Chapter 80

The saying goes, "If one does not return home after becoming wealthy, it is like wearing fine clothes and walking in the dark." This truth, spoken by the mighty warlord Xiang Yu thousands of years ago, now applies to Qiping as well. It's not that he wants to show off; it's just that a person needs to have a face, and even if not for himself, he must consider his parents' feelings.

For parents, much of their pride comes from their children's achievements. Now that Qiping has made something of himself, he naturally wants to make his parents happy.

In fact, Qiping's parents have already received a lot of admiration. In the first half of the year, Qiping's family suddenly built a small villa. Unlike the ordinary houses in the countryside, this was a genuine small villa, which made Qiping's family the subject of much discussion in the village.

In the past, Qiping's family had two boys, which many people saw as a huge burden. Raising boys is not easy, with the costs of education and housing being a significant pressure, at least for Qiping's parents. Especially since both Qiping and his older brother went to university, which was an even greater burden.

Perhaps in the past, some villagers envied Qiping's family for having two college graduates, but others said that education was useless and that there were too many college graduates. Looking at Qiping's family, even with two college graduates, they still lived in a small house, while most families in the village had already built multi-story buildings.

But now, everyone in the village knows that Qiping has truly made something of himself. It's said that he has earned a lot of money in America, built a house for his family, and even paid off his brother's mortgage with several million yuan. Qiping's parents have also learned to use the internet and often see photos of Qiping in America. Although not everyone in the village understands cars, the younger generation says that Qiping's car is worth over a million yuan.

"Is this foreigner back to visit his family?" A villager joked as they saw Qiping return with a large bag.

"Not a foreigner, I just earn a living in America. I still have Chinese nationality, so don't say such things," Qiping said half-jokingly. He has a green card but still holds Chinese nationality. He didn't bother to explain further, as it was too troublesome. "I brought some cigarettes, Uncle, try some foreign ones."

He opened a pack of Marlboro. Although these cigarettes are available in China, they are not common and not necessarily of high quality. Qiping paid a lot of customs duties to bring them in, as he brought quite a few. He passed around a few cigarettes, just to be polite.

Seeing his chubby nephew sitting at the door, riding a small inflatable horse and playing, Qiping smiled. The little guy seemed to be very comfortable at home. When he saw his uncle (xiaodai) return, he seemed to be a bit confused for a moment, then ran back home in a flash.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Xiaodai is back!"

Qiping laughed. There was no need for his nephew to announce it; the village was small, and any news would quickly spread from one end to the other.

"Your brother said you would be busy for two more days. You didn't even call to let us know you were coming back. If we had known, your father could have bought some pork for braised pork," Yulan said, a bit reproachfully. She knew her son liked braised pork.

"I'm not a guest, so I didn't need to give notice," Qiping said, putting down his bags. He hadn't been home for a long time and really missed it. "My nephew seems a bit shy. He used to call me 'Xiaodai' affectionately, but now he doesn't recognize me."

Qiwenhui, holding his grandson, laughed. The little one was indeed a bit shy. At home, he always talked about his uncle, but now he seemed a bit shy and embarrassed.

Little Benben, lying in his grandfather's arms, tried to act like an ostrich. "Xiaodai" was a big troublemaker who liked to pinch Benben's cheeks. Although Benben was still a bit shy, he quickly became affectionate with his uncle, chatting and asking for help with the new toys.

Having a clingy nephew was a good thing, but Qiping hadn't had a chance to properly tour the new house yet. It had only been built recently. But now, his nephew insisted on playing with the remote-controlled tank with him.

It felt great to be back home, especially eating the food his mother cooked, which made Qiping's appetite even better. Qiping had a good appetite to begin with, and with his recent training, his physical condition was improving, but he needed more food to replenish his energy, making him a super big eater.

"If we hadn't gone to America to see how well you were doing, I would have thought you couldn't even eat properly abroad. You used to eat a lot, but not like this," Qiwenhui said, smiling as he watched his son eat three large bowls of rice in a row, jokingly.

"Are you worried about me eating? Kids are growing, and it's good that they can eat! You started eating a lot in junior high and continued until your second year of college. It's a good thing to eat a lot. A growing boy can eat his father poor, but our family is doing well now, so there's no need to worry," Yulan said, smiling as she placed braised fish and braised pork in front of Qiping. Seeing her son with a good appetite made her very happy.

Qiping chuckled but didn't say much. Life at home was the most comfortable. Chatting about family matters and enjoying the simple pleasures made Qiping feel unprecedentedly comfortable and at ease. He might not have understood this before, but after going out to study and work, he realized how wonderful life at home truly was.

"Your stay this time won't be long, right?" Although Qiwenhui was happy to have his son back, he knew that Qiping had his own career, especially since his son's career was doing well. He wouldn't keep Qiping tied to him just because he missed him.

"I'll stay for about three days. This time, I'm just coming back for a quick visit. I've already talked to my brother. We'll all go to America for Christmas. The Christmas there is the real deal, and we can all go and enjoy the festivities," Qiping said. He knew that being together as a family was a good thing, especially during interesting holidays.

"That sounds good. We can all go and enjoy the festivities. I hear that young people in China also like these Western holidays, but the atmosphere in America is different," Yulan said, as she and Qiwenhui now occasionally looked at some American holidays and customs.

"I heard there's a Rose Parade, which has a long history and is on a grand scale, over a hundred years old. We can celebrate Christmas and New Year's together, and it will definitely be interesting," Qiping said, chuckling. These holidays would definitely be fun.

"How is your forest farm doing? You should focus on your career. It's a good opportunity, and you're not young anymore. You should consider finding a partner. It would be best if it's a Chinese person, or we won't understand what a foreign wife says," Qiwenhui reminded Qiping. Young people should prioritize their careers, especially when they have a good opportunity.

"Well, I can't really help it. I just started dating an American girl," Qiping said, chuckling. He and Kate had started dating, and there was no need to hide it. "I'll try to teach Kate some Chinese, so she won't be completely incomprehensible."

Now, Qiping was no longer the focus. The future foreign wife, Kate, became the center of his parents' attention. They were still confident in Qiping, knowing he wouldn't do anything reckless. Seeing that Kate was beautiful and seemed to have a good personality, they were okay with a foreign wife. A beautiful wife would mean beautiful children, and they heard that mixed-race children were not only beautiful but also very smart.

If they couldn't understand English, they could always learn!

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