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Once the car door closed, all the sounds seemed to quiet down considerably.

Xu Fan glanced at his phone subconsciously. The text message from Xiao Pu contained only four words: "Be careful."

Xu Fan looked out the window and saw Xiao Pu standing not far away, smiling and nodding in agreement.

Just then, Xu Fan's BMW doors slammed shut with two loud bangs.

Liu Sisi said, "Grandma said she'll go with you because she's afraid you'll be lonely on the way."

Liu Hao said, "Grandpa said that no one has been to my aunt's house for a long time, so having two more people would make it more lively and create a better atmosphere."

As he spoke, Liu Hao picked up some sacrificial items and said, "Grandpa prepared all of this."

Xu Fan smiled and said okay. Of course, he had no intention of kicking his younger siblings off. In fact, they were right; it would be more lively with more people.

Xu Fan ignored the others, simply greeted them, and drove away.

Since I'll be coming back anyway, there's not much to say.

Visiting relatives is a common custom during the Chinese New Year, whether in cities or rural areas.

One way to exchange New Year's greetings is by visiting relatives.

Xu Fan hadn't been back to his hometown for a long time, and logically, he should have gone around after returning. However, after discussing it with his mother, he felt that they only needed to display some of the more important items.

In the car when Xu Fan was driving home.

The two men who delivered the car to Xu Fan were also chatting. The young man said helplessly, "Master..."

Before he could speak, the middle-aged man said, "I know what you're going to ask. Didn't you see the atmosphere was a bit tense? As far as I know, this isn't Xu Fan's home, but his maternal grandfather's. And it seems like they're not in a good mood."

Upon hearing this, the young man paused for a moment and said, "You mean the news on the internet is true?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "On the contrary, it would be too one-sided to think it is as the internet says. Based on what we know about him, he would never do such a thing."

The young man nodded, but his brows were furrowed, and he felt helpless. Nevertheless, he said, "I believe in Brother Fan."

Xu Fan's hometown isn't actually that far from here; it's only about a ten-minute drive away.

When he, his mother, Liu Sisi, and Liu Hao arrived at the house, they discovered that after many years, the house had long been dilapidated.

But relatively speaking, it's still quite decent. Xu Fan knows that the reason it can provide room and board is because his maternal grandparents often come here over the years to repair the irrigation ditch from time to time.

Otherwise, this place might really become a ruin.

Xu's mother said with emotion, "Actually, I was going to demolish it at the time, but your grandmother disagreed. She said to keep it so that she would have something to remember us by, in case we come back."

Xu Fan paused for a moment, then suddenly felt a little sad. Liu Sisi, who was next to him, said, "This really is a house with a story."

Liu Hao, standing to the side, asked, "Do you have any other lines?"

Liu Sisi glared at Liu Hao, but then looked at Xu Fan and said, "Brother Fan, where should we put the things?"

Xu Fan said, "Give it to me," and took the item from Liu Hao's hand, glancing at the mountains to the east.

Xu's mother said, "The fact that the lock hasn't been embroidered after all these years means that your maternal grandmother still comes often."

Xu Fan nodded, took the key from his mother, and opened the door.

The yard was full of weeds, but they were arranged neatly. There was a path in the middle that was used for both people and water.

Years later, Xu Fan returned to the place where he grew up. Unlike his grandmother's house, there was no one there anymore, but there were indelible memories of his childhood.

This was especially true for his mother.

Even the weeds in the yard, those indistinguishable ones covered by snow, hold traces of memory.

Xu Fan's mother suddenly looked out the window, her eyes slightly moist.

Xu Fan didn't speak or disturb them. He simply walked over, quietly arranged the things, and prepared for what was to come.

According to my mother, even though no one has lived here for many years, since we're back, even if it's only for a few days, we should tidy it up before we can feel at ease.

Get the perfect music system at the start

===Chapter 513 A Memorial Ceremony===

Broken roads, dilapidated houses, and a dilapidated courtyard.

No one has lived here for many years, so it will definitely take some time to clean it up now.

Fortunately, the yard wasn't very big, and with Xu Fan, his mother, Liu Sisi, and Liu Hao, the four of them didn't take too long.

When the yard was cleaned again, at least there weren't too many weeds, and it looked much more comfortable.

The room was in a dilapidated state, and neither Xu Fan nor his mother had any intention of cleaning it up.

After entering the house, Xu's mother began to tidy up some offerings, while Xu Fan looked around the house aimlessly. Mainly because he had left too early, his memories were somewhat fragmented, and he didn't have many fragments left, which is why he was thinking.

Liu Sisi and Liu Xuan remained silent, following Xu Fan as they looked around.

They were younger, but they came more often than Xu Fan.

After talking to them, Xu Fan learned that they used to often come here with his grandmother, who was also Xu Fan's maternal grandmother, to clean the house and even sleep there overnight.

Liu Sisi said earnestly, "Grandma said that a house only feels alive and like a home when people live there, so she would come and stay for a night from time to time. But she was afraid to come alone, so she brought us along. Later..."

Liu Hao continued, "Later, the house was so dilapidated and leaked that they stopped coming."

Xu Fan nodded. He understood his grandmother's thoughts and was filled with gratitude for her. These feelings were deeply ingrained in Xu Fan's mind, but he still kept glancing around aimlessly.

