Chapter 56 : Han Zhenyu’s Helplessness

It was already very late when Han Zhenyu and Li Shaohua finished handling the goods they had brought back.  

After dividing the earnings, Li Shaohua checked his watch it was nearly ten o’clock.  

He suggested, “Why don’t you stay in the dormitory tonight and leave early tomorrow morning?”  

“I’d better head back to the village. My family is building a house, and I can help out if I get there early,” Han Zhenyu replied.  

He slung a bag over the bicycle parked nearby and, without hesitation, said to Li Shaohua, “Lend me your bicycle. You can walk back to the factory.”  

Pointing to a pocket of items next to him, he added, “Don’t forget to take your stuff.”  

Li Shaohua groaned. “You could at least give me a ride. It’ll be so late by the time I get back, and my wife is waiting for me at home.”  

“If you run fast, you’ll be at the factory in no time,” Han Zhenyu teased. “A good warm-up on the way won’t hurt, and it won’t delay your… uh… ‘battle’ at home either.”  

Before Li Shaohua could retort, Han Zhenyu was already pedaling away on the bicycle, leaving him standing there, cursing.  

“I’ve never seen you this eager to get home before. Marriage really changes people. Now you’re always racing home in the middle of the night.”  

Grumbling, Li Shaohua picked up the bag on the ground. “Damn, why is this so heavy?”  

The bag was full of goods Han Zhenyu had left for his second uncle’s family. When Li Shaohua opened it, he found two strips of bacon, seven or eight dried fish, and some canned food from the south, along with half a bag of other items from their trip.  

“You’re really generous,” Li Shaohua muttered to himself.  

Having worked with Han Zhenyu for a year, Li Shaohua had come to admire him deeply. Despite being younger, Han Zhenyu had a knack for handling situations with exceptional skill and composure.  

Even Li Shaohua’s second uncle often sang Han Zhenyu’s praises, and his usually critical second aunt spoke highly of him too. She called him magnanimous, quick-witted, and definitely a cut above the ordinary. She even encouraged Li Shaohua to learn from him.  

While Li Shaohua didn’t take his second uncle’s opinions too seriously, his aunt’s words carried weight.  

Nowadays, whenever he went out with Han Zhenyu, Li Shaohua made it a habit to seek his advice. The two had grown quite close, and Li Shaohua was even considering asking to become sworn brothers with him.  

But he wasn’t sure if Han Zhenyu would agree.  

Meanwhile, Han Zhenyu rode at full speed, reaching the village in just over 20 minutes.  

Instead of stopping at the brigade headquarters, he headed straight to the new house his family was building.  

When he had left, the site was just a flat piece of land. Now, a small courtyard stood in its place.  

The outer gate hadn’t been installed yet, so he pushed the bicycle directly into the yard.  

The main house’s doors and windows were in place, and a lock hung on the front door.  

Standing in the courtyard, Han Zhenyu lingered for a moment before heading to the adobe house where his grandfather and uncle were staying. He planned to share a room with his uncle for the night.  

Inside, Grandpa Du and Uncle Du had already gone to bed. Hearing noises outside, they immediately thought someone was trying to steal something.  

Uncle Du grabbed a hatchet from the table, while Grandpa Du reached for a stick behind the door and called out, “Who’s there?”  

“Grandpa, Uncle, it’s me. I’m back,” Han Zhenyu called.  

“Zhenyu?” Uncle Du quickly opened the door. Seeing his nephew, he exclaimed in surprise, “When did you get back?”

Han Zhenyu brought his bicycle into the house and said, “Uncle, I arrived at the factory this afternoon. I did some work in the city and just got back.”  

Uncle Du was about to ask why he came back so late since the roads weren’t safe. He was about to suggest staying at the factory for the night and returning the next day.  

But then it occurred to him that his nephew had only been married for half a year. The couple hadn’t seen each other in a while, how could he stay at the factory?  

So instead, he asked, “Why are you coming here instead of going home to rest?”  

Han Zhenyu paused and said, “I wanted to check on how the house is coming along.”  

Grandpa Du smiled and replied, “It’s almost done. Tomorrow we’ll build the stove, level the yard, and install the gate. After a few days of drying, we can move in.”  

“How is it so fast? I thought it would take a few more days to finish,” Han Zhenyu remarked, adding, “Grandpa, Uncle, thank you for your hard work.”  

“It’s no trouble at all. I’m just happy to see it come together,” Grandpa Du said, pulling Han Zhenyu to sit on the bed. “Are you hungry? I’ll get you something to eat.”  

Uncle Du lit a kerosene lamp and poured him a bowl of water.  

“Grandpa, Uncle, don’t trouble yourselves. I already ate before coming back,” Han Zhenyu reassured them.  

Despite his words, Grandpa Du took down a basket hanging from the beam, lifted the cloth covering it, and brought out some cookies and peach cakes.  

“Your wife bought these for me,” he said with a proud smile. “I told her I didn’t need them, but she didn’t listen. Every time she went to the city, she brought me a bag of treats.”  

As Grandpa Du spoke, his tone carried a hint of boasting.  

He handed a cookie to Han Zhenyu. “Try this it’s fragrant, crispy, and tastes even better than the ones you used to bring.”  

Han Zhenyu felt both amused and surprised. It had been less than 20 days since he left, and Su Xieqiu was already getting along so well with his grandfather?  

He took a bite of the cookie. It had a rich milky flavor and a soft texture, indeed better than what he had brought before.  

Snacks of this quality weren’t sold at the small county supply and marketing cooperatives, and they were rarely found even on the black market. He wondered where Su Xieqiu had managed to buy them.  

Uncle Du couldn’t resist taking one for himself. As he ate, he praised Su Xieqiu.  

“Zhenyu, your wife is wonderful filial, hardworking, and a great cook. Now that the house is built, you two should settle into a good life. We’ll be relieved when there’s a baby next year.”  

Han Zhenyu didn’t respond, only smiled.  

Seeing that he’d eaten the snacks and drank the water but showed no signs of leaving, Uncle Du decided to nudge him out.  

“It’s getting late. Go back and rest. Your grandfather and I need to sleep too, we have to be up early tomorrow to build the stove.”  

Han Zhenyu considered staying the night there, but the room only had two narrow beds. Since neither Grandpa nor Uncle invited him to stay, he didn’t insist.  

He grabbed a bag from the bicycle’s back seat and said, “Grandpa, Uncle, I brought some southern specialties. I’ll leave them here. Uncle, you can take some tomorrow, and Grandpa can take some when he heads back.”  

“Got it. Now hurry back,” Uncle Du said, opening the door.  

Realizing his uncle was eager to send him off, Han Zhenyu sighed softly and pushed his bicycle out.  

“Grandpa, Uncle, I’m leaving now,” he said.  

“Alright, alright,” Uncle Du replied, shutting the door with a firm slam before he even finished speaking.  

Standing in silence outside the closed door, Han Zhenyu stared at it for a moment before mounting his bicycle. He rode slowly through the quiet village, heading toward home.