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Chapter 532: Reborn Shi Donglei [2]

Less than three minutes after Shi Donglei got on the bus, the bus to Sanhe County started. More than forty minutes later, he got off at the Xinglong Town station. His home is in Wujiazitun, which is under the jurisdiction of Xinglong Town.

There were many jeeps and cars beside the station, all engaged in passenger transport. When Shi Donglei got off the car, he was surrounded by many people, but he did not take a taxi. Instead, he walked into the town with his backpack and suitcase.

Xinglong Town was originally Xinglong Township, and it was just turned into a town two years ago. Although the name has changed, the town is not much better than when Shi Donglei came back for the New Year two years ago. In fact, it is not much better than when he went to Lingcheng to study in a technical secondary school. There are only a few more shops and houses.

The streets were still in tatters, full of garbage and icicles, and full of potholes. It was still early, most of the shops were not open for business, and there were very few pedestrians on the streets.

Normally, you can see a lot of students. But now it is the twelfth lunar month, and the students have already had their winter vacation. Xinglong Town, which was not very prosperous to begin with, has become even more deserted.

The wheels of the suitcase rubbed against the ground, making a constant noise. In this quiet morning, it seemed a bit harsh!
Shi Donglei pulled the box quickly, afraid of alarming some people he knew. He didn't like the feeling of being looked at strangely, especially since he was not dressed well and had a little money, so he was afraid of meeting someone familiar.

This state of mind, even if Shi Donglei was reborn, there was no way to completely change it. He was just that kind of person, with a very strong self-esteem and a lot of vanity. He was just an ordinary person, except for the fact that he was reborn!
Even if Shi Donglei was reborn a hundred times, he would not become someone else. He is just himself, and the only difference is his life experience.

Perhaps God heard Shi Donglei's thoughts, because he didn't meet any acquaintances until he walked out of Xinglong Town and set foot on the country dirt road outside the town, passing Taipingtun and leading directly to Wujiazitun.

The entire journey from Xinglong Town to Wujiazitun is eight li. Taipingtun is located between Xinglong Town and Wujiazitun. Shi Donglei went to Linjiacun Primary School in the south of Taipingtun. He had many classmates in Taipingtun.

After walking for more than 20 minutes, we arrived at Taiping Village. When we reached the west entrance of the village, the gate of the first house on the north side of the road opened, and a girl wearing simple clothes and torn gloves was holding a wicker basket, apparently to carry firewood.

The girl and Shi Donglei came face to face, their eyes met, and both of them were stunned. Shi Donglei's heart began to beat violently, this pretty and tall girl was his classmate, Cui Anran.

Cui Anran and Shi Donglei were not only classmates and desk mates for six years in elementary school, but also classmates for three years in junior high school and desk mates for two years. Shi Donglei had always liked Cui Anran. When he was in junior high school, he couldn't help but write her a love letter, but in the end the love letter was burned and thrown into the toilet.

"You—Stoneley?"

"Cui Anran, it's me!"

Both of them looked a little unnatural, especially Cui Anran, whose pretty face was very red. It would be very difficult for Shi Donglei to appear natural when seeing her like this, as she didn't have such good psychological quality!

"Shi Donglei, don't you work in Qindu?" Cui Anran brushed her hair and asked shyly. She quietly pulled her pants hard. Her mother insisted that she wear these pants because she was afraid that she would be cold. The baggy pants made her look stupid.

Shi Donglei looked at her embarrassed look, but he quickly regained his composure. He nodded: "Well, I used to work in Qindu, but now I'm back!"

"You're back?" Cui Anran looked at Shi Donglei with some confusion, not quite understanding what he meant. Shi Donglei smiled and said, "No, I plan to find a job here in the future. My parents are not young anymore and their health is not good. My sister is still young and is in school. I can come back to take care of them and make money. It's good. There's no need to run around outside."

Shi Donglei paused and said, "Cui Anran, I heard that you were admitted to Jiyuan University. Congratulations! You will graduate soon, right?"

