Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

"Who is it? Come in." A Northeastern accent came from inside the dormitory. Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming pushed open the door and went in.

There were already five people in the room. As soon as Chen Jingming entered, all eyes turned to him. One of the tall boys spoke up, "You're one of our dorm members too, right? My name is Liu Tiejun, I'm from Northeast China."

"Wang Hao is a local from Beijing."

Li Yang is from Shanghai.

Zhang Lei is from Xi'an.

"Zhao Wenbo is from Tianjin."

As his roommates introduced themselves, Chen Jingming took out a cigarette, offered it to everyone, and then said, "Chen Jingming, an American of Chinese descent."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked over. Chen Jingming asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"An American of Chinese descent? Shouldn't you be in the international exchange program? Why are you in our management department?" Wang Hao asked.

"I don't know either. I applied for public administration, and this is where I was assigned," Chen Jingming shrugged, looking helpless.

"Alright, alright, as long as they're not white or black, it's fine. Besides, Jingming can speak Mandarin, so communication won't be a problem for us," Li Yang stepped in to smooth things over.

"That's right, that's right. Jingming, there's only one bed left. Let us make your bed first. We're going out for dinner later, so we'll all be together today." Liu Tiejun walked over, took the suitcase from Chen Jingming, and pulled it directly to the lower bunk against the wall. Chen Jingming quickly thanked him, and the others followed suit, making the bed quickly with the six of them.

The six of them had known each other for less than an hour, yet they were already arm in arm as they left. Being young, they bonded very quickly.

Wang Hao, a local, led his brothers out of Xitucheng Road and into a restaurant near Beitaipingzhuang.

"Come on in, bro! Come on in and have a seat!" the waiter greeted them warmly as the six entered.

His thick Northeastern accent was particularly endearing, and Liu Tiejun immediately shouted, "Boss, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, cold noodles, and a little chicken stew with mushrooms!"

He paused for a moment after shouting, then turned to look at Chen Jingming and the others, somewhat embarrassed: "Brothers, sorry, it just slipped out."

Everyone burst into laughter. Chen Jingming smiled and said to the waiter, "Just order what he said, and bring the menu again; we'll add a few more dishes."

"Okay." The waiter smiled and handed over the menu. Chen Jingming didn't open it; instead, he placed it on the table, indicating that everyone should order.

Several people shook their heads. Liu Tiejun laughed and said, "Jingming, the portions of Northeastern cuisine are generous. My dad brought me here and I already had those dishes, so it's enough."

Chen Jingming nodded, then smiled and said, "Brothers, I love spicy food, can we add some Sichuan cuisine too?"

"Sure, why not? Add it!" Liu Tiejun, with his characteristic Northeastern tough guy attitude, readily agreed. Chen Jingming flipped through the menu and added a classic Sichuan dish—boiled sliced ​​pork.

In no time, the dishes were all served, filling the table to the brim. Liu Tiejun took a case of chilled Yanjing beer from the refrigerator, and the group opened the bottles and drank straight from the bottles without using glasses.

After a few rounds of drinks, Wang Hao looked at Chen Jingming and asked with a smile, "Jingming, everyone says that the moon is rounder in foreign countries than in ours. Now that you've come back from America, tell everyone about it and let us broaden our horizons."

Chen Jingming glanced at everyone present and suddenly laughed, "How come I didn't know the moon was rounder abroad? The weather was nice last night, and I even saw the moon. It was much brighter than the moon overseas."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Lei blurted out in Shaanxi dialect, "You're really talking nonsense! You said the moon was very bright, but it's only the beginning of the month. If you had said it was the fifteenth, I might have believed you for a moment."

The dinner table fell silent instantly upon hearing this. Everyone stared at Zhang Lei, not quite understanding. Zhang Lei then realized what he meant, his face already flushed from the alcohol turning even redder. He quickly explained, "I meant you were bragging. It's only the beginning of the month; the moon isn't even bright yet."

