Scholars in the courtyard

Siheyuan.

Zhongyuan, Yi Zhonghai's house.

There were fish and meat on the table, as well as a bottle of white wine. There was also a small set of clothes on the bed in the back room, and the aunt had a bunch of red threads braided in her hands.

Outside, Qin Huairu walked in with little Sophora japonica in her arms. She looked at Yi Zhonghai talking to Yan Fugui and smiled, "Uncle Yan, you are here too."

Yan Fugui sat at the table with a smile on his face.

This time the Jia family wanted someone to get married, so naturally he, the titular eldest son of the courtyard, had to come and bear witness.

The most important thing is that you don’t have to pay for a visit and you can eat for free.

This is already a rare opportunity in the current courtyard, and it gives him an opportunity to take advantage.

However, Yi Zhonghai agreed to the marriage, which was beyond his expectation. He had asked them to bring a child back and raise it many times before, and even the aunt agreed, but Yi Zhonghai always rejected it.

Unexpectedly, after this incident, Yi Zhonghai finally realized that although it was not maintenance, having a step-granddaughter could help him when he grew up.

Of course, it will take at least eighteen or nineteen years for this child to grow up. As for whether these two people can survive until then, haha.

"Here we go, why don't I come for such a big event?"

Yan Fugui said with a smile, but mentally he despised Qin Huairu.

This marriage was agreed to be for old age, but in fact, it was because he had taken a fancy to Old Man Yi's house.

When the two of them kick off their legs, this house belongs to Xiaohuaihua.

He is very good at calculating, but it's a pity that he can't learn it at home.

"Where's Third Aunt? Come here together. We bought a lot of vegetables this time."

Qin Huairu said generously, but Yan Fugui shook his head. It would be good if this woman could take advantage of her. If there were more people coming, she would definitely get her back.

“I still have children at home, but I’m coming over.

Qin Huairu was not polite. At this time, the aunt came over and held the little Sophora flower in her arms.

In fact, in the courtyard, the child was often held and watched by her eldest mother, so compared to Jia Zhang's own grandmother, little Huaihua was closer to her eldest mother who often held her.

"Sophora flower is called dry milk."

"Milk~~"

The aunt was teasing the babbling Sophora japonica, and when she heard the cry, her heart opened up and she smiled.

When Yi Zhonghai saw this scene, he was inexplicably moved in his heart.

It's a pity that this child is not his biological child. Then he looked at Qin Huairu with more eagerness in his eyes.

He tried it last night and it still worked.

"They're all here."

There was a sound outside the house, Liu Haizhong walked into the house, holding a bottle of wine in his hand, looking around, "I'm not late."

"Hey, his second uncle, you can just come here. You also bring wine, so you can see more people."

The eldest mother was in a good mood and talked more.

Qin Huairu even stepped forward to take the bottle, and then placed it in front of Yan Fugui.

Seeing Yan Fugui's constipated appearance, Liu Haizhong felt comfortable.

Last time, the courtyard house had not resolved the matter of Xu Damao losing chickens. The street office finally intervened, but there was no explanation for the result.

But when something was lost in the courtyard, he, as an uncle, was responsible. Finally, someone from the street office said a few words, which gave Liu Haizhong hope.

In addition, during this period of time, he gradually attracted some people with his "strong financial resources" in the backyard.

Of course, these people are just outsiders. If they were to face Yang Xiaotao, they would probably rebel. But when it comes to Yan Fugui, who has little capital, he still knows which side to stand on.

Liu Haizhong sat down, and all the important people in the courtyard had arrived. When Mrs. Jia Zhang dragged the two children over, they began to formally recognize their relatives.

Qin Huairu brought a box of biscuits, which was the best thing their family could bring out.

As for buying shoes for Yi Zhonghai and Auntie, they really can't afford them.

Aunt Ma and others also knew about the situation of Jia's family, so they didn't care. Instead, they put the clothes on Xiao Huaihua and tied the red string around Xiao Huaihua's wrist.

