Chapter 23: A Family

The next morning.

Waking up naturally, Chen Jiang sat on his bed, still feeling a bit groggy. Checking the time, he saw it was already ten o'clock in the morning. He reached for his phone and noticed a message from Yi Yunxue.

[Yi Yunxue]: Are you home yet?

The message had been sent at two in the morning.

[Chen Jiang]: Good morning. I got home at eleven last night. Why were you still up so late?

[Yi Yunxue]: Good morning. I had a bit of insomnia last night and didn't fall asleep until the early hours.

After chatting with Yi Yunxue for a while, Chen Jiang got up to wash up in the bathroom. As soon as he stepped out of his bedroom after washing his face, he saw a house full of people in the living room.

"Uncle, Auntie," Chen Jiang greeted his elders.

"Little Uncle," a little girl sitting nearby chirped at him.

"Hey, Xiao Yuan, you still remember me?" Chen Jiang walked over and gently patted the girl's head. He was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected his niece to recognize him. She was his cousin's daughter and only three years old. Last year, when he had last seen her, she could barely speak. He had only met her twice in total, both times during the Lunar New Year.

"She’s only seen you a few times, so she surely wouldn't remember. I’m the one who told her to greet you," his aunt explained with a smile.

"Ah Jiang, back so early this year?" his uncle asked cheerfully.

"Yes, I was afraid of getting stuck on the highway all night like last year, so I came back a bit early," Chen Jiang nodded. "You all go ahead with your tea; I’m going to see my grandparents. It’s been a while."

With a wave of his hand, he headed out. His grandparents were both in their eighties and lived in their old house. They were still able to take care of themselves. Chen Jiang’s parents had wanted to take them in, but the elderly couple refused, insisting they were healthy and didn't need looking after. So, after Chen Jiang’s family and his uncle’s family divided the household assets, the two elders continued to live in the old house. It wasn't far from Chen Jiang’s home—just a few hundred meters away, as they were all in the same village.

Since he had woken up late and there was no breakfast prepared for him, Chen Jiang bought some steamed buns and soy milk on the side of the road. Their village was a massive one in every sense of the word. Officially recognized as the largest village in the country by population, it had tens of thousands of permanent residents—comparable to the population of some county-level towns.

The village was affluent, and its infrastructure was excellent. Like many villages in this region, it was a "village" in name only; there was little farmland left, and it functioned just like a town, with most residents living in modern multi-story houses.

As he walked and ate, he suddenly spotted a familiar face.

"Chen Ming?" he called out tentatively.

"Old Jiang, you're back?" The young man, who had been chatting with the owner of a tobacco and liquor shop, turned around and recognized him immediately.

"Long time no see. I heard you're selling fruit in the village now?" Chen Jiang walked over and draped an arm over his shoulder. This guy had been his high school deskmate. He had only managed to get into a junior college, and rumor had it that after graduating, he returned to the village to set up a fruit stall, which had since grown into a full-fledged fruit shop.

"That's right, opened a fruit shop not far from here," Chen Ming said with a grin.

"You must be Uncle Zhengyong's son, right? I heard you're a student at Shenzhen University?" the shop owner suddenly interjected.

"That's me. You know my dad?" Chen Jiang looked at him. The man appeared to be in his thirties. Chen Jiang hadn't seen this shop during last year's New Year, so it must have opened recently.

"Your dad and my dad were old classmates. When I came to open this shop in your village, your dad helped me pull some strings to get the paperwork done," the man said with a smile.

"What should I call you, brother?" Chen Jiang asked.

"I’m Zhang Sheng. Just call me Brother Sheng. Wait a second, let me grab you two bottles of red wine to take home," Zhang Sheng said, heading into the store.

Chen Jiang followed him in, insisting, "Brother Sheng, I’ll pay for the wine. I can’t just take it for free."

"Don't worry about it, it's not worth much," Zhang Sheng insisted, thrusting the wine into his hands. In the end, unable to refuse, Chen Jiang bought several bags of tea to support his business. Before leaving, he was also handed a bag of oranges by his old classmate, Chen Ming, who claimed they were home-grown by his family and very sweet.

When he arrived at his grandparents' house, he found them sitting in their chairs, listening to traditional opera.

"Grandpa, Grandma."

"Ah Jiang is here?" Seeing their grandson, the two elders seemed to brighten up instantly.

"Why bring so many things?" his grandfather asked, looking at what he was carrying.

"Ran into two acquaintances on the way, they insisted on giving them to me," Chen Jiang said with a wry smile.

"You've always looked so thin when you came back in previous years, but you look quite energetic this year," Grandma said with a satisfied nod. "Looks like you listened to me last year—you really need to take care of yourself when you're out there, eat well, and keep your health up."

"Grandma made you chicken soup." She went into the kitchen and ladled out a large bowl for him, complete with big chunks of meat.

Chen Jiang felt like he wouldn't need to eat lunch after finishing that bowl. As he sipped the soup, he chatted with the elders. When he mentioned that he had started his own company, his grandfather’s face glowed with pride, and he repeated the word "good" several times.

"When your father got a government job, I felt our family had gained honor, but I didn't expect you to surpass him! You're an even better son than your father! You truly have the blood of the Chen family. With your uncles doing business abroad in Hong Kong, and now you opening your own company, it’s a true legacy!"

After spending a while longer with them, Chen Jiang headed home. With nothing planned for the afternoon, he spent some time writing. By dusk, his second cousin came over to call him to his grandparents' house for dinner, and he stopped his work.

"Jiang, you changed cars again? Is this an electric one?" his second cousin, Chen Xiaotao, asked, looking curiously at the car parked by the door.

Chen Jiang nodded. He didn't just own one car; over the past two years, he had bought three or four. This one was a Yangwang U8 he had bought last year for over a million yuan. He had bought it purely on a whim, and it was his only off-road vehicle.

"This car is handsome! Must have cost hundreds of thousands, right?" Chen Xiaotao sighed. "You’re the smart one, a top student who knows how to make big money. I’ll be sure to tell my kids to take you as their role model."

When they arrived at the old house, Chen Jiang saw several children playing with firecrackers at the door.

"Still playing? Go wash your hands and eat!" Chen Xiaotao shouted. Hearing him, the children giggled and ran inside.

Two of the boys were his eldest cousin Chen Xiaojun's sons. The younger boy was Chen Xiaotao’s child, and the little girl watching them was the niece he had met earlier that morning—also Chen Xiaotao’s daughter. Chen Jiang also had a cousin who had already married and would be returning to visit in a few days.

As they entered the house, the three little boys shouted in unison, "Hello, Little Uncle!"

Chen Jiang patted their heads and asked with a smile, "Are you all in school now?"

"I'm in second grade!"

"I'm in first grade!"

"I... I'm in kindergarten."

"It's not New Year's yet, but when it arrives, Little Uncle will give you each a big red envelope. You must study hard!" Chen Jiang said cheerfully.