FID – Chapter 563

Chapter 563: Returning to the Village

“Zhiqiu! Zhiqiu! Is our Blessed Nannan coming back?”

Among the crowd, the most enthusiastic was Dahua, who squeezed in excitedly, his face full of joy.

Behind him, Dafu and the others gathered in groups, all staring intently at Liu Zhiqiu.

“That’s right, they’re on the way back! Aunt Hong got the news last night—not just my sister, but my eldest brother and the rest of them too!” Liu Zhiqiu propped a bamboo pole on his shoulder with one hand and rested the other on his hip. “This time, it’s truly bringing honor to our ancestors! My eldest brother, Zhixia, has been appointed as the prefect of Yunzhou! That’s huge news! When we set off the firecrackers later, everyone, grab one—we’re going to make this as lively as possible!”

Hopefully, they’d scare his brother out of his wits—hahaha!

“Don’t worry, making noise is what we do best!” Dahua pounded his chest confidently and took a string of firecrackers from Dabao. “Back in the day, when I got beaten up in town, I sneaked over to the guy’s house in the middle of the night and threw firecrackers at his door. Nailed it every time! Scared his whole family so bad that his wife and kids cried for their lives—”

Dafu smacked him upside the head. “Get lost! We’re celebrating here, not settling old scores! And quit bragging about your past ‘glories.’ You got caught setting off those firecrackers, almost had both your legs broken, and had to be carried back by the village chief and his men!”

“…Dafu, can we not bring up those embarrassing scenarios?”

All the Xinghua villagers burst into laughter.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Liu Zhiqiu was practically beaming today.

Grandpa and Grandma are back, Uncle and Aunt are back, Nannan is back, and his eldest brother even brought home a sister-in-law—with a baby on the way! 

The house was about to get lively again.

Life was good.

As long as his elder brother didn’t screw him over, he wouldn’t hold grudges about the past.

After all, his brother had contributed greatly to the Liu family by expanding their lineage—big merits indeed.

Shuanzi sneaked up to Liu Zhiqiu, gave him a nudge, and whispered, “Brother Zhiqiu, now that Grandpa and Grandma are back, what about your fifty-thousand-tael debt? Have you saved up enough silver?”

“…” Liu Zhiqiu’s face went blank as he turned to Shuanzi. “Can you not kill the mood?”

That hasn’t popped into his head until now.

Now that it was brought up, he felt like his whole body was falling apart—his backside especially!

Looking at the firecrackers in everyone’s hands, he had a strong feeling that once they exploded, his butt would suffer the same fate.

“Zhiqiu, any news? Have your grandparents come back yet?”

From within the village, Du Juan and her husband had just finished cleaning up the courtyard. As soon as they were done, she rushed over to ask.

“Not yet. Aunt Hong said they’d be back in the afternoon, so they should be here soon,” Liu Zhiqiu replied.

Just as he finished speaking, a commotion stirred in the crowd.

“Look! A carriage! They’re here, they’re here!”

“It must be Nannan and Zhixia!”

“Oh my! Look closely—there’s an official emblem on the carriage! Isn’t Zhixia a government official now? It has to be them!”

The Liu family of three looked up as a carriage sped toward them from outside the village. The sound of horse hooves clattered against the ground, and the official emblem imprinted on the carriage curtain swayed continuously with the motion.

“Quick! Hurry up! Light the firecrackers!” Dahua and the others shouted excitedly, grabbing flint to ignite the fuse.

Liu Zhiqiu rushed forward and smacked their hands down. “Wait, wait, wait! Not now! You’re gonna scare me to death! If you set them off now, you’ll startle the horse, and my brother’s carriage will flip before even entering the village! Do you have any common sense?!”

Damn it, that carriage was filled with their family’s most precious people!

At Liu Zhiqiu’s loud warning, everyone who had been about to light the firecrackers wiped the sweat off their foreheads.

That was close!

