Chapter 9

Chu Qing finally received his payment, two thousand yuan.

This was the most money he had ever earned at once in both of his lifetimes.

Jia Zhangke and his team were packing up to return to the capital, but Chu Qing did not plan to go with them. He wanted to return to Northeast China.

Perhaps his initial idea was to return to the capital, but after filming "Xiao Wu," his thoughts had changed.

Since his rebirth, he had always felt a sense of insecurity. He didn't know the reason before, but now he suddenly realized that this insecurity stemmed from his rootlessness.

A very pretentious term.

Chu Qing had once called the home of his future self, but a stranger answered, and he hung up immediately, tears streaming down his face like a string of beads.

This phone number had never been changed until his rebirth.

He would probably never see his parents or grandfather again...

The home of his previous life was gone, but the home of this life still existed, so he had to return to Northeast China, even if he did nothing, just to take a look.

When it was time to part, Jia Zhangke, Wang Hongwei, and Gu Zheng came to his room, got him drunk, and then carried him back.

Yu Liwei gave him a backpack, the most popular style in Hong Kong, replacing his old snake skin bag.

The next morning, Chu Qing boarded the train to Northeast China alone.

He traveled for two days by train, then by bus, then by ox cart, and finally on foot, arriving at a small mountain village.

Perhaps the original owner didn't want to remember, so there were not many images of his hometown in his mind. But as he walked on the wet and narrow path, looking at the crooked road extending to the hill ahead, and the irregular houses scattered on both sides like grains of rice randomly scattered on the ground, the memories suddenly became clear.

Chu Qing followed the memories to the old house, breathing in the unusually fresh air, with a mix of emotions in his heart.

The small village had only a dozen households, and most were in the fields at this time. After walking for a while, someone finally came towards him.

Perhaps it was unusual to see someone with a backpack, so the person glanced at him a few times.

Suddenly, the person stopped and hesitated, "Xiao Qingzi?"

Chu Qing also looked at him. He was not old, but his hair was half white. A face came to mind, and he said, "Liang Ge?"

"Ah, Xiao Qingzi, it's really you! You're back!"

The person became excited. He was Chu Qing's neighbor and a childhood friend.

"Yes, I'm back. It's been a few years. How are you?" Chu Qing tried to be polite, unable to fully blend in with the emotions of seeing a childhood friend.

"Pretty good, farming, of course. By the way, I got married, and you didn't even give a gift!" Liang Ge said.

"Make it up, make it up!" Chu Qing laughed, "How's my Uncle Er? Is he doing well?"

Mentioning his only remaining relative, Liang Ge's expression suddenly became strange, "Ah, he's doing well. I have to go to the fields, see you later!"

Then he hurriedly went down the hill.

Chu Qing looked at him suspiciously but didn't think much of it. He continued walking and arrived at the old house.

"Hmm?"

He stared at the bright and spacious three-room house in front of him, wondering if it was his own. Where was the dilapidated mud house from before?

He tentatively knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

A young woman with messy hair opened the door, wearing a floral sleepwear that was out of place in the village. She asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Is this the Chu family?"

"There's no one here named Chu. You must have the wrong place!"

The woman slammed the door and the sound of her slippers gradually faded.

Chu Qing was confused but didn't act rashly. After some thought, he decided to ask his Uncle Er first.

He turned and went to his Uncle Er's house. This was his father's only brother, who had a wife and children, and their life was relatively comfortable. When Chu Qing was about to go to the capital, he had asked him to take care of the old house.

"Uncle Er! Uncle Er!"

Chu Qing started shouting as soon as he entered the courtyard.

A little girl ran out, saw a stranger, and got scared, shouting "Mom! Mom!" before running back inside.

After a while, a woman came out. Seeing Chu Qing, her face stiffened, then she forced a smile, "Oh! Xiao Qingzi is back! Why didn't you let us know in advance! I'm all flustered. Come in, come in."

Chu Qing called her "Aunt Er" and followed her into the house without being polite.

The main room was bright and spacious, with many new items added since he left. A red-lacquered wardrobe stood by the kang, and there was even a color TV.

The woman made him a bowl of sugared water and said, "Xiao Qingzi, you've been gone for four or five years. Your Uncle Er misses you. He always talks about how you're doing over there."

"Pretty good, pretty good. How's Uncle Er?" Chu Qing didn't want to talk much, as they were never very close.

"He's in the fields. Girl, go call your father back. Tell him Xiao Qingzi is here!"

The little girl responded and ran out.

The woman sat on the edge of the kang, and the two fell into silence.

Soon, they heard footsteps in the courtyard, and a middle-aged man entered.

"Xiao Qingzi, you've been missed by your Uncle Er! You finally came back!"

The man had a look of wanting to tackle Chu Qing, as if he wanted to check if any parts were missing.

"Uncle Er, I'm back. How have you been these past few years?" Chu Qing smiled.

