Volume 1, Chapter 9: A Prodigal’s Return Is Worth More Than Gold

Watching each excited child, Chen Yang grew even more determined to lead them to a better life.

Though in his past life Chen Yang had lived an ordinary existence and ultimately succumbed to cancer, his rebirth granted him at least thirty more years of experience than these youngsters.

If that advantage couldn’t help him provide a good life for his brothers, then his return would be meaningless.

Chen Yang harbored no grand ambitions; he simply wished for those he loved and those who loved him not to have to struggle for money—that was enough.

“This is just the beginning. Stick with me, and you won’t be treated unfairly. No more scavenging cigarette butts on the streets—your brother’s got you covered.”

He casually pulled out three packs of Red Mountain Tea cigarettes, handing two packs each.

Liu Guolin had indeed given him a whole pack, but some had to be saved to show respect to their father—he couldn’t just give them all away indiscriminately.

“Brother Yang, you’re mighty!”

“Brother Yang, you’re badass!”

“Brother Yang takes a dump without farting!”

Their eyes lit up as they received the cigarettes.

To be honest, they were used to smoking cheap tobacco, which was harsh and couldn’t compare to the smoothness of Red Mountain Tea.

“Enough chatter. Whoever brings me a whole catfish, I’ll cook a meal for your sister-in-law. And from now on, when you see Huang Zhiqing, call her sister-in-law, got it?”

Chen Yang felt joy seeing their satisfied faces.

“Got it!”

The boys dove back into the river to catch fish for Chen Yang.

“Cheng, here’s your money!”

Chen Yang handed Li Cheng five yuan—his status was slightly higher than the others.

Li Cheng was loyal to Chen Yang because when trouble came, big brother truly stepped up.

Look, he hadn’t even done much but still earned more than their father’s entire day’s wage.

“Brother Yang, you treat me so well! If it weren’t for Huang Zhiqing, I wouldn’t mind doing you every day.”

“You’d better get lost, you bastard!”

Chen Yang kicked him far away. It was the 1980s, not the era for such nonsense.

“I promised the manager of the state-run hotel that tomorrow’s catch would be bigger than today’s. So take them up the mountain later to gather some more, but don’t go too far—if wolves snatch them, that’ll be a big problem.”

“Got it, Brother Yang. We’ve played in those mountains since we were kids; we know where we can and cannot go.”

At this moment, Li Cheng was full of energy. As long as he could slap money down in front of their father, who could call him useless?

“Brother Yang, we caught the fish!”

Soon, Yuan Bao’an brought up a catfish weighing about three jin.

These boys were skilled at catching fish and shrimp, so this was nothing.

“Perfect. You guys play for a while then go pick some mushrooms. Li Cheng, you still have to take me to the educated youth settlement later.”

After assigning tasks, Chen Yang took the catfish home.

He carefully cleaned the fish’s innards, then picked two eggplants from the garden.

With scallions, ginger, garlic, and homemade soybean paste sizzling in the wok, the aroma quickly filled the air.

He stewed the fish, then shredded the eggplants into strips to serve as a side dish.

As the old saying goes: catfish stewed with eggplant, sure to satisfy the old man.

To win a woman’s heart, one must first conquer her palate.

Chen Yang firmly believed Huang Zhiyao couldn’t resist such a sweet gesture; sooner or later, she would fall.

In the future, people might call his behavior “bootlicking,” but so what? Loving one’s wife isn’t shameful.

Once the meal was ready, their father, mother, and older sister all returned from work.

“Oh my, it smells wonderful! Yangzi, when did you learn to cook like this?”

Chen Yang looked at his once aimless younger brother, surprised.

For some reason, when Chen Yang visited Huang Zhiyao at the educated youth settlement yesterday, she noticed her brother had changed a great deal.

Today, that feeling was even stronger.

Before, he barely knew grains from weeds.

Cooking was out of the question; even lighting the stove was impossible.

Had he truly reformed his bad habits after being with Zhiyao?

If so, she wouldn’t object to this match.

Having lived in Wangchuan for two years, Chen Ying knew her close friend Huang Zhiyao better than anyone.

If her little brother could really marry her, the ancestral tombs of the Chen family would surely be smoking with delight.

Honestly, Chen Ying knew her brother’s true nature very well.

He wasn’t worthy at all; if it weren’t for being drunk and muddling through, how could he have a chance?

“Your brother knows a lot more than you think. Just wait and see! I left some food and dishes in the pot for you. I’m off to deliver food to my wife, no need to wait for me.”

With that, he grabbed the lunchbox and dashed out.

“Old Chen, is that really our son?”

Mother Liu Minghua looked at her husband Chen Zhilin in disbelief. Such a drastic change seemed almost unbelievable.

“You gave birth to him, don’t you know? But it’s good this way. A prodigal son’s return is worth more than gold. At least we don’t have to worry like before.”

In truth, Chen Zhilin never had high hopes for Chen Yang; as long as he stayed out of trouble, all was well.

Hoping he’d stand out was simply impossible.

So long as he maintained this current path, his parents would be content.

“True, and this fish smells amazing. We’re truly benefiting from our daughter-in-law’s cooking!”

Liu Minghua laughed and began preparing for the meal.

Meanwhile, Chen Yang was once again ferried by Li Cheng’s bicycle to the educated youth settlement.

Perhaps because Ma Junkai’s groin was still sore, no “performing” male youths were seen in front of the female dormitory today.

“Brother Yang, that Ma guy’s pretty shady. Who knows what he’s plotting! Keep a close eye on sister-in-law. If that bastard gets a chance, won’t he jump up and cause trouble?”

“Get lost, will you?”

Chen Yang delivered a flying kick, sending Li Cheng far away.

Then he shouted toward the female dormitory, “Wife, I’ve brought you food.”

His voice was loud and clear, unmistakable to the female youths.

“Wow, didn’t expect Chen Yang the rascal to care so much for his wife! Truly surprising!”

“Right? He’s handsome too, way better than that Ma Junkai, who’s neither man nor woman.”

“I think it’s our Zhiyao who changed him. If Chen Yang becomes reliable, he’s not a bad choice.”

“Zhiyao, hurry out! Your man’s been waiting impatiently. Don’t run back inside later, or the sisters won’t be so polite.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Amid the teasing from the female youths, Huang Zhiyao blushed and stepped out of the dormitory...