him to be even higher than the county magistrate. This is really shocking!"

"Indeed, it's truly amazing!"

"Indeed, he's amazing. We were all stunned at the time, never imagining his rank could be so high."

Zhu Cheng long sighed, then continued, "Regarding the business, I've already asked my brother. His idea is for me to run a night snack stand."

Li Xiaoyan was surprised, "run a night snack stand?"

"Yes, run a night snack stand."

Zhu Cheng long recounted what Deng Yunheng had said to him, and concluded, "I think what Brother Heng said makes sense, so I plan to run a night snack stand. What do you think, Xiaoyan?"

Li Xiaoyan nodded, "Since your classmate said so, let's run a night snack stand. He's a graduate of Peking University and holds such a high position; his insight is definitely beyond what we can compare to. If he says the night snack stand will work, it definitely won't go wrong."

...

Meanwhile.

The other classmates who attended the reunion also returned home one by one, enthusiastically sharing the details of the reunion with their families. Needless to say, this brought about countless exclamations of amazement, and no one who heard it was left unshocked.

That evening, Chen Wenfeng returned to his home in the Wuzhou Cangwu County Agricultural Machinery Bureau residential compound.

Since he had called ahead, his wife, Pang Xueling, was still awake and waiting for him when he arrived.

Seeing Chen Wenfeng carrying a box of eight treasure porridge and a box of instant noodles, Pang Xueling asked in surprise, "Husband, did your parents buy these for you to bring back?"

Chen Wenfeng shook his head, "No, these were gifts from a classmate."

Pang Xueling couldn't help but laugh, "It seems you, the great Director Chen, really made a big impression at the class reunion. Classmates are already sending gifts to build a good relationship with you."

Chen Wenfeng sighed, "You're wrong, dear. This time at the reunion, I didn't stand out at all. And the gifts were not just for me; every teacher and classmate who attended the reunion received them."

Pang Xueling was taken aback, "Husband, which of your classmates has become so wealthy? But that doesn't make sense. Even if one of your classmates has become wealthy, you, as the head of the Agricultural Machinery Bureau, a full-section-level cadre, shouldn't have been overshadowed, right?"

Chen Wenfeng didn't answer his wife's question but sighed, "Dear, this ten-year reunion was worth attending. You can't imagine what happened. If I told you, you'd be shocked."

Pang Xueling was puzzled, "What happened?"

Chen Wenfeng said, "Remember the classmate I told you about who got into Peking University?"

Pang Xueling's heart raced as she asked, "Husband, is his development better than yours?"

Chen Wenfeng nodded, "You guessed right. His development is indeed much better than mine. Can you guess what his current position and rank are?"

Pang Xueling speculated, "From the way you're talking, he must be at least a deputy county magistrate, a deputy-section-level cadre, right?"

Chen Wenfeng shook his head, "Dear, guess a bit more boldly."

Pang Xueling was shocked, "That can't be! Could he have become a county magistrate, a full-section-level cadre?"

Chen Wenfeng shook his head again, "Dear, you can guess even more boldly."

Pang Xueling suddenly stood up, horrified, "Husband, are you kidding me?"

Chen Wenfeng understood his wife's reaction and smiled bitterly, "Dear, how could I joke about something like this? You don't know how stunned we all were when we heard about his position and rank!"

"So, what is his position and rank?"

"His position is the head of a county-level city, and his rank is already deputy-hall-level."

Upon hearing this, Pang Xueling was so shocked that her chest heaved. Her husband and this classmate had only been out of high school for a few years, yet his rank was higher than her father's. This was simply outrageous.

If someone else had said this, she would never have believed it.

Deputy-hall-level, that's deputy-hall-level. Her father had struggled for decades and still hadn't reached that rank. Her husband's classmate had achieved it in just a few short years. It was simply unbelievable.

Comparing people to people really can be infuriating!

After a long pause, Pang Xueling finally swallowed hard and asked, "Husband, how did he manage to do that?"

Chen Wenfeng then recounted Deng Yunheng's career history to his wife and concluded, "Although his promotion to deputy-hall-level was somewhat lucky, whether or not it was luck, his rank has been raised, saving him several years. It's truly enviable."

Pang Xueling also looked envious, "His luck is really beyond words. Even if he hadn't had such good fortune, he would still be a genuine county magistrate, a full-section-level official, which is still very impressive."

Chen Wenfeng nodded, "Indeed, it's impressive. I'm thoroughly convinced."

Pang Xueling said, "Husband, with such a high-ranking official as your classmate, you must seize this opportunity and build a good relationship with him. Who knows, one day, if he says a good word for you, you might cross that crucial threshold and enter a much broader world."

