Jinniu didn't care when Taohua and Zhang Fu teased him. One was his sister and the other was a good brother. He just laughed. He knew that his brain was not as smart as theirs.

Zhang Fu walked to the bicycle shed and pushed over a tricycle driven by a bicycle. He and Meng Tao helped Jinniu onto it. After Meng Tao and Jinniu were seated, Zhang Fu rode the bicycle. The three of them chatted along the way. Meng Tao also asked about Zhang's father's physical condition. It was similar to Jinniu's and he had recovered well. However, his injury was much lighter than Jinniu's to begin with. He no longer needed a crutch and could move freely around the house by holding onto the wall, tables and chairs.

Mother Zhang works in a bedding factory and is still very busy. Sometimes she has to work overtime. The naughty brother Zhang has started school and is under the supervision of a teacher during the day, so the family can have more peace.

Zhang Fu enthusiastically shared with Meng Tao his experience of "picking up trash" at various waste recycling stations. Jin Niu was surprised to hear this and couldn't help asking: "Zhang Fu, what are you talking about? You pick up trash? Isn't that shameful?"

Zhang Fu glanced at him and said, "You won't understand even if I tell you. When your legs and feet are better, I'll take you with me!"

Jinniu shook his head quickly: "I won't do it! I have hands and feet, wouldn't it be good to work hard in the production team and earn work points? I can also sign up for the infrastructure team, which can earn both work points and money. During the slack season, I can go up the mountain to cut bamboo, come back to weave baskets, winnowing baskets, bamboo baskets and bamboo shell hats, and send them to the collection station to earn money.

Brother, if you are short of money, my relatives have collected some for me. There is still some left after building a new house. I don't need it for the time being, so you can take it. Don't do garbage collecting in the future. That is what lazy beggars do. We are men, and we don't need to learn that!"

Zhang Fu was caught off guard by Taurus and didn't know how to respond for a moment. He rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky. Meng Tao pursed her lips and tried to hold back her laughter. Finally, both of them couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Taurus looked at this and that worriedly, wondering if they had lost money through speculation. Taohua had more capital, so she lost money, but Zhang Fu had a weaker foundation, so he had to rummage through garbage?

If Zhang Fu knew what Jinniu was thinking, it would probably be even funnier.

Meng Tao said, "Brother Jinniu, Zhang Fudu has bought a new house and a tricycle. Do you think he is short of money? He is talking about a recycling station, not a real garbage dump."

“Isn’t a scrapyard also a garbage dump?”

"Of course not. What's piled there are waste paper, old books, broken furniture, scrap copper and iron, etc., which can be recycled. These things are valuable. Look, Zhang Fu has become rich."

"Making a fortune by picking up garbage is not good!" Taurus couldn't understand why one could make a fortune by picking up garbage, but he believed that this behavior was as dishonorable as that of a lazy beggar who got something for nothing.

Meng Tao, Zhang Fu: "..."

So even if brothers have a very good relationship, sometimes they have different opinions, which is very speechless.

Meng Tao is not in a hurry. Taurus just has old-fashioned and traditional ideas, but he is not stubborn. He can be changed slowly.

The tricycle went straight along the main street for more than twenty minutes, then turned left into an alley. Zhang Fu said that this was called Yuanbao Lane, and his newly purchased yard was in this alley.

As we were talking, we arrived. The courtyard looked old and unremarkable from the outside, with a gray brick wall and an old iron door with peeling paint.

Zhang Fu told Meng Tao and Jinniu not to get off the tricycle. He got off the tricycle himself, unlocked the door, pushed open the iron door, and drove straight in.

When I entered the yard, I realized that the inside and outside were completely different.

The outer wall of the courtyard is old and gray, but the inside is clean and bright. There are three main rooms and two side rooms, all made of red bricks and green tiles, with clear large glass windows. There are open spaces in front of and behind the house, with two tall camphor trees, as well as osmanthus trees and magnolia trees. In short, this courtyard is very nice and gives people a comfortable and grand feeling.

Meng Tao praised Zhang Fu for having good taste. This house was in the city center, in a good location and with a large yard. She only spent 180 yuan on it, which was half the size of the one she bought in Mengzhou City.

"Just be happy secretly."

"Yes, I can only be happy secretly now. If my father's brothers and sisters knew about this, it would be terrible: my eldest aunt and second uncle have many people and a small house, and my third uncle is in a hurry to get married and has no house...

My dad wanted me to lend a room to my third uncle for his wedding, but my mom refused and I was not happy about it either. Who knows if he will return it in the future? So now, I live here by myself. My mom, dad and younger brother come here for a walk during the day, and they stay in the room assigned by the factory at night to avoid being discovered. "

"You don't live in that house, aren't you afraid of being discovered?"

"It's okay. My mother will tell me that I live in the factory and I have a bed in the factory dormitory."

"You're like a rabbit with three nests."

"Hahaha, it's true."

As they were talking, Zhang's mother came out with Zhang's father, and greeted Jinniu and Meng Tao with a smile on their faces: "Come in, come in, the food is ready, let's sit down and talk while we eat!"

Meng Tao didn't hesitate and went to fetch water to wash her face and hands. Just as she was about to fetch another basin of clean water for Jinniu, she found that Zhang Fu had already fetched water for Jinniu to wash.

Aunt Zhang was busy bringing the food to the table, including stewed whole chicken, twice-cooked pork, mapo tofu, stir-fried cabbage, and scallion egg soup, four dishes and one soup, both meat and vegetables. This was a high standard for entertaining guests, and it could be as sumptuous as a Chinese New Year feast.

Meng Tao and Jin Niu expressed their gratitude to Zhang's mother and father. Zhang's father said, "Your aunt's cooking level is only this level. It is definitely not as good as Taohua's. You can try it and see if you can get used to it."

Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "Ever since these three came to your house, they have always complained that my cooking is not tasty. Well, there is nothing I can do. I cooked it very carefully. Come on, come on, try it. It should be pretty good!"

Meng Tao just remembered that Zhang Di hadn't come back yet: "My little brother is almost out of school, let's wait a little longer."

"No need to wait. This kid is very naughty. He has to play outside after school before coming back."

"Let's eat first." said Zhang's father and mother.

Zhang Fu picked up the first dish for Meng Tao and Jin Niu. Jin Niu ate it and nodded, "It's delicious. Auntie's cooking is exactly the same as my sister's."

Aunt Zhang smiled and pulled a big chicken leg to him: "Our Jinniu is still the best, honest and considerate. I will find you a beautiful wife in the future!"

Taurus blushes when he hears about finding a wife.

Zhang Fu said, "Don't really believe what my mother says. If she could really find a pretty wife, why would I be single?"

Meng Tao burst out laughing.

(End of this chapter)