Old Home

"Ah~ Hubby~~"

Early morning, the sun rose, its strong rays filling the morning with brilliance. The dew hanging on the tips of the grass also dripped down into the soil with a whoosh.

From the room came a high-pitched cry, followed by the rustling sound of water flowing in the bathroom.

A healthy breakfast was already prepared on the dining table – light and nutritious dishes, chive flatbread made to Li Yang's taste, and freshly ground soy milk, still warm. The auntie who had finished cooking hung out the clothes that had been dried in the automatic washing machine, then tidied up last night's dishes and wiped the floor. With a clear sense of propriety, she turned and left. She wouldn't return to work until lunchtime.

After the auntie left, a completely relaxed Li Yang was led out by Chen Qian, who was holding his arm. He sat down at the dining table and began eating with relish.

"Hello, Mom, I'm coming back today, okay? Yeah, I'm bringing my girlfriend with me..."

"Later I'll send you pictures and videos. Her name is Chen Qian..."

"What do you mean she's just her brother's girlfriend? She's my girlfriend now..."

During the meal, Li Yang called his mom. He frowned at the words coming from the other end of the phone, but when he heard that his dad had rushed home yesterday, he smiled. After confirming the return trip, he hung up the phone.

"Liu Lili and Liu Wu, as expected, they've started spreading rumors."

After hanging up the phone, Li Yang looked at his phone and scoffed, then turned to Chen Qian beside him and said.

"What should we do? Will they talk about me too?"

Chen Qian's brows furrowed deeply upon hearing this. She pursed her lips and couldn't help but ask Li Yang.

"Don't worry, justice is in people's hearts."

Li Yang rubbed her leg as a gesture of comfort, then urged her twice, "Hurry up and eat. You'll know when we get home after eating."

"Okay, okay."

Clean concrete roads spread out in all directions, shaded by trees on both sides. Two- and three-story houses were everywhere, and parked cars could be seen by the roadside from time to time.

With the development of the times, the rural areas in many places no longer looked like they did in the past. Even brand name cars like BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 could be seen by the roadside occasionally. Many people lived in three-story houses with large courtyards, and flat, paved areas were built at the entrance, exactly like the house Li Yang bought in the suburbs of Heyang City.

The only thing that hadn't changed was that families still liked to gather together to chat before or after meals.

"Beep beep~"

A car horn sounded, and the dozen or so villagers gathered at the intersection of Wang Family Village, who were chatting idly, quickly dispersed. When they noticed it was an Audi, they couldn't help but take a closer look. Who knew, the car window actually opened on its own, and when they looked inside, it was a familiar face.

"Why aren't you playing cards?"

Li Yang rolled down the window, took out a box of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes from the car, directly pulled out half and extended them out to distribute to the few people who had walked to the car window, greeting them with a smile.

"Who is it, I wonder? Jian Shu's son is back. Where are the people?"

A dark-skinned man smiled, showing two rows of his front teeth. His gaze glanced towards the passenger seat, and he raised his eyebrows: "Did you bring your wife home?"

"Hello, Uncle."

Chen Qian noticed the man's gaze and politely turned her head to give a sweet smile.

"Ah, good, good, good."

Hearing the girl greet him on her own initiative, the middle-aged man took a step back, a little embarrassed, and his smile became even wider.

While the three of them were chatting, the eyes of the dozen or so people around were all looking over here. Several people standing in the back were constantly glancing inside.

"I brought Chen Qian back to take a look today. I've been driving all morning."

Li Yang smiled, and the two men standing beside him also responded, "You're doing well. You went out and came back with a wife."

"Jian Shu's son is successful."

"She's good-looking too."

"It's all fate. Then I'll head back first. I'm a little tired."

Li Yang smiled and responded to a couple of sentences. Everyone present was a friend of his father's generation, he was familiar with them, but there wasn't much to talk about. After saying a few words, he drove away under the smiling gazes of the group of people.

"Everyone said Jian Shu's son got rich, got rich. He really did get rich. This car looks new at first glance, and it doesn't look cheap."

"That's an Audi A6, worth hundreds of thousands."

"Who's that girl next to him? She's not bad-looking."

"They said the girl he was supposed to marry and that girl's brother's girlfriend both broke up. Did they really get together?"

As soon as Li Yang drove away, the middle-aged women and men who had been standing in the back while he was parked immediately opened their mouths and started discussing animatedly, their expressions exaggerated. The few men in the front also turned around and chimed in, and the topic of conversation instantly shifted to Li Yang's recent blind dates, which was currently a hot topic. Their descriptions were vivid and more exciting than acting.

Li Yang wasn't concerned about what they were talking about here. After reaching Wang Family Village, he drove a little further and arrived at Li Village.

"Brother Yang, does the village still have an elementary school?"

Chen Qian looked around curiously and quickly noticed a relatively large elementary school in the village. She couldn't help but open her mouth in surprise.

"It's been here for a long time. It was okay in the years before and after I went to school, but now there's a shortage of students. Many village schools have closed down. This one only has four students and two teachers now. There's no one left."

Li Yang glanced at the elementary school she mentioned, a smile on his lips. Then he pulled the car onto the flat area in front of the entrance of a three-story building opposite the school and stopped: "We're here."

"Brother Yang, our house is here?"

Chen Qian was startled when the car stopped so abruptly. She turned her head to look at the three-story building in front of them and couldn't help but ask.

"This house was built over a decade ago. My hometown is here. Let's get out."

Li Yang smiled and unbuckled his seatbelt. Before he even got out, the dog from the auntie's house next door, which was built right alongside his, came running over, wagging its tail and whining softly.

Chen Qian, in the passenger seat, also unbuckled her seatbelt and got out. After getting the gifts from the trunk, she quickly walked to stand beside Li Yang.

"Oh, puppy."

Seeing the dog excitedly circling her, Chen Qian couldn't help but smile. She awkwardly hugged Li Yang's arm, and Li Yang patted the back of her hand, signaling her to relax.

Li Yang had gotten and raised the auntie's dog when he used to live at home, so the dog naturally had a deep impression of him and was very excited to see him. Li Yang's scent had long since permeated Chen Qian, and the dog sniffed her before excitedly circling both of them with its tongue hanging out.

"Who is it? Li Yang is back! Come, come, I'm making food for you right here! Hurry and come in."

Just then, Li Yang's auntie came out from inside his house. She first saw the girl beside Li Yang, and then her gaze settled on Li Yang before she smiled. After a few laughs, she quickly called them inside.

Li Yang and Chen Qian exchanged smiles. Chen Qian tightly hugged Li Yang's arm, bit her lip, and followed him into the house with small steps.

The sound of the car arriving quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors living nearby. They all came out of their houses, gathering and asking questions, their eyes frequently looking at the car Li Yang had driven.

"That car, it's an Audi, right?"

"An Audi A6, hundreds of thousands."

"I said I saw the four rings."

"Hey, that girl Li Yang brought back..."