The place is so big, and there are several families next to the place where Seventh Uncle Ji lived. Now, it was getting dark, and everyone has no work to do, so they are just sitting in their yard chatting about work.
Ji Changze came out of Seventh Uncle Ji’s house with a basket of mountain goods on his back, and they all watched.
See, we saw it on the road before, would Ji Changze really be so kind as to help someone out?
He was just pretending to hold the basket, yet Seventh Uncle Ji gave him so many things.
Several people were whispering, discussing how Seventh Uncle Ji was so muddleheaded that he could be fooled by Ji Changze for so long, and Ji Changze saw them.
It was a little dark, which affected people’s eyesight. He squinted for two seconds before he found a familiar face.
The old man who was smoking a tobacco cigarette and listening to the discussion was stunned, and looked over at the other person.
As a result, he saw Ji Changze smiling at him, all out of place, and opened his mouth to speak. “I remember your family has a flatbed tricycle, tomorrow I want to go into town to buy something for my wedding. Can you lend it to me?”
Old Uncle Zhao’s expression immediately froze.
The flatbed tricycle was something his family had owned, or something his father had left behind before.
But lending it to Ji Changze …
Considering Ji Changze’s reputation in the village for being lazy, going to work and trying to slack off, even though he hasn’t stolen anything, but isn’t that irrelevant?
With such a character, it’s a wonder people could rest assured their items would be returned when lending him things.
But if you don’t lend it, people can’t wrong someone smiling! Besides, they are all from the same village. Ji Changze is not the kind of person who looks honest, what if he doesn’t lend it out and the person complains about it and does something?
He didn’t know what to do.
Seeing Old Uncle Zhao’s struggling face, Ji Changze didn’t embarrass him and just went into his yard, pulling Old Uncle Zhao inside.
They walked into Old Uncle Zhao’s yard, then he smoothly shut the gate.
“Eh, eh, what are you doing?”
Ji Changze can clearly feel that Old Uncle Zhao, who was holding his arm, had stiffened his entire body and was looking at him as if he was some kind of murderous demon who could pull out a knife and slash people at will.
He had to say, this vigilant look made him want to make fun of the old Uncle Zhao.
Changze put his hand behind his back …
Alas, the old man was too old to get frightened, so it was better for him to be honest.
Old Uncle Zhao stood there wary and puzzled, watching Ji Changze take down the basket, grab some wild yam from inside it, and place it in his hand.
Ji Changze’s attitude was very natural. “You lend me the tricycle, I appreciate you, take these yams, there’s no need for pots or anything else to cook them, just get some firewood and make a pit to cook them.”
“No, no, how bad is that, take it back, take it back, we don’t do that capitalism thing.”
Knowing that Ji Changze didn’t want to slash him, and rather wanted to give him a wild yam, Old Uncle Zhao relaxed and hurriedly pushed the yam back.
Pushing back and forth, he suddenly noticed.
No, he hasn’t agreed to lend the tricycle, has he?
Without waiting for him to ask, Ji Changze spoke first.
“How can it be capitalism, if we are from the same village? If I use your tricycle for nothing, that’s called capitalism. Old Uncle Zhao, we are from the same village, you mustn’t ruin me.”
Old Uncle Zhao was frightened.
He couldn’t care less about the fact that he hasn’t agreed to lend the tricycle yet, but he just doesn’t want to receive anything, right?
How can this be harming him?
Seeing him stop pushing, Ji Changze took a few quick glances around the yard, quickly locating the flatbed tricycle. He directly stepped forward and pushed the tricycle over, while naturally saying,
“You can accept it, otherwise I would be too embarrassed to borrow this, and if you don’t want to eat it, how can you deny it from the little grandson at home? Xi Ziyi has a smart look on his face, but he’s skinny and small. If his diet stays strong, he’ll definitely be smarter. In the future, he would come back as a college student.”
After he finished speaking, Old Uncle Zhao’s heart, which had been shaken just now, moved even more.
Yes, his little grandson is so young, and he doesn’t eat enough every day. These wild yams should be treated as extra meals at least, and they can be eaten for several days if they are saved.
