Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 95 [The Old Village Chief's Life] (11000 words)
Chapter 11000 [The Old Village Chief's Life] ( words)
January 28th, Tuesday. The 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year's Eve.

Chen Yan got up early in the morning - he had important things to do in the morning.

When I got up and washed up, I saw Lu Sisi sticking her head out of the house.

The girl got up earlier today and was dressed neatly. She was wearing a white down jacket that Chen Yan had never seen before, and a plaid sweater underneath - probably new clothes she brought.

"Wait a moment, I just finished washing up and will make breakfast later." Chen Yan said to Lu Sisi vaguely with a mouthful of toothpaste foam; "Go to the kitchen and get some water first."

"It's okay, I'll make you breakfast." Lu Sisi smiled sweetly and went into the kitchen.

After Chen Yan finished washing up, he walked into the kitchen and saw that the girl was already cooking dumplings - the frozen dumplings you buy in the supermarket.

Whether it tastes good or not, that’s what the Chinese New Year is all about.

Although Chen Yan has some independent abilities and can cook a few home-cooked dishes, he still hasn't mastered the skill of making dumplings.

Lu Sisi didn't know how to cook, but she could do simple tasks like making dumplings. Chen Yan took a look and thought there was nothing wrong with her, so he left her alone.

Chen Yan walked over to Gu Qingyi's door and knocked hard, then shouted, "Get up and eat!"

The door slowly opened, and Gu Qingyi stood at the door, rubbing his eyes and yawning: "What do you want to eat?"

"Jiaozi, go brush your teeth."

"Oh." Gu Xiaoniang responded in a soft voice.

This 21-year-old young stepmother wouldn't stay up late playing games until dawn again, right?
Chen Yan took a look at the guy and shook his head.

For breakfast, they had some dumplings with corn and pork filling. Chen Yan didn't really like it, but Gu Qingyi ate over twenty in one sitting. Lu Sisi, as usual, was the slowest eater. Seeing that Chen Yan and Gu Qingyi had both put down their chopsticks, Lu Sisi immediately said, "You guys go ahead and do your work. I'll wash the dishes."

After these two or three days, the three of them have developed some tacit understanding by living together.

Because Lu Sisi had been unlucky before she turned eighteen, she ate very slowly—for fear of choking. She couldn't break this slow eating habit anytime soon, so after every meal, she would take the initiative to wash the dishes.

Gu Qingyi doesn't know how to do these delicate housework, so some physical work can be left to this master in the realm of heaven and man.

For example, this morning, we have to sweep the snow in the yard.

After the first snow fell three days ago, it stopped for a day and then snowed again yesterday for a whole day and night.

The yard, which had been cleaned two days ago, was covered with a thick layer of snow.

After breakfast, Chen Yan threw the broom and shovel to Gu Qingyi. Gu Qingyi's face was cold, but when she was waving the broom in the yard, there was a hint of excitement in her eyes like a little girl.

Why does a nice girl always have a stern face... After watching for a while, Chen Yan shook his head and walked away.

He finally understood that with Gu Qingyi's efficiency in clearing the snow, it would take him a whole morning to clear the yard, and he might even have to help out in the end.

However, Chen Yan left the young stepmother behind for the time being and went out - he had more important things to do in the morning.

To repay a favor.

The old lady's funeral was previously handled with the help of the entire village. From setting up the tent to presiding over the funeral, hiring the funeral team, and finally the funeral procession, almost every family in the village came to help.

This favor must be repaid.

When I came back from Jinling Prefecture before, the trunk of the car was filled with various gifts - but it was actually not enough.

After Chen Yan came back, he went to the small convenience store at the entrance of the village and bought almost all the milk and nutritional products in stock.

To make up for the shortfall, when I went to the market in town that day, I found two or three supermarkets and ordered a large quantity of cigarettes, alcohol and other items, and had them delivered. Last night, all the items were delivered.

Chen Yan calculated that every household would receive two packs of cigarettes, two bottles of wine, a carton of milk, and a gift pack of a certain brand of nutritional supplements.

The cigarettes were the kind that cost over 20 yuan a pack, not very high-end. Two packs of cigarettes cost around 500 yuan.

The wine was a local brand, and I chose one that cost a few hundred yuan a bottle. Two bottles cost around three hundred yuan.

Add a carton of milk and it’s a big gift package.

The gifts from each family amounted to less than a thousand yuan, a little over nine hundred yuan. This gift was considered quite generous in the countryside.

