Chapter 97

**Peng**

The sharp sound of a firecracker startled Cheng Jemin, who was inside the house, flipping through a black notebook, trying to find new business opportunities for the supermarket. Looking out the window, he saw his sister, Little Lingdang, forcefully throwing a firecracker onto the ground.

Listening to the giggles outside, Tian Hua, who was playing with his sister, was jumping and laughing. A wave of melancholy washed over Cheng Jemin's heart.

When he was a child, he looked forward to the New Year because it meant new clothes, delicious food, and the freedom to play around the village. Now, the New Year was still the same, but the joy of childhood could never be relived.

Xixi hasn't called for the past two days; she must be busy with the New Year! Thinking about Xixi's last call, where she mentioned that a few childhood friends had come to her house, Cheng Jemin felt a bit uncomfortable. What kind of people were Xixi's childhood friends?

"Auntie, are you busy?" A loud voice came from the front door, and a man in his thirties walked in with a plastic bag.

Cheng Jemin recognized the man. According to the village hierarchy, he should call him Fifth Brother.

Mother, who was picking vegetables in the house, wiped her hands and said, "It's Fifth Brother. How are your New Year preparations coming along?"

"They're almost ready." As Fifth Brother spoke, he handed the plastic bag to Ren Gaini, saying, "Auntie, I went to the woods behind the house and caught a few wild rabbits. They're not very fat, but they make a good soup. Try them."

Ren Gaini had encountered this situation several times in the past few days. After some polite refusal, she took two bags of sugar from her own house and gave them to Fifth Brother. Fifth Brother left happily, and Ren Gaini pushed the door open and said to Cheng Jemin, "Erv, chop up these rabbits later. If this keeps up, our meat will go to waste!"

Although Mother was troubled by the abundance of meat, Cheng Jemin could see that she was beaming with joy.

The things the villagers had sent over the past few days, though just wild rabbits and mountain chickens, represented their respect and the family's status in the village.

Ren Gaini looked at her handsome son and sighed, "Why hasn't anyone in the village introduced you to a girlfriend?"

"Auntie, Jemin is now a provincial official. People who want to introduce him to a girlfriend would have to find someone worthy," Tian Hua, wearing a pink long coat, said with a smile as she walked into the house.

Ren Gaini was very satisfied with Tian Hua, her future daughter-in-law. She quickly said, "Xiaohua, go warm yourself by the fire. It's so cold today, don't catch a cold!"

Tian Hua was already quite familiar with the Cheng family. Now that her engagement to Cheng Jemin's brother, Cheng Jiguo, was settled, she felt even more at ease in the Cheng household. Tian Xing, her father, was also turning a blind eye to the situation.

Tian Hua warmed her hands over the coal stove and then looked at Cheng Jemin with a smile, "Jemin, what kind of girl are you looking for? I can help you think about it."

Ren Gaini, who was about to go out to continue picking vegetables, perked up at Tian Hua's words. As a mother, with her eldest son's affairs settled, she now turned her attention to her second son.

Cheng Jemin always saw Tian Hua as a sister. When she asked him this, he quickly laughed, "I haven't decided yet, hehe!"

As Cheng Jemin left, Tian Hua's brows furrowed slightly. She had watched Cheng Jemin grow up, and the hint of hesitation in his eyes just now made her notice something unusual.

Although she thought Cheng Jiguo was the best, she had to admit that the college-educated Cheng Jemin seemed to attract more attention from girls. Her own family...

The Cheng family sat around a small wooden table, enjoying a hot meal with spicy white wine. Tian Hua sat next to Cheng Jiguo, chatting with Little Lingdang.

The room was filled with a lively atmosphere. Cheng Laohan had already drunk nearly half a catty of wine but was still in high spirits. Good news always lifted one's mood. With his eldest son's affairs settled, he could feel the change in the villagers' attitude towards him.

Not to mention those who were already close to him, even those who weren't so close greeted him with warm smiles and called him "Xigui Brother" affectionately.

Take the meat seller, Wu Laoliu, for example. In the past, he would deliberately sell him a piece of meat with bones. Now, he not only gave him the best hind leg but also added two pounds of bones for him to make soup at home.

"Come, let's have another drink." Cheng Xigui looked at his two sons, unable to contain his joy.

Just as Cheng Jemin and Cheng Jiguo raised their glasses, they heard someone ask, "Excuse me, is this Cheng Jemin's house?"

