Chapter 2 Returning Home

  The next morning, Chu Jiaqiang went to the train station and bought a ticket back to Gaoshen City. The 8 o'clock train would take five or six hours. Then he had to take a bus for about two hours to get to He Qian Town, and finally take a motorcycle for an hour to return to Chujiacun.

  Gaosheng City is a coastal city in the south, with an economy that is developing but not hot. In the south, it belongs to a medium and lower-level city, which is much better than cities in the central and western regions.

  Chu Jiaqiang's hometown, He Qian Town, is located on the northern edge of Gaosheng City, belonging to a mountainous area, with the famous Yun Kai Mountains in the south behind it. This is a poor and mountainous area of Gaosheng City, with backward transportation, mainly relying on traditional agriculture, and most people are struggling to make ends meet.

  Back in Gaosheng City, Chu Jiaqiang didn't stay for long and immediately took the bus back to He Qian Town. On the way back, the bus drove up the winding mountain road, and Chu Jiaqiang clearly felt the temperature drop, which was a phenomenon of vertical temperature distribution. Generally speaking, the temperature in his hometown is about 5-6 degrees lower than in the city, even in June, it's still necessary to cover with a quilt at night in Chujiashan, and the diurnal temperature difference in the mountainous area is very large.

  After getting off the bus, he took a look at his watch and it was almost four o'clock. Chu Jiaqiang didn't hurry back, but instead strolled around the streets first, as he still needed to buy some things. The streets of He Qian Town were located on both banks of the Clear Water River, with the old street on the left bank having a history of several decades and buildings from the Republic of China era. The right bank was the new street, which had only developed in recent years.

  The wedding gift for Chu Jiaxiong has been purchased, a 50-inch large-screen LCD TV, which cost over 4,000 yuan. This gift is also considered to be of great value in this backward place.

  Then, he bought a set of clothes for his second uncle. He knew his second uncle's character, being frugal and thrifty, never willing to spend money on new clothes for himself during holidays.

  Gave Erniang a soy milk maker, last year I often heard Erniang and Ershu complaining that their home lacked a soy milk maker, which made it easier to eat tofu normally.

  Finally, I bought an MP3 for my cousin Chu Jia Wan. It contains dozens of songs and some English listening materials. Chu Jia Wan is the daughter of my second uncle and she's in her second year of high school now. This girl has been eyeing an MP3 for a long time.

  Walking on the street, I saw a fruit stand selling bananas and apples. Chu Jiaqiang bought about 10 pounds of them, and also grabbed over 10 pounds of loose candies and cookies. Feeling satisfied, he found a tricycle at the street corner, loaded everything onto it, and then set off on his journey home with a contented heart.

  "Hey kid, be careful with that TV. The first half of this road is okay, it was paved with cement two years ago. But the second half is tough to drive on, not only is the slope steep, but it's also bumpy. And with the rain these past two days, the road conditions are even worse. Otherwise, I wouldn't be charging you 25 bucks." The driver uncle reminded him.

  "I know, Uncle, don't worry." Chu Jiaqiang nodded and then asked: "Uncle, do you often take this road?"

  This road is also clear to Chu Jiaqiang. At that time, the so-called village-to-village communication was done, but the money allocated from above was not enough, and the masses had to make up for some of it. Xiangzhu Village is a large village with a population several times that of Chujiazai. Due to its rich mineral resources, the villagers here are relatively wealthy, with most households having tens of millions of yuan, and more than ten households having over 100 million yuan. It is one of the two richest villages in Heqitown. The cement road only reaches Xiangzhu Village, and Chujiazai inside, as well as several small villages next door, have not been popularized.

  "After passing by several times, Chu's village is quite remote. Young man, are you returning from studying or working?" The old uncle drove steadily, and it was clear that he was an experienced driver."

  Working in Fuzhou City, a buddy got married and came back to drink a few cups. Chu Jiaqiang smiled, looking at the familiar environment, the negative emotions of parting were greatly reduced.

  The tricycle finally drove into Chujiazhuang after the driver had been talking nonsense with Mr. Chu for more than an hour. Mr. Chu asked the driver to park the tricycle in a large rice paddy in the village, where many people were drying their rice, but by then the sun was almost setting and some people were preparing to gather in the rice. Seeing that it was university students returning, everyone helped to unload things with all their might. After paying the money, they sent the tricycle away.

  "Wow! It seems that Jiaqiang has really made a fortune outside, this TV set I've seen in town is the best one, it's almost 5,000 yuan?" Da Guibo looked at the flat-screen TV with envy.