After everything was done, Qinhuai Ru, Jia Zhang and the eldest mother took the children to the courtyard, leaving Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and the three of them drinking.

Time has passed, and when the three of them drank again, they never expected that it would be like this.

For a moment, there was some silence on the table.

"Lao Yi, are you going back to the steel rolling mill?"

Liu Haizhong asked.

Yi Zhonghai shook his head. Now that he has been fired, he still wants to work in a steel rolling mill?

But it’s not bad to change the environment and do forced labor.

Yi Zhonghai comforted himself, "I don't know, it depends on the situation."

Liu Haizhong lowered his head and said nothing. Yan Fugui saw him and said, "There is quite a big fuss in the steel rolling mill. I heard that a new secretary has arrived."

Liu Haizhong frowned. He didn't know much about Secretary Wang, but he could tell that the top management of the steel rolling mill seemed to be fighting.

This gave him hope of success.

The steel rolling mill finally had the flavor of officialdom, and his research was finally going to be put to use.

"Let me tell you, this new secretary is clearly here to seize power."

Liu Haizhong became interested and began to analyze the situation of the steel rolling mill.

Yi Zhonghai listened quietly. To him, it didn't matter who won or lost. The most important thing right now was the issue of pension.

Although Xiao Huaihua recognized it, Qin Huairu was still the main supporter.

However, Qin Huairu is now unable to protect herself.

yard

"Huairu, how's your work going?"

The aunt opened her mouth to show concern, but Qin Huairu's face froze and she smiled forcefully, "I plan to go to the street office tomorrow to see if there are any odd jobs."

The eldest mother nodded, "That's okay. At least it can subsidize the family's income and support you. I'll help you when the time comes."

Qin Huairu smiled, but Jia Zhang on the side curled her lips. This aunt helped, how could she, the mother-in-law, not help?

But now my head hurts so much when I do any work.

As the three of them said this, it gradually started to get dark.

Yi Zhonghai and the other three also dispersed and left with their own concerns.

People in the courtyard also began to discuss whether there were any interests behind this recognition.

The topics kept expanding one after another, and even the north wind couldn't blow them away.

At dusk.

The jeep was still running.

Lao Ma has already changed a barrel of oil, but the speed is still not fast.

Not everything went smoothly along the way.

The smell of blood on the car spread far away due to the northwest wind, and Yang Xiaotao saw two packs of wolves.

There were about a dozen in number and five or six in number, but they were all watching from a distance and did not move forward.

Perhaps the sight of similar corpses in the car made them realize that the people in the car were not easy to deal with, so they did not join in the fun.

This also made Yang Xiaotao realize why guns are not allowed in this era.

"Who would have thought that wolves roaring past in groups of three to five now would become protected animals in a few decades?"

Yang Xiaotao held the car and moved his feet.

After standing for so long, especially in a bumpy state, my legs became numb more and more frequently.

"How much longer?"

Yang Xiaotao asked again. The surrounding area was deserted, and he suspected that he was going in the wrong direction.

"Soon!"

Lao Ma replied, "It took some time before, but we will be there in a while."

Lao Ma said, and Gao Yu on the side also explained.

"Many places here are saline-alkali land or desert. The places we choose for our farms are close to water sources, and there are dug ditches and karez wells."

"There are many farms in this area. As long as we go north and encounter one, we can find it back!"

Gao Yu explained, and Yang Xiaotao suddenly understood.

They are just trying their luck, and they don't know where their farm is.

"Okay, but are you hungry?"

After Yang Xiaotao said this, Lao Ma and Gao Yu's stomachs rumbled.

The three of them encountered a pack of wolves at noon. As a result, they didn't eat lunch and had to drag a bunch of things around all afternoon. By now, the porridge they had eaten in the morning had long been digested.

Yang Xiaotao was hungry when he asked this question. The battle at noon took a lot of energy. His appetite was larger than that of ordinary people. At this moment, he felt that his chest was pressed against his back.

