CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: RETURN HOME

Bamboo Village, located on the outskirts of the North Suburb, is famous for its abundant bamboo.

Generations of villagers have depended on bamboo for their livelihood, which is why early in the morning, a group of village women could be seen sitting in the central open space, weaving bamboo.

However, unlike their usual focused weaving, today they seemed distracted, glancing toward the village entrance from time to time.

After all, today was the Mid-Autumn Festival—a day for family reunions!

"Hey! Did you all hear? Gou Dan from Granny Zhang’s family is back home today!"

"Gou Dan? The one who left to work in the city?"

"Exactly! And let me tell you, Gou Dan really made something of himself this time. He came back with a big color TV for his family—it’s one of those modern LCD ones that hangs on the wall like a painting!"

"Really? A color TV that can hang on a wall?"

"Why would I lie? See, Granny Zhang is coming over now. Look at how smug she looks, she walks as if she’s dancing!"

As the women chatted, they saw Granny Zhang, slightly chubby and cheerful, walking up with a big smile.

"Hey there, ladies! What are you all talking about?" Granny Zhang asked, beaming with pride as soon as she arrived.

"What are we talking about? Of course, we’re talking about your boy Gou Dan! He’s done well for himself, huh? Bringing home a big color TV!" one of the women immediately responded with a smile.

"Oh, come now!"

Granny Zhang waved her hand modestly, chuckling: "That boy Gou Dan, he almost never comes home to see us old folks. Sure, he brought back a television worth tens of thousands, but it doesn’t compare to him visiting more often! Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!"

"Tens of thousands? Oh my goodness! That’s incredible!"

Hearing Granny Zhang’s words, the women immediately burst into chatter, pulling her into their circle, full of envy as they pressed her for details.

However, there was one woman, with delicate features but simple clothing, who continued weaving bamboo quietly without joining in.

Granny Zhang noticed this and frowned slightly before deliberately speaking loudly with a snicker: "Oh my! Xiao Fei’s mother over there—our village’s only college student Xiao Fei—he hasn’t come back home today either?"

The moment she uttered this, all eyes turned toward the modestly dressed woman.

That woman was none other than Ye Fei’s mother, Su Hongyun.

Su Hongyun’s hands trembled slightly, and she slowly set down the bamboo, murmuring softly: "Xiao Fei is busy with university, and coming back costs quite a bit, so... so I didn’t ask him to come back."

"You didn’t ask? Or he simply didn’t want to come back?"

Granny Zhang smirked triumphantly, seeing Su Hongyun’s somewhat anxious expression. "Xiao Fei’s mother, let me tell you—it’s all well and good to have a college-educated son, but what’s the use of it? People from our village won’t learn much in the city anyway. City kids are so much smarter! Can’t compete, really. Your boy would’ve been better off following Gou Dan’s example and doing business!"

"Doing business? Gou Dan is in business now? No wonder he could afford a TV worth tens of thousands!"

"Wow! Gou Dan really is impressive, Granny Zhang, you are so lucky!"

"Granny Zhang, my daughter’s eighteen this year. Isn’t it time for Gou Dan to settle down?"

To these middle-aged village women, Gou Dan—making money doing business—was unquestionably outstanding.

So upon hearing Granny Zhang speak, the group immediately began swarming her with praises and sycophantic remarks, making her laugh uncontrollably.

Watching the scene, Su Hongyun could only sigh softly and continue weaving bamboo with her head down.

Honk! Honk!

Suddenly, car horns rang out at the village entrance, drawing everyone’s attention.

In Bamboo Village, seeing a car was a truly rare event.

Someone immediately turned to Granny Zhang and said, "Granny Zhang, could that be Gou Dan’s car? He’s the only one in our village who’s made something of himself—hasn’t he?"

Granny Zhang hadn’t seen her son in a while, and despite hearing about his business ventures, she didn’t actually know the specifics, let alone whether he owned a car.

Nonetheless, hearing the villagers’ comments, coupled with the fact that only her son could afford fancy things like a big color TV, she quickly beamed and said, "Of course! Naturally, only Gou Dan from our village could afford a car! Look how stylish it looks! Perhaps my boy’s brought home more goodies!"

Saying that, Granny Zhang hurried toward the sleek black Mercedes pulling into the village entrance. As she walked, she grinned and said, "Son! I told you not to buy so many things, but you never listen. Where will we even store it all at home..."

Her words trailed off as Granny Zhang suddenly froze in her tracks.

The Mercedes had stopped, and two men stepped out of the vehicle.

However, neither of them was her son Gou Dan. Instead, one of them, a young man, looked somewhat familiar.

The villagers, also familiar with Gou Dan, saw the two men and looked puzzled.

For a brief moment, the bustling village fell completely silent.

Then, someone suddenly shouted, "Oh my goodness! Isn’t that Xiao Fei? Is that really Xiao Fei?"

Indeed!

The visitors were none other than Ye Fei and Master Ma, returning from Yuntai.

Ye Fei grinned upon hearing himself recognized, and said, "Aunt Wu, it’s me! Xiao Fei!"

"Oh my goodness! This is incredible! Xiao Fei’s mother, come quick! Your Xiao Fei is home! And he came back in a fancy car!" Aunt Wu exclaimed and shouted towards Su Hongyun, still weaving bamboo.

Crash!

The bundle of bamboo fell to the ground near Su Hongyun’s feet as she trembled. Slowly, she walked over.

"Xiao Fei, is...is that you? You’re back?" Su Hongyun asked, her voice shaking.

Ye Fei’s eyes instantly turned red.

He took long strides forward and suddenly knelt down before her.

In this moment, he was no longer the mysterious Ye Fei of Yuntai, no longer the high and mighty Cultivator with boundless mana.

In this moment, he was simply a son—a son returning home after a long absence to reunite with his mother.

"Mom, I’m back!" Ye Fei shouted emotionally.

Hearing this, Su Hongyun instantly pulled Ye Fei into an embrace, saying, "Welcome home! Welcome home! Mom missed you so much!"

The villagers, watching Ye Fei reunite with his mother, all looked genuinely delighted.

But Granny Zhang’s expression was filled with frustration.

She hadn’t forgotten how she had mocked Su Hongyun earlier. Now, she was the one humiliated most of all.

The one who ridiculed Su Hongyun was her, and now the one being utterly embarrassed was also her.

Granny Zhang clenched her teeth and huffed, "Well! Xiao Fei, aren’t you the one who’s always reluctant to spend money coming back home? Whose fancy car did you hitch a ride on today? Care to introduce us, so we can all get a little glimpse of city life?"