Chapter 114: Chapter 16-2
As expected, the designated drivers arrived quickly.
Sun Dasheng had them make a stop at the supermarket first. After a bout of shopping, they stuffed both vehicles until they were brimming with goods. Then, with one person to a car, they sped off toward their hometown.
When the two big Mercedes-Benzes rolled into the old residential complex, the usually quiet neighborhood suddenly erupted.
"Whose family is this?"
Arriving home in two Mercedes at once was certainly an eye-catcher. If it had just been one car, it wouldn’t have caused such a stir. Even in a small county town, there were plenty of Mercedes and BMWs on the roads. Granted, most of them were base models, costing around two or three hundred thousand yuan, but a brand was a brand.
The cars Sun Dasheng and his group drove back were different. They were Mercedes business vans, which looked grand and impressive, a clear cut above the two-hundred-thousand-yuan models. On top of that, they had brought two of them back at the same time.
The cars parked by the entrance, and soon a crowd of elderly uncles and aunties gathered to watch the spectacle. Most of them didn’t recognize the people getting out of the cars. It was hardly surprising. Over a decade had passed since Sun Dasheng had left for Shanghai City to study and work. He had changed from a fresh-faced youth to a middle-aged man; it was no wonder they couldn’t place him.
"Whose kid is that? He’s quite handsome."
"He’s driving a big Mercedes—two of them! He must have struck it rich doing business somewhere."
"I wonder if he’s married? I have a niece who would be a perfect match for him."
"Oh, give me a break! You mean your niece who’s over thirty and still mooching off her parents? Forget this young man, even the men in our county won’t look at her. Don’t go around trying to ruin people’s lives."
"How am I ruining lives? There’s a saying, ’a wife three years older holds a brick of gold.’ What’s wrong with the woman being a bit older?"
"What’s wrong with it? What rich man these days doesn’t prefer a younger woman? Do you really think some fool is going to fall for a ’leftover woman’?"
The two women actually started arguing. This was a common sight among the neighbors in the old complexes of a small town. They could argue over something as trivial as a sesame seed. The others were used to it; those two would fight one day and make up the next, often reconciling faster than some married couples.
"He looks a bit like Old Sun from the third floor. Could that be his boy?" someone else in the crowd remarked.
"Hey! Now that you mention it, you’re right! Look at his eyes, they’re so similar."
"Young man, whose family are you from?" someone shouted.
Sun Dasheng didn’t mind. As he began unloading things from the cars, he replied, "My dad’s name is Sun Youzhi, and my mom’s name is Xie Guixiang."
"Oh, my! It really is him! I knew it, these old eyes of mine never miss. He’s definitely from the Sun family," the man exclaimed, slapping his thigh, immensely proud of his sharp eyesight.
Sun Dasheng chuckled. Nobody here recognized him, but the moment he said his parents’ names, everyone knew who he was.
"Old Sun! Guixiang! Your son’s home! Get down here and greet him!" someone shouted up helpfully.
Soon, a window on the third floor of the building opened, and a head poked out. It was none other than Comrade Sun Youzhi. Seeing his son, he quickly yelled toward the kitchen, "Our boy’s here! I’m going down to meet him. Looks like he brought a lot of stuff back; I’ll give him a hand."
A woman in her fifties hurried out from the kitchen, untying her apron as she asked, "Didn’t Da Cheng say they’d be another hour? How are they so early?"
"Maybe they drove fast?" Old Sun guessed.
That little rascal, he was told to drive safely and he didn’t listen. Why drive so fast?
While she grumbled, the smile on her face betrayed her true feelings. The two of them hurried downstairs.
The curious neighbors had already surrounded the two cars, examining them with clicking tongues.
"This car must be worth several hundred thousand, right? It looks so luxurious."
But someone else had a different opinion. "Pfft! It just looks like a minivan. It’s not even as nice as the Mercedes sedan that Little Hai next door drives."
Sun Dacheng, who was unloading bags, was not pleased to hear this. This is a classic case of not recognizing treasure when you see it.
