Chapter 143: The Hometown Accent Remains Unchanged While the Hair Turns Gray – Supplement 1.27

()After Liu Yao got tired from running, he sat aside to rest; naturally someone came over to bring water and wipe his sweat.

Seeing his son no longer so gloomy, full of vitality, Old Liu laughed until his mouth almost split up to his ears.

In business, getting Old Liu to loosen up is not a simple matter; the strong dragon does not overwhelm the local snake, and Fang San Ye this time chose a non‑violent method. Even businessmen have to talk about personal favors; the conversation between Fang San Ye and Old Liu went much more smoothly, Zheng Tan also counts as having successfully completed the task, without needing to do too much investigation; just seeing Fang San Ye's beaming smiling face shows the goal has been achieved.

Zheng Tan walked around the small car again and looked; the car's logo is a cat head, a black cat head, and at the rear of the car there's also a painted cat tail; now adding Zheng Tan this cat, it truly lives up to being a cat car.

Even though this car isn't as flashy as imagined, nor as exciting as a real car, at most it can only be considered a somewhat special toy car; Zheng Tan can't even openly drive it on the streets outside, but this also counts as fulfilling his dream. Fang San Ye having this thought, Zheng Tan is very grateful; after playing, thinking of his mission here, he'll need to continue accompanying Liu Yao this child to play in the coming time, fortunately this matter is simple, no need to overthink.

In the afternoon, when Fang San Ye brought Zheng Tan to say goodbye, Liu Yao still seemed very reluctant; Old Liu several times wanted to suggest letting Fang San Ye name a price to transfer the cat to him, but Fang San Ye's words also conveyed refusal, so Old Liu pondered when to go buy a cat to bring back, but it must be a cat that can get along well with Mantou and also make his own son happy, which is not easy.

Zheng Tan didn't bother with what Old Liu was thinking; he now considers if Fang San Ye really gives the car, where would this cat car be placed? Moreover, lifting it up and down is also quite laborious; this cat car is not very light.

However, before Zheng Tan could think it through clearly, when returning to Chu Hua Da Xue, Tong Qing drove the car but didn't go straight into Dongqu Dayuan; instead he went to the building of the Engineering Department. Tong Qing carried the car, and Fang Shaokang brought Zheng Tan to find Cheng Zhong. Only then did Zheng Tan realize his cat car was made by this 'Cheng Shixiong'. That's also good; if the car ever has any problems, it'll be convenient to find someone to fix it.

The car still needs improvements; today was just a test of its effect, so Zheng Tan temporarily can't get the car. In a few days the Jiao Family will return to their hometown. To get the car, one probably has to wait until after the New Year, after all it's not many days until the New Year.

Anyway, even if he got the car he couldn't drive it, and shouldn't be too showy; thinking about it, Zheng Tan then calmed down.

Over the next few days, Zheng Tan had nothing to do, so he wandered around; he went to the construction site again, directly to the area where Zhong Yan was, to find people. This time, not to mention the other workers in that area, even Ning Ge's attitude toward Zheng Tan was very good, and there was no objection at all to Zhong Yan using water from the dispenser to feed the cat.

The people at the construction site, while busy, also love gossip. Since the last time, some people have often mentioned Zheng Tan; some say it's the cat of the boss's boss's family, some say it's the cat of a big shot known by the boss, opinions vary, but the conclusion is one: this cat must not be provoked; nowadays a single cat can be worth far more than a person, regardless of its breed. Even beating a cat depends on its backing.

And Zhong Yan also, by a yin‑yang mix‑up, managed to steady his footing here; hearing that the boss had called him in for a talk, his wages were increased a bit; although as a temporary worker he still can't match the pay of other formal staff, it's much better than before. On the construction site, no one has come to cause trouble for Zhong Yan, and indeed some people have actively tried to get close, just wanting to indirectly find out something 'secret', but they've found nothing. Even Zhong Yan himself, to this day, still can't figure out what 'powerful background' that black cat has.

