Chapter 008: Transportation

Seeing Zheng Weibao about to decline, Cang Hai said, "If you refuse, I would feel embarrassed to come knocking for a drink!"

Cang Hai said to his uncle and aunt: "Third Uncle, Third Aunt, I have brought some things for you and the elder uncle's family!"

"Haiwazi, how many days will you be back this time?" Aunt Liu Shujuan asked.

Cang Hai recognized the woman immediately and shouted out loud. The person who came out was none other than Cang Hai's third aunt, Wei Qin. Wei Qin was also from Si Ping Village; to put it another way, she had watched Cang Hai grow up from the time he was born, having seen him grow from wearing split-crotch pants.

Seeing his nephew return, Cang Shiyuan was exceptionally happy, and he excitedly bombarded his wife with a stream of words.

Third Uncle

On this side of the vast sea, one can sleep soundly, but the couple, Cang Shiyuan and his wife, cannot find rest. Their nephew has gone madly back to his hometown, leaving the couple feeling anxious and troubled. However, they do not know how to persuade this stubborn nephew and can only sigh repeatedly, with no good ideas coming to mind.

Is there no one left in the village?" Cang Hai asked

Then it's settled, you must come to my house when you return! That's a promise, said Zheng Weibao

However, the consequence of this is that the originally barren wasteland has become even more desolate, with fewer inhabitants. As for the road leading to the original village, it is naturally impossible to repair it now. Therefore, to enter the village, vehicles cannot pass at all; at most, only a horse-drawn cart can make it through, and it must be one of those old, narrow carts

When the uncle, nephew, and aunt met, it was natural for them to engage in a lively conversation. After Cang Hai answered a series of questions from his uncle and aunt, he began to distribute gifts

After Aunt San finished her persuasion, Uncle and Aunt also began to speak up. In their hearts, Cang Hai was the college student of the family, the pride of the Lao Cang family. Not to mention in the past, even now, there have been very few graduates from prestigious universities in the entire area. Let alone those from renowned coastal universities, even the number of children who have gone to college can be counted on two hands. Now that they heard that the pride of the Lao Cang family was preparing to return to the hometown, how could they not be excited!

Third Aunt

Alright! Then I shall accept it!

After chatting for a while, the two women began to prepare dinner. Although there were only four people in the family, Cang Shiyuan and his wife still prepared a large table of dishes, with seven or eight varieties, half of which were meat dishes. During the meal, the five of them also drank a little wine, and this dinner lasted from 5 PM to 9 PM before it finally came to an end

The women in the West are all loud, and I estimate that the neighbors on the left and right can hear this shout. How could Cang Shiyuan, who is currently washing his hair in the courtyard, not hear it

Upon seeing Cang Hai nod, Wei Qin immediately grabbed Cang Hai's arm. Upon seeing her nephew, Wei Qin was so overwhelmed with emotion that she was momentarily speechless. Before long, tears began to flow down her chubby cheeks.

Upon hearing the mention of Cang Hai, the four individuals present were immediately taken aback, stunned for a moment before falling into silence, and the originally lively atmosphere seemed to have suddenly faded away

Third Aunt

Cang Hai nodded in agreement to this matter. Seeing Zheng Weibao about to leave, Cang Hai called out to him and then pulled out a box of fruits and some imported pastries from the trunk of the car, the kind in metal tins. Although they were not worth much, presenting them as a gift in the small town still held a certain prestige.

Through this conversation, Cang Hai learned that both children of his uncle's family were working outside, while the only son of his third uncle's family was still studying in the county town. The two households of the old Cang family, like most families in the town, had almost all the young and strong members working outside, leaving behind either the elderly, the weak, the sick, or those engaged in small businesses.

"Come inside, come inside, you woman, why are you just standing at the door waiting for Haiwa to return? Hurry up and inform the elder brother, and let the sister-in-law know as well, that there will be no cooking tonight, as Haiwa is coming to our house. Also, go to Old Liu's braised meat stall and chop up a few kinds of braised dishes..."

In less than a minute, an old man dressed in a sheepskin coat, wearing a slightly worn camouflage military pants, and sporting a pair of old black leather shoes appeared in the courtyard. It was none other than Uncle Canghai, Cang Shigui.

Cang Hai smiled and turned to the car, beginning to take out the items from the trunk. Cang Hai had brought quite a lot of things, filling the entire trunk to the brim, including food, clothing, and useful items. The three of them moved everything into the main room, piling it into a small heap

Wei Qin wiped away a tear and said with self-deprecation, "Look at me, it's a happy occasion for my nephew to come back!"

The best means of transportation to enter the village now is a motorcycle, followed closely by a mule or donkey. As for walking, it is no longer like it used to be; very few people would spend an entire day walking back from the mountain valleys.

Upon hearing Cang Hai's words, Zheng Weibao fell silent. For someone from the countryside, this is a matter of filial piety; it would be inappropriate to insist on drinking when others are paying respects to their ancestors.

Cang Hai pointed at the small car parked by the roadside, and Cang Shiyuan smiled and said, "Ah, Hai has a big luxury car now!"

Cang Hai looked at his third uncle approaching him. When he left, his third uncle still had a full head of black hair, but now half of it had turned white. The once prominent slicked-back hairstyle had now been replaced with a short buzz cut. His originally smooth and dark complexion now bore the marks of time.