"Haha." Chen Jingming laughed loudly, picked up the cigarettes on the table and distributed them to everyone, then lit one for himself before speaking: "Brothers, don't be fooled by the fact that foreign countries are more developed than us now. That's the result of over a hundred years of development. What about us? Only a little over ten years. Look at Beijing now compared to it a dozen years ago. If you hear anyone say that again, just go up and slap them across the face and ask them properly—have they ever been abroad before spouting nonsense?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the laughter at the table grew louder, and other diners in the restaurant also turned to look. Seeing that it was a group of young people, and having clearly heard Chen Jingming's words, some people immediately clapped and cheered.

"Well said! Our country has only developed for a little over a decade and it's already this good; it will definitely become even stronger in the future!"

"That's a real man's talk! To deal with those who fawn over foreign things, you just have to slap them across the face!"

Everyone cheered in support. Chen Jingming hadn't expected his words to elicit such a big reaction. He raised his bottle to the crowd and drank it all in one gulp.

Of course, for every person who agrees, there is someone who disagrees. Sure enough, someone immediately spoke up.

"What, is it so hard to admit that foreign countries are better than China?"

At that moment, the restaurant fell silent, and everyone turned to look at a corner. There sat four or five people at a table; they seemed to be somewhat educated.

Chen Jingming squinted at the other person and immediately retorted, "It's fine to admit that other countries are powerful; that's a fact. But you can't belittle your own country to elevate others; that's called forgetting your roots."

His voice was firm and resolute. The man who had spoken earlier abruptly stood up, glaring at Chen Jingming with an unfriendly expression: "Young man, don't jump to conclusions. Who's forgotten their roots? Isn't what I said the truth?"

Chen Jingming looked around and slowly said, "We can face the gap, but we can't belittle one to praise the other. Wasn't what you just said blatantly demeaning your own country?"

The man slammed his hand on the table, furious, "What did I belittle? Wasn't what I said realistic?"

"Heh." Chen Jingming sneered. He possessed memories of the future and had more confidence in the country than anyone else in this era. Twenty years later, the Chinese people would sit at home scrolling through the news, watching other countries engulfed in war, while they themselves would be well-fed and clothed, living in peace and fear. All of this was because there was a powerful nation behind them.

Hearing Chen Jingming's cold laugh, the man finally lost his composure and took two steps forward. Liu Tiejun and the others immediately stood up, staring at the other man expressionlessly.

Seeing the situation turning sour, the men at the table also stood up and pulled him aside, trying to persuade him in whispers. The man glared at Chen Jingming and said angrily, "After all that talk, all you can do is shout slogans. I don't think you've done anything for this country."

Chen Jingming simply smiled faintly: That's it? It's far inferior to the sarcastic remarks circulating online in later generations. He said, "At least, I'm better than those who flaunt their superiority by stepping on their own people."

"You...you...you..." The man was so angry he couldn't speak. A bespectacled man next to him immediately chimed in, "Judging from your appearance, you should all be students. Which school are you from?"

"Just because you ask me doesn't mean I have to tell you. Who do you think you are?" Chen Jingming retorted without giving him any face.

"I am Lu Chuan, who are you?" The man who had been arguing with Chen Jingming for a long time introduced himself.

Upon hearing the name, Chen Jingming took a closer look. In his previous life, he had only heard of the name "Lu Taro" but had never actually met him in person. This was the first time he had encountered a "celebrity".

"Who I am is not important. What's important is that I haven't forgotten where my roots are. Unlike some people who put down their chopsticks and start cursing the cook, they don't know what's good for them." Chen Jingming said with a slight smile and a hint of confidence.

Lu Chuan's face turned pale and red after being rebuked by Chen Jingming, and she was speechless for a moment.

The bespectacled man gave Chen Jingming a deep look, then turned to Lu Chuan and advised, "Alright, they're just a few immature students, let's go."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chuan took the opportunity to glare fiercely at Chen Jingming before walking out with her companion.

Chen Jingming watched the group's backs, his eyes narrowing. He had never liked people with ulterior motives.