This is the fourth installment of what I saw and felt in my 2014 trip to my hometown in China. Actually, they were not very different from my 2013 trip. Same small town with crowded streets and cars; same fresh food everyday and at a cheap price compared with the US; same, or worse hot weather that lasted months, and day and night. My mother is one year older than last year, but is still going strong. I enjoyed my morning shopping trip with her to the very crowded and noisy marketing place, but I ceased taking pictures, except for those Dragon-Eye fruits that I like so much, and at only one tenth of the cost if bought in the US. By the way, in the morning after I consumed a lot of Dragon-Eye, I would check for my blood sugar, and would be pleased to find that my blood sugar reading was even lower than ever before.

Then my Sister Xiulan asked a taxi driver to bring me a whole box of jumbo Dragon-Eye. Growing up in the town famous for fruits, I had never seen fruit this big and this tasty. And staying in my hometown with my mother, and with so many friends, I was 一often overwhelmed with their gifts and their kindness. It does feel good to be back in a hometown where you grew up and had many good friends.

But my family is in the States. Every day I would do a video chat with my wife and grandchildren. Getting the four-year-old and two-year-old on the video chat is quite a challenge, for they would yell "grandpa", then jump away instantly. But that was the fun, and that is why I am devoting the rest of this web page to them (contents will continue to be updated). Most of the photos are those of our two smallest grandchildren. Without small children, the world would not be such a lovely place to be.

Yesterday (9-23-2014), my Zhao Mama sent us a package with a coat for my mom and a lot of dried foods from Jinan (Shangdong Province). This afternoon, my brother drove me to Zhangzhou to see Sister Xiulan so as to give her some of the local produce from Jinan.

Zhangzhou is just 20 kilometers away. When we were young, we often dreamed of going to Zhangzhou, for sightseeing or as an outing, if ever we had a bicycle or could borrow one. We had neither. We were so impoverished. In my high school days, my school arranged for us to visit the military airport at Zhangzhou. After we had some of the airmen's coffee drinks, my friend Qingyuan and I paid ten cents (RMB) each to have a cyclist take us on his bicycle to see his sister who was half way between Zhangzhou and Shima. Then, as planned, Qingyuan stayed with his sister and I continued on my journey back to Shima. Not wanting to spend another ten cents to hire a cyclist, I walked the rest of the 10 kilometers. By the time I sauntered into the alley where my home was, it was dark and I was really weary.

Now my brother has his car to take me. It feels good that as we are getting old, we can afford to look back at the miseries of our youth and childhood at ease, and know that we actually became better and stronger because of our past sufferings.

这是我2014年归国行的第三篇，但没有什么新内容。家乡石码仍然是那么小，那么挤，那么吵。好处就是有妈妈，有许多新鲜食品，有许多好朋友。我仍然天天清晨跟妈妈去菜市场。面对琳琅满目的鲜货，我很少拍照了，除了碰到好龙眼。这龙眼不但好，而且价格是美国的十分之一。（在美国买龙眼，一磅至少五美元；而石码的龙眼一斤最多三块，当相于一磅五十美分。）

那一天，秀兰姐还雇一个小车司机给我送来一纸盒的大龙眼。我从小长大在号称水果之乡的石码，却没见过这么大这么好吃的龙眼。所以，旅途是辛苦，天气是热，但回乡的感觉还真好。月不是故乡的明，但浓浓的亲情友情却只有在故乡才有。

不过，我的家人都在美国。每一天我都会与妻子和孩子视频通话。跟小孙儿孙女的视频特别有趣，因为他们安静不会超过一秒钟，喊声“爷爷”又跑了。想念他们，就在这第三篇归乡行的网页放了我的家人在美国的照片（并会不断更新）。照片主要是我们家最小的两个孙儿孙女的照片。世界上因为有小孩，才乐趣横生。

昨天（9月23日），赵妈妈从济南用快递给我们寄来当地的土产和给妈妈的外套。下午，我就跟弟弟上漳州看秀兰姐，顺手分给她济南的土产。

说起上漳州，在我们小时候，那可是一段梦求的路。如果能够借到一辆自行车，那简直快乐得像远足，像野游。但那个时候，我们自己没车，借也很难借到。记得高中时学校组织去漳州空军机场参观，喝了飞行员的咖啡后，庆源带我雇车（这里的车都指自行车）到水头，一个人花了一角人民币。从水头回石码，还有10公里，雇车还得一毛钱。我谢绝了庆源替我出钱雇车的好意，决定自己一人走回石码。那一天，当我走进浸水埕小巷，我脚酸了，天也黑了。

幸好，当我们老了，我们出门可以开自己的车了。少年的磨难，也成了资本，成不复寒酸的回忆。

Click image to enlarge.  击打图片即可放大。
(will switch to Yannan 2014 hometown visit （4） in 20 minutes; 二十分钟后自动转到 燕南2014年故乡行（4）