Zhou Huaian nodded, and the two went to the backyard and saw that there was indeed a collapsed part. They crouched down and entered the yard, and heard the shouting of gambling cards.
The yard was pitch black, with dim lights shining out from the main house. The two men tiptoed up the steps, bent over and looked inside from the bottom of the window. There were seven or eight people playing cards around a small square table.
Zhou Huaian saw at a glance that the person sitting opposite the window was Xiong Laoer. The guy had a red face and looked very proud, and it seemed that he had won money.
Turning around, I saw an unexpected person sitting at the gambling table, Cai Ermei!
The two of them turned their heads and looked at each other at the same time, then stretched their necks to look inside, only to see Cai Ermei with a gloomy face, and it seemed that she had lost.
Zhou Huaian pulled Zhou Yiding, and the two of them crouched down and quietly walked out of the yard the same way they came, heading towards the foot of the mountain.
The two of them didn't say a word all the way until they reached the foot of the mountain and pushed out the hidden bicycles. They said at the same time, "Youngest (Ding Ding Cat)..."
Zhou Huaian looked at him, "You speak first!"
Zhou Yiding said with some sadness: "Why would Cai Ermei come here to gamble?"
Although the relationship between them is not as close as before, he does not want to see Cai Ermei become a gambler.
Zhou Huaian said calmly, "You forgot, it was his idea to start a gambling business for Ye Xiaoshuang's family. It's not surprising for someone who likes to make money in shady ways to choose this path."
"Alas!" Zhou Yiding thought about it and sighed, "My old man always says that nine out of ten gambling cases are scams. This guy is usually much smarter than the two of us, so why would he fall in love with this?"
Zhou Huaian sneered: "How should I know? I never thought he would pull the ladder from me before, and more than once!"
Zhou Yiding thought about it and said, "Yes, no wonder even a jerk like Xu Hongbing looked down on him and said he was disloyal."
Zhou Huaian: "Even a rotten man like Xu Hongbing understands this, and you think he doesn't understand it! He's just more greedy and more ruthless. Don't shed tears while watching the Three Kingdoms and worry about the ancients!"
"I just feel a little bit worried. I'm not worried at all!" Zhou Yiding said as he got on his bicycle. "Let's go back and take back your grain and wood. Otherwise, I'll charge you rent."
"Give you shit, do you want it or not?"
"You're always farting. No wonder people call you a country bumpkin."
The two of them bickered all the way back to Zhou Huaian's home, started the tractor to go to Zhou Yiding's home to pull the millet and wood, as well as the agarwood branches, wood, and stumps back home.
The grain was stored in the granary built in the west wing next to the main house, and the wood was moved upstairs.
The stairs leading to the second floor are made of wood, and the stair treads have been simply brushed with tung oil twice, making them look simple and elegant.
After Zhou Huaian sent Zhou Yiding away, he told Yang Chunyan what they had seen at Fangtian Brigade, "I think Xiong Laoer has just been there for a while, and those people are trying to get him addicted and make him win money. Cai Ermei has been gone for a while, and her face is blue from losing money."
Yang Chunyan gave him a cold look and said, "I noticed that you are quite familiar with the ins and outs of this!"
Zhou Huaian said hurriedly: "Don't worry, we never go to the casino. We used to play poker at Ding Ding Mao's house. The most we won or lost was one or two dimes. Most of the time, we didn't make any money. The losers would get a beard or a chestnut."
"Then why are you so familiar with this?"
"Uncle Daqing once guarded a prison when he was in the army, and he heard a lot about the ins and outs of this."
"That's more like it." Yang Chunyan said and walked towards the room, "Who between you and Third Brother will deliver the food to Ning'an tomorrow morning?"
"He goes, and Tintin Cat and I go up the mountain to dig yams and look for wild bees."
…
After breakfast the next day, Zhou Huaian carried his belongings and went to call Zhou Yiding.
Yang Chunyan finished her housework, and gave the pheasants, rabbits and some yams she had hunted yesterday to her mother, and the mother and daughter went out together.
When they arrived at Fangtian Brigade, the two went to Yang Xiaoxue's new house. The walls of the house had been built, a traditional three-room, two-end structure made entirely of red bricks, and were just waiting for the beams to be put up and the tiles to be laid.
Mother Yang smiled and said, "Your house is more spacious than Xiaoxue's, but her location is better than yours, and it's convenient to go to town and into the city."
Yang Chunyan nodded, "The terrain on Fangtian's side is flatter, and our side is all uphill." At this time, Yang Xiaoxue and Fang Zhiqiang came out carrying baskets, "Xiaoxue, Brother-in-law Fang."
"Auntie, Chunyan, you guys are here?" Yang Xiaoxue and Fang Zhiqiang put down the basket and happily came out to greet her. "Don't come in. It's a mess in there. If you trip over it, it will be troublesome."
Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "It should be finished by the beginning of next month, right?"
"It should be finished." Yang Xiaoxue looked at her mother, "Aunt, why don't you stay for a few more days before leaving?"
"Come later!" Yang's mother looked at her happily, "You'll have a big tiled house to live in soon!"
"It's much worse than Chunyan's house." Yang Xiaoxue patted her trouser pockets and said, "I spent all the money in my bag and I still owe the carpenter money!"
Yang's mother smiled and said, "Repairing a house is the most important thing in one's life. You have repaired the house at such a young age. You just need to work peacefully and it will be paid off in a year at most."
Yang Xiaoxue smiled and nodded, "In the future, when it rains heavily, we don't have to rush to find basins and buckets to collect water."
The three of them stood by the roadside and talked for a while, then Yang's mother said goodbye and left. Yang Chunyan asked about the time for the beam raising, then said goodbye and left.
When I arrived at the brigade headquarters, I remembered that I had no matches at home, so I turned in and walked towards the agency store.
When she arrived at the agency store, she saw a woman waiting inside. When she turned around, she realized it was Xiong Er's wife. She thought to herself that she was an enemy who would meet again in a narrow road.
Xiong Er's wife glanced at Yang Chunyan and said sarcastically, "In this world, you have to be shameless to get money and build a big tiled house."
It's mostly like this in the countryside. If you have a disagreement with someone, you will either be sarcastic or spit at them when you meet them on the road.
As long as no one was mentioned by name, Yang Chunyan would treat it as a dog barking and wait for Ye Laoyao's mother, Sun Po, to come and get some matches.
After hearing this, Mrs. Sun looked at Yang Chunyan and didn't answer. She put the soy sauce bottle on the table and said, "It's exactly ten cents."
Xiong Er’s wife took out a handful of coins and counted out a dime for her. Then she picked up the soy sauce, made a “Puh” sound, and spat on the ground before leaving.
Yang Chunyan didn't even bother to look at her, she took out two dimes and handed it over, "Auntie Sun, give me a pack of matches."
Granny Sun took the money and said with a smile, "You are so good-tempered. If it were someone else, those idle people would have a good show to watch today."
Yang Chunyan smiled faintly, "I can't finish all the housework, so how can I have the time to perform for others?"
After hearing this, Granny Sun recalled the fairy her youngest son had begged for, who had always been at odds with her. "No wonder your mother-in-law said you were steady. My Chuntao doesn't know that. Since you two live close to each other, I'll let her visit you and learn from you."
After hearing this, Yang Chunyan politely smiled and took the matches, "Auntie, you are joking!" I thought your Chuntao would come to me and learn from me, it's almost like letting a wolf into the house. (End of this chapter)
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