Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1112 The Cousin Who Pulled Back from the Brink, and the Terrified Uncle (Two Chapters Combined)
"Hey, Uncle, Cousin! What brings you here? Shouldn't you be having a meal together at the Yanjing Hotel?"

Fang Yan greeted the two people who walked in, asking a question that seemed to be asking a question he already knew the answer to.

The eldest cousin stepped in front of his uncle, greeting him with a smile:

"Hey bro, what a lively atmosphere at home today!"

When it came to understanding the dialect, He Shujie, the older cousin who had met him many times, was noticeably more cautious and hesitant.

This directly interrupted the opening remarks his father had prepared.

Seeing her older cousin's smiling face, Fang Yan thought to herself, "You can't hit someone who's smiling," and said to him:
"My master is back from Sichuan. There's a gathering at home today. Did your maternal uncle not tell you?"

"Uh... I already said it." The older cousin choked for a moment.

Fang Yan glanced at his maternal uncle and his older cousin, then cut to the chase and asked:

"You guys didn't suspect I was lying and came here to see if it was true or not, did you?"

My older cousin waved his hand and said:

"No, no, how could it be?"

Fang Yan asked them:

"So, you two came here... to attend our family gathering?"

The eldest uncle and eldest cousin were speechless.

"..."

The way this person speaks sounds sarcastic and unpleasant.

Trying to reason with him will only lead you astray, so the eldest uncle pulled his older cousin aside and said simply:
“Hey, we were thinking that since both our family and your second uncle's family went, it wouldn't be good if no one from your family went. With so many people in your family, surely at least one person should go?”

“It’s fine if you don’t go, but your mother should at least go. After all, she should at least call him Fourth Uncle. It’s not far from here to the Yanjing Hotel. She can go over and say hello, and everyone will be polite.”

Fang Yan glanced at him and asked:

"Uncle, did you come here on your own, or were you persuaded by others to come?"

The eldest uncle's face darkened:
"You're being a bit harsh with your words, kid!"

Fang Yan sneered, finding this offensive; he hadn't even tried anything worse.

Seeing Fang Yan's attitude, the eldest uncle said somewhat angrily:
"What do you mean by instigating? Everyone knows the truth, okay? Those are relatives by blood!"

Upon hearing this, the older cousin immediately grabbed his father and interrupted him:

"Dad, Dad! Please stop!"

"My brother did nothing wrong, why are you yelling at him?"

"What the hell..." The uncle was stunned. Why had his son betrayed him at the last minute?

He Shujie said to his father:

“We already agreed before we came that we should just say what we need to say and that’s it. They don’t owe you anything, so why are you making such a fuss?”

As he spoke, he winked at his father, and then said to Fang Yan:

"Brother, don't worry, we're not like your second uncle's family!"

This was a reminder to his father not to forget the last gathering where Fang Yan's family and his second uncle's family had a falling out. He shouldn't think he was in the right and come over to interrogate him, because Fang Yan's family certainly wouldn't tolerate him.

When he was asked earlier, he saw that Fang Yan showed no remorse whatsoever, so he knew that their goal was unlikely to be achieved this time.

Moreover, now that Fang Yan has fallen out with their family, they will definitely be the ones who suffer.

Upon hearing this, his father, as expected, realized what was happening and said to Fang Yan:

"I...I'll go and say a few words to your mom. If you don't want to go, you don't have to, but you should at least take a message with you."

His tone softened noticeably towards the end.

There were many people at home today, and Fang Yan didn't want to cause a scene. Seeing that his attitude had softened, Fang Yan didn't say anything more. She pointed towards the main hall and then called to Zhao Zhengyi:
"Justice will lead them in."

“Okay!” Zhao Zhengyi nodded immediately.

Then the eldest uncle followed Zhao Zhengyi to the main hall, while the eldest cousin He Shujie did not go. Instead, he approached Fang Yan with a forced smile and said:
"Brother, don't take it to heart with my dad. He just got flattered a couple of times and started to think he's the head of the He family now. That's why he came to visit your family."

“I knew he’d cause trouble if he came alone, so I came along…”

"I'm serious, please don't take it personally. He's not very quick-witted right now. When there are a lot of people around, he gets easily offended if someone says a few words to him. He already knows he's wrong, but he just can't let go of his pride."

