TYAM Chapter 66.2

The small mountain village had beautiful scenery, but it was marred by the presence of what looked like a garbage dump directly across from the Ji family’s house.

Normally, no one would build a garbage dump in a residential area. That land used to belong to a family, but after the elderly members passed away and their children moved to other towns, it was left abandoned and neglected.

Across from the Ji family lived the Ge family, who ran a brining shop. Because of their business, their household produced several times more waste than an average family.

Seeing that the land next door was vacant, they decided to dump all their food waste and garbage there. In summer, the fermentation and decay made the stench so unbearable that passersby would hold their noses and feel nauseated.

Unfortunately, the Ji family’s two children had been living in other cities—Yuhan and Hongcheng—while their elderly parents, being old intellectuals, were unwilling to lose face or stir up conflicts. As a result, they endured it for several years.

“Who could have imagined that even after we’ve put up with this for so long, they’d—still use it as compost!”

“And with our house right downwind! They can’t smell a thing, but it’s making Dad and Mom suffer!”

Ji Changxia, usually soft-spoken and reserved, was so upset that she was breaking into a sweat and speaking faster than usual. “They dump pig manure, sheep manure, and food scraps there, leaving it to rot for days. Dad went over to talk to them nicely, and they actually drove him away! He got so angry his blood pressure shot up!”

Ji Linqiu’s face turned cold. He stood up and grabbed his phone. “I’m booking a ticket for tomorrow morning. I’ll handle this.”

Ji Changxia was flustered. “Brother, don’t let this affect your work. It doesn’t need to be dealt with in the next few days—”

Jiang Wang waved. “Book me a ticket too.”

Ji Linqiu turned to him. “You’re so busy, you don’t need to come.”

“No way,” Jiang Wang said with a smile. “I have a laptop and wireless internet—I can work anywhere.”

Ji Changxia hadn’t expected them to act so quickly. She hurriedly asked for time off from her workplace and decided to go back with them.

Before departing, Ji Linqiu stopped by to talk to Xingwang. 

“My brother and I will be gone for two days. Call me if anything happens.”

Peng Xingwang hesitated, stammered for a bit, and suddenly asked, “Brother Linqiu, does my brother owe someone money?”

Ji Linqiu froze for a moment. “No way. Why would he owe anyone money?”

“Really??” Peng Xingwang was utterly confused. He swallowed and asked again, “You’re not lying to me?”

“I’m definitely not lying,” Ji Linqiu replied, amused. “What have you been hearing?”

The kid was even more puzzled, unable to explain in one go. Instead, he tugged on Ji Linqiu’s sleeve and said, “Brother Linqiu, when you’re back, I’ll tell you a secret, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll be back soon. Take care of yourself.”

---

The next morning, the three of them left for Zhou Town. They took a train early in the morning, then switched to a bus and a minivan, finally arriving at 1 PM. 

The autumn sun was bright and warm, which only made the stench of the garbage pile even worse.

When Jiang Wang had visited before, he already found the garbage pile nauseating. Now that he knew it was the result of a neighbor’s actions, he covered his nose and walked over for a closer look.

At that moment, a scrawny old man carrying a tin bucket came over. When he saw outsiders near the fence, he picked up a broom and swung it wildly to shoo them away.

“Where are you from? Go away! What are you looking at?”

Jiang Wang pinched his nose. “Doesn’t it stink to you?”

“None of your business! Did I dump it on your doorstep?” The old man spat at him. “You’re meddling in other people’s business! Scram!”

Jiang Wang tightened his grip on his nose and walked off.

Meanwhile, Ji Linqiu entered the courtyard of his family home.

Chen Danhong was drying corn kernels. When she saw him, she thought she was seeing things. “Linqiu? Why are you home?!”

“Where’s Dad?”

“Playing chess with Old Fang. He’ll be back for lunch soon.” Seeing her daughter behind him, Chen Danhong immediately understood. She wiped her hands on her apron and said anxiously, “Oh no, this isn’t worth you all taking time off work. It’s just a small neighborhood issue. Why trouble all of you to come back?”

Ji Linqiu squatted down to help her tidy up and said lightly, “Let’s eat lunch first. We’ll talk later.”

Ji Guoshen wasn’t really playing chess. He couldn’t stand the smell at home and had just found an excuse to leave for a while.

When he returned and found the dining table full of people, he was startled. “What’s going on? Why is everyone here?!”

Ji Linqiu shut the door. The faint smell of rotting garbage made him frown.

“I should’ve come back sooner to bring you two to live with me,” Ji Linqiu said, handing Jiang Wang a glass of water. Jiang Wang accepted it and quietly continued eating hotpot. “I was busy with work in the past few weeks and didn’t have time to come.”

Chen Danhong grew uneasy. “Bring us… where?”

Ji Linqiu calmly took a bite of chopped chili. “To the provincial capital. I bought you a new house.”

The family fell into stunned silence.

Ji Changxia thought he had lost his mind. “You—you actually bought it?!”

Chen Danhong’s eyes widened. “You live in it! Why bring us? We’re doing just fine here, really!”

Ji Guoshen looked worried. “Houses in the provincial capital are expensive. Linqiu, if you were going to buy one, you should’ve told us. We could’ve helped you with the down payment… Are you under a lot of pressure with the mortgage?”

