Rebirth: My 80s

Chapter 1144 Hometown
The train arrived in the city at noon. Li Jiankun and his party had just come out of the gate carrying large and small bags. Among the crowd of people waiting to welcome the train, a little kid jumped up high in the hope of attracting attention.

It really felt like an invisible big hand was pulling the radishes.

"Milk!"

"Second uncle!"

"Sister-in-law!"

Guifei, the lazy man, who was anxiously taking out a toy gun from the package, waited for a long time but didn't hear the voice calling him, and his eyes were dim.

This heartless little bastard thinks he is the best grandfather ever.

Give you what you want, don't force it.

Therefore, the lazy Guifei always thinks that the world is unfair to him. No matter how he does the same thing, he will never get any benefit.

Next to Li Ping'an were Li Jianxun and Fu Qiao'e, as well as a man wearing an oversized suit and a big gold chain.

I met him twice. If Li Jiankun remembers correctly, he seemed to be my eldest sister-in-law's cousin, but I can't remember which cousin he was.

When Fu Hua saw Li Jiankun wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, her eyes brightened. Although she had been waiting for more than an hour, she did not feel impatient at all, only excited.

He thought that if this was not a "secret visit", how could it be his turn to pick up the car?

All the leaders in the city must come over and line up in two rows.

"Brother, you've worked hard all the way. Come on, give me the things."

"Uncle, aunt, brother and sister-in-law, little sister, come on, come on, there's no treat, just a home-cooked meal, I've arranged everything."

Fu Hua grabbed the two largest suitcases and greeted them warmly.

Li Jiankun gave his elder brother a questioning look, but he didn't say there was such a process.

Fu Qiao'e smiled and explained, "Brother Hua has settled down in the city. When I heard that you were going to pass through the city, I had to do my best to be a good host."

Fu Hua glanced at her and complained, "You too, didn't tell me earlier? You are in such a hurry and have no preparation at all."

Li Jiankun suddenly realized that this Brother Hua was dressed quite simply when he last saw him, and it was obvious that he had made a fortune.

This makes sense, and since I have the relationship with my eldest sister-in-law, it's hard to turn down such a kind invitation.

In fact, what Li Jiankun wanted to do most now was not to eat, but to find a place to wash up. He hadn't brushed his teeth for two days, so how could he enjoy the meal?

Walking out of the square outside the station, there were two cars parked in front and behind the curb.

A yellow Tianjin Daihatsu with the words "Wanghai County Passenger Transport Company" printed on the door was obviously acquired by Li Jianxun. He is now the deputy director of Wanghai Electric Factory No. 1. As the largest state-owned unit in the county, the position of deputy director is of great importance.

After he took office, the former deputy factory director was promoted to factory director, and the factory director was directly promoted to deputy county magistrate.

A white Xiali sedan.

Fu Hua took the key from her belt and opened the car door.

"Huazi is doing well. He even owns a private car." Gui Fei, a lazy man, sighed. He was more familiar with Fu Hua because Fu Qiao'e's father didn't drink. Whenever there was a happy event in the family, these grown-up younger generations would help with the entertainment.

"Hey, I can't compare with you, uncle. When you were doing big business, I, Huazi, was still wearing open-crotch pants. Everyone knows that the brick and tile factory in Qingxidian was built by you. Later, you also became the sock king. That is a serious role model for predecessors. I have many things I want to ask you."

"Okay, okay." Gui Fei the lazy man put his arm around his shoulders, closer to him than his own son.

The two cars drove out one after the other and arrived at a restaurant with the most imposing facade in the city center.

After putting the luggage in the car, everyone got off the car and walked into the restaurant. Fu Hua looked at Shen Hongyi and said in broken Mandarin:
"Sister-in-law, we don't have anything delicious here except seafood. I told them that it must be the freshest seafood caught in small nets. You can try it and see how it tastes."

Shen Hongyi looked expectant and said yes.

She actually brought toiletries, but it was inconvenient on the train and she could barely brush her teeth. When she took out her things and asked to go to the bathroom, Li Xiaomei followed her.

So forget about Li Jiankun.

When the two girls came back, the food was already on the table, mainly seafood.

