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

Chapter 617 Visiting Aunt and Uncle

After another four hours of nerve-wracking travel, the two brothers finally descended the winding mountain road and arrived in Hohhot. The rest of the journey was much easier than the winding mountain road.

However, the ground is covered with a blanket of compacted white snow, so if you brake suddenly while driving, the car will definitely not be able to stop, especially if the car is heavy.

Therefore, Yu Dawei and Yu Dafu's driving principle is that they would rather arrive late than drive too fast.

Fortunately, my aunt and uncle knew they were coming, so they would definitely reserve a room for the two brothers.

The Land Cruiser sailed for another two hours, and the once dark highway finally came alive with lights from every household. In the distance, there were beautiful neon lights on the bridge, and even further away, the lights of every household in the buildings were still on.

It was already 9 p.m., and the two brothers hadn't eaten yet.

Xiao Muyu had already woken up. She had been sleeping since they set off in the morning, and was finally awakened by the beautiful neon lights of the city around her. Her big, bright black eyes blinked as she looked at the buildings in the distance.

"Big brother, Auntie called and asked how much longer it will take for you to arrive. Second brother is at Auntie's house too." Yu Dafu, with his big belly, sat in the passenger seat, holding a black flip phone in his right hand, and turned to look at Yu Dawei.

"We're already in the city. It'll take at least another hour to get to Mulunhe." Yu Dawei knew the distance from Hohhot to Mulunhe Town all too well. In his past life, whenever his aunt and uncle were sick, he would drive from Hohhot to take care of them immediately.

"Okay, Auntie said to drive slowly and don't rush. It's been snowing heavily in Hohhot lately." Yu Dafu listened to his aunt's nagging on the phone while turning his head to convey her instructions.

Perhaps in her aunt's mind, Yu Dawei is still that reckless nephew who does things without considering the consequences.

Over the years, I may have heard that my nephew is doing well, but the distance is too great, and who can really know how the child is doing?

"Tell your aunt not to worry, I'm not driving fast." Yu Dawei felt a warmth in his heart. It used to be like this too. When he rode his bicycle out to play with his friends at night, his aunt would always go out and remind him again and again.

After hanging up the phone, Yu Dawei was eager to go home, but he also knew that the road from Hohhot to Mulunhe was difficult to travel. The road was narrow and had been a dirt road for many years without any official repairs.

In addition, the roads are completely dark with no lights on either side, making it easy to skid and cause an accident if you drive fast.

Fortunately, Dawei was very familiar with this road, and after driving for about fifty minutes, they finally arrived at Mulunhe Town.

This town is divided into two parts: the upper part and the lower part. The upper part is not actually on the top of the mountain, but it is just that the terrain is relatively high. Many years ago, the government built a community, school and hospital on the mountain to arrange accommodation for the college students who came to work here.

Down the mountain, part of the area is occupied by a state-owned coal-fired power plant, and part by the original residents of Mulunhe.

However, there are very few local residents here. Yu Dawei had heard from his uncle that in the 1960s and 70s, this place was just a wasteland with no one around.

Some nomadic groups may stay here for a short period of time, but they will not live here for a long time.

It was because of the large number of coal mines that the government sent a large number of Chinese talents to settle here, and gradually the villages formed a town. Finally, the ancestors raised children here, and that's how the real Mulunhe Town came to be.

My aunt and uncle live in the mountains. Every time my uncle goes to work, he has to ride his bicycle for forty minutes to get to the government office.

Summer was fine, but in winter, Yu Dawei remembered that every time his uncle came home, his entire face, around the dog-skin hat, was covered in white frost, and his stubble was also covered in snow-white frost.

"Hey, hey, hey? Brother, why are you driving up the mountain?!" Just as Yu Dawei was recalling what he was doing while driving, Yu Dafu's terrified voice came from the passenger seat next to him.

"Huh? Don't my aunt and uncle live in the mountain community?" Yu Dawei quickly tapped the brakes twice and turned to look at Dafu.

"Oh dear! I forgot to tell you, my uncle and his wife moved away seven or eight years ago when Grandma died. They sold their old house and bought a house in a residential area called Fuqiang at the foot of the mountain." Yu Dafu quickly explained, then pointed to the southwest behind him based on his vague memory, "Over there! That's Fuqiang Residential Area."

"You should have said so earlier." Yu Dawei turned around speechlessly. Fortunately, there were no cars in the town at night, so he could turn around however he wanted.

"Fuqiang Residential Area? I've never heard of it before," Yu Dawei said curiously.

“Sigh, after you left, a lot of residential areas were built in the town. In the two years I was gone, they were even planning to build a villa area!” Yu Dafu continued with a smirk, “Brother, do you think the real estate developers here have gone crazy? How many people in this small place can afford a villa? I reckon that even if the houses are built in the next two years, no one will buy them. They’ll just sit there and rot.”

Are there many residential communities built?

