"Old monitor!"
Xu Da, who was bending down to work, was stunned for a moment and immediately turned his head to look over.
Under the setting sun, the faces of Lin Hui and the others were dyed red.
He was standing by the field bank, looking at him with a smile.
"Why are you here?" Xu Da looked shocked.
"Come to see you." Lin Hui said with a smile: "As your regiment leader and as your old comrade, isn't it normal to come to see you?"
The three of them laughed together: "What, you still don't welcome us?"
Xu Da had an inexplicable look on his face, he was both excited and a little panicked.
It was as if Lin Hui and the others had seen something they shouldn't have seen.
"What are you still doing? Help!"
"okay!"
Lin Hui shouted, and the three of them put their things aside, took off their coats and jumped down towards the field.
Xu Da said hurriedly: "No, no, no, it's too dirty here. Just wait outside. I'll be fine soon."
"Old monitor." Lin Hui walked up to him and said with a smile, "What do we do, are we afraid of getting dirty?"
"No matter where we go, we share blessings, share hardships, and work together!"
"That's right, old squad leader, don't be polite and let's do it together."
The three of them laughed and helped with the work.
Xu Da's face was full of emotion: "Alas!"
He smiled and nodded, lowering his head to work together.
As the sun sets, darkness begins to engulf the earth bit by bit.
After a busy day, the villagers carried their tools and walked toward the village talking and laughing.
"Come on, come on, come and wash yourself."
Xu Da opened the door of his house and hurriedly went to get a bucket of well water: "The conditions at home are really not very good, I make you laugh, sit around."
While taking the small stool, he fetched water for the three of them to wash their faces and feet.
Lin Hui looked around. This was a simple little courtyard.
Mud land, small bungalow.
Except the walls are made of red bricks and plastered with mud mixed with straw.
The window roof is almost entirely made of wood.
The roof is also covered with a layer of grass to prevent the wood from being corroded by rainwater.
"Are there guests?" The door to the back room opened with a creak, and an old lady on crutches came out.
Xu Da quickly went over to help: "Mom, these two are my comrades, and this is my leader."
The aunt said in less than standard Mandarin mixed with local colloquialisms: "So you are Dazi's comrade and leader, welcome."
"Our family is poor and we don't provide good hospitality. I'm really sorry."
Lin Hui laughed quickly and said: "Auntie, don't be polite. The three of us are actually soldiers brought by Xu Da. He is our old squad leader, so don't be polite to us."
"Yes." Wang Yong nodded: "We are all soldiers in the army, we don't care about anything."
The aunt nodded with a smile and hurriedly whispered: "Dazi, hurry up and borrow some meat from each house so that you can cook later."
"okay."
Xu Da smiled and said to Lin Hui and the others: "You guys wait here for a while, I'll go out and borrow some food."
Lin Hui grabbed him and asked in surprise: "Why do you still need to borrow food?"
Xu Da was stunned for a moment, then smiled awkwardly: "Don't get me wrong, our family is not so poor that we can't even afford food."
"We are too far away from the county seat. If we want to buy vegetables, we have to go to the market in the morning to buy them. It is late now and there is no place to buy vegetables in the village, so we can only borrow some and return them to others tomorrow."
Lin Hui shook his head: "No need to bother, let's just eat whatever we want."
The aunt waved her hands quickly: "How can that be okay? You have come from afar and are distinguished guests. We feel bad if we don't treat you well."
Xu Da patted Lin Hui's hand: "Captain, don't say anything. Who are we? There are mountain people's rules in the mountains. Since you are here, just do as you please."
Lin Hui looked at Xu Da and his mother's warm appearance and could only nod.
Xu Da greeted them and then turned around and went out.
But when I opened the door, I happened to bump into a dozen women.
"Dazi, are you going out to borrow food?"
"I just know whether you went to the market today or not. Everyone came here on their own."
Before Xu Da could speak, more than a dozen people came over together.
An older sister said enthusiastically: "Stop saying anything and greet your comrades. It's not easy for them to come to the mountains. Go and do your work. We'll do the cooking!"
Xu Da was forced in.
A dozen women seemed to have returned to their own homes.
He smiled at Lin Hui and said hello, said some kind words, and then rushed into the kitchen together.
Xu Da's mother smiled and was not polite, and followed them to the small bungalow as if she was not surprised.
After a while, more than a dozen people were all busy.
Xu Da walked up to them awkwardly and said with a smile: "I'll make you laugh. People in the mountains are like this. They are like family and warm."
Chen Erhu chuckled and said: "Your village is just like our village, everyone is one family."
Xu Da touched his head and smiled and said: "Maybe it's still different. Although our village is not big, we have dozens of surnames."
"So many surnames?"
"Yes, our village is actually only more than a hundred years old. We all fled from wars in the past. After settling here, we gradually formed a village."
"But the people in the village have very good relations, and we are all like one family, so..." Xu Da chuckled: "Don't sit outside, go inside quickly."
Lin Hui and the other three were pushed into the room by Xu Da.
