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

Chapter 218 Reunion with Eldest Sister
While the two were talking, the third uncle carried them on his back and lay on the table, pretending to sleep, but in reality he had his eyes open and was staring blankly.

He actually misses his older sister and the past.

As a child, I was the one who was naughty and unruly, and I was also the one who got beaten up the most by my older sister.

When she was young, the eldest sister had a terrible temper. Even the most rebellious and defiant leader was no match for her, and the eldest sister, Hou Xiaorong, would beat her without hesitation.

Back then, everyone was very young, and the eldest sister was still young, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Although she was married and had children, she was still the most beautiful girl in their Minquan Village.

At that time, their father was still lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) and chiming in, "Good beating, they all need a good beating, especially the third son."

Back then, my eldest brother loved his younger siblings very much. He cooked for them during the day, lit the fire to heat the kang (a traditional heated bed) at night, and also took care of our father, wiping his body with hot water and helping him with his excrement and urine.

Back then, the family was very poor. When they couldn't afford to eat, the eldest brother could only slice the porridge into pieces. The younger sister would slice it into thicker pieces, the second brother into thinner pieces, and the eldest brother would slice it into the thinnest pieces with their father.

But the family was happy. Even when the eldest sister and her husband brought food and cried, they didn't really feel how hard things were. Perhaps the eldest brother and father felt it, but they didn't say anything. The three of them were too young to understand.

winter solstice……

The whole family ate dumplings together around the kang (a heated brick bed) only once, and only once in their entire lives.

"Big brother, the frozen dumplings that big sister brought for our family are so delicious!" That was the little sister's smiling voice as she knelt on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Brother, can you give me one more? Why does my little sister get one more than me!" That was the voice of her feeling that her older brother was being unfairly treated.

"Third brother, you have one more than me, be secretly happy." That was the second brother's voice comforting himself.

"You little glutton, these two left in my bowl are for you." That was the older brother's voice.

"Mmm..." That was the sound of his father, who was paralyzed in the later stages and unable to speak. He wanted to share the dumplings in his bowl with them, but none of his brothers agreed.

Home... he no longer has one.

----

After lunch, everyone rested for a while before Hou Wanshan and the other two prepared to leave.

Before leaving, the third uncle reminded Yu Dawei to take some time to thoroughly inspect the rotary excavator. Next year, in addition to bringing electricity to every village, he should also pay more attention to afforestation.

Yu Dawei nodded in agreement; making money was something he had to take seriously.

After watching the others get into the car, Yu Dawei turned his head and glanced at the piece of pork frozen solid under the window. After hesitating for a while, he finally offered to hitch a ride to deliver the pork to the old lady's house.

Deep down, Dawei didn't really want to get involved in his third uncle's and his grandparents' affairs, but all along this year, whether it was when his driver and car were bullied on the village road or when his third uncle helped him deal with bandits on his way home, he had helped him a lot.

Regardless of whether his third uncle was willing to accept his help, Yu Dawei decided to take this opportunity to mend a knot in his third uncle's heart.

As a junior, there's not much he can do, but Yu Dawei is happy to do whatever he can.

Seeing that Yu Dawei wanted a ride, Qi Dadu didn't wait for his third uncle to answer before he readily agreed, and secretly gave Yu Dawei a thumbs up before getting in the car.

As one of Hou Wanshan's best brothers, Qi Dadudu was the one who most wanted to see his third brother do well.

Yu Dawei put the piece of pork in the trunk. Whether it was for his own family or for his aunt's family, the two pieces of pork were already covered with silk bags when they arrived, which saved him the trouble of finding something else to put them in.

In addition to this piece of pork, Yu Dawei also packed some oranges from a box he brought back from town for the elderly people.

Since our family's life has become more comfortable, we've had a constant supply of apples and oranges. Some fruits from the south are either too expensive to buy or not available in our town, but it's already a good thing. Unlike in my previous life, when feeding our family of three was a problem.

Although the Winter Solstice is not the Lunar New Year, Yujiatun already has a festive atmosphere. Some families have gotten firecrackers from somewhere and are setting them off in their own yards.

After leaving Yu Dawei's house, the off-road vehicle headed west until it reached Yu Damin's house on the same street. There, a triangular intersection appeared. Heading north and then turning left led out of the village.

Yu Dawei's uncle's house is the third house from the west end of the village. The house at the far west end is that of the fourth uncle, Yu Huai, then the Gao family from another branch of Yu family village, and then the uncle's house.

The SUV stopped at the gate of Yu Chen's house. Yu Dawei prepared to get out of the car, but his movements became slow and hesitant, and his expression began to show some struggle.

Qi Dadu, observing everything through the rearview mirror, couldn't help but give Yu Dawei a thumbs up in his heart. This kid's acting skills are really good! I'm not as good as him! "Get out of the car. Do you want to come back to Minquan with us?" Third Uncle sat in the passenger seat, his tone indifferent.

