After Li Kun got off the bus, we continued on the road.
The navigation shows that the whole journey is 420 kilometers and takes about five hours.
After we got on the highway, I said to Wu Di: "If you are tired, go to the service area to rest. There is no need to rush."
"Okay, Brother Chen, if you're sleepy, just take a nap. I feel like you didn't get a good rest last night."
I smiled and said, "How do you know I didn't get a good rest last night?"
"You seem to have gone to bed very late, right? You got up so early in the morning."
"I had a bit of insomnia last night, but I got enough sleep. I wonder if it's because of my age. I used to sleep in a lot, but now I can't even fall asleep even if I want to."
Wu Di smiled and said: "No, brother, you still look very young."
"I'm still young, do you know how old I am?"
"She looks to be in her early thirties at most."
I laughed: "Are you serious?"
"Well, although my hair is a bit gray, I still look quite energetic. Am I right?"
"I'm going to be thirty-seven soon."
Wu Di seemed a little surprised and said, "Isn't it? I really can't tell!"
"Really," I sighed, "time is not forgiving! I'm gone in a blink of an eye."
"Actually, it's okay. As a man, thirty is not too old, and forty is not too old. He is still in his prime."
"I envy you very much, you are young."
"But Brother Chen, I also envy you."
I lowered the seat a little and said, "What do I have to envy? I'm old enough."
"You have made your company so big. It would be great if I could have your achievements!"
I understand Wu Di's feelings, just like when I was his age, I envied those rich people and those upper-class people who drove luxury cars and ate big meals all day long.
But now that I am considered a rich man, I am not happy at all. In my opinion, a family that can live an ordinary life together is what I pursue.
Wu Di may not understand. If given the choice, I would rather have nothing, as long as the family is together.
I just chatted with Wu Di along the way, and I got to know him better.
He has a dream and has always wanted to open a martial arts training school to teach children who like to practice martial arts.
He can really do it. After all, he grew up practicing martial arts since he was a child. This is also his advantage.
While chatting, I actually fell asleep. Maybe I really didn't get any rest.
I slept very soundly that night and didn't have a single dream.
When I woke up, the car was still on the highway. I looked at the navigation and it was less than two hours away from my destination.
It was noon, so I asked Wu Di to stop by a waiter in front of me and have a meal before leaving.
After arriving at the service area, Wu Di suddenly said to me: "Brother Chen, I feel like a car has been following us.
When he said this, I immediately became cautious: "Are you sure?"
Wu Di nodded, then turned to look at a black Volkswagen sedan parked not far from us.
"It's that car. I met him in a service area in front of him. I stopped to use the restroom and he was there. Now we parked in this service area and he's still there."
That meant there was a problem, but I wasn't surprised at all. I knew someone would be watching me.
I didn't look much, turned around and said to Wu Di: "Ignore him, let's go eat first."
The food in the service area was expensive and unpalatable, and even a non-picky eater like me couldn't eat it. Wu Di was used to living a hard life, but he finished it.
After sitting in the restaurant and resting for a while, we got back in the car and were ready to continue on the road.
"Brother Chen, that car is still there!"
I glanced at the black Volkswagen sedan, and there was no one in it.
I turned to Wu Di and said, "Can you get rid of him?"
"It shouldn't be a big problem, our car is more powerful than his car."
"Then get rid of him."
Wu Di nodded, immediately started the car and continued to merge onto the highway.
I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that the black Volkswagen sedan was really following me.
This was too obvious. He didn't leave the service area for so long, but as soon as we left, he followed us.
I don't know who sent him, but I just think he thinks I'm a fool. It's too unchallenging to send such a fool to follow me.
But this is enough to prove that my trip is really not peaceful, at least now I am in trouble as soon as I go out.
Wu Di's driving skills are still very mature, and coupled with the power of my car, he quickly threw the Volkswagen sedan out of sight.
But we can't continue running on this highway. I looked at the navigation and found that we have now entered Chongqing.
After studying the navigation, I re-planned a route and said to Wu Di: "Xiao Wu, I changed a route, just follow the navigation."
"good."
After getting off the road, we kept driving along the national highway. I kept paying attention to the car that was following us, but I didn't see it anymore.
The re-planned route is slower, with an extra hour, but I'm not in a hurry, it's still early.
…
At three o'clock in the afternoon, we finally arrived at our destination.
It's been a while since I've been back, and my hometown hasn't changed much, but many of the people I met on the road seemed unfamiliar.
Some new wives have been married into the village, and most of the young people have gone out to work. The older generation can move around, but the rest can no longer move around at home.
I am almost 40 years old. If my parents were still alive, they would be 60 years old. Most people of this generation have bought houses in the city. Only some elders of my mother-in-law and grandfather’s generation are left.
I am still guarding the one-third acre of land in my hometown.
I feel very sad, but this is the current situation in rural areas, and no one can change it.
The ditch not far from my home has been filled in and fruit trees have been planted.
I still remember when I was a kid, I went fishing and catching shrimps with my friends in the ditch. The water in the ditch was so clear that you could drink it directly.
Now along with it, my age has disappeared.
There is no way, time is so cruel, it is always when we miss the past that we realize it is already too late.
"Brother Chen, is this your hometown?"
"Well, my house is the white house in front." I pointed to my house and said.
"Your hometown is quite beautiful! The air is also good, and it's really comfortable to live here."
I smiled and said, "But the people living here yearn for the outside world, and I used to do the same."
"Brother Chen, are your parents still there?"
I shook my head and said with some sadness: "I am no longer here, and my son wants to be taken care of but his parents are not waiting for him. This is the most regrettable thing in life."
"Yes! If your uncles and aunts could see your achievements now, they would definitely be very happy!"
"Xiao Wu, you are wrong. Parents only want their children to be healthy and safe, and they will be very happy."
Wu Di's expression was a little sad, and he said in a deep voice: "Yes! It was the same when my grandpa was still alive. He didn't want me to have much success, he just wanted me to be safe."
As Wu Di spoke, he reached out and took out a pendant that looked like an amulet from his neck, and said, "This is what my grandpa went to the temple to pray for me not long before he passed away. He said it can keep him safe."
"That's good. Your grandpa definitely hopes you are healthy and safe. Don't be too sad. Birth, aging, illness and death are the normal conditions of all things in the world."
"Well, it's just that I always felt that death was very far away from me, and I never thought about it. But after my grandfather passed away, I realized how easy it is to lose life."
Wu Di has a sense of maturity that goes beyond his true age. That feeling makes me feel reassured and at ease.
A few minutes later, we finally arrived at my hometown and stopped the car at the gate of the yard.
When I got off the car and looked at the devastated house in front of me, I felt mixed emotions.
I seem to still be able to see my mother sewing clothes for me in the yard, while I hold a small stick and chase the chickens and ducks around the yard...