There are more than a hundred households in the village, and if each household receives one, the total value of the gifts would be one hundred thousand yuan. If Chen Yan had not become rich now, he would not be able to afford such a large gift.

This is considered relatively appropriate - no matter how expensive it is, Chen Yan can afford it with his current financial resources. If he adds another zero to each family and raises the value of the gift to 10,000 yuan per family, he can still afford it.

But, that is not appropriate!
First, don't show off your wealth. Second, the greater the kindness, the greater the love.

If interpersonal relationships exceed this standard, it is easy to do good things with bad intentions, which will cause a lot of trouble.

This principle of being a human being was also taught to Chen Yan by the old lady when she was still alive.

Oh, your family is having a funeral and asked the villagers for help, but you gave each of them a generous gift of more than 10,000 yuan?
Are you the only one with money?

If someone in the village needs help, how will they thank you? If they only offer a hundred or two hundred yuan, how will they handle it? How will they do anything for you?

Do you think you're being generous by giving her 10,000? That's just making an enemy!

·
In Chen Yan's hometown, the way people in the countryside give gifts is much simpler and more straightforward than in the city. Unlike city dwellers, when you go to someone's house to give a gift, you have to go in and sit down. The host will inevitably offer you a cup of tea and then exchange pleasantries...

The customs in this place are much simpler.

People in the village usually leave their doors open, letting anyone come in and out freely. When a person brings a gift in, if the host is at home, they place the gift on the table or against the wall in front of the host, and the host will say a few polite words and greet them.

If there happens to be no one in the main hall, the person delivering the gift will shout out and wait for the host to come out from the kitchen or room. He or she just needs to greet the host, put the gift down, say a few words, and then turn around and leave.

——That's it! The whole process should take no more than two minutes.

It is enough for the host to know that it is you who has come and that you have delivered the gift.

Of course, this is how normal interactions are, but if you want to ask someone to do something for you, that’s another matter entirely.

Because it was simple, the process was fast. Although there were over a hundred households in the village, Chen Yan could visit each one in just one or two minutes.

In one morning, all the villagers were sent there - only the old village chief's house was left behind, as Chen Yan planned to visit him on the first day of the new year to pay New Year's greetings and give him gifts.

In this way, after rushing around, I finally finished all the gift-giving work before noon - I can't delay it past noon!

Today is New Year's Eve. The custom in Chen Yan's hometown is that the New Year's Eve dinner starts in the afternoon.

A whole family can set up a table with a lot of food and eat from noon to night - some play cards, some chat, some drink, and some eat.

If you delay giving gifts until after noon and people have already prepared the New Year's Eve dinner, it would be inappropriate for you to visit.

At that time, will the host invite you to dinner?
·
Although Chen Yan is now physically strong, he was exhausted from delivering gifts to more than a hundred families in the morning and his forehead was covered in sweat.

When I returned to the gate of my yard, I saw Gu Qingyi standing in the yard making a snowman.

Gu Xiaoniang had already finished one snowball and was fiddling with it with a shovel to adjust its shape. Next to her, Lu Sisi was squatting on the ground helping, trying to make a huge snowball bigger.

There are already three snowmen in the yard.

One was made by Lu Sisi on the first day, and the other two were probably the masterpieces of the two girls this morning.

Chen Yan stood at the gate of the yard and looked at the scene with a smile on his face. The tallest snowman had a bald head with some cabbage leaves as hair, two pieces of black charcoal as eyes, and a carrot as a nose.

The other two snowmen are slightly shorter, which makes them look very different. One of them has a smiling face painted on its head.

The other one was the one that Gu Qingyi was beating and shaping with a shovel...

What a spendthrift woman!
He actually took out the pillowcase from the bedroom and hung it behind the snowman - is it a cloak?

Chen Yan sighed and said, "Whatever."

Just use a pillowcase. No one uses it normally anyway. At most you can just wash it after two days.

Chen Yan's eyes rolled, he bent down, picked up a snowball from the ground, rolled it up, and threw it at Gu Qingyi.

Gu Xiaoniang didn't turn around, but gently reached out her hand and casually picked up the snowball from mid-air. She turned around to look at Chen Yan with a sneer of disdain on her face: "That's it?"

After saying that, the girl backhanded him, and Chen Yan felt his eyes blurred. With a bang, he was hit right on the forehead! He almost staggered - Miss Gu, if you hit harder, it would be illegal!
Lu Sisi, who was standing next to him, saw this, laughed a few times, then picked up a snowball from the ground and greeted Chen Yan.

For a moment, Chen Yan rushed into the yard and started playing with the two girls.