Cui Anran nodded: "Well, we will graduate during the New Year. Shi Donglei, it's cold outside. If you don't mind, come in and sit down!" She subconsciously looked at the three small earthen houses of her family, and a hint of melancholy flashed in her eyes.

Shi Donglei keenly caught the change in Cui Anran's expression. He shook his head and said, "No, maybe next time." Shi Donglei had already taken off his backpack and took out a bag of roast duck from it. He said, "Cui Anran, this is the roast duck I brought back from Qindu. I haven't seen it for many years, and I didn't expect to meet you. Take this back and eat it with your family!"

"No, no, I don't want it! Shi Donglei, I don't want it, you should take it back and give it to your family!" Cui Anran rejected the roast duck handed over by Shi Donglei. Her face, which had just returned to its normal color, became delicate and charming again.

Shi Donglei pushed the roast duck into Cui Anran's arms, pulled the box and ran away. As he ran, he said, "Cui Anran, I'm leaving first. Come over and play when you have time!"

Cui Anran threw away the firewood basket and ran after Shi Donglei, shouting, "Shi Donglei, Shi Donglei, you..." Shi Donglei ran too fast and she could not catch up with him at all. After running a short distance, she stopped panting and looked at Shi Donglei's back, dazed for a while.

Cui Anran still clearly remembers what Shi Donglei looked like when he was in elementary school and middle school, and he remembers even more what he looked like when they met at the market in Xinglong Town five years ago.

The fair and cute little boy, the quiet boy with fair complexion, the tall and handsome young man, now, Shi Donglei has become a tall and mature man!

When Cui Anran thought of the word "man", he smiled with satisfaction. That's right, Shi Donglei now has a temperament that he never had before. He looks very manly, not the young boy he looked like five years ago.

But when she thought of the word "man", Cui Anran's fair and beautiful face suddenly turned red. She took a deep look at Shi Donglei who had already walked away, and turned back with the roast duck.

Cui Anran had just walked to the gate of her home when it opened. Her mother came out of the yard, looked at her with a smile, and said, "Girl, who is that boy? Did he give this to you?"

Cui Anran knew that her mother had misunderstood again. As she grew older, her mother would immediately think of that kind of thing whenever she saw her interacting with the opposite sex. She really wished that she would bring a partner back immediately.

"Well, it was given to me by my classmate Shi Donglei. It's Qindu Roast Duck!" Cui Anran handed the roast duck to her mother. None of her family had ever eaten this kind of thing. But when she was in school, she had heard about it many times. They all said that Qindu Roast Duck was delicious.

Cui Anran took a look at the packaging of the roast duck and found that this bag of roast duck was the roast duck from Qindu. She also saw the price tag on the mouth of the roast duck bag and was very surprised. This roast duck was 138 yuan. No wonder she felt it was so heavy. It was estimated to be at least two or three kilograms!
"Shi Donglei? Ah, is he the boy from Shi Jianjun's family in Xitun?" Mother Cui looked at the bag for a long time but couldn't understand the words on it. She asked again, "What kind of duck is this? This thing is quite heavy, at least three or four pounds, it must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"Yes, it's Shi Jianjun's son. This is Qindu Roast Duck. Look at the label. It's 138 yuan!" Cui Anran pointed at the label on the package. Mother Cui took a look and said in surprise: "Oh my god, it's so expensive. What kind of duck is this? Is it a golden duck?"

Cui Anran was about to explain why the duck was so expensive when her mother suddenly laughed again, looked up at her and said, "My daughter, they gave you such an expensive gift, it seems they are interested in you. I heard that the boy from the old Lin family works in Qindu and earns tens of thousands of yuan a month. My daughter, you are not young anymore. I think the child just now is also good-looking and earns a lot. I will ask someone to help him..."

Before Cui's mother could finish her words, Cui Anran stamped her feet and said, "Okay, Mom! Why are you here again? Didn't I tell you that I don't want to think about this issue now? If you want me to spend the New Year at home, don't talk about this anymore. Otherwise, I'll go back to school tomorrow!"

