Chen Mo had no idea what Chen Erhu was thinking. Even if he did, he would not have taken it seriously. He had been able to straighten Chen Erhu out before; now it would be even less of a problem. As long as that fellow showed any signs of being a troublemaker, Chen Mo would definitely let him relive the old days.
There were no buses in the village, so people either walked or rode motorcycles when they went out. Electric carts had become widespread over the past few years, and nearly every household had bought one. Riding around the village or taking one into town to handle errands was no issue at all. But Chen Mo's family had carried a heavy burden, so they had never bought an electric cart. They still used an old Light Motorcycle from years ago. It ran well enough, but it was terribly worn-out.
Chen Mo did not mind riding the little motorcycle. There were no driver's license checks or motorcycle inspections anyway. On country roads, you could ride however you wanted and no one would care.
He first went to the bank in town. Since he was a major client, he got the bank manager's number without much trouble. If he was going to contract land, he would definitely need to pay the contract fee. If he needed cash, the bank would have to prepare it in advance, so having the number would make things easier.
He had also spoken to his parents last night and told them that he would take care of his younger brother Chen Hui's tuition. Mobile Payment was very convenient now, so he had directly transferred Chen Hui some living expenses that evening. The two brothers had talked for a long time about many things. Other than being touched, his parents had nothing else to say. They could let Er Wa handle things now; their child had grown up.
After riding back to the village, he went straight to Chen Ming's place.
"Uncle Ming! Is Uncle Ming home?" Chen Mo stopped his motorcycle and looked at the Two-story Courtyard before him. With its red bricks and green tiles, it looked rather grand.
"Who is it?" Chen Ming's wife came out. Chen Mo had to call her Aunt Ming.
"Aunt Ming! It's Er Wa." Chen Mo stepped forward twice and spoke to Aunt Ming from the entrance.
"Oh! Er Wa! When did you get back? Didn't you say you still had another year before graduation? Why are you back already?" When Chen Mo had been admitted to university, everyone in the village had been delighted and had gone to his home to congratulate him. That was why many people knew the details of his schooling.
"I'm about to graduate, so I came home to take a look. I was thinking of developing my career back in my hometown!" Chen Mo replied with a smile. As for what Aunt Ming thought, he would not pay attention to it.
"Hey, Er Wa, why are you being so foolish? The city is so much better! So many people from the village are rushing to the city, so why do you want to come back?" Aunt Ming reacted exactly as Chen Mo had expected.
"Haha! I'm just looking around for now. We'll talk after I get my Graduation Certificate. Is Uncle Ming home? I need to speak to him about something!" Chen Mo did not want to keep talking about himself, so he changed the subject and asked about Chen Ming.
"Your Uncle Ming went to the construction site. Da Mao's Family is building a house, right near the spot by the village entrance that you passed. Your Uncle Ming is there!" Aunt Ming knew Chen Mo had not been back for several years, so she stood in the doorway and pointed out the location.
After thanking her, Chen Mo started his motorcycle and headed straight there.
Aunt Ming watched his retreating figure and shook her head. What was going on with Er Wa? He could be a city man, yet he insisted on coming back! What a waste of a university education. She had no idea what Chen Jianguo was thinking.
After riding just a few hundred meters, Chen Mo arrived at Da Mao's Family's house. They were still building it, and the entire frame had not yet been completed, but it looked like they were planning to build a second floor. It seemed that more villagers had gone out to work as a migrant worker in recent years and earned more money. Nearly every family had built a Second Layer or third layer small building. Looking down the road, only a few households still had single-story homes, and his own family was among them.
In the countryside, people cared a great deal about saving face, especially with the Culture of Comparison being so prevalent. Every household in the village was building houses and striving for a better life. If your family did not do the same, people would look down on you, gossip would spread, and plenty of people would openly mock you, making sure you felt inferior. If a family became wealthy, all manner of distant relatives would come calling. During holidays and festivals, visitors would stream through their doors. They would have great face in the village, and everyone would respect them. That was simply how reality worked.
"Uncle Ming! Uncle Ming!" Chen Mo stopped in front of the construction site and shouted at the top of his lungs. Phones were convenient now, but he did not have Chen Ming's number. Just finding someone could be frustrating enough to drive a person crazy.
"Who is it? Huh? Er Wa, you're back? Why did you come home?" A man in his forties emerged from the construction site with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He was somewhat short and stocky, though not fat-faced or potbellied—just slightly plump. He stood barely over 1.6 meters tall.
"I'm about to graduate, and I wanted to find something to do back home!" Chen Mo gave the same answer. He knew that if he did not clearly explain why he had returned, the village would surely turn it into all sorts of rumors.
"You really want to come back and develop here? You're a university student with knowledge and education, yet you're coming back to be a farmer? Are you stupid?" Chen Ming said.
Chen Mo knew Chen Ming meant well, so he merely smiled and did not respond. If they kept talking, it would never end.
"Uncle Ming, I came to ask you to fix up my house and add a bathroom. Do you think you can do it?" Chen Mo asked.
With business on the table, everything else became secondary. Chen Mo had changed the subject, and he had come to the right person for the job. Chen Ming was not like his wife; he had merely asked out of curiosity and did not have such nosy thoughts. Hearing Chen Mo's request, he stopped asking about Chen Mo's affairs and began considering how to take on the job.
"Er Wa, how do you want to renovate your home?" Uncle Ming asked.
"I want to lay tiles throughout the main house, including my parents' room, the living room, and the kitchen. I want the stove counter tiled as well, and I want the house repainted. Then I want to build a bathroom and install a water tank and an electric water heater on the rooftop so it will be easier to take a bath," Chen Mo said.
He had originally wanted to rebuild the house outright, but he knew his parents would definitely disagree. That was why he had spoken to Father Chen Jianguo that way this morning. He would first renovate the house, then rebuild it once he had visible income. By then, his parents would have nothing to say.
As parents, they always thought about their children. Although Chen Mo had several million in savings, Chen's parents still worried about what would happen if he had no income later on. That was why Chen Jianguo had thought for so long this morning before agreeing to let Chen Mo renovate the house. He also wanted to save wherever they could.
"Sure! They're all small jobs. We can finish the work in two or three days. How about this? I'll go to your house with you and take a look. If everything is about right, we can start work tomorrow or the day after. We're putting up the ridge beam here right now, and it'll take two or three days of pouring. A few master workers have no work and are resting." Chen Ming was the sort of person who acted as soon as he decided. He immediately got on the electric scooter beside him and went with Chen Mo to inspect the house.
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