Jiang Hu forced a smile, pretending, "I must get so good dishes for my younger brother!"
Jiang Ning said, "Brother Hu is really good."
...
Bidding farewell to Third Aunt’s family by the roadside, refusing Brother Hu’s offer for a ride, Jiang Ning carried his backpack and headed alone to Jiangjiazhuang.
The rural infrastructure in central Hui Province is not bad, and Jiangjiazhuang is very close to the town, with cent roads reaching the village.
Jiang Ning walked on the long-missed rural land, this was his hotown where he had lived for 14 years. The wheat fields on both sides of the cent road were covered with a layer of white frost, as if powdered with foundation.
The outline of the village ahead gradually beca clearer, the low and dilapidated red brick houses were interspersed among the newly built buildings, just like 27-year-old Jiang Ning in a previous life, unable to settle in the big city, yet unable to return to his hotown.
As the year was drawing to a close, the village entrance was rather lively, with so villagers gathered at the doors near the cent road, and similarly-aged college students wearing cotton-padded jackets playing badminton. When they saw Jiang Ning, they all cast curious glances.
Jiang Ning stared at those faces, almost ten years younger, and suddenly realized: ’I am only 16 this year! So young!’
For so reason, he felt much better.
Jiang Ning’s lips curled into a smile, and his steps beca lighter. It was a strange feeling, each step seed to land on the intersection of past and future.
Walking past the village entrance, past the chicken farm, and finally by the side of a tiled house with a peach blossom grove behind it, a big black dog and two little yellow dogs suddenly rushed out, barking ferociously, baring their teeth.
Jiang Ning had disliked this family since childhood, and disliked their dogs even more. Every ti he went to school, he was always anxious and uneasy.
"Good dog!" Jiang Ning kicked out with force, landing a heavy blow on the big black dog, sending it flying into the air.
The big black dog landed on the ground with a painful yelp.
The two little yellow dogs made a croaking sound, too frightened to breathe.
’I was scared of you when I was little, now that I’m grown, and you scare with your puppies?’ Jiang Ning moved and kicked each of the two little yellow dogs away.
Watching the three trembling local dogs, Jiang Ning gave them two more kicks before leisurely leaving.
He turned east, and the residents here were more familiar to Jiang Ning, mostly descendants of his grandfather’s brothers.
Soone at the door looked at Jiang Ning but did not recognize who he was.
Finally, he stopped at his own doorstep.
In front of him was a wooden door, the door ring already rusted. Through the gaps in the door, he could see the view of the courtyard, and contrary to Jiang Ning’s expectations of overgrown wild grass, it was kept very clean.
"Is that you, Ningning?" A peaceful voice sounded.
Jiang Ning turned to look at the owner of the voice, a woman in her fifties, with kind eyebrows and a good-natured face.
"Second Grandma." Jiang Ning responded.
Upon hearing this, the woman exclaid with joy, "It really is Ningning!"
She quickly turned around and shouted, "Little Gui, co out!"
As the words fell, a man under thirty ran out from behind, thin but strong, with a dark complexion, looking very honest.
"It really is Ningning!" Little Gui said, his face full of joy.
He ca up and patted Jiang Ning on the shoulder, "Good kid, you’ve grown so tall!"
Second Grandma smiled, "And much more handso!"
Uncle Xiao Gui and Jiang Ning’s family were neighbors. When Jiang Ning lived at ho, he often received care from Uncle Xiao Gui’s family, frequently inviting him over for als. Later, when Jiang Ning left the village, he even left the keys in the care of the Xiao Gui’s family.
Now that Jiang Ning’s parents were successful, they arranged for Gui Zi to work as a security guard at Evergreen Liquid as a way to repay past kindness.
Uncle Xiao Gui unlocked the door with a key, and Second Grandma said beside him, "We knew you would co back for the New Year, so we cleaned up the house for you, and aired it out. We also have two new quilts, I’ll bring them to you later!"
Jiang Ning knew they were being considerate, and Second Grandma told him to have als at her place in the future. Jiang Ning politely declined, saying he would go to his Second Uncle’s house for lunch.
After a lively conversation, Second Grandma and Little Gui didn’t stay long, giving him so personal space.
Jiang Ning placed his backpack on a chair, barely rested when suddenly, a commotion ca from the doorway.
Before the person even entered, a voice ca through, "Brother Ning, Brother Ning, I heard your family made a lot of money!"
Jiang Ning walked out of the house and saw a boy in a dirty cotton-padded jacket, about thirteen or fourteen years old, long-faced, with an untaable ferocity in his eyes.
This person was Jiang He, their relationship sowhat complicated. He was the younger son of the eldest son of the Third Old Master but was not recognized as the youngest son on the surface.
Due to birth control policies at the ti, the Third Old Master’s son had two daughters. If another son was born, they would be fined, so they resorted to a tricky solution: pretending he wasn’t their biological son, sending him to be raised by relatives, and then a few years later ’adopting’ him back.
Everything seed perfect in their plans, but unfortunately, the son turned out badly raised, and Jiang He, unaware of his true heritage, beca increasingly unruly.
Of course, free-range parenting is never the sole excuse for waywardness. Troubled seeds remain troubled; in later years, Jiang He, in league with others, ruined a girl’s life, and until before Jiang Ning’s rebirth, he was still in prison.
This kind of untad child was very troubleso, as half-grown kids were typically not easy to handle.
Jiang Ning said calmly, "Yeah, got wealthy, so?"
Jiang He, upon seeing Jiang Ning’s current appearance, was clearly taken aback, but he couldn’t be bothered with that now. He scanned the house, saw Jiang Ning’s backpack, and without saying a word, walked over directly, wanting to see what was inside the bag.
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