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

Chapter 90 Ultimately, only when the flowers fall can the fruit be borne.
"Give me the pilot spot in Heshan Village." Third Uncle said calmly, finishing the last bit of eggplant soup with his steamed bun. "You two haven't eaten yet, have you? Go find a bowl and get some rice, eat before you leave."

The third uncle got up, took the documents from Yu Dawei, and left without paying any attention to the village chief of Heshan Village next to him.

"Brother Sun, don't mind him. My third uncle has always been like this. He's a bit of a goofball and doesn't talk much." Yu Dawei pulled Sun Heming towards the canteen. The two of them each got a spoonful of soup and a steamed bun.

Although there was very little meat, it was probably made with lard. The eggplant soup tasted pretty good, and Yu Dawei drank two small bowls before heading to his third uncle's office with a full belly.

Sun Heming was a little reluctant to associate with someone like his third uncle, so he waited outside.

Yu Dawei knocked on the door and went in. What came into view was an empty room with a spring bed next to it. It was the kind with countless tiny springs connected together and covered with a tattered straw mat. The walls of the entire room were made of bricks and there was no exterior decoration. The desk in the office was just a yellow wooden desk used by primary school students, and there was a dilapidated stool of the same kind used in rural primary schools next to it.

It's hard to imagine that someone who will be in charge of providing electricity to all the villages in Luhe Town in the future would be working in such a rudimentary place.

At this moment, my third uncle was leaning against the quilt on another single bed, with a pipe between his left and right hands, documents on his crossed legs, and his right hand occasionally turning a page.

"Old Zhang, your Heshan Village has really put in a lot of effort, hasn't it? With that population, any one of them has more people than your village." Uncle San casually flipped through the two reports and handed them back to Yu Dawei. "Here, take these. The signatures and stamps are all ready for you. Construction should officially start next month. When will your car arrive?"

Yu Dawei pulled the stool next to the desk to his third uncle and sat down with a thud: "I've already got a rotary excavator. If all goes well, it should be ready in a week or two."

“Alright, come with me.” Third Uncle got up and walked to the window, pointing to a pot-bellied man in the distance. “His name is Qi Big Belly, and there’s also a Baldy Four. They’re my men, helping me manage these people. From now on, when you see them, just ignore them and treat them like farts.”

Yu Dawei glanced at the man, who was wearing a three-colored striped short-sleeved shirt, had a round, bulging belly, and wore blue pants. He looked more like a manager than his third uncle, a farmer.

"That's all." The third uncle took a puff of his cigarette and looked at his eldest nephew, whom he hadn't seen for several years. "Hurry up and go. Your village chief was in a real hurry as soon as he entered the yard. Don't delay him from doing his business."

"Okay, I'll come over after I've fixed the car." Yu Dawei nodded, not knowing how to explain, and turned to leave quickly.

Hou Wanshan leaned against the windowsill, and he, who had always prided himself on his profound understanding of human nature, realized that he had misjudged people for the first time.

Judging from his perspective back then, Yu Dawei was carefree, pretentious, and impetuous. He'd be lucky to avoid debt in his life. He was definitely the kind of person who was good for nothing and accomplished nothing.

But after returning from the city, this time he was not only more composed, but he also no longer had the habit of boasting as soon as he arrived. He was more organized and measured in his actions.

No wonder he was valued so highly by his second brother.

"Incredible! Even if I were blind, I couldn't believe that someone could actually transform from a mudfish into a dragon." Hou Wanshan threw his cigarette butt on the ground, turned around and watched the two leave through the window. "A person who can change themselves must have crushed bones and endured countless hardships."

Outside the courtyard, Yu Dawei led the village chief and hurried towards Yujiatun. However, as soon as the car entered the village, every household was carrying a roll of yellow paper and rushing towards the house in the very center of the village.

Yu Dawei slammed on the brakes, momentarily stunned and unable to process what was happening.

Sun Heming, standing beside him, was stunned. He stared at the passersby with his mouth agape, his expression filled with sorrow. He lowered his head in distress.

With renewed vigor, Yu Dawei sped towards Grandpa's house, parked the car outside the gate, grabbed Sun Heming's briefcase, and ran into the house.

He pushed through the crowd in front of him, like a small fish swimming upstream, overcoming numerous obstacles, and finally arrived in front of the old man. However, the old man was already lying quietly on the kang (a heated brick bed), covered with a thin quilt and fast asleep.

"Grandpa, our village is about to get electricity. Would you please come and take a look?" Yu Dawei's eyes were red as he took out a stack of documents from his worn-out briefcase. "Grandpa, these have official signatures and stamps on them. Would you please take a look?"

Those around watched as Yu Dawei squatted beside the kang (a heated brick bed) and spoke softly to the departed old man. Some of the older folks couldn't bear it and turned away, hurriedly wiping away their tears.

Old Man Yu was also watching from the side. He couldn't bear to see his son like this, so he turned his head and glanced at Yu Dasheng beside him.

“Dawei, my dad left after he finished making his last arrangements. Don’t be sad. I believe he already knows.” Yu Dasheng stepped forward to help Yu Dawei up and stuffed the documents into his briefcase.

