Restart life

Chapter 298 0295 [The New House]

It was nearly evening when we entered the village.

Looking at the newly built cement village road, Yang Shuo couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, this is really convenient!"

The village road is even smoother than the county road.

After the local government replenished its finances by selling land, it allocated funds to renovate the county road. However, just over six months later, the road was riddled with potholes again from heavy trucks.

The village road was easy to repair; just build two width-limiting cement posts so that only tricycles, cars, small trucks, and tractors can pass.

Chen Guiliang rolled down the car window and peered out to observe the village road, feeling a surge of pride. He had donated more than half of the money used to repair the road.

“Your village has beautiful scenery; it’s lush and green everywhere in winter.” Bian Guanyue was also observing, but she was looking at the distant mountains.

Chen Guiliang said, "More and more villagers are going out to work, and more and more mountain land is being abandoned. Land near the river is being forcibly converted back to forest, and the government provides subsidies for planting trees and bamboo. So now it's all green everywhere."

Bian Guanyue leaned against the car window, curiously watching the scenery along the way.

The car didn't stop at Grandma's house along the way; Yang Shuo drove directly to the opposite side of the ravine where Chen Guiliang's house was. He then helped take the New Year's goods out of the trunk and carried them with Chen Guiliang across the field ridges and over the ravine.

"elder brother!"

My cousin, Chen Guirong, was squatting outside his own courtyard, leading two of the neighbor's kids to set off firecrackers.

The mustard greens there had already been harvested and used to make sauerkraut, leaving behind only stubble greens, which they blasted to pieces with firecrackers.

Chen Guiliang called out, "Come over here and help me get these things!"

My cousin immediately ran over there excitedly.

“This is your sister-in-law, help her carry her suitcase,” Chen Guiliang introduced. “This is my cousin, Chen Guirong.”

"Happy New Year, elder brother and sister-in-law," Chen Guirong greeted as he took the box.

Bian Guanyue quickly said, "No need, I can carry it myself."

Chen Guirong, however, directly reached out and supported one corner of the suitcase.

On the uphill path in the mountain valley, there are some sections where you can't drag your suitcase; you have to carry it across.

Bian Guanyue couldn't resist his words and could only say, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, it's nothing." Chen Guirong didn't lift it, but deliberately carried it on his shoulder to show off his strength.

Chen Guiliang asked, "I heard you dropped out of high school and went to a vocational school to learn cooking?"

Chen Guirong said, “High school was boring. Our school was terrible. The teachers didn’t care much, and the students were all just playing around. After I got into a fight, I got a major demerit. Damn it… uh, my sister-in-law is here, so I won’t swear. The other person started it, and the fault was also theirs. The school dealt with it by giving both sides equal blame. I was so angry that I just dropped out and decided to learn cooking, at least I’d have a skill.”

“Study hard, and work in a restaurant for a few more years,” Chen Guiliang said. “Once you’re familiar with the restaurant business, I’ll invest in opening one myself. You can have the majority of the shares, and just give me a share of the profits.”

Chen Guirong was overjoyed: "That's a good deal! Although I'm not good at studying, I've always been a great cook since I was little."

As they were talking, they had already reached the ravine.

There were two families there, who immediately greeted Chen Guiliang warmly.

One of the families included Chen Guiliang's childhood sweetheart, with whom he often played house and got married as children. They even made a pact to actually get married when they grew up and came up with many names for their children.

But before she graduated from vocational high school, she became pregnant with her classmate's child. So she dropped out of school, held a wedding banquet, and when she reached the legal age, she went to get a marriage certificate. Now her child is already in kindergarten.

"Brother Guiliang!"

A kid who was about to graduate from junior high school ran away from home.

That was Zeng Xiaoming, Chen Guiliang's childhood sweetheart and cousin, who came over to help Chen Guiliang carry the New Year's goods.

Chen Guiliang said "Happy New Year".

After crossing the mountain pass, he saw a brand-new three-story villa halfway up the mountain.

If you get any closer, you can smell the aroma of the food.