“Actually, I know there must be something wrong with you not going. At first, we thought you didn’t want to see your second uncle’s family, but now I feel it has something to do with other people.”

He paused, unable to glean any information from Fang Yan's expression, and then asked:
"Right?"

Fang Yan raised an eyebrow at He Shujie, surprised that He Shujie was so clear-headed that he had even thought of this.

"How so?" Fang Yan asked him.

Hearing Fang Yan's words, He Shujie breathed a sigh of relief and became even more certain that his guess was correct.

He Shujie stepped aside, glanced towards the main hall, and then lowered his voice to say:
“Brother, look at this. How big of a entourage did they bring back this time? People from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office accompanied them, leaders from the Ministry of Health also showed up, and they held a banquet at the Yanjing Hotel, inviting all three of our families. This kind of entourage doesn’t seem like a simple family visit, does it?”

He rubbed his nose with his finger. "I asked the hotel staff, and they said that the family is staying at the Yanjing Hotel. The cost of their daily meals alone is enough to feed the whole family for half a month or a month."

"Then why would someone as wealthy as him come back to acknowledge us, his poor relatives?"

"Of course I'm not rich. I don't know what rich people think. In my opinion, if I were rich, I would just live my own life. Why would I come back? All the acquaintances I know are long gone. Wouldn't it be better to travel around while I can still move around? Even if it's a case of returning to one's roots, it's still dealing with people from higher up. Is it really necessary to hold such a grand banquet for us younger generations?"

“My dad and his family were given two cans of malted milk powder and flattered a bit, and they were completely bewildered, thinking they had found some overseas relatives. But think about it, they had lost contact for so many years when they left, and now they're suddenly back and all lovey-dovey. Is that normal?”

"When I saw his enthusiastic manner, I was reminded of Qi Yong. We have to be careful! He might just be smiling and setting a trap for our family!"

After saying that, he spread his hands and said:
"Look at the result! It's here right now!"

Fang Yan's expression remained unchanged, so He Shujie had no choice but to continue:

“I know you don’t like listening to relatives gossip, but… I still think this is abnormal.”

“I’m not as smart as you, but I’m not stupid either. Even though I can’t see the whole picture, since you’re not going, and your whole family isn’t going, there must be some other reason…”

After saying that, he said awkwardly:
"Of course, this is just my guess, and it may not be accurate."

Hearing this, Fang Yan smiled.

He Shujie shuddered and instinctively shrank back. Seeing that Fang Yan didn't say anything, he tried to cover his embarrassment by taking out a crumpled cigarette pack from his pocket, pulling out a cigarette, and then putting it back. After remembering something, he said:
"Oh, right, there's something else I haven't told my dad yet, and I'll tell you now..."

After saying that, he leaned closer to Fang Yan and said:

“I heard them speaking English at the restaurant. Although I’m not a very good student, I understood a few words, like ‘secret prescription,’ ‘formula,’ ‘remedy,’ which are all family secret recipes. They must be after our family’s secret recipe.”

Fang Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this and asked him:
"really?"

He Shujie nodded:
"Absolutely true. What kind of relationship do we two brothers have? Would I lie to you?"

"You saved my son's life, and then you gave me so much money. How could I forget such a kindness?"

"The first reason I came out this time was definitely to stop my dad from doing something stupid that would hurt the relationship between our two families. The other reason was also to give you a heads-up: none of our relatives who came back from England seem like good people!"

Fang Yan nodded and said after hearing what he said:
"Then thank you, cousin!"

When He Shujie heard Fang Yan say that, he knew that he had probably passed this test.

He rubbed his hands together, lowering his voice even further:

“Brother, I know you were a little angry just now, but we are relatives by blood. My dad was manipulated and used as a pawn by them at the restaurant. Your second uncle even said that if you didn't show up, you would be disrespecting the overseas Chinese community, and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office would make things difficult for you later... But I know that you are the trump card in the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office's hands. It's all written in the newspapers. What do they know? They're uneducated. They can't even understand when people are plotting something bad in front of them!”

Fang Yan smiled and said:
"Your English is good; you heard all the key words."

"That's right! Hehe, I'm not bragging, I also wanted to go to university, but unfortunately I'm not cut out for it, but it wasn't a waste of my time..."