Cheng Jemin recognized the voice. He was surprised and wondered who would come during the New Year. Putting down his glass, he opened the door and saw Sun Xiaozhu on a new red motorcycle, holding a helmet and shouting.

"Xiaozhu, why did you come?" Cheng Jemin quickly walked over to Sun Xiaozhu, surprised.

Seeing Cheng Jemin, Sun Xiaozhu's eyes flashed with excitement. He laughed and said, "Brother Jemin, I came to bring you some New Year's gifts." As he spoke, he started to take a large plastic bag off the back of the motorcycle.

Bringing Sun Xiaozhu and the plastic bag inside, Sun Xiaozhu warmed himself by the fire and said to Cheng Jemin, "Brother Jemin, I didn't know what to bring, so I just brought some mountain goods as a token of respect for your parents."

From their conversation, Cheng Jemin learned that Sun Xiaozhu had been riding his motorcycle since early morning, taking three hours to reach Chengtian Village. His main purpose was to bring Cheng Jemin some gifts and to invite him to visit Sunjiagou on behalf of the villagers.

"You could have just called me on the pager. Why did you have to come all the way here?" Cheng Jemin added water to the kettle while complaining.

Sun Xiaozhu laughed and said, "Brother Jemin, our village chief said that we must show our sincerity by coming in person. Besides, I missed you too."

Seeing Sun Xiaozhu's smiling face, Cheng Jemin felt a bit choked up. He sniffed and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this. Let's drink first."

...

Yang Xiaoe lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling extremely bored. While others were happily preparing for the New Year with their families, her father and mother were busy, and her close friends had all gone home for the holiday. She wished she didn't have to celebrate the New Year at all!

"Xiaoe, why haven't you gotten up yet?" With the sound of the door opening, Yang Zibo's voice echoed in the living room.

Yang Xiaoe jumped out of bed and said, "Dad, why are you back? Didn't you go to visit the old cadres?"

"Work is work, but it's enough for now," Yang Zibo said, looking around the cold house with a loving smile. "My little girl must be bored at home. Dad needs to show some concern and bring some warmth!"

"Oh, Governor Yang, even if you and Mom are too busy to pay attention to me, you should still balance work and rest!" Yang Xiaoe pounced into her father's arms, playfully pouting.

Yang Zibo laughed heartily, "Alright, my daughter's criticism is fair. Today, I won't go anywhere. I'll stay home and cook my specialty dishes for you. How about that?"

"Great!" Yang Xiaoe, who had grown up in a pampered environment, had lost interest in gourmet food but was fond of her father's home-cooked dishes. It wasn't so much the food she liked, but the family atmosphere when her father cooked.

Yang Zibo affectionately pinched his daughter's nose and said, "You get excited about food. Let's go to the market to buy some things first!"

"Dad, don't we already have meat at home?" The cold weather made Yang Xiaoe reluctant to go out.

"We'll buy some other things. I plan to visit Sunjiagou on the third day of the New Year. I can't go empty-handed, right?" Yang Zibo handed her coat to Yang Xiaoe as he spoke.

Yang Xiaoe was full of anticipation for Sunjiagou, which her father often mentioned. She smiled and said, "Dad, you promised to let me go with you. I really want to see how you lived when you were my age."

"Sure, it would be good to see it." Yang Zibo looked at his daughter lovingly and said with a serious face, "Xiaoe, I can give you a vivid political lesson about hardship and gratitude in Sunjiagou!"

"I know, you're so bureaucratic. I know you have feelings for Sunjiagou and can't help but educate me wherever you go!" Yang Xiaoe pouted, pretending to be angry, but then laughed, "Mom said I was born in Sunjiagou. Is that true?"

"Of course it's true. It was winter then, and thanks to the old village chief, or you wouldn't be here!" Yang Zibo fell into a memory of that snowy night when the villagers helped him take his wife to the hospital with a handcart.

Those simple and kind villagers! When you were in luck, they might stay away from you, but when you were in trouble, they would stretch out their strong hands to help. Their great sympathy always went to those in need.

"Xiaoe, your name wasn't given by me, but by the old village chief. In our hometown, there's a custom that giving a child a name that's easy to pronounce makes it easier to raise them!"

"No wonder, I always thought my name sounded so rustic. Was the old village chief illiterate?"

"Hehe, when I asked the old village chief to name you, he happened to have a goose at home!"

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