The next day at dawn, along Shun Feng Street, above Da Feng Ge Fruit Co., Zhao Yu’s severe coughing sound could be heard.
“Cough cough… Cough cough…”
Whenever Zhao Yu started coughing, Daheng would echo him by barking from the balcony.
“Gosh, are you alright?” Miao Ying lay in bed, gently sweeping her long fringe off her forehead, and murmured to herself, “You are coughing every single day. Do you need to go for a checkup? Tsk…Tsk…”
Miao Ying tossed around in the soft bed and heard Zhao Yu’s excited voice from the bathroom again, “Oh yeah!”
“Gosh, what sickness is he suffering from?” When Miao Ying put her hands down, her long fringe covered her whole face.
“Woof woof…” Maybe Daheng sensed something, as it started barking again.
“Come on dear, let’s go!” Zhao Yu ran back into the house, barefoot with excitement, and tugged at Miao Ying’s arm. “Let’s go back to my hometown and have fun!”
“Woof woof…”
“Stop barking!” Zhao Yu shouted over to the balcony, “Rest assured, Daheng. I will surely take you along! Have you forgotten that my mother said that she can whip up a tasty dog meat meal?”
“Sob…” Daheng seemed to be able to understand what Zhao Yu just said, and suddenly whined like a little puppy.
“What is the hurry?” Miao Ying tossed in bed. “The day has just started. Since you are on leave, you should rest more…”
“Come on, let’s go! This is an important day! I am bringing you to meet my parents and relatives!” Zhao Yu urged.
“Are you sure that this is purely to meet your parents and relatives? Are you taking me as a fool? You withdrew one million in cash from the bank yesterday, and kept the money in your bag,” said Miao Ying, still lying on the bed. “And, you insisted that I drive my Land Rover here! Are you planning to go back to your hometown and show off?”
“Um…” Zhao Yu swallowed hard and solemnly said, “This is far from the truth! If I wished to show off, these things would not suffice. It would require my biggest asset, the valiant and drop-dead gorgeous Miss Miao Ying! Once I announce to all that you are my girlfriend… hmm… every man in town will be so jealous of me! Who would have seen such a beauty before?”
“Ha ha, you have a glib tongue…” Miao Ying giggled, still lying in bed.
“Let’s go, my dear! My mind is filled with thoughts of the second uncle and third aunty being stunned at the sight of my appearance. These two people were fond of gossiping about how poor my family was, and how useless I was…” Zhao Yu gently leaned on Miao Ying’s back. Seeing no response from Miao Ying, he stretched out his hand and tickled her armpits.
“Giggles…” Miao Ying felt tickled, laughing nonstop…
…
Vroom…
With the roaring sound of the Land Rover, Zhao Yu put on the pair of Bolon sunglasses that Miao Ying had gifted to him. He stepped on the accelerator and drove in the direction of his hometown.
Woof woof… Daheng barked softly in the back seat of the car. Maybe the thought of Zhao Yu’s mother whipping up a dog meat meal is weighing on its mind.
This day, Zhao Yu put on a brand-new police uniform, with his hair neatly geled and his face clean shaven, sporting a high-spirited and victorious look. Although Miao Ying did not deliberately dress up for the occasion, she was a natural beauty. With simple dressing, she exuded confidence and beauty.
Zhao Yu’s hometown is Luping Town in Qinshan Miyang County, which is about 150 kilometers away from the city. Miyang county is located at the side of Qinshan city, far away from the mountainous area. Although it is located in the plains, its land is barren. Similar to Tongyang County, it is considered as being a poor county in Qinshan city.
Though it is named Luping Town, it is in fact a village in a town. Other than the fact that the main roads do resemble a town, most parts of the place looked more like a village. There were dilapidated village houses, cowsheds, sheep houses, pig stys, dog kennels, and an overall rustic atmosphere everywhere.
In fact, looking at these scenes, Zhao Yu felt it both familiar and foreign. His perception of his hometown came from the stored memory gained through time travel, not from his own experience.
Although he was not estranged from his mother, and had met up with her before, he still felt a little nervous when the car drove into the village. With the anticipation of the surprised look on his relatives’ faces when they saw his beautiful car and girlfriend, Zhao Yu could not help but wish to show off in an ostentatious manner.
“Zhao Yu!” Seeing the arrogance on Zhao Yu’s face, Miao Ying crossed her arms and said, “Why would you dare to bring me to your old hometown? Are you not afraid that I might discriminate against you, because of how poor your family is, and because of your family background?”
“Nah!” Zhao Yu said confidently, “Do I not know you well, Captain Miao? If you are the kind of woman who prefers the rich to the poor, and cares only about appearance, why would I choose you to be my future wife?”
“Ugh! You have a glib tongue!” Miao Ying said, “I surrender!”
“But…” Zhao Yu said, “I have to tell you beforehand… The people in my house are brutally blunt. If they do say things that you do not like to hear, do not take it to heart. You can take it out on me!”
“You have a good sense of loyalty!” Miao Ying laughed. “Honesty is good. I do wish to hear your growing-up stories!”
Zhao Yu was slightly surprised at what Miao Ying said. He paused for two seconds, before he gave her a thumbs-up and said, “You have good taste!”
At this time, the car had reached the central area of the village. Zhao Yu deliberately lowered the car windows, so that everyone could see them clearly from the outside. However, to his surprise, there was no one in the village.
How could that be?
It is ten o’clock in the morning. It cannot be so deserted out here.
Could it be… All went to the market?
Just as Zhao Yu was pondering why, he drove the Land Rover into the center of the city, just around the corner from his house.
Zhao Yu pointed to an empty space surrounded by a bamboo fence, and introduced it to Miao Ying by saying that the land was his family’s homestead. He imagined that, if he was to build a big house on the land, it would surely look magnificent.
As soon as the car made a turn around the homestead, he saw a large group of people gathering right in front.
Gosh!
Zhao Yu grumbled and hurriedly lifted up his Bolon sunglasses to take a better look. It was no wonder he hadn’t seen a single soul while he drove into the village. Everyone in the village was here!
Why?
What is going on?
Zhao Yu soon observed that there were more than ten men, armed with shovels and hoes, standing in the middle of the land, shouting at an old man. The old man looked very familiar!
Oh no!
Zhao Yu stuck his head out of the car to take a closer look. Apparently, the old man, who was besieged by the group of men, was his own father. Standing behind his father were his mother, brother, sister-in-law, second uncle, third aunt, cousin and so on.
“Zhao Yu, is this… a singing opera?” Miao Ying gently pointed to her own lips with her forefinger and curiously asked, “Why is there no one playing the harp? Do people in your village like to sing opera without music?”
“Miss!” Zhao Yu shook his head. “Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen people singing an opera with spades and hoes in their hands? Can you not tell that this is a fight?”
Tsk tsk…
When Zhao Yu was licking his lips, he suddenly recalled the “Zhen Xun” hexagram that was opened today.
“Zhen” represented status, while “Xun” represented family. Initially, he thought that “Zhen” would indicate the aura that he exuded today. However, on second thought, it could be indicating something else.