Scholars in the courtyard

Chapter 539 A wake-up call

At nine o'clock in the evening, the kerosene lamp was on in the house, and the light came out of the open window and shone on Wangcai who was squatting at the base of the wall.

Xiaowei had already flown onto the furry back, enjoying the silky treatment.

In the room, a group of people were chatting and laughing at the table, waiting for the meal to be served.

Yang Xiaotao showed off his skills in front of the pot, and dishes that were not usually available were quickly taken out of the pot and served on the table.

This time Yang Xiaotao prepared two tables of food, one for men and one for women.

Originally, according to Yang Dazhuang's family, after they finished eating, they could just eat the leftovers.

But Yang Xiaotao didn't want Ran Qiuye to eat the leftovers, so he added more and made two portions.

In response, several women praised Yang Xiaotao to Ran Qiuye and compared it with their own, which made the men in the room feel disgusted.

"Pork ribs soup, be careful because it's hot!"

"Fried eggs and leeks, serve!"

"For this cold tomato salad, you need to use sugar, which is in the bag. Put less of it, don't rush..."

Yang Xiaotao finished directing for a while, then washed his hands and sat at the table.

In the middle of the table are Mr. Yang and Director Gao, next to them are Uncle Jiu, then Fatty Ding and Wang Xuyang, and behind them are Yang Dazhuang and Liu Yonghui.

Yang Xiaotao originally wanted to stand below, but Yang Shitou pushed him to the kang, so he had to take off his shoes and sit down.

There are hard dishes on the table, which Yang Xiaotao specially arranged. Since there is going to be blood, you can't be stingy.

Pork stir-fries, egg stir-fries, salted duck eggs, fried peanuts, and spicy pickles...

The aroma on the table made everyone aware of it, and their appetites were whetted.

"Come on, let's have a drink first!"

Mr. Yang picked up the wine glass, and everyone followed and took a sip together.

Putting down his wine glass, Fatty Ding spoke first before Gao Yufeng could ask about the situation of the tractor.

When he finished talking about the meeting, the table was silent.

Yang Xiaotao could see that everyone's hearts were heavy, and he also understood the pressure on their shoulders.

These days, farmers do not pay surplus grain to the public, and their lives are no worse than those of workers.

Especially if you plant your own land and harvest your own crops, you will be able to eat whatever you want.

In this day and age, how many villages still have to dig wild vegetables after paying the public surplus grain throughout the year. Not only the whole country, but also the villages around Sijiu City are jealous of the farm's treatment.

As for the need to arrange for people to be sent to labor camps, no one paid much attention to this.

The people who come must have ideological problems, and they can just help reform them.

"Right now, we need to ensure the smooth production of grain."

"No matter what the situation is, if we do our own thing well, it is the best support for the country's economic construction."

Gao Yufeng spoke and everyone nodded.

But there is a fire in my heart, and a belief in my head, that is, do this well and earn a living.

Seeing this, Gao Yufeng changed the topic and started asking about the tractor.

Yang Xiaotao told everyone about the establishment of a tractor production workshop in the steel rolling mill, and also said that he had become the workshop director.

Although I had heard about it a long time ago, I was still happy for Yang Xiaotao when I heard him say this.

On the other side, Ran Qiuye and others also paid attention to the situation here, and after hearing about it, they started whispering again.

"Now large-scale production has begun in the workshop, and the parts supported by Quancheng have also been finalized..."

The atmosphere at the table became lively. Ask this question, ask that question, and Yang Xiaotao would tell what he knew.

He also explained the function of the iron plow clearly, and he was even more excited after hearing it.

After a few people ate half of the meal and had a drink, Yang Xiaotao picked up the wine bottle and applauded everyone.

I was thinking about what to say, but I felt my nose was sore and my expression was suddenly in a trance.

Yang Xiaotao quickly lowered his head, picked up the wine glass, and drank it in one sip under the puzzled eyes of everyone.

After a sip of wine, the whole person became silent. The body adapted to the stamina brought by the alcohol and found a reason for being sad.

Then it was filled again and ready to be used.

Several people were surprised, and Mr. Yang snorted coldly, "If you have anything to say, say it quickly, don't take it out on wine!"

"You're a grown man, what can't you say?"

The whole room was silent.

At this time, only Mr. Yang dared to say this and scold him.

Yang Xiaotao lowered his head and spoke slowly.

"A few days ago, Director Wang from Quancheng came to the steel rolling mill. I and the people in the factory greeted him..."

"It happened so suddenly."

His voice was low, trying to stay calm.

But several people present could feel Yang Xiaotao's suppressed sadness.

Ran Qiuye came to the side slightly, his eyes were already red.

"Squad Leader Hao, he is gone! He just entered the factory and he is gone!"

"In this world, why are good people not rewarded?"

After Yang Xiaotao finished speaking, tears fell on the table, and he lay down as if he was drunk.

Ran Qiuye's tears fell down her cheeks, and she stood beside Yang Xiaotao and carefully touched her back.

Opposite him, Liu Yonghui looked equally sad.

The scholarly spirit has an air of emotion and tragedy, which resonates even more with Yang Xiaotao.

Yang Shitou sat aside. It was not that he had never heard of these things, but they were rare in recent years.

The others at the table were silent.

They have experienced war and seen too many such things. Their hearts have long been sharpened with a protective film, and they are so tough that they will not be easily touched.

Therefore, they think this kind of thing is not strange.

But for Yang Xiaotao, people like Yang Shitou and Liu Yonghui, this is a kind of spiritual shock.

boom

"Why are you crying!"

"No one will die in a war!"