The food was so delicious that Shen Hongyi was amazed. She even dared not eat one dish.

She didn't know what the dish was called. It was a small milky white octopus that had not been processed in any way. The tentacles of the small octopus were still crawling in the plate, and there was a dish of dark brown dipping sauce next to it.

Fu Hua asked everyone to eat quickly, saying that she would crawl out soon.

Gui Fei, the lazy guy, was the first to make a move. After picking up one with his chopsticks, he switched to his hands and grabbed the tentacles of the small octopus, preventing it from wrapping around his hands. Then he opened his mouth and bit its head, squinting his eyes in comfort:
"It's really delicious, and it's only at home. You can't eat it in the capital."

Vigorous!

Seeing this, Shen Hongyi swallowed hard.

Although she wanted to know everything about her husband's parents and had thought it through before coming here, and was willing to try all the delicious food here, she just couldn't eat this dish.

I'm afraid I'm afraid.

But she was also very curious. Seeing her husband also pick up one to taste, but eat it more elegantly, she turned sideways and asked curiously, "What does it taste like?"

“Almost tasteless.”

Really nothing was put in it. It was just fished out of the sea and rinsed with clean water at most.

People who know how to eat it don't even dip it in sauce.

Shen Hongyi opened her eyes wide: "What's the point of eating that?"

"Just eat the word 'fresh'."

Li Jiankun smiled and said, "Don't force it. Every place has a different stomach."

Shen Hongyi really didn't force it. She noticed that her mother-in-law didn't eat either, so it shouldn't be considered as being disrespectful.

"The main dish is coming!"

I heard the waiter's shout.

Everyone turned around and saw him bringing a large soup bowl, which he gently placed on the mahogany dining table. He introduced it with a gentle smile, "Good luck, everyone. Please enjoy your meal."

It is a seafood soup with plenty of ingredients including sea cucumber, nine-segment shrimp, cuttlefish etc.

But what made the old Li family, who had just returned from the capital, stare was not these, but several small boats worth real gold and silver floating on the Tang Sea.

Shen Hongyi was astonished. She wondered if the cooking skills of Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine had reached such a superb level?

She had only seen some old Beijing restaurants carving radishes and fruits into auspicious objects such as dragons and phoenixes for use in plating.

The boats in front of her looked like they were made of brand new hundred-dollar bills. Rice paper? Printing? Edible pigments? The girl was puzzled and asked her husband secretly.

Li Jiankun told her that she could remove the word "like".

Shen Hongyi was shocked and asked in a low voice: "Why put money in the soup?"

Show off your wealth and riches.

It must be admitted that this bad habit has always existed here, and it also exists in later generations. Cash for weddings is carried in baskets, and if the bride cannot be overwhelmed by gold jewelry, it is considered not dignified enough.

Before Li Jiankun could explain, he heard the waiter's voice ordering dishes again.

It was still a soup dish, but this time floating on it was a small wooden basin with ten imported watches arranged like flowers.

"It's a token of my appreciation. Please enjoy your meal."

Shen Hongyi: "..."

Seeing that no one moved, Fu Hua scratched her head and smiled awkwardly, "Nowadays, this is the custom for family dinners. It's mainly to wish for good luck. Excuse me."

Shen Hongyi thought, how flashy.

This table will cost at least three years' salary for the capital's working class.

This made the girl realize that the rich people in her husband's hometown are really rich.

After lunch, Fu Hua politely tried to persuade them to stay, but she knew they would not stay here. Seeing that they were crowded in a van, she threw the keys of the Xiali to Li Jiankun.

Because it was really crowded, Li Jiankun didn't be polite to him.

The vehicle started again and headed straight for Qingxidian without staying in the county town. Firstly, everyone was eager to go home; secondly, although Fu Qiao'e had gone to tidy up the house in advance, Yuying was still worried and wanted to hurry back to make sure she could cook and sleep in a warm bed at night.

"Do you want me to drive?"

"You don't know the way. It's okay. It's just a glass of wine."

Regardless of whether Fu Hua is flashy or not, his enthusiasm is genuine. Li Jiankun even clinked glasses with him during lunch.

Less than two taels. Li Jiankun can now drink seven or eight taels without any impact.

