Chapter 28: At Home

"Dad," Shen Siyuan called out.

Shen Jianjun parked the car steadily, merely nodding at him, his expression serious and devoid of smiles.

Yet Shen Siyuan had grown accustomed to it; from childhood to adulthood, his father had always been this stern, unsmiling figure in his memory.

But his own personality was exactly the opposite; he was a very gentle person.

Seeing him carry down quite a few items from the motorcycle's rear seat, Shen Siyuan stepped forward to help, but Shen Jianjun dodged him.

"The things are heavy; I'll handle it myself," he said.

Shen Siyuan felt quite helpless; his father still treated him like a child.

However, Shen Siyuan truly did not interfere again, asking directly, "What are these?"

"Two chickens and some eggs; this afternoon when you go to see Grandma, take these to her," Shen Jianjun said.

Shen Siyuan's grandmother was named Yu Suzhen, living in nearby Yu Family Village, which, like Lin Family Slope, belonged to Qingshui Town; she was seventy-three this year. As for Shen Siyuan's grandfather, he was a sent-down youth back then who divorced Grandma to return to the city; Grandma never remarried, raising Father alone.

Shen Jianjun and his wife had tried bringing her to live with them, but after a while, she found it very uncomfortable and insisted on returning, saying her health was strong and she could take care of herself, and only when she was truly bedridden and unable to move would she come live with them.

The old lady's temper was extremely stubborn; the couple had no way to handle her and could only agree, visiting and looking after her frequently in daily life.

"Oh, I haven't seen Grandma in nearly two months."

He had returned once a month ago, but the return was hurried, and he hadn't come to see her.

"Hmm, your grandmother misses you. I bought her a mobile phone, but she doesn't know how to use it; teaching her, she refuses..." Shen Jianjun said helplessly.

Entering the house, they put the items into the refrigerator; the weather was hot, and if not refrigerated, they would spoil by the afternoon.

"She is so old; if she can't use it, forget it; just let her be."

"I thought if she misses you, she could call you herself," Shen Jianjun said.

Shen Siyuan fell silent, then said, "What about the phone? Is the service suspended?"

"No, your mother has been paying the bill; she can't make calls, but she can answer. We sometimes call her, but she often forgets to charge the phone; only when I go do I charge it for her..."

"Leave it to me; I'll talk to her this afternoon," Shen Siyuan said.

At this moment, Mom Huang Huijuan came out of the kitchen carrying a large glass of water.

"Old Shen, drink some water."

Shen Jianjun naturally took it and then drank it deeply in one go.

Huang Huijuan naturally pulled two tissues from the table and wiped the sweat from his neck.

While wiping, she complained, "Look at you, you smell like sour sweat; go take a shower and change your clothes first."

Although she said this, not a trace of disgust appeared on her face.

"No need; we'll cook immediately, and I'll be sweating all over again," Shen Jianjun said.

"Our son is back; let him cook," Huang Huijuan said.

Shen Siyuan:...

Hadn't they agreed that upon his return, they would make his favorite green-striped fish and braised chicken with edamame? After all this, he still had to cook himself.

In the end, lunch was still cooked by Father Shen Jianjun, though Shen Siyuan helped as an assistant.

As for Huang Huijuan, she sat in the living room holding her hands, watching TV and giggling foolishly.

Father and son were both accustomed to it and felt nothing was wrong.

While cooking, Shen Jianjun also asked about Shen Siyuan's work, stating that if he was unhappy with it, he should come back and raise chickens with him.

The chickens he raised were the unique Purple Shell Chickens of Qiongzhou; their characteristics were a square-round body shape, thin short shanks, thin skin and crisp bones, and sweet, tender, smooth meat.

Therefore, Purple Shell Chicken ranks first among the four famous dishes of Qiongzhou, with excellent sales and no worry about selling them.

However, Shen Siyuan was not very willing; raising chickens is hard work and very boring; although his current job pays little, it is relaxed and free.

But Shen Siyuan did not close the door completely, merely saying he would consider it.

Shen Jianjun was just saying this and did not insist; he was not yet old, his health was good, and he did not need Shen Siyuan to come back to help him at all.

"By the way, my mother introduced me to some match again?"

"Your mother told you?"

"No, I guessed; she urged me to come back, so what else could it be?"

Hearing this, Shen Jianjun was amused by him, a rare smile appearing on his face.

"It was arranged by your Seventh Aunt; she is a Miss from the neighboring Stone Bridge Village, and the other party also works in Binhai..."

Shen Siyuan listened to him say much, then asked directly, "Is she pretty?"

"What's the use of being pretty? When finding a partner, you must find someone with good character who knows how to manage a household," Shen Jianjun said dissatisfied.

"Why did you marry my mother back then?"

Huang Huijuan's character was certainly no problem; as for knowing how to manage a household, hmm...

"Because she was pretty."

"Hehe~"

Both of them laughed.

"What are you father and son talking about that makes you so happy? Let me be happy too."

"Said you are pretty."

This time, all three of them laughed.

After lunch, Shen Siyuan did not delay, directly mounting Shen Jianjun's motorcycle and heading for Yu Family Village.

Father could afford to buy a car, but he just loved riding a motorcycle; it was truly incomprehensible what he was thinking.

Did he think riding a motorcycle made him look cool?

Thinking this was quite possible; although Shen Jianjun now had a round face and a big belly, when he was young, he was a handsome young man in the surrounding ten villages and eight townships; after all, Grandma had good genes, otherwise Grandfather, who was sent down from Shanghai, would not have married her.

Thinking of Grandma, his mood became impatient; the motorcycle sped through the sun-dappled tree-lined path, facing the breeze, heading toward Yu Family Village, and the speed unconsciously picked up.

Fortunately, it was midday, with little traffic on the road; aside from keeping an eye out for chickens or dogs that occasionally darted out, it was very safe.

Actually, from Lin Family Slope to Yu Family Village was not far; riding a motorcycle took just over half an hour.

It was just that the road wound and twisted, with tree-lined avenues, riverside paths, and low field ridges; someone unfamiliar could easily get dizzy from it.

Shen Siyuan's grandmother lived at the northernmost edge of the village; after entering the village, turn right and ride forward for four or five minutes, and you arrive directly at her doorstep.

The red brick and tile house where grandmother previously lived was far too dilapidated, so a few years ago her father built her three single-story flat-roofed rooms, poured a concrete floor in front of the door, and beyond that lay the rice paddies stretching out in a continuous expanse.

In terms of living conditions, it was even better than where Shen Siyuan and his family lived now; at this moment, the concrete ground in front of the door was covered with drying radish strips.

Hearing the sound of the motorcycle, grandmother walked out of the house.

Her face was full of wrinkles, her body thin and lean, wearing a set of gray cloth clothes, with a blue headscarf tied on her head.

Because her eyesight was not very good, she liked to squint when looking at people.

Seeing it was a motorcycle, she immediately said, "It's Jianjun back."

"Grandma, it's me, Siyuan." Shen Siyuan turned off the motorcycle.

Upon hearing this, grandmother immediately strode forward to meet him, her wrinkled face breaking into a brilliant smile.