Basically, Gu Qingyi pinned Chen Yan down and beat him, throwing snowballs at his head. Finally, he pinned Chen Yan to the ground and stuffed handfuls of snow into the back of his neck.

After Chen Yan shouted a few times, he used the escape technique to escape. He didn't dare to provoke Gu Xiaoniang, who was in the Heavenly Man Realm, so he simply greeted Lu Sisi.

After Chen Yan threw several snowballs at Lu Sisi, she screamed and laughed and ran around the yard. She threw snowballs in retaliation, but none of them hit Chen Yan.

Finally, after Lu Sisi was caught up by Chen Yan, she screamed and was embraced by Chen Yan's arms...

Gu Qingyi, the narrator, was holding a snowball in his hand and preparing to launch a sneak attack. When he saw this scene, the laughter in his mouth suddenly seemed to be cut off by a pair of scissors!

The smile on his face froze, and his little face slowly tensed up.

Okay, okay... you're going to feed me dog food while we're having a snowball fight, right?

Gu Xiaoniang rolled her eyes, threw away the snowball in her hand, and turned into the house.

"You, you let me go." Lu Sisi's face flushed as she stood in Chen Yan's arms. She looked up at Chen Yan and said, "You... Sister Gu can't bear to watch this anymore."

"Hey! She is a generation older than me. It's not appropriate for you to call her sister. Isn't that taking advantage of me?" Chen Yan shook his head.

"Oh, let me go." Lu Sisi bit her lip.

Chen Yan chuckled and said, "I can let you go, unless you..."

But before he could finish, Lu Sisi stood on tiptoe with a red face and quickly kissed Chen Yan on the face.

Chen Yan was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, Lu Sisi lowered her head and slipped out from under his arm.

·
We started preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner at noon.

The spring roll wrappers are bought from the market, and the fillings are chopped and prepared at home - leeks and meat.

Chen Yan's hometown is located in a place neither south nor north.

The customs of the Spring Festival also lean towards both sides, but neither side is very enthusiastic.

The habit of eating dumplings is similar to that in the north, but they are not eaten as much. The habit of fried spring rolls comes from the south, but the method is different.

Anyway, whatever. The purpose of Chinese New Year is to have a lively and happy time.

Two girls were already sitting at the table in the main room wrapping spring rolls - the first few were wrapped in crooked shapes, some looked like steamed buns, some like dumplings, and some like fried dough sticks, but none of them looked like spring rolls!
However, Gu Qingyi's ability soon became apparent - after all, he was a super genius who had advanced to the Heavenly Man Realm before the age of 20, and he had extremely good control over strength.

Soon, the spring rolls she made looked like real ones, neater and better than the two that Chen Yan had made as a demonstration!

Chen Yan was in the kitchen, heating the oil in the wok in front of the stove, holding a pair of specially made long chopsticks.

When Lu Sisi brought a plate of wrapped spring rolls, Chen Yan picked up the spring rolls and slid them one by one along the edge of the pot into the oil.

Amidst the sizzling sound of oil and water, a fragrance suddenly filled the kitchen.

Lu Sisi stood beside them, squinting her eyes and smiling. Gu Qingyi hadn't known when she walked to the kitchen door. She leaned against the door with her head tilted, her face tense, and she slurped her saliva.

When the spring rolls are fried until golden brown, you can take them out and put them on a plate to drain the oil for a while - don’t eat them yet as they will be too hot.

You have to wait for it to dry for a while until the skin is no longer hot, and then it will be crispy when you put it in your mouth.

The first plate of spring rolls had more than ten of them. After being taken out and left to dry for a few minutes, Gu Qingyi couldn't wait to reach out and pick one up. When she took a bite, although it was so hot that she gasped, the aroma of the leek mixed with the meat filling after being fried spread from her mouth all the way to her nose. Gu Xiaoniang couldn't help but squint her eyes, and then let out a long breath.

"How does it taste?" Chen Yan asked, sticking his head out.

Gu Xiaoniang lowered her head to eat without saying a word, and raised her hand to give a thumbs up.

In two hours, Chen Yan had used up all his skills and managed to make four cold dishes and four hot dishes.

Sausage and beef tripe, cold-mixed enoki mushrooms, smashed cucumber, and a smoked fish fried two days ago, these are the four cold dishes.

A braised pork rib, a stewed chowder, a beef with potatoes, and a steamed fish - these are the four hot dishes.

No matter how much more, Chen Yan won’t do it.

However, looking at the four cold and four hot dishes on the table, Chen Yan was still quite satisfied.

