Scholars in the courtyard

In the middle of the afternoon, Yang Xiaotao rode back to the courtyard.

As soon as I walked in, I felt the festive atmosphere.

In the yard, all the old and young men gathered together to chat and spank. In the house, the hostess was busy preparing meals, and the children even gathered together, running and laughing.

The festive atmosphere is particularly strong.

When I walked into the house, I saw Ran Hongbing playing around in the yard, holding a glass ball in his hand and yelling at the children in the yard.

Today, Ran's mother is bringing her two young children to celebrate the festival, and she will stay here for two days to help take care of the children.

The weather is getting colder, making it difficult to do street work, and Ran's mother is getting older. She has been raising three children by herself all these years, and her health has been a little bad, which makes her feel uncomfortable in winter.

Fortunately, with Yang Xiaotao's help, all the salary Ran Qiuye earned was given to the family. Although Ran's mother didn't want it, she still had to live.

What's more, Yang Xiaotao's various wages add up to almost two hundred.

A person who earns her family a year's income in a month can live a good life with this money and save them trouble.

This year is still different from before. Since knowing the whereabouts of Ran's father, Ran's mother's spirits have improved significantly.

Ran Qiuye knew that her mother was just talking about it, but secretly, she was looking forward to seeing her father more than anyone else.

Yang Xiaotao came back early. There was a stove in the house and several people couldn't wear cotton-padded jackets. Ran Qiuye was wearing a turtleneck sweater and a coat and was preparing dumpling fillings.

Ran's mother was making noodles aside, and as for the little Dragon Boat Festival, Ran Xinrui was teasing her.

After Yang Xiaotao came back, the house was lively. Ran Hongbing was playing with Wang Xiaohu and others in the courtyard. From time to time he ran back to grab a handful of melon seeds and dried fruits and ran out to share them with his friends.

A few naughty kids didn't care about the cold on the ground, they were all having fun playing with glass balls.

In the room, Ran Qiuye talked about things in the courtyard, and Yang Xiaotao listened for a while.

Liu Yulan took her children to Zhou's house and returned after Zhou Kui got off work.

I heard that Zhou Peng was getting married after the Chinese New Year, and he was discussing cleaning up the house.

It was said that the girl was from a textile factory, and he really caught her.

Sure enough, as long as the hoe dances diligently, there is no wall that cannot be dug down.

As for the incident between Xu Damao and Qin Jingru in the backyard, everyone in the courtyard knew about it, and even people outside the alley were talking about it.

While the mother and daughter were talking, the sound of firecrackers suddenly came from outside.

bang bang bang

Only then did Yang Xiaotao remember that he didn't seem to buy firecrackers.

After asking at home, Ran Qiuye realized that he was not prepared, so he asked Yang Xiaotao to buy it quickly.

"It's still early, I'm going to see if I can catch two fish."

Yang Xiaotao looked at the time and picked up the fishing rod and bucket when he had time, hung them on the car and walked out.

"Be careful, don't freeze."

Ran Qiuye handed over the gloves, and Ran Hongbing heard about it and ran over, "Brother-in-law, take me with you."

"Okay, grab your things and get in the car."

"Ouch~~"

"I'm fishing..."

Seeing Yang Xiaotao leading Ran Hongbing away, Ran's mother complained in the room, "This kid finally left, but he made a big fuss!"

"Don't get ahead of your uncle when Dragon Boat Festival grows up!"

Ran Qiuye smiled and continued to work.

Yang Xiaotao and Ran Hongbing rode their bicycles. First, they went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two firecrackers. One was a large one for the night, and the other was a small one for the siblings to go back and divide among themselves.

Ran Hongbing had a smile on her face. She got benefits every time she followed her brother-in-law out. Even at home, her brother-in-law talked better than her eldest sister.

The two bought firecrackers, and Yang Xiaotao took them to the old place of Xihai.

There are still a lot of people around. I don't know if it's because I like fishing or because I want to prepare more before the year. After all, it's cold enough to survive.

It's cold now, but the sun is good today, and it snowed a few days ago, so the lakeside is a little muddy. Yang Xiaotao found a few stones to cushion, and stood by the lakeside to start hooking up.

Last time Yan Fugui said that he wanted to cut ice for fishing, and Yang Xiaotao thought so too, but he didn't expect that there was no ice at all this time. Except for some white and transparent ice flakes in the shade by the lake, the rest of the place was full of water.

