Druid's Country Retirement

The next morning.

The rooster could not crow, and the crackling of firecrackers sounded in the sky above Taohuagou.

The villagers of Taohuagou, who had discussed in advance, came to the rice field at the entrance of the village carrying their own benches and tables.

The men slaughtered pigs and built stoves, the women washed vegetables and laid out dishes, and the old people stood beside them to direct.

Li Hongbing and Li Hongqi drove to the entrance of the village early, opened the car door and asked people to help unload meat, candies and snacks.

"Brother Li, what are you doing? How can I get you to buy something for a married girl from our village!" Lu Niu Sheng ran over with sweat on his face and looked at the things that were about to be squeezed out of the carriage, showing an unhappy look.

"If you marry a girl in Taohuagou Village or a wife in Caogou Village, no one will suffer. After all, I am also Jianjun's brother, so I can't come empty-handed!"

Li Hongbing pulled out a slaughtered whole sheep from the car and handed it to the young man who came over to help.

"The car has a small space and can't hold much, so I bought 4 sheep and 2 pigs. If it's not enough, I'll find someone to send them over. I should make it in time."

"Enough, enough! We also want to kill sheep and pigs." Lu Niu Sheng waved his hands repeatedly, turned around and asked people to unload the goods quickly.

When the villagers of Taohuagou saw that Li Hongbing had bought so much meat, they secretly gave him a thumbs up. He did everything in his work, no wonder he could make a lot of money.

"Brother!" Jianjun pulled Meihua over, his face full of gratitude.

Because today is not a formal wedding, Meihua did not wear Xiuhe clothes, but simply wore a relatively festive red coat.

"Auntie, are you up?" Li Hongbing asked with a smile.

When she mentioned her mother, Meihua nodded hurriedly.

"I woke up and drank a big bowl of chicken soup in the morning."

During the blind date in Caogou Village, Brother Jianjun said that the Red Soldier Brother in front of him was a miracle doctor, and he could cure any disease no matter what.

I didn’t believe it at first.

But after two injections yesterday, my mother not only looked better, she didn't breathe when she spoke, and she could even walk a few steps.

"It's a good thing if you can eat. Come with me!" Li Hongbing waved to Jianjun, took him to a place with few people, and took out a few stacks of unsealed banknotes from his pocket, as well as a thick stack of banknotes. Red envelope.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Jianjun looked confused and gave himself money.

Li Hongbing stared and said angrily.

"Silly boy, I usually have a bright mind, but why can't I use it today? The whole village is hosting a banquet for Plum Blossoms. Why don't you, the groom, show off? Put a hundred yuan in an envelope and send it out with Plum Blossoms. Don't let anyone say We in Caogou Village don’t understand the rules.”

Jianjun suddenly understood and took the money and red envelope, "Thank you, brother. I will pay you back when I return to the village."

"If you give me back some chicken feathers, I'll treat it as a wedding gift." Li Hongbing waved his hand.

"That won't work. One code will equal one code. I'm still waiting for you to send a big red envelope."

"Go away, your brain is working better now!"

Li Hongbing smiled and lightly kicked Jianjun.

soon.

Jianjun and Meihua returned to the rice field at the entrance of the village carrying a plastic bag. Under the leadership of Meihua, they took out red envelopes from the bag and gave them out while recognizing the person.

The villagers who received the red envelope were confused.

Seen strange.

People usually receive red envelopes when they get married, but it would be nice for the newlyweds to give out red envelopes.

When I opened it, I saw it was still a red page, worth a hundred yuan!
There are more than 300 people in Taohua Village, regardless of gender, old or young. One person costs more than yuan per round.

So, while the villagers were working, they secretly watched the couple handing out red envelopes in the rice field and began to talk secretly.

"Damn it, did you get the red envelope?"

"Here, it's a hundred yuan. What does this mean? I didn't understand it."

"I took it too. You said I just sent five kilograms of flour last night. Why did Meihua give me a red envelope today? Isn't this a return gift?"

"What gift should I give you in return? I think the money must have come from the plum blossom man."

"Then can I get back the money I lent to the Meihua family?"

"Your little money is nothing. I didn't realize that the Plum Blossom Man is from Caogou Village. Now Caogou Village is already rich."

"Good boy, one hundred for each person, this round won't cost tens of thousands."

The women chatted in groups, but the men understood what the newlyweds meant.

to be honest.

It means thanking the money, thanking the villagers for their help, thanking the villagers for their help, and thanking the villagers for their care.

"Mei Hua, this child, is grateful, and his man is also kind and righteous. Mei Hua will be blessed in the future!" The old people sighed with emotion as they held the red envelopes.

Time flies to noon.

Amidst the sound of firecrackers, the banquet began. After all, this was not a formal wedding banquet, so everyone was not so particular.

As the village chief, Lu Niu Sheng said a few festive words and then helped Mei Hua Niang to the table.

