Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

Qi Tongwei is gone.

Although Abao tried his best to persuade him to stay.

Although he really wanted to have a good chat with Abao, this fake scalper.

But Qi Tongwei still boarded the train back to Handong overnight.

There was no other way; his time was simply too tight.

He originally thought his trip to Shanghai would only take a day, but he ended up staying for two whole days.

Before leaving, Qi Tongwei asked A Bao for his contact information.

Firstly, he might need to help with the subsequent operations of Yuyuan Mall.

Secondly, for some reason, Qi Tongwei had a vague feeling.

His connection with A Bao goes far beyond this...

When the train arrived at Jingzhou Railway Station, it was just getting light.

The sky was faintly turning a pale white, the sun had not yet risen.

Seeing that it was too early, he randomly picked a breakfast stall to have breakfast.

A basket of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), a bowl of tofu pudding, and a complimentary dish of pickled vegetables.

The meal was simple, but Qi Tongwei ate it with exceptional relish, finding it even more delicious than the delicacies of later generations, such as bird's nest, shark fin, and abalone.

With these two crucial economic moves completed, he was completely free of worries.

Even if his career didn't go smoothly, he would still have the resources to return to Qijia Village and rebuild his fortune.

Thinking of Qijia Village, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and his smile became warmer.

His parents died early, and he grew up eating food from many families in the village.

Even his high school and university education was supported by the village.

It is no exaggeration to say that without Qijia Village, there would be no Qi Tongwei.

He could not forget this kindness, nor dared to forget it.

In his past life, he abandoned his principles in order to repay this debt of gratitude.

Many villagers, taking advantage of his reputation, went astray.

He will still repay the kindness in this lifetime, but he will repay it with more determination and principle.

We cannot let our fellow villagers repeat the old mistakes and go astray.

......

Back at the Little Red House, Qi Tongwei took a rare day off.

The Gao sisters are very sensible; they take care of almost everything in the house.

The two of them treated Qi Tongwei like an emperor.

He was allowed to live a life of being waited on hand and foot for two days.

By the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Qi Tongwei couldn't stay still any longer.

1990 was a poor year; there was no Lunar New Year's Eve.

He calculated the dates and decided to go back to the village to pay New Year's visits today, returning on the 24th.

The remaining time is just enough to prepare for the New Year, so as not to delay the New Year celebration.

He didn't plan to spend the Spring Festival in Qijia Village; his family's old house was too dilapidated to live in.

Furthermore, he was a little worried about the Gao sisters spending the New Year alone since they had just arrived in Jingzhou.

Qi Tongwei's hometown is Qijia Village in Yancheng County.

Yancheng County is 120 kilometers away from Handong, while Qijia Village is 55 kilometers away from Yancheng County.

He took a 4-hour bus ride and then a 3-hour tractor ride.

Around 3 p.m., Qi Tongwei finally returned to Qijia Village.

As soon as the tractor arrived at the village entrance, a group of teenagers gathered around it.

The tomboyish leader, with sharp eyes, recognized Qi Tongwei at a glance.

"Uncle Dawei! You're back!"

Qi Tongwei handed the things to the tomboy and gave instructions with a smile.

"Lu Daiyu, take these things to Grandpa Qi's house..."

The villagers of Qijia Village are mostly surnamed Qi, with very few families having other surnames, and only one family with the surname Lu.

He recognized the tomboy at a glance.

Lu Daiyu took the things, responded, and disappeared in a flash.

Qi Tongwei jumped off the tractor and took a deep breath.

The air smelled of cow dung, the earth, and the scent of home.

Upon entering the village, Qi Tongwei didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately began visiting villagers to offer New Year's greetings.

He didn't stay long at any of the households; he would go in, chat for a few minutes, leave ten yuan as a New Year's gift, and then leave.

There was no other way; although Qijia Village was not large, it still had more than 300 households.

He could spend five minutes at a store, but he couldn't finish running around all day.