"Still didn't make it?" Sun Heming felt all his strength drain away when he saw that the old man had really left. Then he stared intently at Yu Huai not far away. "Didn't you say you could prolong life? Didn't you say that drinking the herbal soup could prolong life?"

If it weren't for Grandpa's presence, Sun Heming would have definitely attacked and berated the other party. What a quack doctor!
You should listen to him and go to a big hospital! Others may not have the money to treat this old man, but he does! He'll treat him!

Uncle Yu Huai looked ashamed, but more so helpless: "My elder brother knew he couldn't hold on any longer, and insisted on letting go of his last breath. He also blamed me for not being good enough at medicine; it was my fault..."

“Fourth Uncle, it was my father’s own decision, it has nothing to do with you.” Yu Dazhi hurriedly comforted him to prevent another person from leaving, and then looked at Sun Heming and explained, “Brother Sun, it’s really no one’s fault. My father is strong-willed, you know his temperament.” Sun Heming’s emotions gradually calmed down, he looked at everyone apologetically, and turned to go outside.

Yu Dawei also went outside for some fresh air, and his emotions gradually calmed down.

He stood in the courtyard, with the courtyard wall behind him, his eyes looking towards the gate. He remembered a few nights ago, drinking strong liquor with the old man and talking about his stories from his youth.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural course of life. If you can always remember the kindness others have shown you, and even after they are gone, you can still recall them occasionally, that is already very good." Old Yu came out of the house and walked to his eldest son's side.

"It's Dawei, what's there to be sad about? Sooner or later, all of us old folks would have to go through this day." Yu Dawei's uncle, Yu Chen, had appeared beside the two of them at some point.

Although he was nearly sixty, he was robust, with thick, heavy hands and large knuckles. His fists, as big as sandbags, were wrapped around his chest, and his broad shoulders were like mountains. The only drawback was that he was a little shorter than Yu Da.

With his thick eyebrows, big eyes, and perfectly proportioned square face, one can still see his handsome looks from back then.

The three men in this branch of the Yu family all looked as if they had been carved by a knife and axe. Although they lived in the same village, the three of them rarely got together.

It's mainly because of that little entanglement from back then.

To avoid arguments, Yu Chen, the eldest brother, voluntarily settled his family in the western part of the village, creating the furthest distance from Yu Laonian's easternmost location. Now he was convinced that his wife and sister-in-law would never argue again.

It worked! Since then, the two families have rarely met, let alone fought.

“Da Feng’er has been in Hohhot for so long, has she sent any news?” Yu Chen asked.

"No, but my younger sister wrote to me. She's doing very well." Yu Laonian turned to look at his elder brother Yu Chen. "Your youngest son got into trouble again in Hohhot. He crashed into someone's stall with his motorcycle and had to pay some compensation."

"Is that so? None of the Yu family's kids are easy to deal with," Yu Chen said casually.

Old Yu rolled his eyes. He knew that his older brother knew nothing about his own son.

My eldest brother is so carefree; it seems that nothing in the world can stir up the slightest emotion in him.

If he hadn't persuaded his eldest brother's youngest son to go to Hohhot with his own second brother back then, they might still be stuck in the village now.

Even if you don't get into a vocational school, going to the city to broaden your horizons is better than staying in the village.

No wonder his sister-in-law is angry with him every day. His brother's life is just like this. It's good that he doesn't pay attention to anything.

That was the only way Yu Laonian could console himself.

Yu Laonian's generation has five children. The first one born was his eldest sister, then his eldest brother Yu Chen, then himself Yu Laonian, then a younger brother, and finally the younger sister from Hohhot.

Their eldest sister is also in Hohhot. She is the most selfless one. The reason why the younger sister can treat her nephews and nieces well now is largely because her eldest sister brought her to Hohhot when she was most helpless, which greatly changed the younger sister's life.

Back then, the eldest sister was often subjected to domestic violence. Even under such circumstances, she was still able to lend a helping hand to her younger sister. Every time Yu Laonian thinks about it, he feels that he is not as selfless as his eldest sister.

"I'm going home for a bit." Yu Dawei picked up his briefcase and was about to leave.

"Go ahead." Old Yu didn't say anything more; sometimes it's good to be alone.

The funeral for Uncle Yu Quan was to be held two days later. The date was chosen by Yu Dawei's grandfather, Yu Laonian, who consulted three divinations and finally determined the time to be three quarters past the hour (9:45 AM) three days later.

Furthermore, Yu Quan's birth chart contains the Po Jun star, one of the nine stars, which belongs to the metal element. Yu Lao Nian specially selected the feng shui of the ancestral grave site, calculating the left and right offsets, using all his hidden skills to ensure his elder brother's safe passage.

With everything prepared, on the day of the funeral, every household in Yujia Village, regardless of age or gender, stood in front of their doors to see off the last patriarch of the Yu family.

[ps: Thank you to Boss Shenshangxian for the 100 Qidian Coins! May you be happy every day, and may all good things come in pairs! —Han Jingfan]

Additionally:
(This is written entirely out of my personal selfishness, to commemorate a certain elder.)
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(End of this chapter)