He decided to educate the crowd. "This is a Mercedes business van, not some minivan. Businessmen in the big cities use these to receive clients. This one costs seven hundred thousand yuan right off the lot."
HISS!
The collective gasp seemed to suck all the cold air out of the surroundings.
"Did you hear that? It’s not a minivan, it’s a business vehicle, for businesspeople! What a country bumpkin."
The old man who had called it a minivan lost a bit of face. He walked away, muttering under his breath, "What business vehicle? It looks just like a minivan to me. People from the city are all just smooth-talking tricksters."
His retreat sparked a round of hearty laughter.
"Old Man Wang’s only constant over the years has been that stubborn mouth of his," someone joked.
"Everyone, neighbors, please make some space so we can get these things upstairs," Sun Youzhi called out to the crowd.
Some people started to disperse, but a few others remained, laughing. "Well, well, Old Sun! Hiding such a wealthy son from your old buddies all this time, were you? Today, we’re definitely coming up to your place for a cup of tea. Let’s go, everyone!"
With that, a group of them started helping to carry the luggage and groceries. Watching everyone bustling about, Sun Dasheng was suddenly moved. This was a sight he hadn’t seen in more than a decade living in the big city.
The small county town had its own unique flavor.
The warmth of human connection.
It was something the big city lacked.
Many hands make light work, and all the belongings were quickly carried upstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Sun served everyone a cup of hot tea and chatted for a bit before the neighbors tactfully took their leave. They understood that the family only got to see each other once a year and didn’t want to intrude on their reunion.
"Da Sheng, Da Cheng, eat first," Mrs. Sun said, inviting them to the table. The two designated drivers joined them for the meal.
After eating, they saw the drivers off. Sun Dacheng left with them, as he had to travel through the night to get back to his home in the countryside, so he didn’t stay long. Sun Dasheng let him take one of the cars, reminding him to drive safely. The snow was coming down heavily, and the roads were slippery; he shouldn’t speed.
Once everyone had left, only the family of three remained.
They sat down around a heated *kang* table. This wasn’t like the large, heated brick beds common in the Northeast. It was a low table covered with a thick quilt, with an electric heater placed in the space underneath. Huddled together, it was quite warm against the bitter winter cold.
"You just had to come, that’s all that matters. Why did you bring so much stuff?" Madam Xie said, slightly chiding her son for spending so much. Then she added, "Oh, right. When Da Cheng left just now, I didn’t have him take more of it back with him."
Sun Dasheng stopped her from worrying. "Mom, his car is still packed with things for the uncles and everyone back in the village. Don’t you worry."
"That’s good. You have to look after your uncles in the village," Xie Guixiang said, finally reassured. "Now that you have money, don’t forget your roots."
Sun Dasheng found this a little odd. Shouldn’t that be a line coming from Old Sun?
Old Sun just chuckled, chiming in from the side, "Right, right, your mother is absolutely right."
It seems the incident with the secret stash of cash caused quite a stir, he thought. Old Sun must have gotten a serious lecture. Even his tone of voice is much meeker now.
"Mom, don’t worry. You know what kind of person your son is."
"Of course I do. But you hid your divorce from me. How can I just trust you?"
Good grief. On the phone, she was all ’I understand, I understand.’ Now that I’m here in person, it’s a completely different story.
What could Sun Dasheng do? He quickly admitted his fault. "Mom, it was my fault for not telling you and Dad about the divorce. You can criticize me. I promise I’ll take it all and won’t say a word back."
His son’s willing-to-be-scolded attitude offered Madam Xie some comfort, and she decided not to dwell on the divorce any longer. Parents are often like that. It doesn’t matter so much that you made a mistake, as long as you’re willing to admit it to their face. No matter how big the error, they can find it in their hearts to forgive you. Of course, this applies to most families; there are always exceptions, which fall outside this consideration.
"It’s done now, and it’s for the best. I never liked that woman anyway," Madam Xie said vehemently.
Well then! So much for a harmonious relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law. All this time, my mother kept her true feelings bottled up for my sake. Now that she can finally say it, she can let off some steam.