Besides, as Ji Changze also said, his little grandson is smart, so how can he not keep up with his diet? Now everyone is eating the same pot of rice, and he is not allowed to cook at home. Wild yam is a good thing, and it can be cooked by throwing it in a fire on the ground.
But lending it to Ji Changze…
His reputation in the village was still in a bit of a conundrum for Old Uncle Zhao in the end.
On this side, Ji Changze put the basket on the flatbed and waved his hand. “Okay, take your stuff, I’m leaving.”
“Don’t worry, next time I borrow the tricycle, I’ll send you something. I can’t be a capitalist freeloader.”
He would return it later!!
Ah, that’s worth a lot more than a few wild yams.
That may be worth dozens and dozens of yams!
He didn’t know, he doesn’t understand it!
It’s just borrowing the tricycle anyway!
Old Uncle Zhao was busy putting down the wild yam and welcomed it with special enthusiasm. “Shall I give you a hand?”
Outsiders had seen Old Uncle Zhao’s being dragged in abruptly by Ji Changze, so they were watching and peeking around.
“Ji Changze won’t beat people, will he?”
“Probably not, at any rate, he’s from the same village, and that Old Uncle Zhao still watched him grow up.”
“This boy is so messed up, I can’t really tell, but I think, shouldn’t we go in and take a look?”
As the few people just spoke, the door suddenly opened, and Ji Changze pushed the flatbed tricycle out.
His white face, which the villagers always thought as a symbol of slacking off and not working, was talking while pushing the tricycle.
“Hey, you are too polite, Uncle, don’t worry, I will return it tomorrow when I return from the city.”
Then Old Uncle Zhao also followed out with the wrinkles on his face squeezing out like a flower, and spoke with a warm tone.
“There’s no rush, there’s no rush, it’s fine if you return it in a few days.”
“Then thank you Uncle, I’m off now…”
Ji Changze didn’t look at the people who were previously picketing the doorway, now standing staring off to the side.
Even if the shock on their faces at the moment was as great as seeing the sun coming up from the west.
He had the flatbed and the mountain goods, so now he was ready to make a little money. Ji Changze, who felt that he was happy to be alive, pushed the tricycle, smiled and waved his hand back again, before going straight toward the Ji’s house.
In the end, he had a mixed reputation in the village. No one dares to say anything when he is present. They have been watching him leave, and he couldn’t hear them. Those people asked Old Uncle Zhao,
“What did Ji Changze tell you just now? How come you lent him your tricycle? Are you not afraid he won’t return it or break it?”
Old Uncle Zhao waved his hand and looked disgusted. “Don’t talk nonsense, I watched Changze grow up. Isn’t it normal for me to lend him the flatbed tricycle?”
He was quite happy, thinking Ji Changze would give him a few wild yams by lending him a tricycle once.
His little grandson will no longer have to complain about being hungry at night and have nothing to eat.
The several people who heard this: “…”
No. Was the worry on his face, when Ji Changze asked him to borrow his car a moment ago, fake?
“Is that what Ji Changze told you? Or did he scare you?”
“What nonsense, how could Changze scare me?”
Old Uncle Zhao stared at the person who said this sentence.
What if these people spread the word that Ji Changze had scared him and Ji Changze knew, and wouldn’t give him wild yams next time?
“Changze is actually quite good, in fact, but his reputation has been ruined by the rumors in the village before. Don’t you guys talk nonsense out there, I wanted to lend him that tricycle, ah, I just like the nice kid.”
The people outside were stunned. “…”
Old Uncle Zhao went back to the yard. He had to hide those wild yams well.
When his grandson returns, he will quietly take him to eat yams tomorrow.
He left, but the others were dumbfounded.
This isn’t a dream, is it?
Or did the sun really come up from the west?
“Changze, that’s very kind of you. I told Mom the words you taught me before. She really acted much better toward me. She just brought over a blanket for me to cover at night.”
When Ji Changze returned to his room, his eldest brother Ji Changguang was already sitting on the kang bed waiting for him with an excited face, and as soon as he saw him come in, he eagerly welcomed him.
(TNote: Kang bed = a heated raised platform that is used as a bed, usually made of stone and wood with layers on top, with a place to put charcoal/small fire underneath.)
“Dad had a smile for me too, and told me to bring Huifen back with me next time.”
