Chapter 20 : Homestead

Han Zhenyu carefully considered his options and decided to rule out the land within the village.  

Su Xieqiu had expressed a preference for peace and quiet, and the crowded, gossipy village environment, along with its proximity to the Han family, clearly didn’t meet her needs.  

The plot near the Youth Farm was fertile and well-suited for building a house with private farmland behind it. It was no surprise that Blind Han had taken a liking to it. However, Han Zhenyu knew this location wasn’t ideal either.  

Although the Youth Farm currently housed only a few people, it was already complicated. If it grew in population, things could become even more chaotic. Even if they avoided entanglements, living so close would guarantee a lack of peace.  

This left only the plot north of Sun Dahan’s house, which was also the one Han Zhenyu had been considering the previous night.  

While it was close to the mountains, it was far from the village and very quiet, qualities Su Xieqiu would appreciate. Moreover, Sun Dahan was a good man, and his wife wasn’t the type to meddle in others’ affairs. Han Zhenyu felt that if he had to travel in the future, Sun Dahan’s wife could look after Su Xieqiu.  

He said to Han Hongbing, “Captain, since Blind Han has set his sights on the Youth Farm plot, I won’t compete with him. That’ll save you some trouble.  

“I’ll take the land north of Sun Dahan. My wife prefers quiet, and I think it’s a good choice as well.”  

Hongbing frowned. “Think this through carefully. That plot is quite remote and close to the mountains. It’s still 20 to 30 meters from Sun Dahan’s house. It’s quiet, but if something happens, the villagers might not hear anything.”  

Han Zhenyu replied firmly, “I’ve thought it through, Captain. That’s the one I want.”  

“Alright,” Hongbing agreed. “I’ll have someone measure it for you this afternoon. When do you plan to start building?”  

Han Zhenyu had intended to discuss getting a letter of introduction but used this opportunity to bring it up.  

“Captain, I’ll be leaving in two days, and my wife doesn’t know much about these matters. I’ll start building once I return.”  

Hongbing asked, “How long will you be gone this time?”  

“It’ll take a while, probably 10 to 20 days,” Han Zhenyu replied.  

Without further questions, Hongbing went into the inner room, retrieved some stamped letter paper and a pen, and began writing.  

The stamped letters were kept on hand specifically for Han Zhenyu since he frequently went out, saving him the trouble of visiting the brigade headquarters each time.  

Han Zhenyu accepted the letter of introduction and stood to thank him.  

Before leaving, he made a request. “Captain, I haven’t discussed splitting from the family with them yet. Please keep this a secret for now. I’m worried they’ll cause trouble for my wife if they know I’m away.”  

Han Hongbing nodded. “Got it. We’ll measure the land after you return.”  

“Thank you, Captain. I’ll take my leave now.”  

After seeing Han Zhenyu off, Hongbing returned to the kitchen, where his wife, Liu Guilan, was cooking.  

She pointed at the basket with delight. “Look at the pork elbow Zhenyu brought today, it’s so fatty, probably two or three pounds! And two cans of meat, too. These are rare treats.”  

Han Hongbing smiled and told her, “Salt the elbow for now. We’ll eat it in a few days. Also, plan to visit the city soon.”  

He knew someone might have seen Han Zhenyu arriving, and if they cooked meat that day, the aroma would spread, stirring up gossip.  

Liu Guilan understood immediately and nodded with a smile.  

Her husband had finally become captain, and she wouldn’t let anyone find fault with him.  

“Do you know what Zhenyu does outside?” she asked, a bit worried. “He seems capable, but are you sure he’s not involved in something shady, like the black market?”  

Liu Guilan feared that if Han Zhenyu were caught doing something illegal, it could implicate her husband, especially since he was the one providing the letters of introduction for Han Zhenyu’s travels.

Hongbing thought for a moment and replied, “He probably isn’t involved in the black market. I asked him before, and he said he was learning to drive from someone.”  

What Hongbing didn’t share was his understanding that most drivers did side jobs. Often, they transported goods back and forth for resale.  

If Han Zhenyu hadn’t shown himself to be steady and sensible, Han Hongbing wouldn’t have gone out of his way to issue him a letter of introduction for something so minor.  

But he kept this reasoning to himself to avoid worrying his wife.  

“Oh, driving is a really good skill to have. If he learns it well, he might even secure a stable job in the future,” Liu Guilan said, her tone full of admiration. Drivers were in high demand, and unless you had a good relationship with them, they wouldn’t agree to teach you.  

She curiously asked, “Who helped Zhenyu find such a good opportunity?”  

“I didn’t ask,” Hongbing replied. Noticing her interest, he frowned and added, “Why are you so nosy? What does it have to do with us? Go back to cooking, there’s plenty of work to do today.” With that, he turned and walked out with his hands behind his back.  

Liu Guilan laughed and teased, “You old rascal, let’s see how you eat the food I cook now!”  

—

By the time Han Zhenyu left the captain’s house, it was nearly dawn. Instead of going home, he headed directly to the homestead to find Sun Dahan and ask if he could help with brick-making.  

Han Zhenyu planned to leave early the day after tomorrow and needed to finalize arrangements for house construction within the next two days so work could begin as soon as he returned.  

The walk to the homestead took about seven or eight minutes.  

The area, once a large pear orchard owned by the village landlord Feng, had been confiscated during the reforms a few years back and turned into communal property. Now it was overgrown with weeds, dotted with a few crooked pear and jujube trees.  

Every harvest season, village children would come to pick the fruits that still grew there.  

Nearby, smoke rose from the kitchen chimney of Sun Dahan’s house, though the front gate was closed.  

On the eastern side of the property stood a dilapidated earthen house, its roof half-collapsed. It had once housed the landlord’s orchard caretakers but was now abandoned.  

After strolling around for a while, Han Zhenyu decided enough time had passed for Sun Dahan to have finished his meal, so he walked up and knocked on the gate.  

Sun Dahan’s eldest son, Tiezhu, opened the door. Upon seeing Han Zhenyu, he greeted him warmly, “Uncle Zhenyu! What brings you here? Come in, come in!”  

With a smile, Han Zhenyu asked, “Tiezhu, is your father home?”  

“Yes, he’s here,” Tiezhu replied, turning toward the yard and shouting, “Dad! Uncle Zhenyu is here!”  

Hearing this, Sun Dahan came out of the house immediately.  

He smiled as he approached and joked, “Well, well, a rare visitor indeed! What brings a busy man like you to my humble home?”  

Han Zhenyu followed Tiezhu into the yard, laughing heartily. “Brother Sun, you’re really something! Everyone in the village says I’m just a loafer with no proper work. But here I am, and suddenly I’m a busy man in your eyes. Are you teasing me?”  

Sun Dahan dismissed the village gossip with a scoff. “Why pay attention to those long-haired, short-sighted people? They have nothing better to do than gossip all day.”  

Han Zhenyu chuckled but didn’t dwell on the topic.  

He got to the point. “Brother Sun, I came here today to ask for your help.”  

Without hesitation, Sun Dahan said, “Whatever it is, as long as it’s within my power, consider it done.”