Chapter 69 Haotang Village
Yanggou Village hasn't held such a lively banquet for many years. Xia Wu and Yang Guofeng talked about it and found out that more than a hundred people from other places will come to the beam-raising banquet in two days.
The cigarette in Yang Guofeng's hand fell to the ground, his mouth opened wide, and he could hardly believe his ears.
"How many people?"
"One hundred and seventeen people, all deposits have been paid."
"How many cars would that take? Can they all fit in the village?"
"Uncle, what do you say? Think of a solution for me."
Yang Guofeng stamped out his cigarette, smacked his lips, and asked Xia Wu, "Did they come quite early?"
"If you come from the city or other counties, it will be at least after 8 or 9 o'clock."
"Then we can't just wait for food."
"Yeah, I'm a little worried about letting them wander around the hills."
"How about this?" Yang Guofeng gave an idea, asking those who came to play to try not to park their cars in the village. Traffic congestion is one thing, and there is also not enough space for parking in the village.
The car was parked in the town, and people were allowed to come to the village by themselves.
"How can we get here on our own?" It wasn't that Xia Wu was doubtful, but there was no road from the town to Yanggou Village, and even the bus didn't take this route.
Therefore, every household in the nearby villages has an electric donkey tricycle.
Yang Guofeng said, "We can go pick them up on our own tricycles. We can also use Uncle Yang's ox cart. I think it got a good reputation last time. There are other families in the village who have oxen. Let's ask them if they're willing to make money. If they are willing, we can use a cart. It's only two or three yuan per trip. People in the city will definitely buy into it."
Yang Guofeng has also come into contact with many city people, and his overall impression of them is that they are willing to spend money, especially on things they have never experienced.
Take the tattered straw hats for example. Villagers all wear them while working, and they look like ordinary farmers. But when city dwellers see them, they insist on having one for everyone, praising them for being beautiful, environmentally friendly, and so on.
There is also the ox cart of Mr. Yang Siye. It is only a few steps from the village entrance to Xia Wu's house, and the walking speed of a person is almost the same as that of the ox cart. If it were Yang Guofeng, he would rather walk faster on his own two legs.
But those city people don’t want it. They would rather wait ten minutes for the ox cart than take those few steps.
"That makes sense, uncle. Then give me some more advice."
Yang Guofeng is worthy of being the village party secretary, he comes up with one idea after another.
Thanks to Xia Wu, many families in the village earn more than before and are willing to give Xia Wu face.
This time, Yang Guojun wanted to hold a grand banquet to welcome his daughter, in fact, he wanted to support her and welcome her back home.
Everyone knew that Xia Wu was the daughter of the Yang family who was wrongly reported. After beating her back, Yang Guojun had not formally introduced Xia Wu to the villagers. Now that Xia Wu's career was booming, the villagers also benefited from it and would give her some face and stop gossiping about her in the future.
Yanggou Village is neither big nor small. Although many strong laborers in the village have left, the only ones left at home are the elderly, the weak, women and children, but their fighting capacity is not low.
Besides, Xia Wu is not RMB. Some people like him, while others don’t.
For example, Guihua Niang's daughter-in-law Li Honghong would roll her eyes to the sky whenever she mentioned Xia Wu.
Especially when they were selling winter bamboo shoots before, Xia Wu refused her brother's winter bamboo shoots, and Guihua's mother had a big fight with her. Li Honghong blamed all the resentment on Xia Wu.
He spoke ill of Xia Wu behind others' back and was caught by Yang Guofeng, who criticized him as an example.
Xia Wu knew more or less about these things, but she never took them to heart. This was just a small matter and it was far from enough to hurt her.
Based on Yang Guofeng's suggestion, Xia Wu changed the process for netizens to enjoy the Liang Banquet.
The charging standards have been lowered again.
Adults are 80 per person, and children are half price.
Picking is charged separately.
Yang Guojun and Liu Guizhen were responsible for preparing the dishes and setting up the tables and chairs for the guests.
Xia Wu went up the mountain specifically to find Mr. Pu, hoping to invite him to come down to join in the fun.
When Xia Wu arrived, Mr. Pu was lying leisurely on a rattan chair. There was a pot of tea on the tea table to his left. He held the small teapot and drank by himself with his eyes closed. A play was playing on the old radio.
Like many old people in the village, Grandpa Pu also likes to listen to operas. However, he lives alone in the mountains and never seems to feel lonely. Xia Wu admires Grandpa Pu's character very much.
"Mr. Park, are you listening to an opera?"
Mr. Pu opened his eyes and saw Xia Wu leading two puppies to the door. He was a little surprised and said, "Hey, Xiao Wu, how did you find time to come up the mountain?"
