Green trees grow close to the village, and green hills slope outside the city. When Gao Mingcheng, a man with little education, stood near the Yulong Wanshou Palace, this line of poetry came to his mind.
Looking at the ancient buildings with blue bricks and gray tiles and flying eaves, the tall horse-head walls stand tall, facing the sky, accompanied by the blue sky and the breeze, standing here from ancient times to the present.
The vicissitudes of history have left their mark on the buildings, and most of them appear gray and old.
Now that the ancient buildings are not protected, this place is not as clean and spacious as later cultural attractions, but it has an atmosphere of life that cultural attractions do not have.
Many cultural scenic spots look beautiful and are newly decorated, but they are like model houses without emotions. You come and see them, and then forget them.
There are still people living in the old buildings, but some of the houses are too old and almost collapsed to be habitable, so the doors are open.
Once an old house is uninhabited, it will decay faster. Look, some dust has accumulated among the tiles on the eaves, and on top of the dust, moss and weeds have grown.
There was also a wall that was forcefully broken open by a tung tree.
The courtyard of Sishuiguitang was overgrown with weeds.
Gao Mingcheng was worried that the house might collapse, so he did not allow Xuanyuemei and Xiaoxuxu to go in for a visit. Instead, he went to a nearby store and bought a few packs of cigarettes. He took the cigarettes, found a family, and after a few words of greeting, handed over a pack of cigarettes, and was allowed to enter the house for a visit.
Many beauties looked at the ancient building in front of them with curiosity, and then stepped over the threshold.
This house was built in the Qing Dynasty, so it has a layout of front hall and back hall, with a relatively narrow patio in front of the hall. This patio provides light and ventilation, and also represents the idea of water returning to the hall, which is what the saying goes: keep the wealth within the family.
There was still some water in the narrow patio, in which two turtles, one big and one small, lay motionless.
I heard from the owner of the house that the turtle has been raised for many years. In the patio where the turtle is raised, no matter how heavy the rain is, the water will not accumulate but will be quickly discharged. This is because the turtle often moves in the ditch, playing a role of natural dredging.
Except for the room where the owner of the house lived, Gao Mingcheng led many beauties to visit other places, such as the living room, hall, kitchen, etc.
After leaving, he found a few houses with different structures, communicated with the owners, and obtained permission to go in and visit after smoking a cigarette.
Unlike the front hall and back hall of the Qing Dynasty, most houses in the Ming Dynasty had a front hall and a back hall. But no matter what, there was a narrow patio in the middle. If it was a larger house, the patio would be expanded accordingly.
We visited several restaurants in succession and finally bought some food at the canteen near the Yulong Wanshou Palace.
Gao Mingcheng brought many beauties to visit these ancient buildings, not because they were culturally literate, but out of pure curiosity.
When they were young, they had heard stories from the elders, saying that the houses in Gaojia Village were left over from the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, they were repaired and expanded, and the entire village lived together.
At that time, the houses were very close to each other, and whenever it rained, there would be a rattling sound coming from the big and small patios.
But no matter how heavy the rain is, it will not affect the villagers' movement in the village, because all the eaves are connected together, and the rainwater in the courtyard will flow into the pond at the entrance of the village through natural channels.
Unfortunately, all this ended with a fire.
Xuanyuemei said with emotion: "I remember when I was a child, my father also told me about the old house in Gaojia Village. At that time, my father's family lived in a house in the northwest corner of the village. There were only two rooms at that time, and the earthen stove for cooking was set up outside. Once it rained, we couldn't cook."
"My dad said that when he was in his twenties, warlords came to the village to conscript men. Many people hid in the mountains. My dad wanted to hide, too, but it was too late. He was captured anyway."
"He followed the team all the way to Fujian. Fortunately, his team had never fought in a war and was only responsible for transporting supplies. Later, the main army lost and the team was in chaos. He took the opportunity to escape and walked all the way home. Halfway through, he fainted from hunger next to a haystack. If the family hadn't been kind enough to save him and feed him a bowl of porridge, he would have died there."
When talking about the past, many beautiful faces are filled with reminiscence.
In fact, her memory of her father has begun to become a little fuzzy.
Because she was the youngest child in the family, her mother died shortly after she was born. Her father raised four children alone, playing the role of both mother and father. His life was very hard. A few years later, he fell ill and died.
Gao Mingcheng listened quietly, holding little Xuxu in his arms and feeding him.