Especially the dish of braised beef with potatoes - the beef in it is not the ordinary beef bought in the vegetable market. Among the New Year’s gifts given by Boss Fang, there is a box of M5-grade raw steaks.

This is usually used to fry steak in Western cuisine - and only in more upscale Western restaurants.

Chen Yan took it out and cut it into several pieces, then braised it with potatoes!
To be honest, the taste is just average!
Because the fat content of M5 steak is too high, after being braised, your mouth will be full of oil when you bite it, and you will get tired of it after eating two pieces.

But... eating is a luxury!
There was milk and fine tea at home, so Chen Yan made a large pot of Mr. Chen's special version of milk green tea and poured a cup for each of the two girls.

"First toast, I wish everyone a happy New Year." Chen Yan raised his glass.

Lu Sisi smiled and raised her glass: "I wish you all the best."

Gu Qingyi pondered for a moment, then raised his glass and said slowly, "Then... I wish everyone to improve their cultivation and quickly reach the immortal realm! I also hope that I can break through to become a saint soon!"

Chen Yan pulled the corner of his mouth and whispered in Lu Sisi's ear: "Ignore her, she's been reading immortal novels again recently."

Lu Sisi covered her mouth and smiled, but said nothing.

Although there weren't many people, the three young people had a lively New Year's Eve dinner. Chen Yan also moved the TV to the main room and started playing the Spring Festival Gala at 8 o'clock.

Gu Qingyi was watching with great interest at first, but after a while he started yawning.

"Nothing!"

Lu Sisi sat next to Chen Yan. She'd gotten up early this morning, helping sweep snow in the morning and cooking in the afternoon—a busy day. She felt a little tired looking around, and subconsciously leaned on Chen Yan's shoulder.

Gu Qingyi glanced at her eldest son and future daughter-in-law, the corners of her mouth twitched as she suddenly remembered something: "Where are the fireworks I bought?"

Chen Yan pointed casually: "They are all piled up in the storage room behind the kitchen."

"Let go!" Gu Tianren said decisively!
·
When Gu Qingyi stood in the yard with a Gatling gun in her hand, the muzzle pointed towards the sky, and ignited it, the fireworks shot out, and she screamed in excitement and laughed uncontrollably...

Chen Yan knew that this young stepmother who usually kept a straight face and acted cool was actually just a young girl in her essence.

A whole box of Gatling guns was given to Gu Qingyi alone without wasting a single one.

Lu Sisi was timid and didn't dare to touch a powerful thing like a Gatling gun, so she just took two big pistols and waved them back and forth in the yard.

Chen Yan stood at the door with his arms folded, looking at the two girls. His nose was filled with the smell of gunpowder and his ears were filled with the girls' crisp laughter.

He felt as if there was a place in his heart that had been cold for who knows how many years, and was being gradually infected by this laughter.

Twenty-two years old, and has been raised by the old lady for twenty years.

Under the old lady's education, Chen Yan is kind to others in his daily life and has learned a lot of principles of dealing with people. He seems to be much more mature than his peers.

But this kind of politeness and propriety actually has the underlying color of indifference!

The other side of politeness is alienation.

The other side of propriety is not caring.

Looking at the two girls in the yard, Chen Yan suddenly felt a strange emotion in his heart.

This kind of emotion was something he had never felt towards anyone else in his 22 years of life except the old lady.

(It would be nice if this kind of laughter could always last...)
·
That day, they went to the town to order a large amount of fireworks and firecrackers, but Gu Qingyi was so excited that they were all set off before twelve o'clock.

Even the firecrackers to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year at midnight were set off in advance.

The smoke in the yard finally dissipated, and the ground was covered with waste paper shells from the fireworks.

Seeing that Gu Qingyi was still unsatisfied, Chen Yan patted her shoulder and said, "Let's go to town and buy more in a day."

"It's up to you." After the excitement, Gu Qingyi put away the cheerful little girl's nature again, and nodded coldly with a stern face.

cut!
If you are really that cool, then don't go with me to buy fireworks in a couple of days!
Chen Yan muttered secretly in his heart.

Turning around, Lu Sisi was already standing at the door of the main room yawning.

"Okay, let's go back to sleep!" Chen Yan waved his hand.

I cleaned up the dishes on the table, threw away the garbage, and washed the dishes.

Lu Sisi has been rubbing her eyes non-stop.

Chen Yan took the girl to wash up and then sent her into the room.

As soon as he came out, he saw Gu Qingyi standing outside the door staring at him with burning eyes.

