[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner":3,"chapter-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-28":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Not Crazy—This Is the Emperor's Banner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2291368,4480,"Chapter 28: At Home","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-28",28,"\u003Cp>“Dad.” Shen Siyuan called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Jianjun parked the motorcycle steadily, merely nodded at him, his expression serious and stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Shen Siyuan was already used to it; since childhood, his father had always looked this way—unsmiling and grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his own personality was exactly the opposite—he was a very gentle person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him haul a lot of items off the motorcycle’s rear seat, Shen Siyuan stepped forward to help, but Shen Jianjun sidestepped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are heavy—I can handle them myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan sighed helplessly; he still treated him like a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Shen Siyuan didn’t insist further; he simply asked, “What’s all this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two chickens, and some eggs. Go see your grandmother this afternoon and take these to her,” Shen Jianjun said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan’s grandmother was Yu Sumei, living in Yujiacun nearby, same as Linjiapo—both under Qingshui Town. She was seventy-three this year. As for Shen Siyuan’s grandfather, he was a sent-down educated youth who divorced his grandmother to return to the city; she never remarried and raised her son alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Jianjun and his wife had tried bringing her to live with them, but after a while, she grew uncomfortable and insisted on returning home, saying she was still strong enough to care for herself, and would only come to live with them when she could no longer get out of bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old lady was stubborn as hell; they couldn’t persuade her, so they agreed, making sure to visit and look after her regularly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s been nearly two months since I last saw Grandma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d come back once a month ago, but it was rushed—he didn’t stop by to see her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, your grandmother misses you. I bought her a phone, but she doesn’t know how to use it—and she won’t let me teach her…” Shen Jianjun said, exasperated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the house, he put the items in the fridge; the weather was hot, and if left out, they’d rot by afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s so old—let her be. If she can’t use it, it doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought, if she misses you, she could call you herself,” Shen Jianjun said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan fell silent, then asked, “What about the phone? Is it deactivated?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, your mother keeps paying the bill. She can’t dial, but she can answer. We sometimes call her, but she often forgets to charge it—only when I go over do I charge it for her…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give it to me. I’ll talk to her this afternoon,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, his mother Huang Huijuan walked out of the kitchen carrying a large cup of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lao Shen, drink up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Jianjun took it naturally, then tilted his head back and drank deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Huijuan casually grabbed two tissues from the table and wiped the sweat from his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she wiped, she grumbled, “Look at you—reeking of sweat. Go take a shower and change your clothes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she spoke that way, her face showed not a trace of annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need. I’m about to cook—will sweat again anyway,” Shen Jianjun said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your son’s back—let him cook,” Huang Huijuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weren’t they supposed to make his favorite dishes—green-striped fish with soybeans and chicken? Turns out he’d have to cook himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, lunch was still cooked by his father Shen Jianjun, though Shen Siyuan helped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Huang Huijuan, she sat in the living room, hands clasped, staring blankly at the TV and grinning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both father and son were used to it; they didn’t think anything was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While cooking, Shen Jianjun asked about Shen Siyuan’s job, saying if he wasn’t happy, he could come back and raise chickens with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chickens he raised were Zibei chickens, unique to Qiongzhou—stocky and square-bodied, with short, slender legs, thin skin, brittle bones, and sweet, tender, juicy meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Zibei chicken ranked first among Qiongzhou’s four famous dishes, selling extremely well—no worry about finding buyers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Shen Siyuan wasn’t keen; raising chickens was hard work, and dreadfully dull. Though his current job paid little, it was easy and free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Shen Siyuan didn’t refuse outright—he said he’d think about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Jianjun had only mentioned it casually; he didn’t insist. He was still young, in good health—he didn’t need Shen Siyuan to come back and help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, what new match did Mom set me up with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did your mom tell you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I guessed. Why else would she push me to come back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Shen Jianjun chuckled—rarely did he smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s your seventh aunt’s doing—a girl from Shiqiao Village next door. She also works in Binhai…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan listened to him ramble, then cut in: “Is she pretty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What good is pretty? You need someone with good character who knows how to manage a household,” Shen Jianjun grumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why did you marry Mom?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Huijuan’s character was certainly fine. As for managing a household… well…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because she was pretty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you two talking about so happily? Let me in on it too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We said you’re pretty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now all three laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lunch, Shen Siyuan didn’t delay—he hopped on Shen Jianjun’s motorcycle and headed for Yujiacun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father could afford a car, but he preferred riding a motorcycle—Shen Siyuan just couldn’t understand his thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he really think riding a motorcycle made him look cool?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That might actually be it. Though Shen Jianjun now had a round face and a potbelly, in his youth he’d been a handsome lad from miles around—after all, his mother had good genes; otherwise, Shen Siyuan’s grandfather, a sent-down urban youth from Shanghai, wouldn’t have married her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of his grandmother, his heart grew eager. The motorcycle sped through sun-dappled tree-lined paths, the breeze brushing his face, heading toward Yujiacun—unconsciously, his speed increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, it was midday, so the road was nearly empty. As long as he watched out for the occasional chicken or dog darting out, it was perfectly safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, the distance from Linjiapo to Yujiacun wasn’t far—half an hour by motorcycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the road was winding: tree-lined lanes, riverbanks, low rice field ridges—anyone unfamiliar could get lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan’s grandmother lived at the northernmost end of the village. After entering, turn right and ride four or five minutes—right to her front door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her old red-brick tile house had been too dilapidated, so years ago his father built her three flat-roofed rooms, paved the front yard with cement, and beyond that stretched endless rice paddies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of living conditions, it was even better than where Shen Siyuan lived now. Right now, the cement yard was covered with dried radishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the motorcycle, his grandmother stepped out of the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face was deeply wrinkled, her body thin, dressed in gray cloth, a blue headscarf tied on her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because her eyesight was poor, she always squinted when looking at people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the motorcycle, she immediately said, “Is it Jianjun back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grandma, it’s me—Si Yuan.” Shen Siyuan turned off the motorcycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, his grandmother hurried forward, her wrinkled face breaking into a radiant smile.\u003C\u002Fp>",1178,"2026-06-20T03:53:08.657Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e7dbd5edf5a2c8bb635b365bac9ddf67dae352e1e20c58ec1b309e935dbae1f6","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-29","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-27",623,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-cover.jpg"]