Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Liu Yong drove back to Dongmen Village.
He had decided to transfer his father to a hospital in Huahai City and planned to send his mother back home, change his clothes, and tidy up things at home before heading to Huahai City.
It was possible that he would be living there for the next two or three months.
Meanwhile, Liu Lan stayed in the hospital ward with Liu Hongfu.
As Liu Yong drove out of the county seat in his Cullinan, the luxurious car attracted the attention of many people along the way.
"Look, luxury cars!" said some passersby.
"I didn't think we could see a Cullinan in our small county," said others.
But Liu Yong ignored the envious gazes and focused on driving. After about 20 minutes, he arrived at the familiar Dongmen Village.
The road leading to the village was worn the last time he visited, but it was different now. A spacious, flat cement road appeared before him, wide enough for two cars to pass each other.
As he approached the village entrance, Liu saw some villagers chatting under an enormous camphor tree that two or three people could embrace. They noticed his car coming.
"Look, what kind of car is that? It looks very advanced," said one villager.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Let me take a look. It's a Cullinan, at least six or seven million," said another.
"My God, such an expensive car has actually arrived in our Dongmen Village," said a third.
As Liu Yong's car approached, many villagers stood up and stretched their necks, eager to see who was inside.
When the car stopped in front of them, Liu Yong lowered the window and poked out half of his head, greeting the villagers enthusiastically.
"Fourth Uncle, Aunt Zhang, you are all here," he said.
To their surprise, it was Liu Yong!
"Everyone, come to my house and sit for a while," Liu Yong said, getting out of the car and offering a cigarette as a sign of respect.
Everyone was thrilled and envious to see him driving such a luxurious car.
"Liu Yong, you are so promising," said one villager.
Waving goodbye to everyone, Liu Yong returned to the car and drove to his door.
As Liu Yong parked his car in the middle of the spacious, newly-leveled cement floor, he couldn't help but admire the improvements made to his childhood home.
The once bumpy and uneven dirt patch in front of the house had been transformed into a clean cement pad.
"Mom, the concrete floor here looks much better," he exclaimed with satisfaction as he stepped out of the car.
Zhou Xiuying, Liu Yong's mother, explained that his Uncle Jianping had ordered the renovations, specifically requesting that their door be made beautiful to show appreciation for Liu Yong's generous contribution towards road construction in the village.
Pleased with the result, Liu Yong nodded in agreement and took a moment to survey his old family home. "Our house is a bit old, it needs to be demolished and rebuilt and built according to villa standards," he suggested.
Zhou Xiuying didn't object to her son's idea and promised to discuss it with her husband once he felt better. Knowing that her son was financially secure and no longer had to worry about money, she let him take charge of the family's plans.
Word of Liu Yong's return to Dongmen Village quickly spread, and soon, everyone in the village soon talked about his success.
They were especially impressed by his luxurious car, a Cullinan, which many had only heard of but had never seen in person.
Crowds gathered around the vehicle, marveling at its sleek design and an estimated price tag of six or seven million yuan.
Even Liu Jianping, Liu Yong's uncle, couldn't resist admiring the car and chatting with his nephew about his recent endeavors.
He even passed around a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes for everyone to share. As the group of villagers surrounded Liu Yong, they bombarded him with questions about his company's crew member recruitment process.
"After you become a full-time member, you will earn 20,000 to 30,000 crew members per month," one person exclaimed in awe.
Another asked, "When will the recruitment end? Will my man come back in time?"
Meanwhile, others were curious about the nature of the job, asking, "Liu Yong, if you are a crew member, how long can you work? Is it a permanent job?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLiu Yong was surrounded by a crowd of people, all eagerly bombarding him with questions.
He smiled helplessly, unsure of how to respond to everyone at once. Liu Jianping, the village head, noticed his predicament and quickly stepped in.
"Everyone, please calm down," he bellowed, his authoritative voice piercing through the noise.
The crowd gradually quieted down, all eyes fixed on Liu Yong.
Liu Jianping spoke up again: "How will Mr. Liu be able to answer your questions if you're all speaking at once?"
With the crowd now composed, Liu Yong raised his voice to address them:
"I know that many of you have questions, and I cannot answer each one individually. However, I can say that the news is true. Our company is indeed planning to hire a group of ocean-going crew members, and the salary package is as impressive as advertised. Once you become a crew member, you can earn between 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per month."
While emphasizing the high salary, Liu Yong cautioned the crowd that being a crew member was challenging and dull.
"You may have to spend 20-30 days at sea, with no time off. It can be a monotonous and tiresome job," he warned.
Despite Liu Yong's warning, the crowd remained enthusiastic, especially the young people eager for a new opportunity.
Some older folks were more cautious, but after hearing Liu Yong's explanation, they called their loved ones working outside, urging them to return home.
Liu Jianping was on hand to answer any further queries from the curious crowd. Meanwhile, Liu Yong and Zhou Xiuying went into the house to pack for their move to Huahai City, where Liu Yong would be working for at least two to three months.
Zhou Xiuying packed everything from summer to winter clothes as they sorted their belongings.
Liu Yong persuaded her to leave some items behind, as they could easily purchase new clothes in the city.
As they packed, a van pulled up outside their home. A young man, similar in appearance to Liu Yong, emerged from the vehicle.
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