He suddenly stopped talking, thought for a moment, and then said:
"Hey, if it's been too long and we don't go back, won't they get suspicious?"

"I need to call my dad right away."

Fang Yan also glanced towards the main hall, where it seemed that no argument had broken out yet.

So he said to He Shujie:
"No rush. Let your uncle explain everything before you leave. They're probably more anxious than you are. Let's think about how to go back and talk to them later."

He Shujie said to Fang Yan:

“It’s easy to go back and tell them. Just say that my dad came over and made a scene, and then you kicked us out. If I hadn’t stopped him, things would definitely have turned out this way. I’m just telling the truth.”

He was quite self-aware, Fang Yan thought.

Just as she finished speaking, the curtain to the main hall was lifted, and her mother and eldest uncle came out.

Contrary to what Fang Yan had imagined, the two didn't argue. Instead, the eldest uncle was very polite and even greeted the people in the room.
I'm going now!

A response came from Master Lu Donghua inside the room:
"No more!"

My eldest uncle came into the yard and greeted me:
"Shujie, let's go!"

"Oh! They're here." My older cousin nodded and followed.

Then the eldest uncle turned to Fang Yan and said:

"Nephew, it's all a misunderstanding! Now I know what happened, don't worry, I'll definitely handle things properly." He patted his chest as he spoke.

Fang Yan looked completely bewildered. Had he suddenly become more enlightened?
Then the eldest uncle said to his mother, who spoke in dialect:

"Huiru, I'll be going now."

He Huiru asked:
"Do you remember what to say when we get back?"

The eldest uncle nodded repeatedly and said:

"Remember to remember."

"They're speaking the local dialect here while receiving military leaders."

He Shujie, standing to the side, looked on in surprise:
"What military region leader?"

“You don’t understand!” the eldest uncle said to him. Then he waved to the crowd:
"Let's go!"

"Okay, take care!" Fang Yan replied.

……

Fang Yan watched his uncle and He Shujie disappear through the courtyard gate, then turned around, grinned at his mother, and said in a teasing tone:
"Mom, you're amazing! When my uncle came in just now, I thought he was going to tear down this whole courtyard house, but as soon as he went into the main hall, you made him behave himself."

"His attitude changed drastically from arrogant to obsequious, as if he had become a completely different person."

He Huiru pursed her lips, her face showing little pride but rather some weariness: "Stop being so glib! You know your uncle, he's not a bad person, he's just easily influenced."

"Just now inside, the first thing he asked me was why none of my family members went to 'Fourth Uncle's' banquet. He was quite blunt, saying that we couldn't lose face as relatives. Guess what I said?"

Dialect eyebrow raising:

"What should we do? We can't really argue with him, can we? We still have Grandpa Xie and Master in the courtyard."

I snorted:
“Argue? Why would I argue with him? I just pointed to Grandpa Xie and said that he is a high-ranking leader in the military region. He came to deliver an invitation to the August 1st Army Day celebration today. It is a major event for the military. My son is an invited guest, and the whole family is busy receiving him.”

"If he keeps causing trouble and delays the military region's affairs, he'll be in deep trouble!"

Upon hearing the dialect, I burst out laughing. I guess I've taken advantage of the situation.

He said:
"Good heavens, that's a brilliant move! My uncle is afraid of officials, now he won't dare to have any crooked thoughts."

The old woman nodded, her expression turning serious: "Yes, his face turned pale as soon as he heard the words 'military region'."

"When I saw that Grandpa Xie was cooperating with me, he took out his identification documents, which had his official position stamped with an official seal."

“He’s never even been inside a military camp before, how could he have experienced something like this? Even though Grandpa Xie was keeping a stern face, he immediately became obedient.”

"Your master also reminded him that your 'maternal great-uncle' He You is clearly after the secret formula you have. This is a state secret. If he helps them cause trouble, arrest him immediately!"

Fang Yan's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Well, my older cousin confided in me, saying that he overheard them mentioning 'secret prescription' at the restaurant, and what I guessed was pretty much right. It seems he really was used as a pawn. With you scaring him like that, he'll definitely have to come up with a plausible excuse when he gets back."

