2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 8 Returning Hometown
When he got home, he saw that his parents were still awake, as if they were waiting for him, and Tan Jincheng suddenly realized what was going on.

Right now, in my parents' eyes, I'm still just a 19-year-old kid. They must be worried because I haven't come home late at night.

"I went to an internet cafe with Pengya for a while, had a late-night snack, and then came back. Mom and Dad, you go to sleep, I'm fine."

"You've only just gotten home and you're already running around everywhere; go to sleep early, you're going to your grandma's tomorrow," Zhang Suzhi said with a hint of complaint.

“I remember, I also brought a gift for my grandma, it’s in the box.”

"I see, your grandma will definitely say you're wasting money again."

"It's not worth much, I'm going to sleep," Tan Jincheng replied with a smile.

That's how old people are. No matter how happy you are when you buy them something, they'll still complain that you're wasting money and don't know how to save.

Seeing that his parents had gone to bed, Tan Jincheng quickly washed up and prepared to go to sleep as well.

The next morning, after breakfast, the family carried the prepared gifts and headed to the maternal grandparents' home in the countryside.

In Yicheng, the custom for visiting relatives during festivals is that you must arrive before lunch; you don't visit relatives in the afternoon.

They hailed a taxi, and the family, carrying large and small bags, headed to Huangtukeng Bus Station, which wasn't far from Daguan District.

These days, it's still relatively rare for ordinary families to own a private car, and minibuses, which were largely ignored in the past, are currently quite popular.

After searching through several minibuses, Tan Jincheng finally found two good seats. He arranged for his mother to sit by the window while he waited outside in his seat.

Tan Lihua, guarding the gifts, sat side by side with Tan Jincheng across the aisle.

Before long, the minibus was full, mostly with migrant workers returning home for the holidays. The conductor began to close the doors and collect fares, charging different prices depending on the destination.

The town that Tan Jincheng's family was going to charge 20 yuan per person.

Even though the place is full, the driver will still squeeze more people in if someone flags them down on the street. That's why Tan Jincheng was looking for a seat.

My mother is pregnant, so there aren't many good seats available; it's easy for her to get squeezed in.

As for why we didn't take a taxi, it's because we were traveling with my parents, and they definitely wouldn't accept taking a taxi, since taxis charge per person when going to the countryside.

And it will also be crowded. Once these people are on the road, they will stop and solicit customers regardless of whether you have chartered a car or not.

To get to the town in my grandmother's county, the minibus takes about an hour and a half, or about an hour and a half if there are many passengers getting on and off along the way.

Last night I took a taxi home, which took about ten minutes and cost 20 yuan. Today, a minibus to the countryside took more than an hour and also cost 20 yuan.

This is the current state of transportation in Yicheng.

Tan Jincheng can't change anything, but he can make money as soon as possible, buy a car, and then travel will be much more convenient.

"Mom, you get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there," Tan Jincheng said to his mother.

The journey was bumpy, which was quite painful for the pregnant woman. If it weren't for the fact that she wanted to take advantage of the time before giving birth and for her son to go home to visit her parents, Zhang Suzhi really wouldn't want to suffer like this.

Tan Lihua and Zhang Suzhi were born in a poor county under the jurisdiction of Yicheng. They were from different villages in the same town and met through a blind date.

Tan Jincheng didn't know if his parents had any love, but their life after marriage was quite harmonious. In Tan Jincheng's memory, his parents never argued in front of him.

I remember my father having a rather fiery temper when he was young, and he spoke very loudly. He often argued with people, but he was very gentle when he spoke to my mother.

However, when Tan Jincheng turned thirty, his father became a very gentle person, and he almost stopped arguing with his mother and outsiders.

Tan Jincheng had no idea why his father had changed.

When Tan Jincheng was young, he worked hard away from home and would often call his mother to listen to her talk about everyday things. It was common for them to chat for more than an hour.

However, he rarely communicated with his father. The relationship between father and son wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't very close. Glancing to the side, he saw his father sitting upright in his seat, eyes closed, but through his hands tightly gripping the gift, Tan Jincheng knew his father was definitely not asleep.

Don't be surprised. These days, if you put some high-end gifts or valuables on the luggage rack and someone gets off the train and takes them without you noticing, you can only accept it.

After thinking about random things for a while, Tan Jincheng decided to take a nap. This minibus ride was going to be bumpy for more than an hour, and the road wasn't very good either; it was really uncomfortable.

In a daze, Tan Jincheng felt someone pushing him.

"Here, get out of the car."

"okay."

He had actually fallen asleep, and his mother had to wake him up. Tan Jincheng felt a little ashamed, as he had planned to take care of his mother on the way.

"It's not my fault, it's just that the ride was a bit too comfortable."

The minibus will only drop you off at the town's intersection, regardless of your destination. If you want to get back to the village, it will take at least half an hour to walk.

However, my uncle was already waiting at the entrance of the small shop at the intersection. He had already informed me of the approximate arrival time beforehand.

"Big brother!"

"Uncle!"

Upon seeing the people, Tan Jincheng's family called out. Hearing this, Zhang Qingfeng waved and started his electric tricycle to drive over.

Tan Jincheng has five maternal uncles. His eldest maternal uncle is Zhang Qingfeng, and his second maternal uncle is actually his cousin, not born to his maternal grandfather.

However, their own father, who was Tan Jincheng's maternal grandfather's elder brother, passed away when the two brothers were nine and five years old, respectively.

Tan Jincheng's maternal grandfather raised the two brothers single-handedly, and then arranged for them to marry and have children, until the eldest cousin was over 20 years old when they separated from the family.

Not only that, but they also cared for and saw off their mothers until their deaths, which was truly rare in that era of extreme scarcity.

Tan Jincheng, Tan Jincheng's great-grandmother, had little memory of her; she passed away when Tan Jincheng was three or four years old.

"She's about to give birth, why come back? Just have Ahua or Jincheng come back for a bit."

Seeing his younger sister heavily pregnant, Zhang Qingfeng couldn't help but complain.

Zhang Suzhi smiled and agreed that it was nothing. Tan Jincheng quickly took out the cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to his uncle.

Zhang Qingfeng looked at Tan Jincheng with some surprise, and glared at him, saying, "You didn't study, ran away for more than a year, and even learned to smoke?"

"I don't smoke, I just offer cigarettes to others sometimes," Tan Jincheng replied with a smile.

"That's more like it. Bring them all. Why buy such good cigarettes?"

Tan Jincheng could only smile wryly and hand over the whole pack of cigarettes. Actually, he did smoke, but he didn't dare to smoke in front of his parents now.

In his previous life, Tan Jincheng was quite a heavy smoker.

This cigarette is just a 10-yuan "Welcoming Pine" brand, hardly considered a good cigarette; however, for Zhang Qingfeng, it is indeed a good cigarette, as he has a 3-yuan "Prosperous Tang" brand in his pocket.

"Hold on tight, we're going home."

One person and one car, carrying a family of three, headed towards their rural hometown.

Thank you so much for the generous donation, He Cheng Xi Hui! Mwah!

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(End of this chapter)