Mother Cui quickly waved her hands: "Okay, okay, I won't say anything anymore, okay? Hey, kid, you just won't listen!"

Cui Anran picked up the basket, went to the firewood pile, and picked up the peanut stalks with a two-toothed pick. Mother Cui looked at her precious daughter, sighed, and turned back into the yard with the roast duck.

Cui Anran also sighed while chewing on firewood. She actually understood that her mother and father were worried about her lifelong event, and she understood their feelings. However, she really didn't have the heart to think about these things now. What she wanted most now was to find a good job after graduation next year, to reduce the burden on her family as soon as possible, and to pay off the debts she owed for studying all these years.

Thinking about her partner problem, Cui Anran frowned. In fact, based on her appearance, she had no shortage of suitors from high school to college, and many of them were very good. However, she felt that she was not yet ready to consider these things, so she ignored them.

At the beginning, Cui Anran rejected Shi Donglei for this reason. In fact, she didn't hate Shi Donglei. On the contrary, she always had a good impression of him!

Cui Anran's face turned red again, and ripples appeared in her bright eyes, which gradually became blurred.

When Cui Anran was staring at the pile of firewood in a daze, Shi Donglei had already walked up a high mound. Standing there, he could see Wujiazitun, where he had not returned for two years.

Shi Donglei took a deep breath of the fresh and cold air in the countryside, straightened his back, and quickened his pace to run towards the village. More than ten minutes later, when the golden morning sun illuminated the earth, Shi Donglei had already arrived outside his courtyard gate. Just then, his younger sister Shi Yu came out with an ash dustpan to dump the ashes. When she saw him, she was immediately stunned, thinking that he was seeing things!

"Brother, it's really you, brother!" The little girl woke up from her dream and screamed when Shi Donglei touched her head. She threw away the ash dustpan and didn't care that the ashes from the stove were flying all over the road. She hugged Shi Donglei's waist and started to cry.

Shi Donglei gently patted his sister's back, his nose sour. This little sister was only twelve years old this year, a whole generation younger than him. Although he was an adopted son by his parents, and Shi Yu was his parents' biological daughter, they had no blood relationship, but the relationship between the two siblings was better than that of most biological siblings!

In his previous life, what Shi Donglei was most worried about before committing suicide was his younger sister Shi Yu and his elderly adoptive parents. Now that he has seen his younger sister again, he has mixed feelings in his heart and can't tell what it feels like.

The brother and sister hugged each other for a while at the gate, and then went into the yard together. Shi Yu was very happy, holding Shi Donglei's hand and chattering non-stop, talking about things at home.

When Shi Donglei and Shi Yu walked into the earthen house together, Zhang Xiufang, who was cooking, was stunned for a moment. Her expression was exactly the same as when Shi Yu saw Shi Donglei at the gate of the yard just now. They are truly mother and daughter, with such a tacit understanding.

"Mom, I'm back!" Shi Donglei said with a smile, his voice trembling a little.

"Mom, it's really my brother, he's back!" Shi Yu shouted loudly, running over to pull up his mother. Zhang Xiufang's legs were numb from squatting for too long. If Shi Yu hadn't supported her, she would have fallen to the ground.

"Xiao Lei, son, why are you back? Didn't you say you were spending the New Year over there?" Zhang Xiufang asked tremblingly, holding Shi Donglei's hand. Her eyes were already filled with tears, and her lips were trembling constantly. She hadn't seen her precious son for two years, and she missed him so much that she would think it was Shi Donglei when she saw a tall guy walking on the street. She was almost going crazy missing her son!

Zhang Xiufang was so excited that her son, whom she had been thinking about day and night, finally came back. However, she was also a little worried: Didn't her son say that he was too busy with work this year and would not come back? Why did he come back suddenly? Did something happen?

Shi Donglei wiped the tears from his mother's face with his palm and said with a smile: "Mom, don't worry, I'm fine. I have already quit my job in Qindu and will not go there anymore. I will find a job in Xingjiang."