Xia Wu shook the loquats he brought with him and said, "Master Pu, I came to see you. The loquats on the mountain are ripe now, so I want you to have a taste."
She went to the well to draw water and wash the loquats as if she knew the way. Mr. Pu got up and made honey water for Xia Wu again.
The grandfather and grandson sat opposite each other at the tea table, drinking tea and eating loquats.
The loquats this year are growing well, they are big, sweet and have small seeds.
"That's right, the things you grow are better than others. When Wang Meng was still in charge of Yantou Mountain, he also sent me loquats. Those loquats were only the size of a fifty-cent coin, and the skin was difficult to peel. After peeling for a long time, only the core was left. I didn't know how to eat them."
Xia Wu smiled and said, "Master Pu, I have a lot of good things growing on the mountain. Would you mind going down and trying some?"
When Mr. Pu heard this, he waved his hands and said, "I won't go. I'm old, and eating too many apricots will make my teeth fall out. When you have time, come and see me and bring me one or two to try."
Mr. Park can endure loneliness. In other words, he is a homebody who stays in the mountains all year round and goes down the mountain only a few times.
Xia Wu had no choice but to say, "I'm planning to hold a Liang banquet and would like to invite Master Pu to come. After all, I've been back for so long and have benefited greatly from your kindness. I want to thank you."
"A beam-raising banquet?" Mr. Pu hesitated.
"Yes, you should go down the mountain."
After much thought, Mr. Pu couldn't refuse anymore, so he asked, "Are there many people?"
"It's not that much. You can just find a place to have a meal when the time comes."
"Okay then, when? I'll go there then."
"the day after tomorrow."
After agreeing on a time with Master Pu, Xia Wu wanted to come pick him up, but Master Pu refused: "I'm not that old yet, there's no need to come pick me up!"
The day of the beam-raising banquet soon arrived. Xia Wushui spent half the night in the group chat, and when she heard Brother Snake coming to ask for water, she realized that it was getting late. She had not slept for four hours when she heard Yang Guojun go out.
He ordered two pigs from the next village and they were to be slaughtered today, so he needed to go there in advance to watch over them.
Xia Wu heard her parents talking, "Do you want to call me Xiao Wu?"
"What do you want her to do?"
"Didn't she want to see how a pig was slaughtered?"
"What's the point of this, little girl? Go by yourself!"
Xia Wu was half asleep when he suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Dad, I want to go with you to watch the pig being slaughtered!"
Yang Guojun gave Liu Guizhen a look and said, "See, I said I was curious about growing up in the city."
Angrily, Liu Guizhen slapped him on the back and asked, "If you hadn't been so loud, would she have heard you?"
Yang Guojun felt aggrieved and dared not say much.
Xia Wu changed his clothes and fiddled with Bugs Bunny, but the little thing was still sleeping.
Jindou and Heidou woke up and followed her out.
After a quick wash, Fourth Master Yang came to deliver buffalo milk. Xia Wu greeted him, "Fourth Master, have you eaten?"
"We've eaten. Are you and your daughter going up the mountain?"
"Go to Haotang, order two pigs, and go take a look."
It was getting late, so they didn't chat much. Yang Guojun rode a tricycle with Xia Wu. It was early in the morning and there was a cool breeze in the village, which felt very comfortable.
Jindou and Heidou did not get on the car, but ran behind it. Xia Wu kept an eye on them, afraid that the two little ones would get lost.
While running, Jindou suddenly stopped and took care of a physiological problem in the grass beside him. Yang Guojun slowed down the car and asked, "Girl, are you cold?"
"It's not cold, the breeze is very comfortable."
"If you're cold, you can put on Dad's coat."
"Okay, if it's cold I'll ask you for it."
When you leave Yanggou Village and head towards the town, you will pass Haotang on the way.
There are no large mountains near Haotang, but there is plenty of water. The village is full of lakes and rivers, large and small, and houses are built between the rivers and rice fields. The main roads in Haotang are paved with cement, and the small paths leading to each household are paved with bluestone slabs.
Some of the buildings in their village are ancient buildings from the last century, with a bit of Hui style.
However, Xia Wu saw that the door knockers of those lavish mansions were tightly closed, and some were pushed open to reveal a gap as wide as a palm. Looking inside, it was overgrown with weeds and looked very desolate.
What a pity to miss such a nice view.
"Dad, where do these houses come from?" Xia Wu asked curiously.
Yang Guojun: "Haotang once had an official, and he built these houses when he returned to his hometown. Later, during the war, people dispersed and the houses were left here uninhabited, so they were confiscated by the state. Who would still live in a place like this now?"
"Is Haotang richer than our village?"
"That was in the past. Now it's almost the same. The young people have all left, and there's no one in the primary school in Haotang Village."