Jiang Wang watched the scene unfold, enjoying the show as he calmly ate his food.

Ji Linqiu blinked innocently. “I paid in full.”

“…It’s in the building right across from mine. It’ll only take you five minutes to visit me.”

The elderly couple looked at each other, stunned, as if they had heard a fairy tale[mfn]OG Chinese: Arabian Nights tale[/mfn] instead.

At family gatherings, relatives often bragged about their children buying big houses or making large profits from their businesses.  

Who would’ve thought their son, without saying a word, had not only bought a whole house but paid for it in full?!

“You… really bought it yourself? Did you borrow money?” Ji Guoshen cautiously asked. “Don’t tell me you borrowed it from Jiang Wang?”

“No loan.” 

“If you didn’t borrow money, where did you get it?!” Ji Guoshen was furious. “Linqiu, if you’ve gotten involved in anything shady, I’m warning you—I’ll break your hands if you’re gambling!”

Jiang Wang, hoping to protect his beloved’s writing hands, chimed in at the right moment. “He’s the lead consultant at our company.”

“And he’s also teaching four competition-level math and English classes as a top-tier instructor.”

Chen Danhong, unfamiliar with terms like “consultant,” was too shocked to eat. “Teaching doesn’t earn that kind of money! His salary is only two or 3000 a month!”

Ji Guoshen’s expression shifted again. “Did you quit your teaching job?”

Jiang Wang, worried the family might misunderstand further, quickly explained Ji Linqiu’s current work situation between bites of dry pot chicken.

The elderly couple listened in disbelief. They’d been in the small mountain village for so long that they couldn’t comprehend the opportunities available in the outside world.

“—A single math tutoring session costs 180 yuan an hour?” Ji Guoshen exclaimed in pure incredulity. “What kind of math costs that much?”

“For private one-on-one tutoring, it can be even more expensive, depending on the teacher’s level.” Ji Linqiu said calmly. “You could come with me and help out by teaching physics or chemistry.”

Chen Danhong was completely stunned and instinctively began to refuse.

“Think of it this way,” Jiang Wang said with a smile. “You can help your son tidy up his new home. He’s busy with work, and you can cook for him. Spending New Year’s together in the provincial city—what’s bad about that?”

Seeing their hesitation, Ji Linqiu placed a piece of spare rib on his mother’s plate and smiled gently. “How about this? Come stay with me for a few days first. If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll buy you a ticket to come back anytime.”

“Dad, didn’t you worry about me getting into some shady business? Come check out my school. If you’re interested in teaching, you can even give it a try. What do you think?”

Ji Guoshen was clearly tempted, though he hesitated, wanting to maintain a bit of decorum.

Just then, a voice called from outside.  

“Guoshen! Guoshen! It’s Secretary He!”

“What’s going on?” 

Ji Guoshen hurried out to greet the visitor, only to be shocked by the sight before him.  

The family across the road was cleaning up the garbage heap! Buckets and carts full of waste were being hauled away in a frenzy.  

For years, the trash pile had accumulated, with colorful plastic bags practically fused with the surrounding branches and dirt, leaking foul-smelling liquids everywhere. Yet now, the Ge family — all of them, young and old — were out in full force, cleaning like they’d been issued a formal eviction notice.  

Ji Guoshen was utterly dumbfounded.  

Over the years, he had tried countless times to resolve the issue with polite words and good intentions, but nothing had worked. Yet today—  

Secretary He gave him a pat on the shoulder. “When there’s a problem, you have to address it proactively! I live farther away, why didn’t you call earlier?”

“I didn’t want to bother anyone over this kind of thing,” Ji Guoshen said awkwardly, rubbing his hands together.  

He was too embarrassed to report his neighbor’s affairs to the village committee, as it was like filing a complaint.

As he spoke, Elder Ge walked by with a bucket of slop, his face filled with irritation. Secretary He turned on him immediately, his voice authoritative. “This entire mess must be cleaned up by the end of the day. And from now on, absolutely no more dumping!”

“Right now, the higher-ups are promoting rural civilization initiatives, and inspections can happen at any time. This kind of behavior makes our jobs much harder! If you do this again, you will be fined directly and a warning will be posted on the notice board, understand!”  

Elder Ge agreed with a sour face, which made the Secretary He quite dissatisfied.

“What is with your attitude?”

“I’m telling you, this is a serious matter. If you dump pollutants here, it might spread the plague. You need to apologize to the whole town!”

The daughters-in-law and sons of the Ge family all came out and apologized, glancing at Ji Guoshen from time to time.

Ji Guoshen was a soft-hearted person and did not dare to urge them, and even spoke for them.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. We are actually used to it. Just take your time.”

“You just can’t take it slow!” Secretary He frowned and said, “Old Ji, I’ve heard that you are a kind person and you are easy to talk to, but they are taking advantage of you!”

“Neighbors should live in harmony with each other. If you are too soft, they will take advantage of you.”

“I have a bad temper, but I’ve already said that you Ge family members can’t bully honest people. You have to be reasonable!”

The son of the Ge family bowed and apologized repeatedly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s our fault…”

The Ge family muttered reluctant apologies. Their tone was full of resentment, but their actions suggested they had no choice but to comply.