The four children looked at each other, as if they had made an appointment beforehand, and ran towards the old dilapidated house at the foot of the mountain very fast.
Four sets of footprints raised dust.
Two dogs, one big and one small, were chasing after them.
Amber struggled with her four short legs but couldn't catch up, and barked anxiously.
The cry was crisp at first, but later it turned into a wailing "Awoo, Awoo", just like a little baby who had been wronged.
The second cub who was running in the front looked back and suddenly burst into laughter.
It didn't matter that he just laughed, the three behind him also started laughing.
The boy's laughter mixed with the dog's barking, echoing on the country dirt road.
"I'm holding Amber. Let's go quickly, otherwise we won't be able to see anything." Erzai ran back, bent down, picked up Amber, and ran happily again.
The older ones followed hand in hand.
"Yes, yes, run faster."
…
There are only a few thatched houses at the foot of the mountain. Old hunters used to live there. There are no windows and there are two or three holes of different sizes on the roof. People can see the stars at night when lying inside.
The house was hidden in half-leg-high weeds and didn't look like a place where people lived.
Several unfamiliar faces stood in front of the thatched hut, each carrying a tattered bag in their hands. The bag was deflated and could not hold much stuff.
These people include men, women, young and old.
They glanced at the house in front of them, each with a different look on their face.
"You will live here, who will repair the house?" The captain looked at these people with a blank expression on his face, but he was worried in his heart.
He received a document from above saying that these people all had problems and that they needed to undergo a series of soul-touching education.
Can.
He looked and saw little girls and women inside, which... confused him!
Among the few people, a young man spoke, his voice hoarse as if his throat had been polished by sand, "I can."
"Okay, then you come and fix it, and the team will not be responsible for it." said the team leader.
It said that it was necessary to touch the soul, but he didn't know how to strike the right balance.
Don't worry about them in life, but leave the dirtiest and most tiring work to them. Isn't that cruel enough?
The team leader preliminarily determined the method of doing things.
"Also, our team plans to raise a few more pigs. You guys will be the ones feeding them. If anything happens to the pigs..." He paused skillfully as a threat.
The information provided by the superiors stated the previous identities of these people, and they were all intellectuals.
The captain himself admires those who are well-educated, so he can't do anything cruel. At most, he can only be harsh in words.
"knew."
Several people who were sent here nodded.
Even the only little girl nodded. She looked so timid, with fear in her eyes, which made the captain feel sorry for her.
What's wrong with a little girl, right?
"Okay, you guys stay here and don't cause any trouble." The captain left after saying this.
He was not worried about these people running away. Where could they go? They couldn't go anywhere without letters of introduction.
The team leader left, but the members stayed behind, looking at the newcomer with gossipy eyes.
They did not approach these people, but just watched from afar and shared the news they knew with each other.
"I heard that these people... well, their stance is problematic."
"I also heard that they should raise pigs properly and reflect on themselves."
"What's the point of a little girl raising pigs? She can't do anything at that age."
"Hey, do you think that if these people come to our team, will they share our food?"
This question was crucial, and everyone turned their eyes tacitly to the captain's wife.
"Don't look at me, I don't know." The captain's wife was also smart. She knew what to gossip about and what not to say.
But she guessed that they had to be divided, otherwise would these people starve to death?
These people also have to work, and since they work, of course they get work points. We can't force them to death.
"I heard they have to write some kind of self-criticism every week," said another.
"I don't understand. It has nothing to do with us. I'm going back." The man who was earning work points steadily found it boring and shook his head and left.
"It seems like they didn't bring anything with them. The weather will get cold in a few months, and they won't be able to live without cotton clothes."
“I saw that, too.”
…
After watching the excitement for a while, the members left.
On the way back, I told my children at home to stay away from those people in the old house at the foot of the mountain.
When the four older cubs arrived, they were late for the fun.
"Ah? I missed it again." Erzai was so angry that he almost rubbed Amber's head bald. The little puppy turned upside down and looked like a pancake.
"Hey, there are strangers here." The eldest cub saw the strangers pulling weeds and said in surprise, "Why are they pulling weeds here? Are they going to live here? This place is very close to the foot of the mountain. What if a wild boar runs down the mountain?"
The voice was not small, and it made those people's hearts sink.
The thatched hut could not withstand even the slightest bump from a wild boar.
We have to find a way to build a wall around the yard.
Maodaner said calmly: "We can only rely on them."
He usually runs around the mountains on his own.
The little boy acted too calmly, and the people in the old house couldn't help but look at him.
Six years old? So sensible.
The young man who was pulling weeds glanced at the four little boys and said indifferently, "Just leave, this is not the place for you to be."
Seeing that he had difficulty walking, Erzai asked, "What's wrong with your foot?"
The lame young man didn't look up, still pulling weeds, and replied indifferently: "I was interrupted."
