Chapter 468: Day 33 into the Farming Story

Chapter 468: Day 33 of Farming in a Novel

Just as they were about to raise their glasses to drink, the village chief—Old Master Li, who was in charge of overseeing the banquet and greeting the guests—happened to be passing by with his own cup, about to move on to the next table.

He had only meant to cast a casual glance, but when his gaze swept over An Yi, he stopped in his tracks.

Old Master Li squinted his somewhat clouded old eyes, leaned in closer, and looked An Yi up and down, from head to toe and back again, several times over.

He exclaimed, "The An boy?! Is that you?! You came back for the wedding feast?!"

Before An Yi had left the village, the way he'd looked completely transformed had left a deep impression on the old chief—he'd even muttered to himself whether the lad had swallowed some kind of magic elixir!

Fu Cong froze, set down his cup, and looked at the village chief in confusion, then at An Yi: "Village chief, you... you know Boss An?"

He remembered that An Yi had come from the county town—how could the village chief know him, and even call him "the An boy"?

Hearing Fu Cong's question, the village chief's beard twitched, and he said in a loud voice with a tone of "You don't know who he is?"—"An Yi! Don't you recognize him? He's the An family's only son from our village! He's been gone less than a year! How can you not know him?"

Fu Cong was stunned.

His hand holding the cup froze mid-air, the smile on his face stiffened, slowly turning into stunned disbelief.

He turned and looked at An Yi again, his gaze as though he were seeing this person for the very first time, filled with doubt and astonishment.

The An boy? The village's former... good-for-nothing An Yi? That An Yi who stole chickens and snatched dogs, loafed around, had a notorious reputation, and was said to have eventually moved to the county town?

Impossible?!

The Boss An before him had the bearing of a bright moon in the autumn sky, dressed in fine clothes, elegant and composed in manner, refined and courteous in speech—how could he possibly be that slovenly, shifty-eyed, universally despised hoodlum An Yi?!

He had always thought it was just a coincidence of the same name! After all, there was more than one person in the world called An Yi.

The villagers at the nearby tables, who had been drinking and chatting, also heard the village chief's outburst and stopped what they were doing, looking over in confusion, their gazes all focusing on An Yi.

An Yi? That An Yi?

That hopeless good-for-nothing who gambled and owed debts, stole chickens and snatched dogs, couldn't be saved even with help, and finally slunk off in disgrace from the village?

He's back? And... he looks like this now?

Many gazes swept over An Yi, trying to find even a trace of the old An Yi in those refined features, that cool, otherworldly air, those expensive clothes.

But they found none.

Except that if you looked closely, the shape of his brows and eyes still faintly echoed the past—but the spirit, the bearing, even his skin and hair were worlds apart!

Could this... could this really be the same person?! Even a complete transformation couldn't be this drastic!

Under the crowd's stunned, puzzled gaze, An Yi smiled at the village chief, whose beard was still quivering: "Village chief, long time no see. Hope you've been well?"

He actually admitted it!

A low buzz of exclamations and murmurs immediately rose around them.

The cup in Fu Cong's hand wobbled, and a few drops of wine spilled out.

He stared wide-eyed at the calmly smiling An Yi before him, his mind in complete chaos.

That good-for-nothing who had once been randomly accused by Wang Shi at the Li family's doorstep of being Liu Geer's "lover," and who was later said to have moved to the county town... was actually the "Young Master An" who often ate at Liu Geer's eatery, had an outstanding bearing, and whose identity and background many had privately speculated about?

The Boss An who had once made him secretly admire his looks and bearing, and even feel a twinge of jealousy?

This... the gap was too huge, wasn't it?! They were worlds apart!

No, they were like two completely different people!

If the village chief hadn't personally identified him, and An Yi hadn't confirmed it himself, he wouldn't have believed it even if you'd beaten him to death!

The village chief stepped forward and looked An Yi over once more, from head to toe, as if to confirm this wasn't his imagination.

After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh, his grizzled beard trembling, his shocked expression gradually shifting to something complex—part nostalgia, part relief: "Young An! Good! Very good!"

The village chief slapped his thigh: "Looks like you've really made something of yourself! You're doing well in the county town!"

When he had written An Yi's travel permit back then, although he'd felt the lad's transformation was too drastic and had his private doubts, he'd still hoped the boy would stay on the straight and narrow.

Now it seemed, not only had he stayed on the straight and narrow, he'd done it in style!

Look at this bearing, these clothes, this manner of speech... this wasn't just "doing well"—this was hitting the big time!

So it wasn't just a brief flash of polish when he left—he'd truly turned over a new leaf and made a name for himself! Wonderful!

"With your blessings, village chief, I'm doing fine." An Yi smiled slightly, his tone modest.

The surrounding villagers finally began to recover from their initial shock, and the low murmuring grew even more animated, their gazes continuously sweeping over An Yi, filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

"It's really An Yi? That... that good-for-nothing?"

"Good heavens! This... how has he completely changed into a different person? Did he eat some magic pill?"

"Look at those clothes, that fabric—must be crazy expensive! And that belt... tsk tsk!"

"With that air, he's no worse than the county magistrate's son, is he? He must have hit the jackpot in the county town!"

"Made it big! Definitely made it big!"

"Who's that next to him? He looks impressive, like a young master from a rich family? A friend of An Yi's? Good build—clearly strong and sturdy, must be a hard worker!"

"An Yi isn't married yet, right? He only came to the feast with one man with him..."

Someone muttered quietly.

This remark instantly reminded many of the quick-witted people nearby.

Right! An Yi wasn't getting any younger—around twenty, wasn't he?

Dressed in fine clothes, with an impressive air, clearly settled in the county town and making money.

Yet he'd only brought one tall man to the banquet, with no women or young lads accompanying him... which meant... he wasn't married yet?

This realization crossed the minds of many villagers who had eligible daughters or sons at home.

This was a prime catch!

No matter how worthless he'd been before, that was in the past—young people take a few wrong turns, and now he'd come back around and become so successful!

His looks were second to none!

And he was in the county town—hearing Master Fu and others call him "Boss An," he was running his own business and making money! If they could marry their child to him...

Immediately, an auntie who claimed some distant, roundabout kinship with the An family's ancestors, and was known for being sharp-tongued and bold, couldn't contain herself. Carrying her own cup of wine, she shoved past the people beside her and squeezed forward.