Chapter 139: Life in the Small Village

The midday meal was shared among the extended family across several tables. The elder sisters had slaughtered two chickens to make a stew with mushrooms, and prepared a few other dishes. At this time of year, the Northeast actually had very few vegetables; only Chinese chives were just right in season, along with dried mushrooms, black fungus, and similar preserved items. The sisters had saved all four chicken drumsticks for Weihua, but when Weihua looked at his young nephews staring longingly at the meat, he simply could not bring himself to eat them. Instead, Weihua divided the drumsticks among his nephews. At noon, Weihua and Ding Peng shared a few drinks with his brothers-in-law, sipping Maotai, the brand reserved for state banquets. Following their meeting in Beijing, the Second Generation Leader had met with Weihua privately. Upon learning that Weihua was returning to his hometown, the leader had specially arranged for some items to be given to Weihua to take home for his family to enjoy.

After lunch, guests began arriving at Weihua’s home in a steady stream. They were fellow villagers who naturally came to express their concern upon Weihua’s return, and Weihua took the time to chat with each of them. In the afternoon, Weihua’s second, seventh, and eighth elder sisters received word of his return and also came back, bringing their husbands and children along. With that, Weihua’s entire extended family was finally gathered together.

It was not until evening that the household truly quieted down, allowing everyone to sit together and talk. Both the heated brick bed and the floor were completely packed—there was simply no other way, as there were too many people. The household consisted of some seventeen or eighteen family members. Weihua sat on the brick bed, looked at his eldest brother-in-law who was smoking a pipe, and asked, "Eldest Brother-in-law, how are things at home right now? Is life treating you well?"

"We're getting by! Much better than a few years ago," the eldest brother-in-law replied. "The household responsibility system has been implemented now, so whatever grain you harvest on your own land is yours to keep, and feeding the family isn't a problem. But our area falls a bit short compared to other places. As you know, we don't have much arable land here, so when it's divided up per capita, each person gets only a tiny bit. Aside from what we eat ourselves, the grain we harvest doesn't fetch much money, and by the end of the year, there's hardly any cash in hand."

"My purpose in coming back this time is twofold," Weihua said. "First, I wanted to check on all of you and see how the family is doing. Second, I wanted to see if you would be willing to come and live with me in Hong Kong."

"Go to a foreign country?" the eldest sister asked.

Weihua nodded.

"We are not going!" the eldest sister declared. "We don't understand what foreigners are saying, and besides, we wouldn't know a soul over there. Furthermore, foreigners all have big noses, blue eyes, and yellow hair—they look terrible. We are not going to foreign lands."

The other sisters and brothers-in-law all nodded in agreement with the eldest sister's statement. Weihua had anticipated this outcome long ago. Chinese people held a deep attachment to their native soil, and without sufficient reasons, it was too difficult to get them to migrate. Moreover, Weihua believed that taking his sisters to Hong Kong was not the best choice; they would not enjoy living there.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to go. At worst, I can just come back and visit often," Weihua told his sisters.

Just as Weihua had expected, the small mountain village had no electricity, so Weihua and Ding Peng turned in early. Weihua intended to stay in his hometown for quite a while this time. He had already entrusted affairs in Britain to Han Guangyuan, so there would be no problems, and nothing else required his personal worry. Thus, he could settle down and rest easy in the small mountain village.

Early the next morning, Weihua got up and went outside to breathe the fresh air. The air here was much better than in Hong Kong; this tranquil little mountain village remained unpolluted by modern industry, retaining its crystal-clear waters, lush green mountains, and pure air. Early-risers in the village greeted Little Nine of the Wei family one after another. Decades ago, Little Nine of the Wei family had been a famous figure in the small mountain village—first considered slow-witted, then turning mad, and finally running away from home altogether. However, having heard from the Wei family nephews yesterday, the villagers now understood that this youngest maternal uncle of theirs seemed to have gone abroad and struck it rich.

After taking a walk around the village, Weihua ate the breakfast prepared by his eldest sister alongside Ding Peng, and then said to Ding Peng: "Ding Peng, drive over to the county town today and check when that military vehicle is expected to arrive. Also, see if you can find a way to buy some pork, beef, mutton, or similar things and bring them back. You saw how my nephews looked at those chicken drumsticks yesterday—it really pained me to see it. As their uncle, I simply must treat my nephews a bit better!"

"Alright," Ding Peng replied with a chuckle. "I estimate that vehicle will still take two or three days to arrive. As for pork and beef, I’ll coordinate with the county government to find a way. It’s not like we aren't paying, it's just that we don't have ration coupons. There shouldn't be any major issues. If all else fails, I'll go to the local military garrison and buy a few pigs; the military's pigs don't require ration coupons. Besides, given your reputation within the military, Weihua, would getting a few pigs be a problem?"

"Just handle it however you see fit!" Weihua did not stop Ding Peng from using his name to leverage favors from the military. Always giving benefits to the military without ever asking them to get things done was not a good approach either. Giving endlessly without requesting anything in return was abnormal; it did not constitute a normal relationship, as interaction had to go both ways. Otherwise, it would give people the impression of having ulterior motives, and Weihua certainly did not want certain people suspecting him of harbor hidden agendas.

After breakfast, Ding Peng drove the jeep to the county town, while Weihua went on foot to his eldest sister's house. His sister and brother-in-law were just preparing to head out to work in the fields. Seeing Weihua arrive, the eldest sister asked, "Little Nine, do you need something?"

"Yes, Eldest Sister! I want to discuss something with you. I'm planning to rebuild our family's ancestral home and turn it into a proper brick-and-tile house. What do you think? Your houses are also due for a rebuild; how about I foot the bill to renovate everyone's homes?" Weihua asked.

"Little Nine, it's enough if you just rebuild the ancestral home for yourself!" the eldest sister said. "You don't need to worry about our houses. It's not easy for you to make money, and you'll need to take a wife in the future, so you should save a bit!"

It was clear the eldest sister had no concept of what being among the world's wealthiest meant.

"Sister, don't you worry!" Weihua said. "Your younger brother could build tens of thousands of brick-and-tile houses right now and still not run out of money, let alone having enough to take a wife. Eldest Brother-in-law, you'll have to take charge of this matter. Gather the laborers from the village to help out, and I'll pay their wages. How does that sound?"