TGDS Chapter 82.1

The Good Dad System (Arc 11) Chapter 82.1: A Patriarchal Family (16)

The word “hometown” carries many beautiful meanings. Whenever it is mentioned, one feels a gentle warmth in their heart, as if they can step back into the past. Although many years have passed, Peijia Village has not changed much, as if it has remained unchanged in that time.

“We’re back.”

“Yes, we’re back.”

Due to the limitations of the times, even though Pei Naochun’s family’s economic conditions have improved a lot, they still cannot change the local transportation methods. The group chose to fly directly to the provincial capital, and then took two buses before finally returning to the village. By the time they arrived at their destination, their bodies were almost falling apart from sitting. Although Pei Naochun was not in his hometown, he had always kept in touch with the people there. He had entrusted the keys to the house and the fields to his uncle’s family. They didn’t care about collecting interest; they just needed the family to take care of things.

Pei Xiaoping held her grandmother’s hand in one hand and her younger brother’s in the other, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Memories from before she was five years old hadn’t been completely erased; she had a deep impression of this old house, but she didn’t feel the same longing her grandmothers had, only a sense of nostalgia. “Where is this?” Pei Zihao asked his mother. He was too young when he left to remember anything.

“This is our old home,” Tang Zhaodi said, picking up her son and following her mother-in-law and husband into the house. It had been uninhabited for a long time. Although it had been cleaned just two days ago, there was still a faint, lingering smell. The house lacked any sign of life; the tables and cabinets were all empty.

She thought she would miss this place terribly…

“It’s been so long since I’ve been back, I’m not used to it anymore.” Wu Guizhi plopped down on the long bench in the middle of the main room, her hand stroking the table. She remembered every line on the table. When she first arrived in S City, she felt very uncomfortable, always awkward, feeling like she came from a small village and didn’t belong here. She liked the village’s roaring fire and earthen stove, she liked knowing all the tools in the kitchen, she liked the firm mattress she had on her bed… But back then, she couldn’t very well say she wanted to come back, could she? For her son’s family, she pretended not to feel anything and silently endured it. Then, not long after, she got used to it.

Five years have passed, and she still can’t understand the mysterious local dialect of S City, which sounds like a spell; she still can’t understand their habit of not eating big meat dumplings during festivals but preferring all kinds of seafood; she still doesn’t understand why, although they don’t pay much attention to ancestral halls, they have a deep faith in all the temples around them… But she gradually found her sense of belonging there.

Near her neighborhood, she had a few retired old ladies to keep her company, practicing Tai Chi sword and Yangko dance with them, and learning musical instruments at the community center; in the children’s goods store, she was the boss’s mother, calmly inspecting each shop every day; at home, her beloved grandson and granddaughter were always by her side, calling her “Grandma” this and “Grandma” that every day, making her heart bloom with joy.

Gradually, except for her husband’s death anniversary and festivals, her hometown became another vague memory. When she returned, she was surprised to find that she was not quite used to it.

“Me too,” Pei Naochun said, putting his arm around his mother’s shoulder. “We’ll go to Uncle’s house for dinner later. We’ve already told them. We haven’t cooked at home in a long time, so we haven’t prepared anything.”

“Okay,” Wu Guizhi readily agreed. Her son was always very considerate, managing everything at home perfectly. Not long after she finished speaking, several familiar faces appeared at the door, craning their necks and hesitantly calling out to them. Having been away for so long, their relationships had become strained, and even though many were curious about their life in S City, they didn’t dare to come in abruptly.

Wu Guizhi quickly noticed the commotion at the door. She peeked out and greeted them, as if she had returned to the past: “What are you looking at? Come in and chat. We haven’t prepared anything to entertain you.” She was about to take out her money to ask her son to buy some melon seeds or candy.

“No need, we just came to see you! We don’t need all this!”

“I brought my own; I knew you wouldn’t have bought anything since you rarely come back.” Their voices quickly filled the house again, bringing life back to the place that had been quiet and lonely for so long.

It was still early, so Pei Naochun and Tang Zhaodi, along with the children, prepared to visit the Tang family in the next village. For the past few years, Tang Zhaodi had been sending money back home, and the family hadn’t visited her parents in a long time. The two villages weren’t far apart, only a half-hour walk, not a long distance for the villagers.

“Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt…” Pei Zihao counted on his fingers, receiving a crash course from his sister. Pei Xiaoping had visited her maternal grandparents several times and, with her mother and father’s reminders, had already remembered a few familiar faces. Afraid her younger brother would be shy, she started teaching him how to greet people on the way.

