PCJ – Chapter 498 Strong Feelings of Home

“Jiaohua is back!” No one knew who shouted, but the whole Meizitang village became lively. Everyone ran out of their homes.

Zhang Yuanbao and the Mute rushed forward.

“Jiaohua, you finally came back! You’ve been gone so long, where have you been? Don’t you know we’ve missed you so much?” Zhang Yuanbao patted Jiaohua on the back several times.

The mute nervously twisted the corner of his shirt. “Jiaohua, we’re going to start high school next semester. Are you coming back to school?”

Zhang Jiaohua smiled. “You guys focus on your exams. I’ve been studying in the capital. You all keep working hard, and one day, we’ll all go to the capital together. I’ll be waiting for you!”

“Alright, I’ll definitely study hard.” Zhang Yuanbao was determined. He had repeated the 9th grade twice and finally passed the high school entrance exam this year, landing a spot at Xintian No. 1 High School, a provincial key school.

Zhang Manyin and Ma Donghua also came out to greet him.

“Jiaohua, why do you always run off? If Grandpa and Grandma couldn’t hold on one day, how would we see you? You don’t even call when you’re out there so we know you’re safe,” Ma Donghua couldn’t help but cry.

Zhang Manyin smiled broadly. “You’ve grown taller, just like Ping. Back in the day, you could have already gotten a wife.”

“Uncle Manyin, hurry and find Jiaohua a wife, so this guy doesn’t keep running around,” Zhang Qigao laughed.

“Qigao, haven’t you forgotten who helped you cross the bridge?” Jiaohua said with some dissatisfaction.

“Who could forget? I’m not talking bad about you. What I’m saying is true. You don’t understand the benefits of getting a wife yet, but when you do… Ah, anyway, remember, you have to show me some respect when you’re out there!” Zhang Qigao rambled on, but was quickly silenced by a sharp tug on his ear from Xie Chun’e.

“You’re too shameless! Jiaohua is still so young, what are you telling him? If you teach him badly, the people of Meizitang will break your bones!” Xie Chun’e knew how to keep the balance.

Everyone burst into laughter. Zhang Qigao’s words weren’t entirely inappropriate either. Every kid in the village had heard their fair share of off-color jokes.

Zhang Jingbing quickly took Jiaohua’s luggage. “Jiaohua, the capital is full of delicious food, and you’re only carrying this small bag. It’s hardly enough. When the villagers come, can we give each of them a share?”

“These are all for my mom. If you want some, come to the capital with me. Anyway, your sister-in-law is filming there. You can ask her for some,” Jiaohua joked.

In the countryside, jokes about little sisters were abundant, but Zhang Jingbing dared not speak back. Although his father-in-law wasn’t as skilled as Jiaohua, teaching him a lesson was easy. Ever since they became family, they’d had a few arguments, and each time, he had been taught a lesson by Chen Dianzi.

“Did you see Chen Cheng in the capital?” Zhang Jingbing asked curiously.

“Look at that! Zhang Jingbing is still thinking about his sister-in-law!” Zhang Qigao immediately teased.

Although everyone knew Zhang Qigao wouldn’t have any connection with that famous movie star sister-in-law, it didn’t stop them from having fun teasing him about it.

“Stop talking nonsense!” Zhang Jingbing looked nervously at Chen Fenglian, who was laughing on the side.

Jiaohua looked around the crowd, but didn’t see Chen Dianzi. He must have been with his wife on the other side of the mountain. Since finding his wife, the couple had become more affectionate than any young pair.

In the months since Jiaohua had left, Meizitang had changed. Many houses had been renovated, and the village looked much more organized and picturesque, clearly planned by professionals. The villagers were no longer content with just new houses; they wanted a more comfortable environment.

Amid the crowd, Jiaohua’s family finally arrived home. His bed was covered with new bedding, though the room’s layout remained unchanged.

“If you don’t come back, I’m going to report you missing at the police station, and then apply for a birth certificate to have another one. See if you dare to run away again,” Liu Qiaoye was still a bit angry at her son.

“If you have another one, I’ll have a companion,” Jiaohua laughed.

“You little rascal, always making jokes,” Liu Qiaoye couldn’t help but smile despite herself.

“If it weren’t for your sister Hao Yue, we would never have known you went to the capital. Thanks to Hao Yue, you could study there. You need to study hard now, and stop running around, okay?” Liu Qiaoye was very grateful to Fu Cha Hao Yue.

“I know,” Jiaohua scratched his head.

