Chapter 100

The next morning, Cheng Chen's phone was bombarded with texts and calls.

Flooded with New Year greetings, Cheng Chen simply turned off his phone and went back to sleep.

Only after getting up at nine, washing up, did he pick up his phone to call the people he knew to wish them a happy New Year.

As for those who weren't close but had sent him New Year messages, he sent them a uniform reply:

I was afraid the firecrackers on New Year's Eve were too loud for you to hear my wishes…

Then he packed his bags and headed for the airport.

Bored while waiting for the flight, he picked up a newspaper he'd bought on the way.

"Full of Vigor—Shaolin Kung Fu Lives Up to Its Reputation"

"The Biggest Surprise of the Yang Year Spring Festival Gala: Cheng Chen's 'Wan Jiang' Showcases Our Motherland's Splendid Landscapes"

"The Biggest Misstep of This Year's Spring Festival Gala: Was It Because of His Appearance?"

"Has Highlights and Shortcomings—Hope the Spring Festival Gala Directors Acknowledge These Minor Issues"

Every year after the Spring Festival Gala, the media always finds faults to highlight and write extensively about.

The overall quality of the 2003 Spring Festival Gala was decent, but the sheer number of acts and its length made it hard to endure.

If you look hard enough for bones in an egg, you'll find plenty.

As always, you can't please everyone; no one can guarantee their work will be liked by anyone.

After all, no one is RMB.

…

After several transfers, around four in the afternoon, Cheng Chen finally returned to his hometown.

"Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Uncle, Auntie—I'm back."

Cheng Chen walked to the front door, carrying bags and parcels.

Less than half a year had passed since his last visit, yet his changes left everyone barely recognizing him.

He was taller, and more spirited.

Mainly because the whole family had seen him singing on stage with great vigor on TV the night before, they couldn't believe he was their own child.

"You brat, you came back without calling ahead? It's not like before when we didn't have a phone and couldn't get in touch."

"And you bought so much stuff—what doesn't the house have for the New Year? Now that times are better, you can't go on wasting like this."

His mother, Lu Ling, stepped forward to take his bags and scolded him.

Are stars no longer your own child? Even stars get scolded!

Cheng Chen lifted his bags and smiled:

"It's fine—mostly I bought some tonics for Grandma and Grandpa, clothes for you and Auntie, and some tobacco and alcohol for Dad and Uncle. Just small things, not worth much."

"Don't stand outside—my eldest son and grandson will catch cold. Are you hungry? Have you eaten? I'll make dumplings for you."

"Liangzi, Guangzi, what are you two standing there for? Don't you know to help carry Chengzi's things? You're grown men, can't you see what needs doing?"

Grandma, apron tied, hurried out of the house, asking anxiously, then shot a glance at her eldest and youngest sons.

Cheng Mingliang and Cheng Mingguang exchanged helpless looks.

Well, the old lady's eldest son and grandson is back—their status is dropping again.

Cheng Mingliang and Cheng Mingguang quickly took Cheng Chen's bags, and the whole family surrounded him as they walked into the house.

"Oh, by the way."

Cheng Chen remembered the children and villagers gathered at the gate, and quickly handed out the candies he'd prepared in advance.

"Auntie, Happy New Year."

"Auntie, Happy New Year."

"Sister-in-law, Happy New Year—did my cousin Yang come back for the holiday?"

After this exchange, Cheng Chen's bond with the villagers instantly drew closer.

At first, they still felt distant and unfamiliar toward this big star, but hearing Cheng Chen chat with everyone about trivial village matters—

they warmed to him: Chengzi, though now a big star,

was still the same boy who used to run barefoot around the village.

"Son,

you must be exhausted. I tell you, yesterday when you were on TV, your dad called everyone in the village over to watch at our house—he was so thrilled!"

His mother, Lu Ling, held her son's hand and smiled.

Though Lu Ling couldn't even read a single character, she insisted Cheng Chen go to school.

She was tough-tongued but soft-hearted: though she often scolded Cheng Chen, seeing him succeed filled her with boundless joy.

Cheng Chen was her only child; when she gave birth to him, she nearly walked through the gates of death.

And her health had always been poor, so after his birth, the couple discussed it repeatedly and decided not to have another child.

But in the countryside, they believed more people meant more strength; even though one son was better than a house full of daughters, they still faced gossip behind their backs.

For this, Lu Ling had secretly cried countless times.

Now that her son had succeeded, how could she not be happy? She finally lifted her head high with pride.

"Ah, everyone in the village saw it?"

Cheng Chen exclaimed.

No wonder everyone's eyes had seemed strange when he entered the village today.

He'd thought that though he'd become famous outside, village information was relatively isolated—they couldn't have known so fast.

Turns out his dad had gathered the whole village to watch TV, just waiting for his appearance.

"Not just our village—your Uncle One, Uncle Two, Auntie One, Auntie Two, and your Aunties One, Two, and Three all know you were on TV!"

On the second day of the New Year, you return to your mother's home; your aunts will definitely come tomorrow—just ask them and you'll know.

Lu Ling beamed like a mother showing off her son.

Appearing on TV, and on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala—she thought this was even more glorious than her son becoming a township mayor.

"What's there to ask?"

Cheng Chen smiled bitterly.

"Your mom was overjoyed. When she first heard you'd become famous, no one really understood what that meant, so she didn't tell anyone. Only after you appeared on TV, with 'proof,' did she call us."

Aunt Li Lan smiled beside them.

After all, the TV dramas Cheng Chen acted in hadn't aired yet; the only one that had, "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," had only been shown in Wan Sheng.

"My mom is still cautious."

Cheng Chen muttered with a grimace.

But inside, he was thinking about tomorrow, when all his aunts and uncles would come with their families to pay New Year's visits…

Ah, this was a total social death scene!

"Enough talking—let my grandson eat something warm: dumplings, and your favorite guoba mo."

I've already stir-fried the soybean paste for you—hungry, aren't you? Hurry and eat!"

Grandma held a large bowl of dumplings in her left hand and a basket in her right, filled with soybean paste and guoba mo.

Eating guoba mo dipped in soybean paste was the favorite way for people of Nan County to eat.

The fragrant softness of the guoba mo paired with the salty richness of the soybean paste—its flavor was unmatched.

Cheng Chen took the food from Grandma's hands and took a huge bite of the guoba mo dipped in soybean paste.

The first bite brought tears to his eyes:

"This is the taste—no matter how much I eat elsewhere, home's flavor is still the most authentic…"