Chapter 3

Lying on the bunk bed, there were no romantic encounters, no beautiful women, and no extraordinary adventures like in novels. Across from him were two middle-aged men, and Wang Buping slept on the top bunk, with a young student below. In this tranquility, Wang Buping fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Buping heard the train announcement. Since there were no intermediate stops, he knew they had arrived in Qin Nan City. Checking the time, it was a little past 5. The train slowly came to a stop, and Wang Buping, with his prepared luggage, got off the train.

Exiting the train station, he saw the bustling crowd and joined the flow of people.

At a stall not far from the bus station, a place Wang Buping had discovered before, the prices were reasonable and the food was delicious. Wang Buping ordered a bowl of tofu pudding and a few fried dough sticks, and he ate heartily, savoring the taste he hadn't enjoyed in a long time.

After the meal, Wang Buping walked to the bus station. He still had a 2-hour bus ride to reach his hometown town. Wang Buping's home was in the southwest of Qin Nan City, not in the town but in a secluded mountain area, where there was no pollution, only green mountains and clear waters. From the town to Wang Buping's hometown, Wang Family Village, one had to walk a dirt road, then navigate around a cliff, which took about three to four hours of mountain climbing.

Upon reaching the town, Wang Buping found a small motorcycle, common in rural areas, and asked to be taken to the end of the dirt road. After getting off, once the driver was out of sight, Wang Buping put his belongings into his spatial storage.

Next, he began the mountain path. As he approached the cliff, Wang Buping thought to himself that if there were a bridge here, it would be much closer to the town, only about an hour away. This time, he was determined to build a bridge so the villagers could come and go more easily.

After about three hours, Wang Buping stood in front of the village gate, holding the luggage he had taken out of his spatial storage. His home was at the far end of the village, and beyond it was the mountain. With an excited heart, Wang Buping walked toward his home. The villagers he met on the way greeted him warmly, and he responded to them. When he encountered children, he took out the candies he had prepared and gave them to the children, who happily surrounded him. They only got to eat candy during the New Year, and Wang Buping remembered that when he was a child, his grandmother used to make the candy herself.

When he reached the end of the village and saw the familiar courtyard, Wang Buping stood outside the gate for a long time before pushing it open. Hearing the familiar barking of Xiao Huang, he pushed the gate and walked in. Xiao Huang, seeing his young master, wagged his tail and ran to Wang Buping's feet.

Inside, perhaps his mother heard Xiao Huang's barking and called out, "Who's outside?"

Hearing his mother's voice, which he hadn't heard in a long time, Wang Buping felt a surge of emotion and quickly replied, "Mom, I'm back."

Hearing that her son had returned, a middle-aged woman, her face full of excitement, ran out of the house. Seeing her son standing in the courtyard, she took a moment to react, then called out with a trembling voice, "Dad, come out quickly, our son is back."

There was a commotion inside, and a middle-aged man ran out. Seeing Wang Buping, he smiled.

Li Yeping ran to her son, holding his hand and examining him up and down, saying, "Son, you must have suffered outside. Look how thin and tanned you are." She then pulled Wang Buping into the house without letting him speak.

Seeing her husband still standing there, she said, "What are you standing there for? Bring the son's things inside."

Wang Youcai, hearing his wife, quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I'll do it right away."

Wang Buping, seeing his mother pulling him into the house and his father fetching the luggage, said, "Mom, I can carry it myself."

"You carry what? Let your father do it. You must be tired from the mountain path. Go inside and rest, and I'll make your favorite braised pork."

Inside, his mother sat Wang Buping on a stool and went to the kitchen. His father followed, carrying Wang Buping's luggage, and Wang Buping took the luggage from his father.

Taking out the gifts for his father, he said, "Dad, this is the clothes I bought for you, this is the city's cigarettes, and this is the tea you like..." as he watched his father take the gifts.

Wang Buping then called out, "Mom, don't cook yet. Look at the gifts I bought for you."

Li Yeping came out of the kitchen, saw the gifts, and said, "You child, why waste money? We have everything at home." However, her face was full of happiness.

At noon, the family had a joyful lunch, the table filled with dishes Wang Buping loved. He didn't mention his plan to farm at home, and his mother asked about his life outside.