"How about we take a break and have something to eat."

Yang Xiaotao proposed, and the two of them quickly agreed.

The car stopped.

The three of them walked around on the ground, moving their hands and feet.

The three of them were guarding a pile of meat, but they didn't dare to light a fire to cook, so they could only find something ready-made.

Yang Xiaotao took out three eggs from his backpack and distributed them to the two of them.

"Teacher Yang, where did you get these eggs?"

Lao Ma looked at Yang Xiaotao's hands, and the skin had been peeled off on his fingers, "In town, the salesperson gave it to me."

Yang Xiaotao said, thinking of the pure revolutionary friendship, his heart was still warm.

"Ah? Why not give it to me?"

Lao Ma had a sad face. Gao Yu looked at Yang Xiaotao and then at Lao Ma, and he had an answer in his heart.

"Maybe it's because I'm more friendly!"

Yang Xiaotao gave an answer, and Lao Ma scoffed.

"Are you still friendly? You act like a evil star when you act fiercely. It's embarrassing to say that."

Thinking of the way Yang Xiaotao swung the stick with such force, he was like a violent person.

He was the one who cleaned up the scene. The head of the biggest wolf was smashed into the soil. It was so powerful and fast.

Lao Ma lowered his head to peel the eggs, and Gao Yu opened a cloth bag beside him. Inside was grains of coarse salt that were like sand. Lao Ma stood with the egg whites for a moment, and then ate them in small bites, not wanting to waste any of them.

Gao Yu took out a few steamed buns from his bag. This was the original lunch, and he shared it among several people. He had something in his stomach and was not so hungry anymore.

After Yang Xiaotao finished eating the steamed buns, he took out a handful of White Rabbit toffee from his backpack.

Anyway, they were so far away from the base and they were all taken out of the backpack, so they didn’t know the specific situation.

Yang Xiaotao took it casually, but the two of them did not dare to reach out to take it.

This thing is sugar.

It's not easy to buy here, and the ones I buy are all maltose.

In the end, the two of them just took one piece and melted it in their mouths, reluctant to bite.

"Lao Ma, how old are you?"

The three of them chatted, and Yang Xiaotao asked Lao Ma his age.

"How old are you? I don't know. Anyway, as long as I can remember, I traveled with the army, and later went to the Yalu River..."

"Lao Ma, have you been to the Yalu River?"

"Of course, I will also follow the team to participate in the fifth battle!"

Lao Ma looked proud. Although they entered late, they did not embarrass the motherland.

"Tell me about it?"

Yang Xiaotao became interested, but Lao Ma chirped and said nothing.

"There's nothing to talk about, nothing to talk about."

After saying that, he stood up and walked to the car. Gao Yu smiled at Yang Xiaotao and said, "The old horse was lifted off the battlefield, and then he never talked about the battle again."

"Actually, they are all people with stories."

Yang Xiaotao nodded, thinking of Platoon Leader Du and Squad Leader Hao. If he didn't know their stories, would they be buried in the dust and no one would care?

The car started driving again, and the wind showed no intention of stopping. Yang Xiaotao tightened the collar of his coat, and the two car lights shined twenty or thirty meters in the dark, as if they were not there.

After running in the dark for more than half an hour, Yang Xiaotao suddenly heard a special sound.

And the sound is getting louder and louder.

"Stop, there's a situation."

Yang Xiaotao couldn't tell what it was, so he could only warn.

The car braked to a stop. Yang Xiaotao pulled out a wooden stick and stood aside, Lao Ma pulled out his bayonet, and Gao Yu held a wooden stick in one hand and an unloaded gun in the other. The three of them looked wary.

Da da da

Gradually the business grew closer and louder.

"The sound of horse hooves."

Lao Ma suddenly shouted, and then Gao Yu clearly saw the light beam in front of him, which was a group of cavalry.

"The flashlight. It's from the Farm Guard, one of our people."

The moment their identities were confirmed, all three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally met someone.