Old Home

"Ah~ hubby~~"

At dawn, the great sun rose, its powerful rays filling the morning with radiance. The raindrops hanging from the tips of the grass fell with a whoosh into the mud.

A high-pitched cry rang out from the room, followed by the rustling sound of water rushing through the bathroom.

A healthy breakfast had already been prepared in the dining room. There were light, nutritious dishes, chive flatbreads made to Li Yang's taste, and freshly ground soy milk kept warm. After cooking, the aunt hung out the clothes dried in the automatic washing machine, tidied up last night's dishes, and mopped the floor. Then, with admirable self-awareness, she turned and left. She would not return to continue working until lunchtime.

After the aunt left, the languid Li Yang came out with Chen Qian clinging to his arm. He sat down at the dining table and began eating with relish.

"Hey, Mom, I'm going back today. Mm-hmm, I'm bringing my girlfriend with me..."

"I'll send you the photos and videos later. Her name is Chen Qian..."

"What do you mean, she's really his younger brother's girlfriend? She's my girlfriend now..."

During the meal, Li Yang called his mother. He frowned at what he heard from the other end of the phone, but when he learned that his father had already hurried home yesterday, he smiled. After confirming the details of their trip home, he hung up.

"Liu Lili and Liu Wu really have started spreading nasty rumors."

After hanging up, Li Yang glanced at his phone and gave a derisive laugh before turning to Chen Qian beside him.

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

Chen Qian's brows furrowed deeply as she listened. She pressed her lips together and could not help asking Li Yang.

"Don't worry. Justice lives in the hearts of the people."

Li Yang rubbed her leg to comfort her, then urged her twice in quick succession. "Hurry up and eat. Once we get home, you'll know."

"Mm-hmm."

Clean concrete roads stretched in every direction, shaded by trees on both sides. Two- and three-story homes were scattered everywhere, and small cars could be seen parked along the roadside from time to time.

As the times had developed, the countryside in many places had long since lost its old appearance. It was even common to see branded cars like BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 parked by the road. Many people lived in three-story houses with large courtyards, with flat paved ground built in front of their gates—exactly like the homes Li Yang had bought in the outskirts of Heyang City.

The only thing that had not changed was that every household still liked gathering together before and after meals for a chat.

"Beep beep~"

At the sound of a car horn, the dozen or so villagers gathered at the entrance of Wang Family Village hurriedly made way. When they noticed that it was an Audi, they could not help taking a second look. Who would have thought that the car window would open on its own? Peering inside, they saw a familiar face.

"How come you're not off playing cards?"

Li Yang lowered the window, pulled out a box of Soft China cigarettes, took out half the cigarettes, and handed them to several people who had come over to the window. Wearing a smile, he greeted them.

"I was wondering who it was. Jianshu's boy is back! Nobody told me he was coming."

A dark-skinned man grinned, showing two rows of front teeth. His gaze shifted toward the passenger seat, and he raised his brows. "You brought your wife home?"

"Hello, Uncle."

Noticing the man's gaze, Chen Qian turned her head and gave him a sweet, polite smile.

"Ah, hello, hello!"

Hearing the girl greet him first, the middle-aged man took an embarrassed step back, his smile growing even wider.

As the three chatted, the eyes of the dozen or so people nearby kept drifting over. Those standing in the back were especially intent on peeking inside.

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

Li Yang smiled, and the two men standing nearby chimed in as well. "You're something else. You go out once and come back with a wife."

"Jianshu's son has really made something of himself."

"Not bad-looking either."

"It's all because fate came knocking. I'll head back first—I'm a little tired."

Li Yang replied with a couple of smiles. Everyone present was a friend of his father's generation. He knew them all, but there was not much he could chat about with them. After tossing out a few words, he drove away amid the group's laughter.

"Everyone said Jianshu's boy had gotten rich, but he really is rich. This car's obviously new, and it doesn't look cheap."

"That's an Audi A6. It costs several hundred thousand."

"Who's the girl beside him? She's quite a looker too."

"I heard the girl introduced to him and the girl who was his younger brother's girlfriend both fell through. Did the two of them really get together?"

As soon as Li Yang drove away, the middle-aged women and men who had been standing behind the car when he parked immediately opened their mouths and began discussing him with exaggerated expressions. The men in front turned around and added a few remarks too. In an instant, the topic shifted to Li Yang's recent blind dates, and their animated expressions were more brilliant than an acting performance.

Li Yang did not care what they were talking about. After reaching Wang Family Village and driving on a little farther, he arrived at Li Village.

"Brother Yang, the village still has an elementary school?"

Chen Qian looked curiously from side to side. She soon noticed a fairly sizable elementary school in the village and could not help exclaiming in surprise.

"It's been here for a long time. Back when I was around school age, it was doing all right. But now there aren't enough students, and many village schools have closed. This one only has four students and two teachers left. There's hardly anyone here."

Li Yang glanced at the school she had mentioned and smiled. Then he drove onto the paved area in front of a three-story building opposite the school and stopped. "We're here."

"Brother Yang, our home is here?"

Chen Qian stared blankly as the car stopped, then turned to look at the three-story building ahead and could not help asking.

"This house was built more than ten years ago. Our old home is right here. Get out."

Li Yang smiled and unfastened his seat belt. Before he could even get out, the dog from the auntie's house next door—which had been built right alongside his family's—came running over, wagging its tail and whining.

Chen Qian unfastened her seat belt and got out from the passenger seat as well. She went to the trunk to retrieve the gifts they had prepared, then hurried over to stand beside Li Yang.

"Oh my, Doggie."

Seeing Doggie excitedly circling her, Chen Qian smiled. At a loss, she hugged Li Yang's arm, and he patted the back of her hand to reassure her.

Li Yang had raised the auntie's Doggie after begging to bring it home when he was younger, so the dog naturally remembered him deeply. It was thrilled to see him. And Li Yang's scent had long since seeped into Chen Qian's clothes, so after coming over to sniff her, Doggie stuck out its tongue and excitedly ran circles around the two of them.

"I was wondering who it was. Li Yang, you're back! Come, come, I'm making food for you here. Hurry inside."

Just then, Li Yang's aunt came out through his family's gate. She noticed the girl beside him first, and only after her gaze settled on Li Yang did a smile spread across her face. She laughed a few times, then hurriedly called them into the house.

Li Yang and Chen Qian exchanged smiles. Chen Qian hugged his arm tightly, bit her lip, and followed him into the house in small, quick steps.

The noise of the car arriving quickly drew the attention of the neighbors on both sides. They came out of their homes one after another and gathered to ask questions, their eyes repeatedly turning toward the car Li Yang had driven back.

"That car—is it an Audi?"

"An Audi A6 costs several hundred thousand."

"I knew it looked like four rings."

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