"Daddy, sleepyhead, time to get up!"
"Grandpa said we need to go back to the old home early today."
Chen Yang was in a deep sleep when suddenly a small hand tugged at his ear, followed by the childish voice of his little daughter.
Annoyed at who was disturbing his sweet dream, he opened his eyes and saw his beloved daughter.
Ah, all his anger vanished.
He picked up the little girl, planted a kiss on her rosy cheek as a gentle punishment.
"Stinky daddy, hurry up and brush your teeth."
"Smelly."
Unexpectedly, this made the little girl quickly wipe her small face with her hand, a look of disgust on her face.
Chen Yang watched his daughter wiping her face, and his old father's heart felt a little bruised. It wasn't good for a child to be too clean.
There was no other way, Chen Yang had to scramble out of bed to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Sometimes, a man's cleanliness is forced out by his daughter.
Most men can be quite messy. They smoke, drink, have yellow teeth, and wake up in the morning with a stinking mouth.
To avoid his daughter's disgust, he would often get up early to brush his teeth and wash his face. Only after cleaning himself up could he hold his child.
By the time Chen Yang finished brushing his teeth and washing his face, he realized that everyone else in the family had almost finished packing their luggage.
"Your dad took your brother-in-law to pick up your uncle and Xiao Yue. You hurry up and eat, and then get ready to go to the station to catch the bus."
It would take two to three hours by bus from Jinling to Pengcheng, and then they still had to go to the countryside.
If they could hitch a ride on the team's donkey cart or ox cart, that would be good. But if they had to walk themselves, it would be a long way, and it was uncertain whether they would reach home before dark.
Chen Yang scooped up some porridge from the pot and, while his father was still out picking people up, quickly washed the pots and pans.
Shen Xue had already packed the luggage, so he didn't need to worry about it.
Initially, the plan was for the whole family to go back and visit relatives. But going back to the old home was a tough journey, which would be quite tiring for Shen Xue and his elder sister.
Besides, with so many people going, food and lodging would be a problem. His uncle and two aunts didn't live in the same village, so it wouldn't be convenient to arrange accommodation.
Therefore, when Chen Yang returned yesterday, they discussed it and decided that Chen Yang, his father, and his uncle Chen Yue would go. His elder sister and Shen Xue would not accompany them.
Chen Liming regretted it for a long time. It was a great opportunity to show off his grandchildren to his brothers and sisters.
Chen Yang could only promise that by this time next year, after Shen Xue had given birth, if conditions allowed, they would bring everyone along to visit the old home.
Not long after, Chen Liming and Li Zhengpeng arrived by bicycle, giving Chen Liqi and Chen Yue a ride. When they heard that the two little ones couldn't go, their uncle felt very regretful.
He wanted to hold these two cute babies more. At his age, he liked children.
However, seeing the situation with Shen Xue and Chen Juan, he didn't dare to force it. There would be a chance next year.
Around nine o'clock, they boarded the bus to Pengcheng. Along the way, Chen Yang looked out the window at the scenery and listened to his uncle and father recount their youthful days.
After all, Chen Yang's family was from a pure farming background. Chen Yang's great-grandfather was a long-term laborer for a landlord, and Chen Yang's grandfather was once one too.
Later, after liberation, they finally got their own land. He married Chen Yang's grandmother, who used to be a maid in the landlord's house, and they had so many children.
Chen Yang's uncle joined the army with the southward-bound troops at the age of sixteen, and later went north and joined the Volunteer Army. Because of him, Chen Yang's family changed.
It was also because of his uncle's help that they received a lot of subsidies, which gave Chen Yang's father the opportunity to study, become an apprentice machinist, and finally join the Jinling Aviation Manufacturing Plant, where he met Chen Yang's mother. Sudan Novel Network.
It was while listening to his father and uncle recount the past that Chen Yang understood why his father respected his uncle so much.
Without his uncle's efforts and help, his father might not have been able to escape his humble origins in that muddy village, let alone have the life he had now.
Of course, this was relative to Chen Yang's uncle and two aunts. In fact, even they, living in the countryside, were doing better than most rural areas in the country.
As the hometown of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Pengcheng had a deep historical and cultural heritage and had always been a land of abundance.
Natural disasters and man-made calamities rarely occurred in this region, so as long as everyone planted grain according to the plan, they wouldn't starve. This was already very good compared to other places where people starved to death.
Not to mention that Chen Yang's uncle was now a cadre of the production team, so his family's conditions were somewhat better than ordinary families.
Upon arriving in Pengcheng, they got off the bus and transferred to another bus to Peixian, which took more than an hour. By the time they reached Peixian, it was already past noon.
Fortunately, Chen Yang and the others were prepared. They took out the cold steamed buns prepared by Qin Lifen. Chewing on the dry bread was considered lunch.
Around three o'clock in the afternoon, they boarded a tractor from a nearby production team. Because Jiangsu Province had many plains, many communes had tractor stations.
They happened to meet people from the village near their old home who were coming to the city to haul fertilizer. Chen Yang and the others hitched a ride on the tractor and arrived at Lao Chengou Village before dark.
When Chen Yang and the other three arrived at their uncle's house, their uncle was overjoyed.
At first, he only knew that his elder brother and second brother would come back for a visit, but he didn't know when they would arrive.
"Elder brother, second brother, you didn't even tell me you were coming. I would have taken the team's ox cart to pick you up."
Chen Song looked at his two brothers carrying gifts back home, and his heart was warmed.
No matter when they came back, their elder and second brothers always remembered to bring something back for the elders and children in the family.
Chen Song knew that his two brothers wanted to help support the family. After all, in the countryside, no matter how hard they worked, the work points they earned in a year might not be enough for their monthly salary.
However, their intentions were far more valuable than the gifts, showing that they had never forgotten their younger brother.
"We didn't know when we were coming back, so how could we tell you in advance?"
"We hitched a ride on Liu Fangniu's tractor. That guy, 'putt-putt-putt,' it almost shook all my bones apart. But thankfully, we didn't have to walk, and we got home before dark."
"It's still good here at home. Look, the characters carved on the wall are from when we were studying as children. How familiar."
His uncle looked at the old house, clearly having deep feelings for it. Chen Yang's father felt the same way.
"Yes, our parents were illiterate and worked themselves to death, but they insisted that we study and learn to read. That guy, the bamboo cane hitting our butts was so painful, I still remember it now."
Chen Song's words made the three brothers burst into laughter.