Chapter 20: Representatives from Xu Corporation Have Arrived

“I really don’t get it. Last time I came back, I don’t remember there being a pit here.”

After struggling for a while and realizing it was futile, I decided to head into the village to find someone to help.

Staggering along, I reached the village entrance and looked around for any houses with lights still on.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

“Who is it? Why are you banging on the door so late instead of sleeping?!”

“San Niang, it’s me, Dabao!”

I heard someone come out of the house, followed by the sound of the door latch being undone.

San Niang poked her head out and gave me a quick once-over.

“Oh, it really is Dabao! Why are you just getting here at this hour?”

I scratched my head sheepishly. “San Niang, are my third uncle and second brother home? My car got stuck in a mud pit, and I can’t get it out.”

“I was hoping to find a few people to help lift it out. Don’t worry, you won’t be giving your effort for nothing!”

I took out two hundred yuan in cash from my inner jacket pocket and handed it to San Niang.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the red bills, but she still had to be polite.

“We’re family. Helping out is nothing. How could I take your money?”

Though she said that, if I hadn’t offered it, I’d probably be nagged about it behind my back for years.

I pressed the money into her hand. “Just a little token. If you don’t want to take it, tell my third uncle and second brother to use it to buy a couple of packs of cigarettes.”

“All right, all right. Your third uncle and second brother haven’t gone to bed yet. I’ll call them.”

San Niang smiled broadly, slipped the money into her pocket, and turned to go inside.

“You two, stop sitting around watching TV! Go outside quickly and call some people to help Dabao!”

Soon enough, I saw my third uncle, Jiang Fukuan, and his son Jiang Liang putting on their vests as they headed out.

My father is the fourth among his siblings, with three older brothers. Though they still live in the village, they had long ago split households.

I have three older male cousins, all gentle and frugal. Like my father, I’m also the fourth.

When I was a kid, the villagers were funny—they called my dad “Old Jiang Four” and me “Little Jiang Four.”

“Dabao, why did you come back just after the rain? The roads must be rough.”

“Well, I finally had some time. It’s been quite a while since I last came back.”

“Didn’t your third uncle say you should bring your mother to Tianhai to enjoy life this time?”

Hearing that, I lowered my head in shame, unsure how to reply.

“That old man, why bring that up? Tianhai is far away. Dabao can barely take care of himself first.”

“But Old Four’s wife…”

My third uncle was about to continue, but San Niang’s sharp look cut him off.

“Looks like it’s going to rain again. Let’s hurry and get Dabao’s car out first!”

My third uncle and second brother gathered a few strong young men, and only then was the car lifted free.

I took a pack of cigarettes from the car and handed them out.

“They’re not great cigarettes, but brothers, take them.”

The eldest man accepted the cigarettes and politely replied,

“No need for thanks; we’re all from the same village!”

Just as I was about to get in the car and leave, I overheard some young gossipers.

“I heard Little Jiang Four got himself a rich woman in Tianhai, but why is he still buying such cheap cigarettes?”

“Maybe he bought them just to throw at us, treating us like beggars!”

Some were even fussing over which ones to take. This pack was actually good cigarettes I had forgotten in the car after using them to smooth some relations.

If I had anything better, I wouldn’t have given these away so easily!

A bunch of ungrateful brats!

But since I can’t bring my mother back for now, I can’t afford to offend these local ruffians. Otherwise, I would have dealt with them long ago.

Why put up with this nonsense?

I parked the car in front of my house and knocked on the door knocker.

“Cough, cough, who is it?”

“Mom, it’s me, Dabao. Your son is back!”

The voices in the yard abruptly stopped, followed by the clatter of people tidying up.

I wasn’t sure what my mother was doing, but she didn’t come to open the door for a while.

“Mom?”

The gate finally opened, and my mother appeared, her face full of loving surprise.

“Come in quickly. You brat, why didn’t you tell your mother you were coming back?”

She straightened her cardigan, knit from wool.

The mountain nights in July aren’t hot, but not cold enough to warrant such thick clothing.

“Mom, it’s summer. Why are you wearing something so warm?”

She glanced down at herself. “Ah, it was chilly early this morning, so I just threw it on when I went outside.”

Carrying my things inside, my mother turned on the light and was about to pour me some hot water.

“Why bring so much stuff home? Things are expensive in Tianhai. You’ve got to save.”

“Drink the hot water and go to sleep. Your room is cleaned by your mother every day and is very tidy.”

Listening to her chatter on, watching her busy figure slightly stooped with age, I suddenly realized my mother had already become a little old lady.

“Mom, you should go to bed soon too. We can talk about anything tomorrow morning.”

Lying on the small bed in the room, cramped and creaking whenever I moved,

For some reason, it felt more relaxing than the big bed at Bijiang Mansion.

Outside, the gentle rain began again, and soon I drifted off to sleep.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

I was woken by coughing, coming from my mother’s room. Sitting up to listen more carefully, the coughing stopped.

A while later, the suppressed cough returned, reaching my ears again.

She was supposed to have just a mild cold—how could she be coughing so badly?

An inexplicable anxiety gripped me. My mother must be hiding something from me, just as I have from her.

The next morning, I squatted by the outdoor faucet to wash my face and brush my teeth, when I saw my mother come out.

After coughing all night, her complexion looked poor.

“Mom, this time you’re coming with me. I’ll take you to Tianhai City Hospital for a check-up.”

“No, I’m fine now. Why spend the money?”

“You have to go. Your father’s illness was discovered too late, or he wouldn’t have left us so soon…”

Mentioning my father made my mother’s eyes redden instantly, and she quietly wiped them.

“That was just bad luck for your father. I’m luckier—I’m still waiting to hold my grandchild.”

“Mom, I, I and Xu Zhixia…”

I was about to confess to my mother about my divorce from Xu Zhixia when I heard Jiang Liang shouting outside.

“Dabao, come out quickly! Something big is happening in the village!”

What?

I dressed and stepped outside. Jiang Liang grabbed my arm, pulling me quickly toward the mountain behind the village.

“What’s going on, second brother? What big thing?”

“I heard some people from above and from the Xu Corporation came. They want to seize our land and even have the village relocate the ancestral graves!”

“Xu Corporation?”

Even without a mirror, I knew my face must have turned pale.

Please don’t let it be that Xu Corporation belonging to Xu Zhixia…

When we reached the cemetery, I saw all the village men, old and young, gathered around two excavators.

“Digging up our ancestors’ graves will bring divine retribution! You monsters in human skin!”

“Sir, please don’t say that. We are just following regulations and procedures!”

I squeezed through the crowd and stood beside the village chief.

“Uncle, what exactly is going on?”