Chapter 14

At around eight o'clock, Wang Yong and his uncle returned home, pulling a cart full of vegetables and meat. The trunk couldn't hold everything, so they almost filled the back seats. The old house was already bustling with people. His aunt and uncle had arrived, and many close relatives from the village had also come over to help. The men were setting up the rented pots and stoves in the yard, while a few others were building a tent by connecting steel pipes and covering them with canvas. It was a testament to social development, which had given rise to many new industries. Today, all the pots, bowls, and three iron stoves, as well as the tent, were rented, which was both cost-effective and convenient. Such services that both earned money and provided convenience were very popular among villagers.

After a series of greetings from Wang Yong to his uncles, aunts, and other relatives, a group of people moved the meat and vegetables from the car to the yard. Some washed the vegetables, some cut the meat, and others prepared the fish. It seemed that Uncle had already assigned tasks to everyone, and with dozens of people, each person had a specific role, making the process orderly and efficient. The village's top chef, Wang Lao Da, was directing the preparation of the steamed rice. He was a distant relative of Wang Yong, and he and Uncle were of the same generation, though Wang Lao Da was about ten years younger and was now in his fifties. Wang Lao Da had served as a cook in the military for over ten years and was the quartermaster of his battalion when he retired. After returning home, he worked as a chef in a city restaurant for a few years. Later, feeling that his parents were getting old and not wanting to work outside anymore, he returned home. Whenever there was a banquet in the surrounding villages, it was an honor to have Wang Lao Da as the chef. Mentioning that today's dishes were prepared by Wang Lao Da from Ban Shan Village would surely earn the host a lot of praise. In the past, Wang Lao Da would usually receive a few packs of cigarettes and some leftover food as payment. In recent years, in addition to the leftover food, the host would also give him a pack of cigarettes and a red envelope with one or two hundred yuan, so Wang Lao Da was considered one of the better-off people in the village, with high prestige among his peers, second only to Wang Yaowu and Uncle.

Seeing everyone busy, Wang Yong took out a box of Yuxi cigarettes he had bought specially and distributed them to the men, one pack each. The villagers joked that Wang Yong must have made a fortune outside, as the most expensive cigarettes used for banquets in the village were usually seven-yuan Yunyan, and the twenty-two-yuan Yuxi was a luxury. Someone even joked that with today's Yuxi, they would fully support Wang Yong becoming the village chief, which made everyone laugh. Wang Yong hadn't expected that a box of Yuxi would gain him such recognition for the position of village chief. He had only intended to thank the villagers for their care of his brother over the years, but he was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected outcome.

Everyone chatted and joked, occasionally teasing Wang Yong, the not-yet-official village chief. Some talked about the gossip of the village, and by half-past ten, they were still busy. Suddenly, they heard a car outside. Could it be Wang Qiang? Wang Yong thought as he walked out.

"Old Three, come out and greet the guests!" Wang Yong recognized the voice as Zhuang Yaosheng's as he reached the door. Sure enough, Zhuang Yaosheng, Du Zhiyou, and Liu Mei had arrived. Just as he was about to greet them, two more cars pulled up. Wang Qiang and Liu Jun got out of the cars, and Liu Jun shouted, "Wang Yong, hurry up and welcome your brother-in-law!"

Hearing this, Wang Yong was stunned. His two friends were clearly excited.

"Nice one, Old Three, you've got a sister-in-law without telling anyone?"

"Come clean, where is your sister-in-law? Let us take a look. Hurry up!" After some explanation, the group entered the yard. They were all familiar faces, so there was no need for introductions. They were told to help wherever they could. Wang Yong was dealing with a group of gossipy villagers about Tian Yuanyuan when he heard another car outside.

Wang Yong rushed out, and Uncle, who had some free time, followed. They saw two Audi cars with Beijing plates just stopping. Two burly men got out of the first and second cars, carefully surveying the surroundings before opening the second car door. A few people got out, and Wang Yong recognized one of them as his grandmother, who looked familiar with her white hair but still strong legs. Wasn't this his grandmother? Why such a grand arrival? As he was wondering, Uncle had already gone up to greet them. Seeing Uncle welcoming them and leading them over, Wang Yong was still confused when they reached him.