“Remember, if anyone needs help, you should help them. Never forget their kindness. Understand?” Liu Qiaoye repeated her lesson.

“Yes, yes, Mom, you’ve mentioned Hao Yue so many times. Can you take a break?” Jiaohua felt a bit overwhelmed.

“What a pity, Hao Yue is much older than you. If she were your age, it would be perfect. When you grow up, marry a woman like her, and you’ll live a blessed life.” Liu Qiaoye’s imagination ran wild.

Jiaohua’s eyes widened. “Mom, are you out of your mind? I’m still in middle school. Hao Yue is already a researcher, and she has a boyfriend. You really think like this?”

“I mean, when you grow up, marry a woman like Hao Yue. By the way, does Hao Yue have a younger sister?” Liu Qiaoye suddenly thought of something important.

Jiaohua rolled his eyes. “She’s an only child. Her family followed the government’s call to only have one child.”

“What a shame,” Liu Qiaoye sighed.

“The family I stayed with has a nice guy, an only child too, with no younger sisters. If they had one, I’d never marry her,” Jiaohua laughed.

Liu Qiaoye tapped Jiaohua’s head. “You smooth talker.”

Once Jiaohua was home, he felt something was missing and suddenly remembered his old friends—Zuan Shanniao, Fei Mao, and Pang Hou.

“Where’s the leopard?” Jiaohua quickly asked.

“Since you left, the leopard has been taking the mountain dogs up the mountain, only coming back at night. Fei Mao also went into the mountains. Pang Hou stays in the village, but by now, he should be in the peach orchard. The peaches are ripe, and visitors like to pick them. He’s probably guarding the peaches,” Liu Qiaoye laughed.

Just then, Jiaohua heard Pang Hou’s familiar chirping and rushed outside. He saw a much taller monkey with a military green backpack, tilting its head as it looked at Jiaohua.

“Xiao Pang!” Jiaohua happily shouted.

Pang Hou immediately ran over, hugging Jiaohua and rubbing its head against him. Then, it pulled out a big water cherry from its backpack, wiped it on its body, and handed it to Jiaohua with a chirp, urging him to try it.

Jiaohua took it, not minding the dirt, and bit into it. The peach juice filled his mouth, sweet and fragrant. “Delicious, delicious.”

Pang Hou, delighted by the praise, jumped up happily.

Usually, the leopard would return only after dark, but today, it was early. It seemed to sense everything happening in Meizitang, even from the mountains.

The leopard had grown much taller and stronger. It no longer took long to recognize Jiaohua, as it could smell him from afar.

“Hmph!” The leopard ran to Jiaohua and nuzzled against his leg.

Jiaohua squatted down and gently stroked the leopard’s head. “Leopard, it’s been a while. How have you been? What about Fei Mao? Does it know I’m back?”

The leopard nodded. Whether it understood or not, Jiaohua would soon find out.

With the help of a mountain dog, Fei Mao quickly returned. Fei Mao hadn’t changed much—still as fat as before, neither gaining nor losing weight. But Jiaohua could see the joy in its eyes from their reunion.

“You fatso, you should lose some weight. What if a tiger comes? You can’t run fast and it’ll eat you. What will you do?” Jiaohua teased, but it was a sign of concern.

Fei Mao bared its claws, pretending to be fierce. It was clear that in the Meishan, it was a powerful figure. Even a tiger would have to treat it respectfully.

Back at Meizi’ao, Jiaohua felt a deep sense of relief. The past few days of playing with his old friends and roaming the Meishan mountains had been incredibly fun.

Although the progress of his Taoist cultivation was slow, it was gradually improving. The Yin-Yang Xuanpin Chariot in the Lower Dantian was almost fully visualized, but the two children operating the waterwheels on the chariot remained a challenge.

Once the children were visualized, the creek would flow upward, marking the true beginning of the cultivation process. This would connect the water with fire, and the two energies would interact to create all things. When that happened, the living beings in the cultivation chart would become easier to visualize.

Unable to visualize the children just yet, Jiaohua wasn’t in a hurry. He decided to fully visualize everything else in his Lower Dantian first, and when the time was right, he would work on the children.

Days passed, and the rice fields turned golden. Meizi’ao was about to enjoy another bountiful harvest. Heaven had given its blessings, and the hardworking villagers would be rewarded. Although the rice fields were no longer the village’s main source of livelihood, the golden rice still held great value for the villagers. The traditional farming habits had remained intact in Meizitang.