Knowing that Chen Guiliang was coming home tonight, his parents and grandmother had prepared a big meal and were waiting for him.

When Chen Guiliang arrived at his own yard, he immediately opened the suitcase containing New Year's goods and handed Zeng Xiaoming a tape recorder and two song cassette tapes.

"For me?" Zeng Xiaoming couldn't believe it.

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "Take it, you can still use it in high school."

These days, language repeaters are worthless; even brand-name ones only sell for around a hundred yuan. But for rural children who have rarely even been to the county town, they are incredibly precious.

Chen Guiliang bought New Year's gifts for the children of several neighbors.

As for my cousin, he simply gave him a Nokia phone. It used to cost several thousand yuan, but now it's only a little over six hundred.

"Brother, you're awesome! I'll follow you from now on!" Cousin Chen Guirong said with a beaming smile.

Chen Guiliang said, "You should focus on learning to cook."

Chen Guiliang's parents and grandmother came out of the house, smiling broadly as they took the luggage from Bian Guanyue. They then all looked at Bian Guanyue, waiting for Chen Guiliang to introduce them.

Chen Guiliang said, "Dad, Mom, Your Majesty, this is my girlfriend, Bian Guanyue."

"Hello, Grandma! Hello, Uncle and Aunt!" Bian Guanyue bowed generously.

Mom Yao Lan's face lit up with a smile: "Okay, okay, come in and sit down."

Yang Shuo also greeted the elders, put down his luggage, and left.

He also wanted to go home for the Chinese New Year, and he drove the borrowed car to his house. When Chen Guiliang needed the car, he would drive over to pick him up.

"Wash your hands before you eat, the food's getting cold," Grandma reminded her.

The table was laden with delicious dishes, which made Chen Guiliang's mouth water. Most of these dishes were not available in the capital.

I'm so hungry. Damn it, when the company builds its own building, I'm going to have to build an employee cafeteria too. I'll hire two chefs who specialize in Longdu cuisine to cook just for me.

However, the difficulty in purchasing some ingredients is also a problem.

The elders didn't serve Bian Guanyue any food; it wasn't a family tradition. But they kept introducing the dishes, urging Bian Guanyue to try everything on the table.

They didn't bother to find out what Bian Guanyue's family did; Chen Guiliang's family were all quiet people. All they needed to know was that she was their son's girlfriend.

The house has been renovated, but the color TV hasn't been replaced; it's still the same one Chen Guiliang bought after his rebirth.

However, after buying a DVD player and speakers, Dad can watch Hong Kong and Taiwan martial arts films, while Grandma can watch Sichuan opera DVDs.

As for my mom, she likes to get her hair permed and play mahjong.

I used to be reluctant to spend money on perms, and I would even grow my hair long and cut it off to sell. I also didn't have time to play mahjong, as I was busy working all year round.

My mom's daily routine now consists of going to town to get her hair permed and dyeing it brown. She also wears clothes that she thinks are fashionable, but are actually out of style.

At first glance, she resembles a fashionable coastal woman from the 90s.

That was her first impression of fashion and beauty when she went to work in Guangzhou, and she always dreamed of dressing like that.

All I can say is that Mom and Dad, who wears floral shirts, beach shorts, and sunglasses while riding a motorcycle, are a perfect match.

My mom is a master at mahjong, but even though her son is now wealthy, she only plays for 5 cents a game in the village. Her opponents are all experienced players, and in half a day, the wins or losses are at most twenty or thirty yuan.

Some villagers, however, are incredibly arrogant. Although they don't earn much money, they still bet 5 yuan a game of mahjong. The winnings and losses can easily amount to several hundred yuan.

Eat and chat at the same time.

When it comes to mahjong, Dad vividly recounts the big news in the village.

“It happened this month,” Chen Xinghua said excitedly. “Every day, people drive into the village to play cards, and the money is packed in boxes. They hire idle men from the village to stand guard on each hilltop. They get paid 100 yuan a day for each guard. A few days ago, someone reported them, and the gamblers went straight to where they were playing cards. They were so scared that they dumped their money into the river.”