After a while, he said, "The houses here are different from those in our village before. Most of them are single-family houses. I heard people say that there seem to be houses similar to those in our village in Ganzhou. I'll ask around. If there are any, I'll take you there to have a look."
Manyu Mei looked up at him, her eyes shining, and nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
She still wanted to go and see the kind of house her father had talked about.
The whole village is made up of connected houses!
After having lunch and taking a short rest, Gao Mingcheng returned to the city police station with his wife and children.
Gao Guobing and his colleagues will have a meeting in the morning, have lunch at the bureau, and can go home in the afternoon.
It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when Gao Mingcheng went to pick someone up.
After picking up the people, we discussed and decided to buy some local specialties to bring back.
Since it's a rare opportunity to go out, it's natural to buy some local specialties.
Gao Mingcheng asked someone for directions, then drove all the way there and bought Huwan oil noodles, Guangchang white lotus and Magu wine.
The Huwan oil noodles have a great origin. During the Qing Dynasty, it was a tribute to the imperial court, so it is also called Longxu tribute noodles. The noodles are easy to digest and have a non-sticky texture, smooth and delicate.
As for the white lotus in Guangchang, the water conditions there are good, and the white lotus produced there is white in color, large in size, and tastes sweet and fragrant. Gao Mingcheng bought a few kilograms and planned to use it to cook porridge.
Gao Guobing also bought these two items, but his favorite was Magu wine.
Holding a bottle of Magu wine, Gao Guobing said with a smile: "Now that I am old, I like to drink this Magu wine."
The reason why Gao Guobing said this is because Magu wine is also considered a medicinal wine.
It is made from silver bead glutinous rice as the main raw material, with the addition of mountain spring water, and more than 20 kinds of precious Chinese medicinal materials such as Polygonum multiflorum and Ganoderma lucidum, using traditional brewing methods.
This wine has a rich aroma and mellow taste, and is very popular among people who pay attention to their health.
It also has a very interesting background. It is said to have a history of more than 1,700 years. It was exported overseas during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty and can be regarded as a famous local brand.
Gao Mingcheng is still young and doesn't like this wine very much, but since he is here, he must buy some to take back.
Lou Xinyu also bought two bottles, but these two bottles of wine were not for him to drink himself, but for his future father-in-law!
The last time he went to Gaojia Village, Gao Yuanjian gave him a bottle of rice wine that he had made himself. This time, he planned to reciprocate the gift and use the name of sending wine to spend more time with his future in-laws.
To be honest, Lou Xinyu is very satisfied with Gao Shufang.
Gao Shufang herself was not ugly, but rather pretty, and there was nothing wrong with her words and deeds. Even better, she had four brothers!
This is really good news for Lou Xinyu who has no relatives!
Although it is more difficult to get a brother-in-law, once you get one, you will be a family! Marrying Gao Shufang will give you a whole family of relatives and friends, which is a good deal!
Not only did Lou Xinyu buy some wine, he also told Gao Mingcheng about this idea.
Gao Mingcheng glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Can you drive a tractor?"
Lou Xinyu immediately said, "Yes!"
Not to mention a tractor, he can even drive a car!
As long as you can drive, Gao Mingcheng said, "I just bought a car, and I'm going to keep the tractor in the village. How about this, next weekend, I'll drive the car and you drive the tractor, and we'll go back to the village together."
If Gao Mingcheng drives the tractor back by himself, it will be inconvenient for him to go back to the county. Now it is just the right time to find a laborer!
If they are labor, they must be exploited!
Lou Xinyu agreed immediately, but at the same time he also made a small suggestion: "Can't we go back this weekend?"
With the weekend just one day away, Lou Xinyu is eager to go home!
But his suggestion was rejected by Gao Mingcheng, who said expressionlessly: "I have to go to Yangcheng to purchase goods tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Lou Xinyu stopped talking.
The return journey was relatively smooth. When we arrived at the county, it was still daylight. Gao Guobing called Gao Mingcheng to his house for dinner, and Gao Mingcheng naturally agreed.
As for Lou Xinyu, he carried the things he bought and went to the clothing store.
I went to the city today and met some people and things, and I happened to have something to talk about with Gao Shufang!
The dinner was quite sumptuous because Zhao Dongmei had prepared it in advance and even made two light dishes that little Xuxu could eat.
The dishes they usually eat are very spicy, and only when there are children at home will they specially cook one or two light dishes.