It was very lively inside the Xiali car. The couple sat in the front seat, while Xiao Ping'an and his sister-in-law were playing together in the back seat. Li Yunmeng had known him for his tickling skills since he was a child, and he still never failed to use them. However, Xiao Ping'an was now able to fight back, and he was quick-witted and swift-handed. Unfortunately, Li Xiaomei herself was particularly afraid of tickling.

The fight is intense and it is hard to tell who is the winner.

"Eh? What is that?" Shen Hongyi suddenly pointed outside the window.

Li Jiankun held the steering wheel with one hand and covered his face with his hand. As he was driving, he had noticed it early.

“Sister-in-law, it’s a grave. Oh, oh, no sneak attacks. Ah…hahahaha…spare me, young man, spare me…” “Grave?”

Shen Hongyi looked out the window again and asked in confusion: "No tombstone?"

"Every place has its own customs. Here we have it like this, it's called 'chair tomb'," Li Jiankun replied.

"The tombs you have here are built... too domineering."

Shen Hongyi simply couldn't find any good words to describe it.

On both sides of the county road, this type of chair tomb can be seen everywhere, and most of them are located in a good layout close to mountains and rivers. It can be seen that in order to build these chair tombs, a lot of fertile fields were "killed".

Li Jiankun sighed and said, "Here, we have seven mountains, two rivers and one field. Don't be surprised. I know what you are thinking, 'Wouldn't the fields be more valuable?' In theory, this is true, but many theories will change in reality, because they can't support people anyway, so many people simply don't care. Of course, this is also related to the improvement of the economy after the reform and opening up."

Shen Hongyi nodded subconsciously and asked, "Do you believe in the protection of your ancestors?"

"Well, there's a pattern. Have you noticed it? It's not just here, it's the same all over the country. The richer the people, the more they believe in it. The richer the place, the more they believe in it. Feng Shui masters are quite popular in Hong Kong."

"How far is it to your house?"

"almost."

"Is your hometown rich?"

"Okay."

Huh?
Shen Hongyi turned her head to glance at the back row. Why was it different from what her younger sister said?
The further the Xiali car drove, the more chair graves there were on the good terrain beside the road, surrounded by mountains and water.

When Li Jiankun said that it was another two miles to our town, Shen Hongyi suddenly felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.

Outside her car window on the right, there was a small river, and on the other side of the river was a small hill that was concave in an arc. The hill was covered with chair graves, but there were not many of them, and each chair grave was extremely large.

The tombs are all made of cement, surrounded by cement barriers and drainage ditches, and there is an open area in front of the tombs, which is also paved with cement.

Remember, cement is still an expensive building material.

Many wealthy families, even when building red brick buildings, only dare to add a little cement to the material used to bond the red bricks together, or add nothing at all and only use lime.

Otherwise, the overall cost of building a house may more than double.

In the place where Shen Hongyi's eyes were fixed, in the central area of ​​the concave hill, close to the top of the hill, there was a chair tomb made entirely of cement, covering an area of ​​perhaps two acres!
The chair tombs nearby are about the same size.

"Little sister, are you sure your hometown is very poor?"

"Ah? Not poor?"

When it comes to judging whether a family is poor or not, Li Xiaomei can't help but use their family as a reference.

Subconsciously, don’t you think that we are all from the same place?

I don't trust you at all! Shen Hongyi thought.

Shitouji Town has changed a lot. A three-story building is particularly eye-catching. A red flag is fluttering in the wind on the roof. It is obviously the newly built town government.

The people from Lao Wang's family didn't come back, and Li Jiankun was worried that they wouldn't be able to get back after getting off the bus, so he didn't stay.

I will stay in my hometown for a while this time, so I have plenty of time to come here and visit. It’s time to fulfill the promise I made.

There is one thing Li Jiankun believes: the people in his hometown will not fight him.

"Wow! Is this our Qingxidian?"

The road from Shitouji to Qingxidian has become a cement road that can accommodate two Jiefang trucks traveling side by side.

Two cars drove one after the other on the cement road. After going over a small slope, the overall appearance of Qingxi Dian came into view.