"What are you looking at me for?" Chen Yan blushed. "I didn't do anything in her room!"

Gu Qingyi glanced at Chen Yan, but quickly said, "It's almost twelve o'clock."

"Well, what?"

"After twelve o'clock, it will be the first day of the new year! Let's go to the back door of the wild temple on the mountain and see the little monk whether he will put up New Year pictures?" Gu Qingyi's eyes showed excitement.

Chen Yan yawned lazily - he was not interested in running up the mountain in the middle of the night.

"No need to look, it will definitely be posted."

"How do you know?" Gu Qingyi didn't believe it.

Chen Yan sighed, "I heard this morning when I went to give gifts to the villagers that the old monk from the mountain left the village yesterday afternoon. He found Xiao Yang, a black car driver in the village, and took him to the county hospital for treatment."

After saying this, he looked at Gu Qingyi and said, "Don't you understand this? The old monk actually didn't have any serious illness at all. He was bedridden because he was beaten by two demons and lost some of his vitality. He understood his disciple's thoughts...

Is he going to the hospital?
He was making room for his adopted son and apprentice!"

·
That night, Chen Yan did not climb the mountain. He went back to his room and slept until dawn.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Yan got up and took a lazy stroll. According to custom, people don't work on the first day of the Lunar New Year, including sweeping the floor and doing housework.

The two girls had nothing to do, so they sat together again and took out their phones to play games. After Chen Yan said hello to them, he went into the house, picked up a generous gift he had specially prepared, and went out to the old village chief's house.

·
The old village chief's house is not the largest in the village, the building is not the tallest, and the area it occupies is not the largest - based on this point alone, this village chief is definitely not bad.

In fact, to be precise, he should not be called village chief, but village director or village party secretary - he has held both positions and even held both concurrently.

Now, the old man has not been the village head or village party secretary for many years. After all, he is old. He is over 70 years old and should be enjoying the company of his grandchildren.

But even if the village has a new village director, the old village chief's words are still the most effective in the village.

The old village chief's surname is Zhao, which is a big surname in this village - although it is not as prominent as the He family in He Village, Boss He's hometown.

But there are more than 20 families in this village with the surname Zhao, and they are all related to each other.

Village chief Zhao, now in his seventies, has a son and a daughter who both work in the county. One is a teacher at the county middle school, and the other is a clerk at the county transportation bureau.

They are not rich, but they live a decent life.

People with the surname Zhao account for nearly a quarter of the village's population. The village security director is the nephew of the old village chief Zhao. The women's director was his apprentice at the agricultural machinery factory many years ago. The current village director almost dropped out of school many years ago because his family was poor, and it was the old village chief who helped raise enough tuition!

This old man, in the village, is not the one who has the final say, but his words are as firm as nails. When he speaks, his words are so loud that they sound like they hit the ground!

The old village chief's house is in the south of the village, near the small river in the village, and there is a wheat field behind the house.

As usual, the courtyard doors of the villagers' homes were not closed. When Chen Yan walked in, he saw a mahjong table already set up in the main hall of the old man's house.

The family's children probably all came back to celebrate the New Year, and the main room was packed with people.

The old man was squatting under the eaves, teasing the dog with a cigarette in his hand.

Chen Yan took a look and laughed.

This dog was the one that wandered into her house a few days ago and was caught by Lu Sisi and petted for a long time. She didn't expect that it was actually the old village chief's family.

"Master Zhao! Happy New Year!"

Chen Yan called out, and the old man raised his eyelids and glanced at them, then stood up with his hands on his knees: "Chen Yan is here, come in and sit down, they are playing cards, find a place for yourself to sit."

This is the custom in the village. During the New Year, visiting relatives and friends is just like visiting family members, without too many complicated etiquette.

Chen Yan walked into the main room with a smile on his face. He recognized most of the people in the room.

He casually placed the gifts he brought at the foot of the wall.

The old village chief followed and frowned when he saw what Chen Yan brought.

Also two packs of cigarettes, two bottles of wine, a carton of milk, and a big gift package.

But for the old village chief, the cigarettes are soft and fragrant.

The wine is Moutai, Feitian.

The old man looked at Chen Yan seriously, and said in a somewhat reproachful tone: "Have you made a fortune? Why are you giving me such expensive things?"

As he spoke, he went up and grabbed Chen Yan's arm, dragging him towards the yard. When they reached the wall, the old man loosened his hand and stared into Chen Yan's eyes: "Tell me carefully! What's wrong with you!"

"What's going on?" Chen Yan smiled and shook his arms.