The room was very dark, and I had to turn on the lights to get any light.
Lin Hui and the others glanced at it. The furnishings in the room were very simple. Apart from tables and chairs, there was an old-fashioned hall painting hanging in the main room.
Then there is nothing anymore.
Xu Da was very embarrassed: "Before you come, you really should say hello, so that I can be prepared."
Lin Hui looked at his embarrassed look and patted him: "Old monitor, don't say anything else. We all know what's going on in your family."
The other two people nodded, and Lin Hui continued: "By the way, we have brought a lot of things with us this time, so everyone should take them out."
The two of them quickly opened the bag: "We bought a lot of good things for you this time."
With that said, they opened their backpacks and took out bags of food.
Xu Da smiled from ear to ear: "Come just come, you're too polite, we are all comrades and brothers, so they are so ignorant."
Chen Erhu looked at him: "Old squad leader, these things are not for you to eat, they are brought here for your mother. From now on, she will be alone at home and eat some when she has nothing to do."
Xu Da smiled awkwardly and pointed at the table: "She is so old, you should bring some normal things. Are you going to give her diabetes by bringing so many candies and chocolates?"
The three of them were stunned for a moment, and then laughed loudly: "It's indeed a bit careless."
The four of them were just sitting here talking.
The kitchen was bustling with activity.
After a while, steaming local dishes were served.
The women rubbed their hands and said, "Dazi, take good care of your comrades, and we will leave first."
Lin Hui said politely: "Sister, you have worked hard too, why don't you stay and eat together?"
"No need." The eldest sister smiled and waved her hand: "The food at home is ready. You comrades have a good chat with each other. I won't disturb you."
With that said, the group of people all left, and Xu Da hurried over to see them off.
Lin Hui looked at the group of women leaving chatting and laughing, and sighed in his heart: "The people in the mountains are still simple. Compared with the intrigues in the city, the mountains are better."
After a while, Xu Da came back.
Lin Hui asked curiously: "Where is your mother?"
Xu Da smiled and said: "They took me away together."
Lin Hui was surprised: "Why don't we have dinner together?"
Xu Da said awkwardly: "People in the mountains are not very good at talking. She was afraid of disturbing us, so she went to a neighbor's house."
The three of them looked at each other, feeling a little sorry.
People in the mountains may have less cultural knowledge, but their understanding of the principles of life and doing things is much higher than that of people in the city.
"Sit down, don't be stunned. The food in our mountains is simple, not as good as outside."
"If you had informed me earlier and invited you to eat in the county, it would definitely be better than this."
Lin Hui waved his hand: "In other words, the original flavor is the best. Hmm~ It tastes so good!"
Xu Da laughed, and the four people started to move immediately.
He took out the rice wine brewed at home.
There was a whole jar, and four people shared it and ate it happily.
After having enough wine and food, Wang Yong wiped his mouth with satisfaction on his face: "This is the most delicious meal I have ever eaten."
Chen Erhu burped: "Although my family has everything, compared with yours, it's still not interesting."
Xu Da laughed: "You guys went on a pilgrimage today and helped me work when you came here. Your chest has been pressed against your back for a long time. The food must taste delicious. Isn't it the same as eating from a big pot in the army?"
Lin Hui laughed: "You can't eat such good food in the army. This meal is for you to renew your life. We were almost dead just now, but now we are alive again!"
Everyone laughed.
Lin Hui looked at Xu Da and found that there was something meaningful hidden in his smile.
He asked softly: "Old monitor, are you in any trouble?"
The two idiots were also stunned and looked at Xu Da together.
Xu Da shook his head: "There is no difficulty. Although the conditions in the mountains are poor, you have also seen that the times are getting better now and everyone is self-sufficient."
"Although I can't eat meat every day, I can still eat meat every now and then. There's nothing wrong with that, hahaha."
Lin Hui and the other three looked at each other, and they all saw that Xu Da seemed to have something in his words.
The three of them looked at Xu Da silently.
Xu Da laughed for a while, looking at the three people staring at him, and suddenly felt embarrassed: "What's wrong with you, why are you all looking at me like this?"
Lin Hui looked at him seriously: "Old squad leader, if you have anything to say, just say it. We are all comrades-in-arms. How can we not see that you have intentions?"
Wang Yong nodded: "Yes, if you have anything to say, just say it. We are not outsiders."
Chen Erhu echoed: "If you have any difficulties, we can help."
The smile on Xu Da's face slowly faded, he picked up the remaining rice wine from the bowls of the people next to him, poured it all into one bowl, and drank it all.
Then he put down the bowl, took a deep breath and looked at the three of them. Finally his eyes fell on Lin Hui's face: "Captain, I'm sorry."
Lin Hui was stunned: "What can you say to me that you're sorry for?"
Xu Da said bitterly: "I...may not be able to go back with you."
"What?" The three of them looked at him in astonishment.
Xu Da looked at Lin Hui with a wry smile: "Captain, I want to change my job and come back."
