The Cultivator's Reborn to 1970s-Chapter 218 - 182

The biggest support had collapsed, Lan Tian turned back with a sweet smile, batting her eyes and acting cute to Zhao Li, dragging out the end syllable of Zhao Li’s name for what seemed like forever, her tone undulating and lingering, "Auntie~~~~".

That bootlicking appearance was simply too cringeworthy to look at directly. Zhao Li turned her head away to stifle a laugh, then took a deep breath before turning back, and said irritably, "Aren’t you going to come help me carry these two? How did the exams go?"

There was another sack on the ground. Grandma Sun was about to pick it up when Mo Yuanle saw it and promptly stowed his bike to the side. While parking his bike, he called out, "Auntie, let me do it."

"I’ve got it, Uncle, you come in behind Grandma." Lan Tian scooped up the sack with one hand and scurried over to Zhao Li. She took two sacks from her and cozied up to her side, insisting, "Auntie, let me do it."

"Cut the crap, I’m asking you how well you did on your exams?" Zhao Li handed her two sacks, and the aunt-niece duo went to play in the courtyard.

"It should be alright. Most of the questions were taught by our teachers. I reckon I should be able to score enough for direct entry into a university’s undergraduate program. But we’ll have to wait for the notice to find out."

Zhao Li knew her own daughter’s character. Hearing her say that was like being able to almost run the university application in her mind, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As the two talked, they entered the courtyard and saw Chun Mei looking around in amazement, clicking her tongue in wonder. Then she looked from east to west, from west to south, and even glanced at the vegetable garden behind. She showed not the slightest self-awareness that she was in someone else’s home.

After checking out the courtyard, she spotted a watermelon soaking in the water tank under the window, scooped it out, and turned back to see the two people at the door, flashing a hint of embarrassment, "Lan Tian is back."

Lan Tian hummed a reply, and Chun Mei didn’t take it to heart; she’d known Lan Tian since childhood and Lan Tian was always like this. Holding the watermelon, which she neither wanted to put down nor keep holding, reminded herself that the house was built with her third brother’s money, and she’s his real sister, so what’s wrong with eating a watermelon? Nonchalantly, she carried it to the center of the yard, rested it on the stool, and casually picked up an axe beside her, raising it high and chopping down.

"Mom, let’s eat watermelon, hurry up." On each side of the stool, her two sons circled around her, eagerly eyeing the watermelon, drooling with anticipation.

Bumping Lan Tian, Zhao Li pursed her lips, gesturing for Lan Tian to see – see that? They’re acting as if it’s their own house. Lan Tian remained indifferent, with a deep look in her eyes. Then she walked over with her sack as Zhao Li stood watching for a while before also bringing her sack over.

Grandma Sun and Mo Yuanle, who entered later, were met with the sight of Chun Mei chopping the watermelon. Grandma Sun paused for a moment, then walked in. Mo Yuanle glanced at the water tank under the window without showing a trace of attention and went to place the bike in the corner of the yard.

"Uncle’s back." Chun Mei unconsciously shrank back a bit, perhaps thinking of something, suddenly seeming emboldened.

"Yeah, I’m back." Mo Yuanle nodded slightly and came over after putting away his bike, patting the head of the child nearest to him, "It’s been a few years, and your kids have grown so tall."

"Indeed, we in the countryside don’t fuss over much, just growing them wild. As long as they have food to eat, that’s enough," said Chun Mei.

Zhao Li’s face darkened. Chun Mei’s words were openly referring to her child, implying that even with just plain food, her child could grow so tall, and insinuating that they were pampering Lan Tian. She was being sarcastic, implying that although they came from the countryside, they were trying to act like city folks.

Grandma Sun seemed not to understand the implicit meaning in Chun Mei’s words and came over to touch the child, saying, "He’s tall alright, just a bit skinny. Chun Mei, don’t be too frugal on a regular basis. Buy some meat for the child to eat, money can’t be earned all up."

By the water jar, Lan Tian looked back at her with a touch of irony at the corner of her lips.

Lan Tian fetched water over to wash up for Grandma Sun and the other two. She took a wooden basin to the water jug to wash, and only after cleaning up did she come over to sit down.

There’s a pomelo tree in the yard planted by the previous owner, big enough for a person to embrace, with a thick and tall trunk, and lush foliage. It’s really nice to sit underneath it for some cool shade in the summer.

The three from Chun Mei’s family, each holding a big chunk of watermelon and eating it ferociously as if they were starved ghosts, seemingly hadn’t eaten watermelon for eight hundred years. The children’s faces were smeared with watermelon juice, their clothes dripped with red stains everywhere, and with unfinished pieces in their hands, they grabbed another slice, watching Lan Tian, Grandma Sun, and the others as if afraid their slices would be snatched away. ’Ah’—they bit into another piece.

"Eat, don’t be shy," Chun Mei, busy but stealing a moment, saw Lan Tian, Grandma Sun and the others not eating, swallowed the watermelon in her mouth and called to them, "This watermelon is just nicely chilled, cool and refreshing, like eating an ice pop, really soothing to the heart, both sweet and grainy, so delicious. You have no idea, riding that train is like being in an oven, stuffy and hot, unbearable. Coming out and still under the blazing sun, we rode in a bullock cart for half the day, we almost got sunstroke."

One of the kids, eating too eagerly, choked and started tearing up and sniffling, but was too reluctant to put down the watermelon; his splutter sprayed watermelon juice onto another half of the watermelon on the stool.

Chun Mei cursed ’reincarnated starving ghost’ but didn’t bother to intervene, just continued eating her watermelon, letting the child cough. Lan Tian furrowed her brows and narrowed her eyes. Grandma Sun couldn’t stand it and came over to pat his back, "Don’t rush, don’t rush, great-great-grandma’s place still has lots of watermelons, we can’t finish eating them all. Take your time!"

With their eating style, who would want to eat after that.

Lan Tian glanced at Chun Mei with a faint smile on her lips and casually asked, "What brought you to Shanghai all of a sudden, bringing the kids with you? Your brother-in-law is willing to part with the kids. If you leave, who will take care of the house, who will look after your variety store?"

Chun Mei initially married into the family for the sake of the variety store. For years, she’s held a firm grip on the management of the store. Except for taking a few days off during the New Year, she was hardly willing to leave the store. Even when returning to her maternal home, she’d rather shut the store than let someone from her in-laws help manage it.

Now that she’s willing to leave the store, she must be after something significant!

Rumors about Chun Mei had circulated in the village, and both Grandma Sun and Zhao Li also knew about it. They both were curious why Chun Mei would be willing to leave her store to come to Shanghai. As elders, some questions were difficult for them to ask outright. Lan Tian, being of the same generation and usually more outspoken, took the initiative, relieving them of the awkwardness.

Having finished one slice of watermelon, Chun Mei picked up another to continue eating, "Someone from Shanghai sent me a letter, saying your family struck it rich, described it in detail, said you’re building a new house, bought fields, and orchards to become a landlord. At first, I didn’t believe it, but coming here, I found everything in the letter was true."

Thankfully, the red revolution had passed, and there was freedom of speech. While there is said to be freedom of speech, some words are still sensitive, such as "landlord" and "capitalist". People are particularly cautious with these terms, especially the older generation who lived through that red revolution.

Such as their family, they’ve got three—Grandma Sun, Mo Yuanle, Zhao Li. Not to mention the suffering Grandma Sun endured during the red revolution, Zhao Li lost the qualifications to be a mother because of Mo Yuanle in the midst of the red revolution.

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