Zheng Tan is practically the only cat openly strolling around this construction site. At first many people held skeptical and opposed attitudes; the construction site isn't a backyard. Accidents are easy, and they looked at this cat as if it were a time bomb, but later they also realized their worries were unnecessary. Whenever they saw Zheng Tan, those supervisors acted as if they hadn't seen him; there were instructions from above: as long as the cat doesn't cause trouble or stir up chaos, just let it be.

Jiao Lao Yezi started calling to urge from the day of Little New Year, but unfortunately Jiao Ba had matters to attend to, so he had to stay a few more days.

Last time Zheng Tan followed Jiao Ba and them back, it was to their hometown town's house; this time they went straight to the old family home in the village. Jiao Lao Yezi said, the rooms at the old home have already been tidied up, so returning they can move in directly; Jiao Lao Yezi also especially emphasized that the cat's nest has been prepared, so there's no need to worry about the cat having nowhere to sleep.

On the morning of the twenty‑seventh of the twelfth lunar month, the Jiao family packed their luggage and drove out of the school gate. Jiao Wei's family had already returned home on Little New Year's Day; this half‑year their business has been good, and Jiao Wei's parents still plan to buy a house nearby in the next two years. After returning to Jiao Ba's hometown they'll still be able to see them.

Not long after leaving the school gate, they encountered a red light at the intersection. On the wide road, three vehicles stopped side‑by‑side beside the crosswalk. The vehicles stopped on the left and right had just driven out of Chu Hua Da Xue; Zheng Tan didn't know the people inside, and Jiao Ba exchanged a few words with them.

Because the windows of the driver's seats of the three side‑by‑side cars were all open, Zheng Tan could hear the conversations from both cars. The people in the left car were discussing spacetime curvature and Hubble redshift; those in the right car were talking about the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane and the endosymbiotic origin theory of mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Zheng Tan flicked his ears, never mind, he'd rather watch Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi play chess.

There were some traffic jams in the city, but once on the expressway it got much better; Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi's chess playing became more relaxed.

Xiao Youzi is a beginner, having only recently been exposed to chess; Jiao Yuan thought it was boring in the car and thus suggested playing. To show fairness, Jiao Yuan let Xiao Youzi have one chariot, one horse, and one cannon each. Jiao Ma sat in the front passenger seat, occasionally turning back to look, and under her guidance Xiao Youzi played chess.

Zheng Tan had never played chess before; he's about the same as Xiao Youzi in first encountering chess, also a beginner, couldn't help much, so he could only crouch nearby and watch them play. When tired, he'd glance at the signs beside the expressway and calculate how long until they reached their destination.

"Heavy Cannon General has no son to block." Xiao Youzi said calmly.

Zheng Tan shifted his gaze from the roadside sign to the chessboard resting on the seat; seeing it, he couldn't help but chuckle— they hadn't even started long, and Jiao Yuan was already checkmated by Xiao Youzi's heavy cannon.

Jiao Yuan stood there stunned, still unable to believe it— it seemed like the opening had barely begun, and … he was checkmated? Checkmated by a heavy cannon?

Instantly Jiao Yuan felt embarrassed, scratching his ears and cheeks, making Jiao Ma laugh outright. He briefly told Jiao Ba about the chess situation.

"Many veterans, when facing newcomers, are easily checkmated by a heavy cannon; back then your father and I were the same— a village elder dragged us along to accompany a game, likewise giving us chariot, horse, and cannon each; the first time playing against this kind of veteran, we felt some excitement and nervousness. But not long after, a heavy cannon checkmated that elder, and even now recalling it still brings a smile for a while."

Jiao Ba recounted that experience; he still remembers how that elder's face flushed red when, not long into the opening, he was checkmated by a heavy cannon— who let that elder be careless? 'But I only won that once; after that, whenever I played against him I never won again. Over the years, every time I went back and was dragged into a game I never won, but now that old man doesn't allow chariot, horse, cannon— only two of those three— which counts as my progress.'

