Chapter 314: Grown Capable

"Oh my, this girl is so beautiful! Sixth Auntie, you're blessed—your Wang family is blessed."

"How many people are in your family? What does your father do? Not bad, not bad at all—someone who eats from the state's grain ration is never bad."

"Is this your older brother? Oh look, look at this—Qiangzi didn't even introduce him! I'm Qiangzi's second brother—have a cigarette, have a cigarette."

After entering the main house, the Wang family treated the Huang siblings with great courtesy; the women pulled Huang Suwen aside, asking her all sorts of questions, while the men offered Huang Gang cigarettes and water.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

But after more than twenty minutes, a "gurgle" broke the normalcy.

Li Ye heard it clearly—it was Huang Suwen's stomach growling.

So he quickly said, "Sixth Auntie, can you hold off on talking for a bit? Shouldn't we serve food first?"

"."

The room fell silent. Li Ye noticed several faces twisting with an odd, almost ashamed expression.

"You haven't eaten yet? Lao San, how could you be so thoughtless? There were so many restaurants on the way—how could you let this girl go hungry until now?"

Li Ye licked his lips and realized there must have been a reason his sister Li Yue had dragged him here today.

If he hadn't come in, the Huang siblings wouldn't have dared speak up—would they really sit there with empty stomachs all night?

But Li Ye was puzzled: last year, when Wang Qiang left, his mother had made him a brand-new cotton-padded jacket. Back then, Wang Qiang said he'd come to his senses—that as long as he succeeded, he'd be the pillar of the family. So why now…?

Didn't you all eat your fill, sip your wine, and completely forget that the young couple might not have eaten?

Li Ye didn't remember which country's scholar it was, but after visiting Zhonghua, he returned home saying the thing that moved him most about Zhonghua was a simple greeting: "Have you eaten?"

If you said you hadn't, the next thing would always be: "Come, eat with us!"

As that scholar put it—this phrase is profoundly good!

Simple, tolerant, generous, kind—sharing a mouthful of food is a form of respect for life.

This one simple phrase is far greater than any talk of benevolence, righteousness, love, or pity.

But after twenty minutes of relatives chatting, why didn't a single one think to ask, "Have you eaten?"

Thinking of the dog at the gate crunching its bone, Li Ye suddenly understood.

The Wang family had prepared a proper meal, but perhaps Wang Qiang hadn't explained clearly—by nightfall, he still hadn't returned home, so they'd started eating without him.

The hosts had already eaten; who would dare ask now?

Wang Qiang stared blankly at his mother, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Yet everyone saw his eyes turn red.

If Wang Qiang had come home alone today, it wouldn't have mattered much.

After all, in Dongshan in 1983, if you didn't come home to eat on time, who cared? Would you make the whole elder generation wait for a single junior?

But today, Wang Qiang brought Huang Suwen home, had sent a telegram ahead of time—and not only was no meal served, but now they were blaming him?

Even decades later, this kind of thing still happened.

A mother's unconscious complaint could strike right at her child's wound, causing them to burst into tears—yet the mother never understood what had triggered it.

Wang Qiang's father, Wang Daguang, seeing his son's expression, roared at his wife: "What are you still complaining about? Don't you see the child's hungry? Go cook something right now!"

"Oh, oh, I'll get right on it."

Fan Chunhua dared not meet Wang Qiang's gaze and hurried off to prepare dinner.

Huang Suwen immediately stood up, ready to follow: "Auntie, let me help you!"

But before she could take a step, her sleeve was tugged.

She turned and saw Wang Qiang holding her, signaling her to sit back down.

Li Ye, who had been about to step in and smooth things over, quietly retreated.

He felt maybe Wang Qiang could handle this himself.

Wang Qiang's aunts and elder women bustled to light the stove, asking Fan Chunhua where the meat and vegetables were kept.

But Fan Chunhua stammered and hesitated.

Wang Qiang's second brother, Wang Yonggan, was quick—he dragged over the several sacks Wang Qiang had just brought in and began emptying them.

