The most popular fruit was the wild cherries - large, sweet, and vibrantly red, followed by peaches. When the peach and cherry blossoms bloomed, the farmhouse also attracted visitors for flower viewing. The numbers were never overwhelming, though, as reservations kept capacity in check.
Meanwhile, after her divorce, Li Guizhen continued her small business with her sister. But because she was lazy and bad-tempered, her sister soon found other work. Running a business required persistence, and Li Guizhen’s frequent absences led to declining sales until she had to shut down altogether.
As for her and Li Mingyi, it was never meant to be. Maybe she knew deep down but refused to see it. If Li Mingyi had wanted to marry her, he would have done so over twenty years ago. His family was happy and stable, with no signs of divorce.
Women tend to be more emotional in relationships, while men are often more rational. Affairs are usually about escaping stress or seeking novelty—few take them seriously.
When Li Guizhen harassed Li Mingyi, he avoided her like the plague. Though his wife was furious about the affair, she didn’t divorce him. After all, their children were grown.
They had been married for nearly twenty years, with a family and children. Li Guizhen had nothing. If she could cheat once, who dared to say she wouldn’t again? In the end, she drew water with a bamboo basket - all for nothing. It was all just delusion.
[竹篮打水一场空 (zhú lán dǎ shuǐ yī chǎng kōng): lit. Drawing water with a bamboo basket leaves one empty-handed; fig. Futile effort]
Hearing that the Yang family’s farmhouse was doing well, Li Guizhen came looking for Yang Jianjun. But he ignored her, and Yang Jiabo was coldly dismissive, refusing all her requests.
Since the divorce, Yang Jiabo had distanced himself from the Li family. Only his second and third cousins, whom he got along with, stayed in touch, along with his honest and hardworking second uncle, who helped out occasionally.
Neither of these cousins was an only child, and their families played favorites, leaving them in tough spots. With Wei Changdong’s help, Yang Jiabo got the second cousin enlisted in the military in 2003, while the third cousin, after finishing middle school, worked hard selling beverages to small shops.
Yang Qing was now in high school. When he took his middle school entrance exams, his grades were too poor for anything but Class 3’s accelerated track, which was mediocre at best. But after three years of effort, he tested into High School 1. When Yang Jiabo treated the relatives to a meal to celebrate, their jaws nearly hit the floor.
His Eldest Uncle, a proud man, had always said dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and rats’ sons only knew how to dig holes. Now the rat’s son, Yang Qing had gotten into High School 1, while his own dragon’s son, Yan Ruofei had only managed to attend as a paid transfer student. The Eldest Uncle's face was thoroughly slapped.
[龙生龙凤生凤，老鼠儿子会打洞 (lóng shēng lóng, fèng shēng fèng, lǎo shǔ ér zi huì dǎ dòng): lit. Dragons breed dragons, phoenixes breed phoenixes, and rats’ sons know how to dig holes; fig. Like father, like son.]
Still, Yan Ruofei, Yang Jiabo, Yang Qing, and their cousin Lin Rui got along well, unaffected by the adults’ conflicts. Whenever they had free time, they gathered at Yang Jiabo’s place, having so much fun they forgot to return home.
Over the years, Yang Jianguo occasionally visited Yang Qing, usually just mooching a meal before disappearing. Rumor had it he had scammed many people out of money, and some were hunting him down, vowing to break his legs. Strangely, though, no police reports were ever filed, and no officers came asking questions.
By now, Wei Jing had earned his master’s degree and returned to China. Yang Jiabo had upgraded to a flip phone - the kind that could shatter into pieces but still be snapped back together. The farmhouse had also gotten internet and a computer.
“Dad, Brother Jing will be here in a couple of days. If you have time, could you prepare some of his favorite fruits?” Yang Jiabo was overjoyed. Despite the distance, their relationship had only grown stronger over the years.
Even Wei Feng was a little jealous, joking that they were the real brothers and he must have been adopted. Somehow, Grandpa Wei had brainwashed him into becoming a fervently patriotic youth, he’d enlisted in military school without prompting and would soon join the People’s Liberation Army.
“Got it. Is he staying for good this time?” Yang Jianjun asked.
“Yeah, he said he started a company with friends and plans to stay in Beijing.” Yang Jiabo wasn’t entirely clear on the details.
“Beijing’s still not exactly close,” Yang Jianjun sighed.
“But there’s more opportunity there. A small place like ours is better for retirement.”
“What’s wrong with small places? Retirement spots are good too. Our climate’s mild, no water shortages, no major natural disasters. Even last year’s epidemic didn’t reach us.” Yang Jianjun had deep affection for his hometown.
“You’re right,” Yang Jiabo nodded.
“Brother Jiajia! Brother!” Yang Qing’s loud voice came from outside. It was the weekend, so he wasn’t in school.
“Yang Qing, you’re not a kid anymore, stop yelling,” Yang Jiabo chided, though he was just as bad - just hypocritical about it.
“Don’t scold me, just come out and see who’s here!”
