I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 10. The Old Story of the Yao Family
Saturday.

After breakfast, the Xu family of three rode their motorcycle back to the countryside.

It was May, and the paddy fields on both sides of the road were already planted with lush green rice.

As we drove along, we could see farmers carrying large sprayers and spraying pesticides from time to time.

[Drones are also a hot trend.]
Recalling the scene he saw in his previous life where villagers used drones to spray pesticides in large quantities, Xu Qingfan thought to himself.

There are just too many similar opportunities, such as opening a supermarket or an electronics superstore; he can recall many of them with a little thought.

However, it was all in vain; despite possessing the skill to slay dragons, he couldn't lift the dragon-slaying blade.

With a snap, the front wheel of the motorcycle seemed to have crushed an insect, and a foul odor wafted into his nostrils.

Stink bug!
After he entered high school, the insect that had dominated his entire childhood disappeared.

In my past life, when I was in elementary school, there was a longan tree in the school. Every summer, the tree and the ground were covered with stink bugs. If you stepped on them, the stench would linger for a whole day, and you could still smell it after taking a shower.

Xu's mother was born only about 20 kilometers away from the county seat. It took more than half an hour to reach her destination by motorcycle.

Grandma was sitting at the door when the roar of the motorcycle caught her attention.

"mom."

"Mother-in-law!"

Xu Ma and Xu Qingfan shouted at the same time.

"Hey! Fanfan, come inside and enjoy the fan, it's hot outside." Grandma put the few phoenix-eye fruits she was holding back into the bamboo basket, got up, and was about to come over to help Xu Qingfan out of the car.

"Mother-in-law, I can do it myself."

"Be careful not to get burned by the chimney," Grandma gently reminded her.

"Ah."

These are all lessons learned in blood; Xu Qingfan can still clearly see the scars left from the burns on his right ankle.

"Mom," Mr. Xu greeted his mother-in-law after parking the motorcycle.

"Hmm." Grandma gave him a nonchalant look and led Xiao Fan into the house.

It wasn't that my grandmother disliked this son-in-law; it was just that her in-laws were being incredibly unfair.

Unlike his mother, Xu's father was from the city and was the youngest of four brothers.

Perhaps due to the inherent sense of superiority that comes with city dwellers, Xu Qingfan's grandmother was very dissatisfied with Xu's mother, who was born in the countryside.

If it were just a few sarcastic remarks, that would be one thing, but upon learning that Xu's mother was pregnant, they actually came to her door demanding that she go to the hospital for an abortion.

In a fit of anger, Xu's mother went back to her parents' home. Fortunately, Xu's father was not a mama's boy and followed her despite his family's objections. The two then registered their marriage and settled down here.

That's right, Xu Qingfan was born before they got their marriage certificate, so it's already a miracle that Grandma didn't throw Xu's father out with a broom.

"Mother-in-law, where are father-in-law and brother-in-law?" Xu Qingfan asked, puzzled, when no one was in the room.

"Knowing you were coming, I went to the river to catch fish."

"Okay, I want tofu and crucian carp soup!" Xu Qingfan nodded vigorously.

The crucian carp caught from the river also have fish eggs inside. Add two local eggs and boil them together, and they are incredibly delicious!
Knowing he wasn't liked by his mother-in-law, Mr. Xu said a few words and then went out to fish.

Xu Qingfan also wanted to go, but thinking that his grandmother hadn't seen him for so long, he had to wait until evening.

Xu's mother and grandmother worked together to carry a sack of phoenix fruit into the house, and the three of them chatted while peeling the fruit.

Danfeng fruit, also known as "Pingpo" in our area, looks and tastes somewhat like chestnuts, and is especially delicious when used to braise chicken.

"Xiao Fan will be starting elementary school next year, right?"

"Yes." Xu Qingfan nodded obediently. "Study hard, don't be like your mother and your uncle, they're both good-for-nothings." Grandma sighed suddenly, as if she had just remembered something.

"Mom!" Xu's mother scolded her mother with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.