"Mom, no need to go to so much trouble—dumplings on the road, noodles at home—just make us a few bowls of noodles!"

"Noodles? Oh yes, yes, noodles it is—Big Aunt, boil water, I'll knead the dough…"

"No need to knead—my place has dried noodles, I'll go get some."

"Good, good, today we're lucky to have you, Big Aunt."

Fan Chunhua bustled about, completely unaware of the coldness in her son's words.

Noodles were the quickest and easiest meal—ready in less than fifteen minutes.

Li Ye and Li Yue didn't sit at the table, saying they weren't hungry, so only three bowls were brought out.

Wang Qiang picked up his chopsticks and began eating, gulping down mouthfuls fast and furiously.

Huang Suwen nudged him and whispered, "Slow down, it's hot."

But Wang Qiang still finished every last bite with a loud slurping.

Then, before Huang Suwen and Huang Gang had finished, he stood up and said to Li Yue, "Little Yue, when Huang Dage and his sister are done, could you please take them to the county guesthouse?"

Li Yue looked at Wang Qiang and nodded in agreement.

She suddenly felt he was different from before.

Half an hour ago, Wang Qiang had still seemed a bit simple-minded—but now, what Li Yue saw was unmistakably the same quiet dignity she'd sensed in Jin Peng and Li Ye.

Li Ye suddenly felt intense pressure.

After going to Beijing, Li Yue had seen Jin Peng transform; now it seemed Wang Qiang had grown too.

Wang Qiang gave Huang Suwen a few more instructions, and she obediently nodded.

Then he turned to his mother and said, "Mom, I've got something to discuss with the Private Secretary. Come with me."

Fan Chunhua frowned. "Why should I go? You're going to talk to Master Zhongfa—what do I have to do with it? And it's so late—won't you be bothering him by showing up now?"

Wang Qiang shook his head. "We talk today. My brother's coming home anyway—Master Zhongfa won't be asleep."

Fan Chunhua opened her mouth to protest, but Wang Qiang had already stepped outside to fetch his bicycle.

Fan Chunhua, who had dominated her household for half a lifetime, suddenly felt uneasy.

Because she sensed she was losing control of her youngest son.

In Dongshan's rural tradition, either the eldest or the youngest son typically cared for aging parents. Originally, Fan Chunhua had planned for the eldest to do it—but over the past two years, she'd decided on the youngest.

Why? Because the youngest earned more money!

When the big river is full, the small rivers fill too—if the son has money, how could he ever neglect his own parents?

But what if she couldn't control him…

Fan Chunhua suddenly shivered and turned to her second son. "Lao Er, come with me."

Wang Yonggan said, "What do I need to do? Lao San's going to talk to Master Zhongfa—why should I go?"

"Stop talking nonsense—go push the bike! Or are you going to make Xiao Ye take me?"

"Alright, alright—I don't even know what's gotten into you today, being bossed around by Lao San like this."

"I—"

Fan Chunhua froze, finally realizing: just now, the way Wang Qiang spoke to her… it was just like Wang's Second Elder.

Wang's Second Elder was Wang Qiang's paternal uncle—the family's "face."

Whenever the Wang family had major matters, they naturally turned to the Second Elder for advice; weddings, funerals, all ceremonies were handled by him. Though not absolute, he held immense influence within the entire Wang clan.

And just now, Wang Qiang had acted exactly like the Second Elder.

【Impossible—I've watched Lao San grow up since he was a baby. How could he possibly have become so capable?】

Fan Chunhua thought she'd misread things.

But beside her, Li Ye had seen it clearly.

Wang Qiang really had grown capable.

If two years ago, when Wang Qiang first started selling candy floss, he'd been a complete fool, then after arriving in Beijing, he'd become a classic "slow bird."

He'd taken to learning from Li Ye, taken to reading, and even, since managing the warehouse, had taught himself accounting.

Two years of relentless day-and-night study—honestly, it was nearly equivalent to finishing a secondary vocational school.

And on top of that, he'd spent every day around Jin Peng, Ma Qianshan, and others with sharp insight—how could he not have grown capable?

(End of Chapter)