The village cadres stayed at Yan's house for half a day. Before leaving, Yan Rushan asked Wang Daya to pack some food for them; one bag for each person, wrapped in oil paper.
Village Chief Wang and the others held the cakes awkwardly, "How can this be so embarrassing? You're too polite to eat and take them at the same time."
"It's made by the chef we hired at home. It tastes pretty good. You can take some home and try it. It's not much, but I just want you to have a taste of it." Yan Rushan said politely, and sent them out of the house. He watched them walk away. Just as he was about to turn around and go back to the main room, he saw a middle-aged man with patches on his clothes walking towards him carrying a cart. He stopped and saw the middle-aged man talking to the village cadres. He stood at the door waiting.
The middle-aged man chatted with the village cadres for a few words. Several village cadres turned their heads to look at Yan Rushan standing at the gate of the yard, smiled, and turned away.
A middle-aged man came over carrying a cart, and when he reached the gate of the courtyard, he placed the cart in front of Yan Rushan.
"Comrade Yan, this is the cart that the old man asked me to make. I wonder if the old man is at home? Let me show it to him." The middle-aged uncle was honest and simple, with dull eyes. He looked like an honest man.
"Yes, please follow me in."
After helping the middle-aged uncle carry the cart into the main room, Mr. Yan saw the craftsman, stood up happily, handed his great-grandson to his eldest grandson's wife, and then walked towards the craftsman.
"Xiaoxi's Fifth Grandfather, you're finally here. Come sit down and rest for a while."
This man was Nie Xi's fifth grandfather, several generations removed from him. They were descended from the same ancestor; after the lineage split, they remained close, neither too distant nor too close. Over the course of several generations, the blood relationship had faded, but they were still part of the same clan.
"Mr. Yan, please come and take a look at the cart. Is there anything that needs to be modified?" The fifth grandfather of the Nie family had half white hair, dark skin, and a weathered face; but his bright eyes showed that he was not an ordinary old man.
"Let me take a look."
Yan Guofeng walked forward, circled the cart twice, and tested the wheels. Then he turned and called to his granddaughter-in-law, "Yuxiu, come over here and take a look."
Yuxiu stepped forward and quickly determined what was wrong and what wasn't. However, she had to admit that the two carts were well made, built from wood alone. If there was anything that needed improvement, it was the wheels.
Wooden wheels are not durable and are prone to jamming. If wheels are made of iron and wheel leather, they can not only absorb shock, but also be more stable and durable.
"Grandpa, I think it's fine."
"That's fine." Yan Guofeng finally returned his gaze to Nie's Fifth Grandfather. "Xiaoxi's Fifth Grandfather, the cart is doing great. We're very satisfied. Dashan, the remaining twenty yuan should be paid to Xiaoxi's Fifth Grandfather."
Nie's Fifth Grandfather waved his hands repeatedly, "You don't need that much. Eight pieces, including the wood, will be fine."
"It's not much. You've been working on this for over half a month." Yan Guofeng finished speaking as Yan Rushan took out the money and handed it to Fifth Grandfather Nie. He said, "Take it. Don't refuse. The children will need it."
Grandpa Nie accepted the money and said, "Well, if you have any carpentry work that needs to be done in the future, please let me do it. I'll charge you less."
"Okay, thank you for your help this time." Yan Guofeng nodded with a smile. He was very satisfied with the transaction and would naturally look for him if there was any work in the future.
After seeing off the fifth grandfather of the Nie family, Yan Guofeng put the children into the stroller. The three little ones cried out, pulled themselves up by the stroller railings, and clapped their hands at Yan Guofeng and the other two.
"Do you like it?" Yan Guofeng squatted down and looked his three grandchildren in the eye, asking kindly.
Liji, Liming, and Lizhen patted the guardrail with their little hands and reached out to grab his beard.
Yan Guofeng leaned back a little, avoiding their mischievous hands, and patted their little heads. "Little naughty boys, now that we have a stroller, I can take you out to play."
You don’t have to worry about it being too heavy and having to come back after walking a short distance; you don’t have to worry about it being too heavy and not being able to walk outside for longer.
"Ah, Zuzu..."
"Little clever ones." After stroking their chubby faces, Yan Guofeng slowly stood up and said to Yan Rushan and his wife, "When does Yuxiu plan to come back to Huada?"
"It's better to do it today than to wait for a day. Let's do it tomorrow. We haven't been back to the compound for a long time. It's time to go back and have a look." After the New Year, the compound returned to peace, and there was no need to worry about continuous visits after returning.
Yan Guofeng nodded and said, wherever his great-grandchildren are, that's where he will be.
"It's convenient for us to go back, but we have to clean up the house. If everyone leaves at once, it won't be habitable when we come back." Home hygiene is their primary concern, and they can't just leave at will.
"Let's go first. Let Comrade Feng Zheng, Comrade Wang, and Comrade Gong clean up the house. We'll send a car to pick us up in the evening. Then they can move all the vegetables and other things to the compound and prepare them again when we come back to live here." Yuxiu said.
Yan Guofeng thought about it and realized that this was the only option. "Then let's do it this way."
After everything was settled, Yan Guofeng took the children out to play, while Yan Rushan and Zhong Yuxiu stayed behind to sort out what to take back the next day. First, the children's clothes, bottles, and food; then the adults' clothes. It didn't matter if the adults took less. There were still clothes in the compound, so as long as they had two sets of clothes to change into temporarily, they could naturally change into them after the clothes in the compound were taken out and cleaned.
"Wife, why do you suddenly want to live back in the compound?" Yan Rushan asked her curiously while tidying up his clothes.
Zhong Yuxiu pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Grandpa has lived in Hongxing Village for such a long time. How long has it been since he and his comrades-in-arms got together? How could Grandpa not miss them?" It's just that in Grandpa's heart, his great-grandchildren are more important, but are the comrades-in-arms who are still alive in the world not important in the old man's heart?
"You did it for grandpa..."
"It's time for us to go back to the compound for a walk. If we don't go back for too long, you, the direct descendant of the Yan family, will gradually be forgotten." The Yan family still has to continue living in the compound, so it is necessary to go back for a walk. "Our child can walk now, so let grandpa take him out for a walk."
Yan Rushan nodded in understanding. "It's time to take them out for a walk. Grandpa has been eager to show them off for a long time. Before, they were small, so it was inconvenient to take them out, so we rarely took them out for a walk. Now that they can walk and have a stroller, Grandpa will take them out every day to show off to his old comrades."
When people get older and their lives become better, their temperament will become more like that of a child. The old man's situation is very common in the compound, and everyone can understand it.
"Let grandpa live his life however he wants." Zhong Yuxiu's words meant she let him go.
Yan Rushan put his arm around her shoulders, lowered his head and kissed her on the top of her head, "Thank you, my dear."
"Thank me for what?"
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