Chapter Fourteen: The Uncle's Household

And so the weekend arrived. Zhou Xuan remembered it had been a long time since he last visited his youngest uncle’s home. His uncle had called several times already; if Zhou Xuan didn’t go now, it would be wrong.

Following his memory, Zhou Xuan walked west along Yangtze Avenue. After about seven or eight hundred meters and a few turns, he reached the West City Farmers’ Market.

His uncle’s family were also from the countryside, from the same township as Zhou Xuan, though not the same village. They weren’t too far apart, but not close either.

In the past, whenever he went to his grandparents’ house, he would walk—it took about half an hour. Later, his uncle and aunt rented a stall at the county market to sell pork. Life was tough, but their income was decent.

His uncle had to get up at three or four in the morning, heading out in the darkness to the slaughterhouse to secure good cuts, competing with many other pork vendors. Then he would drag the meat back to the market, cut and hang it, wait for his wife to bring breakfast, and begin the day’s work.

Guided by his memories, Zhou Xuan found his uncle’s stall, where only a few pieces of meat remained unsold.

“Uncle, have some fruit,” Zhou Xuan said, approaching and handing over the bag of fruit.

In his previous life, Zhou Xuan spent seven years—through junior high, high school, and a year of repeating—where every weekend his uncle and aunt would call him to come for dinner. He couldn’t remember how many times he’d eaten there, but he’d rarely brought anything with him, never even fruit.

Later, after he went to university and started working, apart from returning during the New Year, he seldom called his uncle and aunt. Now, thinking back, he realized how wrong he had been.

His uncle and aunt truly cared for him. In this life, he was determined to repay their kindness.

Seeing Zhou Xuan, his uncle smiled and said, “Why haven’t you come by lately? Don’t waste money like this. Next time, don’t bring anything.”

Zhou Xuan smiled, “I feel a bit embarrassed always coming to eat at your place. I brought some fruit to thank you both for looking after me.”

His uncle looked at Zhou Xuan, sensing he had suddenly matured, his words more thoughtful, and sighed, “You’ve grown up a lot lately, Zhou Xuan. You’re learning to be grateful and considerate. Very good.”

Zhou Xuan smiled, “Everyone has to try growing up.”

His uncle laughed, “Alright, let’s go home for dinner. Your aunt must have nearly finished cooking.” With that, he tossed the remaining meat to the neighboring stall for them to sell, packed up the hooks, cutting board, and knives, and put them on the motorcycle.

Zhou Xuan climbed onto the back seat, and his uncle drove them in just a few minutes to their rented apartment.

Inside, two dishes were already set on the table, and his cousin was watching TV nearby.

Zhou Xuan walked into the kitchen and saw his aunt stir-frying another dish. He called out warmly, “Aunt!”

His aunt was delighted to see him and urged him to sit, saying two more dishes would be ready soon.

Zhou Xuan agreed, picked up a large tangerine, and offered it to his cousin, “Su Yang, have some fruit.”

Su Yang, his uncle’s daughter, was only five, not yet in kindergarten, and utterly adorable.

She took the fruit and sweetly replied, “Thank you, big brother.”

Lunch was a cheerful affair, largely because his aunt’s cooking was superb. Spicy pork intestines, fish with pickled vegetables, chili chicken, dry pot duck—her specialties, fiery and numbing, and the flavors were simply unmatched.

During the meal, they naturally discussed Zhou Xuan’s grades, and his aunt couldn’t help but lecture him again.

They were aware how badly his grades had slipped in the second year of junior high, just like the teachers who had said so many times, but Zhou Xuan hadn’t improved.

Among all the children in the extended family, Zhou Xuan was the only one with decent grades. Back in his first year, he’d ranked tenth in the grade, and everyone was thrilled, believing his performance would keep improving. They expected him to get into No. 1 High School, then a top university—no doubt about it.

But no one expected his grades to plummet in his second year, leaving everyone astonished.

“Uncle, Aunt, don’t worry. I was too playful before, which is why my grades fell. I also really disliked English at the time and didn’t put any effort into it, so my other subjects suffered too. Now, I’ve completely adjusted. I promise my scores will improve a lot in the next monthly exam,” Zhou Xuan said, knowing they had his best interests at heart and determined to do well this time.

His uncle was delighted, “If you can think that way, that’s the best.”

“Zhou Xuan, keep it up! We believe in you!” his aunt encouraged.

“Mm. I won’t let you down.”

After lunch, Zhou Xuan insisted on washing the dishes, but his aunt made him sit on the sofa and watch TV instead.

In his previous life, after eating at his uncle’s place, he and his cousin would usually watch TV together all afternoon, then stay for dinner before going home.

At the time, DVD players were popular, and there were plenty of video rental shops. Renting a drama series cost one yuan a day, so watching a whole series would cost several yuan.

As Zhou Xuan watched TV, his mind wandered to the lunchtime conversation about buying a house.

He remembered this issue from his previous life, along with later events—his uncle had often been blamed by his aunt because of it.

Overall, his uncle lacked vision and boldness, his business sense somewhat limited. His aunt had better foresight, but couldn’t sway him; otherwise, the house would have been bought long ago.

Twice in his previous life, his aunt suggested buying a home, but his uncle hesitated and missed the opportunity, leaving them without a house.

Just a couple of years later, those same properties had doubled in value, and his aunt regretted it deeply.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan wanted to offer them some advice. Even if they didn’t buy a house, they could start another business. At this time, there were plenty of ways to make money—done well, they could easily earn over a hundred thousand a year.

His aim was partly to repay his uncle’s care, and partly to inspire his own family to start a business. With his uncle’s example, it would be easier to persuade his own parents.

During dinner, Zhou Xuan brought up the topic of buying a house. “Uncle, I heard you talking at lunch about buying a place?”

His uncle sighed, “Your aunt wants to buy a house nearby, but we don’t have much money, and I can’t quite make up my mind.”

Zhou Xuan replied, “Aunt has great vision. Buying near No. 4 High School now will definitely be a good investment.”

“You see, even Zhou Xuan says buying here is a good idea. Why are you still hesitating?” his aunt said happily, shooting a glare at his uncle.

“Oh? What’s your reasoning?” His uncle turned to Zhou Xuan, curious to hear why he thought buying in the West Gate area wouldn’t be a loss.