tense situation

"Grandpa…" Li Yuer called out towards the courtyard from the front.

A old man, wearing a white vest, was bending over in the courtyard, tending to the flowers and plants.

"Hey! Yu'er, you're back!" Seeing Li Yuer, Grandpa Li straightened his back and responded with a chuckle.

"This is?"

"This is Zhao Dongchuan from Huangyuan, he's Mr. Li's guest!" Li Yuer looked at Zhao Dongchuan, smiled slightly, and introduced him to Grandpa Li.

"Hello, Grandpa Li!" Zhao Dongchuan also greeted Grandpa Li, following Li Yuer's lead.

At this moment, hearing the commotion outside, a middle-aged woman walked out, dressed simply and neatly, with short hair, a typical urban woman's attire from the 1970s.

"Mom!"

"Yu'er, you're back. This… this must be the writer Zhao Dongchuan your Mr. Li mentioned, please come in! Please come in!" Mrs. Li looked at the handsome and somewhat scholarly Zhao Dongchuan and said with a chuckle.

"Hello, Auntie!" Zhao Dongchuan also smiled and greeted her.

"Come, come! Come in and have some tea!"

Li Yuer led Zhao Dongchuan into the house, and Grandpa Li also put down his watering can and followed them into the house with a smile.

Before Mrs. Li could move, Li Yuer quickly picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for everyone.

"Oh my, oh my, since when did our Yu'er become so diligent, even pouring tea for us!" Grandpa Li looked at Li Yuer with a smile.

"Grandpa, what are you saying? I've always been this diligent, okay!" Li Yuer said, a little embarrassed.

"Little Zhao, it must have been a long journey to get here, aren't you tired?"

"Uh… it's alright, not very tired…"

"Mr. Li told me you've written many famous poems and even a novel, you're truly talented at such a young age!"

"Auntie, Uncle Li is overpraising me. I'm just a young greenhorn, not really! Not really!"

"Little Zhao, where are you from… who's in your family?"

…

Mrs. Li, for some reason, started to inquire about Zhao Dongchuan's personal situation, almost like a household registration check, which made him feel bewildered, and he could only force himself to make awkward conversation.

"Mom… why are you asking all this!" Li Yuer, seeing Zhao Dongchuan's slight embarrassment, tugged at her mother's sleeve, a little annoyed.

Mrs. Li just chuckled and ignored Li Yuer.

"I didn't expect you to be from the capital, that's great. Are the roads in the capital very wide, are there many cars, and can one see that old man?"

"The roads in the capital are better, and there are many cars, but it's basically very difficult to see him!" Zhao Dongchuan could only answer each question.

Fortunately, this awkward conversation soon ended. With the sound of a car braking, Li Yuer's Mr. Li returned home.

"Mr. Li!" Li Yuer hurried out to greet him.

"Haha, Yu'er, you're back!" Mr. Li looked at his daughter with a chuckle.

"Hello, Uncle Li!" Zhao Dongchuan also went over to greet him.

"Little Zhao, you're here. Come, let's sit inside!"

Then, the few of them sat down on the sofa in the inner room.

"Little Zhao, you've kept it a deep secret. If Li Yuer hadn't let it slip once, I wouldn't have known that you are the author of love of life!" Mr. Li recalled the scene at the state-run restaurant where he praised Zhao Dongchuan in front of the original author, feeling a strange sense of emotion.

"Uncle Li, it's not that I deliberately concealed it. It's just that at the time, I didn't even know the poem I wrote had been published. I only found out then. In that situation, if I had said something, it would have seemed like bragging, so…" Zhao Dongchuan smiled helplessly.

"Hahaha, Little Zhao, I didn't mean to blame you. I was just marveling at how the new generation surpasses the old. You're about the same age as my daughter, yet you've already published several poems and a novella. We even have your readers here!" Mr. Li said with emotion.

"I should also thank you for giving me this face and coming all this way despite the hardship!"

If Zhao Dongchuan hadn't needed to come here for goods, he most likely wouldn't have come. He probably would have waited until after things opened up.

At this moment, Mrs. Li had quietly left the living room and gone to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Li Yuer also went into the kitchen to help.

Zhao Dongchuan, Mr. Li, Grandpa Li, and others chatted idly, discussing current affairs, talking about local development, and asking about the situations in the capital and Huangyuan.

Mr. Li also openly discussed some of the current thorny issues in Peng City, mentioning certain villages where nine out of ten houses were empty, and all the young laborers had gone elsewhere, seemingly testing Zhao Dongchuan.

Facing these subtle probes, Zhao Dongchuan pretended not to understand, just nodding continuously without speaking, appearing as if he didn't know or wasn't clear.

These were not things he could speak about, and the actual situation was not something he could influence. Saying too much would lead to more mistakes, and the crucial point was that this situation had no solution.

The economic disparity was quite large, and many people risked their lives to leave. What could be done?

Only when the economy developed later would this situation gradually ease.

Seeing Zhao Dongchuan's indifference, appearing quite clueless, Mr. Li was slightly disappointed. He had previously heard from Li Yuer that Zhao Dongchuan had a forward-looking vision, unique insights, and was a talented writer, so he had hoped to hear some constructive suggestions from him.

However, he immediately thought that these problems were indeed a bit difficult for a twenty-year-old young man. He himself was at a loss, and so many people at the top were helpless, let alone him.

"I'm just a bit desperate and trying anything!" Mr. Li thought to himself.

There had been too many things recently, with too high a frequency, forcing the higher-ups to take some strict measures. However, the people below had strong resistance, making the work difficult.

But even in this situation, many people continued to follow one after another, and countless lives were lost in that river.

Mr. Li also made various efforts, hoping to implement some remedial measures to make life easier for everyone, but with little effect.

Thinking about the recent volatile situation, he couldn't help but feel a surge of melancholy…

They then tacitly moved past this topic and began to talk about literature. Although Grandpa Li was old, he was well-versed in the literary scene of recent years.

He spoke eloquently about popular novels like "Sunny Day" and "The Story of the Broadsword," and Zhao Dongchuan occasionally chimed in.

He usually liked to read and copy books, partly to improve his cultural literacy through the system's penmanship memory bonus, and partly to learn the authors' writing techniques so that he wouldn't expose himself in certain situations.

As the few of them were chatting animatedly, Li Yuer slowly brought plates of cooked dishes to the table!

"Mr. Li, Grandpa, Brother Dongchuan, dinner's ready!" Li Yuer said sweetly.

Immediately, the few of them naturally stopped talking and took their seats at the table. Zhao Dongchuan very naturally sat at the lower end of the table, but Mr. Li pulled him back.

"Little Zhao, sit next to me and have a drink with me!"

…