The old man is quite strong. He used a lot of strength to pull me a few times.

OK! It looks like he's in good health and has many years left to live.

Of all the people Chen Yan had known in his 22 years of life, the one he was closest to was the old lady.

If he had to name someone who ranked second in his heart after the old lady, it would probably be the old man in front of him.

To what extent?

Let me put it this way, even if the old man suddenly got angry for no reason and kicked Chen Yan hard on the butt, Chen Yan wouldn't be angry at all.

I also have to smile and praise the old man for his nimble legs and feet.

It's because I was naughty when I was a kid and stepped on someone else's roof tiles.

When I left home to go to college, the person who carried my bags all the way from the village to the train station in the county town...besides my old lady, it was this old village chief!
"You naughty boy, you're not being honest with me!" The old man raised his eyebrows and bent down to take off his shoes to hit him!
Chen Yan quickly stepped back with a smile: "Master Zhao, you can't get angry on New Year's Day, and you can't hit the children!"

"You're telling me about the rules?" The old man finally didn't take off his shoes. He glared at Chen Yan, then called him back to his side and whispered, "You gave gifts to the whole village yesterday. I know everything! One thousand yuan for each family, and the whole village gave away a hundred thousand yuan! You're so generous! What, did you make a fortune outside?! Even if you have money, you can't spend it like this!!"

"Well, I found a good job, a legitimate job, and I'm not breaking the law, don't worry." Chen Yan comforted him, "Don't you know me yet? I grew up right in front of you. I won't go astray."

"That's true." The old man nodded, but still frowned and said, "How much money can you make from your job? Don't fool me!"

"I made money. After I graduated, I was visiting the Folk Customs Street near my school and found two antiques. Rich people in the city like these things. I made a lot of money by selling them."

Chen Yan found an excuse.

There's no way to check this thing even if you tell it.

Actually, I originally planned to say that I won the lottery, but the old man is paranoid. If you really tell him that you won the lottery, he will ask you until you get to the bottom of it. He will ask you what lottery ticket you won and which issue... He will really check!

"You're kidding me!"

The old man squinted his eyes at Chen Yan and whispered, "Boy, you've been naughty since you were little. When you stepped on my roof tiles and broke them, I saw you lying! You lied to me, your grandfather?"

"Uh……"

The old man looked at Chen Yan and suddenly sighed softly: "Did you... follow your grandma and learn her skills?"

Chen Yan's expression changed slightly.

The old man saw it and nodded: "I understand."

He sighed. "I've been neighbors with your grandma for half my life. I know she has some strange, unexplainable skills. She can make money... You can learn her skills and make money in the city with them, right?"

"So be it." Chen Yan nodded.

The old man seemed to be thinking about it. "That's right, your grandmother said that her ability can make her some extra money."

Then the old man stared at Chen Yan and said seriously, "But your grandmother also said that superficial wealth is superficial wealth. You can't rely on it for your whole life. People still have to do something serious. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

"When you make money, don't spend it lavishly! Save it and buy a house and get married in the city later! Got it?"

"I understand! I understand, I understand!"

"Take back the cigarettes and alcohol you brought!"

"That's impossible!"

Chen Yan smiled playfully and shook his head: "I don't smoke or drink, it would be a waste if I took it back, you keep it, Mr. Zhao."

As he spoke, Chen Yan walked over, picked up the cigarettes from his gift, and tore the cigarette box open in a snap.

"Here! I've torn the packaging open, and I can't return it. You can keep it and smoke it slowly."

"Tsk, you can even return it even if it's a loose package." The old man glared.

Chen Yan sighed, his tone slowed down, and he walked over and whispered, "Master Zhao, you've seen me grow up. I'm graduating this year and working to make money. Let me honor you, okay?"

The old man's expression changed.

Chen Yan whispered, "I still want to honor my grandma, but there's no chance now. Master Zhao, can you just smoke the cigarettes I bought you and drink a few sips of the wine I bought you?"

“…” The old man saw the emotion in Chen Yan’s eyes and nodded silently.

Chen Yan immediately smiled and helped the old man sit down on a bench in the corner.

He took out another briefcase from the bag he brought with him.

"Master Zhao, this bag is for you!" Chen Yan said with a smile, "You've been using that bag for so many years that the leather has become degraded. I'll give you a new one. This one isn't expensive, it's just an ordinary one, so feel free to use it."

You should change yours. It’s a different era now, and it still has something printed on it: commemorating the XX anniversary of the XX victory…”

The old man took the bag and rubbed it in his hands. A smile flashed in his eyes, but he cursed, "Bah! What do you know? My bag is a badge of honor! It's much rarer than yours. Even if I had money, I couldn't buy it!"

