Scholars in the courtyard

Two days later, the Ran family courtyard.

Yang Xiaotao looked at Ran's mother and Ran Qiuye who kept stuffing things into their luggage, and smiled bitterly with Ran Jiao.

The two of them stood in front of the car, lighting cigarettes and facing the nascent sunshine, relatively speechless.

"Now that I'm gone, the family depends on you!"

"Dad, don't worry, I'm here!"

Ran's father nodded, very satisfied with his eldest son-in-law.

If you have the ability to take care of your family, you can say something that you don't want to admit, that you are better than him.

Ran's father stretched out his hand and waved Ran Xinrui forward. The little girl's eyes were red, but she tried not to let the tears fall.

"Little sister, help your mother take care of you at home, and study hard. Study the books dad gave you."

Ran Xinrui nodded, "When I finish learning, I'll go find you."

"Okay, when the time comes, dad will take you to see something better."

Ran Xinrui nodded.

Then he looked at Ran Hongbing and said, "Xiaobing, dad is out working. You are the biggest man in Ran's family. You have to take good care of this family."

Young Ran Hongbing nodded affirmatively, and Ran's father smiled and said, "When you are admitted to junior high school, dad will give you a bicycle."

"real?"

"Guaranteed to be true."

"Oh, great."

A few people were talking and laughing, and Ran's father said goodbye to the people in the courtyard again. There was a little more laughter in the scene, which dispersed the sadness of separation.

Ran's mother put a big bag in the car, Ran Qiuye prepared delicious food, brought gifts, packed a big bag and put it in the car. Finally, Yang Xiaotao took a bag from the car, which contained three cigarettes and three bags of tea. There were also two bottles of wine, which were put in the car, filling the back seat of the jeep.

"Okay, it's getting late, it's time to go." Ran's father handed the Dragon Boat Festival to Ran Qiuye, looked at his wife again, and prepared to get in the car.

"Dad, take this with you." Yang Xiaotao thought of something, took out a photo from his pocket and handed it to Ran's father. It was a family photo of several people at eleven o'clock.

This time, no one is missing from the family portrait.

Father Ran took it, nodded, waved to a few people, and then said, "Take care of yourself."

He glanced at Ran's mother again, "Wait for my news!"

"gone!"

The car started and slowly exited the alley.

Then disappeared from sight.

"Let's go home." Ran's mother hugged Duanwu and smiled at everyone. Tears fell from the corners of Ran Qiuye's eyes, and she walked into the courtyard with the child in her arms.

The uncle in the courtyard also came forward to comfort him.

"It's okay. The men in my family are here to build the country. We are a glorious family."

Ran's mother tongue was full of pride, but he kept his reluctance deep in his heart.

"Chief, actually there is still half a month left."

Xiao Wang on the jeep finally spoke.

The time he mentioned that night was deliberately explained by Ran Wen.

Ran's father placed the photo close to his body, "I know, I know!"

Then he looked outside the car and said, "I'm afraid that over time, I won't be able to lift my feet."

When Xiao Wang heard this, his eyes filled with tears.

"An Gong is back."

"Ah, I'm back."

"I haven't seen An Gong for a while!"

"Yeah, I'm busy at work! I just got off work!"

On the street, the yellowed dirt road occasionally stirred up dust under the feet of pedestrians.

The low houses on both sides resisted the attack of fallen leaves in the autumn wind, and then were swept ruthlessly into Galali.

The man who spoke, An Gong, was wearing work clothes and carrying a bag in his hand. He was polite to the people around him from time to time. The middle-aged man is An Zhongsheng, a worker at the steel factory in the town.

skilled worker.

An Gong came to the town from the city many years ago, started a family here, and took root here.

People around him didn't know much about his past. Even in the steel factory, few people knew about it. Everyone only knew that An Gong was dressed unusually when he came.

But now, it has been integrated here.

And in An Gong's heart, everything that happened in the past was deeply buried in his heart.

Steel plant technician, this is his current position.

At that time, he also followed his superiors to go out to see the world. After returning home, he was full of enthusiasm and ambition.

