PCJ – Chapter 457 Mother and Son Reunite

The two children chatted for a while, and soon, Zhang Jiaohua fell into a deep sleep. Perhaps it was because he had been in a constant state of confusion for such a long time, he felt quite exhausted and slept soundly. When he finally woke up naturally, the day was already bright, and Liu Junchao had returned with a basket of pig feed.

Zhang Jiaohua sat up from the bed and put on his clothes. The clothes were Liu Junchao’s; he only had two sets of clothes that could be worn outside, and Zhang Jiaohua had worn one, leaving him with no spare clothes for the time being.

As soon as Zhang Jiaohua stepped outside, the county secretary’s assistant, Zhu Nianying, came over with a basin, cup, toothbrush, and towel—everything was brand new. “Zhang Jiaohua, your parents contacted us last night. The county has already arranged for people to guide them to the village. Please wash up first, Secretary Mao has arranged breakfast. After you finish, head to the village branch leader’s house.”

“I’ll just eat something at Grandpa Liu’s house,” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head.

“Didn’t Liu Junchao tell you? Liu Junchao and his grandfather are also going to the village branch leader’s house for breakfast. There won’t be any breakfast for you at their place,” Zhu Nianying smiled.

It was clear that the officials in Changfeng County had planned everything carefully. They had already noticed that Zhang Jiaohua seemed to dislike Liu Zhongyang, but since Liu Zhongyang’s house had the best conditions, if Zhang Jiaohua didn’t go there, it would be difficult to find a suitable household in Muyun Village to accommodate him.

Zhang Jiaohua, with his current cultivation, already had a self-cleaning ability. Not only did his skin remain free of dirt, but even his clothes were constantly cleaned by the Qi emitted from his body. Therefore, even without washing his face or brushing his teeth, he would not be any dirtier than others.

Otherwise, after eight months of traveling, his hair would have been shoulder-length. If it were someone else, they would probably have looked like a madman, disheveled and dirty, but Zhang Jiaohua’s hair, though uncombed, remained black and flowing, giving him a carefree and elegant appearance.

Not wanting to stand out too much, Zhang Jiaohua accepted the washing supplies, fetched some water from Liu Junchao’s family’s water jar, and washed up briefly, leaving the supplies behind.

As Zhang Jiaohua arrived at Liu Zhongyang’s house, Mao Baoshan approached him with concern. “Zhang Jiaohua, how did you sleep last night in these humble conditions?”

“It was fine. Liu Junchao’s house is similar to my home from before,” Zhang Jiaohua said without lying. Although Zhang Jiaohua’s family had been slightly better off than Liu Junchao’s, it wasn’t by much.

Mao Baoshan didn’t believe it, but he didn’t want to argue over this matter. He had merely wanted to show some enthusiasm.

“Breakfast is ready. Come, let’s eat,” Mao Baoshan led Zhang Jiaohua into the house.

The table was filled with a variety of dishes, clearly prepared with the intention of catering to Zhang Jiaohua’s tastes. Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t picky, so the food here was easy to satisfy him. However, he didn’t start eating.

“Is something wrong? Didn’t you like the breakfast? If you want something else, just tell us and we’ll prepare it,” Mao Baoshan quickly asked.

“The breakfast is fine. But Liu Junchao and his grandfather haven’t come yet. I’ll wait for them,” Zhang Jiaohua glanced around, but Liu Junchao and his grandfather were nowhere to be seen.

Mao Baoshan quickly asked Zhu Nianying, “Where are they? Didn’t I tell you to bring them here?”

“I called them, but they said they’d come after finishing their work,” Zhu Nianying wiped the sweat off her forehead.

“Hurry up and bring them here,” Mao Baoshan said, clearly dissatisfied with Zhu Nianying’s handling of the matter.

“I’ll go myself,” Liu Zhongyang volunteered.

“Go quickly! We must have them here,” Mao Baoshan urged.

Zhu Nianying didn’t dare to be lazy, immediately saying, “I’ll go too.”

Half an hour later, Liu Zhaodong and his grandson were finally brought in.

“Jiaohua, go ahead and eat. Us mountain folk are used to doing a bit of work in the morning before eating breakfast,” Liu Zhaodong said.

“Let’s eat together, it’ll taste better,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

“Yes, yes, it’s better when there are more people eating. When we were in the production team, I also worked in the fields. Though those days were hard, I still remember eating in the big canteen,” Mao Baoshan sighed.

Liu Junchao ate a little awkwardly, taking a small bite before hesitating, but Zhang Jiaohua could tell he actually wanted to eat more.

“Liu Junchao, it’s no fun eating in the house. Let’s eat outside,” Zhang Jiaohua said, scooping some rice cakes and buns into a bowl before heading outside.

“Don’t run too far,” Mao Baoshan warned, worried about any problems arising.

“We’ll just go to the pond pier ahead,” Zhang Jiaohua pointed to a pond not far away.

The pond had a washing pier where the village women would do laundry in the evening. Over the years, the stone slabs by the pier had been smoothed from constant use.

“Jiaohua, do you think we can finish all this?” Liu Junchao stared at the bowl full of food in Zhang Jiaohua’s hands, a little dazed.

“If we don’t finish it, we’ll feed it to the fish in the pond,” Zhang Jiaohua laughed.

“Feed it to the fish? That’s such a waste,” Liu Junchao scratched his head. Finally, he let go of his hesitation and began to eat.

The two of them finished the large bowl of food quickly, their bellies slightly bulging. They were growing boys, and when they ate without restraint, it could be quite astonishing.

After finishing, they didn’t rush back. They picked up a few broken tiles by the pond and started playing a game of floating them on the water. However, Liu Junchao was no match for Zhang Jiaohua. With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Jiaohua sent the tiles flying in perfect sequence, completely shattering Liu Junchao’s confidence.

“Don’t take life too seriously, or you’ll end up with no friends,” Zhang Jiaohua thought to himself. Can a cultivator really not have friends?

Just then, a car horn sounded in the village.

Zhang Jiaohua immediately realized. Were his parents finally here?

Suddenly, he felt his legs become heavy. Was this the feeling of being close to home?

“Jiaohua!” A shrill cry echoed throughout Muyun Village. At that moment, Liu Qiaoye was just an ordinary mother looking for her lost child.

“Mom!” Zhang Jiaohua also cried out. In that moment, there was no cultivator, just a lost child. His shoes, too big for him, flew off as he ran, but Zhang Jiaohua didn’t care. He ran barefoot towards the sound.

Liu Qiaoye stood on the schoolyard of Muyun Primary School, unsure of where to run. As soon as the car stopped, she began calling out loudly. She knew that as long as Jiaohua heard her voice, he would come running.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly followed her voice and soon saw Liu Qiaoye, who was eagerly looking in his direction.

He ran towards her and, with arms outstretched, was about to throw himself into her embrace.

“You… Who are you?” Liu Qiaoye was startled and took several steps back.