"Yes, yes, your Bao Lao is glorious, but he is also old, so let him retire and take a rest." Chen Yan laughed.

The old man waved his hand and finally picked up the Huazi cigarettes that Chen Yan had brought. He opened a pack, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it and took a puff: "Okay, I'll enjoy your filial piety too."

After saying that, the old man suddenly glanced at Chen Yan and said, "I have another question for you! You came back to the village these few days, and many people in the village saw you! You brought two beautiful young girls home. What's going on?"

Uh... Chen Yan sighed in his heart.

Old man, don’t blame me for lying to you again.

The truth is, I can’t tell the truth!

It was easy for Lu Sisi to explain that she was his girlfriend, and the old man would only be happy to hear that.

Gu Qingyi couldn't say anything.

Tell the old man, is this my father's wife whom I've never met? My stepmother? Am I actually a bastard?
She is twenty-one and I am twenty-two, but I actually have to call her mom?

Is that true?
Who would believe that!!!
"Just...classmates and my girlfriend." Chen Yan answered vaguely.

Well, this answer is not wrong...

As for Lu Sisi, we are all of the same age. Although we are not from the same school, we are in a university town. There is nothing wrong with calling each other classmates when we meet on weekdays!

At the same time, Lu Sisi is also his girlfriend, so there is nothing wrong with that!
So I said, the people coming to my house are my classmates and my girlfriend, there’s nothing wrong with that!

It’s just that I omitted introducing Gu Qingyi.

The old man squinted his eyes at Chen Yan: "Are you really my classmate and girlfriend? You're not lying to me? Are you imitating some bad guys in the city and doing some hooliganism?"

"No!" Chen Yan said quickly, "It's really a classmate and a girlfriend! She has a clean background and is a university student!"

"That's okay." The old man nodded and started to search his pockets.

A worn wallet was pulled out and the old man pulled out a red bill.

"Yours, New Year's money."

Chen Yan took it with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Zhao."

The old man snorted: "If you have time, bring your girlfriend over here to play and let me take a look."

Chen Yan carefully put away the red note the old man gave him and said with a smile, "I want to thank Master Zhao on their behalf! But forget about bringing them here. We'll do it next time. I just started dating this girlfriend. She's young and shy, and many things haven't been decided yet.

Next time, when I come back and my relationship with her is solid, I will definitely bring her to you to meet her."

"That's fine." The old man tapped Chen Yan's head. "It doesn't really matter whether she sees me or not! But you'd better take her to the mountain and visit your grandma's grave. Let your grandma see it!"

"Okay, I'll remember that!"

Chen Yan agreed immediately.

After being lectured so vigorously by the old man, Chen Yan did not feel the slightest bit of impatience. Instead, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction in his heart...

It was as if...when I came back in previous years, when the old lady was still around, she would also use this tone to educate me.

I always felt that something was missing when I came back to celebrate the New Year this time.

Being nagged by the old man like this.

Hey! It’s all done!
That’s the feeling…

Looking at the old man with a ruddy face, Chen Yan had an idea and secretly gathered his Qi-gazing skills, intending to check the old man's fate or something.

The old man looked at Chen Yan's eyes and suddenly waved his hand: "What are you doing? Don't think I don't know... You learned your grandmother's skills and want to tell my fortune? Look at my face? Calculate my luck?"

Chen Yan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Master Zhao, you know a lot."

"After all, I've known your grandmother for decades." The old man smiled, then put away his smile and said seriously: "Don't tell me my fortune!"

"what?"

"When your grandmother was around, I wouldn't let her see me."

“…” Chen Yan stopped talking.

Old man, you're such a spoiled brat! Do you know who all the people are who want to ask my grandma to read their fortunes? That West Lake Pony...

You're so good, I show it to you and you don't want it?

"Why?" Chen Yan said with a smile, "Look at your destiny and avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, how good is that?"

The old man sneered, and then said something that surprised Chen Yan.

"If one's fate were calculated and laid out before one's eyes, then... what would be the point of living?"

Chen Yan: ???
The old man smiled proudly: "Your master Zhao has lived an upright life! If I don't do anything wrong, I don't have to worry about ghosts knocking on my door! If someone like me were to encounter some bullshit disaster,

That means God is blind!

You say, if it really is a blind God, what's the point of you calculating it?"

Chen Yan was stunned!
Uh...it seems...

Is this the truth?

