Xiao An and Song Liyun are busy all day long in Broken Gold Town, and even Black Gold has made his debut.
In Xiaoshi Village, Qingping Town, however, the scene was desolate.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Song Zhenping, along with his new wife Yang Hua, went with Song Dekui back to Xiaoshi Village to pay respects to their ancestors and relocate their graves.
With this move, he was essentially severing ties with the Song family of Xiaoshi Village.
Time stands still in the mountains.
Looking at Xiaoshi Village, which remains unchanged even after more than a year of absence.
The north wind swirled a few pieces of yellow paper that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, tumbling and fluttering along the bare base of the courtyard wall.
It was cold, and every household had their gates closed. Everywhere was deserted, except for the guard dog that ran out of its hole and barked wildly at the unfamiliar truck.
For some reason, the village was unusually quiet at this moment, with only faint sounds of commotion and laughter coming from afar, which was in the direction of Song Defu's house.
At this moment, hearing the commotion, it was as if I could hear Granny Gu and Madam Gu cursing again.
Song Zhenping's legs began to weaken, his heart raced and he felt short of breath. He recalled the days when he struggled to survive with Xiao An. Every time he returned home from working outside, he was terrified.
Song Dekui also heard the commotion and saw that Song Zhenping's expression was not right. He immediately pulled on the reins and stopped the carriage, saying, "Daping, don't go back."
"Come with me to your village head's place first. You must be tired after traveling for two days. Let your village head's wife make you something to eat and drink to your heart's content, then we'll trouble your second uncle."
All Song Dekui knew was that Song Lao Er had run away with the silver notes that night, leaving neither Xiao Gu Shi nor his son behind. The next day, Xiao Gu Shi made a scene and then disappeared as well.
Now he just assumes that the family has returned and is living their usual happy life of cursing and beating dogs.
Daping brought his new wife back this time. They traveled from Suijin Town to Qingping Town, braving the wind and even rested for a night on the way, eating dry rations along the way.
It's already afternoon. If we go to Song Lao Er's house, they'll probably cause a scene and we won't get any food or drink. We should take them back to our own house and wait until things calm down before going back.
Song Zhenping was flustered and didn't know how to reply. Yang Hua, who was next to him, lifted the curtain and said, "Uncle Kui, Daping and Xiao'an have relied on the village head's help over the years. We should go and wish the village head a Happy New Year first."
Seeing that someone was making the decision, Song Dekui cracked his whip and changed direction, heading towards his own courtyard.
Back at his familiar home, Song Dekui jumped out of the car and banged on the door, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Dazhu, Ergou, Sanshunzi, open the door quickly, your little uncle is back!"
After calling out several times without response, Song Zhenping and Yang Hua had already gotten out of the car and were waiting obediently to the side.
Song Dekui called out a few more times but there was still no response. He wondered, "Where have those three kids gone to play again? I'll teach them a lesson when I get back. Daping, wait a moment, I'll climb over the wall and open the door."
As they were talking, the courtyard gate creaked open from the inside, and Song Lizheng's second daughter-in-law peeked out timidly.
Song Dekui asked curiously, "Second sister-in-law, what are you doing inside with the door closed during the New Year?"
When the second sister-in-law, Madam Xu, saw it was him, she patted her chest and said, "Oh! You scared me to death, Third Brother, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"
Song Dekui chuckled: "I'm not one to stay put. I can go wherever I want without having to tell you in advance."
Second sister-in-law, is Mother home? Daping and his wife have come to wish us a Happy New Year.
Xu was shy and, although she saw Song Zhenping and the other person by the car, there were four men standing behind them, so she was too embarrassed to greet them. It was only when she heard Song Dekui speak that she turned around.
Song Zhenping quickly pulled Yang Hua forward.
Yang Hua called out confidently, "Second Aunt!"
Upon seeing the stranger, Madam Xu blushed and led him inside, saying, "A rare guest indeed! Please come in and have a seat!"
Then he called into the house, "Mother, don't be afraid, it's Daping and his wife who have come to wish us a Happy New Year!"
Before she finished speaking, three boys with pigtails rushed out from behind the curtain, followed by Huang, the village head's wife with a rosy complexion.
When Huang saw the sturdy-looking Song Zhenping, her eyes immediately reddened. She clapped her hands and said, "Alright, alright, Daping is finally back. I didn't believe you when your village head said you were doing well."
Upon seeing his kind and amiable great-uncle and great-aunt, Song Zhenping choked up and knelt down with a thud: "Fifth Grandmother!"
Yang Hua knelt down and bowed in respect.
The village head's wife helped the two of them up, saying, "Good children, don't kneel, the ground is cold!"
She led the two into the house and repeatedly asked someone to bring hot water for them to wash their faces.
Second sister-in-law Xu brought water and steamed rice cakes to Song Zhenping and Yang Hua, keeping herself very busy.
The threshold was removed, and the carriage rushed into the courtyard, where four guards retrieved the gifts from the carriage.
Song Dekui led his three nephews around for a while, then returned to the house and asked the village head's wife, "Mother, where are Second Brother and Father? It's the New Year, and Eldest Brother hasn't come back either."
Huang waved her hand, her face looking somewhat unwell. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Let's not talk about them!"
Just then, the gifts that were to be delivered to the village head's family were taken down from the carriage.
"Ali! Bring in the gifts, and you all should have some hot water to relax!"
Song Zhenping invited everyone into the house.
Ali, holding the gift box, shook his head sheepishly: "Young Master, we're used to it, we're not tired!"
After another round of concessions, the gifts were finally moved into the village head's house.
Looking at the three wool blankets and a whole mutton, the village head's wife stared blankly.
Although she was the wife of the village head and had more experience than ordinary farmers, she had never used a wool blanket before. Just touching the thick blanket made her feel warm.
Not to mention there's also a sheep, which is worth quite a bit of money.
Taihei and his family are truly living a good life now!
Soon, Song Lizheng and Song Erlang were called back by their children.
As Song Lizheng entered the courtyard, he was still angrily cursing: "Who's afraid of your Gujia Village? Your family never cared about you, but now that someone's dead, they want to blame my Xiaoshi Village."
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