"What, you can't even get into high school and you won't let people say anything?" Grandma picked up a bunch of phoenix fruits and slapped them on Xu's mother.

"What's so great about city people? Everyone wants to marry a city person." Grandma looked at the family photo on the wall with a listless expression.

Xu Qingfan had seen the photos on the wall many times; they were a family portrait of his maternal grandparents, uncle, and mother.

The girl in the photo is a little girl of seven or eight years old, wearing a pure white dress, and looks lively and cute.

The brother and sister are named Yao Jianjun and Yao Jinping.
The eldest uncle is fifteen years older than Xu's mother. In the photo, he is already a handsome young man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose bridge. He is a spitting image of Tony Leung.

It's often said that nephews resemble their uncles. The uncle in the photo bears a striking resemblance to Xu Qingfan during his university years, with the biggest difference being their height.

My uncle is only 1.73 meters tall, but thanks to his balanced nutrition, he was already over 1.8 meters tall by his senior year of high school.

Yao Jianjun belongs to the generation born in the new China and raised under the red flag. He was caught up in that special period and had to go home before finishing elementary school.

Fortunately, he was strong and a good farmer, which greatly reduced the burden on the Yao family.

After the family's financial situation improved, Xu's mother was able to give birth smoothly.

Several more years passed peacefully, and Yao Jianjun reached the age to settle down and start a family.

A hardworking and handsome young man who looked remarkably like Tony Leung suddenly became a hot commodity among matchmakers in the surrounding villages.

The result was unexpected. The eldest uncle looked down on everyone, but he took a fancy to the youngest daughter of Professor Chen, who was going to the countryside for labor reform.

Professor Chen and his wife were among the first batch of highly educated intellectuals sent abroad by the government. Their three sons and one daughter were sent to this remote mountain village.

The couple were both educated, and the family was too weak to do anything. Yao Jianjun seized the opportunity to lend a hand, and before long, he actually managed to trick their youngest daughter away.

The village was never short of gossipy women who couldn't keep their mouths shut. Within a few days, the rumor that the eldest uncle and the Chen family's daughter had been sleeping in the cornfield spread far and wide.

By the time the Chen couple heard the news, rumors were circulating that Yao Jianjun had gotten Chen Zipei, their daughter, pregnant.

The Chen family was so angry that they went to their door to beat him up, but Yao Jianjun was shameless and kept coming forward even though he was being beaten.

Seven or eight years later, the two families happily got married.

Also in that year, Yao Jianjun and Chen Zipei personally saw the Chen family off on a train bound for a place thousands of miles away.

At the end of the year, Chen Zipei received a package from Yanjing containing a letter, two hundred yuan, and a large number of books that Yao Jianjun could not understand.

Chen Zipei proposed to take the college entrance examination next year, and the Yao family did not object.

In the summer of 1979, Chen Zipei took the college entrance examination while pregnant and was successfully admitted to Yenching Normal University.

Once again, Yao Jianjun saw the Chen family off at the station, watching his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law take away his wife and the child in her womb.

A year later, a letter was delivered from afar to this isolated village. The letter was delivered by a county leader and contained five hundred yuan and a divorce agreement neatly arranged inside.

My mother said that afterwards, my eldest uncle seemed to become a different person. He became taciturn and often sat for a whole day.

This matter has become the biggest taboo for the Yao family.

No wonder the grandmother was so angry that her youngest daughter failed to get into high school. Everyone lives to prove themselves.

"Don't worry, Grandma, I'm sure I'll get into university!" Xu Qingfan said earnestly.

"Good, good, good!" Grandma said three times in a row, her eyes filled with tears.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan realized that he should really thank Xia Xiaoxiao in his past life.

His grandmother told him all of this after he was admitted to Gangcheng University.

If Xia Xiaoxiao hadn't said, "If you get into HKU, I'll be your girlfriend," would Xu Qingfan have been able to get into Hong Kong City University? Would his grandmother have told him all that?
(End of this chapter)