The old man continued to laugh and said:
"I am already over seventy years old this year. I have two sons and one daughter, and many grandchildren, all of whom are filial. We have a house and a field at home, and we have plenty of money to spend and meat to eat. If I, an old man, speak loudly, people from all over the country will listen carefully to what I say.

The way I live is not something I calculated through fortune-telling, and then I follow some bullshit destiny and do things step by step to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune.

It’s me, an old man, who has come this far, step by step, to where I am today!”

Chen Yan's heart moved after hearing this!
It was as if there were still some things in his heart that he didn't understand about the fate and other things he had learned since he started practicing, and he was touched by the old man's words...

Is fate... really a foregone conclusion?

Does fate determine a person's circumstances, or... does a person's circumstances and behavior determine his fate?
Seeing Chen Yan lost in thought, the old man patted his head and said, "You have always been a devious person since you were little! If I don't let you see it, I'm sure you will secretly read my fate.

I tell you, it’s useless to look! You can’t see my fate.”

As he spoke, the old man felt in his clothes and took out something and spread it in his hand.

Chen Yan looked at it carefully and couldn't help but grin.

It’s actually... a... mahjong tile!

This yellowed mahjong tile is actually a red center!
It was pierced in the middle, tied with a rope, and hung around the old man's neck.

The old man had a look of pride on his face and said with a smile, "This was given to me by your grandmother. She wanted to read my fortune, but I refused. She said she was afraid that one day I would get curious and couldn't help but read my fortune secretly, so she made this thing for me.

She said that if I wore this thing, no matter how strange it was, others would never be able to see my fate clearly—even she herself couldn’t see it clearly.”

Chen Yan was stunned for a moment, then saw the old man looking at him with a smile: "If you don't believe me, you can try it. Use the method your grandma taught you to look at me."

Afterwards, Chen Yan used the Zhan Qi technique to look at the old man, and then his face changed!
Under the influence of the Qi-gazing technique, the old man's head was clear and crisp, without any trace of Qi luck at all! !
It was as if the spell of qigong had completely failed on the old man.

Chen Yan looked at the "Red Center" mahjong tile in the old man's hand and couldn't help but feel jealous!
This is a fucking treasure!
"You're so greedy, are you?" The old man laughed, but put the mahjong tiles back into his clothes and said with a smile, "I can't give it to you now. Your grandmother and I agreed that I would lend this treasure to you for the rest of my life. When I die, I will pass it on to you as a return to your family."

Chen Yan nodded and said with a smile, "Alright! Master Zhao, wait another thirty to fifty years and then pass it on to me!"

The old man felt much happier after hearing these words - old people always like to hear these auspicious words about longevity.

After spending about an hour at the village chief's house, drinking a glass of water, smoking a cigarette, and chatting with the old man for a while, Chen Yan said goodbye and left. The old man didn't bother to be polite, just waved him off. There was no need to say a word about staying for dinner.

After leaving the old village chief's house, Chen Yan was inexplicably in a good mood.

It seems that this time when I returned to my hometown, at this moment, this hometown really gave me the sense of belonging that I had hoped for in my heart.

Humming a little tune, Chen Yan slowly walked towards his home. From a distance, he saw a figure walking back and forth at the intersection outside his yard.

At a glance, it’s the first day of the new year!

Chen Yan smiled, walked over slowly, and greeted him: "Chuyi? Why don't you stay in the temple and come down the mountain to find me?"

When Chu Yi saw Chen Yan coming, his face suddenly turned red. After Chen Yan walked in, he became even more hesitant.

He was slow to think and talk, and he stamped his feet and blushed, but he couldn't even express himself in a complete and clear sentence...

Suddenly, this guy got anxious, bent his legs, and knelt down in front of Chen Yan.

"Brother! Brother! Can you help me?"

"How can I help you?" Chen Yan was stunned, then quickly reached out to support Chuyi.

"Just, just please help me! She, they, they told me that maybe my only hope is to see if you can help me."

"Them? You mean, the two on the mountain?" Chen Yan pointed in the distance.

"Yeah!" Chuyi nodded vigorously, his face flushed.

Chen Yan was lost in thought, as if he had guessed something: "Okay, tell me, what exactly do you want me to help you with..."

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[While reminding myself that I had finally written a lot, I couldn't send it all out. I wouldn't be able to save the manuscript if I kept updating it. But now that I've written it, I think I'll just send it all out...

It’s very contradictory. On the one hand, I want to save the manuscript, but on the other hand, there are readers who are crying out for information...]

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(End of this chapter)