"I understand."

Chen Wenfeng responded and then said with some regret, "Unfortunately, during high school, I didn't get along well with him. Now, trying to build a closer relationship after knowing his status and position seems a bit insincere."

Pang Xueling also understood this and sighed, "Building a relationship now is indeed not as good as during high school, but there is still some camaraderie from those years."

Chen Wenfeng said, "Now, we are already people from two different worlds, and we are separated by thousands of miles. It’s hard to build a closer relationship, so we can only let things take their natural course."

Upon hearing this, Pang Xueling recalled that she had said the same thing when her husband went back to attend the class reunion, mentioning that her husband and those classmates were already from two different worlds. Indeed, they were from two different worlds.

...

Five Mountains Square Mansion.

Xiaodong'er handed her report card to her grandfather with a proud look on her face and said, "Grandpa, this is my final exam result. Take a look."

Deng Shirong, seeing her proud expression, knew she must have been the top of her grade. He glanced at the report card and, as expected, found it to be true. He couldn't help but praise her, "Great job, you haven't disappointed me. Where do you want to go this summer? Grandpa will take you there."

Standing beside her, Dongzi, hearing this, quickly chimed in, "Grandpa, look at my report card too."

Deng Shirong took Dongzi’s report card and was somewhat surprised to see that he had managed to rank 19th in his class for the semester. He said, "Wow, Dongzi, you managed to rank 19th in your class this semester. That’s pretty impressive, and it’s worth praising."

Dongzi grinned with satisfaction, "Grandpa, does that mean I can go wherever I want, and you will take me there?"

Deng Shirong nodded and smiled, "Yes, since Grandpa promised, I will keep my word. Now that both of you have earned the right to go out, decide where you want to go, and we’ll set off in a couple of days."

Dongzi looked excitedly at his sister and asked, "Sister, where do you want to go?"

"Shanghai!"

Xiaodong'er blurted out, "Grandpa, I want to go to Shanghai."

Deng Shirong smiled, "Sure, Dongzi, what about you? Where do you want to go?"

Dongzi said, "Grandpa, I also want to go to Shanghai."

Deng Shirong decided, "Alright, then Grandpa will take you both to Shanghai."

Xiaodong'er looked at her parents and said, "Mom, Dad, do you want to come too?"

Deng Yuntao and his wife exchanged glances and smiled, "Sure, we’ll go with you."

"Great!"

The siblings were overjoyed and cheered.

Even Dongzi remembered to ask, "Auntie, do you want to come too?"

Deng Yunzhu shook her head and smiled, "Dongzi, you and Grandpa and your parents can go. I have some things to take care of, so I won’t join you."

Xiaodong'er also looked at her fourth uncle and asked, "Fourth Uncle, do you want to come?"

Deng Yunhua smiled, "Fourth Uncle has things to do, so you all go ahead."

Xiaodong'er nodded and looked at her grandfather, "Grandpa, how long will we stay in Shanghai this time?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "You still have to come back to study, so we can’t stay too long. Let’s make it a week!"

...

In the afternoon.

Zhoubei Village, Songwang Town.

Li Shuqin, holding her luggage, returned to this home she had been away from for four years.

Yes, four years. Since she started university, she had never returned home once.

This wasn’t because she was heartless, but because she had been deeply hurt by her own brother. Back when she was in high school, her worthless brother had lost his head at the casino and gambled her away to someone else.

Fortunately, her parents still cared for her and didn’t really “sell” her to pay off her brother’s debt. Instead, they sold everything they had to pay off the debt. With the help of her good friend, Sister Zhu, she was able to smoothly take the college entrance exam and get into her ideal university.

Because of the lingering pain, Li Shuqin never returned home after starting university, just to avoid seeing her worthless brother and getting angry.

Of course, even though she didn’t return, she still kept in touch with her parents through letters.

Through these letters, Li Shuqin learned that her worthless brother had changed a lot over the past four years and even got married last year.

However, no matter how much her brother had changed, the heartache from the past wasn’t easy to heal.

Rebuilding the relationship between brother and sister would be a long and difficult process.

As the first person from Zhoubei Village to get into a key university, Li Shuqin’s fame in the village was unparalleled. On her way home, the villagers who saw her all greeted her, and once she was out of earshot, they began to discuss her.

"Sushuqin is quite stubborn. She hasn’t returned home once since she started university."

"This isn’t about being stubborn. If I had a brother like that, I probably wouldn’t want to come back either after leaving."