Chen Guiliang had heard about this in his previous life, but he still played along with his father's joke: "Where did this rich person come from?"

Chen Xinghua said, "Some people have local accents, some have Chengdu accents, and some have Chongqing accents. I don't know what kind of business they do, but they all drive nice cars."

"Have you caught them yet?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Chen Xinghua said, "We caught two in the mountains and four at farmers' homes. The rest reportedly turned themselves in. There's only one exit on the village road, and their car was blocked and couldn't get out. The police also had the villagers retrieve the money that had been dumped into the river. One of them escaped to your sixth uncle's house and stuffed the money under the bed, saying it was for your sixth uncle. Your sixth uncle was afraid of trouble, so he handed it all over to the police."

Such a fascinating story is enough for the villagers to talk about for years to come.

Grandma asked, "What dishes does Xiaobian like to eat? I'll make them tomorrow."

Bian Guanyue said, "I like all the dishes my grandma makes."

Grandma beamed, "Then I'll make two of my specialties."

There's too much food left over tonight, so it's a waste to just throw it away. We'll mainly eat leftovers for lunch tomorrow, and only replace it with fresh food for the New Year's Eve dinner. Rural people are used to being frugal and don't see anything wrong with serving leftovers to guests.

Especially tomorrow morning, they'll definitely be making noodles with leftovers.

The highest praise one can give to a good dish is: "Don't throw away these leftovers, I'll save them for noodles tomorrow."

After dinner, Dad took them to visit the house.

"I personally designed the construction and decoration of the house, even the wiring layout..."

Chen Xinghua said with great pride, "That's the pigsty over there, and the chicken and duck farm over there. Those two rooms are granaries... The master bedroom is on the first floor; the second bedroom and guest room are upstairs. I'll take you to see them... These are the flowers your mother planted; the roses and jasmine smell wonderful when they bloom..."

Bian Guanyue was very supportive: "This house is really big, it has three floors."

Chen Xinghua said, "There are only six three-story villas like this in our entire village. Others can only build two-story buildings at most."

There is no shortage of wealthy people in the village.

The two wealthiest families in the past had assets worth hundreds of thousands of yuan by the mid-90s. One family owned a garment workshop in Chengdu, and the other resold generic liquor in the neighboring liquor market.

But now they're all destitute—because of gambling!
Anyone with money will be targeted by professional gamblers who can come to their door from several towns away, using various tricks to lure the rich into playing cards.

With so many precedents to follow, my parents now only play small stakes, and their wins and losses in a single game never exceed one hundred yuan.

"Xiao Bian, which guest room are you sleeping in tonight?" Mom asked as she came upstairs carrying her bedding.

Bian Guanyue said, "Either is fine."

"Let's go with this one then." Mom randomly picked one.

After visiting the family's new house, Chen Guiliang took Bian Guanyue back downstairs to watch TV with his grandmother.

Chen Guiliang said, "Your Majesty, Guan Guan learned Sichuan Opera when she was a child."

Grandma, who is usually calm, was surprisingly agitated: "Are there still people learning Sichuan Opera these days? I can't find a single one."

Bian Guanyue smiled and said, "I'll sing a song for your grandma."

“Okay, you sing. I’ll give you the rhythm.” Grandma couldn’t wait.

An old man and a young man, in perfect harmony, seemed to travel through time amidst the sounds of traditional opera.

Grandma even sang a duet with Bian Guanyue, and they sang for more than an hour.

While the two were singing opera, Dad pulled Chen Guiliang to the master bedroom: "What does Xiao Bian's family do?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I'm in business."

My mother followed me in: "She has a good personality, this girl is nice. But you mustn't mess around outside. Liu Yaoming, who used to run a garment factory in Chengdu, squandered his fortune not just because of gambling. He divorced his wife and married a vixen. He hadn't lost all his money gambling, but that vixen ran off with the rest."

Chen Guiliang was speechless.

(End of this chapter)