yournovel Chapter 144 Unrivaled Since Emerging from the Cave
Chapter 144 Unrivaled Since Emerging from the Cave
Chapter 144 Unrivaled Since Emerging from the Cave
"Your grandfather is trying to reason with you, and you're still grinning like that. You should be forgiving!" Teacher Wu said from the back row, her tone slightly reproachful.
“Mom, you’re a physics teacher, you don’t know,” Yu Huan grinned and chuckled, “Actually, the sentence before that is the key point.”
The old man turned to look at the young man's vigor and confidence, a wry smile appearing on his face, and tilted his head slightly:
"Since emerging from the cave, I have been invincible; I will show mercy when I can!"
"Yes! That's a complete sentence."
The scenery outside the car window kept changing. Yu Huan gripped the steering wheel, turned her head and smiled at the old man, then turned back to stare at the road.
I glanced at the time on the dashboard; it was already 1:20 PM.
"How about we stop by Uncle's house on the way?" Yu Huan suggested.
The old man nodded and said, "It's up to you."
Yu Huan glanced at the rearview mirror and asked Teacher Wu for her opinion: "Mom, what do you think?"
Teacher Wu nodded and said with a smile, "I don't have anything to do this afternoon, so I'll come see you."
"Okay." Yu Huan nodded.
Suddenly, the cell phone in my pocket started vibrating rapidly, its clear ringtone echoing throughout the carriage.
The car wasn't going fast, and Yu Huan calmly pressed the brake pedal, allowing the vehicle to slow down smoothly.
He quickly glanced at the rearview mirror to make sure no vehicles were following closely behind before he confidently brought the car to a steady stop.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that it was his mother-in-law calling. He quickly answered the phone.
He called out "Mom!" with perfect ease.
Upon hearing this word, Ms. Wu was slightly taken aback, thinking that he was being called. However, she quickly realized that her son was talking to someone on the phone.
Who else could Yu Huan call 'Mom'? Of course, it's his mother-in-law!
Yu Huan listened intently to the voice on the other end of the phone, nodding occasionally in response: "Hey, I'm free tonight... I'll be there at six o'clock... Okay, no problem... Bye!"
After hanging up the phone, Yu Huan gently pressed the accelerator, and the car slowly accelerated.
Teacher Wu looked at him curiously through the rearview mirror: "Why is your mother-in-law calling you?"
Yu Huan chuckled: "You're calling me to have dinner!"
Grandpa Yu chuckled and said, "Huanhuan, your mother-in-law treats you quite well."
"It's alright," Yu Huan said modestly.
After driving another hundred meters, I turned the steering wheel slightly to the left on the empty asphalt road and drove onto a cement road.
The narrow road, just wide enough for one car, winds its way through the hills, with houses scattered on both sides, nestled among the green trees, creating a remarkably tranquil atmosphere.
Sunlight filters through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the path.
After driving for about a mile, Yu Huan turned the steering wheel slightly to the left and drove up a gentle slope.
On a gentle slope, a two-story villa with a front yard comes into view as the vehicle moves forward.
This small villa stands out prominently against its surroundings.
Yu Huan's assessment of this was: "Living in the mountains is like living in a needle-proof room."
This is the old homestead of the Yu family, which the old man divided among his second son. Four years ago, it was an old brick house, but after being demolished and rebuilt, it has now become a rather impressive little villa.
My second uncle's family was initially the worst off among Lao Yu's siblings, but through hard work they have become wealthy and are now living a pretty good life.
After driving into the front yard, Yu Huan was surprised to find Yu Songnian's Jinbei minivan parked in front of the door.
This kid actually came back without saying a word!
Auntie was brushing her shoes by a well in the courtyard when she heard the sound of a car engine. She looked up and saw Yu Huan and the old man behind the front window.
Take a closer look at this bright white sedan. Although I don't know much about cars or recognize the logo, I can tell it's very impressive!
The car came to a smooth stop in the center of the front yard, and the three people opened the car door and got out.
Auntie hurriedly put down the brush and stood up to greet her: "Huanhuan, you're back! And you even bought a car?"
Clearly, she hasn't gone out much these past two days.
Grandpa Yu's loud voice boomed: "If only he had the ability to buy a car, this is a car from You Rong."
"Dad—Xiao Wu." Auntie greeted them first, her round face full of smiles: "Dad, what are you saying? Huanhuan is a college graduate. After working for a few years, buying a car isn't something she can do casually, is it?"
Her figure is similar to Xu Qian's, only a few centimeters shorter.
Old Master Yu's lips moved, but he suppressed the comment that "long hair and short brains." This car must cost over 500,000 yuan; even after working for ten years, he still couldn't afford it!
At the same time, Yu Huan glanced at the Jinbei minivan parked next to her and casually asked, "Second Aunt, where's Song Nian? When did he get back?"
“He came back this morning and went to dry the pond with your second uncle.”
"Oh." Yu Huan nodded, then asked, "When was the pond drained?"
My second aunt scooped a ladle of water from the bucket and washed her hands: "It's been five or six days."
Draining the pond means draining the water from the fishpond and then catching all the fish.