Liu Zhiqiu squeezed through the crowd, stepped forward, waved his bamboo pole, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Grandpa! Grandma! Uncle! Aunt! Nannan! Big Brother! Sister-in-law! Xiao Jinzi! Xue Qinglian! Is that you? Get out of the carriage! The road ahead is closed!”

The crowd, “…”

The carriage slowed down as it approached the village entrance, eventually coming to a gradual stop in front of them.

The first to jump out of the carriage was Qian Wanjin. Seeing the grand setup at the village entrance, he was immediately pleased. “Oh wow, what a spectacle… You folks are too kind! No need to go through so much trouble in the future—just a welcome party of a few dozen people will do!”

A large hand shoved Qian Wanjin aside from behind. “Move over! We’re at the doorstep, and you’re still clowning around!”

Grandpa Liu poked his head out from inside the carriage and, with Qian Wanjin’s help, carefully got down.

Liu Erlin took one look at the people inside and outside the carriage, his grin stretching all the way to his ears. He quickly stepped forward with Du Juan and Liu Zhiqiu to help everyone down one by one.

“Father, Mother, you’re finally back!”

Like a big baby.

“Grandpa! Grandma! I missed you so much!” Liu Zhiqiu squeezed up to the elderly couple, grinning fawningly while diligently massaging their shoulders and back.

“Did you do something wrong and you’re afraid of getting punished?” Grandma Liu swatted his hands away and gave him a sidelong glance, smiling knowingly.

“How could that be? I really just missed you both! Grandma, since I was little, I’ve never been apart from you for this long!” Cold sweat broke out on Liu Zhiqiu’s back.

Only Liu Yusheng and Liu Erlin’s family knew the real reason, struggling to hold back their laughter.

As they watched Liu Zhiqiu work hard to please the elders, they also took the opportunity to greet the fellow villagers.

The villagers had been waiting for a while. Seeing that everyone had gotten off the carriage, they immediately started cheering and making a ruckus.

“Brother, sister-in-law, hurry up and send the carriage back first! We’re getting ready to set off the firecrackers! Zhixia has become an official, and Nannan is engaged—these are joyous occasions that must be properly celebrated!”

Their villages were all clustered together, so once the firecrackers went off, the sound would carry across the neighboring villages.

Let everyone around them feel their joy and excitement.

“Alright, give us a moment! My granddaughter-in-law is pregnant, so we can’t startle her. Let her ride the carriage back first, and us two elders will stay and celebrate with you all!” Grandpa Liu laughed heartily. 

He then instructed a few young men to unload the gifts prepared in the carriage and distribute them to the gathered villagers.

Ever since stepping out of the carriage, Fu Yuzheng had been soaking in the warmth of this close-knit village. A bright smile spread across her face.

From this moment on, this place was her home, too—her and Zhixia’s home.

“You head back first, and when the firecrackers go off, cover your ears,” the man beside her gently reminded her, watching as she got back into the carriage and rode into the village.

Seeing this, a few childhood friends standing nearby couldn’t help but tease, “Zhixia used to be all cold and distant, but now he’s got a wife and is about to be a dad—look at him, all caring and considerate! Hahaha!”

Glancing at them, Liu Zhixia curled his lips into a smile. “Laugh all you want—your turn will come one day.”

The firecrackers went off.

The deafening pops and bangs echoed through the sky above Xinghua Village, carrying far, far away.

Standing beside her grandparents and parents, Liu Yusheng watched the joyful faces around her through the lingering smoke. She could feel the genuine happiness radiating from them, warming her heart and filling her with a deep sense of peace.

This was what it felt like to be home.

After experiencing the storms outside and witnessing the countless calculations of human nature, this simplicity and sincerity felt even more precious.

It wasn’t just her grandparents and parents who loved their hometown—she did too.

Everyone present, whether from Xinghua Village or the neighboring Xiapo Village, received a gift.

No matter how small, the thought behind it was what mattered.

Smiles spread across every face.

No matter how high the Liu family’s status rose, the people in the Liu family’s courtyard would never change. From beginning to end, they would always be the same.

Their hearts remained as they had always been.