"How can this be possible? You are in Qindu..."

Before Zhang Xiufang finished her words, Shi Donglei smiled and shook his head and said, "Mom, why not? Qindu is good, but it's not as good as home... Mom, you and my dad are not in good health now, and Xiaoyu still has to go to school. I can come back to take care of you without affecting my work and making money, and I can feel more at peace. This is good, much better than staying in Qindu!"

Zhang Xiufang knew that her son, although he looked as gentle and refined as a grown-up girl, was always decisive in what he said. In her husband's words, he had quite a bit of nerve and very righteous ideas!
From childhood to adulthood, Shi Donglei has always been able to accomplish anything he wants to do, no matter who stands in his way. It's not that he is disobedient or disobedient, there is no child as obedient and sensible as him in the ten miles and eight villages, but he is very stubborn, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, and no one can influence his thoughts.

Although Zhang Xiufang felt sorry for her son's good job, since her son was so filial and the matter was settled, she didn't say any more nonsense. She held Shi Donglei's hand and looked at him lovingly, saying softly, "Okay, it's good that you're back, so your dad and I don't have to worry about you. Your little sister keeps calling you in her dreams... Son, why did you come back? It's too early! Didn't you take a taxi?"

"No, I came back on the five o'clock train. It wasn't cold anyway, so I just walked." Shi Donglei took the fire stick from Zhang Xiufang and was about to put firewood into the stove when Shi Yu snatched it away and pushed him and his mother into the east room.

"Son, you're back!" Shi Jianjun, who was lying on the kang, wanted to sit up, but Shi Donglei walked over and held him down, saying with a smile, "You're back, Dad. Just lie down and it will take a hundred days for your injured bones to heal. Don't move around, or you'll have sequelae and it will be troublesome."

Shi Jianjun stared at Shi Donglei, a long-lost smile appeared on his face. Shi Donglei knew his father was looking at him, but he didn't care. With the help of his mother, he took off his backpack and opened it. Inside was food and drinks, all gifts he brought for his family.

"Mom, this is Qindu roast duck. I originally wanted to bring back two, but I just met a classmate and the roast duck was on top, so I gave it to her... Dad, this is Qindu's pastry. This brand is probably the best pastry in our country. Little sister, these are your favorite walnuts and chestnuts, as well as persimmon cakes."

Shi Donglei took out everything in the backpack and distributed them to the family of three. He then opened the large suitcase, which also contained mostly gifts for his family.

"Dad, this is the down jacket and pants I bought for you. Mom, this is the down jacket and leather shoes I bought for you. Little sister, this is your down jacket and boots. Oh, and I also bought four sets of thermal underwear, all red. This year is our zodiac year, so each of us gets one set. There are also red belts..."

After Shi Donglei distributed most of the gifts, the remaining small box was his luggage, which consisted of only some clothes and books, a pitifully small number!
Shi Jianjun and his wife, as well as Shi Yu, noticed this scene, but no one spoke, their eyes were red. They all knew that if it weren't for the burden on the family, this son and brother would not have stayed outside for so many years with only such a small amount of luggage, so shabby.

Shi Donglei quickly closed the suitcase, took off the fake camel-hair short coat that he had worn for several years and had bumps on it, took the fire poker from Shi Yu's hand, pushed the door open and went to the outer room to light a fire.

Shi Yu quickly put down his things and ran out, competing with his brother to do the work. Zhang Xiufang and Shi Jianjun looked at each other, sighed softly, and secretly wiped their eyes. Shi Jianjun tried to sit up against the wall and took the ashtray to roll a cigarette. Zhang Xiufang glared at him and muttered, "Smoke as soon as you get up, ashtray", and began to pack up the three piles of things on the kang and put them in the kang cabinet and the cabinet on the ground floor.

The three of them were busy preparing breakfast and served it on the table. Zhang Xiufang had originally planned to cook a few more dishes for her son, but Shi Donglei didn't allow her to do so. He only asked her to make some spring rolls, cut some shredded cabbage, shredded green onions, shredded pickled cabbage, and a plate of chili sauce.

