Driving the three-wheeler with my dad, following the street by the small river fork to go home, it was already past seven. The street was bustling with cars, making Shen Qiang, who hadn't been home for a whole year, feel a strangely familiar sense of unfamiliarity. Compared to the neatly lined tall buildings in the town, you could see the scattered two or three-story buildings at the village entrance and the smoke curling up from the village homes from afar.

It looked foggy and smoky, even the sunlight couldn't disperse it. The environment looked a bit poor, but there was an inexplicable sense of comfort returning home.

Shen Qiang's home was by the roadside, making it very convenient.

According to the villagers' thinking, houses by the roadside were all built as shopfronts that could sell goods. They thought it was cost-effective, but actually, it was a bit far from the county town and the street, so even as shopfronts, there wasn't much use, renting out only fetched ten thousand yuan a year. So, when building the house initially, Shen Qiang firmly insisted on prioritizing living comfort – just being comfortable to live in was enough, and if they wanted to do business, they could rent a place.

Therefore, from the design to the construction and even decoration, Shen Family's house focused on living comfort, making it undoubtedly the most comfortable in the whole Yingbei Village.

Especially since the Shen Family had an empty space in front of the house by the road with stone tables and chairs. Plus, Shen Laoshi had good relations, always having some chess or poker games, and a large thermos for tea was always available. So, villagers from nearby liked to hang out there, cooling in summer and sunbathing in winter, not just because Shen Qiang returned that everyone came by to join the fun.

When the vehicle returned to the doorstep, Shen Qiang saw from afar many people from the village were waiting outside his home.

After parking his dad's three-wheeler in the garage, Shen Qiang started moving things inside.

Old Li's third uncle, squatting by the roadside, was loading his tobacco pipe, grinning at Shen Qiang, "Qiangzi, you're doing well, haven't seen you for a year. Come chat for a bit."

Shen Qiang was carrying things into the house and laughed, "Come inside, why squat outside?"

"No, this vehicle looks nice. I'm just checking it out here."

Shen Qiang chuckled, helping his dad move things inside, the women in the family helped prepare food, and his mom was all smiles, without needing to worry about anything; all she needed was to tell the women where the items were.

Seeing Shen Qiang searching for cigarettes, his dad said they were in the cabinet. Shen Qiang opened it to find only Red Pagoda Mountain that retailed at seven yuan a pack, so he frowned and said, "Dad, where did you put the cigarettes others gave you?"

His dad replied, "I put those on the third floor. Don't take them out; even the cheapest costs over two thousand per box. I can't bear to. If you think these aren't good enough, there's the Great Hall next to it, twelve yuan a pack, more down-to-earth, don't go too expensive; people won't feel comfortable seeing that."

Shen Qiang laughed and took out two packs of the Great Hall from beside him.

Then he went outside, and at the doorway, Old Li's third uncle was squatting and smoking. Shen Qiang laughed, opened a pack of cigarettes, and handed one to him: "Third uncle, how has the year been? Did my big brother come home?"

The third uncle didn't want the cigarette, but Shen Qiang insisted, so he kept it and said, "Your big brother isn't coming back this year. He and his wife are working in the South; even the kid went with them. Coming back and forth costs a few thousand in travel, so why bother, can't stay for more than two days before leaving again. That money could be better spent."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang, who was distributing cigarettes to others, frowned, "Then where will you spend the New Year?"

"At home by myself, my daughter invited me to spend it at her place, but I won't go. Her place is cramped, with her in-laws there too. I'm quite alright by myself at home."

Shen Qiang chuckled, "Why not spend New Year's Eve at our place? It'll be lively."

The third uncle shook his head, "No, I've already arranged with Dahualou from the east side to spend New Year's Eve together, we can play cards too."

Shen Qiang smiled and handed a box of cigarettes to the second brother's wife in the nearby alley.

The second brother's wife didn't want it, "I don't smoke."

Shen Qiang laughed, "The cigarette isn't great; it's just a gesture. You can take it home for my second brother to smoke. It's been a year, I really miss him."

The second brother's wife smiled, hesitated for a moment, then accepted the cigarettes and said, "Your second brother misses home, he wanted to come last month, but I scolded him."

Shen Qiang laughed, "Second sister, my second brother is so good, so hardworking, why scold him?"

The second brother's wife sighed, "Sigh, Qiangzi, to tell you the truth, your second brother left on the seventh of the first month; today is the twenty-third of the twelfth month, in fourteen days it'll be a whole year. Don't say I don't miss him, how could I not, but if he rushes back home, who will give him money?"

Shen Qiang smiled slightly and continued handing out cigarettes, one box for each of those lounging at the door.

The Zhang Family's third sister-in-law was being vain, holding a phone, striking a peace sign pose by the vehicle, possibly taking pictures or going live. After accepting Shen Qiang's cigarette, she turned off her phone and grinned at Shen Qiang, "Qiangzi, haven't seen you for a year; you must have struck it rich. After the New Year, get your third sister-in-law a job."

Shen Qiang laughed, "If you don't mind making less with someone managing every day, it's fine."

"Mind what? Having a job is already good. My third brother, it's the Chinese Little New Year, and he's still bending over at the construction site. It's so hard to get the wages. I told him, if he can't get them, don't come back."

Shen Qiang frowned, "My third brother is honest; third sister-in-law, you shouldn't bully him. It's not that he doesn't want the money, it's just people aren't giving it to him, that's not his fault. Besides, don't get mad at my words, if it weren't for my third brother working outside, what would you have time to play with your phone all dolled up just from the few mu of land at home?"

The third sister-in-law giggled, "Pshaw, being a big boss really changes the way you talk. But have you seen what the situation is now? Even on TV, they say the economy here relies on heavy industry for barbecues and light industry for live streaming. After the New Year, next year, I'll go with your third brother. Without me there, he won't even get a hot meal."

Shen Qiang chuckled, "That sounds like my third sister-in-law, knowing how to care for people."

The third sister-in-law laughed, "Don't banter with me." She glanced toward the house, smiling like she stole the landlord's big melon, and whispered, "Qiangzi, all your girlfriends look like fairies, where did you find them?"

Shen Qiang laughed, "Got them with the phone bill top-up."

The third sister-in-law laughed until her eyes bent, "Don't BS me. If I looked like them, I'd be a hit streaming."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang laughed, "Third sister-in-law, you're too funny. If looking pretty was all it took to make it big streaming, would those streamers need to learn, need talent, need to keep changing things up?"

The third sister-in-law laughed, "That's true, but who doesn't want to become prettier? Anyway, I'm off to live stream, I've got over two thousand followers now, follow me as Sister Yan of Society, remember to check it out."

Shen Qiang nodded with a smile, "Of course."

The third sister-in-law walked away happily, and the second sister-in-law also went to pick up the kids. When they left, Shen Qiang had just one more box of cigarettes, which he gave to the horn player on the back street, casually asking, "Fourth uncle, is Lian Shi at home?"

The horn player hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lian Shi went to his girlfriend's for New Year's, not coming home this year."

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