Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

The next morning at seven o'clock, Chen Jingming slowly walked out of the elevator with his suitcase. He looked around but did not see Liu Yifei. So he went to the waiting area, sat down, and took out today's newspaper from the newspaper rack to read.

"Brother Jingming." After reading for about ten minutes, Chen Jingming heard Liu Yifei calling him. He looked up and saw Liu Yifei walking quickly towards him. Chen Jingming smiled, closed the newspaper, put it back in its place, and then went to greet her, saying with a smile:

"Good morning, Yifei. How did you sleep last night?"

"I slept well and I'm full of energy today. Let's get going." Liu Yifei looked at Chen Jingming with bright eyes and responded with a smile.

"Let's go then." Chen Jingming took Liu Yifei's suitcase, and the two walked out of the hotel side by side. Xu Hu was already waiting outside in his car. In addition to Xu Hu, there was another car accompanying them, all of them accompanied by people.

Upon arriving at the Capital Airport, after passing through security, Chen Jingming and Liu Yifei boarded the plane directly through the VIP channel.

"Hello, Mr. Chen, I am Captain Liu Wei." As soon as he reached the cabin door, he saw a row of people standing there, and the leader greeted Chen Jingming.

"Hello, Captain Liu, the rest of the journey is in your hands." Chen Jingming smiled and nodded, then greeted the other maintenance personnel one by one. Xu Hu followed behind, opening his briefcase and handing out red envelopes to everyone.

These are the maintenance personnel that Lin Dan rearranged after Chen Jingming returned to China; they were directly leased from the Capital Airport Business Services Company. Chen Jingming dismissed the foreign crew members who had been employed long-term—since he hadn't used the plane much in the past year or two, there was no need to maintain such a group of people.

Stepping into the cabin, Liu Yifei looked around at the luxurious decor, only settling down after the flight attendant reminded her. She tilted her head, glanced at Chen Jingming, and smiled as she spoke:

"Jingming, this plane is so luxurious! It's much more comfortable than the American Airlines plane we used to fly on."

"Do you like it? If you like it, just let me know if you need it in the future, and I'll arrange it anytime," Chen Jingming replied cheerfully.

"I like it." Liu Yifei nodded emphatically, then shook her head and said, "It's a pity this isn't mine. When I become an international superstar in the future, I'll buy one for myself."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming smiled and nodded, giving Liu Yifei a thumbs up. Although Liu Yifei was only thirteen years old, she was remarkably adept at navigating interpersonal relationships. While she and Chen Jingming had grown up together and weren't particularly distant, there were still some things she wouldn't take for granted.

The plane began to taxi slowly. Chen Jingming looked at Liu Yifei and asked with a smile, "There's a bed inside, would you like to go and rest for a while?"

"There's a bed?" Liu Yifei's eyes lit up instantly. She then turned her head, looked at Chen Jingming with a strange expression, and asked with narrowed eyes:

"Were you all prepared, just waiting for my nod?"

Seeing a mischievous glint in Liu Yifei's eyes, Chen Jingming gently tapped her forehead. Liu Yifei was completely caught off guard and hadn't expected him to do that.

"What are you thinking at such a young age?" Chen Jingming said helplessly, looking at her precocious appearance.

Liu Yifei covered her head with one hand, her face stern, looking quite intimidating. But Chen Jingming knew in his heart that he hadn't used any force at all, and turned his head away after speaking.

Seeing that Chen Jingming wasn't falling for it, Liu Yifei immediately lowered her hand, stopped pretending, and casually said, "Then I'll go rest for a while. Call me when we get there."

Chen Jingming looked out the window and nodded, feigning calmness. At this moment, he felt an increasing tenderness and protectiveness towards Liu Yifei, as if she were his girlfriend.

At Lukou Airport, the plane slowly came to a stop in the designated location. A shuttle bus arrived, and Chen Jingming and Liu Yifei, along with their entourage, disembarked from the aircraft.

"Jingming, shall we go to Grandpa Chen's hometown now?" Liu Yifei asked, looking up. During the National Day holiday in Jiangsu, the temperature was very pleasant, just over twenty degrees Celsius, making it very comfortable to be outdoors.

"Hmm," Chen Jingming responded softly, then added, "How about we stay here a few more days and have some fun when we go back to the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei nodded in agreement without hesitation. The group walked out of the VIP passage, where someone was holding up a sign with Chen Jingming's name on it.

"Hello, I am Chen Jingming," Chen Jingming said as he walked up to the person holding the sign.

"Hello, Mr. Chen, I'm from the Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. I'm here to welcome you, show you the way, and accompany you back to your hometown," Wang An explained with a smile.

Chen Jingming nodded and asked, "May I ask your name?"

"Wang An." Wang An extended his hand and shook hands with Chen Jingming. Chen Jingming then said:

"The car is already outside. If Comrade Wang has no luggage to pack, we can set off."

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Chen. My luggage is at the service desk in front. I'll go get it now. You can wait for me at the exit," Wang An said.

They agreed to meet at the exit, and then Chen Jingming led Liu Yifei out. On the way, Liu Yifei asked curiously:

"Brother Jingming, what does the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office do? Why did they come all the way to pick you up?"

"The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office mainly serves us overseas Chinese. Whether you're looking for relatives back in China or investing, you can contact them," Chen Jingming explained softly as he unscrewed a bottle of Mochi peach juice and handed it over.

Liu Yifei took the drink, took a couple of small sips, and nodded. The group walked to the car to wait, and soon Wang An came running over, dragging his luggage.

Everyone boarded the car one after another, with Chen Jingming and Liu Yifei sitting in the back. Liu Yifei noticed that Chen Jingming was in low spirits and kept looking out the window, so she sensibly didn't disturb him.

Chen Jingming looked out the window at the scenery, his thoughts drifting away.

I remember in my past life, in 2013 I couldn't make it in the US, so I returned to China, to my hometown. Jiangsu was much more developed back then than it is now. When Chen Jingming returned to the village, he was destitute, but none of his relatives looked down on him. During those years in the village, every mealtime, no matter whose house he passed, he would always be invited in for a meal.

Especially Aunt Lin from the village, who, according to seniority, was a relative within five degrees of kinship. Her son sacrificed his life in the 1998 floods. When Chen Jingming first returned, he was still regretting why he hadn't come back a year earlier.

Aunt Lin was the best person to Chen Jingming and the closest person to him. Chen Jingming remembered very clearly that in 2018 he had acute appendicitis, and it was Aunt Lin who carried him to the village hospital and then transferred him to the county hospital. Aunt Lin took care of him until he was discharged.

Some villagers gossiped that Aunt Lin lost her husband when she was young and her son in middle age, and wanted Chen Jingming to break the basin and carry the funeral banner for her in the future. But only Chen Jingming knew that Aunt Lin never had such thoughts. She just saw the shadow of her son in Chen Jingming. He was just as thin, just as unsociable, and always sat alone on the edge of the field, staring into the distance.

Aunt Lin's son served on the border before his death. After a conflict with the Indian side, his leg was amputated. In the two years after his discharge, his condition was almost exactly the same as Chen Jingming's.

On the day Aunt Lin passed away, Chen Jingming was also lying in a hospital bed, awaiting death. He only learned of the news when the villagers came to visit him after the funeral.

Liu Yifei looked at the scenery outside for a while, and was about to turn around to talk to Chen Jingming when she saw him with tears streaming down his face, staring blankly out the window, his face full of sorrow.