Unfortunately, the national situation is such that during difficult times, everyone is more concerned about having a full stomach.

As a result, the original plan was shattered by reality, and the years passed by. I could only bury my heart deep in my heart and rush around for life.

Walking through the street and looking at the familiar stone wall at the corner, the joy on the man's face became even more urgent.

After being away for more than half a month, I finally came home.

After passing through the alley, he quickly came to the familiar wooden door. An Zhongsheng gently applied force and the door opened with a creak.

The two little boys who were playing in the yard looked up and were instantly surprised.

"dad."

"Dad is back."

"Mom, dad is back."

Soon the courtyard was filled with the screams of children.

A woman with a slightly yellow complexion also walked out of the room. The traces of time appeared on her face. Her simple face showed a touch of joy. She stretched out the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. She stretched out her hand to wipe it on her apron and stepped forward with a smile.

"came back."

"Um."

An Zhongsheng picked up the two boys, looked at his wife and said seriously, "Back!"

"Come on, let's go inside!"

"Big Tiger, Little Tiger, come down quickly!"

The woman stepped forward, took An Zhongsheng's bag, and urged the child to come down, for fear of tiring the man.

The man didn't care and walked back into the house with the child in his arms.

"dad!"

As soon as he entered the door, the owner of the house walked out of a girl with a pencil in her hand. When she saw her father, she rushed towards her.

An Zhongsheng put down his son and patted his daughter on the shoulder, "Xiaofeng has grown taller, and the braids have grown again!"

The woman entered the room and smiled, "Last night before I went to bed, I was holding my fingers and thinking about you, and I almost shed tears..."

"mom…"

The whole family is enjoying themselves.

There was an extra piece of cabbage at home for dinner. It had no meat but a little bit of starch. The children ate it quickly. An Zhongsheng shared his bowl with the three children. When the woman saw it, she quickly said that there was still more and she could just let the man eat.

But the man didn't speak.

During the long time he had been home, he was aware of the situation at home. The noodle vat was almost at its bottom, and he had no choice of dishes. He could eat whatever was available.

A small can of oil, how much it was before I left home, is still very little when I come back.

It’s not that I don’t eat oil at home, but it’s bitter to say it.

My wife comes from a peasant family and is used to living in poverty.

Every time when cooking, use wet chopsticks to dip into the pot twice before cooking again.

Over time, the water on the chopsticks entered the jar, and there was oil on the water below. It looked like a lot, but it was just a layer of oil on the top.

An Zhongsheng ate two steamed buns, the children went to study in the house, and the couple began to talk about their home life.

"Last week, Aunt Wang left."

"From the street?"

An Zhongsheng thought of the old lady who looked very energetic, picking up rags in the town all day long for her two grandsons.

There is a heavy heart.

"Um."

"My family called me for dinner this morning, but there was no response for a while. When I walked in, I was already hard."

The man was silent, and the woman sighed, "All the men in their family are gone, and there is only a widow with two children. Without the help of the old man, life will be even more difficult."

"you go!"

"Well, I took a dollar."

At this point the woman looked at the man.

But when he saw that the man was not angry, he felt relieved.

"Is there still food at home?"

"This month's food has been eaten." The woman whispered. The whole family relied on the man in front of her. She, a peasant woman, could not do anything.

The man nodded, "I'll pick up next month's money tomorrow."

"By the way, give half of it to eldest sister and the others. It will be more difficult for their family."

The woman nodded, this was already the norm.

At least their family has income every month, which is much better than that of their relatives.

This is why she loves men willingly.

Although those people are her natal family.

"I'm going to cut a piece of meat tomorrow. Little Tiger wanted to eat it just now."

An Zhongsheng took the bag and took out a stack of money. This was his wages for this month.

Twelve dollars and a half.

Small county, small steel factory, low wages.

Take one out of it and give the rest to the woman.

"This money must be paid off first."

The woman nodded and accepted it solemnly.

Hearing about eating meat, he also smiled with satisfaction.

Their family hasn't seen meat in more than half a year.

In the room, there was a sudden burst of cheers. It turned out that the three siblings had been listening to the noise and were very excited when they heard that they could eat meat tomorrow.