Stone Lei sprinkled the roast duck with fried oil, making it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. After it was sliced ​​and served on a plate, the whole house was immediately filled with a rich aroma. The duck slices were served on the table, and the family of four sat down to eat breakfast.

No one in the family had ever eaten roast duck, and only after Shi Donglei's demonstration did they understand the correct way to eat it. Shi Jianjun ate the spring rolls that Shi Donglei had prepared for him with duck slices, sweet noodle sauce, and various side dishes, nodded vigorously, and said, "It's delicious, no wonder this thing is so expensive, Xiufang, hurry up and try it!"

The family of four rolled up the duck spring rolls by themselves and started eating. Zhang Xiufang didn’t like sweet noodle sauce, so she used chili sauce instead. The other three all loved sweet noodle sauce and its original flavor. They enjoyed the meal with lots of laughter and were very happy!
The Lin family had just finished their meal and had not had time to clean up when they heard a dog barking outside and a man pushed open the door and walked in.

The door of the inner room was pushed open, and the four people could see the faces of the people who came. It turned out to be Shi Jianjun's brother-in-law Li Dawang, Shi Donglei and Shi Yu's uncle.

"Brother-in-law is here, hurry up and eat more!"

"Uncle, this is the roast duck I brought back from Qindu. Try it!"

Li Xiufang brought bowls and chopsticks to Li Dawang, and Shi Donglei helped him roll a spring pancake. Li Dawang took off his dog-skin hat, took the spring pancake handed over by Shi Donglei, swallowed his saliva, but did not eat it. Instead, he looked at Shi Donglei kindly and said with a smile: "I saw someone walking in from the east end of the village earlier. He looked like you. I thought I was seeing things, but it was really you! Xiaolei, are you back for the New Year?"

Shi Donglei placed the tea that Shi Yu had just brewed in front of Li Dawang and said with a smile, "Well, it's not just the New Year, we won't leave after the New Year. Uncle, eat it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold!"

Li Dawang said happily: "Okay, it's better not to leave. No matter how good it is outside, it's not as good as home!" He took a bite of the spring pancake, and after chewing it twice, his eyes lit up, and his chewing speed became obviously faster. He nodded repeatedly and mumbled vaguely: "Delicious, really delicious!"

The remaining plate of duck meat and ten spring rolls were eaten up by Li Dawang in less than fifteen minutes. Not only that, the fifty-year-old man also ate two bowls of rice porridge, two steamed buns, a plate of green pepper and potato shreds, and more than a pound of bulk liquor.

Li Xiufang and her daughter cleared the table. Li Dawang, holding a teacup, with a flushed face, chatted with Shi Donglei and Shi Jianjun in a lively manner.

"Xiao Lei, why didn't you bring your partner back? People at home are so eager to attend your wedding that they're going crazy!" Li Dawang said, taking a sip of hot tea and shaking his feet in patched big-toed shoes.

Shi Donglei sighed in his heart. This was the problem he feared the most. He was most afraid of this year. He smiled and said, "I didn't bring much, uncle. Did my little brother dip the candied haws this year?"

"I've dipped it. I've been selling it for more than a month. By the way, when your brother comes back later, ask him to send some over!" Li Dawang took the cigarettes handed over by Shi Jianjun, took a look at them, and exclaimed: "This cigarette is so expensive. I heard it costs dozens of yuan a box!"

"My uncle knows this cigarette, but my dad doesn't. This was given to me by a friend. I'm not a good smoker, so I gave it back to him... Don't give us candied haws anymore. You should keep them and sell them for money. It's not easy!"

Shi Donglei lit cigarettes for Li Dawang and his father, and also lit one for himself. It's not that he can't smoke, but he doesn't like it very much. However, his previous job required him to smoke, and sometimes he would smoke one or even several cigarettes reluctantly. After a while, he started smoking.

(End of this chapter)