Mr. Yang's eyes were red and his voice was trembling, but there was a majesty bursting out!

The murderous aura that broke out in an instant made the whole room deserted.

This is a veteran who walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"Or do you think that now that there is peace, life is stable, everything is okay, and the war is far away? You can cry and cry?"

Mr. Yang's tone became more serious, "Then you are wrong!"

"If we really want peace, why would the old man leave with just a word? Why should we suffer this? Why have we taken so much land and not returned it?"

"So many soldiers go to the border every year to fight. Is their death not death? Just because you can't see the blood they shed, it doesn't mean there isn't any!"

"Why don't you shed tears for them?"

Mr. Yang cursed, looking excited.

Yang Xiaotao wiped his eyes and looked at the master, "Master, I, I just..."

"I just hate that I hesitated in the first place."

"At that time, I was the closest. I was the one who rushed forward."

"As long as I take action in time, maybe Squad Leader Hao will not die."

"But I hesitated, I"

Yang Xiaotao finally spoke out his psychological words.

At that time, he was the one closest to that person.

Others kept talking about how great Hao Ren was, but what set off this greatness was his hesitation.

Clench your fists.

These days, Yang Xiaotao thinks a lot, a lot.

With his physical fitness, which is far superior to ordinary people, and the distance, his reaction should be the fastest at that time. If he rushes forward and kicks him away, there may be no casualties.

But he hesitated, he was afraid, so in Yang Xiaotao's heart, he always blamed himself.

Originally, he could bury it deep in his heart and never say anything about it for the rest of his life, but it would also be a burden that he could not let go of for the rest of his life.

Mr. Yang saw Yang Xiaotao's struggle, but his eyes were filled with relief.

"Boy, remember, we will always be at war every day in our lives."

"Fight with the braided soldiers, fight with the bandit warlords, fight with the Japanese, and finally fight with the bald men. In the future, we will fight with those who dare to challenge us."

"Do you know how many people have fallen along the way, how many Hao Ren? You don't know!"

"Do you think it's peaceful now and your life is stable? Do you feel uncomfortable when something like this happens? Is it useful?"

"It's no use!"

"I want to tell you that as long as we are not strong enough for others to look up to and fear, this battle will never end!"

"Such uncomfortable things happened before, happen now, and they will never happen less in the future."

"But what's the use of feeling uncomfortable? It's useless! It will only make the enemy feel happy and feel that the goal has been achieved!"

Mr. Yang didn't speak loudly, but he could see clearly.

This world is like this, the desire to destroy myself will never die!

"You don't understand such a simple truth? It's a good thing that you have read a book, so you can't understand such a small thing?"

Mr. Yang suddenly became excited and sprayed Yang Xiaotao's face with saliva.

"People say that if I die, my son will be the one to take care of. I will have all my sons gone. When the time comes, you will have to take care of me."

"Just remember, the people from Yangjiazhuang are not bad!"

"If you can't die, you have to die!"

Mr. Yang shouted, but everyone understood the meaning of his words.

When I die, my son will take over. When my son is gone, it will be your turn.

Don't worry about it when it's not your turn, just do your own thing.

When it's your turn, don't let your legs get weak.

Even if you die, you must stand up straight and push forward.

Yang Xiaotao understood the meaning of the words, and behind him Ran Qiuye had already begun to wipe his tears.

She is not a flower in the greenhouse. The haze of war also appeared in her childhood.

only……

Gao Yufeng looked at Yang Xiaotao's appearance, reached out to pick up the wine glass, and stopped Mr. Yang.

"Old man, don't be excited, don't be excited!"

"Xiao Tao's behavior shows that he is an excellent revolutionary comrade. Moreover, he is willing to save others regardless of his own safety. This kind of spirit does not lose his dignity!"

Then he looked at Yang Xiaotao and said, "Xiao Tao, my master is right."

"If the country wants to be strong and the nation needs to rise, how can anyone do it without bloodshed and sacrifice?"

"Then why do we rise? It is because of the belief in self-improvement and the courage to sacrifice!"

"We can die, but we can't lose our faith. We can't give up on ourselves because of setbacks."

"The great man once said that you can cross the river by feeling for the stones. The path is found out bit by bit."

"I believe it. The moment Comrade Hao Ren rushed out, his belief was firm, otherwise he would not have looked back."

Mr. Yang nodded, his tone softened a lot, "Director Gao is right, if you can think of it, Mr. Yang will be happy!"

"Because my lord, I have also entered a dead end."

"When we pulled out the bunker, we watched our companions rushing up one by one."

"At that time, I was also asking myself, why not me?"

"Why wasn't I the one who rushed up?"

When the people around heard what the grandfather said, they all listened attentively and carefully.

Yang Xiaotao also looked over.

But Mr. Yang laughed, tears falling down his wrinkles.

"Actually, those who rush forward never care about this, and never blame those who are left behind."

As he spoke, Mr. Yang looked at Yang Xiaotao seriously.

"Because they think it's worth it."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine glass with trembling hands, raised his head, and the wine entered his throat and turned into tears of lovesickness.

He misses those old brothers.

But, I can't cry, I can't let my old brother laugh at me.

He wanted to smile and look at the land he was trying so hard to protect.

He will continue to fight and protect this land forever.

Yang Xiaotao picked up the wine glass and also raised his head.

boom

The wine glass fell on the table.

At this moment, he understood that his life was no more noble than anyone else's.

He just didn't complete his task.

"What a bastard!"

With a curse, he held back the tears in his eyes, and all the regret and anger in his heart dissipated.

The more the enemy doesn't want him to do something, the more he will do it, and do it better.