Scholars in the courtyard

When only a few of the sun's big faces were left, Yang Shitou drove the donkey cart to Yangjiazhuang.

Yang Xiaotao also breathed a sigh of relief. He finally arrived and could get out of the car and take his time.

They could have come back earlier, but with Yang Shitou's personality, they would inevitably show off again when passing by Gaojiazhuang.

If Yang Xiaotao hadn't reminded him that time was running out, Yang Shitou could have stayed a little longer.

There is no way, who allowed his father-in-law to be here?

Yang Xiaotao also left a box at the front door, and then left the seven aunts and eight aunts. This also attracted the attention of all the girls in the village, and they all asked people to go to Yangjiazhuang to inquire about Yang Xiaotao's situation.

Standing at the entrance of the village, I looked at the stone tablet full of historical vicissitudes, which wrote the history of the establishment of the village.

Yangjiazhuang has been here for a long time. It was first owned by a wealthy family during the Qing Dynasty. Later in the Republic of China, this family was looted by warlords and gradually became a residence for ordinary people.

The whole village has a typical northern village layout, with east, west, north and south, and cross streets in the middle. The roads are wide and the paths in each alley are not narrow.

To the north of the village is a ridge of earth, only thirty meters high and with a gentle slope. It is the main farming area of ​​Gaojiazhuang and Baima Village to the west.

To the south is a small hill with high terrain and undulating terrain. There is a river to the south of the village in the north of the mountain, and there is a reservoir about a hundred miles upstream of the river.

So Shannan is the planting area of ​​the village. In my memory, hawthorn apples and mountain chestnuts are grown there.

On her chest, Xiaowei was eager to try, as if she had returned to nature, and even Yang Xiaotao could feel her comfortable mood.

"Don't worry, don't worry, you can play with me!"

After comforting Xiaowei, Yang Xiaotao saw two people walking out of the village.

One is tall and one is short, the short one is in front.

The two of them were wearing cotton-padded jackets, and the shorter one was also wearing a military coat, but the color looked a bit old and it covered most of his body.

"Master!"

Yang Shitou shouted, and Yang Xiaotao reacted and ran over quickly.

When I saw Mr. Yang again, the old man's face was sallow and a bit older than before. His hair was covered with silver threads like steel needles, but it was no longer as lush as before.

"Master!"

Yang Xiaotao quickly stepped forward and stretched out his hand to support his arm, but Mr. Yang raised his leg and kicked Yang Shitou on the butt.

"You little bastard, what are you doing when you come back so late!"

"The whole family is waiting for it, no matter how serious it is!"

Yang Shitou laughed along, not daring to dodge, "Master, Uncle Da Zhuang."

"There are a lot of things to pull here, so I'm walking a little slower!"

Yang Shitou smiled coquettishly, revealing the donkey cart behind him.

Only then did Yang Xiaotao look at the tall figure standing aside, with a Chinese character face and square ears, standing there with a pair of round eyes filled with righteousness.

"Uncle Big Strong."

Yang Xiaotao shouted, this person is Yang Dazhuang, the village chief and the militia captain.

It is said that he also participated in the militia square during this year's military parade and is a well-known figure in the surrounding area.

Of course, these were all told to him by Yang Shitou.

"Xiao Tao, just come back!"

Yang Dazhuang spoke in a loud voice, full of kindness.

"Little bastard, why do you bring so many things when you come back?"

On the other side, Mr. Yang walked to the donkey cart, took one look at it, and then turned back to curse.

Yang Xiaotao smiled and said, "Why don't I come back to honor you now?"

"Get out of here, show your respect to me, it's not your turn."

As Mr. Yang spoke, his eyes caught sight of the liquor in the cart. He quickly stepped onto the donkey cart and held a bag of liquor in his arms.

"You kid, what if you break it? I don't know the seriousness!"

Yang Xiaotao smiled, and Yang Dazhuang patted him on the shoulder, "Master has been waiting all afternoon, and the food has been heated up twice."

Yang Xiaotao was moved after hearing this. This is the feeling of home.

No matter how late it is, there are always people waiting for you to come home for dinner.

"Little Shitou, drive quickly."

Mr. Yang was carrying the wine bottle, looked at the things in the car, and hurriedly urged.

Yang Shitou immediately pulled the donkey cart forward, and Yang Xiaotao and Yang Dazhuang followed behind, talking.

