My attempt to show off during Chinese New Year shocked the entire nation.

The gate was locked. Li Feng raised his hand and knocked, and the gate made a "thump-thump" sound.

"Who is it?" came a voice that was old but full of energy.

Li Feng recognized his grandfather immediately. "Grandpa, it's me, Xiao Feng."

"Xiaofeng?" The voice inside the door paused noticeably, and then the courtyard door creaked open, revealing Grandpa standing behind the door frame.

His hair was completely white, but his face showed no signs of dejection.

"Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

Grandpa glared at him, but his eyes were full of tenderness. He looked around at him, then reached out and patted his arm twice, with just the right amount of force.

"Are you hungry? Haven't you had lunch yet?"

He had indeed been traveling all morning, and had only eaten a piece of bread for breakfast. His stomach was rumbling loudly by now.

Li Feng scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "Hehe, I am actually a little hungry."

"Just say you're hungry!" Grandpa said reproachfully, waving his hand and turning to walk towards the kitchen in the yard.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot, come in. I'll cook you a bowl of noodles with two eggs!"

Li Feng quickly agreed, picked up his suitcase, and followed behind.

The yard was tidy and orderly, with neatly stacked firewood piled up in the corner.

He placed his suitcase in the corner of the main room and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

As soon as I lifted the kitchen curtain, I saw Grandpa standing in front of the stove, busy at work.

"Grandpa, can I lend a hand?" Li Feng leaned over.

"No need, no need, you can sit down and rest!" Grandpa said from inside without turning his head.

Looking at his grandfather's busy figure, Li Feng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Yes, no matter how much hardship you endure or how far you travel, there's always a hot meal waiting for you when you come home. That's the most comforting happiness.

He didn't insist any further and turned back to the main room.

His gaze swept around the main room, and even though he hadn't been back for three years, the main room was still the same as before.

There's only a simple sofa, coffee table, and TV.

Finally, his gaze fell on a photograph on the wall, taken when he was admitted to university.

Grandpa sat in the middle, Dad stood on the left, and Mom stood on the right.

Standing in the middle, I was still a bit naive back then, wearing a faded T-shirt, my eyes full of longing for the future.

He reached out and gently ran his fingertips over the smiling faces of his family in the photo, his eyes suddenly welling up with tears.

After graduating from university, he always felt that he had to make something of himself before he could come back, but he forgot that his family never hoped that he would fly high, but only that he would return safely.

"The noodles are ready!"

As soon as Grandpa finished speaking, he walked into the main room carrying a large, rough porcelain bowl.

"Xiaofeng, stop standing there and eat quickly."

Grandpa put the bowl on the coffee table, then turned around and went to the kitchen to get a pair of chopsticks, handing them to him. "It's fresh out of the pot, it's best eaten while it's hot."

Li Feng sat down on the sofa, took the chopsticks, and began to eat heartily.

As he ate, his grandfather sat down on a small stool next to him and began to chatter on about the latest happenings in the village.

"Who built a new house? Whose fishpond had a good harvest this year? Who got a new bride this year?"

Li Feng responded with "uh-huh" sounds, but his mind was elsewhere, and he didn't really listen to what was being said.

He swallowed the noodles in his mouth, put down his chopsticks, took out two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from the backpack next to him, and handed them to his grandfather.

"Grandpa, here's a gift for you, try this."

When Grandpa saw the two Chinese characters, his eyes widened instantly. He quickly waved his hand, his face showing a hint of panic.

"Xiaofeng, this...this is such an expensive cigarette, Grandpa can't stand it! It's too strong, it makes me choke! You young people like to smoke this, you can keep it for yourself, or use it to entertain your friends."

"Here you go," Li Feng said, shoving the cigarette into his grandfather's hand. "I don't smoke much, so take your time. If you don't like it, we can talk about it later."

Grandpa held the two packs of cigarettes, his hands trembling slightly, turning them over and over to look at them, muttering to himself.

"How much money is this... You child, you just started earning money and you're already spending it recklessly. Grandpa is worried..."

He complained, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkled up with laughter.

Looking at his grandfather's appearance, Li Feng felt both warm and sad. He picked up his chopsticks and continued eating his noodles.

This time he listened very attentively, occasionally interjecting to ask about the villagers' recent situation.

Soon, Li Feng finished the bowl of noodles completely, even drinking the broth.

When his grandfather saw that he had finished eating, he stood up to clear the dishes, but Li Feng quickly grabbed his arm.

"Grandpa, I'll go wash up. You can sit and rest for a while."

Grandpa patted his hand, insisting on doing it himself: "You just got back, how can I let you do it? I'll do it, I'll do it."

The grandfather and grandson exchanged a few words of polite refusals, but the grandfather couldn't persuade Li Feng otherwise, so he finally gave up. He sat on a small stool and watched Li Feng carry the bowl out of the main room, a smile never fading from his lips.

When Li Feng finished washing the dishes and dried his hands and came out of the kitchen, his grandfather was already standing in the yard, holding a pair of shin-twisting pruning shears.

"Xiaofeng, you should stay home and rest," Grandpa said, waving the scissors in his hand. "I'm going to the peach orchard at the edge of the village to prune the branches of our peach trees so they'll bear fruit in the spring."

"Grandpa, let me go with you!"

"No, no need."

Grandpa waved his hand, his eyes filled with tenderness, "There's not much work, I can finish it by myself in no time. You must be exhausted from the car ride this morning, go back to your room and take a nap this afternoon to recharge."

Li Feng knew his grandfather's temper; once he made up his mind, it was hard to change it, so he stopped arguing and nodded.

"Alright then. By the way, Grandpa, what time do my parents get off work?"

His parents work at a cannery in the county town. They are permanent employees and have been there for almost twenty years. They have all the social insurance and housing fund benefits, which is considered a respectable job in the village.

That's why Li Feng always had a burning desire in his heart.

His parents worked hard all their lives, and he had to do better than them to come back in glory and live up to his family's expectations.

Grandpa thought for a moment: "Your parents get off work at 5:30, so they should be home by 6:00. Don't worry about dinner, I'll take care of it!"

"Okay, sure," Li Feng replied, then saw his grandfather out of the courtyard gate.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, Grandpa's gaze was drawn to the black BMW X5 parked at the entrance. He paused, his brows furrowed, and he didn't move forward for a moment.

Seeing his grandfather's expression, Li Feng had an idea and deliberately asked, "Grandpa, what do you think of this car?"

Grandpa looked away, clicked his tongue, and spoke with a hint of disapproval.

"It's a nice car, it looks expensive, but the owner probably doesn't have any manners."

Li Feng was taken aback for a moment, then asked, somewhat puzzled, "Grandpa, why do you say that?"

Grandpa pointed to the car, then to his own courtyard gate.

"Look at this! Why don't they park right in front of our house? Not only are they blocking the way, but they're also causing inconvenience. Do they have any manners?"

Upon hearing this, Li Feng's face instantly turned somewhat ugly. He scratched his head, both amused and exasperated, and explained in a low voice.

"Grandpa, is it... possible that this car is mine?"