As Jiang Hua returned home, there was a grand reception, with welcome banners even at the highway exit.
He disliked this fanfare, which made it seem as if he had made some great contribution. It also inconvenienced others. Having been away from home for five years, he had little familiarity with his hometown.
Jiang Hua urged his parents, "Let's go home quickly. Don't block the road."
Jiang Hua's father immediately asked Jiang Hua's uncles to take their people away. He didn't like this grand display either. However, his brothers insisted on coming to receive them, saying that the Jiang family had finally produced a talented individual.
Then they spread the word about their nephew's return, which led to this situation.
"Let's go, let's go home. Everyone, come to the Dihao Grand Hotel later for dinner. I'll take Jiang Hua there first," Jiang Hua's eldest uncle said with a smile, greeting everyone. This was a big event for the Jiang family.
Jiang Hua frowned at his eldest uncle, a well-known businessman in the county. Booking an entire hotel wasn't a strain for him, but his enthusiasm seemed to be more than just that of an uncle. In Jiang Hua's memory, this uncle had always looked down on Jiang Hua's family.
Especially when Jiang Hua debuted at 18, he had repeatedly distanced himself from Jiang Hua's family on various occasions.
Jiang Hua's father also frowned. As a veteran soldier, he disliked these business affairs. His eldest brother was using Jiang Hua as a tool to establish connections with higher-ups.
"Jiang Hua, get in the car first. Nobody will leave until you do," Jiang Hua's eldest uncle said with a bright smile, his expression slightly respectful.
As the eldest in the Jiang family and self-proclaimed most successful, he usually had the final say at home. Today, he was showing respect to a younger family member. Those who didn't know better might think he was being humble.
Not wanting to disappoint his parents, Jiang Hua got in the car with them and drove straight home.
In the car, Jiang Hua's mother was still happily chatting, but father and son gave her little response.
"Dad, why are you frowning? It's rare for our son to come back," Jiang Hua's mother finally complained. Jiang's father suddenly said loudly, "Jiang Hua, you don't need to go to the hotel. You must be tired from the journey. Just rest at home."
Jiang Hua's mother looked unhappy. "Why not? I have some close friends at the hotel, and their daughters are all beautiful. I wanted our son to meet them."
Jiang's father sighed, "Can you stop meddling in our son's affairs? Look at the situation today. His eldest uncle is using Jiang Hua as a social tool. They haven't been in touch for years, and suddenly he's so enthusiastic these past six months."
Jiang Hua's mother tilted her head and thought, "I think it's good. It shows our son has become successful."
"Women, what do you understand? He's bidding for engineering projects. He used to only get small projects, but recently he's taken on several big ones. It's better to keep some distance from him."
"Old Jiang, what do you mean? He's your elder brother. Family ties can't be severed."
After they argued for a while, Jiang Hua sighed. He had been excited about coming home, but now with this suddenly capable eldest uncle, his mood soured.
Jiang Hua's mother finally said, "But his eldest uncle is finally trying to mend relations with our family. Won't it be inappropriate if we don't go to the hotel?"
"Hmph, Jiang Hua rarely comes home. He's already planned his entire schedule. Who's his father here? It's decided. I know my elder brother well."
In another car, the atmosphere in Jiang Hua's eldest uncle's family was quite harmonious.
Jiang Hua's cousin looked displeased. "Dad, aren't you placing Jiang Hua too high? What is he? He didn't even finish high school."
Jiang Hua's eldest uncle smiled. His son was a genuine 985 university graduate, his pride and joy. Everything he had worked for was for him. But he was still too young. The adult world isn't black and white.
"What is Jiang Hua? At best, he's just an actor. We don't need to fawn over him."
Jiang Hua's eldest uncle patted his son's shoulder and said, "We don't need to, but we need to secure many projects from the city and establish many connections. Jiang Hua can help us take shortcuts. Why not use that?"
"Old San Jiang has become foolish from being in the army, not using such a good resource, still stuck in that job, working nine to five."
"But I can't do that. We need to develop. I don't want to be stuck in this small county."
"In the future, when you see Jiang Hua, you still need to show some respect on the surface."
The driver in front suddenly called out, "Look, Jiang Hua's car is turning. That's not the way to the hotel."
"What?" Jiang Hua's eldest uncle was furious. He had invited several big shots who were hard to meet, all coming for Jiang Hua. There was even a city leader among them.
He took out his phone and called his third brother, trying to control his tone.
"San, why did you turn? Did you take the wrong road?"
Jiang's father was direct, "Jiang Hua has been in the car all day and wants to go home to rest. You go to the hotel."
"We've already booked the hotel, a luxury private room. It cost a lot. Besides, didn't your wife want to introduce girlfriends to Jiang Hua? There are several here, all from scholarly families. There's even one who just graduated from Tsinghua University, and she's very pretty."
Jiang's father couldn't refuse directly, after all, this was his elder brother, even though their relationship had never been good.
But Jiang Hua had no such reservations. His memories of this uncle were of him being domineering since childhood.
In high school, he visited his uncle's house once, and the memory was unpleasant. They looked at him through their glasses like poor relatives from the countryside, despised by the hosts.
"I'm sorry, I have to attend a New Year's concert in the city early the day after tomorrow. I want to spend more time with my family. Uncle, enjoy your meal and have a good time."
Jiang's father immediately hung up the phone.
The other side kept calling one after another, so he turned off his phone.
Even though they were brothers, they hadn't been in touch for many years. During festivals, they would come home in their BMW.
Jiang Hua's grandmother favored this eldest son the most, and they rarely went home to visit her.
In Jiang Hua's memory, his grandfather liked his father the most because his grandfather was also a soldier. He genuinely liked this third son who joined the army, and consequently, Jiang Hua's childhood was spent under his grandfather's guidance. Otherwise, how could he have beaten those thugs in Hangcheng?
However, his grandfather passed away when he was in junior high school.
Jiang Hua's eldest uncle, under the pretext of taking care of their grandmother, had taken over the old house and land at home.
What was the point of having such relatives?
His mother wanted to say something but held back, feeling helpless. The relationship had just started to improve, and now it had become even more strained.
Jiang Hua looked at the unfamiliar streets outside. Things had changed in the 5 years he'd been away.
He turned his head to look at his father.
"Dad, you should be retiring soon, right?"
"Still a few years to go. Why? What are you planning now, kid?"
Jiang Hua rubbed his nose and said, "Why don't we settle down in West Lake? The scenery is nice there, and the air is good."
"Nonsense. This is my home. I won't leave here. When you have children, we'll go help you take care of them for a few years, but we'll still come back."
How did it get to this topic again? Jiang Hua was only 23.
"We'll see."
Talking about having children, Jiang Hua's mother picked up the conversation.
"Don't talk about that anymore. What's going on with that Mai Le Di?"
...