Chapter 41

Liu Handong walked from the northernmost part of the city to the southernmost part, returned to the rental house on Iron Slag Street, and started packing his luggage. He sent a message to Ma Ling, saying he was preparing to go home for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Then he went to Chen Bachi's repair shop, pushed out the brand new three-wheeled motorcycle, and returned it along with 200 yuan to Aunt Zhang.

"Two more days, your brother Wang is only getting discharged tomorrow," Aunt Zhang pushed the money back, looked at the motorcycle, and was somewhat surprised: "How did you get a new one?"

"The old one was confiscated by the traffic police, so I got a new one," Liu Handong explained.

Aunt Zhang firmly refused: "How can I let you spend money on a new motorcycle?"

Liu Handong said the motorcycle didn't cost him anything; he had assembled it from old parts. Only then did Aunt Zhang reluctantly accept it and invited him to have dinner together for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"No, I'm going back to Jiangbei for the Mid-Autumn Festival," Liu Handong chatted with Aunt Zhang for a while, then went to Zhu Xiaqiang's room, wanting to borrow his computer to buy a train ticket online. Today, Zhu Xiaqiang wasn't playing DOTA but was writing a novel with great concentration. Seeing Liu Handong come in, he quickly minimized the Word document and smiled awkwardly: "Brother Dong, what's up?"

"How's the writing going?" Liu Handong took out a Hongmei cigarette and tossed one to Zhu Xiaqiang, sitting on the bed and looking at the 17k webpage on the computer. Zhu Xiaqiang's work was already established, with a grand title: "Travelling to the Ming Dynasty as an Emperor." The click-through rate was pretty good.

"Pretty good, almost signed," Zhu Xiaqiang quickly closed the page, seeming quite embarrassed.

"Can I borrow your computer to buy a train ticket?" Liu Handong said.

Zhu Xiaqiang hurriedly gave up the computer. Liu Handong went to the 12306 website and bought a hard-seat ticket for the ordinary train back to Jiangbei.

In the evening, Ma Ling came over after work, bringing two boxes of mooncakes, two buckets of peanut oil, and a few bags of dates and black fungus, asking Liu Handong to take them home to show respect to his parents.

"I haven't even brought anything to your house yet, how can I accept these? I'll thank you on behalf of my mom," Liu Handong said, blushing, and accepted the gifts from his "future wife" for his mother-in-law.

Ma Ling hit him: "If you want to bring gifts to my house, find a good job first. By the way, did Qing Shi High-Tech fire you?"

"Fired, they gave me 200 yuan as salary. What a bunch of scumbags, I don't even want to work with them," Liu Handong said.

"Considering you saved Xia Qing's daughter, they should at least give you some compensation. Not only did they not, but they also fired you. That's really not right. The kid who drank and hit someone to death has been released. Do you know on what grounds?"

"What?"

"Under 18 years old!"

"Damn!" Liu Handong was extremely frustrated. Xia Baishi's influence was indeed great, even manipulating age.

"Forget it, don't worry about it. When is your train?"

"Midnight."

"Then I won't see you off. Be careful on the way. I'm leaving."

Liu Handong quickly tried to retain her: "Stay a bit longer."

"Stay for what? Your doghouse is so messy." Ma Ling pouted and turned to leave, just as Hu Lei arrived. The young man saw Ma Ling and hurriedly greeted her: "Sis Ling, did I interrupt anything?"

"Interrupt what? Can't you see I'm already leaving?" Ma Ling bypassed Hu Lei and hurriedly went downstairs. Liu Handong wanted to see her off, but she stopped him: "Don't come down."

Hu Lei said: "Brother Dong, I need to talk to you."

"What's up?" Liu Handong watched Ma Ling's ponytail sway as she left, his heart fluttering.

"Shifeng's Nanqiang, the one-ear, said he wants to get you," Hu Lei handed him a cigarette, a Zhonghua.

"Haha, if he's one-ear, I'm Black Cat Police Chief," Liu Handong laughed carelessly.

Hu Lei scratched his head: "Brother Dong, you should still be careful."

Liu Handong patted Hu Lei's shoulder: "Thanks, I'm leaving tonight, back to my hometown in Jiangbei."

Hu Lei was anxious: "Brother Dong, you're leaving? Do you think the place is not good? I'll ask my mom to change your room, one with air conditioning."

"Not that, I'm going home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, I'll be back in a few days."

Hu Lei breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I'll see you off later."

At 11 PM, Hu Lei drove Liu Handong to the train station on his motorcycle, used his ID to get the ticket, and boarded the train. Just as he put down his luggage, Ma Ling's message came, asking if he had caught the train. They exchanged dozens of messages back and forth until it finally quieted down, probably because Ma Ling had fallen asleep.

The next morning, Liu Handong returned to Jiangbei, first to his home on Bo'ai Road. His stepfather, who had retired from the coal machinery factory's security department, was given this 50-square-meter old house by the factory. Liu Handong didn't like it here, but because of his mother, he still came here first.

His mother was selling fish at the market, and only his stepfather was at home. Breakfast was laid out on the table, and the bed in the small bedroom was covered with new sheets, the room cleaned spotlessly. Liu Handong ate breakfast without speaking to his stepfather.