Not only Li Xiaomei, but Shen Hongyi also leaned against the car window, wishing she could rub her face into it. She thought, this is the place where her husband grew up. Her big black eyes were shining, and the scene before her was much better than she had imagined.

The green water and green mountains that my younger sister talked about are there.

The sea is not visible yet.

But it's not old or broken.

Shen Hongyi was even surprised to see such a magnificent village in the mountains.

As a reporter, she has been to many places and found an objective rule that even if there are households with an annual income of 10,000 yuan in remote areas, they will usually move away and move into towns with their families.

There are really few nice houses at the foot of the mountains.

However, in front of us, in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, the entire village is made up of brick houses, and there are even many cement houses.

Can you believe it? There was a kick on the ridge of the field. Shen Hongyi wiped his dog eyes, one, two, three...

It's not an isolated incident.

The villagers here are accustomed to riding one foot down to the ground to farm!

No, this village is very different.

"Oh, I see."

A voice came from the back row, "It must be the changes brought about by your Qingxidian Development Fund, Erguo."

"What fund?" Shen Hongyi asked curiously.

Li Xiaomei said with a hint of pride: "I came up with this, the rules are quite complicated, I haven't figured it out, it's probably that the villagers want to start a business, but they don't have the capital, so they can borrow from the fund first, and then pay it back when they make money, and they also have to deposit a part of it into the fund.

"Oh, by the way, if there are still those who don't have the ability, there will be people who have succeeded before to guide them. It's not for nothing, there are tangible benefits. The apprentices have to respect the master according to the rules, and the master can borrow more money from the fund in the future, so everyone is happy.

"Thus, a long-lasting pattern of you driving me and I driving you has been formed. The scale of the fund will definitely become larger and larger, and it is not impossible to do big business."

"Good idea!"

Shen Hongyi's eyes were bright, "In fact, it can be promoted nationwide."

Li Jiankun shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. It has to do with local traditions and people's personalities. We have always had the tradition of 'presenting meetings' here, which has been passed down by the older generation and everyone abides by it. In addition, people have the desire to make money and the courage to travel far and wide, all of which are driven by these seven mountains, two rivers and one piece of land. If it were a place where people could support their families by farming, it might not work."

Shen Hongyi sighed: "It's a life saver from a desperate situation."

Li Jiankun chuckled: "I agree with this phrase. Most people don't really know how much they can push themselves. It all comes down to not being pushed to that point. If you can get over a dead end and turn it around, it's usually better than the norm."

After a pause, Li Jiankun looked at Shen Hongyi and smiled apologetically: "So if the villagers are a little vulgar, you should be more tolerant, because they are indeed a group of nouveau riche, but they definitely have no bad intentions towards the daughters-in-law who marry into the village."

Shen Hongyi smiled and said, "I heard from my younger sister that the villagers are very protective of their own shortcomings."

"It's quite unreasonable to protect one's own shortcomings. If you don't believe me, you can curse me out the window and the traffic will be blocked in a minute."

"Ah! This request is not enough for you?" In the back row, Li Xiaomei and Xiao Ping'an looked at each other, thinking that they had caught an opportunity that would never come again.

Snap! Snap…

They rolled down the windows from both sides, stuck their heads out, and shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Li Jiankun is a bastard!"

"Li Jiankun is a second-rate person!"

"Li Jiankun has no shame!"

"Li Jiankun doesn't want Bilian!"

...

This is still compared to the game.

Li Jiankun really wanted to stop the car and enjoy a few braised chestnuts for everyone.

Many people living at the entrance of the village had actually noticed the two cars entering the village. It was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which in the countryside was equivalent to the New Year not being over yet, so they had nothing to do and sat outside the door to bask in the sun.

Li Xiaomei and Xiao Ping'an's male and female tenor voices were not exaggerated.

After hearing the sound, the villagers who were basking in the sun all stood up from their chairs with their beards blown and their eyes glared.

"Fuck! Where did this bastard come from?"

"How dare you come to our Qingxidian to scold Jiankun?"

"Are you tired of living?"

"Go, stop it!"

"Copy guy!"

...

Looking at the murderous aura surging towards him on the cement road opposite, Shen Hongyi now believed it enough.

The girl's lips curled up.

very nice.

(End of this chapter)