"Although you’re not in a hurry, your dad and I are getting older, and we’re both waiting to hold a grandchild!"

Huang Yufen couldn’t help but give Wang Hao a white look.

"Ah, Mom, I’m only twenty-three this year, just graduated from college not long ago. The country is advocating for later marriage and childbirth; what’s the rush?"

Wang Hao really couldn’t understand, his own age was still young, and his parents weren’t at the point where they couldn’t move; how could they be so anxious!

"What? The state is still regulating when ordinary people get married and have children?"

Huang Yufen, a daughter of rural parents, had no clue about national policies, for people of her generation married and had kids as young as fifteen or sixteen, and most marriages were arranged by their parents.

Nowadays, there’s so much meddling.

"Mom, we’re law-abiding citizens now, of course, we have to follow the national policy, so you don’t have to worry!"

Wang Hao didn’t want to continue the topic, so he pretended to be pitiful, touching his stomach.

"Mom, I rushed back early in the morning and didn’t even have time for breakfast. I’m so hungry my stomach is sticking to my back. Did you buy anything good to eat when you went to town?"

As soon as Huang Yufen heard her son was hungry, she didn’t nag him anymore and directly took a tomato out of her basket and handed it to Wang Hao.

"Here, eat this to tide you over. I’ll go make you something delicious right away."

Just as Wang Hao took the tomato, Huang Yufen went into the house to start preparing lunch.

"Phew—"

It was only then that Wang Hao heaved a sigh of relief. Not caring whether the tomato was clean, he bit into it directly, his "Heart of the Dragon" energy protecting him.

Even if the tomato had been smeared with poison, he wouldn’t be afraid, let alone worried about pesticide residue or dirt on its surface.

It had been a long time since he’d eaten a raw tomato, and the taste was surprisingly good.

Wang Hao, eating the tomato, walked into the room and saw Wang Dazhu sitting in a lounge chair, puffing away in gloom, as if harboring some trouble within, his gaze fixed on one spot immobile.

One cigarette followed another, and the whole room was filled with the smell of smoke.

"Dad, what’s wrong with you? What are you thinking about? Has something happened?"

Wang Hao approached Wang Dazhu and asked with concern.

When they were poor, as school time approached each year, Wang Hao would see his father sitting in a chair, smoking silently alone, so he knew when he saw this scene, that his dad must be troubled.

"Do you remember you have an uncle?"

Wang Dazhu suddenly turned his head and asked.

"An uncle? Is that the one who absolutely refused to agree to mom marrying you? The one who, after my grandparents died, sold all valuable things in the house and then disappeared without a trace?"

Wang Hao had occasionally heard about this uncle from his parents’ conversations. He had never met him since his uncle had left the village before he was born.

"I remember you mentioned to mom that he borrowed money before he left, took all our savings and then vanished, right?"

Wang Hao asked uncertainly.

"Yes, that’s why, your mom fell ill from anger, and even now, she still suffers because of it."

Wang Dazhu took another fierce draw from his cigarette, clearly holding no fondness for this older brother of his.

"What’s the matter now? Don’t tell me he’s come back to borrow money again?"

Wang Hao couldn’t help but frown and ask.

Because since he was young, Wang Hao had heard that this uncle of his was not of good character, always causing trouble at home.

Back then, everyone’s financial situation wasn’t very good, being able to provide for one’s family’s basic needs was already quite an accomplishment, and initially, Huang Yufen was reluctant to lend money to Wang Hao’s uncle.

But it so happened that Wang Hao’s maternal grandfather and grandmother both had passed away one after another, and this uncle actually wouldn’t allow Huang Yufen to enter the house to mourn her own parents.

In the rural areas at that time, if one’s children did not mourn their deceased parents, they were believed to invite the wrath of heaven, and so Wang Dazhu had no choice but to stiffen his neck and, relying on his own popularity, borrow from the entire village.

Finally, they managed to gather the amount of money Wang Hao’s uncle wanted to accept.

Who would have thought that this uncle wouldn’t even want to pay for the funeral, so Wang Dazhu and Huang Yufen, wanting to ensure the elderly couple could be laid to rest promptly, had no choice but to exhaust all means to raise money again for the funeral of the two old people.

But what was even more despicable was that, only one day after the funeral finished, the uncle sold the ancestral house left by his parents and then disappeared with the money.

So many years had gone by, and they had never received a bit of news about Wang Hao’s uncle.

Wang Dazhu and Huang Yufen had been repaying the debt for so many years, a span of nearly twenty years, otherwise, Wang Hao’s family circumstances during his childhood wouldn’t have been so poor.

"Sigh!"

Wang Dazhu couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

"It would still be okay if it was just borrowing money, you previously gave me and your mom so much money, we never spent it, taking some out would be enough to fend him off, but..."

As he spoke, Wang Dazhu stopped mid-sentence and took a fierce drag on his cigarette.

"What does he really want?"

Seeing his own dad so troubled, Wang Hao was also getting worried.

"He keeps saying he wants to come back to see his sister!"

Wang Dazhu said with a face full of worry.

"If he wants to see her, just let him see her, and then tell him to leave straight away!"

Wang Hao didn’t have any good feelings towards this uncle, if it weren’t for his parents’ deep and true affection for each other, his uncle would have probably broken them apart long ago.

"Your mom gets chest pains just by mentioning your uncle, and you know your mom hasn’t been in the best health. If she were to get excited and something happened, what would I do?"

Wang Dazhu spoke carefully, afraid that Huang Yufen, who was busy in the kitchen, might overhear.

Even though the old couple often bickered, when it came down to serious matters, they were always united in heart. At times like these, you could truly understand what real emotion was.

Hearing this, Wang Hao’s expression instantly darkened; his dad was right. Just the mention of his uncle could make his mom furiatingly agitated. It seemed his uncle really did swindle their family terribly in the past.

It was also because of this heartless and unprincipled uncle that Wang Hao’s family had to shoulder so much debt. Wang Dazhu had even been beaten while being pursued for debts, quite severely at that, and at that time, they didn’t have the money for hospital treatment, which had delayed his recovery.

"Did he say when he plans to come over?"

Wang Hao continued to ask.

"Seems like it’ll be in the next couple of days. I told him there’s no need to come, but he insists, and I reckon he’s up to no good coming back this time," Wang Dazhu said with a sigh.

"Dad, don’t worry too much. Now that you have me, I guarantee he won’t dare to be as presumptuous as before!"

Even if it was his own uncle, if anyone dared to harm Wang Hao’s parents, he would show no mercy.

Because that was Wang Hao’s bottom line, and whoever crossed it would undoubtedly face severe consequences.

Wang Hao had made up his mind that he wouldn’t leave Chen Village before the herbs were ready to harvest, because he also wanted to await his uncle’s arrival.

He wanted to see for himself what his uncle was really up to.

(End of book)