“Naochun!” Tang Zhaodi suddenly called out to her husband. She was wearing a cream-colored down jacket, a turtleneck sweater over it, and a trendy pleated skirt. On her feet were low-heeled lambskin Martin boots, looking very fashionable. If she hadn’t looked like she was coming out with her husband, someone might have stopped her to ask about the history of S City.

Pei Naochun kept looking at the two children. The road between the two villages was very uneven. The weather was cold, but they weren’t worried about the soft ground after the rain. It was just rugged. “Hmm?”

“It’s only been a few years, and I’m already not used to walking on this road.” She spoke softly. What kind of person was she in the past? Carrying her son on her back and holding her daughter, she would run back and forth between the village and the county town without even using a bicycle. At the end of the day, she would at most sweat a little and never complain of being tired. But now, she had only walked halfway, and her feet were already starting to ache.

Pei Naochun started quoting a book, “This is called ‘It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.'” He didn’t explain, knowing his wife would understand the gist of it. “Why don’t you wait here a bit? I’ll go home now and get you a pair of shoes?” he suggested.

“No need, I’m not that delicate,” Tang Zhaodi glared at her husband. Although her feet were a little tired, her husband was taking care of the two children, so it wouldn’t take much effort on her. Besides, it was just a bit tiring, nothing serious. What she really wanted to say wasn’t that.

“Mom, will Grandma like me?” Pei Zihao suddenly remembered this important question and asked.

“…Yes.” She just didn’t like it that much. Tang Zhaodi silently added the next sentence in her heart, without saying it aloud. She listened to the child’s incessant laughter, her eyes gentle, but the thought of returning home soon filled her with a sense of trepidation. The feeling of being close to home was nothing more than this. Even with a thousand knots in her heart, she could always finish the journey. After entering Tangjia Village, she went straight ahead, past the old threshing ground, and there was Tang Zhaodi’s house. She stood at the door, her expression somewhat dazed.

Two years ago, her mother called, saying that the family was building a new house and that the prices of bricks and steel bars had gone up, asking for her support. Tang Zhaodi remained silent on the phone, trying to change the subject, but her mother managed to steer the conversation back to the main point. In the end, she lent out 15,000 yuan. It wasn’t that Tang Zhaodi didn’t have the money; at that time, the children’s products factory was growing bigger and bigger, and her monthly take-home pay was only a few thousand yuan, not including the year-end bonus. But she knew clearly that her mother wanted this money not for her and her husband, but for her good-for-nothing brother.

She specifically told her husband about lending out the 15,000 yuan, and they both knew in their hearts that it was essentially a waste of money. After all, it was just a loan, there was no borrower, and no formal IOU. Who would they ask for it back later?

She heard from her sister that their mother had also asked them for money. If it were the Tang Zhaodi of the past, she would probably have been proud of herself, feeling that she had contributed to the family and could make her parents proud. She might even have thought about competing with her sisters in terms of wealth and standing out from the crowd. But time changes, and she changed too. Seeing what her parents were doing, she felt a chill in her heart. They were also their parents’ children, not tools to support their younger brother. They had to take care of their brother when they were young, earn dowry when they got married, and even after marriage, they still had to remember their maternal family and give them money. Their lives were not lived for their brother.

“Third Sister, distinguished guest, distinguished guest has arrived!” Just then, a slightly plump woman came out of the courtyard. She looked out and her face lit up with joy as she greeted them. The woman was Tang Zhaodi’s sister-in-law. “Mom, Dad, Third Sister is back!” she called out, pulling Tang Zhaodi inside with exceptional enthusiasm, continuing to greet her, “This must be Third Sister’s husband, long time no see… Look at our Xiaoping, how lovely she is! And this is Zihao, right? I haven’t seen him much, I almost didn’t recognize him.”

Once inside, The house was already filled with the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival. Tang’s parents came out and were surprised to see their daughter, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time. They looked her up and down, as if they didn’t quite recognize her. Finally, Tang’s mother spoke first: “Zhao Di, you’ve changed so much since you came to S City! You look like a city person!”

Tang Zhao Di just smiled, pulled her children to sit down, and introduced the children to her parents. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her shrewd sister-in-law looking at her empty-handed, her expression not very pleasant.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Happy New Year.” Pei Zihao and Pei Xiaoping, dressed in matching outfits, rushed over to wish their grandparents a Happy New Year.

“This is Zihao.” Tang’s mother immediately moved, hugging Pei Zihao tightly, stuffing him with candy and cookies, her face full of affection. Tang’s father, on the other hand, was silent. When he noticed Pei Xiaoping trying to back away, he pulled her over, took her hand, and said some auspicious words.