Chapter 2: Returning to the Hometown to Visit Grandpa and Grandma Zhou Yimin rode his bicycle out and came to a shop selling steamed buns. The bicycle was also left by his cheap father, so it is really impossible to blame Lao Zhou for anything. In Zhou Yimin's case, he doesn't have to worry even if he has to lie down! Zhou Yimin ordered ten buns and a bowl of soy milk. You definitely can’t finish the buns, as they are quite filling at this time. But it doesn’t matter, if you can’t finish them, just put them in your backpack at the store, and they will retain their heat. After eating, he started walking out of the city, wondering what to bring back to his grandparents' house. Zhou Yimin rejected the original owner's plan to bring his grandparents to the city, saying that it would be safer in the countryside when the wind blows in the future. In addition, the countryside is also a way out for Zhou Yimin. In fact, the reason why the original owner wanted to bring the two old people to the city was that he didn't want them to eat coarse food in the countryside. He would often go to the countryside to deliver supplies to the elderly, which was also how he achieved the original owner's goal. Besides, the elderly are used to living in the countryside and may not be happy if they move to the city.
Take ten kilograms of the flour and eggs that I bought in seconds today! Zhou Yimin wanted to get some meat. When I looked in the store, I saw pork, beef, and mutton. The fatty meat was cheap, only 2 cents per pound, while the pork belly was more expensive, at 8 cents per pound. Zhou Yimin cannot eat fatty meat and feels nauseous instinctively. However, people nowadays like fatty meat and are not happy even if they get lean meat because fatty meat is oily. After thinking about it, he spent one dollar and bought five pounds of fat meat, intending to take it to his grandparents to make oil, and then buy another five pounds of pork belly. Following his memory, Zhou Yimin pedaled for more than two hours and finally arrived at Zhoujiazhuang. Along the way, he saw too many people in distress and dared not look at them for fear of being soft-hearted. The whole country is in a similar situation right now, and he can't do anything to save too many people. At present, he just wants to live his life well and take care of those around him who deserve his help. When he was about to enter the village, he took out the things he had prepared and placed them in the shopping basket on his bicycle. "Yimin, are you back to see your great uncle and great uncle again?" Suddenly, a voice came from not far away. Zhou Yimin turned around and saw several young men about his age moving stones. He also knew the person who spoke, a son of his cousin, whose full name was Zhou Dafu and nickname was Wangcai. Although he was about the same age as him, the guy had to call him uncle. "Wangcai, how do you call people? Do you want me to ask my cousin?" Zhou Yimin was not angry, he was just teasing her. Chow Tai Fook was very depressed, feeling that he had become a generation shorter for no reason. But he still called him uncle obediently. "You're not yelling for nothing, come here!" Zhou Yimin waved his hand and took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes. Many people don’t know that Daqianmen cigarettes were originally a product of the British American Tobacco Company. It was not until 1952 that they were nationalized through a transfer and assignment agreement. Daqianmen cigarettes are considered to be relatively good cigarettes nowadays, and a pack costs 35 cents. "Qinjian" brand cigarettes cost only eight cents a pack, "Dajianshe" cost 24 cents a pack, and "Yingchun" cost 28 cents a pack. Of course, "Zhonghua" is the most expensive.
When Wangcai saw the cigarettes, he was no longer depressed and came over happily. "uncle!" The word "uncle" was called naturally and willingly. Seeing that there were not many sticks left in the box, Zhou Yimin simply gave them all to the other party, which made Wangcai so happy that he didn't know what to do. As Zhou Yimin continued to walk towards the village, others gathered around him and said, "Wangcai, give me one." Wangcai rolled his eyes: "What are you thinking? It's good enough that I gave you two puffs." You still want one? Why don’t you go to heaven? This is Daqianmen! In the eyes of the rural people, it is a cadre cigarette that ordinary people cannot afford. You know, the branch secretary only smokes "Qinjian" and "Jingji". Wangcai lit one and everyone took turns to take two puffs. He carefully put away the rest so that he could use it to show off later. The situation in the countryside was far worse than Zhou Yimin had imagined, and he encountered several children chewing grass roots, looking pale and skinny from hunger. Zhou Yimin couldn't bear it, so he called them over. At the same time, he bought a few pounds of peanuts at the store. He couldn't give people raw eggs, could he? The remaining buns were not enough to share. "Know who I am not?" The children in front of me looked like little beggars, dressed in rags and severely malnourished. One of the little girls had a timid look in her eyes. A brave little guy raised his hand: "I know, you are Grandpa Sixteen." Zhou Yimin looked over and saw that the little guy was still having a runny nose. He took a deep breath, then swallowed it with a gulp. Oh my god! Zhou Yimin felt like his scalp was about to explode. He is the sixteenth in the clan, and the one who can call him Sixteenth Grandpa must be the grandson of a cousin. "Okay, line up and don't mess around." The little ones were very smart. They knew Zhou Yimin was going to distribute things to them, so they all lined up obediently, their faces filled with joy and anticipation. In the distance, there were adults watching. "It's Yimin who's back." "Yimin is still better! We can eat commercial grain in the city." "Yimin is also of marriageable age. My mother's family has a nice niece who is very pretty." "Come on! We don't even know what you are planning. Yimin is definitely going to find a girl from the city." …… Zhou Yimin didn't know yet that the village women had already started to set their sights on him and wanted to introduce him to someone. After the kids lined up, he took out a cloth bag filled with peanuts from the shopping basket. Zhou Yimin reached in and grabbed a handful. "Hold it with your clothes."
It was such a big handful that the little ones couldn’t even hold it in their two hands. "Thank you, Grandpa Sixteen!" The little guy quickly opened his clothes and put them on. "It's my turn, it's my turn, thank you Grandpa Sixteen!" …… After distributing them to the children, there was still a lot left. Zhou Yimin put it back into the shopping basket and took it back for his grandfather to fry and drink with. The little ones who got the peanuts ran to their parents one by one and told their parents and other family members that these were given to them by Grandpa Sixteen. This made the other children in the village who didn't get peanuts extremely envious and regretful for not meeting Grandpa Sixteen. Although there was only a handful of peanuts, it was a rare food for them who ate wild vegetables every day. When Zhou Yimin returned to his grandparents' home, he saw his grandfather working with a farm tool under the jujube tree in the yard. His grandmother did not seem to be at home. "Grandpa, I'm back." Zhou Yimin shouted. The old man turned his head sharply and looked towards the door. When he saw that it was his eldest grandson, the wrinkles on his face immediately relaxed. "It's Yimin! Come into the house quickly. Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? I'll call your grandma back to cook you something." The old man dropped the farm tools in his hands. Zhou Yimin waved his hands quickly: "Grandpa, I've eaten! Look what I brought back for you. From now on, you and my grandma will eat what you should eat and drink what you should drink. I can support you now!" The words "I can support you now" almost made the old man cry. "Good, good, good! Our Yimin has made great progress." (End of this chapter)