In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 153 Qingcheng and the Huangman Family

It was November 26th, and Yu Dawei's small repair shop had been open for two days.

Just as he expected, before opening, there were no customers because the business was not well-known. Although people in the area knew there was a repair shop there, most of them chose to ignore it.

But it's good, he can take advantage of this free time to send Huang Man home and take a trip to the south.

Yu Dawei hadn't been to the South much in his previous life. He'd heard that Qingcheng was a city permeated with the smell of chili peppers, something he'd heard from a friend who repaired cars in his past life.

Business has been slow these past few days. He originally wanted to persuade Yao Jinfu to go home and visit, but Fuzi refused without even thinking about it. The people in the village had hurt him too much back then, and the label of murderer had never been removed from his head.

But Yu Dawei believes that time will heal all wounds, and as long as the axe is no longer in the village, it will never become the center of attention again.

Since we're going to Qingcheng, we need to choose a mode of transportation.

There were no cars available, and the only way to get to the south was by train. However, there were no tickets from Sui City's train station to Qingcheng, so the three of them had to take a bus to Youcheng first, and then buy tickets from Youcheng to take the train to Qingcheng.

After the arrangements were finalized, Yu Dawei left Luhe Town the next day with two other people and a package.

After boarding the train in the oil city, Yao Jinfu, who was usually quiet, became more talkative. He had never been to the south before and asked the barbarian many questions about Qingcheng.

Qingcheng's local snacks, Maoxuewang (a spicy Sichuan dish), Douhuayu (tofu fish), and the Liberation Monument, a landmark of Qingcheng...

Manzi had little interest in Qingcheng. He had lived in Shapingba since he was a child and was very familiar with the place. He was so familiar with it that every memory was etched in his mind and he never forgot it. Sometimes he would dream of being beaten and scolded at night.

Most importantly, he would dream of the mornings when his father waved goodbye to him and left.

Why does he stay at home? Because he hates everyone in Shapingba, he hates everything about Shapingba.

Yu Dawei, sitting opposite the two, noticed Huang Man's inner turmoil and spoke up to stop Fu Zi from continuing to press the matter.

Some people in my past life said that emotional wounds are hard to heal, and no matter how much time passes, they can never be truly soothed.

Despite his imposing physique, Huang Man is an exceptionally kind person. He doesn't go looking for trouble or get into fights, much like a herbivorous dinosaur.

The green train swayed along the road, and the scenery that passed by changed from the withered yellow of autumn to a sea of ​​emerald green.

The three of them slept for ages before finally arriving at Shapingba Railway Station. As soon as they stepped out of the station, Yu Dawei and Yao Jinfu felt a wave of stuffiness. They realized it was because their clothes were too thick, so they quickly found a place to change out of their thick clothes.

After everything was settled, the two of them, led by Huang Man, walked through the bustling crowd and headed out of the station.

Outside the train station are small buildings of four or five stories high, with signs of different sizes hanging downstairs, as well as stalls. Large parasols are placed overhead, covered with various small advertisements.

Further away is a plaza under construction. This is in the south, unlike the north, where there is no permafrost in November and December.

Yu Dawei's eyes lit up when he saw three or four large excavators working on the construction site. Two of them were domestic brands, but they were working just as fast as the Hitachi excavators next to them, probably because they were new.

As they walked further, they saw the Shapingba District Cultural Center, a very large Xinhua Bookstore, and small restaurants along the way that smelled of chili peppers.

Yu Dawei also saw a department store, and he thought to himself that he would go there to pick out some nice things for his wife when he got home.

On the way, Huang Man said that many places in Qingcheng are under development, such as JB District, which used to be a suburban area. However, his cousin said that it will be expanded later, and it will be no less than YZ District.

Huang Man also said that the distinction between the city and the non-city is very clear. Once you enter YZ District, you are considered to have entered the city. The Liberation Monument in Qingcheng is the iconic city wall of Qingcheng. As for their hometown, Shapingba, it is considered a relatively prosperous district in the city.

