My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 712 Cousin and Zhenzhen

"Hey? Fugui? Are you Fugui?"

After leaving the tofu shop, Chen Ling passed through the county town and just mentioned that he wanted to visit Aunt Hongyu and her parents.

When Wang Zhenzhen went to school in the morning, she had already brought a lot of fresh dumplings for her parents.

But he still wanted to go and see...

But as soon as he drove the tractor to the old theater, a short, stocky man on the roadside started staring at him.

He chased after the tractor after it drove past.

"Huh? You're... Brother Pin?"

Chen Ling turned his head and quickly stopped the tractor.

When the man heard Chen Ling call out to him, he was overjoyed. His dark face lit up with surprise: "It really is you, Fugui! You've changed so much. You're tall and fair-skinned. I... I almost didn't recognize you."

This person was very short, probably less than 1.6 meters tall, two centimeters shorter than a lynx, and his face was dark.

But he has a good appearance, with regular features, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a very upright look.

"Haha, what's there to be afraid of about your brother? Brother Pin, what brings you to Lingyun? You're here but you don't even go home." Chen Ling jumped off the tractor and grabbed the man's arm.

This is Zhao Wenpin, the eldest son of Chen Ling's aunt Chen Junying and his cousin.

Yes, it's named after the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

"Hehe, I just came from Wangba City with some people from our village. It's getting dark, and they said there have been a lot of highway robberies lately, so we'll spend the night here and go back tomorrow during the day..."

Zhao Wenpin smiled憨厚ly.

Chen Ling glanced at the old bus station behind him and immediately understood: "So you're mining in Wangba City?"

"Yeah, I've been working in the mine for a while now. The wages in Tongshi County can't compare to those in Wangba City. It's tiring, and the New Year is almost here... Hehe, I'm a little worn out."

Zhao Wenpin grinned and chuckled, looking a little embarrassed.

Chen Ling recalled his aunt coming to borrow money with her daughter-in-law and grandson, and knew that his family was probably really short of money.

This kind of financial shortage isn't just ordinary poverty; it's more likely due to outstanding debts.

He sighed and frowned slightly.

He didn't actually dislike his aunt.

My eldest aunt loved to complain about being poor, especially when my grandmother was still alive.

His aunt wasn't very close to him, partly because she married far away, but also partly because of his mother's past, something he couldn't really say much about.

The reason he refused to lend money last time was because his cousin's wife was unreasonable, and his aunt came to the house and was so protective of her little grandson, not even close to Rui Rui.

This is what makes him unhappy.

At that time, he didn't even bother to pretend.

Otherwise, they're all family, and that little bit of money isn't much to him. He earns money easily, so he could give it away without hesitation, let alone lend it.

It wouldn't be enough to embarrass the elders.

In our family, we've spoiled your grandson so much that he's become so unruly. No wonder Chen Ling has such a bad temper.

"If you can't take it anymore, take a break. Mining in Wangbacheng is more dangerous than anywhere else."

Chen Ling nodded without saying much. His older cousin was not the same kind of person as his aunt and uncle...

He is honest, upright, and of good character.

Of course, whether someone is a good person or not is not important. If you don't meet them often, you can't get close to Chen Ling.

But he's the kind of person who's always played with Chen Ling since they were little, and he's always very affectionate with Chen Ling whenever they meet, treating him like his cousin.

Most importantly, this older cousin knows right from wrong, has a sense of shame, and prefers to shoulder family responsibilities himself, finding it difficult to ask for help from others.

He has the air of a capable older generation.

Often, before others even realize it, he's already thinking about others first.

I really dislike bothering people.

Sometimes it's like this: in a family, the parents may not be very good, but the children are all quite well-behaved.

As expected, Zhao Wenpin did not mention borrowing money to Chen Ling.

He asked, "I heard you've had two more babies? Why didn't you send someone to let us know?"

"Hey, it's not done yet. There are too many people here to get together, but it'll be done soon. I'll call you guys when it's done."

Chen Ling laughed and grabbed his older cousin's arm again: "Come on, since we're all in Lingyun, let's go to my house for a meal and stay for a couple of days."

He wasn't just being polite.

But Zhao Wenpin also knew that the last time Chen Junying took his daughter-in-law there, it had turned out to be very unpleasant, so he had no idea how to go again.

He quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I have to leave early tomorrow morning. The villagers came out together, so we have to go back together too, otherwise it won't look good."

He also knew that Chen Ling was different now than before.

He's rich and famous now; he's not that scoundrel anymore.

Actually, he didn't meet Chen Ling very often, but they got along quite well. The main problem was that his father, Chen Ling's uncle, was a complete scoundrel and stingy. Yet, he wanted to control everything Chen Ling did, exhibiting a very feudal and patriarchal attitude.

Therefore, his previous interactions with Chen Ling were never lecturing; they just played around and talked nonsense together, and they actually got along quite well.