“Hey, Third Uncle, since we’re here now, why don’t you come with me to see Grandpa and Grandma? The old couple are getting on in years, and their health isn’t what it used to be. My grandpa walks with a hunched back, and in a few years he’ll be using a cane.” Yu Dawei started playing the emotional card from the back seat.

Based on his understanding of his third uncle's personality, if he were too direct and blatant, and without any reason, his third uncle would definitely yell at him to get lost, kick him out of the car, and drive away.

Even after saying this, Yu Dawei was still a little uneasy, as he might get scolded if he said it aloud.

Old Qi, I've done my best. If Third Uncle yells at me and I get out of the car, then it's not like I did nothing wrong. Don't ask me for help again. Yu Dawei subconsciously glanced at Qi Da-du through the rearview mirror.

Qi Dadu also gave a look of instant understanding and gratitude.

To Yu's great surprise, his third uncle not only did not get angry, but even showed a hesitant and thoughtful expression.

Yu Dawei's eyes showed a hint of realization. He could tell from his third uncle's hesitation how close his third uncle and aunt used to be.

It's probably the kind of relationship that develops gradually through playful teasing and discipline, where the kid misbehaves at his older sister's house.

"You take the meat and get off the bus, I'm going to bother people." In the end, Uncle San didn't take that step. He leaned back in his seat and glanced at the yard out of the corner of his eye, looking at the bright and clean house. He could still see his eldest sister inside.

He's still that stubborn kid he always was; even if he's wrong, he'll never bow down to her!
"Well... okay." Yu Dawei's eyes darted around, and before leaving, he deliberately left the bag of oranges in the car.

Four Baldy saw it and was about to give a reminder when he saw Yu Dawei wink at him.

Even the dumbest person would understand what it meant. After all, he was there when things happened back then, and he understood what Lao Qi and Boss Xiao were plotting.

"Hurry up and get Third Brother out of here, otherwise how will Lao Qi and I dare to go to the big city to donate money?" Fourth Baldy leaned against the side door, unable to help but mutter to himself.

Yu Dawei got off the car with the pork, waved to the three people inside, and headed straight for the old man and woman's house.

Today is the Winter Solstice. Except for my fourth sister, sixth sister, and seventh sister who are working in other places, my eighth sister, ninth sister, second sister and her husband, and my uncle and aunt are all here.

As for the eldest, second, third, and fifth sisters, they all got married long ago. The fifth sister married into the place closest to Yujiatun, which is Lijiatunzi in the third team next door.

Everyone was a little surprised to see Yu Dawei bring a piece of pork. Over the past year, Yu Dawei had often brought things here, and the observant Aunt Yu had already noticed something was amiss. Now, seeing Yu Dawei get out of the car, everyone was surprised.

She was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) at home, and through the window she could clearly see that the man sitting in the passenger seat was her younger brother, Hou Wanshan.

His wrinkled face furrowed his brows, glanced at the SUV slowly driving away outside, and then ignored it.

If some people never learn their lesson, then just consider it as if Hou Xiaorong has lost a younger brother.

Anyway, this life of walking a tightrope and risking one's life won't last long. Rather than living in constant fear, it's better to just assume the other person is already dead.

"Dawei, where did you get this piece of pork? We won't be able to finish it even by the New Year. We were planning to slaughter a pig this year, but it seems we won't need to." The second sister had short hair, was about the same height as the eldest aunt, but a little plumper.

Beside her were two children, one seven or eight years old and the other four or five years old. The boy was holding the little girl's hand and was hiding behind her brother-in-law, peeking at Yu Dawei through their legs.

Yu Dawei glanced at the old woman on the kang (a heated brick bed) and the old man who was going to the north to get a thermos to pour water for him. He gritted his teeth and told the truth: "Actually, this piece of pork was given by my third uncle, Hou Wanshan. He told me to make sure to bring your grandparents with me."

“It’s not just pork. The watermelon, lampshade, and some vegetables that my third uncle sent you this year were all brought over by me,” Yu Dawei added.

Upon hearing this, the room fell into an unusual silence. The only calm and composed person was the old man pouring water by the cabinet on the north wall, accompanied by the splashing sound of water being poured.

Seeing the unusual silence, Yu Dawei tried to start a conversation. He noticed a work surface at the end of the kang (heated brick bed), along with prepared dumpling filling and torn dough pieces. (Dough pieces: small, even pieces of dough used for steaming buns, dumplings, and other similar dishes.)
"Oh, you're making dumplings?" Yu Dawei said, but when he realized no one was responding, he felt even more awkward.

Good heavens, it would have been better if he hadn't said anything at all. Everyone in the village makes dumplings for the Winter Solstice.

"It's perfect that you brought the meat. Let's make some pork and scallion filling later and keep it for us to eat together." At this crucial moment, it was Yu Dawei's grandfather who stood up for his nephew and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with his water cup.

He poured two glasses, one for himself and one for his eldest nephew. He didn't care who the others were.

(End of this chapter)