Chapter 65

Wei Ming didn't like to travel in the dark; after all, he was Wei Jiefang's son, and his personality followed his roots.

But there was no other way; it was already dark when he returned, so he could only travel at night, but he had turned on the headlights.

As a result, the first person he met upon entering the village was his old man, but this wasn't strange; after all, to return to the village from the county town, one had to walk through the south end of the village, and his house was right on the edge of the village at the south end.

However, he didn't expect the first sentence Lao Lao Lao Wei said upon seeing him to be: "Quick, turn off the lights!"

"What's the matter, Dad, have you learned to hide your light under a bushel?" Was this still the Lao Lao Lao Wei he knew, so low-key?

Wei Ming turned off the lights, his long legs supporting him on the ground, steady as could be.

Lao Lao Lao Wei first asked the key question: "Is that 'Duck First' thing written by you?"

"Yes, you know about this?" Wei Ming was surprised.

Lao Lao Lao Wei asked again: "Did you get into trouble because of this novel?"

"No, oh, there were some controversies, but now there's no controversy anymore."

"Ah, the matter is settled?"

Wei Ming probably guessed the reason, so he nodded: "Hmm, settled."

Lao Lao Lao Wei's somewhat hunched body suddenly straightened up, and the expression on his face became rich and colorful, as if he had already prepared for battle.

Wei Ming asked: "Can I turn on the lights now?"

"Wait a moment," Lao Lao Lao Wei asked again: "Where did you get this motorcycle?"

"Sigh, don't mention it!"

Wei Ming said: "The train arrived in Hengzhou an hour late, and the bus back to Pingan County had already left. Fortunately, I intercepted a tractor carrying fertilizer from Pingan to Hengzhou halfway, and that's how I got back to the county town. It was already dark at the time, so I thought about going to Liu Rulong's house to borrow a bicycle from his grandfather to come back. I didn't expect the elder to have bought a new motorcycle, so I just rode this back."

"Hey, is this Old Man Yang so capable? A motorcycle must cost a lot of money!" Wei Jiefang exclaimed.

After all, their brigade didn't have a motorcycle, and the whole commune only had one or two, and they were domestic brands. But what Wei Ming was straddling was a Suzuki, a proper import!

Wei Ming smiled: "The elder also saved up his royalties for more than a year before he gritted his teeth and bought it."

These days, drawing comics was too profitable. Famous masters like Yang Songqiao could make ten yuan a page, and sometimes there was room for a price increase.

"No, he can buy a motorcycle with one year's royalties?!" Wei Jiefang was even more shocked, and then his gaze shifted from the motorcycle to his son, his eyes somewhat fervent, "Then you?"

Wei Ming said in surprise: "Ah, you want a motorcycle too? If I had known, I wouldn't have bought you a radio. Saving the money would have been enough to buy a wheel."

"What, you bought me a radio! Where is it, where is it?" Only then did Wei Jiefang notice that Wei Ming had a large bag tied behind him.

Wei Ming: "Look when we get back, there are too many things."

"What kind of things?"

"All brought for you, delicious food and fun things." Saying this, Wei Ming was about to push the bike into the courtyard.

Then he was stopped by Lao Lao Lao Wei. How could he let only his own family see such a big bag of things!

"Don't go home yet, and don't turn on the lights," Lao Lao Lao Wei started to plan, "Like this, you sneak around to the north end of the village, and then enter the village from there."

This way, he could cross the entire Gouzi Village and pass by the brigade office and Zhao Chunlai's house.

Wei Ming couldn't laugh or cry: "Dad, I'm returning from the county town, how could I enter the village from the north end? This isn't reasonable."

"In Heng River, this is very reasonable!" Wei Jiefang explained to him, "You say you've returned home in glory, you have to go to the grave to see your grandfather, your grandmother, and your second grandmother."

Returning in glory? I've only been out for a month!

However, in order to make Lao Lao Lao Wei, who had been suppressed for a long time, happy, Wei Ming turned around and rode the bike out of the village, intending to take a detour to the graves at the north end of the village. In the middle of the night, Lao Lao Lao Wei wasn't even afraid of his son being scared.

Once Wei Ming left, Wei Jiefang hurriedly pushed the door and went in, hearing his wife say: "Sit down and eat quickly. Who was that outside just now?"

Wei Jiefang said excitedly: "Our son is back!"

"Ah!" Xu Shufen and Wei Hong both cried out.

Wei Jiefang said proudly: "And he's returned home in glory!"

The two hurriedly wanted to go out, but were stopped by Wei Jiefang.

"He has to wait a while before he can come back."

"Why?"

Wei Jiefang: "He said he has words for his grandfather."

Wei Hong grabbed a flashlight and left: "My brother must have brought luggage, I'll go pick him up!"