Ran Hongbing was guarding the firecrackers with a smile on his face. With so many small firecrackers, Wang Xiaohu would definitely be envious when he returned to the courtyard.

Just when he was thinking about a good thing, he saw his brother-in-law swinging the fishing rod upwards. On the other end of the fishing line, a fish that was longer than the firecrackers around him hung. As the fishing rod swung, it hit the ground with a snap.

It came into close contact with the cold and hard ground, and then exploded on the ground.

"Hurry up and press it down."

Yang Xiaotao shouted, and Ran Hongbing immediately picked up the bucket and buckled it. It turned out that the fish was longer than the bucket, so he had to hold it down to prevent it from twisting.

Yang Xiaotao came over, asked Ran Hongbing to go away, hit the jumping fish head, and then threw the fish head into the bucket.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law."

Seeing such a big fish caught with his own eyes, Ran Hongbing's face turned red with excitement and he even forgot about the small firecrackers.

"Brother-in-law, teach me, I also want to fish."

"Fishing? Go back and ask Sister You and Mom!"

Yang Xiaotao said and went back again, preparing to throw the hook.

Ran Hongbing immediately grimaced after hearing this. There was no need to think about this matter at all. As long as he dared to say it, the eldest sister would be able to kill him for studying.

Returning to the original place, he sighed helplessly.

But seeing the big fish in the bucket, Ran Hongbing quickly became interested. Such a big fish must have meat.

When the sky got dark, Yang Xiaotao put away his fishing rod.

At this time, there were four or five big fish stuck in the bucket. Although they were a little smaller than the first ones, they were still big fish.

The people fishing around were no strangers to Yang Xiaotao when they saw him, so they could only avoid seeing him out of sight to avoid being upset.

Ran Hongbing on the side was completely conquered in more than half an hour.

When I go back this time, I have to convince my eldest sister and my mother no matter what. As long as I learn from my brother-in-law, I will have countless fish to eat in the future.

Seeing Ran Hongbing in a daze, Yang Xiaotao stepped forward and said, "Don't be dazed. Pack up and go home. My brother-in-law will make braised fish for you tonight."

"oh oh!"

"Brother-in-law, you must teach me. Once I learn it, I can catch big fish in the future."

"Okay, as long as your sister agrees."

"Ah! Brother-in-law, you can't teach me two moves in private!"

Ran Hongbing, who was sitting in the back seat, shouted helplessly. Yang Xiaotao turned around and gave a big smile, and then in Ran Hongbing's expectant eyes, "No!"

ah……

Back in the courtyard, Yang Xiaotao was carrying a bucket. Yan Fugui looked at the door, but he opened his mouth wide and spoke with his voice hidden in his stomach.

I've seen it a lot, and I'm used to it.

Everyone else in the courtyard knew about Yang Xiaotao's fishing skills. He could get fish whenever he wanted. When the weather was warm, there was no shortage of fish in the water tank at home.

After carrying the fish back home, Ran's mother smiled from ear to ear. Ran Hongbing on the side showed how to catch it, which made Ran Xinrui have the urge to fish.

However, when Ran Hongbing made a legitimate request, Ran Qiuye held her by the ear and solemnly warned him not to go to the waterside.

Ran Hongbing was still very afraid of this stern elder sister and listened to everything she said.

However, children do everything on a whim. After a while, Ran Hongbing went out to play with Ran Xinrui carrying firecrackers, and the sound of crackling firecrackers kept coming from the yard.

At Yi Zhonghai's house, Bangge was lying on the window looking at the children playing outside the yard, with envy on his face.

The aunt on the side hugged Sophora japonica and told Yi Zhonghai about Sophora japonica's little naughty things from time to time. However, Yi Zhonghai's attention was all on Qin Huairuna and he didn't have much patience with Sophora japonica, his god-granddaughter.

"Milk, I want to play with firecrackers too."

"Milk, give me money to buy some."

Banggeng walked up to Jia Zhang and begged, while Xiaodang beside him also had a look of longing on his face.

"What are you playing for? The money was spent just listening to the sound. What's the use?"

Jia Zhang's family is lighting a fire, and the meat stewed in the pot is the best food their family has had in a long time.

Bangge didn't ask for the money, so he looked at Qin Huairu again and found that the other party ignored him at all and could only sit aside and wait for the meal.