After hearing this, Xia Wu felt even more sorry.
The scenery of Haotang Village is very beautiful. The village is crossed by a river called Chaotian River. Yang Guojun said that the river is at least ten kilometers long. The upper reaches are not in Haotang Village, but the section of the river that stays in Haotang Village is the longest and has the best scenery.
The water in Chaotian River is not particularly deep. Yang Guojun rode his tricycle across the stone bridge. Xia Wu looked down at the river water, which was crystal clear with scattered gravel at the bottom.
There are weeping willows on both sides of the river. They are quite old, and their green color is reflected in the river. From a distance, the water looks like emerald green amber.
"The scenery is so beautiful," Xia Wu couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes, when we were little, we used to herd cattle and often came to Chaotian River. The cattle played in the water, and we also swam and fished in the river. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye."
After crossing the Chaotian River, the scenery of Haotang Village has been completely renewed, with more modern buildings and houses appearing, and it looks much more lively.
A river divides the village into two parts, one half is the loneliness of the last century, and the other half is the liveliness and bustle of this century.
The people of Haotang called the two sides of the river East Village and West Village respectively. East Village used to be where the rich landlords lived, while West Village was where the common people lived.
There were more rice fields here, and several large ponds filled with lotus leaves. Xia Wu exclaimed in surprise, "There are lotus flowers here too!"
Yang Guojun corrected her: "The lotus flowers will probably not bloom for a while. You can still dig lotus roots in the fall."
Xia Wu thought the scenery of Yanggou Village was beautiful enough, but he didn't expect that the scenery of Haotang was also unique.
The father and daughter chatted and enjoyed the scenery along the way, and finally arrived at the butcher's house.
The butcher's surname is Hao and his given name is Hao Qing.
Seeing Yang Guojun coming, he quickly greeted him: "I have reserved the pigs for you, come and see if these two are okay."
Yang Guojun was not polite. He jumped into the pigpen, grabbed the pig's ears and took a closer look. He was quite satisfied and said, "These are the ones. Let's do it!"
Xia Wu watched from the side. After making sure that there was no problem, Hao Qing shouted and three more men came out of the house. They all came to help kill the pig.
They tied the pig's limbs, tied it to a shoulder pole, and carried it out. The pig's squeals could be heard throughout half the village.
Xia Wu originally wanted to see how the pigs were slaughtered, but he had just been enjoying the scenery and was in a good mood. Now when he heard the pigs' screams, he felt sorry for them.
So he said hello to Yang Guojun: "Dad, I'm going out for a walk. I'll come back later."
"Okay, go away. I won't bother you anymore."
Xia Wu took Jindou and Heidou and walked towards Chaotian River, where the scenery was the best and she wanted to take more photos.
After staying in Chaotian River for a while, Xia Wu went to see the abandoned old house.
The largest and most imposing house has an outer wall that is more than two meters high. The bricks used are blue bricks from the last century, which have not fallen off or deformed until now.
She walked around the outer wall, but couldn't see the interior structure of the house, and she always felt a little itchy.
"Who are you and what's going on?"
A sudden voice behind her startled Xia Wu. She turned around and saw an old man wearing cloth clothes and cloth shoes, with a kind face.
Xia Wu patted his chest and said, "I'm from Yanggou Village, my name is Xia Wu. I came here with my family to buy pork. I saw that the buildings here are different from those in our village, so I was curious and came to take a look."
The old man nodded and said, "From Yanggou Village. What's your father's name?"
"Yang Guojun."
"Is his father called Yang Hongen? Old Yang, then you are Old Yang's granddaughter."
The "Old Yang" the old man mentioned refers to Old Man Yang.
Xia Wu nodded repeatedly, "Yang Hongen is my grandfather. Do you know my grandfather?"
"Yes, according to seniority, you should call me Grandpa," the old man lifted his clothes, revealing a bunch of keys at his waist, jingling. "Just now I thought this family had returned. No one has been here for so many years. The house is managed by the villagers. I used to be the village secretary, but now I'm retired. The keys are still with me. Come in and take a look."
"It's not this one, is it this one? Let me see..."
The old man had such a bunch of brass keys that he couldn't tell which were which.
Xia Wu was curious: "Grandpa, are these the keys to the old buildings in the village?"
"yes."
"I think these houses are pretty good. Are no one living in them?"
"Only a few houses are still inhabited; the others have long been abandoned. Hey, back when the Hao family was prominent, East Village was filled with family members, and it was incredibly lively."
"Found it."
The old man took out a key and successfully opened the door. The threshold was very high, so he held the door and stepped over it. "Be careful."
The yard was full of weeds, with a cracked water tank in the middle. A U-shaped corridor led to the backyard, and this was just the patio of the house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