"There are many, they've never stopped. They're on the mountain and down at the foot of the mountain, but the vast majority are six-story buildings with garages and such."

Yu Dawei nodded. Times have changed. Now it's all about market economy, and real estate is a product of the market economy. Doing real estate here is a good strategy.

They certainly won't be able to pay compensation, since the land price here must be very, very low. When the government sees people buying land use rights and helping with construction, they're definitely happy to see it happen, and might even try to help these real estate developers.

It's a pity it's too far away, otherwise Yu Dawei would definitely have told his second uncle about Mulun River.

Don't let the fact that it's an unassuming little town fool you; the miners earn a decent monthly wage and certainly have the means to spend their money. It's just that the place is remote and they have money but nowhere to spend it.

Now that they have new houses, Yu Dawei estimates that many residents here have sold their old houses or simply bought new ones.

Following Da Fu's directions, Yu Dawei drove towards a brightly lit residential area. When he arrived at the entrance, he stepped on the gas and drove straight there.

Unlike the future, where every residential community has a gate with a fence, facial recognition, and eventually even fully automated management, today's communities are not like the future.

Anyway, those who guard the gate will be out of work in the future.

The community still has those old-fashioned, large iron gates, and some don't even have gates at all, so you can just drive right in.

When Yu Dawei arrived at Fuqiang Residential Area, he could see a few streetlights. Following Yu Dafu's directions, he drove through several turns until he reached an open space in front of him.

To the left are six-story residential buildings, while to the right is a desolate area covered in snow.

Yu Dawei could see a large area of ​​undulating sand covered in snow on the right. He figured it was probably the second or third phase of the residential complex that hadn't been completed yet and was just left there.

There is no wall on the right side of the residential area, so it should not be completely finished.

But Yu Dawei heard from Yu Dafu that the community had been built for many years and was still empty, so the most likely outcome was that it would be abandoned.

"Hey, Auntie! We've arrived, yes, almost at the entrance of Unit 3!" Yu Dafu received another call from his aunt.

Even though Yu Dawei was sitting in the driver's seat, he could hear his aunt's excitement on the phone.

Before Dawei could even park the SUV, he saw the entrance to the building next door being pushed open, and then his aunt came out wearing a bright red cotton-padded jacket, followed by his second brother, Yu Dasheng.

"Auntie! Is it snowing this heavily here? Good heavens! If it weren't for your brother's good driving skills, we would have been in a ditch by now." Yu Dafu was a talkative man. As soon as he saw his aunt come out, he jumped out of the car and started opening the trunk to take things out.

The trunk was completely full, with mountain produce brought by his older brother and tonics he bought for his aunt and uncle.

The second brother, Yu Dasheng, saw that there were too many things and quickly went up to help.

At this moment, Yu Dawei had just turned off the car and gotten out. After briefly greeting his second brother, he walked straight to his aunt.

Ten years have passed, and the old lady under the streetlights seems to have aged a lot since then. Her eye bags are thicker, and she has more crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.

However, her almond-shaped eyes were still so beautiful and bright, and her short black hair, paired with her peaceful and serene face, still exuded elegance. She truly deserved to be called the most beautiful village belle of Yujiatun and Heshan Village back then.

Even though many years have passed, even though youth has long since faded, the beautiful traces of the past still remain. "Auntie—" Yu Dawei didn't know why, but his voice suddenly became a little hoarse, like noise coming from a broken box, when he was just greeting her normally.

"You brat! You finally remembered to visit your aunt! You heartless thing, you haven't even bothered to write a letter since you came home! Don't you know how worried your uncle and I were..."

When the old aunt saw Yu Dawei standing in front of her, scenes of the hardships and difficulties she had endured while taking care of him flashed through her mind. All the past memories instantly turned into worry, and she couldn't help but reach out and gently pat Yu Dawei's shoulders.

Immediately afterwards, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

In order to take care of Yu Dawei, she had to endure her mother-in-law's cold words and painstakingly teach Dawei how to conduct himself in society, while also keeping an eye on his studies.

She truly poured her heart and soul into this child, just like she would her own.

But what she got in return was ten years of no contact. She thought the child would never see her again in his life. Unexpectedly, Dafu came this time and said that his older brother was also coming.

She was both excited and angry!

She couldn't take it anymore, and instead of stopping after a couple of punches, she punched Yu Dawei's arm twice more.

"Oh dear, Auntie, don't cry! Look, your older brother has come to see you! And he brought you and Uncle a lot of things!" Yu Dafu has figured out the principles of interpersonal relationships in the past two years. He comforted his aunt and told her not to cry, while giving his older brother a meaningful look.

"Hey, Auntie, it's cold outside, let's go upstairs to talk." Yu Dawei didn't want his aunt to catch a cold because of him, so he quickly helped the second son move things, and then the three of them went upstairs.

Yu Dafu said that his aunt's house was on the fourth floor, a four-bedroom, two-living room house of more than 200 square meters. In the past few years, the couple had spent all their savings to buy this house.