Seeing this great day, Mei Hua Niang wept with joy. Her eldest daughter had been smart since she was a child, but it was a pity that her father passed away early. Since she became ill, she has been taking care of all the things in the family, and in the end she had to sell herself in exchange for betrothal gifts. Treat yourself and pay off the debt.

Fortunately, God opened his eyes and found a man who was willing to treat her well.

"Mom, I kowtow to you, and I promise not to let Mei Hua suffer any injustice in the future!"

Jianjun took the initiative to walk up to Meihua Niang, knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

"Get up, child, what Mei Hua did is wrong when we start a family in the future. We should talk about it and make a fuss." With tears in her eyes, Mei Hua's mother struggled to help Jian Jun up.

The wedding banquet started with the sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums.

After finishing the wedding banquet.

Li Hongbing drove the car to the entrance of the village and arranged for Meihua Niang and her two younger sisters.

Then a brother from the Lu family, with a plum blossom on his back covered with a red hijab, was sent to the car amidst the sound of gongs and drums from the Lu family.

Lu Niu Sheng's face was red from drinking, and he pulled Li Hongbing, "Brother Li, it's going to snow soon. Our village may not be able to survive on Mei Hua's wedding day. Even if Mei Hua is given a sedan chair today, you Caogou Village won't be picky."

"Don't worry, you can't be picky." Li Hongbing smiled and shook his head.

"That's good!" Lu Niu Sheng nodded and walked to the car window, "Mei Hua, although you are married, you are still from Taohuagou. From now on, you must be filial to your parents-in-law and serve a good man. If you are wronged, just tell the third master. , Third Master will make the decision for you."

"Okay, it's getting late, let's get on our way!"

"Brother Lu, let's go then, Dayou, let's go!"

After Li Hongbing waved goodbye to his acquaintances from the Lu family, he returned to the cab and drove slowly away from Taohuatou.

A snowflake fell from the sky and landed on the windshield.

Snowing!
The first snow arrived as expected.

At first, the snowflakes fell in droves, like tiny feathers, floating lightly in the air.

Gradually, the snow fell heavier and heavier, the tiny feathers turned into goose feathers, and large handfuls of snowflakes poured down.

Delica drives on the winding mountain roads in the mountains.

Not long after, there was a layer of snow on the mountain road.

Fortunately, the Delica had been modified and had four-wheel drive, so it was relatively easy to deal with the sudden snowfall.

After climbing to the top of Chaotian Rock, Li Hongbing got out of the car and looked down the mountain. Looking around, the sky and the earth merge into one. Wherever you look, snowflakes are densely intertwined, forming a vast white world.

As we go deeper into the mountainous area, the snowflakes become denser and larger, and eventually they turn into snow flakes, no longer falling, but rolling and falling in the air like pieces of paper.

"It's snowing so fast, I haven't even received a notification!" Li Hongqi stood nearby, curling up his neck and complaining in the heat.

"It's a good thing they didn't block us out!" Li Hongbing shook off the snow on his body, "Get in the car and go back quickly."

Return to the village.

Jianjun felt that it was not appropriate to put his mother-in-law in the infirmary, so he took her home. Anyway, there was an empty room at home, and it was easier to take care of her if there were many people.

Li Hongbing kicked Li Hongqi out of the car who asked for door-to-door delivery, turned the car around, and drove to Jianjun's house. After dropping off Meihua and his family, he hurried back to his old home.

On the mountain road, I saw the old oak tree at home in the distance, covered with crystal clear snowflakes, standing in the wind and snow.

There was no green at all in the meadow, which was covered with snowflakes and completely white.

In this snowy world, everything became quiet and peaceful. Only the sound of wind blew gently in his ears, which made Li Hongbing feel the breadth and depth of nature.

When the car parked in the garage, I heard Anna and Nanny giggling in the yard.

Go through the aisle.

A snowball flew towards him.

Li Hongbing dodged and saw Lao Ou and his children playing in the snow, making snowmen and having snowball fights. The laughter and laughter echoed throughout the old house.

Snowflakes were falling, and the children's laughter became louder and louder.

Under the eaves, only Shan Xing and Wang Qian's sister-in-law were laughing and watching the fun.

"The bad guy has entered the house, let's beat him up!" Anna's face turned red from the cold, and she threw a snowball in her hand.

Hey!
If you have a snowball fight with me, your scar will be healed and you will forget the pain. Who cried when we had a snowball fight in the dirt a few days ago.

Li Hongbing bent down and picked up a snowball with ill intentions, and threw it towards Anna.

Snapped!
The snowball hit Anna's face accurately, and her whole little face was covered in snow.

Lao Ou on the side saw this and joined the fight.

Li Hongbing couldn't bear to hit Anna with all his strength, but he didn't let go when he hit Ouyang Hua.

Snowballs rained down on Ouyang Hua, as if they were equipped with tracking systems.

Li Hongbing deliberately made the snowball solid and hard, and hitting him was no less than being hit by a potato.

Ouyang Hua screamed in pain immediately. The two children thought he was having fun, so they stood aside and clapped happily.

