Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

When Tang Zhongyuan heard Chen Mian leave a message of thanks, he couldn't help but turn his head and look at her in surprise.

Without saying much more, he led Chen Mian back, saying that the boss, He Weiqiang, hadn't been to the factory for the past two days and would probably be back tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after tomorrow at the latest.

He wouldn't eat that mandarin fish; he'd send it to the boss's house later, as his elderly father liked to eat unusual things.

When the boss comes back, I'll go to his office and make a call. The village secretary recognizes this number, so it'll be easier to get things done.

After thinking about it, Chen Mian decided to follow her uncle's idea and then decided not to stay any longer.

However, just as he stepped onto the motorcycle and was about to pedal, his uncle came up and put his hand into the pocket on the handlebars.

Chen Mian glanced at it curiously and saw that it was 50 yuan. She couldn't help but laugh blankly, "Uncle..."

Uncle waved his hand, turned around and walked back. Auntie, who was standing next to him, smiled and said, "Keep it. Bring something back when you get married. Uncle and Auntie will be even happier then."

"Slow down on the road."

After watching his nephew leave, Tang Zhongyuan didn't linger any longer, fearing the fish might die.

He rode his motorcycle to a carved iron gate. The other half of the gate was wide open, but he had no intention of going in directly.

After parking the car, he carried the canvas bucket inside.

The courtyard is spacious, and the ground is paved with bricks. You can walk on the flat, open walkway without feeling awkward.

After walking more than 20 meters, I finally stepped onto the platform. It wasn't dark yet, but the lights under the eaves of the main building were already on, making the inside bright and warm yellow.

He didn't rush upstairs. He looked at the tiled walls, aluminum alloy window frames, and the wooden door covered with sheet metal. The more he looked, the more he admired it. He thought that when he saved enough money in the future, he would decorate his son's house like this.

Then he called out, "Uncle, is Aunt home?"

Who is it?

"Me? Tadashihara."

With a creak, the brown door opened from the inside, and a mother and daughter stepped out, lifting the beaded curtain. It was none other than He Qing and her mother, whom Chen Mian had met that afternoon.

An old woman inside was looking out and calling out, "Zhongyuan, come in. You're not an outsider."

"I'm not going in." Tang Zhongyuan laughed heartily and picked up the canvas bucket. "I heard that my uncle likes to eat fish, and my nephew likes to catch fish, so I asked him to find a mandarin fish for me."

Upon hearing that it was mandarin fish, the mother and daughter who came out first had their eyes light up and couldn't help but look ahead. The more they looked at the canvas bucket, the more familiar it seemed.

Just then, an elderly man with graying hair walked towards the door, his eyes filled with surprise: "A mandarin fish! Where did you catch it?"

Tang Zhongyuan took two steps forward, and in the brightest spot by the door, he handed over the canvas bucket.

"My nephew said it's in the river in their village, which is more than 20 miles away from here."

"The Bow and Fish Technique!" the girl next to her exclaimed in surprise.

"Our little darling even knows how to fish with a bow?!" The old man was overjoyed by his granddaughter's erudition. After examining the mandarin fish, he nodded in approval. "Your nephew is an expert."

"He doesn't know anything, he just listens to what others say and messes around with it, otherwise he wouldn't be able to deliver it." Tang Zhongyuan couldn't stop smiling, but he still remained modest.

Seeing her grandparents and her mother focused on the mandarin fish, He Qing asked, "Uncle Tang, did your nephew ride a red motorcycle and buy roast chicken and pig's trotters?"

Tang Zhongyuan nodded in surprise, wondering how his boss's daughter knew so much.

He guessed, "Xiao Qing must have run into my nephew at the supply and marketing cooperative."

Mentioning Chen Mian, He Qing became interested: "If we run into him, your nephew is quite something..."

As she recounted their encounter that afternoon, she gestured to show how the sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative was huffing and puffing in anger.

The old man stood up with a smile. He had just heard his granddaughter say that she hadn't been able to buy any mandarin fish at the market that day, and that she had just missed out on one even though she offered more money.

I never expected that it would be delivered specifically to me after all this time, so it holds even more weight in my heart, and I am even happier.

He reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, pulled out a 50-yuan note, and was about to hand it to Tang Zhongyuan.

However, Tang Zhongyuan had already anticipated his thoughts and actions, and retreated to the bottom of the platform in advance: "Uncle, our family relies on your eldest brother's help all year round, what's a little something to give him?"

"Zhongyuan, give this money to the child. He ran dozens of miles, sweating profusely, to deliver a fish. It wasn't easy." The old man said as he followed.

"I definitely can't take the money. I'll bring it to you next time I catch a fish. I have things to do at the factory, so I need to hurry back and keep an eye on things. I'm off." Tang Zhongyuan said, turning back to greet him as he walked away.

The old woman followed behind the old man and said, "Chung-won, why don't you eat something before you go?"

Tang Zhongyuan hopped on his motorcycle and waved, "Uncle, Auntie, hurry back!"

Watching Tang Zhongyuan rush into the night, the old lady couldn't help but sigh, "Young Tang is a really good person; he knows how to repay kindness."

The old man picked up the mandarin fish, looked at it, and nodded.

……

Yanli Village.

A bright red motorcycle sped down the street, attracting the attention of passersby. As it stopped in front of a street-facing door, they wondered which of the Tang family's young men it was.

Chen Mian got off the car without paying attention to the villagers walking towards him. Seeing that the large wooden gate was open, he carried his bag, took one step up three steps, crossed the threshold in two steps, and ran inside.

Just as I was about to call out, I saw my grandmother, wearing a yellow floral long-sleeved shirt, tending to the roses in the yard.

Ever since the old man passed away, the old lady has taken up studying flower cultivation and raising cats.

"Grandma!"

The old lady was over 70 years old, but she was still sharp of hearing and sight. When she heard a noise at the door, she straightened up and turned around to see her grandson calling her.

She excitedly tossed aside her small shovel, clapped her hands, and walked over, exclaiming, "Oh my gosh! How did you get here?!"

Grandma, being her age, had to bend over and stand up slowly, so Chen Mian quickly ran over to help her up.

"I came on my brother-in-law's motorcycle." As he spoke, he picked up a bag and said, "I bought you some pig's trotters and some spare ribs to make soup."

"This kid, he's already here, why waste money like this!"

The old man and the young man chatted as they walked toward the main room. The threshold was not high, but the floor inside was uneven and pitted, though it had been smoothed out by the wear and tear of life over a long period of time.

Looking at the patches of water on the ground, Chen Mian guessed that the area had just been watered and cleaned up. The stove was not hot, so it seemed that no one had cooked yet. She was just in time to come.

Chen Mian helped her grandmother back to the east room, where a large orange cat was curled up on the kang (a heated brick bed). It didn't move at all when it heard someone coming. It just squinted and curled up, seemingly asleep.

It was already past 6:30, so Chen Mian started preparing to cook. Although her cooking skills weren't great, she was still quite capable of helping her grandmother with some heavy lifting.

Just then, a commotion came from outside, and there were faint sounds of conversation.

"Your aunt is back, isn't she?" Grandma guessed.