Volume One, Chapter 8: Returning to the Village—Blood Ties Run Deep!

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Shortly after six in the evening, the train smoothly arrived at the county train station. As soon as they stepped out, Tang Yichen and his father hurriedly rushed toward the bus station to catch the last bus back to Tianshui Town.

“Hurry, hurry! Only 15 minutes left. If we miss the bus, we’ll have to stay overnight in the county town.”

Tang Xionghua grabbed Tang Yichen and sprinted forward. Unfortunately, Tang Yichen’s legs were short and tired after nearly four hours of bumpy train travel, and he was already exhausted.

Tang Xionghua had no choice but to scoop him up, carrying him with his strong arms as he dashed ahead.

“Ah, this…” Tang Yichen felt a bit awkward.

Still, his father’s physical strength was impressive at this moment.

“Hey, don’t squeeze so much! You’re crushing me!” Inside the bus, many were pressing in to board the last trip, and Tang Xionghua, rushing in with Tang Yichen in his arms, pushed through the crowded doorway.

A woman inside was being squashed and complaining loudly...

At this time, passenger buses didn’t really care about overloading or not. As long as one more person could get on, that meant one more fare. If the door could close, that was all that mattered.

“Hey, hey, hey, where are you putting your hands? What do you think you’re doing?”

“Sis, I can’t move either, it’s not my fault!”

...

On the bus, the air was thick with the smell of sweat and the constant buzz of chatter, arguments, and even a child’s crying.

Tang Yichen’s knees were well protected by his father, but the crushing pressure still made it hard to breathe.

“This is too hard. Once I make some money, I have to get Dad a car no matter what.”

Half an hour later, the two were nearly spent from the jostling. The moment they got off, they collapsed by the roadside, gasping for fresh air.

Fortunately, they had finally arrived safely in town.

That night, Tang Xionghua quickly cooked some noodles for a simple meal. They had planned to head to the countryside that evening, but both father and son were utterly exhausted, so after a quick wash, they fell into a deep sleep.

Not only were they tired, but they had also barely slept the night before in the provincial city.

The next morning, fully recharged, Tang Xionghua made plain rice porridge for breakfast. After eating, he brought out his bicycle.

They planned to return to the countryside quickly to harvest the dried small fish and shrimp.

In the afternoon, Tang Xionghua had to return to the town middle school to hold the end-of-term meeting, hand out grades, and stand his final watch.

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The principal could be ruthless with him, but Tang Xionghua couldn’t neglect his students. He had to fulfill his responsibilities.

Sitting on the back of his father’s sturdy bicycle, Tang Yichen suddenly asked,

“Dad, this small fish and shrimp business will last at least four or five months. After it’s done, we have other plans. When do you plan to tell Grandpa and Grandma that the school let you go and you lost your secure job?”

Without turning his head, Tang Xionghua replied, “We’ll wait until we make our first profit. Telling them now would only worry them! Besides, we can stay in the town house until the end of summer break.”

Tang Yichen nodded. His father was always so thoughtful.

With a father like this, how could his dream of being a leisurely second-generation rich kid not come true?

That was truly nice!

——

In front of a red brick house at the village entrance, as soon as Tang Yichen and his father appeared, an elderly couple smiled warmly and greeted them at the door.

“Grandpa! Grandma!” Tang Yichen ran excitedly toward the two elders, his childish voice trembling with emotion.

It had been four days since his rebirth.

If it weren’t for the important matters he had with his father, he would have come straight to see his grandparents immediately.

In fact, Tang Yichen hadn’t seen them for over a decade since they both passed away in the same year.

In his previous life, his father had left him with the grandparents during summer break, while he escaped alone to work in the big city.

After five years farming in the village and two years in the metropolis, his father finally brought him to the city.

Before going to the metropolis, he had spent most of his time living with his grandparents in the countryside.

It could be said that he was raised by his grandparents, and their bond was always deep.

Now, upon seeing them again, the wrinkles on their faces were fewer.

Though years of hard work and poor nutrition had made them somewhat thin, overall they were healthy and full of vitality.

After all, Grandpa Tang Jiaxiang, born in ’91, was only fifty-nine, and Grandma was fifty-eight.

“Yichen, come, give Grandma a hug. Grandma hasn’t seen you in over a month.”

His loving grandmother happily embraced Tang Yichen, trying to lift him up, but found him a bit heavy.

“Grandma, I’m grown up now. No need to lift me.”

Tang Yichen smiled in a mature tone.

When his father tried to hug him, he naturally resisted, but this feeling didn’t apply to his grandparents—it was quite special.

“Oh my! My Yichen has grown up into a handsome young man. But no matter how big you get, you’ll always be Grandma’s little grandson!”

Grandma planted a playful, loving kiss on Tang Yichen’s cheek.

Then she noticed tears welling in his eyes, as if he was about to cry.

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“What’s wrong? Yichen, did your father hit you?”

Grandma tenderly wiped the tears from Tang Yichen’s cheek, then glared angrily at Tang Xionghua.

“Ah Xiong! Why do you keep hitting the boy? What’s going on?”

Tang Xionghua was speechless.

Facing Grandma’s scolding, he felt innocent but couldn’t explain.

If he tried to explain, Grandpa might direct his frustration at him as well.

To Grandpa and Grandma, Yichen was a motherless child from a young age—already pitiful and deserving of extra care.

So Tang Xionghua silently bore all the blame and went to park the bicycle.

“Yichen! You’re just in time. I’m taking you to the fields to catch some loaches!”

At that moment, a boy came running from outside the yard carrying a bamboo basket, eager to take Tang Yichen on an adventure.

The boy’s name was Tang Yifan, son of Tang Yichen’s eldest uncle. He was eleven years old.

The eldest uncle also had an elder daughter, thirteen years old, studying in the second year of middle school in town, named Tang Yixin.

However, this cousin was not home today—she was in town to receive her grades.

“Yifan, it’s you…” Tang Yichen greeted his mischievous and notorious cousin with little enthusiasm.

Because of their six-year age difference, they had not played together much, and their relationship was far from close.

This cousin had been rebellious and wild as a child but had grown up to be filial.

Sadly, he didn’t do well in school and left early to work elsewhere—a hard-working soul.

“Yichen, why do you still call me by name? Why don’t you just call me ‘brother’?”

Tang Yifan was a bit annoyed by Tang Yichen’s tone.

But Grandma quickly put him in his place: “Yifan! You can run wild all you want, but why call Yichen? He’s delicate and tender-skinned, how can he compare to you!”

Tang Yichen was speechless.

Honestly, he quite wanted to go catch loaches with Yifan.

It was such a fond memory!

But Grandpa and Grandma usually wouldn’t allow it; every time, it was Yifan who secretly took him.

You could say Grandpa and Grandma were a bit biased toward Tang Yichen.

“Hmph! I don’t even want to take him,” Yifan shrugged and slipped away.

Tang Yichen could only resign himself and followed his father inside.

Next, his father would talk to Grandpa about collecting the dried small fish and shrimp in the village, and he would listen closely.

Just in case his father made a mistake, he could remind him in time.