Chapter 249

Shen Nian exclaimed, "Damn, my sister and brother-in-law actually went and got a motorcycle."

In their village, just owning a bicycle was something to brag about, let alone a motorcycle.

To them, this was basically a luxury car.

"Uncle, is this motorcycle yours?"

Shen Xiuyuan was the first to run over, and he immediately started circling the motorcycle.

"Uncle, give me a ride! Quick, give me a ride!"

Yun Linhai grinned, revealing a mouthful of sparkling white teeth.

"Sure, I’ll give you a ride when we get back to the house."

Shen Yunlian got off the motorcycle. "You take Jiaojiao and Xiuyuan back. I’ll walk with Dad and the others."

Yun Linhai nodded. "No problem. Xiuyuan, get on."

Yun Jiao also turned and patted the seat behind her.

"Cousin, get on."

Shen Xiuyuan was absolutely ecstatic.

The moment their motorcycle entered the village, it drew a ton of attention.

"Isn’t that Shen Daniu’s son-in-law? How come he’s riding a motorcycle?"

"Wow, he’s really struck it rich. He even bought a motorcycle."

"I heard not too long ago that they built houses—two big ones, at that."

"How long has it been, and now he’s already bought a motorcycle?"

The sun was strong at noon, and it was almost lunchtime. Many people were returning from the fields, shouldering hoes and carrying baskets on their backs.

The village wasn’t very large to begin with, so any bit of excitement spread like wildfire.

And sure enough, not long after Yun Linhai’s group arrived at the Shen family home, people started trickling in to see what all the commotion was about.

The village children came, too.

Yun Linhai saw a few little kids with their bare butts hanging out. They had probably been swimming somewhere and, upon hearing the news, ran right over without even pulling on their shorts.

The father immediately covered his daughter’s eyes.

"Sweetheart, whatever you do, don’t look! You boys, go put some pants on!"

Those boys weren’t very old. Most kids in the village were like that, sometimes running around without shirts or pants.

"They’re just little kids, what’s the big deal?"

Yun Linhai was not happy about that. "You might not be worried, but I’m afraid my daughter will get a stye! No pants, no looking at the motorcycle."

Under this threat, the little bare-bottomed kids scurried back home to find some shorts.

Grandpa Shen and the others, who were walking behind, arrived soon after. They were immediately pulled aside by the villagers and bombarded with questions.

Yun Linhai laughed sheepishly. "We got lucky a while back and ran into a school of large yellow croakers at sea. We sold them and used the money to buy this motorcycle. We just thought it would be more convenient, you know?"

"Large yellow croakers? Those are worth a fortune! And a whole school of them? How many pounds did you catch?"

The villagers were incredibly envious. They worked themselves to the bone farming all year and barely made any money.

Once everyone had their fill of gawking at the motorcycle, Grandpa and Grandma Shen sent them on their way.

Only a few children remained, still crowded around the motorcycle, unwilling to leave.

Shen Xiuyuan was still there, showing it off.

"Wow, Grandma, you’re raising so many pigs!"

Yun Jiao had spotted the new pen in the backyard.

The smell coming from it was a bit strong. A full five piglets were inside.

Grandpa Shen couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked at the five piglets, the wrinkles on his face bunching up as he smiled.

"Our family still has plenty of muscle. We live near the mountains, so we can gather lots of grass for pig feed every day. We decided to raise five pigs. We’ll keep one for ourselves for the New Year and sell the rest. That should bring in a good bit of money."

Grandma Shen went to cook. Since Yun Jiao and her family were visiting, she made a point to take out the cured sausages and preserved meat that they usually saved for special occasions.

Shen Yunlian went to help her.

Then, the conversation turned to their trip to the Capital.

They had sent word about the trip before they left.

Grandma and Grandpa Shen beamed just listening to the stories, their eyes filled with unconcealable envy.

’The Capital... who wouldn’t want to go see it?’

"Good, you’ve all done so well! Now our family has someone who’s been to the Capital. That’s something we can be very proud of."

Shen Yunlian said, "Jiaojiao also brought back pictures for you all."

Just then, Yun Jiao was showing the photos to Grandpa Shen, Uncle Shen, and the others.

They were completely captivated, looking as if they wanted to study every single photograph with a magnifying glass.

"This is the national flag in the Capital! How majestic."

"The soldiers here are so impressive, too. Look how ramrod straight they stand. They’re all such fine young men."

Shen Kuan watched with envy. ’Who hasn’t dreamed of being a soldier?’

Shen Xiuyuan was also entranced. "Dad, when I grow up, I’m going to be a soldier, too! The most impressive kind!"

Uncle Shen clapped his son on the shoulder. "That’s the spirit. Your dad will be waiting to see it."

"Grandpa, this is for you."

Yun Jiao started handing out gifts.

For Grandpa Shen, there was liquor and a handsome tobacco pipe.

Holding the pipe and liquor, the smile never left Grandpa Shen’s face.

"You shouldn’t have spent so much."

Yun Jiao replied, "It’s nothing, just small change!"

’She was a rich person now.’

"Uncle, this is for you."

Uncle Shen also got liquor and cigarettes, as well as a bicycle voucher.

Shen Nian’s eyes widened as he stared at the bicycle voucher.

"This... is this really for me?"

Yun Jiao nodded. ’Actually, I wanted to buy Uncle a motorcycle, too. But they were out of stock here, and you needed a voucher to buy one anyway. Motorcycle vouchers were pretty hard to come by. They had only been able to buy their family’s motorcycle thanks to her godfather. Since a motorcycle was out of the question, a bicycle would have to do for now.’

"There’s money, too, so you can pick out a bicycle you like, Uncle."

Shen Nian quickly waved his hands in refusal. "I can’t take this. Your uncle has enough money to buy his own bicycle."

’It’s just that the voucher is hard to get.’

"I have to pay you for the voucher, too."

Yun Jiao pouted, looking a little displeased. "Uncle, we’re family. Don’t talk like we’re strangers."

No one knew who she’d picked up that particular tone from.

"But I still can’t let my niece give her uncle such an expensive gift."

’And from a four-year-old niece, no less. Who would even believe it?’

Yun Jiao simply shoved the voucher and money forcefully into his arms.

"Eldest Cousin, this is your gift."

It was a wristwatch.

For a moment, Shen Kuan was so flustered he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

"Jiaojiao, this... this is too expensive."

Yun Jiao: "It’s not."

"What about me? What about me?"

Shen Xiuyuan wasn’t as reserved as the others. He was already getting excited before it was even his turn.

A very fashionable personal stereo, which could be used to listen to music anytime.

’Her brothers had one, too.’

There were also some toys: model cars and airplanes.

And finally, there was the largest gift: a model of Tiananmen Square.

Of course, Aunt Shen and Grandma Shen received gifts as well.

Clothes, pretty purses, and snowflake cream—all things women tend to like.

"You all... you’re being far too extravagant! Why buy so many things?"

Although they were happy to receive the gifts, the Shen Family was used to a frugal lifestyle, and the sight of all these expensive things made their hearts ache for the money spent.

Shen Yunlian smiled and said, "Mom, Jiaojiao bought all of these for you, so please just accept them. Jiaojiao is the wealthiest person in our family now, you know."

She briefly explained how Yun Jiao had found something valuable and sold it, and how they had even bought a house in the Capital.

The Shen family listened with expressions that said, ’I must be dreaming.’

’They actually bought a house in the Capital!’

Shen Yunlian didn’t mention how many houses they had bought, what kind they were, or even how much money they had spent.

But even so, this news was already more than enough of a "surprise" for the Shen family.