"Grandma, I've missed you so much." Wang Yong said, hugging his grandmother. She had always been the kindest to him, and his siblings often complained about it, making him closer to his grandmother than to his own mother. The bond between them was unbreakable. After not seeing her for years, the moment he saw her, he thought of all the hardships and joys he had experienced outside, and his eyes welled up.

"That's enough, you big boy, don't be so clingy. You're going to be the village chief, no crying!" Grandma patted Wang Yong's shoulder affectionately.

Uncle couldn't stand it anymore. "Come on, you two can talk inside. We have guests here."

Hearing Uncle's words, Wang Yong composed himself and helped Grandma inside, while glancing at the three strangers. One was a woman around forty, dressed in a gray business suit with a kind smile. She looked around curiously, clearly a city dweller. Beside her were a man and a woman. The man, in his twenties, had a look that Wang Yong, with his experience in the service industry, recognized as someone from the government. The woman, also in her twenties, wore a black long-sleeved sweater that reached her hips, black tights, and black boots. Her fair skin and sparkling eyes made her look like a lively and charming young girl. Noticing Wang Yong's gaze, she turned to look at him and made a face.

"You naughty girl, don't be mischievous with your brother." Grandma gently patted the girl, who pouted and glared at Wang Yong.

By this time, everyone had gathered in the yard, and upon hearing the news, they came up to greet Grandma, secretly eyeing the three strangers and the two bodyguards. Everyone knew that Grandpa and Grandma had been high-ranking officials in B City, but this was the first time they had seen such people in person. The gossip was already spreading.

Wang Yong didn't feel much, having developed a friendly and harmless demeanor after getting Xiao Guang and Xiao Shijie. He always wore a smile in front of people, a protective mask he had honed over the years in the service industry. His introverted and honest nature made him keep his distance from people who didn't matter to him. Although these three were clearly close to Grandma, he wasn't familiar with them, so he ignored them except for the girl who felt familiar.

Just then, Grandpa came out of the house. The girl, seeing Grandpa, let go of Grandma's hand and ran to him.

"Grandpa, Qianqian has come to see you."

Grandpa, what's going on? Wang Yong thought, looking at the confused crowd. Hmm, something's up? Uncle and Aunt didn't seem surprised, and Wang Qiang was chatting with the government man, looking very familiar.

"Hehe, Qianqian misses Grandpa, so stay a few more days. Grandpa will take you up the mountain to catch wild chickens and rabbits." Grandpa said happily, looking at the girl who was holding his arm.

"Really?" The girl asked excitedly, then frowned. "But I have school, and Mom won't agree."

"It's fine, a few days won't matter. Grandpa will make the decision."

"Thank you, Grandpa, you're the best." The girl said, smiling and glancing at the middle-aged woman.

"You naughty girl, don't be mischievous. Listen to Grandpa and Grandma, okay?" The middle-aged woman said affectionately.

"Okay, I will listen to Grandpa." The girl nodded quickly.

"Everyone, come inside. Don't stand in the yard." Uncle said.

Inside, everyone found a place to sit, with some standing. The gossipy crowd blocked the door and windows, waiting for introductions.

"Second Uncle, who are these three? Can you introduce them?" The outspoken Aunt, who was a teacher at the county high school, asked first, and the crowd nodded in agreement.

Grandpa looked at everyone, lost in thought for a while. After a long pause, he revealed their identities, stunning everyone.

"These are my daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter."

"What? Did I hear that right?"

"Second Uncle doesn't have children, right?"

"How is that possible?"... A wave of murmurs spread, as the news was too shocking. The older villagers remembered that in 1975, when Grandpa returned to the village, it was said that his child had already died. At the time, Wang Yong's grandfather had insisted on adopting Uncle to him. How could it be that after thirty years, a son and daughter suddenly appeared? Could it be an adopted child?

Grandpa waited for the murmurs to subside before explaining. It turned out that back then, Grandpa was the commander of the Capital Garrison and the commander of the garrison division, while Grandma was a medical staff member for Premier Zhou. They had a son who was almost four years old. After the famous defection incident, the Gang of Four, who had always been hostile to Grandpa for his position in Beijing, used the incident to try to bring him down. A group of rebels stormed Grandpa's house, and the family of three was there. Grandpa and Grandma were tied up and paraded through the streets, and their four-year-old son, seeing his parents being taken away, cried and chased after them, only to be kicked unconscious by a rebel. In those crazy times, such things happened every day, and even as a commander of tens of thousands of elite troops, Grandpa was powerless. When the political commissar learned of the situation, he rushed to the scene, took Wang Dajun to his home, and handed him to his wife to take care of, then reported to the military region. No one noticed that Wang Dajun had quietly left and disappeared.