At 7:30, his mother returned home, bringing a basket of fresh vegetables, chicken, duck, fish, and two pounds of loose mooncakes. Seeing the mooncake boxes and peanut oil on the table, she couldn't help but scold: "Dongdong, why did you buy things when you came home? They're just fancy packaging, a waste of money. The loose mooncakes from the market are better."

Liu Handong said: "I didn't buy them, a friend gave them to me."

His mother's eyes lit up: "Girlfriend?"

"Sort of, she drives a bus, a good person," Liu Handong was a bit embarrassed.

"Bus company is good, good benefits. No matter what era, people always need to ride buses," his stepfather interjected.

No one paid attention to him. His mother pulled Liu Handong to the sofa and asked him all sorts of questions about his girlfriend's appearance, how he was doing at work, his salary, and whether he had received any festival benefits.

Liu Handong was a bit awkward. To avoid disappointing his mother, he had to continue the lie, saying: "Work is okay, not too busy, not much money but enough to spend, but I haven't saved much."

His mother said: "When you start working, your salary won't be high, and with a girlfriend, expenses are high. It's normal not to save money. Don't worry, Mom will support you."

Liu Handong, afraid his mother would ask more questions, quickly took out his phone and showed her a photo of Ma Ling. This move was effective; his mother beamed and kept looking at the phone.

His stepfather chuckled and asked: "What's your principal's last name?"

Liu Handong hesitated for a moment and answered: "Wang." He didn't know the principal's last name at the transportation vocational college, just making it up. Fortunately, his stepfather didn't ask any more questions, just smiled faintly.

Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and as usual, they had to go to Grandpa's for the family reunion dinner. In the early years after his mother remarried, they still went, but later they didn't go much, as they were no longer part of the Liu family. However, Liu Handong still went every year. His mother prepared a pile of gifts, and after lunch, he took them over.

When Liu Handong arrived at the Binhe neighborhood, Grandpa Liu Xiaoyong was cleaning the house. He lived alone, and the house was well-organized. It was said that Grandpa had graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy and was a prominent figure before liberation, but now he was just an old man. Liu Handong put down the gifts and helped Grandpa mop the floor and tidy the bed, then moved the eight-person table to the center of the living room. The two of them prepared dinner together.

Liu Handong had an uncle who had suffered from kidney failure for many years and had undergone a kidney transplant, requiring long-term use of expensive medication. Most of Grandpa's retirement pay went to support his eldest son. At this moment, the eldest uncle's family hadn't arrived yet, and Grandpa asked about Liu Handong's recent situation.

"It's settled. Xia's daughter went to America, and Qing Shi High-Tech hired me as a driver, but I got into trouble again, and they fired me..." Liu Handong recounted his recent experiences to Grandpa.

Grandpa pondered: "What do you plan to do, Handong?"

Liu Handong said: "I've already bragged, so I have to stay in the provincial capital for now. I might drive a truck or work in a repair shop. With only a high school education, it's not easy to find a good job."

Grandpa went to his room and brought out a passbook: "Handong, driving a truck or working in a repair shop isn't suitable for you. Grandpa suggests you start your own business. There's not much money here, but there are 20,000 yuan. Consider it your startup capital."

Liu Handong stammered: "Grandpa, I can't take your retirement money."

Grandpa smiled: "I'm still in good health and don't need so much money. Tell me your plan."

Liu Handong said: "I want to buy a used car first. When my demobilization bonus comes in, I'll open my own repair shop."

Grandpa said: "Being self-reliant and starting your own business is good. Grandpa supports you."

They chatted until evening, and the eldest uncle's family finally arrived. The eldest uncle looked pale and unwell, while his wife was plump and cheerful. The eldest uncle had a son named Liu Hanshan, one year younger than Liu Handong, who worked at a local company with a monthly income of three to four thousand yuan, living a tight life and still without a girlfriend.

Liu Handong saw a gray Changan Yexiang parked outside and asked his brother: "Did you buy this car?"

"How is it? It's as cool as a BMW, the same BMW gray," Liu Hanshan said proudly, taking out a pack of cigarettes, which turned out to be the 45-yuan-per-pack Su cigarettes.

"Living pretty well, huh?" Liu Handong took one.

"Just getting by. I bought the car on loan. You can't get a girlfriend without a car. All my colleagues have cars," Liu Hanshan said confidently, puffing on the cigarette.

The eldest uncle's family brought some cooked dishes, and Liu Handong cooked a few more. The eight-person table was full of food and drinks, and the family enjoyed a warm Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. After a few rounds of drinks, the eldest uncle spoke up: "Dad, I want to discuss something with you."

"Go ahead."

"I want to change houses. I want to sell your place and add some money to buy an apartment with an elevator. We can live together and take care of each other. You're old, and it's not good to be alone."

The eldest uncle's wife coughed and said: "Dad, we're doing this for your own good. Besides, Hanshan is getting married, and he needs a house."

Liu Handong understood. The eldest uncle's family was eyeing Grandpa's house. They said they would buy an apartment with an elevator, but they might not let the old man live there.

Grandpa was calm, raised his glass, and dismissed it: "We'll talk about the house after I'm gone."