Wang Buping decided to wait until the evening to talk. His mother, hearing about the outside world, knew that life outside was not easy and thought it would be better for her son to stay at home, find a wife, and have grandchildren sooner.

If Wang Buping knew that his words had already made his mother want to keep him in the village and find him a wife, he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.

After the warm lunch, Wang Buping took the gifts for his grandparents and walked up the mountain. His grandparents lived on the mountain, not too far from the village.

At the courtyard gate, Wang Buping pushed it open and saw his grandmother cooling off under a large banyan tree, with Da Huang lying beside her. Hearing the gate open, Da Huang lifted his head, recognized Wang Buping, and lay down again. His grandmother also noticed someone and quickly stood up from the stone bench.

"Bu Ping? Old man, old man, come out quickly. Look, Bu Ping is back."

At that moment, a spirited old man ran out of the house, his face full of excitement.

His grandmother asked, "When did Bu Ping come back?"

"Grandma, I just got home today. Here are the gifts I brought for you and grandpa."

"For two old people, why bring gifts? Isn't that a waste of money? Old man, what are you standing there for?"

Grandpa took the gifts from Wang Buping and asked, "Bu Ping, are you back for the holidays?"

"No, grandpa, I've already graduated."

Hearing that Wang Buping had graduated, grandpa felt relieved, knowing that his grandson had finally made it.

The three of them sat under the banyan tree, mostly asking about Wang Buping's life in the city, rarely mentioning their own affairs.

In the evening, Wang Buping had dinner at his grandparents' house. During the meal, he told his grandpa that he wanted to farm in the village and not go out to work.

His grandmother was very happy to hear this, while his grandpa was initially silent, then asked if it was feasible to farm in the mountains.

Wang Buping explained his ideas and views, and in the end, his grandmother spoke up, and grandpa agreed. If his father didn't agree, grandpa would talk to him.

That night, when Wang Buping returned home, his parents were waiting for him. Seeing them sitting under the oil lamp, he sat down. His mother asked him questions, and when it came to his work, Wang Buping knew it was time to talk about his plans to farm at home.

His father, hearing this, exclaimed, "What? You want to farm at home? Then why did I send you to school?"

Seeing his father's angry face, Wang Buping knew it wouldn't be easy to convince him.

"Father, I can't find a good job in the city, and how can I buy a house and get married there?"

"Then why did I work so hard to send you to school? I wanted you to leave the mountains, and now you want to come back and farm."

Before his father could say more, his mother interrupted, "Why are you shouting? Is it so bad for your son to come back and farm? Besides, he's not just farming; he wants to do planting."

"What planting? It's just farming."

"What's wrong with your son coming home? Are you unhappy?"

"This isn't about him coming home. I worked hard to raise him, and now he wants to come back and farm. What will the villagers think of me?"

"Are you just worried about your face? I say if our son wants to stay home, he should. If you keep talking, I won't stay with you."

"Mom, Dad, please don't argue. If it doesn't work, I'll go back to the city." Seeing his parents arguing, Wang Buping felt very upset.

"Son, it's fine. Stay home this time. Do what you want. Don't listen to your father. When you weren't home, he was the one who always missed you."

In the end, with his mother's persuasion, his father finally agreed to let Wang Buping try farming at home, but if it failed, he would have to go to the city to work.

Wang Buping then asked why his grandpa hadn't moved down to live, remembering that he had asked his grandpa to move down when he was in college, but he still hadn't.

His father said, "Your grandpa doesn't want to move down, and we can't persuade him."

"Then I'll go up the mountain tomorrow and talk to him. I want to develop the land behind his house so I can live there and manage it better. It will also be easier to take care of grandpa and grandma."

His mother said, "Then go up the mountain tomorrow. We can't persuade them, but you are their favorite grandson, so you might be able to convince your grandpa to move down."

Thinking about his grandparents' love for him, Wang Buping felt they should come down to enjoy their lives, making it easier to take care of them and be aware of any issues.

After everything was settled, there was no entertainment in the village. After dinner, everyone went to bed to prepare for the next day's work.

Lying on the familiar bed, Wang Buping felt warm and realized that home was the best place. The outside world wasn't what he aspired to, and he decided to develop his hometown from now on.