Cang Shigui said: "There are only ten people who have come this time, the old master of the Hu family, the uncle of the Wei family, and two or three members of the old Li family. The only young one is a foolish boy named Ping'an..."

Seeing Cang Hai nod, the woman finally said happily: "You are finally back! Good, good, good!"

Wei Qin felt happy in her heart, responding repeatedly as she turned and hurried towards the house next door

After calling out "hello" three times in succession, the woman raised her voice and shouted outside: "Head of the household, the child is back! Hurry up and come over, our Haiwa has returned"

Oh dear, mother!

Upon hearing Cang Hai mention returning to the old village, Zheng Weibao remarked: "What is there to see in the old village? Almost all the villages in the mountain valleys have moved to the town now. Even if there are still people guarding the old village, it must be in a state of disrepair. Not to mention your Si Ping village, where fetching water requires dragging livestock for two to three hours. Who would still be there?"

Ten years have rendered a once robust man somewhat aged.

Seeing a young man standing at the door of his home, with a face and appearance that vaguely resembled that of his deceased cousin, Cang Shiyuan opened his mouth and said: "Hai Wa Zi!"

Holding a white towel and wiping the droplets of water from his head, Cang Shiyuan walked towards the door

Not bad at all! Looking at the vast sea, Zheng Weibao's two-story small general's building stands out particularly among the bungalows, prompting a compliment from me.

Wei Qin heard someone calling her "Third Aunt". She focused her gaze and then exclaimed with a joyful expression: "Hai Wa Zi?!"

Just as the three were busy, another woman entered the courtyard. Upon closer inspection, Cang Hai realized that it was none other than his own aunt.

At this point, he turned and shouted towards the yard: "Hey, kid, hurry up and see who has come back!"

While contemplating and pondering over the tasks to be done upon returning to my hometown tomorrow, the vast sea soon fell into a deep slumber

A plump woman in her early fifties, just stepping out the door, did not expect to find someone standing at the entrance, and was suddenly startled.

"Are you out of your mind?" Cang Shiyuan said with a hint of anger, "Everyone else is eager to leave and run far away, yet you, instead of working well in the beautiful city, have turned around and come back here. Isn't that a sign of madness?"

With this in mind, Cang Hai decided to visit the motorcycle shop in town tomorrow morning to buy a suitable motorcycle for himself, while leaving the old Volkswagen directly at his uncle's doorstep

Unfortunately, the master of the vast sea has already made up his mind, and it is not something that can be swayed by their few words. After a few attempts to persuade him, everyone realized that their nephew's decision was as firm as a rock, and thus they began to sigh and lament in their hearts, feeling that their eldest nephew had lost his senses.

Zheng Weibao scratched his head and said, "Hey, what's not good? Just trying to make a living. Let's do it this way: come to my house tomorrow at noon, and we can have a good drink together!"

After a moment of daze, Cang Hai arrived at the doorstep of his uncle's house, just as he was about to knock on the door, when suddenly he saw the door open

The men from the West are rarely coy; upon hearing Cang Hai's words, they accepted the gift with great openness. As soon as the gift was received, the child Zheng Ziyue clutched the iron box of pastries tightly, and thus, under Lu Jing's guidance, they left.

Aunt!

After finishing a meal, Cang Hai finally understood that the current policy in the county is centralized resettlement, where all the impoverished population originally living in the mountain valleys has been concentrated in the town. The provincial government has spent a significant amount of money to divert water and cultivate land, resettling these formerly impoverished villagers. Now, they have achieved some modest success. Although the agricultural output still lags far behind that of the south, it is no longer too difficult to secure enough food for a year.

"Who has come to make such a commotion at Old San's house?"

Looking at the backs of this family of three, Cang Hai revealed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth

The woman was taken aback, stopping in her tracks at the doorway of the main room. After gazing at the vast sea for a moment, she finally spoke: "Hai Wa Zi!"

Cang Hai smiled and said, "It really is uncertain whether there will be time; I plan to return to the old village tomorrow morning to take a look!"

Aunt San reached out and patted the head of the household, then turned to Cang Hai and advised, "Hai Wa Zi, you must not be foolish. Here, we lack everything. Even now, this water is a precious resource. You, a student from a prestigious university, what can you do when you return? Can you farm or dig wells? Even if you can farm or dig wells, our land is not like the Jiangnan where you stayed. Even if you plant sorghum or corn on an acre of land, the yield will not even be half of what they produce..."

Cang Hai's father, Cang Shijun, is not the biological brother of Cang Shiyuan and Cang Shigui. If one were to trace it back to the previous generation, it would be a distant relation. However, due to the sparse population in the village, although the blood ties are somewhat distant, the depth of familial affection far exceeds that of an ordinary family.

No matter what, I have to go back and take a look, to pay respects at my grandfather's and my elder brother's graves or something like that

Weibo ignored the battle between the child and the woman, and continued to shout towards the vast sea: "Over there, the one with the red lanterns is my home!"

Upon hearing what Uncle said, Cang Hai felt a bit more at ease: having someone is good

Cang Hai's mother left when he was very young, not because she passed away, but because the family was poor and could not make ends meet, leading her to run away. After that, Wei Qin, this kind-hearted aunt, became like a second mother to Cang Hai

The vast sea is also a bit excited

Take a look, this time it might be three to five days, but I will be moving back to live here soon