Chapter 7 (1/2)

Chapter 7

“Damn it, I can’t believe I met her father for the one time I decided to make her pay for the meal.”

Chen Hansheng could not help but complain when he returned home. Chen Zhaojun and Liang Meijuan had already gone to work. The kitchen was so clean that there was no smell of oil or smoke.

Chen Hansheng planned to take a shower first and then have a full morning’s sleep. In the past, he would be busy the moment he opened his eyes until he had the chance to sleep again. Now that his time travel had given him more leisure time, he should take advantage of it.

He slept until 10:30 in the morning. It was the constant ringing of the house phone that woke Chen Hansheng from his sleep.

In his dream, Chen Hansheng was still in 2019. When he opened his eyes, it was the scorching summer of 2002 again.

“Who is it?”

Chen Hansheng walked to the phone and picked it up.

“Your mother!”

Liang Meijuan unceremoniously said, “We’re planning to go to Grandma’s place for lunch. You should see her before you leave for university since you’ll have fewer chances to do so after that.”

“Got it.”

Chen Hansheng hung up the phone and sat on the edge of the bed in a daze. He was trying to remember what the family situation was like with his maternal grandmother and that side of the family.

As he thought about it, Chen Hansheng laughed to himself. “D*mn, why does this feel like I’m living in a web novel? I can’t believe I have to recall my memories to survive my new life.”

…

Chen Hansheng’s maternal grandmother’s home was in the countryside. His maternal grandfather was once a primary school teacher and his maternal grandmother was a housewife. They owned a few acres of land. Chen Hansheng’s paternal grandparents had passed away early, so he was very close to his maternal grandparents.

After taking the bus for half an hour, Chen Hansheng arrived at his maternal grandparents’ home. This place would become a developed area in the future. But now, it was beautifully decorated by nature. Chen Hansheng looked over the large field of golden wheat rustling in the wind of the hot summer.

“Grandpa, Grandma, can I have some water, please?” As usual, Chen Hansheng pushed the door open and entered the small courtyard of the farmhouse. There were quite a lot of people already in the central room. His first uncle’s family, second uncle’s family, and second aunt’s family were all there, munching on watermelons.

“Look, the university student is here,” said his second aunt with a smile.

Chen Hansheng chuckled. His cousins from his two uncles and second aunt’s families had not been admitted to university yet so it was obvious that they were referring to him. He’d rather they not though.

He picked up a few pieces of watermelons and ate them in big mouthfuls. He did not care if the red fruit juice dripped all over his body. His second aunt looked at him and laughed. “You’re already a university student, yet you still eat like a child.”

Chen Hansheng continued to munch on the watermelons until they were all gone. He wiped his mouth and burped loudly. “Where’s Grandma?”

“She’s drying her grains in the field behind our house,” said Grandpa while smoking his pipe.

It was such a hot day. How stubborn could this old lady be? Chen Hansheng sighed, stood up, and said, “I’ll go take a look.”

“Don’t go.”

His second uncle said, “Even we, her own children, couldn’t persuade her to come back. She won’t come back until she’s satisfied from dealing with those grains.”

“That’s because I didn’t go. Who knows? The grandson might have more influence than her own children,” said Chen Hansheng with a smile.

He picked up a broken straw hat from the ground, ignored the smell of sweat and rice husks, and casually put it over his head before walking towards the grain field despite the heatwave.

The room became a little quiet for a moment. Grandpa took two puffs of his pipe and slowly said, “The son of the third child is open-minded wherever he goes. He is also an undergraduate student. He will have great prospects in the future.”

Liang Meijuan was the third child of her family. Her older sister-in-law curled her lips and said, “He just studies hard and managed to get slightly better grades.”

Her grandfather smiled and tapped his pipe without saying anything.

He used to be a teacher so he knew how to not only judge students by their grades. Chen Hansheng had always been experienced and open-minded since he was young. He also had a wildness that was not miserly. People who simply studied hard were not like this.

The grain field was a big, open space in the village. It was specially reserved for processing rice husks and drying grains. Chen Hansheng’s grandma’s small figure made her easy to spot in the crowd.

“Grandma.” Chen Hansheng called out loudly.

The old lady heard the familiar voice and looked up hesitantly. It was truly her grandson.