Chapter 72: 71. He Yong Returns Home (Seeking collections, seeking recommendation votes!)

After about an hour and a half, He Yong drove Zhang Ran and the others to a village; as soon as they reached the entrance of the village, He Yong couldn't help but slow the car down.

Looking at the village that had changed so much, He Yong seemed unable to find his way home for a moment.

Driving slowly like this until they reached the last row, Zhang Ran saw some people gathered by the roadside, among them an old man and an old woman in their seventies, both craning their necks and staring expectantly down the road.

Their tightly clenched hands and anxious, expectant gazes already revealed their identities.

When He Yong saw the two elders, he could no longer hold back; he parked the car, killed the engine, and jumped out to run toward them.

"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry, your son is unfilial!" He Yong fell to his knees with a thud in front of the two elders, his cheeks already soaked with tears.

Seeing He Yong, the old man and old woman were also filled with surprise, feeling both heartache and deep emotion.

"Quick, get up, it's enough that you're back, it's enough that you're back." The old woman wiped away her tears while hurriedly pulling He Yong up; although the old man didn't speak, his eyes were also fixed tightly on He Yong.

By the time He Yong stood up, a burst of firecrackers went off; they had been prepared for He Yong to ward off bad luck.

"Where is Xiao Qing?" The old woman didn't see her granddaughter and was somewhat puzzled.

At this moment, Zhang Ran and He Qing got out of the car, and when they saw Zhang Ran, the old man and old woman were both stunned.

Of course they recognized Zhang Ran; their family had become prosperous back then because of him, and Zhang Ran had visited twice before, so they had a particularly deep impression of him.

Seeing this face that had changed little since those years, along with the smile that always lingered at the corners of his mouth, their memories seemed to return to that time in an instant.

"You... are you Boss Zhang?" the old man asked with some uncertainty.

Zhang Ran smiled and said, "I am Zhang Ran. Uncle, Auntie, long time no see."

"Oh my, it really is Boss Zhang? Quick, quick, come in and sit. I'm sorry, it's a mess, I've let you see a joke." The old woman was somewhat incoherent.

Some of the other people on the side weren't very familiar with him, but some people in their fifties or sixties felt the name sounded familiar and his face somewhat recognizable.

Soon someone remembered, "Isn't this the noble benefactor boss of Dayong from back then? He hasn't changed a bit after all these years?"

"Yes, yes, I remember now too, but didn't I hear he had an accident? What is this?"

"I don't know, but it looks like he isn't doing that well; look, this car isn't worth much money."

"Hey, never mind how he's doing; he was able to come pick up Dayong, that's enough."

"How do you think he maintains himself? How is it that he hasn't changed at all after so many years?"

"Who knows, but isn't it just that city people look younger?"

"Can someone look this young just by looking young?"

"Who is this Boss Zhang? Why haven't I seen him before?" a young man asked curiously.

"Let me tell you, this Boss Zhang was no simple character back then. See that little Western-style house of Dayong's family? It was built by Boss Zhang back in the day. You have to know that was the eighties! To say nothing else, Boss Zhang was really good to Dayong; back then, Dayong was the richest man in our village."

Zhang Ran looked at the little Western-style house built over thirty years ago, somewhat lost in thought; although the outer walls were dilapidated, one could still see some of the style from back then.

"Boss Zhang, I've troubled you this time, please, have a seat." The old woman busied herself tidying up.

Zhang Ran smiled and said, "Auntie, no need for such trouble. You go help Dayong with his things first, I'm fine."

"Boss Zhang, I'm really sorry, I..." the old woman said, feeling embarrassed.

Under Zhang Ran's repeated persuasion, the old woman finally went to get busy; there was still a process to go through, all to help He Yong cast off his bad luck.

He Qing stood to the side, and when some of the older generation saw she was free, they quietly pulled her aside to ask about Zhang Ran.

"Xiao Qing, what's the deal with this Boss Zhang? Didn't we hear he had an accident back then?" In truth, no one really expected He Qing to know anything, it was just curiosity getting the better of them.

"That's right, Xiao Qing, this Boss Zhang was your family's benefactor back then—no, our whole village benefited from Boss Zhang's light. Tell us about it."

Zhang Ran had never treated He Yong poorly back then, and He Yong was a man who valued relationships; once he became wealthy, he didn't forget his hometown, and he had helped the people here quite a bit over those years.

Even after Zhang Ran had his accident, He Yong didn't stop helping when he returned to his hometown, until He Yong himself ran into trouble.

He Qing looked at these uncles and elders; they had helped her family a lot over the years. Otherwise, with her family being old and young, life would have been even more difficult without their help.

"I only heard about it on the road just now. Uncle Zhang was on the Goddess of Destiny back then; you all know about that, right?" He Qing thought for a moment and decided to explain the situation.

In fact, He Qing felt that although everyone had helped her family a little because of He Yong's past, generally speaking, there was still some avoidance, or perhaps a sense of alienation.

Especially as time went on and she grew up, this became more apparent; human favors are used up one by one, and as time passes, there aren't many who still care.

He Qing could see that ever since they recognized Zhang Ran, the attitude of these people had changed.

Once He Qing said this, some people didn't understand, but others figured it out in an instant.

"Oh, so that's how it is. I was wondering, a big figure like Boss Zhang back then, how could he just have an accident like that?"

"Yes, yes, Xiao Qing, looking at Boss Zhang's attitude, your family's good days are coming," some of the older generation said one after another.

"Pfft, Uncle, you're exaggerating a bit, aren't you? I see this Boss Zhang only driving a car worth a little over two hundred thousand; how could he be doing that well?" A young man seemed to be mocking the older generation for their lack of experience.

"You don't know a damn thing. Capable people are capable at any time. Just based on Boss Zhang's ability, will he be doing poorly in the future?" This was the rather simple-minded thinking of the villagers.

In the eyes of many people who have seen the world, success is largely attributed to timing and location, with human factors being secondary.

But in the eyes of the villagers, a capable person is capable wherever they go.

"Gong Wazi, think about it carefully. Boss Zhang was so powerful back then, he must have had some connections. Just based on those connections, I believe Boss Zhang will definitely make a comeback."

Zhang Ran had left a very strong impression on the people of this village back then, letting them know for the first time that someone could be rich to such an extent, so these people seemed to have a blind confidence in Zhang Ran.

It could also be said that Zhang Ran was an idol to these people back then; they used to dream of being like him, which is why they were trying their best to speak up for him now.