After returning from the countryside, Xu Damao's previously restless mind seemed to have been cleansed. The Xu Damao who used to appear calm on the surface but whose mind was always focused on climbing the social ladder and becoming the best of the best, now only thought that his family living a good life was the greatest happiness.
She no longer felt the initial resistance to the hustle and bustle of the courtyard house. Instead of being unwilling to engage, she began to actively seek out the people around her. She no longer wanted to fight to the death with anyone, and even greeted Jia Zhangshi with a smile when she saw her.
"My goodness, is Xu Damao possessed?" This was the first time Jia Zhangshi had seen Xu Damao smile at her like that, and it felt very unreal.
"What's wrong?" Qin Huairu asked.
“Xu Damao smiled at me just now, and the key point is that it wasn’t a fake smile. Do you think he’s possessed?” Jia Zhangshi explained.
“Mom, you can’t talk nonsense, you can’t promote feudal superstition. But Xu Damao seems to be a little different lately, but I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Qin Huairu said.
Many people noticed Xu Damao's change, but they were all living their own lives and not many people cared. At this time, the people who cared the most were probably Fan Changyou's side.
A week after his last visit, Xu Damao took some time to go to Fan Changyou's house on a fine evening. Fortunately, the weather was nice, and Xu Damao easily made his way to the production brigade by the moonlight.
"Old Fan, open the door, I'm here." Xu Damao gently knocked on Fan Changyou's door in the evening.
"They're here." Fan Changyou on the other end seemed to have been waiting for a long time, suppressing his excitement with sheer willpower.
Xu Damao sneaked into the house, acting like a secret agent making a rendezvous. There were quite a few hidden spies in those days, and Xu Damao was a little worried about being seen.
Seeing Xu Damao push a cart in, but there was no grain on the back, Fan Changyou, who was originally excited, was a little disappointed.
“Da Mao, is there no grain this time? Sigh, I can understand. Nobody has any surplus grain this season. But don’t worry, a few families have already taken the grain that was left with me last time, and they also brought some things to exchange with you,” Fan Changyou said.
“I have food, but I can’t carry it on my bicycle, and it’s not safe. There are other people taking care of me,” Xu Damao said.
The saying goes, "To possess a treasure is to be condemned." Xu Damao was carrying grain, so he was extra cautious in the wilderness. Only when it was safe here would he find an opportunity to leave the grain outside the village before letting the villagers retrieve it.
“Yes, yes, look how happy I am, you’re right. Just a few days ago, someone in the next brigade got into a fight and killed someone over a black steamed bun,” Fan Changyou exclaimed.
Then, Fan Changyou led Xu Damao into the house, and after calling his family to leave, he took out the collected items.
There are calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, and ancient coins. It's amazing that such a small village has so many things. It seems that their ancestors must have produced some great figures.
"These are all people I'm close to, from very poor families. I didn't dare to greet those with questionable character, for fear they'd cause trouble."
"Da Mao, if you need me again later, I'll run errands for you," Fan Changyou said.
"No need, this is good enough. Besides, I really can't find any other grain to exchange."
As Xu Damao spoke, he looked at the items. They were all valuable and well-preserved, indicating that the owners knew their worth.
"Old Fan, it's getting late. Find two trustworthy people to come with me to the outskirts of the village to get the grain."
After securing the items, Xu Damao led the men Lao Fan had found out out of the village. Actually, there was no one else at the village entrance, but after asking them to watch the bicycles, Xu Damao found a secluded spot to retrieve the grain and then went back to get Lao Fan and the others.
"Da Mao, where are your men?" Old Fan asked curiously.
"These are all life-threatening situations, and those people don't want too many people to recognize them," Xu Damao casually made up a reason.
When Fan Changyou and his men saw the three large sacks of grain, they were happier than if they had seen three fat pigs. These three sacks of grain represented the lives of many people.
"Old Fan, all the grain I can get is here. Take it all. But I won't interfere with how it's distributed after I hand it over to you. Just keep it a secret from now on, and pretend I was never here," Xu Damao said.
"Don't worry, Da Mao, even if we get caught, we absolutely won't implicate you. Only the three of us know about you. The others know someone brought the grain, but they don't know who it is," Fan Changyou assured him.
After saying goodbye to Fan Changyou and the others, Xu Damao put the cultural relics away and quickly rode his bicycle to the compound.
After returning from the countryside, Xu Damao also handed over the pork to Zhu Guangrong in the same secretive way.
“Brother, this is all I can do. You were lucky with the wild boar; it was really caught deep in the mountains and my friend just happened to find it. The rest of the pork was something I managed to collect for you, so just make do with it,” Xu Damao said to Zhu Guangrong.
"I told you you were capable, kid. You didn't disappoint me at all; you even exceeded my expectations. I asked you for so much, thinking I'd be lucky to get a whole pig, but you got me half a carcass as well," Zhu Guangrong said with a smile.
Xu Damao cursed inwardly; this was a very sophisticated tactic. He had already cut his losses considerably, but the other party's bottom line was even lower. But at this point, he could only grit his teeth and bear it.
“I will definitely do my best to help you with your brother’s matter. I’ve been to many places, including rural areas, for your sake recently,” Xu Damao said.
"No need for thanks, my good brothers. I've been a bit busy lately, but I'll invite you all to my house for dinner in a few days," Zhu Guangrong said.
Xu Damao could understand the other party. Zhu Guangrong's transfer to the subdistrict was now in the final stages of evaluation, and no negligence was allowed; it was best to keep a low profile as much as possible.
"Okay, let's get together again when you're done with your work."
After handing over the goods, Xu Damao hurriedly left. How he took the pork was none of his concern.
After taking care of these things, Xu Damao felt much more relaxed. He spent all his time taking care of the child except for work, even more than Wang Minzhi did, and he didn't seem like a factory manager at all.
"Da Mao, you've brought your son out for a walk again?" In the alley, the elderly men and women greeted Xu Da Mao as he strolled around.
He grew up in this area and almost everyone knows him. Now, whenever his son sees Xu Damao, he pushes his walker towards the alley, unwilling to stay home for even a second. He was mischievous as a child, and now his son is mischievous too—a case of the son following in his father's footsteps.
After waiting outside for more than an hour, it was only with great difficulty that I managed to coax my son home. But then I saw another argument going on in the courtyard. Yongjun, who loves watching a good show, became a curious child and couldn't move an inch.
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