"No more playing, no more playing, surrender, I surrender!" Ouyang Hua held his head and fled into the main room, raising a white flag.

After finishing his enjoyment, Li Hongbing walked under the eaves.

"You are so old, you are still fighting snow!" Shan Xing considerately used a towel to sweep away the snow on Li Hongbing's clothes.

Li Hongbing grinned, looked around the house, and asked curiously, "Mom, dad, where are my sister and brother-in-law!"

"They received the blizzard text message and rushed back to the city overnight!" Shan Xing responded.

Blizzard SMS?

Li Hongbing took out his mobile phone and opened the interception message. Yesterday, he actually received several weather warning text messages.

But it doesn’t matter.

The point is that when my parents return to the city, I finally don’t have to sleep in a side room and live alone.

It had been a long time since he had played a game. Li Hongbing looked at Shan Xing with fiery eyes. The latter noticed something, blushed and said he was going to cook, then turned around and fled into the kitchen.

"Myolie, let's have hot pot for lunch!"

Li Hongbing shouted, and when he saw Sister-in-law Wang Qian with a playful smile on her face, she asked shamelessly, "Is the old man gone?"

"After seeing Uncle Luo off, I sat at home for a while and then returned to the provincial capital." After finishing speaking, sister-in-law Wang Qian looked at the snowflakes in the sky, "I've never seen such heavy snow before. Does it rain like this every year in the village?"

Li Hongbing, who only returned to the countryside this year, still remembers snow as a child more than ten years ago.

There was a lot more snow at that time than it is now. It was really covered in snow, and the snow could reach up to the knees. In that era, although the living conditions in the countryside were difficult, the children's happiness was very simple.

Whenever there are snowflakes in the sky, the whole village is boiling. Everyone ignores the cold, puts on thin clothes, rushes out of the house, and dances with the snow.

On the snow, have snowball fights, build snowmen, sledding, catch birds, and unleash your inner joy.

It’s not like in the city, where a little bit of snow makes you excited.

"It's not snowing heavily today, but don't even think about going out of the mountain. You won't be able to walk on the mountain trail."

"If you don't go out, don't go out. I have never seen such heavy snow." Sister-in-law Wang Qian's eyebrows were raised. When she saw two children on the rice field carrying shovels and shoveling snow, preparing to build a snowman, she quickly shouted, "Don't move. Let me show off my skills and show you what it means to make a snowman."

While talking, Sister-in-law Wang Qian rushed into the snow and played with the children.

Li Hongbing shook his head. There is a kind of magic in snowy days. Whether adults or children, they can bring back their childhood in just one second.

Right!

I wonder how the animals are doing.

Don't worry about the big flowers. They have thick winter fur and will probably sleep in the snow pit.

However, October and the meerkat are from the African grasslands, and they have never seen heavy snow.

Thinking of this, Li Hongbing walked into the heavy snow again and came to the old oak tree.

In the dog kennel, October and the meerkat group cuddled together for warmth, huddled next to the heating pipe and shivered.

Even if there is heating, it cannot prevent the dog kennel from leaking. In order to keep the dog kennel ventilated, some gaps were deliberately left in some wooden boards when making it. It doesn't matter in autumn.

But now there was a heavy snowy wind blowing outside, and the cold wind penetrated the dog kennel from all directions, almost turning these animals from Africa into ice sculptures.

Seeing Li Hongbing appear, October's nose was filled with mucus and he whimpered a few times.

Fortunately, Li Hongbing made preparations in advance. He took out the straw mats he had made in advance from the warehouse to prevent snowy weather, wrapped the outside of the dog shed tightly, and spread several bundles of hay inside the dog shed.

The straw mat blocks the cold wind, and the effect is immediate. The animals immediately feel the temperature rising rapidly, and their frozen bodies slowly regain their vitality.

"Stay well in the doghouse. I'll get you food later."

in the kitchen.

The heat radiating from the heating pipes makes people feel like they are in summer, and with the firewood burning on the stove, it is still not cold even if you wear short sleeves in the kitchen.

There is a large pot on the stove stewed with cured chicken and duck. The soup is white, and the stewed radish is tumbling in the soup. A large pot is holding a steamer, and the aroma of rice is wafting out.

Li Hongbing walked into the kitchen and saw Shan Xing washing vegetables. He quickly stepped forward and said, "I'll wash it. The water is cold. Don't get excited."

"It's hot water, not cold!" Shan Xing looked at Li Hongbing occupying the position of washing vegetables with a happy smile on his face.

"You go and burn firewood, it's warm over there."

Li Hongbing didn't care about hot or cold water. He drove Shan Xing away and put on an apron to get busy.

soon.

The meal was ready and was originally going to be eaten in the main room, but except for Li Hongbing, everyone else unanimously requested to move under the eaves to eat hot pot while watching the snow.

The sky is filled with heavy snow, and the whole family gathers around the steaming pot under the eaves. This is the happiest way to start winter.

(End of this chapter)