They had to clean up the yard before dark and didn't dare to waste time.
Erzai was a little scared and asked again, "Did you report it to the police?"
The little Sheniu kid can chat with anyone.
There is so much curiosity about the outside world.
Report to the police?
The young man pulled the corners of his mouth and his smile was ugly, almost like a bitter smile.
Perhaps because these kids treated them as normal people, he had some desire to speak.
"Some things are useful to report to the police, but others are useless."
Erzai seemed to understand, and wanted to ask more, but the young man turned his body sideways, as if refusing to talk anymore.
The eldest boy looked away from the strange mark behind his ear and pulled his younger brother, "Second boy, it's time to go home for dinner!"
The second child listened to his elder brother the most, so he swallowed all his questions and said, "Oh, let's go back."
He walked towards the village, saying as he walked, "Brother, I still want to eat vegetable boxes."
I just ate two before, but now I’m craving for them again.
"Go back and ask mom." said the eldest son.
The child's voice fades away.
At the old house at the foot of the mountain, the little girl heard the two boys talking about the vegetable box. She stood in the haystack and watched their backs as they left. She licked her dry lips and whispered, "Mom, I'm hungry."
The girl's mother was a beautiful young woman, and she almost shed tears when she heard this.
She didn't have time to pack her things and only hid some money, but now...she was a woman with a child, she didn't dare to show off her wealth.
"Just bear with it for a while, mom..."
As soon as the woman finished her words, a hand stretched out from the side, and in that hand there was a hard biscuit.
"Give it to the child, the child won't be hungry."
The person who was speaking was an older woman, and like the middle-aged man next to her, she exuded a bookish scent.
In short, two very knowledgeable faces.
"this……"
The woman who gave the cake waved her hand and said, "From now on, we will live in the same yard. We will see each other every day. Don't be polite."
"Thank you. My name is Tian Ruo, and this is my daughter Xiao Xiao." Tian Ruo took the cake with gratitude on her face, and handed it to her daughter, saying to her, "Xiao Xiao, thank grandma quickly."
Xiaoxiao thanked him sensibly.
"Good girl, my name is Wen Xin, and this is my lover Ren Weian."
They are getting to know each other.
The other three people joined voluntarily.
First, the lame young man, "My name is Meng Jiusi."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man, who had an immortal temperament and a faint medicinal fragrance, said, "I am Jiusi's grandfather, Meng Yiheng."
Finally, only one person was left.
The man looked quite old, with grey hair, a noble bearing and calm demeanour. Being in an old and dilapidated thatched hut didn't seem like a big deal to him.
"My last name is Qiao..."
…
Family-oriented.
After watching the excitement, Father Gu returned home and sat on a small wooden stool by the wall. He looked a little dazed, as if he was distracted.
He didn't even look up the dictionary, he just stood there in a daze, and the Gu family members all noticed something strange.
Lin Zhao was teaching Gu Chenghuai how to take photos. When she noticed that her father-in-law was not feeling well, she paused teaching him, bumped the man's arm, and the couple stood in a corner whispering to each other.
"Dad, what's wrong? Why didn't you look up the dictionary today?" Lin Zhao looked puzzled. "Didn't you go to watch the fun? Why do you look like this? Could it be..."
She boldly guessed, "Among the people sent here, there are people my father knows, right?"
Lin Zhao had heard a little about the brigade sending several people over, but he did not go to see them. She wasn't interested in these things; it was hot with everyone crowded together, and the smell was not good.
"That's possible." Gu Chenghuai also lowered his voice. His voice was deep and pleasant, and it had a rustling sound when he deliberately lowered it.
"Dad went to Haishi when he was young and worked hard there for several years."
It's normal for him to meet someone or something there that he remembers now.
"My second sister-in-law said that there is a couple, a mother and daughter, a grandfather and grandson, and an old man who people dare not look at too much. Which of these people do you think is possible?" Lin Zhao looked at Gu Chenghuai with clear and bright eyes.
Gu Chenghuai thought for a moment, "The last old gentleman. It's just a preliminary assessment, I can't guarantee it's correct."
Eighty percent sure.
The young couple were guessing.
Mother Gu sat next to Father Gu and asked, "Tell me, which of those people do you know?"
Father Gu's pupils trembled, and he stammered, "How...how did you know?"
"Look at yourself, everyone can see it." Mother Gu gave him a sidelong look and said indifferently, "Hurry up, don't let me rush you."
After hearing what her mother-in-law said, Lin Zhao pulled Gu Chenghuai over and sat over to eat the melon seriously.
Father Gu paid no attention to them and only said, "I'm not sure."
"..." Mother Gu seemed a little speechless. She was silent for a moment, rolling her eyes almost to the sky, "Are you sure that you are going to lose your soul by doing this?!"