  Those uncles and aunts all gasped when they heard that. The Chu family village was too poor, ordinary families only had savings of 400,000 to 500,000 yuan, even the village head only had more than 1 million yuan, which was already considered wealthy in the village. They didn't dare buy such an expensive TV, and many families still used Liberation brand black and white TVs.

  "Haha! Jia Xiong is getting married the day after tomorrow, it's a gift for him." Chu Jiaqiang smiled in response, looking at these familiar faces, feeling great.

  The crowd was even more stunned, sending someone? This is probably the most precious gift in the village's history.

  "Tsk, tsk! That kid is so lucky. Such a big TV, even if I have time, I'll move my stool over to take a look and indulge myself." A young man named Chu Jiaqing, who was slightly older than Chu Jia, said with envy in his eyes. He was also of the same generation as Chu Jia, and was known for having gone out to work several years ago, but was also a "moonlight clan", and had been invited back home by his family.

  Chu's family smiled faintly and handed out a round of cigarettes to the men present, and distributed some fruit, candies, and cookies to the children, instantly bringing everyone closer together.

  Although the villagers are poor, their relationships with each other are good. When they meet, they can greet each other, and when something happens, everyone will try to help as much as possible. This is the difference between them and city people. City dwellers may not even know their neighbors on the left and right, the pace of life is fast, giving people a sense of pressure, and there is less trust between people, with an added chill.

  "Didn't Second Uncle dry wheat today?" Chu Jiaqiang asked.

  "Your second uncle's rice is not much, it has been dried for a long time." Fifth Uncle replied, seemingly knowing that the Chu family needed more manpower. He shouted to others: "Two or three of you help move things? We'll take care of things here."

  Wu Shu Gong, in the village, had a reputation second only to that of the old village chief. The two or three people who were called out didn't say a word, they just carried the TV set and led the way to Chu Jiaqiang's house. Behind them followed several mischievous kids who hadn't eaten their fill of sweets and cookies yet.

  "Uncle Min, Aunt Min! Are you home? Qiangzi is back, come out and welcome him!" Chu Jiaqing shouted loudly before he even reached the door. Suddenly, the big black dog from Uncle Min's house started barking wildly, but when it saw that it was Chu Jiaqiang, it immediately wagged its tail and ran over to surround him, rubbing against his pant leg with its head, extremely affectionate.

  "Get out, Dai Hei! I'm busy now!" Chu Jiaqiang kicked Dai Hei away with his foot.

  Chu Jiaqiang's second uncle, second aunt and cousin all came out upon hearing the noise. Seeing Chu Jiaqiang, his face suddenly filled with joy, his second aunt said somewhat reproachfully: "You're back, why didn't you tell your second aunt in advance so that your second uncle could go to town to pick you up?"

  "Brother, you're back! Let me help you with your things." Chu Jia Wan smiled and snatched the items from Chu Jia Qiang's hands.

  "How did you buy so many things on your way home? Is this a TV? It's so big! You kid, what can I say to you?" Second Uncle also scolded.

  "Haha! Minshu, this TV was prepared by Qiangzi as a wedding gift for Daxiong. It's not just for decoration at home!" Chujiqing said with a smile.

  Looking at these familiar faces and listening to words full of concern, Chu Jiaqiang's heart felt a warmth.

  "Isn't this too much stuff? It would be more convenient to just hire a tricycle. It's been over a year since I've come back, it's normal to buy something for Uncle and Aunt. How are your grades now, kid?" Chu Jiaqiang entered the house and had people put down the things. He took out fruit, candies, and cookies, letting everyone help themselves. The others took some things and didn't disturb the family reunion, bidding farewell one after another.

  "These clothes are for Second Uncle, I don't know if they fit or not, Second Uncle take a look. Second Aunt, this is a blender, try it out tonight and let's have some leek stewed tofu! Girl, your MP3, remember, don't be distracted by things!" Chu Jiaqiang took out the items one by one.

  "Thanks bro, I knew you'd care about me the most. Don't worry, I won't fall behind in my studies." Chu Jia Wan happily received the MP3 and immediately ran to the side to play with it.

  Second uncle sighed with a bitter smile, this kid is really too extravagant, he can't take it. Just now someone said that the TV costs four or five thousand yuan, and this set of clothes looks like high-quality goods, no less than one or two hundred yuan, the blender is also over a thousand yuan, as for the MP3 player, he has no idea about its price, but it's probably not cheap.

  Second Aunt was delighted in her heart, knowing that her nephew had a good intention. This soy milk machine she had been nagging about for a long time.