Li Yi was a man of strong initiative, and since he was worried he might be invited out that afternoon, he packed his bags, had a quick bite to eat, and left Beijing with his family!
Although Li Yi had traveled this road back to his hometown countless times in both his past and present lives, the scenery along the way still captivated him, never failing to enchant him no matter how many times he saw it.
Li Yi knew that what truly brought him joy and made him linger wasn’t the scenery itself, but the fact that this road led to his hometown—the sanctuary of his soul.
So, even though he had visited the vast majority of countries in the world, witnessed countless wondrous sights, and been awed by the magnificent cultural and natural landscapes of various places, deep in Li Yi’s heart, it was that remote corner of Nianzishan Village that remained the most unforgettable.
At the same time, it was only this road leading to Nianzishan Village that he never grew tired of traveling, no matter how many times he took it.
At 5:30 p.m., the car entered Qing Shan County, with only about ten kilometers left to Nianzi Mountain Village.
But the stretch of road that followed proved to be quite a struggle for everyone. Because it had just rained, the gravel road was littered with potholes, making it particularly difficult to navigate.
Since his eldest sister and her son Ruirui were returning with them this time, along with four bodyguards—two men and two women—Li Yi had driven his third sister’s Mercedes-Benz back as well.
The Jeep leading the way fared well; thanks to its high ground clearance and excellent off-road capability, it wasn’t much affected—it just had to slow down a bit.
But the sedan following behind was in for a rough ride. With its low ground clearance, it had to navigate every puddle with extreme caution.
Even so, the sound of the undercarriage scraping against the ground could still be heard frequently, making it hard not to feel a bit nervous.
Li Yi felt somewhat helpless about the situation; that was just how things were back home—dusty in the dry and muddy in the rain.
With that in mind, Li Yi decided that when he returned home, he would discuss with Uncle Feng the need to properly repair this road.
It wasn’t just that the road was rough—it was dangerous, too.
Especially the mountain section near the village, with several-meter-deep ravines and cliffs dozens of meters high on both sides. Traveling for the villagers is extremely difficult and dangerous; every few years, there are reports of someone’s car rolling into a ravine or someone falling off a cliff.
Moreover, if someone were to fall ill—even with a simple fever—on a road like this, it could easily be fatal.
A few years back, a young intellectual sent to the village was gored in the stomach by a bull in heat. Because the road was so bad, it took too long to get him to the hospital, and he simply couldn’t be saved.
It was one thing when they lacked the means before, but now that he’s making money, he’s fully capable of repairing this lifeline to the county seat.
Of course, as for how to repair the road, Li Yi still wanted to seek the advice of Uncle Feng and Team Leader Zhang.
The fifteen-kilometer journey took the two vehicles nearly an hour to complete, and by the time they drove into the village, it was already 6:30 p.m.
This was right around the time villagers were finishing their work for the day. Seeing the two vehicles drive in along the main road on the west side of the village, many villagers stopped in their tracks, their eyes all fixed on the cars.
Although four years had passed since the reforms began, the economy in many coastal areas had undergone dramatic changes—so much so that in some places, households earning over 10,000 yuan had become commonplace, and there were even quite a few millionaires.
However, changes in inland regions had been limited, especially in remote, impoverished counties like Qing Shan. Perhaps the most significant change there was the distribution of land to elderly farmers and the implementation of the household contract responsibility system.
Apart from a little more hope for the future, life for the villagers hadn’t changed much; they were still struggling to make ends meet, and seeing a car was still a novelty to them…
Zhang Zi, Banbanhao, and Qiang knew how well-liked Li Yi was in the village, so as soon as the car entered the village, they instinctively slowed down.
When Li Yi spotted several men ahead carrying shovels, he immediately called out, “Stop the car,” and then stepped out.
When the villagers saw that it was Li Yi getting out of the car, they gathered around him with delighted expressions.
“Hahaha, I knew it was Xiao Yi coming back—I really guessed right!”
“You didn’t need to guess—who else in Nianzishan Village but Little Yi could afford a car?”
“Exactly. I didn’t even have to guess—I knew right away it was Little Yi coming back…”
…….
Listening to the chatter, Li Yi smiled and asked, “Brother Lei, where are my dad and mom? Have they finished work yet?”
“Your dad went to the county seat with Secretary Feng this afternoon to sell pigs. We don’t know if he’s back yet. Your mom’s over at the chicken farm; she should have finished work by now…”
Before he could finish, another man chimed in, “Shankui and the others came back around four o’clock. They should be home by now!”
“Got it, Uncle Shuqing. I’ll head back now, but I’ll catch up with everyone later!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Alright, head on home…”
After saying goodbye to everyone, Li Yi didn’t linger any longer and drove straight to the gate of the new house.
Sure enough, the front gate was wide open. His mother was feeding hay to the big red mule and the black horse, but there was no sign of his father!
Zhang Yuehong heard the noise outside the gate and immediately stopped what she was doing, looking up toward the entrance.
When she saw the jeep at the entrance, her heart leapt with excitement. She immediately set down the basket she was holding and hurried toward the gate!
After taking just a few steps, she saw her son get out of the car holding a small baby, followed closely by her daughter-in-law and eldest daughter.
Once they reached the gate, Zhang Yuehong couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my goodness! Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “We just wanted to surprise you and Dad!”
Zhang Yuehong immediately scolded him with a laugh, “You rascal, you’re always up to no good, but you should’ve at least given us a chance to prepare! If I’d known you were coming back today, I would’ve had your father pick up some pork when he went to the county seat!”
As she spoke, Zhang Yuehong’s gaze fell on Yun Jin in Li Yi’s arms. She quickly wiped her hands on her clothes before reaching out to stroke the little girl’s fair, delicate cheek. “My precious granddaughter, do you still remember Grandma?”
The little girl was quite obliging; without a hint of shyness, she replied, “Grandma…”
Though it was just one word, her pronunciation was crystal clear, which completely melted Zhang Yuehong’s heart.
She had originally felt that, having just returned from the chicken farm, she was filthy and didn’t dare touch her eldest granddaughter.
But now, hearing her call “Grandma,” she was over the moon. She didn’t care about that anymore. She snatched the little girl from Li Yi’s arms and exclaimed excitedly, “My eldest granddaughter can say ‘Grandma’ now! Good, good, good—what a good girl…”
Just then, Jiang Xue, holding Yunrui, and her older sister, holding Ruirui, also walked over. After another round of warm greetings, the family finally stepped into the courtyard!
Back inside, after placing the children on the kang, Li Yi finally asked his mother, “Mom, where’s Dad? Why haven’t I seen him?”
Zhang Yuehong replied as she washed her hands, “There’s a cow having a difficult birth over at the cattle farm. Your father went over to help!”
Realizing the cattle farm was right next to their new house, Li Yi immediately said, “I’ll go take a look!”
“What’s there to see in a calving? It’s all bloody and messy. You’d better think about what we’re having for dinner tonight!” his mother said.
“Mom, could you knead some dough for me? Let it rest for a bit. I’ll be back in a little while to make oil-drizzled noodles for everyone!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Alright… Oh, by the way, there are cucumbers and tomatoes growing in the vegetable patch at the old house. Pick some on your way back!”
“Okay…”
With that, Li Yi said goodbye to Jiang Xue and headed out the door with Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen…
………