While talking, it was already dark. There were no street lights in the village, and kerosene lamps began to light up in the houses on both sides of the road.

A little candlelight shines through the window, and the smell of cooked rice spreads around, adding to the smoke and smoke.

Soon the car arrived at the "Brigade Headquarters", which is actually the village office. Because the team often gathers here to work, it was called this name.

Of course, it is still a place where the whole village eats, a collective restaurant for the entire production team.

This is the only place in the village with electricity.

Movies are usually shown nearby.

When the car stopped, someone had been waiting in the yard for a long time. The lights were turned on, revealing a group of figures.

"Xiao Tao, you're back!"

"I'm back, I brought a lot of things!"

"It's amazing, the boy from Lao Gen's family is going to be successful!"

Discussions surrounded Yang Xiaotao, and Yang Xiaotao was polite. These people are uncles, uncles, and sisters-in-law, so they can't be ignored.

Many people looked at the things on the car with envy.

These days, people eat from a big pot. As soon as it’s time to eat, every household carries a rice bowl and chopsticks and goes to the village canteen, which is the brigade headquarters, to eat.

Of course, this is just a formal average, so that everyone can eat.

Therefore, logically speaking, the things Yang Xiaotao brought back would be handed over to the brigade headquarters for safekeeping, and then the whole village would come to eat during the meal.

But in fact, the respected elderly people in a brigade often have more say, and some village cadres also have more autonomy.

This is not to say that they are corrupt and plunder the wool of socialism, but that they have made adjustments based on actual conditions.

There is nothing to say about the relationship between people from the same village.

Yang Xiaotao is from Yangjiazhuang, and they all know this.

Therefore, these things belong to Yang Xiaotao, and no one can tell what he wants.

After all, people bought it to honor their elders.

"Okay, we've all met. After dinner, everyone will go back to their homes. Tomorrow is the Chinese New Year, so some people are making trouble!"

Seeing the crowd surrounding Yang Xiaotao, Mr. Yang hurriedly spoke, and then everyone dispersed.

However, there were still a few people standing there.

Mr. Yang didn't say anything either. Yang Xiaotao was a little surprised. None of these people were familiar with them.

At this moment, several people looked at each other, stepped forward, and bowed, frightened Yang Xiaotao and hurried away.

"Masters and uncles, what are you doing?"

"I can't bear it."

Yang Xiaotao was confused and spoke quickly, but Yang Dazhuang on the side opened his mouth to explain.

"Last year you asked me to bring back the money to build a house for them. This year they don't have to suffer the cold."

"They can't pay back this kindness now. But the kindness must be remembered."

"Otherwise, they will be worried about it for the rest of their lives."

Yang Dazhuang explained thoroughly, and the expressions of several people were sincere.

"Xiao Tao, I really thank you. Otherwise, my mistress would have froze to death long ago with your money."

The leader, an old man, was about the same age as the elder, but his energy was far behind him. He continued to bow after he finished speaking.

Yang Xiaotao walked over in one step and helped the old man up.

"Uncle, if you say this, you are treating me as a member of the Yang family."

A word that touches everyone's heart.

The old man even had tears in his eyes.

"Uncle, dear uncles and uncles, I, Yang Xiaotao, am the son of Yang Laogen. I am the son of Yangjiazhuang. The blood of Yangjiazhuang flows in my body. Even if I die, I will be buried in this ancestral grave."

Yang Xiaotao didn't think much at all and said it directly.

Mr. Yang saw it clearly and shouted to everyone.

"Yes, Xiaotao is right. Lao Jiu, don't make it difficult for him! We are a family that does not speak the same language!"

"Everyone pack up and go to my house later to celebrate Xiaotao!"

"This little brat has brought several bottles of wine. We brothers will have a drink later!"

"Hahaha"

Mr. Yang has a high status and speaks honestly. When they saw that Yang Xiaotao was not the kind of person who cares about everything, and that he spoke to their hearts, they became even more enthusiastic.

Yang Xiaotao was the only one on the side looking a little strange, what kind of celebration? Isn't it just a matter of going home? Is it really necessary to make it so big?

And, go home?

In his impression, his hometown had collapsed a long time ago. When his father was still here, he would live in the brigade headquarters when he came back.

He was unsure, but he and Yang Shitou drove the car and followed the crowd.

