Chapter 34: Cousin and Cousin

Fixing the car isn't urgent; Qin Yun wandered around nearby for a while and called his uncle.

Qin Yun's uncle, Hu Jun, was barely over forty, short in stature but muscular, a man with a keen sense for life's pleasures. As a child, it was often his uncle who took him running through the hills. His uncle even ran an online store specializing in buying and selling wild orchids dug from the mountains.

Though it brought in little money, his uncle enjoyed it deeply.

Due to age differences, among his mother's relatives, only he and his uncle were close in age. He was twenty-eight; his uncle, forty-one. When he was born, his uncle had just entered junior high.

They were more like brothers than uncle and nephew.

"Hey, Xiao Yun, I saw your WeChat Moments—you're in Hangzhou now?"

Hu Jun's hearty laugh came through the phone.

Qin Yun laughed too: "Uncle, you've got signal on the boat?"

"Where doesn't have signal these days? You're joking. When are you coming back? I just got ashore yesterday—I can only rest half a month before heading back out."

"Haha, I just got home, that's why I'm calling you. Mom wants you all over for dinner tonight."

"You're back?" Hu Jun's voice brimmed with surprise, then he immediately replied, "Good, we'll come after Hu Di gets out of school."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, I'll wait for you at home. Wait a second—today's Sunday, why is Hu Di still in school?"

"He's in third year of junior high—tight schedule."

"By the way." Hu Jun suddenly remembered something, "Your aunt's husband isn't hauling cargo anymore—he's driving for ride-hailing now. Should I invite him too? We could have a couple drinks together."

"Sure, I'll call him right now."

After ending the call with Hu Jun, Qin Yun went upstairs to ask his mother. Hu Fen said: "Good, more people means more fun. You can ask your aunt to come early—otherwise, with so many, I won't be able to handle it alone."

"Mm."

Then he called his aunt, chatted for a few minutes, and confirmed the dinner plans.

Less than an hour later, his aunt Hu Dan arrived on a small donkey. Naturally, they exchanged pleasantries; perhaps she'd already learned from his mother about his divorce, so she didn't bring it up directly.

"By the way, your uncle's husband is driving ride-hailing now—he'll come by himself tonight, but won't be sure when. Around five-thirty, go pick up Jiajia at Nanhai—she's in school today too."

"No problem."

Hu Fen leaned out and said: "You might as well pick up Hu Di too—he's at Nanhai Junior High, saves your uncle the trip."

"Alright."

In the kitchen, Hu Fen and Hu Dan began whispering.

"Second sister, does Xiao Yun seem okay? Has he mentioned the divorce?"

Hu Fen shook her head: "Better off apart. I never liked Song Ya, but since Xiao Yun loved her, I didn't say much. Now they've split—no one's held back."

"That's true." Hu Dan nodded, recalling Song Ya's haughty demeanor, the way she looked at them as if from above, like country folk.

"But it's clear he wasn't happy before—now he's much more spirited." Hu Fen smiled. A mother naturally hoped her son would thrive, strong and healthy.

Before, when Qin Yun came home, he always carried a heavy burden, an inescapable weariness. Now, his son was full of energy, looked like a college student.

"Exactly." Hu Dan laughed happily, "He should just stay in Zhoushan."

"Let him decide. He's a young man—he should travel around. Besides, I've got work—I doubt he'd want to stay put forever."

The two sisters chattered endlessly, while Qin Yun left home to visit a nearby market and bought some tools for fixing the car.

Soon, it was around five o'clock. Qin Yun told them he was leaving and drove out.

From their home to Nanhai Experimental School, though it seemed seven or eight kilometers, it was just one straight road—less than fifteen minutes.

He found a parking spot, got out, and looked toward the school gate.

The school was impressive—wide gates, spacious grounds, rivaling some universities. But he hadn't attended here for middle or high school—he'd gone to one in the old district.

At this hour, many parents were already gathered outside the gate, standing in small groups waiting.

He'd already messaged Hu Di and Jiajia, so he wasn't in a hurry—just stood quietly outside waiting.

After a short while, Hu Di came out first. The boy, unseen for a long time, had shot up to over 1.75 meters. Though still shorter than many others, he'd already beaten the genetic odds compared to his uncle.

"Bro."

Seeing Qin Yun, Hu Di ran over, looking a bit shy—but the first thing he said made Qin Yun glare at him.

"Bro, I heard you got divorced? Is it true?"

"Don't pry, kid. You're in third year—how's your grades?"

At the mention of grades, Hu Di grew confident: "Top of the class, no doubt."

"Impressive." Qin Yun didn't hold back praise. "Better than I was. Aim for a 985 university next."

"No way—I'm aiming for Peking University."

"Whoa, but Peking University is a 985 too."

As they joked, a soft voice came, tinged with delight: "Bro."

Qin Yun and Hu Di turned to see three girls walking toward them—the one in the middle was Shen Jia, the other two her classmates.

"Wow, Jiajia, that's your brother? So hot! Introduce me!"

"Get lost. Jiajia, from now on I'll obey you blindly—tell me east, I won't go west. Praise me in front of your brother, and when I'm your sister-in-law, I'll give you allowance."

"Get lost!" Shen Jia, furious at how far they'd gone, snapped.

"Come on, get in the car."

Qin Yun nodded to the two girls.

"Bro, give us a ride? Otherwise we've got to take the bus."

"Yeah, we live close—just drive along Haitian Avenue for five or six kilometers."

Qin Yun pointed toward home: "Same way?"

"Yeah!" Both girls' eyes lit up instantly.