The old woman sighed:
"That's right! Your master taught him to say that the local dialect is used when receiving military leaders, and we can't get away from it."

"That way, they can't find fault with us; on the contrary, they'll think our family has a strong background. Your uncle has sobered up now and is actually a bit scared. Before he left, he held my hand and said he was confused and almost got used. He told me not to hold it against him, since we're all family. I really... I only didn't cause a scene this time because of his age. Otherwise, I really wanted to teach him a lesson about being used as a pawn."

Fang Yan patted his mother's hand, his tone softening:
"Mom, my uncle's vision is limited, so it's not surprising that he was used as a pawn. To be honest, I had thought that they would be taken advantage of before, and I even thought that if they came and made a scene, our family would just cut off all ties and everything would be fine. But my older cousin is quite shrewd. He not only stopped my uncle, but also guessed a lot of the tricks, which made it difficult for me to make a fuss about it."

When my mother heard this dialect, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and shook her head, saying:
"You, you..."

"But if you put it that way, your older cousin really did play a role this time. He used to have no say in the family."

"I didn't expect that after such a short time apart, he would still dare to stop your uncle."

Fang Yan recalled this incident and laughed:

“He has money now. Before, his money was all kept by my uncle.”

"Last time they got the family's secret recipes, they got a lot of foreign exchange from me. Now that they have money, they can have a say in their own home."

The old woman suddenly realized that Fang Yan had told her about the money before. Initially, Fang Yan gave the money to her eldest uncle, but later He Shujie searched high and low for the secret manual and secretly exchanged it for US dollars for Fang Yan. (See Chapter 734)
Fang Yan gave her mother a thumbs-up and praised her:
"However, your performance today was excellent. If it weren't for you, things would have been in complete chaos."

The old woman waved her hand and said:
"That's all thanks to Grandpa Xie and your master!"

He said in dialect:

"However, we still need to be careful in the future. My uncle is soft-hearted, and he might be instigated by someone again one day."

His mother waved her hand, interrupting him: "Alright, I know you too well. You're very shrewd. If he gets swayed again, you'll have to settle the score with him."

"Alright, hurry up, you still have a ton of food to prepare in the kitchen. There are so many people coming today, don't spoil their fun!"

Fang Yan smiled and nodded: "Okay, then I'll go to the kitchen and keep an eye on things. You can rest for a while too."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the kitchen.

A hint of relief flashed across He Huiru's face as she watched her son's figure disappear quickly. A weight lifted from her heart; at least the relatives' troubles hadn't ruined today's gathering.

I knew something would happen today, so I made preparations. Now that things are resolved, I can finally relax.

Fang Yan went back to the kitchen to start cooking, and then Xiao Li came to help. He had just finished filming and was still bald, with a shiny head.

This look is just like the look in "Shaolin Temple".

"What do you do after filming a movie?" Fang Yan asked Xiao Li while pouring oil into the pot.

Xiao Li brought over the side dishes and said:

"I'm training with my master. I've found that to make the action scenes look good, I need to practice the basics."

Old Hu said from the side:
"I went to the set and saw it. The moves were really beautiful, much better than the 'hum hum ha' moves. They were smooth and flowing."

He was referring to Liu Jialiang's signature style of hard-hitting and straightforward acting.

At this moment, Xiao Li said:
"It would be even more spectacular if Junior Uncle went."

Old Hu said with a smile:

"Haha, thank you for the compliment, but I'm not good at fighting. I might try being a villain for fun in the future."

Actually, judging from the dialect, Xiao Li was talking about him.

But Lao Hu found it quite helpful, as he also exercises every morning!
Instead of delving into the topic, the speaker asked:

When is the movie released again?

Xiao Li shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

Lao Hu said:

"I still need to edit the footage, do the dubbing, and then do the promotion. Once all that's done, it should be around October."

"But TV dramas are much faster. They're airing in Hong Kong now and doing quite well. The lead actor, Zhang Guorong, has seen his value rise. I even had him film an advertisement for us. The Huo family also had him film an advertisement promoting the hospital. He has quite a bit of money on hand now."

After saying that, he said with some heartache:

"If we had known about such a good script, we should have started our own company and signed some artists to produce it."

"Now all the money is being made by other people."

