"Brother, look, they have built a new house!" When they arrived at a small village, Ling'er pointed to several newly built brick houses from a distance.
"Whose house is this?" Xiao Chen was surprised.
"Brother, you forgot that we went to their house that year. There was only an old couple at home, and they were reluctant to burn firewood in the cold weather..." Ling'er has a good memory.
"Oh oh oh, I remembered it." Xiao Chen patted his head, "It seems that this old man has made a fortune this year. These houses are really big and tall, so you can take a look when you walk in."
The person who opened the door was a burly man. He looked at the people with surprised expressions because they didn't know each other at all. Did he go to the wrong door?
"We are this and this, passing fur traders. It's freezing cold here. We want to ask for a bowl of water. Is it inconvenient?" Xiao Chen also suspected that he had gone to the wrong house, so he simply made the mistake.
"Our village is not next to a highway, why did you come here?" The man looked alert, "It's the New Year, why are you still rushing out?"
"Huh? This is what we are..." Xiao Chen didn't expect that the question was so detailed, and he didn't know how to answer it for a moment.
"Mancang, who's here? Let people come in quickly. There's no etiquette in talking at the door! It's finally a little warm in this room. As soon as the door is opened, people are let out. You're such an adult and you don't understand... Yeah. ?Isn't this Master?" An old man inside heard the sound and came out. He was slightly startled when he saw Xiao Chen, and then he recognized him.
"Why do you recognize them, daddy?" the man asked hurriedly.
"This is the kind man I often told you! He came to our house to rest that year, only drank a sip of water, and left twenty taels of silver..." The old man pushed him away, and smiled at Xiao Chen. Ling'er, Xiao Ye, and Yan Luo pulled them into the house.
Without any explanation, he directly invited four people to sit down and raise the Kang. This is already the highest etiquette for a farmer to entertain guests!
The room was quite lively. In addition to the old couple and the man named Mancang, there were also two young people, a young woman and a fat, white baby who was still in his infancy.
Today happens to be the winter solstice, and the family is happily making dumplings around the stove.
"Oh, old man, are you about to eat?" Xiao Chen was a little embarrassed, "Then we won't disturb you, right?"
"What are you talking about! I can't find the distinguished guests who can't even be invited. I just leave as soon as I come in. Isn't this a slap in my old man's face? The warehouse is full, the house is full, the hall is full, what are you three boys doing standing still? Come on! Kowtow to me, and my wife should also come to see me as a gift. The pomp and splendor of your wedding is still short of the twenty taels of silver that I gave you!"
That year Xiao Chen left the money and left. The old man didn't catch up when he came out. He was always thinking about it and asked his sons to inquire in the city. But Changshan City is so big and there are so many merchants. Where did the nameless people come from? Looking for it?
I didn't expect Xiao Chen to come uninvited, and I was so happy that I couldn't let him go? He also repeatedly urged his sons to thank him quickly!
Seeing that the three of them were really about to kneel down, Xiao Chen quickly stopped them and even said that it didn't have to be like this. If we want to thank you, we have to thank the old man. It was so cold that winter. We were thirsty, cold and tired. If we hadn’t rested here for a long time and drank hot water to warm our bodies, we might not have been able to walk as often as we wanted. The mountain city might freeze to death.
"Speaking of it, wasn't it a cold winter that year? The snow was heavy and the road was difficult to walk. It's not easy for you to be a businessman. You had to go out to earn a living in the freezing weather... Have you made a fortune in the past two years? "The old man started chatting mode.
"I can't even talk about getting rich, I can barely make ends meet." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"Yes, it's not easy to have enough food and clothing!" The old man nodded and suddenly said, "I see, this cotton robe on your body is torn? Take it off quickly and let the old lady patch it up for you. The strong winter wind is blowing through The cold is not stubborn!" As he said this, he couldn't help but force Xiao Chen to take off the cotton robe on his body and hand it to his wife who was sitting cross-legged at the head of the kang.
When she turned her back, she winked at her wife. The old lady understood it. While looking through Xiao Chen's cotton robe, she quietly took out a few banknotes from under the kang and stuffed them into her sleeves...
The old lady felt that she was doing it secretly, but how could she hide it from Xiao Chen's eyes? She was secretly amused in her heart, but also felt warm at the same time.
Xin said that the old man saw that he was still wearing the same cotton robe that he had worn back then, and it was still very old. He probably thought that he had not made any money in the past two years, so he was in such a miserable state.
The old man not only knew how to repay his kindness, but also knew how to deal with the world. He knew that if he paid him back the money in person, he would not be able to show off his face, so he used some small tricks.
"Mancang, go and bring you all the New Year's goodies to cook, and also heat up two jars of the good wine. No matter what, I have to have a good drink with you today!" The old man loudly ordered his son and his wife to prepare the house. Bring out all the goodies to entertain the guests!
"Old man, you took it out for us to eat, what should we do during the New Year?" Ling'er said with a smile.
"What day is not the Chinese New Year!" the old man said with a smile, "Everyone's life has been better in the past two years, who cares about food?
The main reason is that the sons are promising. The eldest son Li Mancang is serving as a soldier in the Yanyun Navy. I heard that he has become a little boss recently?
The second son works as a worker in a shipyard and is now a small foreman. The younger son is studying in a university. Although he does not have a job yet, I heard that any student who graduates from a university will not worry about finding a job. There are jobs available everywhere. What you want.
My daughter-in-law is a virtuous woman who gave birth to a fat grandson less than a year after she entered the house... This life is really like a dream! Compared with more than three years ago, one is underground and the other is in the sky!
"Oh? Brother Mancang is from the Navy. Which battleship do you work on and what do you do?" Xiao Chen asked casually.
"The leader of the Fuyun ship's musketry battalion is still a big boss." Before Li Mancang could speak, Mr. Li took the initiative to answer.
"Daddy!" Li Mancang grinned, thinking, "Hurry, slow, stop, but he didn't stop!"
As long as you, the old man, know this, how can you say it to everyone? Although it is not a military secret, it is still a military matter. How can it be disclosed to a few strangers casually?
"Look at my mouth!" Old Man Li also felt a little regretful and chuckled.
"Oh, joint leader?" Ling'er said with a smile, "Brother Mancang, you are quite capable. You have been promoted to such a high official in less than three years."
Yanyun Company Commander is equivalent to one hundred households in the Great Zhou Dynasty. He is in charge of more than one hundred people. In the army, he is a proper seventh-grade military attache. Although the official system in the army is different from that in local places, this level is already comparable to that of a county. The officials are on an equal footing...
"What kind of official?" Old Man Li laughed, "Sesame and mung beans are nothing to make others laugh at."
Old Man Li didn't know the rank of company leader at all, and Li Mancang rarely talked about military affairs when he returned home, so he thought his son was just a small leader, but he didn't know that he was already a seventh-grade cadre.
"How come this little sister, you still know about the positions in the military?" As the eldest son of the family, Li Mancang didn't have to be busy in the kitchen. Instead, he sat on the kang to accompany the guests. At the same time, he also became suspicious of the identities of Xiao Chen and the others. The tests started inside and outside.