"No problem. If you can't get a ride, I'll give you a ride. There's a tractor here."

Chen Ling grabbed him and left. They had run into relatives in their own territory. In those days, it was normal for them to be warmly invited to stay and have a meal.

Even if the other party is unwilling, you still have to pull them along.

Unlike later generations, where everything is convenient and it doesn't matter whether you're in charge or not, there are places to eat and places to stay.

"No, no, I really can't go. I'm all dirty, I can't face anyone..."

My older cousin started shoving me.

"Do we, brothers, even need to argue about this?"

Zhao Wenpin hurriedly moved closer to him and whispered, "Really, we're not going. We have money on us, and we'll have to take turns keeping watch at night..."

"Okay, then."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling stopped trying to pull him away.

"Hehe, I'm going home to rest for a bit. I'll come over to see you two and the kids in a while. Oh, by the way, I haven't asked you yet, what are you going to do with that cartload of bamboo poles?"

"We plan to build two large greenhouses."

"Oh? You're going to grow crops in greenhouses too? You're going to work non-stop all year round! You're really energetic!"

Zhao Wenpin said the same thing.

As he talked, his fellow villagers gathered around to chat. After they learned who Chen Ling was, they all stared at him with wide eyes.

Chen Ling was used to this kind of reaction.

After a few more brief words, he turned and went to a deli on the street, bought a large amount of food and drinks, wrapped them up, and brought them back. He also left two packs of cigarettes before driving the tractor back to the village.

“Pinwazi, didn’t your mother always say that this nephew of yours is no good? He’s so rich, but he won’t lend money to his aunt when she comes to borrow it. He’s quite close to you, and he even brings you all this good cigarettes, wine and food when you don’t come to his house.”

A fellow villager said this, not as a joke or teasing, but just a casual remark.

Zhao Wenpin sighed. Thinking of his parents and his wife, he knew better than anyone else...

Even after he grew up and became sensible, he wasn't without his own words.

There are some things he doesn't know how to say.

In short, people are all stubborn.

Even with your closest relatives, you still can't persuade someone if they can't be persuaded.

Repeating something three times will only make it bland and ineffective; even if you have the right words, they won't work. It's extremely difficult to persuade someone just by talking.

“We’re all relatives, even if we’re broken, our bones are still connected. I often fight with my dad too… My mom just holds a grudge against my aunt, because she thinks my aunt bullied her back then. Actually, I’m very close to my brothers.” Zhao Wenpin chuckled.

You can't talk about anything in front of outsiders.

"Huh? What's inside this beef? It's rock hard, is it because half a piece of meat wasn't cut off?"

Just as someone was about to open the oil paper package of braised beef, they suddenly frowned and hurriedly tore it open to take a look.

There was a bulging envelope stuffed at the bottom.

The man touched it and was startled: "It's money! There's a lot of money inside! It's for hiring a child, this is definitely for you!"

Zhao Wenpin stopped smiling abruptly, his expression suddenly becoming complicated.

After a long pause, he sighed softly, "What a mess this has become, what a mess this has become. I shouldn't have called him over..."

……

the other side.

At Lingyun Elementary School, there are physical education classes in the afternoon.

Wang Zhenzhen, along with a group of classmates, sat on the ping-pong table, swinging her legs, raising her chin high, and looking arrogant: "What did I tell you? You can't buy their spicy strips. Did you see that? Their house was ransacked by Donkey-Headed Wolf last night. He must be a really bad guy."

"Zhenzhen, didn't you say you were going to take your brother-in-law's dog and chase them away?"

"Yeah, they got what they deserved! I'll let them off the hook then. But if anyone dares to come again, I'll not only bring my dog, but also my brother-in-law's tiger. They'll be scared out of their wits..."

"Okay, okay, we want to see tigers too. Can we go on Sunday?"

"It probably won't work. Didn't I tell you? My brother-in-law is very busy right now. If I take you there, he can't do any work, and my parents will scold me..."

"Okay, if you promise me one more thing, that you won't buy spicy snacks from other places anymore, I'll take you to my house to see tigers in a while, and I'll even have my brother-in-law take pictures of you."

"Okay, okay, Zhenzhen, you're so kind. We'll listen to you and definitely won't buy their spicy snacks."

"It's just... we can't buy your spicy strips, what are we supposed to do if we want to eat them? Nothing else tastes as good as spicy strips!"

"Just wait, my brother-in-law has invented an even better spicy snack... Besides, those spicy snacks near the school gate, I don't know what they're made of, they're so cheap, they must be bad, eating them will definitely give you a stomachache, I'm doing this for your own good."

"That's right, Zhenzhen, you're right. My grandma always says that the meat in sausages isn't good, it's all dead dog and cat meat, and you can't eat it. And those spicy strips that are sold so cheaply must not be good either."

"Right? Come on, let's go play."

(End of this chapter)