I'm a tough one too—if I say I won't serve, then I won't.

Chris Brooks planned to take a shower first, then sleep in all morning. In the past, he was always busy from the moment he opened his eyes until he closed them. Now, thanks to his rebirth, he finally had some rare leisure time, so of course he wanted to enjoy it.

He slept straight through until 10:30 in the morning, when the shrill ring of the phone woke Chris Brooks from his dreams.

In his dream, Chris Brooks was still in 2019, but as soon as he opened his eyes, it was the blazing summer of 2002 again.

"Who is it?"

Chris Brooks walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Your mom!"

Linda Parker said bluntly, "Our whole family is going to your grandma's for lunch. After you start college, we won't see each other as much, so you should visit more before you leave."

"Got it."

Chris Brooks hung up the phone and sat dazedly on the edge of the bed, partly to shake off his grogginess, partly to recall his grandparents' family situation.

As he thought about it, Chris Brooks couldn't help but laugh to himself: "Damn, this is just like those body-snatching web novels—now I have to slowly merge my memories. But both timelines are me, seventeen years apart—how the hell do I even keep track of that?"

...

Chris Brooks's grandparents lived in the countryside. His grandpa was an elementary school teacher, his grandma a housewife who also tended a few acres of land. Chris Brooks's paternal grandparents had passed away early, so he was very close to his maternal grandparents.

After half an hour on the bus, Chris Brooks arrived at his grandparents' house. This place would eventually become a development zone, but for now it was shaded with green trees, and golden wheat stretched as far as the eye could see. The scorching summer wind swept by, and all you could hear was the "whoosh" of wind blowing through the wheat fields.

"Grandpa, Grandma, get me some water!"

Just like always, Chris Brooks barged into the farmhouse courtyard, shouting as he went. The main room was full of people—his eldest uncle's family, second uncle's family, and second aunt's family were all there, everyone munching on watermelon.

"Look, the college student is here."

Second aunt-in-law said with a smile.

Chris Brooks grinned. None of his uncles' or second aunt's kids had gotten into college, so while others could bring up the word "college student," Chris Brooks himself would deliberately avoid it, not even showing any excitement about college life.

He grabbed a big slice of watermelon and started eating, not caring as the red juice dripped onto him. Second aunt laughed, "Already a college student, but you still eat like Pigsy."

With everyone watching, Chris Brooks polished off several slices of watermelon, wiped his mouth, let out a loud burp, and asked, "Where's Grandma?"

"Out back on the threshing ground, drying grain," Grandpa replied, puffing on his pipe.

In this heat, the old lady was really stubborn. Chris Brooks sighed inwardly, then stood up and said, "I'll go check on her."

"No need," Second uncle said. "Even we can't get her to come back. Unless she's satisfied with how the grain is spread out, she won't leave."

"That's because I haven't gone yet. Maybe a grandson carries more weight than a son."

Chris Brooks said with a grin, picked up a battered straw hat from the ground, ignored the sweat and rice husks, plopped it on his head, and headed out into the sweltering heat toward the threshing ground.

The room fell quiet for a moment. Grandpa took a couple of puffs on his pipe and said slowly, "The third child's son—he's got a personality that works anywhere, and he's a college student. He'll go far."

Linda Parker was the third child in the family. The eldest aunt and Linda Parker didn't get along that well, so she muttered, "He's just good at studying, nothing but a bookworm."

Grandpa just smiled, tapped his pipe, and said nothing.

As an old teacher, he never judged students by grades alone. Chris Brooks had always shown a certain maturity and openness in everything he did, along with a bit of wildness and boldness. Bookworms weren't like that.

The threshing ground was just a spacious open area in the village, set aside for processing rice husks and drying grain. Chris Brooks's grandma, a tiny old lady, was easy to spot in the crowd.

"Grandma!" Chris Brooks called out loudly.

The old lady heard the familiar voice, looked up hesitantly, and sure enough, it was her grandson.

"Oh my, what are you doing here?"

She put down her broom and came over, grabbing Chris Brooks's hand and not letting go, loudly introducing him to everyone on the threshing ground: "This is my eldest grandson—he's going to Jianye for college this year!"

College students were rare in the countryside, so people gathered around to get a look at Chris Brooks.

"This must be the third child's, looks just like her—same nose and eyes."

"Haven't seen him in so long, and now he's off to college in a blink."

"Still as handsome as when he was little."

...

Country folks are straightforward with their compliments, and Chris Brooks took them all in stride, even joking with acquaintances: "Auntie, you say I'm handsome, but you never introduced me to Cousin Xiaoyu!"

As it happened, Xiaoyu was also on the threshing ground. She spat and said, "My daughter's already three, and you still haven't asked your third aunt to come propose!"

Everyone in the countryside is related somehow. Linda Parker was the third child, so the younger generation all called her "Third Aunt." Chris Brooks replied with a laugh, "It's not too late—I can just wait for Xiaoyu's daughter."

"Pah! Dream on!"

The plump and charming Cousin Xiaoyu gave Chris Brooks a playful punch, making everyone around laugh. During the slow farming season, people loved this kind of banter.

At this point, Chris Brooks finally said to his grandma, "Let's go back—it's way too hot out here."