This made Ji Changguang happy. He always worried that his parents didn’t like his wife, but he must be filial to his parents and knew that his wife had done nothing wrong.
He didn’t know how to adjust, so he had to come home alone every time, to separate the two sides from each other.
As a result, he learned what Ji Changze taught him today, and said that working in the factory was a bit hard, but it’s nice to be able to squeeze in some time off to go home and see Mom and Dad. Huifen could hardly squeeze time off, but every time he came home with things, she carefully picked them out. If they’re angry that Huifen is not coming, next time it’ll be their marketing agency that won’t let it happen. He was going to let her come home on holiday as well, and the look on Mom and Dad’s faces literally softened, visible to the naked eye.
Ji Changze thought, it’s weird not to smile.
The biggest knot in the heart of the Ji family’s parents is that their eldest son ran away to the city, living in the daughter-in-law’s family, eating the daughter-in-law’s family’s rice, and his work was also found by the father-in-law. Isn’t that just a live-in son-in-law?
In the village, only the most useless men became kept sons-in-law, and they had no dignity in their wife’s family for the rest of their lives.
Their family had no money, but at least they had done their best to raise Ji Changguang. But as a result, he just ran away.
In addition, Ji Changguang never speaks and doesn’t bring his wife back to see his parents. He thinks it’s to separate the conflicting feelings, but in fact, in the eyes of the Ji parents, who were already complaining, it’s the eldest daughter-in-law who looks down on the elderly parents.
Ji Changguang was such a kept son-in-law, so of course he and his wife couldn’t be bothered to come.
It’s no wonder their heart couldn’t be comfortable.
However, what Ji Changguang said today shows that his status at home was okay, and he also said that their eldest daughter-in-law is not unwilling to come, but she couldn’t get away from work, and all the things he brought before were picked out by their eldest daughter-in-law.
With the conflict out of the way, of course the two elders couldn’t get angry.
Seeing that Ji Changguang was still overjoyed, Ji Changze patted him on the shoulder. “Brother, please remember to say more about Sister-in-law’s filial piety in front of our parents next time. It’s late, go to sleep, we have to go to the city tomorrow.”
Ji Changguang was stunned and asked his younger brother, “Are you going to the city, too?”
“Yes, isn’t the weather getting colder and colder? And the road isn’t safe. I just happened to need to go into the city recently, so I’ll go with you and we can look out for each other.”
Ji Changze climbed onto the bed and quilt, easily saying, “And it’s always Sister-in-law or you coming back to our house, none of us have ever visited Sister-in-law’s house. That’s not nice. I’ll go to Sister-in-law’s house to greet her tomorrow.”
Ji Changguang was even happier.
If it had been before, he would have rejected it, thinking that Ji Changze only wanted to eat and drink for free.
After all, the brothers had never been close, and Ji Changze was like this too.
He looked happy: “Then tomorrow, brother will treat you well.”
Ji Changze was also impolite. “That’s a good feeling, brother, I’ve long wanted to go to my Sister-in-Law’s house, but while I’m staying at your in-laws’ house, don’t get me any good wine or food, just make some home-cooked food.”
“How could we have a good time like that? You’re sure to be treated well.”
Ji Changguang didn’t intend to use the money from his father-in-law’s family. He still had money. Although it’s not much, it’s definitely enough for a good meal for his younger brother.
Ji Changze had made his bed and lay in it.
“Older brother, you can rest assured, I wouldn’t eat and drink for nothing. My buddy in the city got some high-grade gifts, saying that it is the most nourishing and rare mountain goods. Okay, tomorrow I’ll send a share to Sister-in-Law’s house, it will definitely give you some face.”
Changze was still trying to gain him some face.
(TNote: face = euphemism for pride/ dignity/ respect.)
And he actually doesn’t want to eat and take things for free!
Ji Changze would have had to laugh a few times if he knew what his older brother was thinking.
No one is lenient these days, who would eat and drink for free?
Besides, don’t you have to bring gifts for relatives?
However, Ji Changguang didn’t even think about that, thanks to the image he had of his younger brother in his mind.
After all, it’s always been to eat and take things for free, and now it suddenly got better. Ji Changguang simply ‘wanted’ to be moved to tears.
Why didn’t he notice before?
Changze is such a good brother!