As they walked, the group arrived at a residential complex with predominantly white walls. They entered Building No. 4 and climbed the cement stairs.

"Brother, is this what it's like to live in an apartment building? Climbing the stairs feels so tiring." Yao Jinfu carried a blue package, his eyes curiously looking around the stairwell.

The red railings snaked down from the top floor to the first floor, with two households facing each other on each floor. Some of the households had a small trash can in front of their doors.

“More and more buildings will have elevators installed in the future, which will make it much more convenient to go up and down the stairs. However, these six-plus-one buildings will still exist. This community is already considered very high-end by today’s standards, with flower beds right downstairs.” Yu Dawei turned to look at Yao Jinfu. “The conditions at Manzi’s house are many times better than those in the village.”

Huang Man smiled sheepishly upon hearing this.

Yao Jinfu nodded in deep agreement. Despite his complaint about the fatigue of climbing stairs, if he had the choice, he would definitely choose to live in an apartment building without hesitation, since it was a symbol of city life!

The group arrived on the fourth floor, knocked on the door, and heard the voice of an intellectual woman coming from inside.

"Who is it?"

"Mom, I'm back." Huang Man said, her voice choked with emotion.

His longing grew stronger, and only when he stood at his own doorstep did he fully understand the feelings of a wanderer returning home.

There was excitement, joy, sadness, and what remained was endless longing.

"Xiaoman." The door opened and a middle-aged woman came out.

She was wearing a dark blue floral dress with white polka dots, her hair was styled in a bun, and there were a few noticeable white hairs among the ends.

The woman was not tall, about 1.5 meters, and had a well-proportioned figure, except for a little bit of fat around her abdomen. She had crow's feet around her eyes, and her face was not as fair as that of a southern woman, but rather a healthy wheat color.

The moment she saw Huang Man, tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, disregarding the others around her, she hugged the tall, strong Huang Man tightly, crying, "I missed you so much! Do you know how worried I was about you?" "If your cousin hadn't said you were alright, I would have bought a train ticket to come find you." The woman released her arms, wiping away the tears streaming from her eyes. She calmed herself and looked at Yu Dawei and his colleague beside her, extending her hands, "You must be Huang Man's superiors. I heard from his cousin that you brought Huang Man back. Thank you, thank you both."

"Auntie, you're too kind. I'm not a leader, my brother is..." Yao Jinfu finished speaking and gave Yu Dawei a wicked smile.

Yu Dawei rolled his eyes at him, then reached out and lightly shook hands with Huang Man's mother: "Auntie, don't listen to his nonsense. I've always treated Manzi like a brother, and I've never considered myself a boss or leader. I'm just a car maker."

"With your words that you treat Huang Man like a brother, I'm relieved." The woman's smile widened, and her eyes showed great appreciation for Yu Dawei. She reached out her wrinkled hand, grabbed Yu Dawei, and led him into the house. "Come on, let's talk inside. You two look quite young, about the same age as Xiao Man. From now on, just call me Aunt Huang. No need to be so formal."

Aunt Huang was a very kind person. After welcoming them into the house, she began to ask them about their well-being, constantly saying that the train journey was not safe and that it was a great blessing to have arrived safely. She insisted on going out to celebrate.

She was also grateful that he had escorted Xiaoman home like a brother, and she was so touched that she insisted on treating the two of them to a good meal.

Yu Dawei felt it was too much of a waste and tried to decline, but Huang Man interrupted him.

Later he learned that Huang Man's family owned a restaurant, specifically the Qingcheng Hot Pot Restaurant, which truly piqued Yu Dawei's interest.

His biggest regret in his past life was that he never got to eat Qingcheng's old-fashioned beef tallow hot pot.

Upon hearing this, Huang Ma decided not to go out and would eat at home.

She wanted to show off her skills to Dawei and Fuzi herself, so Huang Man volunteered and dragged Dawei and Fuzi to buy ingredients, while her mother stayed home to render the butter.