"Alright, get in."

Saying that, Qin Yun strode toward the car, and the group quickly followed behind.

In a short while, when the Land Rover Defender's headlights turned on, the kids let out surprised exclamations.

"Whoa, bro, you hit the jackpot—this car looks so badass." Boys were always interested in cars; Hu Di patted and prodded everywhere, thrilled, "What model is this Land Rover? I've hardly ever seen one on the road."

After everyone got in, Qin Yun smiled: "Land Rover Defender, off-road vehicle. Buckle your seatbelts."

The three girls in the back sat huddled together, chattering nonstop, while Yang Jiajia occasionally let out furious, helpless yells—only drawing even more smug laughter from the other two girls.

When they arrived and the car stopped, the two girls got out and waved at Qin Yun: "Qin Ge, goodbye."

Hearing that address, Qin Yun couldn't help but laugh and groan. Qin Ge? Lover Ge?

Yang Jiajia looked utterly speechless.

Qin Yun turned to look at Yang Jiajia: "Are all little girls like this now?"

Before Yang Jiajia could answer, Hu Di said: "It's not just now—this has been going on since middle school. Hmph, no modesty at all."

As he spoke, he waved his phone: "Bro, what's the engine displacement on this car? There are so many Land Rover Defender models."

"5.0T V8, short-wheelbase version."

As soon as Qin Yun spoke, Hu Di gasped: "Holy shit, one point three million? That's so expensive!"

Hearing that number, Yang Jiajia also looked over in surprise.

They knew whether their cousin had money—even if they rarely kept in touch, Aunt Sheng Fangfang sometimes mentioned Qin Yun in casual chats with relatives.

They'd heard his marriage wasn't happy; they'd met his ex-wife too, and she wasn't likable.

"The original price was this much, but I got this one as a lucky find," Qin Yun didn't hide it. While they still had a few kilometers to go, he cheerfully recounted how he'd snagged the deal, leaving both of them stunned.

"Computer engineering? And you study car repair too?"

Yang Jiajia gave naive Hu Di a disapproving look, then turned to Qin Yun, her eyes filled with admiration.

Few people had the guts to risk over two hundred thousand yuan on a lucky find. Qin Yun dared to do it—only because he had full confidence in his own skills.

As they spoke, the car stopped and reversed into the garage.

Upstairs, Uncle Hu Jun and Aunt Sheng Fangfang were already there.

After the usual greetings, he and Hu Jun went downstairs to chat.

"Are you going back to Beijing?"

Qin Yun shook his head: "Not for now. Everything there is completely over."

"Hmm. What then? What are your plans?"

"I plan to do self-media—travel all over Tiannanhaibei, recording interesting things as videos along the way."

"You young people have brains."

"You're only a few years older than me—not even a full cycle." Qin Yun gave him a sidelong glance. "You didn't like being a crewman, right? Find a chance to join me."

"Sigh… life forces you into it," Hu Jun sighed, shaking his head. "I can't run a business, and I have no diploma. These days, stable income means either delivering food, driving Didi, or being a crewman. Compared to all of them, crewmen earn more."

"Your wife has money—what are you worried about?"

"A woman having money has nothing to do with men," Hu Jun declared firmly. "Look at you—your ex-wife had money, didn't she?"

"She did."

"Do you have money now?"

"No."

"So you see? A woman having money is her business. A man must earn his own."

"You make perfect sense—I can't argue at all."

The uncle and nephew chatted and laughed, eventually bringing up the trip to Huni Island.

"I plan to go to Huni Island next week, when Mom's off work. Want to come along?"

"Sure. I haven't seen your grandparents in a while."

After making plans, a phone call came urging them to come eat.

They returned upstairs to find a lavish dinner spread—red, green, colorful, delicious.

Hu Fen cooked well; in past family gatherings, she'd always handled the meals, making several small dishes that were both visually appealing and flavorful.

"Dinner's ready."

"Come on, Xiao Yun, have a drink—to celebrate your return to single life."

"You haven't even started drinking and you're spouting nonsense," Aunt Sheng Fangfang scolded.

"Auntie, it's fine—I've already moved on."

With that, he raised his glass, clinked it with Hu Jun's, and downed it in one gulp.

Seeing Qin Yun wasn't pretending, Aunt Sheng Fangfang relaxed: "It's fine. I'll find you a good one later."

"Then I'll be waiting for your good news, Auntie."

Family dinners always turned to the younger generation's achievements; before long, they were talking about Hu Di and Shen Jia's grades.

Aunt Sheng Fangfang sighed: "I can't control him anymore. His teacher calls me every week. Now, just seeing his homeroom teacher's number on my phone makes my heart race—more than when I first started dating your uncle."

"Mom, you're exaggerating," Hu Di protested. "At least I'm top of the class, right?"

"Other girls are complaining about you—how can you still brag?"

Hu Di instantly lowered his head, silent. But Qin Yun wouldn't let him off—he shouted loudly: "What's going on? You're dating? That's great! Hu Di, you've got guts! Way better than your big brother—I was still playing in the mud at your age."

Shen Jia laughed uncontrollably beside him.

But soon, she couldn't laugh anymore—the spotlight turned on her.

"The south coast's getting worse every year. Jiajia's grades look okay, but getting into a 985 university? Doubtful. She still hasn't decided on a school. Xiao Yun, keep an eye on Jiajia for the next year."

"Don't worry, Auntie. Jiajia's fine," Qin Yun patted his chest. "With Jiajia's level, getting into a good university is a breeze. Isn't that right, Jiajia?"