"Just fine, what else can it be?" the man said.

"Don't be modest. You're clearly doing well, with a color TV and all!" Chu Qing teased.

The man became uncomfortable and laughed dryly, "Pretty good, pretty good!" He then instructed his wife, "Go make a few more dishes. Xiao Qingzi will eat here tonight!"

"Wow, you've grown so tall. When I sent you to the train station, you were just a little boy!" the man sighed.

Chu Qing also smiled, "Uncle, you've aged a lot too!"

The man laughed and pulled the little girl over, "This is your sister. There's a big age gap, but call her 'Big Brother.'"

The little girl timidly called, "Big Brother," and then happily ran out.

His Uncle Er married late and had trouble having children. After ten years of marriage, his wife finally gave birth to a daughter when she was almost forty.

"You left the second year after she was born! You missed it," the man laughed, "Your Aunt Er wasn't happy at first, wanting a son. I told her to forget it. It took ten years to have this one, and we might never have a son. Besides, the country has policies. Boys and girls are the same. We don't favor boys over girls. Whatever we get is fine!"

As they chatted, the woman quickly prepared a table full of dishes.

There was only one dish with meat, the rest were cabbage and tofu, but the ingredients were fresh and clean, with a faint earthy aroma.

Chu Qing hadn't eaten such home-cooked meals in years and was very hungry. He ate two large bowls of rice in one go before slowing down.

"Young people are so strong. I can't eat like that anymore," the man said, finishing his bowl and smoking a pipe.

"Still, Aunt Er's cooking is the best," Chu Qing said.

At this point, he asked the main question, "Uncle, what happened to our house?"

The man put down his pipe, "Well, it's like this. Last year, the village chief's son got married and needed land for a new house. He had his eye on your place. He didn't want it for free. He offered money, and he gave... um..."

Just as he was about to say the amount, his wife kicked him under the table.

"Um... he gave two thousand yuan. When your Uncle Er heard, he thought he was sincere, and since it was for a new house, we couldn't ruin a good thing. So, I decided to transfer your land to the village chief."

The man laughed, "Don't worry, I didn't touch the two thousand yuan. It's all for you. Who, go get Xiao Qingzi's money!"

The woman glared at him, opened the wardrobe, and from the bottom, she found a cloth bag. She opened it layer by layer, revealing a stack of new banknotes.

Chu Qing looked at the stack of money, feeling a mix of emotions.

He wasn't stupid. If there was no trick, he wouldn't believe it.

His four years in the capital had given him more experiences than he had in the village for over a decade, not to mention his previous life's experiences.

He thought he had seen through the coldness of the world, but when it happened to him, he found it hard to swallow.

He didn't want to know how much his Uncle Er had benefited. Seeing that he still had some conscience and left him two thousand yuan, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

Chu Qing was silent for a long time, and his uncle and aunt also remained quiet, pretending to be calm but keeping their eyes on him.

After a while, Chu Qing rubbed his face and smiled, "This is good. I've been away for a long time and can't come back often. The house would just be empty. Thanks, Uncle."

He then took the two thousand yuan, didn't count it, and put it in his backpack, "Uncle, this reminds me of something else."

"Ah? Oh, what is it?"

The man was still surprised by Chu Qing's calmness and quickly asked.

"Our two mu of land, you've been helping me farm it for the past few years. I can't take care of it while I'm away, so I thought I might as well transfer it to you."

"Xiao Qingzi, that's your father's legacy. We can't be without land. Think about it again..."

The man was anxious, but his wife interrupted.

The woman laughed, "Xiao Qingzi has a point. He's being generous. Don't be ungrateful. Xiao Qingzi, we can't take the land for free. Name a price."

Chu Qing smiled, "I don't know much about it. Uncle, you name the price. I trust you."

The man frowned, smoked half a pipe, and then said, "Ten thousand!"

"Father!" the woman exclaimed.

The man glared at her angrily, and she immediately fell silent.

"Xiao Qingzi, what do you think?"

"Fine, I'll go with Uncle's price," Chu Qing agreed, somewhat surprised.

"Xiao Qingzi, you have nowhere to go. Stay here tonight."

"No, it's not convenient. It's not late. I'll stay in town," Chu Qing said.

"When do you plan to leave?" the man asked.

"Once the procedures are done," Chu Qing said.

"I'll go with you. We can handle the procedures in town and save a trip," the man thought for a moment and said.

"Fine!"

That night, the two of them went to town and stayed in a small inn.

The next day, Uncle Er found a contact and handled the procedures.

Chu Qing, with fourteen thousand yuan, felt uneasy, fearing he might lose it. He deposited thirteen thousand in the bank and kept only one thousand on him, feeling relieved.

Fourteen thousand yuan, in another ten years, might only buy a very nice toilet.

He laughed at himself, feeling a great burden lifted.

Without a home or land, his heart felt much lighter.

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