"Where is my uncle?" Yu Dawei followed behind his aunt, walking up the steps one by one.

"Your uncle knew you had arrived, so he quickly heated up the food he had prepared and even warmed a pot of wine, waiting to welcome you two over," the aunt said as she went upstairs.

"Hehe! It's such an honor to have our leader cook for us personally. Most people don't even get to eat like this." Yu Dafu walked at the front, his face full of praise.

Upon hearing this, Yu Dawei raised an eyebrow. In his memory, his uncle was someone who never went into the kitchen, but now he was actually taking the initiative to cook. That was quite a change.

In my memory, my uncle only gradually became interested in cooking after he was over fifty. How old is he now?

Despite the generational difference between his aunt and uncle and Yu Dawei, he is only eight years younger than his aunt and ten years younger than his uncle.

If we don't consider kinship, calling someone "elder brother" or "elder sister" wouldn't be excessive.

These two are only around forty years old now.

"We're here. The door's unlocked, just open it," Auntie reminded Yu Dafu.

The group then went inside.

The house was very big, seemingly even larger than the 200-square-meter house where Dafu lived.

The house is on the east side, so the sofa is right next to the door, and the TV cabinet is opposite it. Further in are the master bedroom, the second bedroom, the bathroom, and so on.

Next to it is a round-table dining area, and right next to it is the kitchen.

At that moment, a short man was in the kitchen, tossing hot dishes in a wok, and then carrying the dishes out after serving them.

To be honest, my uncle is not a good-looking person. He is not tall, and would be considered short even in the south. He also has the kind of single-eyelid, squinty eyes. If you don't look closely, you would not be able to tell whether he is asleep or not.

But this is the kind of person who is humble and polite, does things in a calm and unhurried manner, and never feels tired when talking or chatting with him. He will not speak in official jargon and has a very easygoing personality.

From junior high school onwards, Yu Dawei lived with his aunt and uncle for a total of seven years. During those seven years, he never saw his uncle lose his temper even once!

No, that's not right, I already posted it!

Yu Dawei remembers that when he was going from junior high to senior high school, he was good enough to get into the top class, but he was assigned to the worst class. This was because the teachers in both junior high and senior high schools knew each other and didn't want him because they knew he was a troublemaker.

Then my uncle, who was then a low-level employee in an official family, found out about it.

That was the first and only time Yu Dawei saw his uncle get angry.

My uncle is the kind of person who, even when he's upset or angry, hides his emotions very well; at most, he'll just sulk with a sullen face.

For example, when I get into fights at school, my uncle always calms down on the way home before reasoning with me, even when he's lecturing me.

Honestly, even his own father didn't go to this extent.

Yu Dawei hadn't really felt much before, but after living two lives, especially in this life where he met more complex people, he understood even more how good his uncle and aunt were to him.

"Uncle." When his uncle looked in his direction, Yu Dawei excitedly stepped forward and took the two plates from the other man's hands.

"Hey~" Uncle smiled gently at Yu Dawei, his eyes full of concern but he still held back. He turned to look at everyone and said, "Sit down, everyone. The food is ready. Let's eat and chat."

"Oh! Uncle, braised carp! And deep-fried yellow croaker! Hey! I'm so hungry!" Yu Dafu's eyes were fixed on the yellow croaker on the table. He couldn't resist and used two fingers to pick one up and put it in his mouth.

Despite being from an official family, Yu Dafu was not bound by any of the usual rules and regulations. This is why he dared to be so genuine and unpretentious.

"Still so ill-mannered." The old aunt said with a smile, "Oh? Didn't you say my little grandson was coming too? Didn't you bring him?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Dawei, who had just placed two plates on the table, paused, and Yu Dafu, who was eating half a small yellow croaker, also tensed up.

Then the two of them shouted at the same time, "Oh no!"

The father and uncle then realized that even though they were carrying a lot of things in both hands when they went upstairs, they still felt like something was missing.

What's missing?

They're missing a son (or nephew)!
Thankfully, when I got downstairs, I found Xiao Muyu still sleeping in the back seat of the car.

As we left Hohhot and headed down the dark alley, the little guy got drowsy again and slept the whole way.

After the two people took the child upstairs, the child was still confused and didn't know what to do.

But the child's great-aunt couldn't take it anymore! The Yu family's inherently fiery temper could no longer be contained, and she unleashed a torrent of abuse on the two "door gods" standing at the entrance!
But the child's biological father and uncle were also innocent at this moment! The child slept the whole way, and in the end, they even thought that it was the two of them who had come, completely forgetting about the child.

If it weren't for the occasional need for Xiao Muyu to stop the car so she could get out to pee or poop, the two of them would have completely forgotten that there was a child in the back seat.

But my aunt didn't care about any of that!
Look how adorable that innocent little grandson is! And this is how you, as his father and uncle, take care of him!
At this moment, the old aunt's years of accumulated self-control completely crumbled.

(End of this chapter)