Before, Xuanyuemei said that she wanted to buy a chicken for Gao Mingcheng, but she didn’t get to eat it because she went out. But now Gao Mingcheng can eat duck!
Zhao Dongmei fried a large plate of duck, adding a lot of chili peppers and seasonings. When it came out of the pan, it smelled delicious.
However, this plate of duck was missing two duck legs!
It turned out that the duck leg was steamed on the rice and prepared for Xiao Xuxu to eat.
Xiao Xuxu likes to eat meat very much, but his little baby teeth are not very strong and are often stuck with meat shreds.
Whenever something got stuck in his teeth, he would scream and then open his mouth towards people, signaling for adults to help him remove the meat stuck in between his teeth.
Zhao Dongmei liked little Xuxu very much. She personally held him in her arms while eating and took care of him all the time. As for herself, she only ate a few bites at a time.
Zhao Dongmei hugged the cute little Xuxu and said excitedly, "Mingcheng, I received a call from Gao Hong two days ago. He said that he can take a vacation in September this year, and then he will come back to get the marriage certificate and hold a wedding banquet with Li Fei!"
Hearing this, Gao Mingcheng first congratulated him, and then jokingly said, "Gao Hong got promoted, right?"
Zhao Dongmei and Gao Guobing smiled more and more, and said with a smile: "It's a promotion."
Promotion and marriage, two great joys!
Many beauties also congratulated them again and again.
Zhao Dongmei smiled and said, "Although the wedding is in September, we still have to prepare everything. Recently, your uncle and I have been discussing whether to hold the wedding at a restaurant or at home."
"Gao Hong is not at home all year round. Although his room has a bed and furniture, nothing else is needed. We need to prepare everything."
"By the way, Mingcheng, if you are going to Yangcheng to purchase goods in July or August, please help bring back a refrigerator and a washing machine!"
Gao Mingcheng naturally agreed to Zhao Dongmei's request.
After entering the 1990s, when young people get married, they no longer want the old three things, but the new three things!
Their place is small and they can't buy color TVs and refrigerators, so they asked Gao Mingcheng to go to Guangzhou to bring them back. Gao Mingcheng can also get a preferential price from Fan Chengyao.
After Zhao Dongmei finished speaking, Gao Guobing also expressed his opinion. He said: "I still want to have a banquet at home! The house is so big, and the yard can also accommodate several tables!"
Zhao Dongmei retorted: "You have so many leaders and friends, and I also have leaders and friends here. Together, there will be many tables! Gao Hong didn't have many comrades coming, but Li Fei also has two or three tables!"
Gao Guobing frowned slightly, seeming unhappy.
It’s just that although he looks so majestic outside, he doesn’t have the final say at home.
Seeing that they were having a conflict, Gao Mingcheng immediately said, "How about this, uncle and aunt, you first decide the number of guests, and then decide whether to hold the banquet at home or in a restaurant outside."
“If there is enough room for the number of people, it’s better to have the wine at home.”
Gao Mingcheng's words were somewhat inclined to Gao Guobing's side.
Because people nowadays actually prefer to have a wedding banquet at home, as they feel it has a more family-friendly feel.
Zhao Dongmei didn't necessarily want to hold the wedding banquet in a restaurant outside, so she agreed.
It's still early to get married, so although we need to make various preparations now, there's no need to rush.
Gao Mingcheng also asked whether Li Fei would stay in the county or join the army with Gao Hong after Gao Hong and Li Fei got married.
Zhao Dongmei said: "He will stay in the county first. After Gao Hong returns to the army, we will report to the higher authorities. If all goes well, he will join the army next year."
Li Fei is a teacher. After joining the army, she will be arranged to continue working as a teacher and have a job.
After listening to this, Gao Mingcheng sighed.
In his previous life, Gao Hong was not promoted so quickly. After marrying Li Fei, they lived apart and spent less time together. A few years later, Li Fei was able to join the army, and then when Gao Hong retired, the couple's work relationship was transferred to this county.
What Gao Mingcheng is curious about now is that in their previous life, the two of them were rarely together and they conceived a child three years after their marriage. At that time, they gave birth to a daughter, but due to work reasons, they could not have a second child, which became a regret for Gao Hong.
Now that Li Fei can join the army early, maybe she can get pregnant sooner.
Of course, Gao Mingcheng was just thinking about this casually. Anyway, he couldn't control it and could only go with the flow. (End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
