In Xiaotun, not far from Xiao Jian's magnificent courtyard house, a middle-aged beggar, dressed in rags and with a haggard face, was standing there.
His eyes, which should have been bright and alert, now looked confused and disoriented, staring blankly at the striking courtyard house in front of him.
The beggar's head was covered with a tangled mess of long hair, growing wildly like a clump of weeds, completely obscuring half of his face.
His mouth was surrounded by long, dirty whiskers, as if he hadn't groomed them in a long time.
Not only that, he was wearing a tattered and filthy garment that emitted a pungent and foul odor, so much so that passersby covered their noses and walked around him, not daring to approach him at all.
Then look at that courtyard house with its green bricks and red walls; the high walls isolate the world inside from the outside world.
Above the wall, several emerald green branches stretched out from the courtyard, swaying gently in the wind, like a beautiful painting.
They perfectly frame the entire courtyard, making the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) appear both tranquil and peaceful, and full of elegant charm.
"This kid has really struck it rich! He can even renovate his old house to be so magnificent."
The beggar gazed at the courtyard house and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Then, as if he had made up his mind, he strode hurriedly toward the courtyard house, seemingly intending to knock on the gate.
However, at that moment, a heated argument suddenly reached his ears.
He stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw an old man and a young man facing each other at the street corner, walking and arguing loudly.
When the middle-aged beggar saw what the two looked like, his body trembled violently, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
Immediately afterward, he stopped in his tracks and then slowly backed away like a startled rabbit.
Only after hiding in the corner next to the wall did I breathe a sigh of relief.
"All you do is hide at home like a coward and drink cat pee! You don't do any chores all day long, do you expect us to starve to death at home together?"
The old man walking in front turned around angrily and gave his son a severe scolding.
The old man wasn't actually that old, only in his fifties, but the heavy pressure of life had already worn him down, making him look haggard and aged.
Speaking of this person, he was no nobody, but the most famous and powerful village chief in the Xiaotun area back then—Xiao Changsuo.
However, time has passed and a few short years have gone by. Xiao Changsuo, who was once full of vigor and ambition and even said that he would teach Xiao Weiguo a lesson as long as he was still a member of Xiaotun, has now completely changed.
Look at him, he's only in his fifties, yet his once black hair has turned completely white as frost;
Even on his chin, a long tuft of beard had grown out of nowhere.
Its once straight and upright back has now gradually bent into the shape of a camel hump due to the erosion of time.
When he walked, his head was always hanging down, as if he could never lift it up again.
The young man following behind, also being scolded, was dressed in tattered and ragged clothes, as if he had been through countless storms.
His clothes were already tattered and covered with stains and dust, making them look extremely dirty.
What's even more disgusting is that he constantly emanates a strong, pungent smell of alcohol, making people want to vomit.
Looking at the shoes he was wearing, they were so badly damaged that the heels were completely missing.
Every few steps he took, his shoes would wobble precariously, threatening to fall off at any moment, leaving him powerless even if he wanted to quicken his pace.
The clothes he was wearing on his upper body were extremely tattered, with all the buttons missing, and only a worn-out hemp rope was used to tie them together at the waist to prevent them from falling apart completely.
At this moment, the young man was staggering forward, his body swaying from side to side, as if he might fall to the ground at any moment.
While arguing back and forth with the old man in front of him, she showed no sign of backing down.
"Come on, Dad! How dare you talk to me like that! If it weren't for you offending that despicable guy, how could we have ended up in such a miserable state?"
Besides, you've been a farmer your whole life, but look at the work you do in the fields, it's absolutely terrible!
Other people's fields are full of lush green crops, promising a bumper harvest;
But what about our land? Besides overgrown weeds, there's not a single crop in sight!
It turned out that this man was Xiao Lian, Xiao Changsuo's second son. Ever since he was ruthlessly fired from the grain station, he had been like a deflated balloon, completely dejected, and had never gone out to look for work again.
He spends all day at home doing nothing, or he drinks heavily and gets drunk until he is completely unconscious.
Or they would simply cover their heads and sleep soundly, unwilling to get up even when the sun was high in the sky.
Now, of the entire family, only he and his father, Xiao Changsuo, remain, relying on each other for survival.
The farm work at home can't be left unattended, but he stubbornly refuses to do it himself.
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