Autumn and winter are the peak season for freshwater fish, when they are at their fattest and most delicious, and it's also the peak consumption period with high market sales. Clearly, the fish market has been doing well recently. My second uncle, a seasoned expert in aquaculture, is very experienced; he waited until prices were high, then drained the pond and sold all the fish.
The process of "drying the pond" involves disinfecting the pond with quicklime after catching the fish and exposing the bottom of the pond to the sun. In the early spring of the following year, when there is abundant rainfall, the pond can be filled with water and fish can be raised.
My second uncle's fishpond is quite large, covering nearly twenty acres.
This included seven mu of land belonging to the eldest uncle and five mu of land belonging to Lao Yu, combined into one, which the two brothers gave away for free.
Since the decision has been made to enter the catering industry, the food supply chain is a crucial part of it.
Yu Huan turned her head away with great interest, then looked at the old man beside her: "Shall we go take a look?"
"Sure, I'm just killing time anyway," the old man agreed with a smile.
He was always idle; he'd do anything as long as someone was with him.
Seeing this, the second aunt casually wiped her hands dry on her clothes and strode off, saying, "I'll go pour you a cup of tea first, sit and rest for a while before I go."
Yu Huan quickly declined, saying, "Second Aunt, no need. We just finished a banquet in town and need to walk around to digest our food."
As he spoke, he cast a questioning glance at Teacher Wu.
Teacher Wu glanced at Yu Huan, waved her hand and said, "You guys go ahead, I won't go."
"Oh," Yu Huan replied, then turned and followed the old man away.
They descended the slope at a leisurely pace, venturing deeper into the winding cement road, guided into the embrace of the countryside.
From here, the sides are either rice paddies or ponds, and further away are rolling hills and blue skies with white clouds.
This vast area of fields and ponds, totaling more than 300 acres, is mostly owned by people surnamed Yu, who are related to him in some way.
After walking several hundred meters, a vast but dried-up fishpond came into view.
The fishpond is in a great location, right next to the cement road, separated only by a drainage ditch.
Yu Huan glanced at the tricycle parked on the roadside, with a bag of quicklime, a diesel water pump, and a large bundle of irrigation hoses on the back.
These are all my second uncle's things.
The grandfather and grandson strode across the ditch and stopped to look into the distance. At the other end of the rectangular fishpond, two figures wearing straw hats and holding shovels were busily shoveling and spreading a small pile of quicklime.
The movements were skillful and swift, and the course was more than halfway complete.
The sun was exceptionally bright this week, causing the bottom of the pool to crack and form narrow, irregular fissures.
Old ponds like these are dredged before being dried out, at which point people can stand directly on them.
Because Yu Huan's foot injury had not yet healed, she was worried that if she sprained it again, she would have to use crutches, so her movements were slightly inconvenient.
He carefully descended the gentle slope of the embankment, and after standing on the soft bottom of the pool, he looked back at the old man's calm figure descending.
After coming down the slope, the old man teased him, "When I was your age, I could jump from a three-meter height and be fine. How come you look more like a seventy-year-old man than me now?"
Yu Huan looked at the old man speechlessly: "Your grandson was still using a cane just half a month ago!"
Upon hearing this, the old man burst into loud laughter, causing the two people working diligently in the distance to turn their heads simultaneously.
Yu Songnian, always impulsive, immediately threw down his shovel, sweat streaming down his face from under his straw hat, and hurried over.
The trouser legs and rubber shoes were covered in white quicklime.
He first greeted the old man, calling him "Grandpa," and then looked at Yu Huan: "Brother Huan, why are you back?"
Yu Huan looked at her second uncle's profile in the distance, still steadily sprinkling quicklime, and smiled at Yu Songnian, saying, "I should be asking you that, why did you come back?"
Yu Songnian chuckled, revealing his upper teeth, which were slightly yellowed from cigarette smoke: "Business isn't very good at the restaurant on Sundays, but I was called back by a phone call to help with drying the ponds!"
Business is indeed slow on weekends for fast food like rice bowls.
The old man glanced at him sideways, a hint of displeasure on his face: "I heard you little devil are dating that girl from the Xu family?"
As a grown man, Yu Songnian showed no embarrassment or attempt to hide anything when faced with the old man's question. He nodded frankly and readily admitted, "Yes."
"You need to find a wife who is diligent! Do you understand?" The old man's face darkened.
Seeing this, Yu Huan quickly laughed it off and came to Yu Songnian's rescue: "Qianqian is very hardworking in the store. She has to take the cash register and serve food and soup to the customers without taking a break."
Hearing the praise and affirmation, the old man looked at Yu Huan suspiciously: "Really?"
His grandson's tone was quite different from the villagers' evaluation of Xu Qian.
"Of course, would I lie to you?" Yu Huan nodded.
The old man didn't say anything more after hearing this. He put his hands behind his back and walked towards his second son.
Yu Songnian raised his hand to pat Yu Huan's chest, but then noticed that he was still wearing work gloves covered in quicklime. He lowered his hand and said, "Thanks, Huan-ge."
(End of this chapter)