After daybreak, Suihe pretended to go into the village to buy something and wandered to the center of the village.
The villagers were very cautious when they saw strangers entering the village, not at all like the simple, warm and generous people that ordinary rural villagers should be. Suiyou concluded that the villagers were in big trouble and reacted too cautiously.
Every village has a mysterious team, whose members are over 60 years old on average. They usually use the big tree in the center of the village as a fixed location. Many people outside call them the "United Nations Death Squad", and they are the ones you are looking for.
As we reached the center of the village, sure enough, the members of the waiting-to-die squad were all basking in the sun and chatting. Their topics ranged from which girl hadn't returned home for Chinese New Year, suggesting something must have happened at her in-laws' house, to which daughter-in-law had a fight with her mother-in-law, and so on. They'd always find a starting point for conversation, no matter how trivial or varied the topic, and their radiating thoughts could lead them to eight hundred conclusions.
When you are in a bad mood, you can tell a nice person to break up with you. Sometimes, if you don't like a girl, you will insult her as much as you can, and some people will even force her to jump into the river.
He walked over and said to the lady standing next to him, "Auntie, I'm here to visit my relatives in our village and want to buy some vegetables. I want to ask if there's anyone wealthy."
All the old men and women turned their heads to look at Suihe. The old woman who was being questioned immediately asked Suihe, "Whose family are you from? Who wouldn't have enough food for the winter and would ask you to come out and buy it? Even if you're lying, you have to find a good reason. Tell the truth quickly and don't lie to us."
Suihe's heart tightened. So vigilant? Could the whole village be involved? He grumbled inwardly, but maintained a smile on the surface. "Oh, I'm a comrade of the son of the village elder Sun. I've retired now. I came to see Aunt Sun during the New Year. And then I heard that the vegetables grown in our village are particularly fresh, so I came to take a look. I want to see if anyone is rich enough to buy some and try some."
The old woman narrowed her eyes doubtfully, as if searching her memory for the name. The other elders also whispered to each other. At this time, an elder who looked older and quite prestigious slowly spoke: "Comrade Xiao Geng, welcome, welcome. Alas, this child died young, and passed away so early. You are also a good child, remembering his mother after all these years. Thank you for remembering Xiao Geng's mother. Our village is small, and visitors are not common, but those who come are guests. What dishes do you want? Tell me, and I will prepare them for you."
Suihe thanked them quickly and sat down on a rock next to the old man. He seemed to be chatting casually about the weather and crops here, but in fact he was secretly observing the expressions and behaviors of these old men.
He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and walked around among the group of old men. He also considerately went to the women's world next to him and asked if any of the old ladies wanted to smoke.
The elders liked this kind of sensible child. He originally came to visit the poor Aunt Sun. His easy-going, polite and respectful attitude pleased the people present. After a circle of cigarettes, the distance between these elderly people was instantly shortened, and their smiles to him became more sincere.
The older man who had just spoken was still discussing with another old man whose house they were going to buy vegetables from, and Suihe listened silently. After a while, the leading old man told Suihe to go with the other old man, and Suihe obeyed. Soon, he bought some vegetables stored in the cellar, and returned to the tree with the basket on his back. He thanked the old man profusely and joined their conversation as if they were good friends who hadn't seen each other for many years. To make them feel close, Suihe also told them many interesting stories from Guanjia Village's past.
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