"Banggen, come here, Auntie will give it to you!"

Auntie is happy today. No matter what, Yi Zhonghai is back. Even if he has to report to the steel rolling mill tomorrow, at least the house will be lively.

As people get older, they just like to have fun.

As soon as Banggeng heard this, he immediately came to the aunt's eyes and watched the aunt take out two cents from the handkerchief. His eyes were almost straight as he looked at the roll of money.

If he had so much money, he could buy a lot of cannons.

Banggeng rolled his eyes, took the money and ran out immediately.

"Auntie, you are just too used to being a dick."

Qin Huairu said on the side, but the aunt didn't take it seriously, "Children just want to be lively."

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Qin Huairu. Their eyes intertwined. In the end, Qin Huairu was defeated.

Yang Xiaotao packed up the fish, poured oil on the stove, then added water and seasonings and simmered.

When the street lights turned on, firecrackers were heard outside. The two children followed Yang Xiaotao, waiting for news from the kitchen.

As Ran's mother's voice came from the kitchen, it was time to make dumplings.

Yang Xiaotao immediately took the firecrackers and drove them into the yard.

Just at the entrance of the yard, let Ran Hongbing and Ran Xinrui carry poles and light firecrackers.

bang bang bang bang

The sound was clear and echoed in the yard.

Soon, other houses in the courtyard also lit firecrackers, followed by the surrounding alleys.

For a moment, the entire Sijiu City was like boiling hot water, crackling and resounding throughout the sky.

"Let's eat!"

Yang Xiaotao put the big fish whole on the plate and brought it to the table. Several people gathered around, each person had a plate of dumplings, in addition to a plate of fried peanuts and pork stir-fry.

"Brother-in-law, this fish is so delicious."

"From now on, I'll let you catch the fish!"

When Ran Hongbing ate the fish, it was so hot that he sucked it in his mouth and his mouth was full of envy.

"What kind of fish do you want to catch? First read the book clearly!"

Before Yang Xiaotao could say anything, Ran Qiuye scolded him, as expected of a teacher.

Hearing this, Ran Hongbing suddenly became silent and lowered his head to eat.

Ran Xinrui next to her looked at her eldest sister with admiration.

Yang Xiaotao put down his wine glass and smiled.

Although he was the only one drinking at the wine table, he still drank happily.

The family gathers together and enjoys the festive atmosphere.

In the steel rolling mill, the security officer responsible for guarding the steel rolling mill used a flashlight and patrolled back and forth, not daring to be careless.

During the big holiday, even the chief of the security department is personally on duty, so they naturally have to fight on the front line.

After coming out of the warehouse, the two clerks made sure that the labor reformers were still there, and then went to inspect other places.

In the warehouse, Shazhu was lying on the bed, wrapped in a stiff quilt, listening to the sound of firecrackers coming from outside, with nostalgia on his face.

It's a pity that after all these years, I can no longer get out.

I wonder if anyone in the courtyard is thinking about him.

I don’t know what happened to the man who used to follow me and call me brother.

I don’t know, the man who gave up everything for them...

Silly Zhu wrapped himself in a quilt and tightened his collar.

There was no stove in the warehouse, and the air leaked from all directions, making it extremely desolate.

"By the way, there is also Qin Huairu. I don't know if she will wait."

Think about your loved ones even more during the festive season!

Silly Zhu kept recalling the past, those years, and those things in his mind.

Finally, at a certain moment, my body became hot.

Qin Jingru, the woman he blackmailed.

But it brought him excitement that he had never experienced before.

It is different from Qin Huairu, and also different from the corn stalks in the countryside.

It felt like an affair.

Extremely exciting.

Unknowingly, Silly Zhu suddenly lay down on the bed while swaying, and then fell into sleep amid a burst of crackling.

Qin Jingru's face appeared in her mind, and for a moment she became Qin Huairu. The two sisters kept alternating, making Sha Zhu's breathing quicken.

Suddenly, the scene in front of him changed into Jia Dongxu and Xu Damao, with the same ferocious face and the same angry eyes, which suddenly frightened him, and then he smiled happily.

"Xu Damao, Xu Damao. I just did it, what can you do?"

"Show off with me, haha..."

Silly Zhu suddenly became happy in his sleep, and the sound echoed in the empty warehouse, which was particularly scary.