It snowed the day before, not heavily but it snowed heavily all night long and did not stop in the morning. A layer of snow accumulated on the road. Such a road was actually much easier to walk on than the muddy one after rain. They came out early and the snow had not yet become slippery. As long as they were careful, people could sit on it safely.
In addition to the prey, the cart also contained meat and vegetables that Yang Donghu brought for Cao'er, and he even brought an extra hand mask.
Yang Chunxiao is now working harder and harder in the restaurant. She is quick and efficient and never cheats. There is a room that belongs to her alone in the small courtyard behind the hall, and the owner lends it to her without charging any rent.
This was the first time Yang Donghu came to the town since she became pregnant. Yang Chunxiao was surprised to see him, and then gave him the things she had prepared for the baby.
Liujia Village is located northwest of the town, and the distance is about the same as that to Zhaojiazhuang. Yang Donghu did not stay in the town for long. After selling the prey, he drove away in the wind and snow.
Yang Donghu put on the fox collar and an extra piece of clothing. Although it looked a bit bulky, it was not drafty in the snow and was very warm.
Maybe because of the snow, there were not many people on the road. They walked all the way three miles away from the town and could not see a single person on the road. The sky and the earth were connected into one white piece, and it was impossible to tell them apart from a distance.
Zhao Luochuan knew where Liu Guiyuan's old house was. Before there was any news about Liu Guiyuan, he often came here to inquire about the news, so he knew it very well and didn't need to ask anyone.
Liu Guiyuan is an only child and has no brothers or sisters. Cao'er still kept the news about Liu Guiyuan a secret and did not let the Liu family elders know. She only said that he had found a job outside and was making money outside and would be back soon.
Cao'er himself was also very poor. He had suffered a lot in the town over the years, but he had not saved any money. Li Shangcai was perverted and bought Cao'er all kinds of strange things to please him, but in order to prevent Cao'er from running away, he never gave him any cash.
It was not easy for Cao'er to escape from slavery. Those things were dirty and he disdained them only after he escaped from slavery. However, when he was first sold to a brothel and before he met Li Shangcai to serve as a customer, the madam there bought him a few pieces of jewelry so that he could sell them for a higher price.
Although they were not clean things, Cao'er knew that she had no special skills and her life would be difficult in the future, so she secretly kept a few of them. Now she could use them to exchange for money to support the two elders of the Liu family.
The jewelry is limited, so before Cao'er is able to support the family, she has to spend it frugally. Otherwise, the old couple in the Liu family will be too old to even afford medical treatment if they have a headache or fever.
The gate of the Liu family's courtyard is a little more dilapidated than those of the neighbors. When Liu Guiyuan was alive, he was diligent and the gate looked much better. But now there is no man in the family. There is only Liu Laowen, an old man who is sick and has no time to clean up these things. It is good enough for him to just have enough to eat.
Cao'er had just collected firewood when Yang Donghu arrived. The wood was wet by the snow. Although only the surface was wet, the smoke from burning it hurt people's eyes. There were some hot mixed flour pancakes and a small bowl of eggs in the pot. He was thinking about whether to go out and buy some meat. After all, it was the winter solstice, and eating some dumplings would be a good omen.
The more people there are in the house, the more lively it becomes. Grandma Liu took out porridge from the pot and called Cao'er to come in and eat at the door of the main hall.
"Cao'er, come in quickly. It's snowing outside and it's very cold. Eat first. I'll help you after you finish eating."
Cao'er straightened up, still a little sweaty from a busy morning. He clapped his hands and replied, "Hey, I'll be right there."
The gate couldn't block anything; people could see in and out. Yang Donghu didn't knock. He got off the cart, waved his arms, and shouted, "Cao'er, I'm here to see you!"
Zhao Luochuan was standing behind him, holding his waist lightly with his hands to prevent him from falling accidentally.
Cao'er turned around when she heard the voices and was very happy to see them. She quickly opened the door and let them in: "Why are you two here? You are still running outside in this heavy snow. Come in quickly and talk inside."
"Hey, it's okay. The road is smooth and easy. Isn't today the winter solstice? I came to see you." Yang Donghu waved Zhao Luochuan to take the things off the cart: "Hey, I brought you some meat to make dumplings."
Some people are reluctant to buy such a large piece of meat even during the Chinese New Year. They also took a pheasant that they hunted from the mountains. Now that it is cold, it is the best way to warm the body by making soup with it.
“That’s too much.”
"Oh, it's not much, not much. Take it. I also sewed a handcuff for you. It's just that my embroidery is not good, and the stitches are not smooth. Please don't mind it."
Cao'er laughed: "How could that be? I can't thank you enough."
Grandma Liu's eyesight was not very good due to her age. She squinted her eyes to look outside, but she couldn't see clearly. She coughed and asked, "Cao'er, who's here?"
"Grandma, he's my friend," Cao'er helped Yang Donghu into the house, and Zhao Luochuan followed behind him, looking tall and big. As soon as he entered the house, he blocked a lot of light, which scared the two elders.
The room was quite spacious, and Zhao Luochuan felt that he was a bit of a hindrance, so he stood aside.
After Grandma Liu reacted, she hurriedly moved stools for the two of them. Cao'er was one step ahead of her and helped her sit down first before taking the stool and asking them to sit down.
Although the two elders didn't know them, they were very enthusiastic. Seeing that Yang Donghu brought so many things, Grandma Liu felt a little embarrassed to accept them.
"Cao'er's friends, just come to my house and sit down often. You don't need to bring anything."
"As I should." Yang Donghu smiled. "We are all familiar with Cao'er and Guiyuan. Guiyuan was tripped up by trivial matters and couldn't come back in time. I came to see you on his behalf. He asked me to bring these things."
"Oh, you're familiar with my son too. Great, that's great." Grandma Liu smiled even brighter when she heard the news about Liu Guiyuan: "Did he ask you to come? Did he say anything else? He can't make it home to eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice today. Is it hard for him to live out there? Cao'er told me that he's doing well and can make money, so he should come back to visit. Cao'er is such a good child. He's working so hard at home to take care of us two old people. Why doesn't he come back? People outside say things about Cao'er that are not good. Ask him to come back, ask him to come back and give Cao'er a proper status."
The Liu family elders haven't seen their son for almost a year. How could they not miss him? Cao'er told them all good news, but no matter how good it was, it would not be as reassuring as seeing him with their own eyes.
Grandma Liu felt a little sad as she spoke. She was already quite old when she gave birth to Liu Guiyuan. More than 20 years had passed, and now her hair was all gray. Apart from Cao'er, Yang Donghu was the second person who said she knew Liu Guiyuan. She missed him so much that she couldn't help but talk a lot more.
The more Cao'er listened, the more uncomfortable he felt, and his eyes were red. He was afraid that the old man would worry, so he turned his back and quietly wiped away his tears.
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