[Reborn in a bygone era + overseas entrepreneurship + everyday farming + lighthearted inspiration]
In 1977, Second Uncle arrived with an old suitcase to take Zhang Tao abroad. His fiancee said, "If you leave, we're through," and he stayed in the village.
He stayed for the rest of his life.
Later, she ran off with their savings and eloped with a high school classmate. Zhang Tao injured his back while working and grew old with white hair. At the nursing home, there wasn't even anyone who came to visit him.
When he opened his eyes again, Second Uncle was still standing at the door, and the car hadn't left yet.
This time, Zhang Tao picked up his luggage. "Uncle, let's go! We don't want to miss the ride!"
Second Uncle was just an ordinary farmhand in Canada, and it had taken him ages to save up for the plane tickets. Uncle and nephew squeezed into an old wooden house, worked in the fields, cooked their own meals, and had to check a phrasebook before saying a word of English outside.
Luckily, Zhang Tao had farmed all his life, and he still had the skills.
He earned wages during the day and delivered vegetables by cart on his days off. From a basket of cabbage, to orders from several restaurants, to the first farm he set his sights on...
He had to make money, build his parents a tiled-roof house, and make sure Second Uncle, who had helped him out, could enjoy a good life too.
But just as the business was starting to take off, Second Uncle began to fret. "I came out here with you to make money. Why do I have to go to school and do homework too?"
Zhang Tao handed him a pencil, smiling with utmost sincerity. "Uncle, you study first. When we become bosses, we can't let people trick us with English IOUs, can we?"
