Reborn in the 60s, I hunt to support my family and even seduce the village beauty.

Chang Kun gave the name of the alley where his aunt's family lived.

The driver nodded and held up three fingers: "Fifteen cents, take me to the door, that's all."

Chang Kun didn't haggle, carried Xiao Shui into the car, and then got in himself.

The driver slung the cloth over his shoulder, bent down, gripped the handlebars, crouched down, shouted "Hold on tight!", and gave a hard tug, and the wheel started spinning.

The wheels crunched and creaked on the gravel road, and the car's springs bounced up and down.

Xiao Shui leaned over the edge of the car, craning her neck to look outside, the wind blowing her braids backward.

After exiting the train station, turn onto Shengli Road. This road is not wide, with gray brick houses on both sides and shops along the street.

"Big brother, what's that?" Xiao Shui asked, pointing to the roadside stall.

"Chess Piece Sesame Cake, a specialty of Tangshan, small in size, one bite at a time, filled with meat."

Chang Kun glanced at it and said, "There's also honey sesame candy. I'll take you to eat it after we've finished taking care of things at your maternal grandparents' house."

Xiao Shui swallowed hard, not saying she wanted to eat, but her eyes were already glued to the food.

The driver kept walking and talking, speaking loudly to Chang Kun: "Is this your first time in Tangshan?"

"I've been here a few times."

"Your accent doesn't sound like a local. Are you from Beijing?"

"right."

"The capital city is wonderful, right under the emperor's nose."

The driver turned his head to gesture, but his straw hat was almost blown away by the wind, so he quickly reached out and held it down.

"Our Tangshan is not bad either. We have mines, steel, and porcelain. Our porcelain is no worse than Jingdezhen's. If you go to the streets, you'll see that every household uses bowls and plates made in local kilns."

Chang Kun casually agreed, which piqued the driver's interest.

He talked about everything from coal mines to steel mills, and from steel mills to ceramic factories, his spittle flying as he spoke.

He even hummed a couple of lines from a Pingju opera when he got excited, though his pitch wasn't quite right, but it sounded lively.

Xiao Shui was amused by his incessant talking all the way, and covered her mouth to chuckle.

After rounding a bend, the road widened and the houses grew taller. The driver gestured forward with his chin: "Jianshe Road is just ahead; your alley is almost there."

My aunt's family home is in an alley on the west side of Jianshe Road. It's not too far from the old train station; it takes about half an hour to walk there, but only fifteen minutes by car.

This is an old residential area with narrow alleys lined with single-story houses made of blue bricks and gray tiles, one after another, with their gates facing each other.

Some of the courtyard gates were open, and you could see bed sheets hanging out to dry and a few sunflowers growing inside.

At the entrance of the alley, there was an old locust tree whose canopy covered half the sky. Under the tree, several old women sat on small stools, picking vegetables and chatting amongst themselves.

The driver stopped at the entrance of the alley, threw the handlebars on the ground, and took a breath: "We're here, this is it."

Chang Kun got off the bus, took Xiao Shui off, and took out two cents from his pocket and handed them over.

The driver took the money and took out five cents from his pocket to give change, but Chang Kun waved his hand and said not to bother with change. The driver chuckled, put the money back in his pocket, and said, "Have a good trip."

Xiao Shui stood at the entrance of the alley, looking up at the old locust tree overhead. Its branches stretched out, blocking out most of the sky, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting shimmering gold patterns on the ground.

Chang Kun walked to the locust tree, nodded to the elderly women, and asked with a smile, "Excuse me, which household does Fan Degui live in?"

Several elderly people looked up at the same time, sizing up Chang Kun and then glancing at Xiao Shui beside him, their eyes filled with the wariness and curiosity typical of old neighbors.

An old woman spoke first, tilting her head back and squinting her eyes, asking, "Are you looking for the Fan family? What's your relationship to them?"

"I am his relative, I came from the capital, and I came to visit his parents on behalf of my daughter."

Another old lady asked in surprise, "From the capital? Where in the capital? Did that little girl Erxiao send you?"

"Yes, it was Erxiao who sent me."

"Ha! Old Fan's son-in-law is no good; he hasn't come over for years."

"Old Fan's legs aren't good, you know? His wife's eyesight isn't good either. The last time I ran into her, she didn't recognize me from a distance."

Another old woman in a blue cotton jacket came over, looked Chang Kun up and down several times, and then her gaze fell on Xiao Shui, scrutinizing her for a long time.

"Who is this girl in the Fan family? Is she their granddaughter? She looks a bit like Erxiao when she was little. Look at her eyebrows, her nose, she's just like Erxiao when she was little."

Xiao Shui felt embarrassed by her gaze and hid behind Chang Kun, only showing half of her face.

The old ladies chattered amongst themselves, each one louder than the last, as if afraid others wouldn't hear them.

Chang Kun managed to squeeze in a question between their words: "Grandpa and Grandma, which household exactly does Fan Degui live in?"

The old lady who spoke first pointed into the alley: "Go in, count, the fifth door, the one with a pomegranate tree in front of it is it."

The old man next to him added, "Don't just look at the pomegranate tree. The Spring Festival couplets on Old Fan's door are from the year before last. The red paper has all turned white, and only the two door gods are still there. Just look for the door gods."

The old ladies laughed again, laughing heartily. Chang Kun thanked them and pulled Xiao Shui inside.

After walking a few steps, an old woman's voice came from behind: "This child, visiting relatives, why did you come empty-handed? Not even a bundle, that's unacceptable."

Another elderly woman chimed in, which Chang Kun heard clearly: "Why do you care if they're carrying anything? Maybe they checked their luggage at the station. How do you know they're empty-handed?"

"That means he didn't bring anything. Look at his hands, they're empty. Visiting relatives without bringing anything, people in the capital aren't exactly generous!"

"It's good enough that people can come at all. Erxiao hasn't been back for so many years. Sending someone to come and see her is a token of their affection."

Chang Kun's lips twitched slightly. His hands were indeed empty; he had already stored the sacks and bundles in his spatial storage when he found a secluded spot at the station.

Chang Kun counted the doors, and on the fifth one, there was indeed a pomegranate tree at the door.

The tree was not tall, its branches were crooked, its leaves were turning yellow, and it had several pomegranates with cracks hanging from them, revealing the bright red seeds inside.

The door was made of wood, and the red paint had almost completely peeled off. A pair of door gods, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, were pasted on the door panel, their colors faded considerably.

Standing at the door, Chang Kun secretly took out the things his aunt had brought from his spatial storage.

Two sacks, one of wheat flour and one of corn flour, weighing a total of fifty or sixty pounds, were weighed heavily on his shoulders.

The bundle hung on her wrist, containing cloth, snacks, and cotton shoes.

He freed one hand and knocked on the door again.

The sound of footsteps came from inside, slow and deliberate, like someone dragging their shoes along.

The door creaked open, and an old man in his fifties with gray hair and loose, sagging skin opened the door.

"Who...who are you looking for?"