Until he saw a worn-out box.

The box wasn't big, but it looked a lot like the wooden box his mother had given him. He walked over and took a look. There was a thick layer of dust on the box. Xu Fan shook it gently and then blew on it, and dust flew up instantly.

Liu Hao frowned and said, "Where did this come from? Why didn't I see it before?"

Liu Sisi said from the side, "I don't know either. I remember once when I came here with my grandma, I looked around a lot but couldn't find this box. It's strange, why would Shennong have an extra box? Brother Xiaofan, why don't you open it and see what's inside?"

Xu Fan asked curiously, "Didn't you guys see it before?"

The two nodded earnestly, but Xu Fan didn't think much of it. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket, wiped it gently, and then opened it.

There was no lock; just flip it open.

The box didn't contain the things Xu Fan's father had left for him; it contained many other things.

There was nothing else but a small badge.

Liu Sisi and Liu Hao asked in unison, their curiosity piqued, "What is this?"

Xu Fan picked up the badge and looked at it. It had three words written on it: "First-Class Merit".

Apart from that, there were no other words, except for the badge that Xu Fan recognized, because his father had written the word "country" on the badge in the box he had given him at home.

The badges are exactly the same, except the words on them are missing. First-class merit, whether in one's own country or the country written by one's father, is certainly not an ordinary achievement.

Liu Sisi said in surprise, "Did someone leave this behind? Or is it my uncle's?"

Liu Hao said, "That's hard to say. If it were my uncle's, we should have discovered it long ago. But if it wasn't, why are they here?"

Xu Fan had various thoughts running through his mind, but none of them came to a good conclusion.

Just then, Xu's mother finished tidying up the offerings and other things, walked in, and asked in a puzzled tone, "What are you all talking about?"

Before Xu Fan could even speak, Liu Sisi said, "Auntie, Brother Fan just found a box with a badge inside that says 'First Class Merit'. Do you know if it belongs to Uncle?"

Xu's mother paused for a moment, then walked over, took the bag from Xu Fan, shook her head, and said, "I don't know either, but you can keep it, Xiao Fan."

Xu Fan clearly saw his mother's eyes flicker, but he didn't know why she wouldn't tell him. He didn't ask any further questions, and nodded, saying, "Okay."

Xu Fan put the badge back in the box and handed it to Liu Hao, saying, "Please put it in the car for me."

Liu Hao nodded and left, while Liu Sisi called out from the side, "Wait for me, I'm going too."

Then he left too.

Xu Fan looked at his mother, and although he had a lot to say, he suddenly didn't know what to say.

Looking at her child, Xu's mother hesitated, then said, "All guesses are just the result. It all depends on how you look at it. Child, what kind of person are you? I want to love you and care about you, and I will come to a conclusion in my heart."

Xu Fan nodded and said, "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm not a three-year-old crying like this."

Xu's mother nodded and said with relief, "I know. Okay, hurry up and get ready to go to the grave."

Actually, if we start the story from the beginning, it's just like what Xu Fan found in his father's diary.

Back then, rural areas relied on grains, and wheat from the fields was the most indispensable and precious thing in their lives.

Only by experiencing the process of planting wheat and transplanting rice seedlings can one truly understand what labor and thrift mean.

Xu Fan's family was really poor when he was a child, and for a long time they even had to borrow money to make ends meet. But fortunately, things got better and better later on, and everything changed.

Xu Fan doesn't have many memories of his grandparents. He came this time mainly because his father has been gone for many years, and he wanted to hold a simple memorial service for his father.

The snow stopped falling, and after Xu Fan finished everything, he took the three of them back to his maternal grandfather's house.

Before they even arrived, Xu Fan's car slowly came to a stop because there were at least several hundred people surrounding his grandfather's house.

This is the countryside; even during festivals or weddings, it's rare for so many people to come all at once.

Xu Fan even spotted two or three banners among the crowd, some seemingly out of nowhere, bearing various celebratory phrases such as "Welcome Xu Fan!"

It's like getting married, but the key is that you're the bride.

Xu Fan really wanted to turn the car around and leave, but in the end he worried that if he left like that, he would inevitably be blamed. He still had many problems to solve, and if more problems were added, before he even got angry, Fatty Zhao Feiyang would probably want to slap him to death.

So, in the end, he could only helplessly drive slowly over there.

boom! boom! boom!

Good heavens! Before the car even arrived, fireworks and cannons were already exploding throughout the rural area on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Although there were no dazzling fireworks in the sky, the loud noises could be heard, and many people were cheering and shouting.

Xu Fan sat in the car, speechless for a long time. He never expected that he would have gathered so many people in just half a day.

Xu Fan knew very well that this was definitely not just people from one village, but possibly people from other surrounding villages as well.

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===What song is sung in Chapter 514?===

As the saying goes, "People fear becoming famous, just as pigs fear growing fat."

At this moment, Xu Fan was in a difficult position. If he had known that becoming famous would be so popular, he would have still chosen to become famous. After all, if he hadn't had that opportunity, he might not even have the chance to stand here.

Therefore, Xu Fan doesn't have the concept of "what if" deep down.

The saying "people are afraid of becoming famous" essentially means that one has a bad reputation, or that being famous easily attracts jealousy.