He just turned around and stopped next to the brigade headquarters. In front of him was a double wooden door.

Mr. Yang waved his hand, "Where's Xiao Tao? Come and open the door!"

Yang Xiaotao walked through the crowd, looked at the two doors full of traces of time, and reached out to push them in doubt.

squeak~~

The wood creaked and the door was pushed open, revealing the courtyard and the two opposite houses.

"Master!"

Yang Xiaotao turned around, but Mr. Yang asked him to leave first.

Yang Xiaotao didn't understand what was going on, but he vaguely felt that he had guessed something. He crossed the threshold in confusion and walked into the house.

"Haha, okay, let's go in!"

After Mr. Yang finished speaking, Yang Xiaotao immediately understood what was going on. He did not dare to accept this gift.

"Master, please speak clearly. What is going on?"

Yang Xiaotao blocked everyone and asked quickly.

"You kid, you're so smart and you can't guess?"

The old uncle on the side suddenly spoke, but he said it with a smile.

"I'll tell you this."

Mr. Yang walked up to Yang Xiaotao and looked at Yang Xiaotao as if he were his own descendant. His eyes were soft but his voice was sonorous.

"Your family moved out early, and the houses in the village collapsed and no one took care of them. Now they can't find land."

"The rest of the money you gave me last time was used to decorate my house. I will take care of it for you, and I will have a place to stay when I come back!"

How could Yang Xiaotao not understand the meaning behind the words? It was obvious that he had ruined two houses.

Excited, happy and deeply passionate.

"Master!"

"me"

Yang Xiaotao's words were confused and his eyes were a little red.

"What are you talking about? As long as you don't mind me, an old man."

"No, I don't mind it."

"From now on, you will be a member of the family, and I will take care of you until you die!"

What Yang Xiaotao said was not unexpected, and the people around him were not surprised.

Mr. Yang led his tribe to revolution and fight against the Japanese. He was the only one left in the family. The elders had already agreed that the whole village would support Mr. Yang until he died. Now there was only one more Yang Xiaotao, not much.

"Hahaha"

Mr. Yang smiled boldly and shed two tears, but they disappeared immediately.

"Okay, from now on we and I will live together, and you will have to take care of the drinking."

He held Yang Xiaotao up, his fingers like steel bars, unable to tolerate rejection.

"Get up, this is a good thing, a happy thing, let's go inside and eat."

Mr. Yang walked first, while Yang Xiaotao stood aside to greet everyone.

This is his home, and it is natural for the owner to welcome guests.

When we walked into the house, it was a bit smaller than the houses in the courtyard. The surroundings were made of mud, and the walls were covered with newspapers to keep them clean.

There are two rooms in the east and west, with the middle being the living room.

A stove, a stove, a kang, and a bed.

Soon, a fire broke out in the house, and Yang Shitou's wife led two old ladies over to help. Yang Xiaotao and Yang Shitou unloaded everything from the car.

There were seven or eight old people sitting around the table in the front hall, and Yang Dazhuang beside him was holding a teapot and pouring water in front of the table.

Yang Shitou's daughter-in-law, whose surname is Wang, is from Gaojiazhuang. She is very honest and responsible. She doesn't talk much, but she works very hard.

Yang Xiaotao saw that there was only some cabbage in the pot, no meat and only a little oily foam floating on it, so he didn't feel that he was being treated poorly.

At present, this meal has exceeded the level of rural areas.

Moreover, in this era of eating from a big pot, this is equivalent to running a small stove.

I sighed in my heart, rolled up my sleeves, and came to the chopping board.

"Brother Shitou, bring that red bag."

Yang Shitou was secretly stuffing the toffee he had saved into his wife's pocket. When Yang Xiaotao called out, her face suddenly turned red.

"Hey, okay."

Yang Shitou quickly found a red envelope from the bag and handed it to Yang Xiaotao.

When the bag was opened, there was a large piece of meat inside.

Under the dim kerosene lamp, the color of the meat was a little yellow.

The people around who were chatting with Mr. Yang noticed this and their eyes widened.

"This is mutton!"

One person smelled the smell of mutton with a pointed nose and said affirmatively.

Yang Xiaotao had already picked up the knife and chopped the mutton into slices.

“I’ll invite you to mutton soup tonight!”

In a word, the room was filled with enthusiasm.