Fang Yan said to him:
"Don't bite off more than you can chew; let professionals handle the professional matters."

Old Hu thought for a moment and said:
"That makes sense. First, make one thing an industry benchmark, and then it won't be so difficult to acquire other companies."

After saying that, he spoke in the dialect:

"Speaking of which, you're even more famous in Hong Kong now because of the TV series, and the medicines produced by your company are selling even faster."

"I feel that there might be even more people who want to go back to the mainland to see you for medical treatment."

In dialect:
"Then this TV series was well-made."

"Indeed!" Old Hu nodded in deep agreement.

……

About twenty minutes later, Senior Brother Xu Jinsheng, Lu Sihai, and the little girl Wangyou also arrived.

Fang Yan went out to give a shout, and the kitchen began the final, bustling processing stage.

When Lao Hu's ordered dishes arrived, Fang Yan's dishes also started to be served one after another.

Third senior brother Zhan Guoxian and fourth senior brother Shang Yunxiang followed closely behind.

There was no other way; they all came by bus, and with all the stops and starts, it was really tough, but they still managed to arrive before lunchtime.

All the fellow apprentices had arrived, and Fang Yan's last dish was brought out from the kitchen.

Fang Yan's house was lively again today, except that her eldest sister and younger brother were not home, and her brother-in-law was working overtime at the bureau. Before dinner, everyone asked Fang Yan to stand up and say something.

After all, Master is back, and Fangyan is in charge of entertaining him today.

Fang Yan quickly declined, saying that many of the guests today were elders, and his master and senior brothers were present. What was the point of him showing off? He had already shown off enough on ordinary days.

So I asked my master to say a few words.

Lu Donghua stood up briskly, pressed his hands down, and his loud voice immediately drowned out the laughter in the room:

"Alright! Then this old man will say a few words!"

He glanced around at the two large round tables filled with his disciples, grand-disciples, and friends from the military, his gaze finally settling on the upturned face of Wangyou beside him. His wrinkles deepened with a smile: "The first thing today," he said, raising a rough finger, then cupping his hands in a fist salute, a touch of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him.

"First, I apologize to those of you who didn't receive the telegram! I finished filming in the remote mountains of Sichuan and was eager to get home! I did send the telegram, but my legs were faster than the telegram! As a result, only Fang Yan and Dao Hu received the letter!"

He chuckled and gestured with his chin towards Fang Yan and Lao Hu:

"I have to toast them both later, otherwise I don't know how I'll get back from the airport."

Everyone laughed.

"The second thing," he turned to the group of people, led by Fang Yan, who had been busy in the kitchen today, "I have to thank the people who prepared this meal today. Look at this table, spicy Hunan and Sichuan flavors, and even some state banquet dishes from the Beijing Grand Hotel. I, Lu Donghua, am just a rough man. After wandering around for several months, I'm sorry to trouble you all so much as soon as I get back. You've really gone to great lengths to prepare this!"

There were many more people cooking today, with Fangyan leading the way, and most people also participated. This way, I thanked everyone.

Immediately afterwards, he clasped his hands together and solemnly nodded to Old Master Xie sitting beside him, his voice carrying a touch of solemnity:
"Thirdly, I must thank you, Brother Xie! You not only brought honor to Fang Yan from the military region, but you also helped us a lot today! That foolish relative came to disturb the peace earlier. If it weren't for your imposing presence and your showing your credentials to stand up for my apprentice's family, this reunion dinner would have turned into a battle! I must offer you this cup of tea!" He said, picking up the teacup and gesturing solemnly.

Grandpa Xie smiled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing to worry about.

"Alright, alright," Lu Donghua said, waving his hand and his face beaming with a hearty smile. His gaze swept over every disciple and grand-disciple present—Fang Yan, Hu Daohu, Ding Jian, Shang Yunxiang, Xu Jinsheng, Zhan Guoxian, An Dong, Sophia, and Xiao Li—before finally settling on Zhao Zhengyi and Wangyou, his eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction.

He raised his voice: "Nothing is more important than eating!"

"There's meat in the pot and rice in the bowls today! Enough said, everyone pick up your chopsticks, eat, drink, and have fun!"

With that, he waved his hand:
"Alright, let the feast begin!"

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words is now complete. There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)