Jiao Yuan reset the board. Let's play another round, and the opening began with the general moving five steps forward. Just as Jiao Ba said, the first time was due to carelessness; after that Jiao Yuan became cautious, while Xiao Youzi is still a beginner, so the situation can be predicted.

When the signs beside the expressway showed they were getting close to Fu Yang, Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi's chess game also tired them out; they put away the board and looked at the outside scenery.

Not even two minutes later, the car stopped.

An accident had occurred ahead; a long line of vehicles was completely blocked here.

Seeing that they wouldn't be able to move for a while, some motion‑sick people had already gotten out and run to the side to vomit, while others got out and walked toward the accident site to see the specific situation and ask how long it would take to clear.

Jiao Ba also got out and walked forward to inquire about the situation; Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi, idle in the car, got out to walk around, and Zheng Tan followed them out to get some fresh air.

Behind Jiao Ba's car was parked a BMW; an old man got out and just stood beside the expressway, hands behind his back, staring blankly at the endless fields.

From the BMW came another man in his thirties, who quickly walked to the old man's side and gave him a couple of words of advice. Then, helplessly returning, he bumped into the approaching Jiao Ba and asked about the situation ahead.

"The driver is fine; the truck overturned, scattering its fruit everywhere; traffic police are clearing it, estimated to take about ten or so minutes." Jiao Ba related the information he'd gathered.

Zheng Tan listened to Jiao Ba and that man's conversation; he didn't expect that the BMW man was also from Fu Yang, and they were speaking in dialect, which Zheng Tan can now understand a bit of.

"It's been over ten years; I suppose many people have forgotten me. When I first brought the old gentleman over, not many years later he told me, 'When you achieve fame and success, come back home for a look, would that be alright?' The old man always felt his roots are here; no matter how big the city, how spacious the houses, how good the quality of life, his heart always longs for it, always wants to come back and see. Unfortunately the old man's health isn't great; he's had surgery, hasn't recovered, and can't endure hardship, so I didn't dare bring him back. These past few years he's improved a little, giving me this chance… Hey, back then this expressway wasn't even built yet; going out was a real hassle— bumpy stone‑dirt roads, riding in a car made you want to vomit."

"Leaving home young and returning old, the accent remains unchanged while the hair turns gray." Perhaps such words better describe the BMW man's mood at this moment.

This person is also one of those who seized opportunities and grew rich in that tumultuous era; moreover, no matter whether these people are engaged in culture or business abroad, returning home they must first spruce up their image— returning in fine attire, after all, without a face‑projecting endeavor to uphold appearances, it wouldn't hold up. Just look at this BMW and you'll know.

In Jiao Ba's hometown, especially around the old residence, many people's impression of prestigious cars is limited to BMW, the three‑pointed star, and the four rings, etc.; in many eyes, driving a Maybach versus a Santana makes little difference; to display the aura of returning in fine attire, you have to be direct, you must consider the locals.

However, as for returning in fine attire, Jiao Ba doesn't care; besides last year, they've always returned home for New Year before, and they'll come back once or twice a year— relatively speaking, the roads are familiar, the people familiar, there are no such formalities. But others are different; many are people who haven't returned to their hometown for several years.

ps:

I almost forgot— Chen Ci is here to wish everyone a happy new year! Wishing everyone great luck in the Horse Year, may all go well!

It's probably because yesterday (the first day of the lunar new year) I went out to pay New Year visits and got overheated, then at night caught a chill, came down with a slight cold; last night I wasn't fully clear‑headed, so when updating there were some typos and bugs, which have since been fixed— no need for anyone to resubscribe. As for the error in the chapter title, fixing it would be troublesome, so I'll leave it as is; just to note here, chapter 132 counts as supplement 1.25, chapter 133 as supplement 1.26.

Recently the weather has started acting up again, temperatures in the twenty-something degrees, I heard it's going to drop in temperature over the next two days, estimated to fall below five degrees; once it gets cold it's bitterly cold, damp and chilly and there's still no heating. Friends, take note, don't catch a cold like me, and I'm still having a runny nose.