Father Gu was aggrieved and explained, "I originally planned to ask after dark."
"Don't say so much for now. Just tell me which one looks familiar to you and why?" Gu's mother pressed on. The old man had aroused her curiosity, and she would feel uncomfortable if she didn't find out the truth.
"That old gentleman." Father Gu had an awkward expression on his face.
Thinking of the past, his eyes lit up, "If the last name is Qiao, then it's correct."
Without waiting for Mother Gu to continue asking, he took the initiative to say, "I know those characters because Mr. Qiao taught me."
"We couldn't make a living in our hometown back then, so I and a few other people heard that Haicheng was full of money, so we found the right opportunity to sneak on the train and go to Haicheng to make a living. When we got there, we found that it's not easy for the poor no matter where they are."
"I learned to sell newspapers and cigarettes. When I was selling cigarettes, I met Mr. Qiao, who helped me a lot. If it weren't for him... I couldn't go back to my hometown, and I wouldn't have the money to marry a wife and raise several children."
"He is a very good person, how could he..."
When talking about his youth, the usually taciturn father Gu spoke more than twice as much.
When he thought that it was Mr. Qiao, he couldn't stay there for a moment and turned back home, but he couldn't calm down even when he got home.
Lin Zhao asked, "It's been so long, Dad, do you still remember that benefactor?"
"I'll never forget that Mr. Qiao had a red mole under his right eye. It was very special. I haven't seen anyone else with it since him," said Father Gu.
Of course there was more than one mole. He remembered the excellent upbringing and calm demeanor that Mr. Qiao exuded.
It was rare for Gu's father to value someone so much, and Lin Zhao couldn't help but feel curious about the old gentleman he was talking about.
What kind of person could be remembered by a young boy for decades?
She moved her right leg to the right, lightly bumping into Gu Chenghuai's leg, and said with a smile, "Wait until dark and bring dad along to find out clearly."
"Yeah." Gu Chenghuai had no objection. He was also curious. If he was really a benefactor, he should be repaid.
Father Gu's frown relaxed and he began to look forward to it.
I took a look at the sky and suddenly complained why it was getting dark so slowly!
Gu's mother saw through his thoughts and warned him, "The captain said that the people sent here are..."
After a pause, he said, "If the Mr. Qiao you mentioned is really in there, don't show it too obviously. If someone finds out and it affects your family, I will settle the score with you."
Father Gu was indeed so excited that he almost forgot himself.
His wife's words suddenly sobered him up.
“…I know everything.”
After answering, he got up and went back to the house.
The old man has tentatively chosen names for his grandchildren, but as naming is a lifelong matter, he is still struggling with the issue.
Father Gu returned to the house, found a new piece of paper, and copied down a list of names.
He was thinking, if it was really Mr. Qiao, he could ask him directly. Mr. Qiao was eloquent and had read an incredible number of books, so he would definitely be able to answer his questions and resolve his confusion.
Outside the hospital.
Mother Gu sighed softly.
"It's rare for your father to be so happy. I don't know whether I should hope that man is Mr. Qiao, or whether I should hope that he is."
If so, we certainly can't just ignore it. He is our benefactor. The fact that the Yuanshan brothers have grown so tall and strong is partly due to that gentleman's contribution. Wouldn't it be heartless and ungrateful not to help them?
But if I help, those people have special identities, and if they are discovered, my family will be in trouble.
It's really a dilemma.
Gu Chenghuai's eyes were calm, and he said steadily, "There will always be a way out when the car reaches the mountain. Don't worry, mother. I will persuade father and think of a foolproof plan so as not to bring trouble to the family."
Lin Zhao was also very calm. "I think the situation in the brigade is okay. No one wants to make trouble and just wants to live their lives. Maybe after two months, no one will pay attention to those people anymore."
The people in the Harvest Brigade are very Buddhist. They rarely even go to the county. Their minds are all on the fields, thinking about taking good care of the land, getting more food and having enough food.
Gu's mother's words were full of pride, "The fact that the people in the team don't get involved in anything is thanks to the third child."
"Oh?" Lin Zhao looked at Gu Chenghuai in surprise.
The man sat steadily and did not seek credit.
Mother Gu continued, "Cheng Huai has looked for the team leader several times, talked to him about the situation outside, and asked him to persuade the team members more. I think the effect is quite obvious."
It turns out you were looking for the captain.
Lin Zhao was not surprised.
The team leader is the most powerful person in the entire team. When he speaks, the members will still give him some face.
As he was speaking, the gate of the courtyard was pushed open from the outside.
The children are back.
"Mom, we're back after watching the fun." Erzai's loud voice rang out.
"Mom, there are several people living in the thatched hut at the foot of the mountain. Have you gone to see it? There is a little girl there!" The eldest boy shared what he saw with his mother.
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