Inside the ancestral hall, the old captain saw two large vats, two stools, and four or five stacked baskets scattered on a cart, and looked at the youngest couple in surprise.
Zhang Guoqing shook his head at him. He was too lazy to say anything more. Just now, the youngest wife almost claimed the iron pot was hers. If the cabinet wasn't so large and conspicuous, it would probably be hers again.
He couldn't let the old lady cry and scream in his yard at her age, which would bring bad luck to his family! His father had said before that it was a blessing that not a large family was living in his house.
He missed his family. Not leaving? He'd just pick them up and throw them away. If they continued to act like scoundrels, a few days in jail would surely bring them down. He really couldn't afford to mess with this dying old lady; he might even have to hold a funeral for them.
The old captain shook his head repeatedly at the youngest. "What a talent! You could pull off something like that. Without even a successor, who would you leave behind?"
He thought so, and so did Zhang Guoqing. Just consider it a public property and donate it to the ancestral hall! He even thought it was unlucky that things used by the old couple were unlucky. He would definitely knock down the kang in the west wing later! This time, he would renovate it with great fanfare, to see who would dare to move in.
On the way, the old captain asked, "What are you going to do with this empty yard when your family goes back?"
Zhang Guoqing glanced at his eldest cousin and said with a smile, "Leave it to my eldest brother-in-law. He doesn't have a yard in our village, so he can stay in the village during the holidays."
When the old captain heard that Zhang Chunming would take care of him, he nodded secretly. This was a good idea. Old Zhang wanted to go back to his hometown and stay there for a few days, so he wouldn't have to stay with his eldest son and suffer the pressure.
"Xizi and his family come back often, so it's a good opportunity for Ziwen and his four siblings to have their own room. With the children growing up down here, we don't have to worry about the yard being empty."
The old captain smiled and said, "The children are lucky to have you as their uncle. Although they can live with your parents, it's still not as good as them living in their own yard. Those children are hardworking and they grow some crops in the backyard, which is great."
Zhang Guoqing complimented him, "That's because you're here in the village. Otherwise, I wouldn't feel safe moving to another village. I hope you live a long life. This village still needs you to run the place."
The old captain's mouth curled up, "I'm just messing around. As long as we can have food to eat, the ancestors will bless us. Xiaowu, when you have time, ask Old Man Wang to go to the mountain to take a look. After paying the public grain, our team still has to rely on the income from the mountain every year."
"No problem. I'm going to get the old man out of here anyway. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news." Zhang Guoqing didn't mention that he had already taken a walk up the mountain. As Zhou Jiao said, if something is too easy to get, others will take it for granted.
"Then I'll go back first. Be sure to let me know if there's any news."
"Okay, we two brothers won't see you off."
"What's there to deliver? It's just a few steps away." The old captain said, and with his hands behind his back, he walked home with a leisurely pace. He was very happy. With the child's response, if things went well, there would be a lot of good things in the mountains this autumn harvest.
Zhang Guoqing watched him leave, then walked back with his arm around Zhang Qingshan's shoulder, saying with a smile, "Brother, I heard you found a date for Tiedan? He's still in school, so there's no need to rush. He's our eldest grandson of the Zhang family."
Zhang Qingshan smiled and said, "A while ago, a matchmaker came and suggested a few good candidates. We'll have to wait until Tiedan sees them before we can decide. My mother wants to arrange a marriage first."
After hearing this, Zhang Guoqing didn't try to persuade him further. He probably had something to do with the child's poor academic performance. Child marriages are quite common in rural areas, and not having one seems like a loss of face.
He smiled and said, "Congratulations on becoming a father-in-law. You are the first among us brothers to do so. Go and call a few brothers to join us for the fun."
"Nonsense! Is there anyone congratulating you on becoming a father-in-law?"
"Can I congratulate you on becoming the groom?" Zhang Guoqing joked and laughed happily.
Zhang Qingshan hammered him a few times and scolded him with a smile, "You're such a scoundrel! Is that what you, as an uncle, should say?"
The two cousins laughed and played as they returned to the foot of the northern mountain. Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Qingshan, seeing that there was nothing else to do, said goodbye and left, while Zhang Guoqing went into the yard, took out a hammer and really ran to smash the kang.
With a flurry of clanging and banging noises, the kang in the west wing was quickly dismantled and cleaned. Fetching several buckets of water, Zhang Guoqing cleaned from the main room all the way to the kitchen.
Under the scorching sun, he borrowed a ladder and climbed onto the roof to inspect, repair, and clear the chimney. After being busy for most of the day, Zhang Guoqing stood in the yard and looked around. Seeing that all signs of use were gone, he finally smiled.
That wasn't all. After a shower, he stripped shirtless and grabbed a hoe to run to the backyard to clean the vegetable garden. Luckily, his father hadn't been willing to give up his small plot of land. Otherwise, if he had let his youngest son and his wife plant it, they probably wouldn't have moved out until the harvest.
His father was a skilled farmer, and the backyard, besides the fruit trees he'd planted years before, was overflowing with fruit. No wonder the youngest and his friends were reluctant to leave; given his father's temperament, he wouldn't bother arguing with someone in their seventies about something they'd missed.
The dried fruits and vegetables his mother sends him every year are probably all grown here. It's really hard for them to take care of three courtyards. It's quite a workload!
Zhang Guoqing was indeed his father's good son, a skilled worker. He might not have thought he was going to college; in reality, from Zhang Guoqing's perspective, it was simply farming. He was constantly being sent to the countryside to support agriculture and farms. Fortunately, the fertilizing work was contracted to alumni from less privileged backgrounds, otherwise he doubted he would have been able to persevere.
By the time the afternoon bell sounded, Zhang Guoqing had already tidied the backyard and picked several sacks of fruits and vegetables. As for the vegetables? The youngest wife had already scraped away all the bamboo baskets, and he was worried the sacks wouldn't hold them.
After Zhou Jiao and Zhang's mother finished their work at the old house, they saw that it was getting late and decided to go back. There was no electricity in the village at that time, so everyone hurried to eat a few bites at dawn or in the dark.
As soon as Zhou Jiao stepped out of the old house and stepped into the front door, she realized how much work her husband had done today. Before, because the two old people didn't raise chickens and ducks, the whole yard seemed clean, but now it was really different.
She deliberately opened the west wing and looked into the two rooms. One of them didn't even have a kang, and the other two rooms were completely devoid of any extra furnishings. She didn't find it strange at all; this was consistent with her man's ways.
After walking around the house, Zhou Jiao ran to the backyard with a smile on her face. Seeing that he had filled several sacks, she smiled and gave him a thumbs up!
"No compliments?"
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "Well done!"
Zhang Guoqing approached her and winked, "It's better to do than to talk! I'll see what you do tonight! If you perform well, I'll give you a reward."
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes at him and said, "Stop overthinking. Hurry up, I'll wait for you to go back for dinner. You have to go see your son, he's going to heaven."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded. He carried a few sacks into the cellar and put them away. Thinking of the inventory that had not yet been sold, the couple whispered to each other and discussed it.
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