Chapter 5 Going home for the New Year
Qi Tongwei was so absorbed in his creative work that he had no idea that his return to school to borrow some materials would cause such a big stir.
Hou Liangping and Chen Hai, the instigators of the turmoil, have also had a hard time in the past six months.
Some people who could not stand their despicable behavior spoke out and exposed the rumors they had spread.
The behavior of the two was despised by many people, especially some little girls.
No matter where they go, there are people pointing fingers at them behind their backs!
This also made them hate Qi Tongwei even more.
This is a common problem among some people. Instead of looking for faults in themselves, they put the blame on others.
Liang Lu was also very angry about their behavior.
However, neither of them is a farmer's son with no background like Qi Tongwei, so there is really nothing that can be done to them openly.
In the end, Liang Lu could only use her influence in the school to cancel the two people's qualifications as outstanding students.
My application to join the party was also rejected.
Qi Tongwei was unaware of their situation. After mailing the manuscript to the People's Literature Daily, Qi Tongwei returned to his hometown in Lin County.
In my previous life, I couldn’t get over the hurdle in my heart. I felt ashamed to face people because I was assigned to a poor township as a graduate student. I didn’t even go home for the New Year.
Later he realized that it was all his imagination and his parents never felt ashamed of themselves.
None of the villagers thought it was shameful for him to work in the township. In their eyes, it was already a great achievement for a rural child to be able to eat public food.
Everyone would only envy and congratulate him for getting a public job and becoming an official.
On the contrary, if he didn't go back, his fellow villagers would think he had no conscience and looked down on his family and relatives after becoming an official.
After arriving in Lin County, Qi Tongwei changed cars and went to Zhuquan Township. His home was in Qijia Village, 20 miles north of Zhuquan Township.
Today is the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. The village is very lively with many vendors selling New Year's goods.
Qi Tongwei bought some melon seeds and candies, and also bought more than ten kilograms of pork.
Because the family was in debt, my parents had been reluctant to buy meat, and their health was very poor. This time, I had to make up for it no matter what.
After buying the things, when he was worrying about how to get home, he met Qi Mancang, the second uncle in the village.
"Tongwei, it's you, kid. Your parents are talking about you!"
Qi Mancang reached out his hand and wanted to pat Qi Tongwei on the shoulder, but suddenly remembered that his identity was different now.
He smiled awkwardly and put his hand back.
"It's me, Second Uncle. You're here to go to the market too." Qi Tongwei knew that he didn't have to walk today.
"Yes, I'm buying some New Year's goods for my family and I'm about to go back." The second uncle said with a smile.
"It seems that I am lucky. I don't have to walk back." Qi Tongwei said with a smile.
"It is his honor to be able to carry you, the star of literature, on my ox cart."
While chatting and laughing, Qi Tongwei sat on the ox cart, and the second uncle sat on the handlebars and drove the oxen.
"Tongwei, how much money can you earn a month now?" The second uncle who was driving the ox cart suddenly asked curiously.
"Uncle, I don't earn much when I first started working, only 240 yuan a month." Qi Tongwei did not hide his income. During his studies, his fellow villagers helped him a lot.
In his previous life, he used his power to make all the dogs in the village police dogs in order to repay the favors of his fellow villagers.
From this incident, we can see that Qi Tongwei is not a person who forgets his roots, it’s just that his methods are not very clever.
"240 dollars! Oh my goodness!
This is not a lot. There is no sun or rain, and it is not cloudy or rainy. Isn’t 240 yuan a month a lot?
It is better to be an official! Unlike farmers, not only do you suffer, but you also cannot earn money.
Take me, your second uncle, for example. I am busy all year round, reluctant to eat or wear, and can’t save a dime in a year. ” Qi Mancang said enviously.
Qi Tongwei smiled and said nothing. How could he not know the hardships of the farmers?
Take my own family for example. Thanks to my parents working day and night, we were able to barely support my three siblings to finish elementary school.
After entering middle school, because of family poverty, my older brothers and sisters voluntarily dropped out of school to leave the opportunity for me.
Along the way, my family still owed more than 1000 yuan, which allowed me to graduate successfully.
1000 yuan may not be a lot now, less than one month's salary, but in the 90s, it was a huge sum of money.
If Qi Tongwei had not started working, it would have been impossible to pay off this debt in at least ten or eight years.
After entering the village, Qi Tongwei met more acquaintances and would take the initiative to greet everyone.
"Daughter-in-law of the Qi family, look who's back." The second uncle smiled and pointed at Qi Tongwei.
Qi Tongwei jumped off the ox cart before the second uncle finished speaking.
"Mom, I'm back." Qi Tongwei was a little excited. In his previous life, because of his own reasons, he was unable to return to his hometown to see his mother for the last time.
Now that he is reborn, he must make up for his debt to his parents and family.
"Awei, you're back. You must be tired from walking!" Mother Zhang Cuihua quickly put down the dustpan and reached out to take the things Qi Tongwei brought.
Then he turned around and shouted towards the house: "Dad, Awei is back."
Father Qi Wansheng did not stand up, but his eyes were looking outside.
This is a typical problem among Xia country men, they don't know how to express their emotions.
They often play the role of a strict father. They clearly have strong thoughts in their mind, but they do not take any action.
"Second Uncle, thank you for today. Let's go home and have dinner before leaving!" Qi Tongwei turned and said to the second uncle.
"No, you're tired too, go back and have a rest. Second uncle is leaving first." After saying this, Second uncle drove away in the ox cart.
Afterwards, Qi Tongwei followed his mother back home.
"Where is my brother?" Qi Tongwei asked when he didn't see his younger brother Qi Tongfu.
"I went to Linlin's house and will be back soon." Linlin is the wife my younger brother married last spring.
Because of me, my family was in a lot of debt, which resulted in my younger brother not being able to get married. He just met his sister-in-law through a matchmaker during the Spring Festival this year (people in rural areas who don’t receive education get married early).
My younger brother and sister are both honest and decent people. In my previous life, I was the Director of Public Security, but they never asked me for help. It was I who took the initiative to help them every time.
After taking the boiled water handed over by his mother, Qi Tongwei sat down and talked with his parents for a while. Most of the time, he talked about work and his parents listened.
They may not understand, but they still want to listen.
As we were talking, my younger brother and sister-in-law came in from outside.
"You guys go chat, I'm going to cook noodles." When the mother saw her younger brothers and sisters coming back, she hurriedly got up and walked towards the stove. Her younger brothers and sisters followed her, leaving only the father and his two sons in the room.
After the father and his two sons talked for a while, Qi Tongwei stood up and took his shoulder bag.
He opened the bag, took out a wad of money, counted out 20 for himself, and handed the rest to his father.
"Dad, this is the salary I saved for the past six months. I spent some of it, and I still have 920 yuan. I'll keep 200 yuan for emergencies, and you can use the rest to pay off your debts."
When his father saw Qi Tongwei taking out so much money, he realized that his son had become successful and was no longer the kid who asked his family for money.
He didn't say anything, and after a moment's silence, he took the money.