Age: My Small World

Arrived at the village entrance.

Looking at the familiar village, Yang Jun couldn't help but recall his past life.

Just like I remember, not many people go out in Fanjiazhuang during winter; most stay at home warming themselves by the fire.

As soon as he entered the village, a few barks of dogs could be heard.

At this moment, there is not a single patch of green on the earth; it is either covered by snow or withered, waiting for spring to revive it.

Yang Jun once saw a time when there was no greenery for miles around, and that was in springtime, because all the green plants had been eaten.

Thinking about what happened a few years ago, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Without disturbing the villagers, he went straight back to his long-abandoned home.

The lock on the door was rusty, and the former courtyard wall was covered with withered vines.

He took out a key and unlocked the lock; it was a key his mother had personally given him.

"crunch..."

Because I've been gone for several years, the courtyard has been neglected and is quite desolate, overgrown with weeds.

Even a few tall grasses had grown by the doorway, but they were already withered by now.

When the door was opened again, a rotten smell wafted out.

Yang Jun waved his hand, sweeping away the dust.

He then used his perception to carry away the dust from every corner using his miniature world.

In no time, the room was clean and tidy again.

The bedding, which smelled musty, was obviously unusable, but fortunately he had come prepared.

Back in my room, I changed the bedding in the bamboo house, and then I could go to sleep.

He even lit a fire on the stove, cooked a bowl of noodles and ate them before climbing into bed as the kang (heated brick bed) warmed up.

Listening to the snowflakes falling again outside the window, he gradually fell asleep.

Have a good night's sleep.

The next day, Yang Jun got up early and went to the center of the courtyard to practice his boxing as usual.

The powerful sound of the punches was like thunder; even those next door could hear it.

Uncle Fan, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, listened to the commotion and his eyes gradually filled with doubt.

"Damn it, I hear some noise coming from that house in the hills. Could it be that some livestock went in and can't get out?"

That was quite a scolding.

Aunt Fan was boiling water for him to wash his face when she heard this and said irritably, "Who would have livestock running around here? Aren't they all left over at the threshing ground for Lao Shi's family to watch over?"

"It looks right to me, but the sound is really off."

As he spoke, Uncle Fan couldn't help but stroll to the next room, and sure enough, the sound was still there.

He only realized what was happening when he saw that the once-locked gate was now unlocked.

Peeking through the crack in the door, Yang Jun was indeed practicing his boxing inside. He used to get up early in the morning to practice his boxing when he was at home.

"Xiaoshan? Is that you back?"

Uncle Fan asked somewhat excitedly.

Yang Jun had just finished practicing his routine, and after putting down his fists, he came over and opened the courtyard gate.

Upon seeing Uncle Fan, he said apologetically, "Oh, it's Uncle Fan. I just got back yesterday without telling you."

"Oh, it really is you, Xiaoshan! You're back already? Why didn't you come over for a hot meal? I bet you all got back pretty late."

Since they hadn't heard any noise at home, they must have come back very late. "Where are your mother and sister?"

"They didn't come back; this time I'm all alone."

"Oh, oh." Uncle Fan was at a loss for words.

"Third Uncle, I have something to do later. I'll invite you over for dinner another day."

Uncle Fan quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, you can go ahead and do what you need to do."

As he spoke, he went back with his pipe in his mouth, and naturally, he couldn't help but tell Aunt Fan about Yang Jun's return.

Now that Aunt Fan knows, Yang Jun estimates that it won't be long before the whole village knows about his return.

I had breakfast in the miniature world. I fried a piece of beef and made two poached eggs. It was quite a pleasant little life.

After finishing his meal, he went to Fan Ping's house.

Is Aunt Ping home?

Before Fan Ping could speak, Cheng Aimin was called out instead.

Cheng Aimin, who was already fifteen years old, was already a young man, an age that would be considered marriageable age in other families.

However, he remained as innocent as ever.

"Brother Xiaoshan!"

Cheng Aimin was overjoyed; he never expected Yang Jun to come home.

He looked behind Yang Jun, but unfortunately he didn't see his sister.

"Brother Xiaoshan, hasn't my sister come back yet?"

Cheng Aimin just started high school this year, and it happens to be the same school as Yang Jun's. However, as time went by, their class hadn't had classes for a long time. They went home before the Lunar New Year and have been busy with the brigade's affairs with Fan Ping recently, earning some work points.

Even in winter, there are still things to do in the team. Early in the morning, everyone has to go dig ditches to bring the river to the team.

The river water coming from Lijia Village is still too little. It even dried up completely a few years ago. Even though Uncle Fan organized people to dig several reservoirs, we were once in a situation where we had no water. So this can be considered another instance of taking precautions.

“Your sister is still in Beijing. I’ve come back to pick you up.”

"Huh? Are you picking us up?"

"Yes, your sister has already started working. There are quotas available for family members to transfer their household registration to the city, so naturally you should all go to Beijing together."

Without thinking twice, Cheng Aimin excitedly called out to his mother, summoning Fan Ping.

Fan Ping was naturally happy to see Yang Jun.

However, after hearing the good news he brought, Fan Ping remained silent for a while.

"Xiaoshan, let me think about this first."

Fan Ping didn't agree immediately; instead, she wanted to consider it.

Yang Jun was not surprised, or rather, that's why he only came to pick them up now.

Cheng Xiaoyu had long wanted to settle the house issue, hoping that her mother and younger brother could go to Beijing together. However, how could Fan Ping easily give up her home here?

The apartment was rented separately. Since Cheng Xiaoyu was already married, the company arranged housing for the couple based on their jobs, rather than allocating company housing to both of them. If that were the case, both husband and wife would have company housing, which would create chaos.

Fortunately, renting a typical self-built house doesn't cost much these days, and such houses are extremely rare. If you happen to encounter a place where the house needs to be demolished and rebuilt, you can only consider yourself unlucky, since the house doesn't have any property certificate or anything like that with the relevant authorities.

Nevertheless, this is the best way to find a rental property nowadays, as other properties with property certificates are no longer eligible for rent.

Yang Jun could probably understand Fan Ping's inner conflict and planned to come back that evening to try and persuade her again.

Now he still needs to make a trip to Li Family Village. (End of Chapter)