"That’s true. Back then, Li Minghai, that good-for-nothing, almost gambled away his own sister. Luckily, her parents cared for her and sold everything to pay off the debt, rather than pushing their daughter into a terrible situation. Otherwise, her life would have been ruined."

"Indeed, Li Minghai is a real scoundrel. He was so desperate that he even gambled away his own sister."

In the 1980s, parents in Bobai truly had the power to decide their children's marriages.

"However, after that incident, Li Minghai, that boy, has changed quite a bit. He seems much more reliable now."

"That lesson was too profound. Usually, in such cases, either the person reforms or they completely fall apart. Li Minghai seems to have reformed."

"Even if Li Minghai has reformed, the relationship between him and his sister will probably be hard to restore. I bet Shuqin still harbors resentment towards her brother!"

"It's understandable. After all, she almost had her life ruined by her own brother back then."

"With her university degree, the state will assign her a job. I wonder where Shuqin will be assigned to work."

"Shuqin got into a key university, so she will definitely be assigned to a good unit."

"She will soon be eating the 'royal grain' (government job). How enviable!"

"..."

When Li Shuqin returned home, her father was sitting at the door, smoking a water pipe.

"Dad, I'm back!"

From a distance, Li Shuqin called out to greet him.

Li Guangchang looked up, and upon seeing his long-lost youngest daughter, he clutched his water pipe tightly, feeling a surge of emotions. He wanted to say so much but managed only a simple, "It's good to have you back."

Seeing her father, now with a head full of white hair and looking much older than four years ago, Li Shuqin felt a lump in her throat. She tried to mask her emotions and asked, "Dad, where's Mom?"

"Your mother is in the backyard picking vegetables. Take your luggage to your room first."

Li Shuqin nodded and walked into her room.

Despite not returning for four years, her room was still spotless, clearly maintained by her mother. The room's layout remained unchanged, just as it was when she left.

Li Shuqin sighed softly, reflecting on whether her four-year absence was too much.

...

Half an hour later.

Li Shuqin not only met her mother but also her wastrel brother and her new sister-in-law.

Li Shuqin was still angry with her brother, but she had no issues with her sister-in-law, so she greeted her.

As for her brother Li Minghai, Li Shuqin pretended he wasn't there.

Li Minghai, aware of his own faults, did not approach his sister. Instead, he took his water pipe to the door and puffed on it while eavesdropping on the conversation between his sister and the family.

Li Mother, her face full of wrinkles, smiled and asked, "Shuqin, now that you've graduated, where have you been assigned to work?"

Li Shuqin replied, "I was originally assigned to work at the county finance bureau, but I resigned from that job."

Li Mother was surprised, "Shuqin, isn't the finance bureau a good place to work? Why did you resign?"

Li Guangchang, hearing this, couldn't help but interject, "Yes, Shuqin, I've heard the finance bureau is one of the best units in the county with great benefits. It's a government job, and people can't even get such a job if they want to. Why did you resign?"

Her sister-in-law also looked at her with surprise, unable to understand her decision.

Li Minghai, sitting by the door and listening, was equally puzzled about why his sister would give up such a good job.

Li Shuqin smiled and said, "Dad, Mom, the finance bureau is indeed a good job, but I have a better one now, so I had to resign from that position."

Li Mother was surprised, "You have a better job? What kind of job?"

Li Shuqin smiled, "My best friend from high school, who has opened hotpot restaurants in Nanning, Liuzhou, and Guangzhou, has offered me a position as the general manager."

Li Guangchang, looking puzzled, asked, "What's a hotpot restaurant? What do they sell?"

The others were equally confused. In the rural areas of that era, not everyone knew what a hotpot was, and clearly, the Li family was no exception.

Li Shuqin explained, "A hotpot restaurant is like a restaurant, but the way of eating is different."

Li Mother nodded, somewhat understanding, and then asked, "Shuqin, which of your high school friends is so successful that she has opened hotpot restaurants in so many places?"

Li Shuqin replied, "It's my best friend from high school, Deng Yunzhu. Her business is doing very well, and she has already amassed over a million yuan. With our close relationship, working for her will definitely be better than working at the finance bureau."

Upon hearing this, the Li family was stunned.

A million yuan was a fortune in that era, comparable to a billionaire in modern times.

If their daughter could work for such a wealthy person, it might indeed be better than working at the finance bureau.

...

PS: Thank you to everyone for your monthly votes. I have been consistently updating 6,000 words daily for the past six months, contrary to what some have said about decreasing updates. Being able to maintain a daily update of 6,000 words is quite significant.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end