While Qi Tongwei was offering New Year's greetings, Lu Daiyu had already run to Qi Shouyi's house.

She put the things on the table and immediately sent word.

"Grandpa Qi! Brother Dawei is back!"

Before she could catch her breath, her eyes kept drifting towards the milk candies in her bag.

Qi Shouyi's face lit up with joy, and he asked with a smile.

"Tongwei's back? Where is he? Where is he?"

Rudai scooped a mouthful of water from the water vat and swallowed it.

"I'm visiting relatives and friends to offer New Year's greetings... I don't know how long it will take to get here..."

Qi Shouyi was taken aback, and the smile on his face disappeared.

He glanced at the things on the table and slowly sat down.

"Why are you taking his things from my house? Take them away!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried displeasure.

Seeing that he was angry, Rudy stuck out her tongue.

"Uncle Dawei asked me to bring this... I'm leaving now..."

After saying that, he grabbed a handful of candies from the bag, turned around and ran away.

Watching Lu Daiyu's retreating figure, Qi Shouyi took a few deep drags on his pipe and muttered something under his breath.

"That heartless bastard... didn't even bother to come see me first..."

......

Around 6 p.m., Qi Tongwei finally arrived at Qi Shouyi's house.

He started shouting before he even entered the door.

"Uncle Shouyi! I'm back!"

The lights were on inside, but no one answered.

Pushing open the door, Qi Tongwei immediately saw Qi Shouyi.

The old man sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), his face long and drawn, smoking a pipe.

Qi Tongwei was taken aback at first, but then he understood.

The old man is angry; he's upset that he didn't come to see him right away.

Qi Tongwei didn't mind and walked to the table with a smile.

He started taking things out of his bag one by one.

There weren't many items.

Two bottles of Handong Daqu liquor, a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes, a bag of milk candy, and some local specialties from the western border region.

Qi Tongwei placed the wine and cigarettes in front of Qi Shouyi and spoke with a smile.

"Uncle Shouyi, these are all gifts for you..."

Qi Shouyi glanced at the cigarettes and alcohol, then waved to Qi Tongwei.

"I can't accept this, take it away..."

Qi Tongwei didn't respond.

After putting his things away, he bowed down and kowtowed deeply to Qi Shouyi.

"Uncle Shouyi! Xiaowei wishes you a Happy New Year!"

Qi Tongwei knelt down, and not only that, he kowtowed.

But he knelt upright, and his head kowtowed crisply and loudly.

His kneeling left Qi Shouyi speechless.

He quickly helped Qi Tongwei up.

"What are you doing... You're a college student, how can you kowtow to me..."

Qi Tongwei held his hand and answered with a smile.

"Without you, let alone being a college student, I'm not even sure if I could survive..."

His voice was soft and his tone was calm, yet it was full of genuine emotion.

Qi Shouyi pulled him down to sit, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

He actually understood that Qi Tongwei was right to come to him in the end.

He was closest to Qi Shouyi, so when paying New Year's visits, he would naturally visit those who were farther away first, and only come to him last.

The first bow is a matter of etiquette, the second is a matter of kinship; the old man understands this principle.

He took Qi Tongwei's hand and looked him up and down.

"I've lost weight! It's not easy being out there..."

"We'll eat inside later, and have a couple of drinks with me tonight..."

Qi Shouyi's hands were rough, but warm.

That warmth traveled from his palms all the way to Qi Tongwei's heart.

Qi Tongwei lit him a cigarette and replied with a smile.

"Not only do I have to have a couple of drinks, but I also have to stay home tonight..."

That night, the father and son talked a lot and drank quite a bit of alcohol.

Before getting drunk, Qi Tongwei told Qi Shouyi two things.

First, Qijia Village needs to revitalize its economy, and as the village party secretary, he must take the lead.

Second, Qijia Village must carry out legal education to prevent villagers from acting recklessly.

Qi Shouyi only vaguely understood what he was hearing, but he remembered it.

He knew that Qi Tongwei would not harm the villagers.

There must be a reason why he said that.