Perhaps because she saw her mother, or perhaps because her two older brothers were by her side, Huang Man's initial timidity before returning home was largely dispelled by the atmosphere at home.

The three went to a nearby vegetable market, with Yu Dawei and Yao Jinfu acting as bodyguards, protecting Huang Man on either side.

Perhaps because of their relationship, when Huang Man met an old acquaintance, he could calmly say a few words and even openly tell her what he was doing now.

When the vegetable vendor heard that Huang Man was now an excavator operator, he couldn't help but praise him for choosing a good profession. He even started to appeal to Huang Man's emotions, hoping that his good-for-nothing son would learn to operate an excavator from Huang Man.

Huang Man became more and more confident as they talked. Although she politely declined, she seemed to have rediscovered that genuine feeling of being respected.

During their trip, they also ran into Huang Man's female classmate from junior high school. The classmate is now married and has a four or five-year-old child with her. When she saw Huang Man, she warmly asked about his recent situation.

Actually, everyone here lives in the nearby neighborhood, and since we're classmates, we all know a bit about Huang Man's years of staying at home.

She was very happy that Huang Man was able to get out of this situation. Yu Dawei and the other man also learned from this female classmate that Huang Man had become increasingly reluctant to go out since her father passed away.

The girl's hometown is Liyuchi Village. When she graduated from junior high school and was working in Shapingba, she had even gone on a blind date with Huang Man.

Time has passed swiftly, leaving only endless sighs of regret.

Yu Dawei could tell that the simple and cheerful girl in front of him actually had a good impression of Manzi, but unfortunately he had completely shut himself off back then. He could feel the regret in the girl's tone.

Huang Man said that in the past, many girls were willing to date boys from Shapingba, get married and have children, but he had never thought of that.

After returning home, Yao Jinfu and Huang Man took charge of tidying up the living room, while Yu Dawei helped Huang's mother tidy up the kitchen. Out of curiosity, they started talking about the girl.

Hearing this, Huang's mother couldn't help but sigh. Her Xiaoman was indeed different from the Huangman before she left home. She was no longer self-conscious, and she loved to talk. Although she was still very straightforward, she had now learned to drive and was radiating confidence.

All of this is inseparable from the help Huang Fengcang found for this Mr. Xiao, who is really dedicated to taking care of his children.

Huang Ma's words were always filled with gratitude; this kindness deserved to be expressed with a thousand thanks.

Yu Dawei felt both embarrassed and very sorry for Huang Ma.

It seems like a miracle that such a petite mother could raise such a big, fair-skinned son.

He could understand that Huang Ma must have worried herself sick over the barbarians.

During their casual conversation, Huang's mother in the kitchen also talked about Huang Man's father's story. His father was Huang's mother's cousin. The two got married very young, but they were unable to have children.

Huang Man was born when his father was around forty years old, and Huang's mother was thirty-five at that time.

The baby was born safely, and the couple wept with joy.

Huang's father is a very capable person. In particular, he inherited some cooking skills from the older generation, so when Huang Man was still young, he opened a small hot pot restaurant. It can't really be called a hot pot restaurant, it's just a 16-square-meter street-front shop, but the business is very good.

Huang's father is very patient with Huang Man, the kind of loving father. Whenever Huang Man is bullied by the neighbor's children, Huang's father comforts and protects her, and also cooks delicious food for her.

The two men are like father and son, but even more like friends.

Perhaps that's why Huang Man felt like the sky had fallen when he lost his father, and that there was no longer an umbrella to shelter him from the wind and rain.

Yu Dawei then understood and began to comfort Huang's mother, telling her about the changes Huang Man had undergone in the past year.

How to diligently learn how to operate an excavator, how to ask for advice from those around you, and how well you treat the people in your village.

As for the fight scene, Yu Dawei cut it out, since it's not something to be proud of.

(End of this chapter)