Later, when Premier Zhou learned of the situation, he intervened, and Chairman Mao, who was becoming wary of the increasingly rampant Gang of Four, also took action. Since Grandpa was a close confidant of Chairman Mao, he was quickly released. However, their son, Wang Dajun, was missing, which was a shock to Grandma, who fell ill. Despite being released, the frequent reviews made Grandpa increasingly angry, and Grandma's health worsened. Seeing this, Grandpa wrote a report to the military committee, stating that he wanted to return to his hometown to farm. The newly appointed head of the Political Department, Zhang XX, immediately approved the report and secretly destroyed Grandpa's file.

Grandpa and Grandma quietly left Beijing, and no one knew where they went. Old comrades sent people to Ban Shan Village to find them, but they only found the village chief and head, Wang Guodong, who was surprised to learn that Wang Guoliang had not returned home. After a scolding from Wang Guodong, the group was driven out of the village. A month later, Grandpa and Grandma returned. Grandfather, who already knew the situation, did not tell anyone the details but arranged for a house to be built for them and adopted Uncle to Grandpa. Grandpa and Grandma settled in the village. After the special period, it was said that people from Beijing came to ask Grandpa to return to his post, but he refused and asked the central government to keep his background confidential.

Recently, Wang Qiang went to Beijing on a case and encountered a mother and daughter being robbed by a thief. Wang Qiang and his colleagues quickly subdued the thief and took him to the police station. Unexpectedly, a stern man who claimed to be the husband of the woman was stunned when he saw Wang Qiang.

After regaining his composure, he excitedly asked about Wang Qiang's family. Seeing the cautious demeanor of the Beijing police chief accompanying the man, Wang Qiang knew he was someone important and readily shared his background. When the man heard the name Wang Guoliang, he became extremely emotional, tears streaming down his face. It turned out that he was Wang Dajun, Grandpa's son who had gone missing. Back then, after leaving the political commissar's house, he wandered the city alone, looking for his parents. After several days of hardship, he was found by a discharged soldier from the military police, who recognized him as the son of Commander Ye. Considering the situation of Commander Ye and his wife, the soldier took Wang Dajun to his hometown in Shandong, passing him off as an orphan he had found on the road.

Wang Dajun had always thought his parents were dead and that he was an orphan. Because he was born during the special period, to avoid causing trouble for his brother in the village, Grandpa never told anyone about his family. Wang Dajun didn't know he had an uncle in the village. It wasn't until he was appointed as the deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission after serving as the party secretary of a city in the southeast that he met the former political commissar of the garrison and learned about his uncle in the village. He had planned to visit his uncle soon but was surprised to see someone who looked very much like his father, and even more surprised to learn that this person was his uncle's grandson, and that his parents were still alive. Wang Qiang was also stunned to learn that the son of the supposedly deceased Grandpa, his uncle, was still alive and had been encountered by him.

Upon receiving the news, Grandpa and Grandma didn't wait for Wang Dajun to come; they immediately had Wang Dahai rent a car to take them to B City. Grandpa didn't elaborate further, only saying that he wanted to find a time for everyone to gather and meet. This time, Wang Dajun was on an official trip abroad and couldn't come, so he sent his wife and children to meet the family first and would visit later.

Grandpa then introduced everyone to Wang Dajun's wife, Zhang Fang, son, Wang Gang, and daughter, Wang Qian. The blood ties made everyone feel less estranged, and they quickly warmed up and chatted together.

After a lively banquet, the news that Grandpa's long-lost son had been found and was now a high-ranking official in Beijing spread throughout the village. However, in the countryside, such news usually fades quickly after a burst of excitement. Zhang Fang and Wang Gang returned to B City that day, as they had work commitments. Grandma was sad for a while about her grandson's departure but soon forgot about it with the lively and obedient Wang Qian around.

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