The countryside now is no longer what it once was.
Many young people worked away from home and wouldn't return until the end of the year, and some didn't even return at all. Those who did return were often busy with work all year round. When they finally got a chance to rest at home, they would sleep in late.
At around eight in the morning, there were not many people outside in the Lin estate.
On his journey, Lin Yun only saw some older folks busy with their chores from a distance. He didn't meet anyone he recognized on his way, and before long, he found himself at his parent's doorstep.
The houses surrounding theirs were all multi-story buildings, only their home remained a single-story house.
"Today is Little Cloud's birthday... Ah... I don't even know if he's doing well out there..."
Just as Lin Yun reached the gate, he heard a woman sighing from within the courtyard.
Upon hearing these words, the moistness in Lin Yun's eyes instantly transformed into teardrops which began to fall.
"A mother will always worry about her son traveling afar," but who could truly understand what these words mean?
"Mom, I'm home!"
Pushing the door open, Lin Yun saw an aged woman in the yard. Unable to hold back his emotions any longer, he called out in a sobbing voice.
"Little Cloud, are you back?"
Upon hearing the voice, the old woman dropped the items in her hands. She turned around and saw Lin Yun, her face a portrait of disbelief.
"Little Cloud! You finally came back!"
The aged woman quickened her pace and flung her arms around Lin Yun, crying out loud.
She had not seen Lin Yun for five years, and how she missed him!
Tears were now streaming down Lin Yun's face.
At this moment, he noticed many white hairs on his mother's head.
When he left, his mother was fifty.
Now, his mother was fifty-five.
His mother had grown old.
At this moment, Lin Yun felt a pang of regret.
He regretted not coming back once during these five years.
At fifty-five, his mother seemed to have aged more than others her age, and he wondered if it had to do with his departure five years ago and his absence since then.
"Crash—"
From a distance, there was a commotion as a pile of objects fell to the ground.
Lin Yun turned his head and saw an aging figure frantically gathering vegetables that had fallen next to a cart, his hand slightly shaking.
When villagers needed to visit the city, with no buses and no taxis, with no money to buy cars, tricycles were the most convenient means of transport.
All walks of life also relied heavily on tricycles.
Could they all have been banned?
"Every tricycle, even those delivering water or express parcels, as soon as they're spotted in the county town, they're all captured..." Lin's father added.
"Heh..." Lin Yun couldn't help but chuckle grimly.
Even water and express delivery tricycles were taken too?
This reminded him of Shen City some time ago, when there was a wave of restricting motorcycles and electric vehicles, and a large number of water delivery and express tricycles were seized. That incident had caused a major uproar.
However, how populous is Shen City? It's in the tens of millions!
What's the makeup of Shen City's permanent population? Most of them are fairly affluent and earn decent wages, at least not concerned about public transportation costs!
Shen City has a thriving public transportation system!
What about Immortal Origin County?
Does the permanent population even reach five hundred thousand? And this number includes the people scattered across all the towns and villages!
Many of them are elderly folks and children left behind!
Many people have no wages! Even those with wages, earn very little!
If he hadn't misunderstood what he saw when he passed the county town earlier, it appeared there was only one taxi and not a single bus. Perhaps it was too early or he just missed it, but this starkly highlighted how underdeveloped Immortal Origin County's public transport was!
Under such circumstances, they actually banned all tricycles?
Put differently, how long has Shen City been developing? It's one of the most developed cities in the country! It only just started imposing restrictions!
A small city like Immortal Origin County, barely a seventh or eighth-tier city, is pulling the same stunt. It left him at a loss for words!
"We had no choice. When tricycles were first prohibited from entering the city, several acres of our crops rotted in the field. Your father tried selling the vegetables by cart, but we weren't allowed to sell at the old place and had lost our regular customers. It was Gangzi who found new customers for your father, but time was tight.
Your father went into town around three or four in the morning, only to be caught...They dumped all our vegetables on the roadside..." At this point, Lin Yun's mother rubbed her eyes.
Lin Yun's expression turned grim.
At this moment, his mother's voice was thick with grievance.
He could imagine how wronged his father must have felt when the incident happened.
Several acres of hard-grown vegetables rotting in the fields!
Entering the city around three or four in the morning, the cart was seized... and the vegetables dumped on the side of the road!
In a small county like Immortal Origin County, a tricycle is a significant asset for an ordinary family!
Those vegetables were their livelihood!
With their significant assets taken away... livelihood destroyed... how desperate they must have felt?