An Zhongsheng looked at his wife and children, feeling guilty in his heart.

If it weren't for my own incompetence, how could they not even be able to afford meat?

From now on, we must support this family.

The woman put the money away and came back with an envelope in her hand.

The man reached out and took it.

"This came from the post office a few days ago."

As the woman spoke, An Zhongsheng glanced at the envelope, then leaned under the kerosene lamp and looked at it carefully.

When I saw the signature was Li Junming, I immediately thought of the students who were with me many years ago.

"I didn't expect this kid to write to me."

An Zhongsheng sighed with emotion. How many people were thinking about him in his life?

An Zhongsheng tore open the knot and folded the two pieces of paper together. He leaned in front of the lamp and took a closer look.

The greetings at the beginning made his heart warm, and he was loved.

But the next topic made his hands tremble.

What did he see! Is there a factory that wants to make a converter?

This was what he had always wanted to implement back then.

Read it carefully, it doesn't say much. But Li Junming made it clear that the company called Hongxing Iron and Steel Works was studying oxygen top-blown converters.

And it is determined that the converter must be modified and new technologies must be used.

This time, it's not a cannon fire.

At the end of the letter, Li Junming also invited him to give guidance at the steel plant.

After An Zhongsheng read the letter, the excitement on his face slowly disappeared and was replaced by solemnity.

Red Star Steel Factory? Is there such a factory in Sijiu City?

Even though he has been away from Sijiu City for many years, he is still a worker in a local steel factory and knows a lot of information.

I have never heard of this Red Star Steel Factory.

"Lao An, soak your feet to relieve fatigue."

While he was lost in thought, his wife came over with a basin and placed it at her feet.

An Zhongsheng put down the letter and said, "I can do it myself."

"It's okay, your waist is not good, I'll do it."

His wife said wisely, but An Zhongsheng had already taken off his shoes before he could react.

Facing his wife's tenderness, An Zhongsheng looked at the three children in the room.

He was away from home for more than half a month at a time, and everything at home fell on his wife. In this life, he owed too much.

"What does the letter say?" An Zhongsheng said with a smile as his wife rubbed the dead skin on her feet, "A former student of mine sent me a letter to say hello."

The wife nodded and didn't ask any more questions. In her eyes, her husband was a capable and ambitious man.

Otherwise, among so many people in the town, he would be the only one to become a factory technician?

It was late at night, his wife and children were sleeping, but An Zhongsheng was lying on the pit unable to fall asleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, memories of that letter would come to his mind.

When I was young, I aspired to build industry. I saw the injustice of the big steel giants born in foreign countries. I was unwilling and struggling to face the reality. Later, I had the joy of going abroad to learn advanced knowledge. But in the blink of an eye, I was severely thrown away by reality. hand.

In the face of new technologies, people show not acceptance but skepticism, and fear in the face of uncertainty.

This made him frustrated.

In reality, they encountered obstacles at every turn. In the end, the students following them had to face reality and go their separate ways.

In the end, he had to bow his head to five buckets of rice and come to the factory to make a living for his family and shine.

But the fire that originally rose in my heart gradually faded away bit by bit over time.

"His father!"

Just when An Zhongsheng was holding his head in his hands and lost in memories, his wife's voice came to his ears.

"Well, why haven't you slept yet?"

Looking at his wife close at hand, An Zhongsheng stretched out his arms to hug her.

The wife stretched out her hand to cover herself with the quilt, and then answered affirmatively, "Are you worried?"

"I can see that you were like this when you were worried in the past!"

"Is it about work? Or about life?"

There was a hint of fear in the wife's voice, fearing that she would not do well and make the man dissatisfied.

An Zhongshang sighed, but hugged his wife tighter.

At that moment, he no longer concealed anything and told what was written in the letter, "I didn't expect that Junming would find a place to realize his dream. I'm very happy for him."

But his wife remained silent and leaned beside An Zhongsheng, "Actually, it's not far back to Jiucheng."

An Zhongsheng was stunned, knowing that his wife was worried.

Just shook his head, "Four-nine cities are not far away, but I don't want to be too far away from you."