Xu Shufen looked at the food on the table. Although it was the Mid-Autumn Festival and there were mooncakes on the plate, it was still too simple and too shabby.

But the family couldn't come up with anything better. Although Wei Ming had given them twenty yuan, Lao Lao Lao Wei had also taken out twenty, and in the countryside at this time, you couldn't buy grain and meat just because you had money.

Fortunately, the family raised a few chickens. Originally, the eggs were to be taken to the market to sell for money, but Xu Shufen decisively took out the eggs she had saved for a few days, preparing to add a dish for her son.

If it hadn't been too late, the dish added wouldn't have been eggs, but chicken.

Wei Ming had already reached the north end of the village. Looking at the graveyard in front of him, he hesitated for a moment, took out the desk lamp he had bought for Xiao Hong, got off the bike, and walked over. The bike wasn't turned off either. Looking from afar, it seemed like the grave was emitting green smoke, and that desk lamp looked like a cluster of nether ghost fire.

Soon, Wei Ming found the graves of the Wei family.

Great-grandfather Wei Jiang had three children, two sons and one daughter. Grandfather Wei Senhao was the youngest, born in 1920, and the tombstone said he died in 1953.

Wei Ming stood in front of his grandfather Wei Senhao's grave, his heart filled with complex thoughts. What kind of person were you? Will we have a chance to meet again?

After a while, Wei Ming bowed three times and left.

Although it was late, and the village didn't have electricity, the moon was high, big, round, and bright.

After entering the village, many villagers were still using the moonlight to do simple work like stacking straw, or squatting at the door with a bowl, chatting with neighbors while eating.

And the appearance of Wei Ming, riding a motorcycle as if he were a visitor from another world, made everyone stop what they were doing.

"Wei Ming?"

I don't know who shouted the first voice, and it carried uncertainty.

!

"Eh, Auntie, you're busy." Wei Ming slowed down, and then he was surrounded, his ears filled with chattering sounds.

"Good fellow, how come you're even riding a motorcycle!"

"This motorcycle looks much better than the commune's!"

"Is this motorcycle yours?"

Wei Ming: "Not mine, borrowed."

Hearing it was borrowed, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

"I heard you were arrested?" someone else asked inappropriately.

Wei Ming responded with a smile: "Whoever you heard that from, let them come and arrest me. Let's see if they dare."

"You're really okay?"

"What could be wrong with me?" Wei Ming asked back, while extending his left hand to check the time, "Oh my, it's not early. My parents are waiting for me to go home for dinner."

Under the night, that watch shone brightly in the eyes of the villagers.

After riding for another stretch, followed by a few children, Wei Ming arrived at the brigade office, where there were even more people.

"Uncle Chaoyang," "Auntie Guihua," "Brother Song"...

Wei Ming greeted the people he knew until he saw Qi Kexiu.

"Yo, Uncle, you're here too."

"Xiao Ming," looking at Wei Ming riding the motorcycle, Qi Kexiu stood up with a start. He was still struggling with that question and asked as soon as he opened his mouth, "Is that 'The Spring River Water Warms the Duck First' really written by you?"

"Yes." Wei Ming admitted generously.

"Ah, you're a Northerner, how do you know so much about things in Shanghai?" Hearing the person involved admit it, Qi Kexiu still couldn't quite believe it.

Wei Ming smiled: "Because I went to Shanghai a while ago."

"What, you went to Shanghai? You actually went to Shanghai!"

Not only was Qi Kexiu shocked, but Accountant Jia next to him, as well as Zhao Chunlai's wife, younger brother's wife, and others were all shocked.

That was a big city on par with Yanjing! Some people in the village had been to Yanjing, but Shanghai was too far; not a single one had been there. They only heard it was even more prosperous than Yanjing, and everyone was very stylish.

Qi Kexiu wanted to ask more, but Wei Hong came over, shaking her flashlight.

"Brother, Brother!" Wei Hong's voice was full of surprise.

She only knew her big brother had returned, but she didn't expect him to return riding a motorcycle.

"Xiao Hong," Wei Ming showed a heartfelt smile this time, "Get on the bike, I'll take you back."

He got off the bike, adjusted the luggage bag, and let Wei Hong sit in the back seat, holding it.

"Brother, what is this? It's square." Wei Hong asked loudly.

"A radio I bought for Dad, or maybe a wine box. Sit tight." Wei Ming revved the engine and rode off in a cloud of dust.

Among this group of people, in the end, only Qi Kexiu and Accountant Jia followed quickly, wanting to go to Wei Jiefang's house to take a look.

And when Wei Ming and Wei Hong approached home, they suddenly heard someone banging and someone shouting: "Fire, fire!"

That direction seemed to be their house!

Wei Ming thought to himself: Lao Lao Lao Wei, is it worth it? To attract the villagers, you set your own house on fire?

(End of chapter)