Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 2585: The Scholar is Useless
Caojiagou Village!

This is a village where all residents live on a hillside. It doesn’t look big, but there are many people.

The houses are scattered due to the terrain, with three or two families in one place and four or five families in another, and the alleys connected together also become crooked.

On the yellowed earth wall, the slogan "Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture" was still soaked with last night's moisture. Farther away, the morning mist was like cotton wool soaked in water, blowing towards the wheat fields outside the village in the breeze, and then weighing heavily on the green wheat seedlings.

The stone mill under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village was still covered with night dew. The mill trough had been swept clean, and occasionally dew condensed into water droplets, falling to the ground along the smooth grooves.

There was a coughing sound of vomiting in front of the house, and then an old man wearing an old felt hat spat the thick phlegm outside the door. Then he reached out to touch his patched trousers and looked at the hazy sky. The wrinkles on his face twisted together and gradually became unusually deep.

Time passes little by little.

The vitality in his body was also slipping away bit by bit.

Aging is inevitable.

But there is still no plan for what to do after death.

Bitter!

"Old Yi, get ready to eat."

There were calls for dinner in the room. Yi Zhonghai rubbed his knees and slowly got up, hiding his daily feelings in his heart.

"coming!"

After saying that, he turned and walked into the house.

The room was very simple, having just survived a cold winter, and the kang was still covered with thick straw.

He moved the table on the wall onto the kang, took off his shoes and sat on it cross-legged.

The aunt clapped her hands and put a plate of hot steamed buns on the table. Each person scooped a bowl of porridge. Finally, she took out a small bottle from the kitchen without a door and poured out a few pickles.

"This was sent by Huairu."

Yi Zhonghai looked at the pickled cabbage and asked lightly.

The lady nodded and said, "Yes, Huairu left it here last time."

"It's not easy for her now. Not only is she raising two children by herself, but she also has no income. She has to make a little money by sewing and mending. Alas~"

Thinking of Qin Huairu, Yi Zhonghai no longer had the same desire as before.

After all, I tried it and it didn’t work!
Without children, there is no need to continue to develop.

However, Qin Huairu was quite nice to them. She would come to visit them every now and then and bring them some gifts.

The only thing that was lacking was that this woman had too many thoughts.

Yi Zhonghai picked up a steamed bun, broke off a piece and put it in his mouth.

When I was in the old city of Beijing and was an eighth-level master chef, I ate steamed buns made of two-layer flour, and the worst was cornmeal steamed buns.

He had never seen a steamed bun like this made of sweet potato flour and leaves.

But when I came here, I couldn’t even eat Erhe noodles during the Chinese New Year.

If it weren’t for the high-yield corn grown in the village, it would be hard to say whether we could have food to eat.

In this regard, they have to thank Yangcun No. 1 and the high-yield corn.

Of course, he would not thank Yang Xiaotao.

Because without Yang Xiaotao, he would still be the respected old man, and his courtyard would still be the familiar courtyard.

In his dream, he saw that the entire courtyard was harmonious and peaceful under his leadership, and the elderly were well taken care of.

He saw Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu together and was very respectful to him.

He also saw Qin Huairu's child.
Only when he woke up did he realize that it was all a dream.

An impossible dream.

When it was late at night and he couldn't sleep, he often wondered why he chose Jia Dongxu in the first place.
If Yang Xiaotao had been chosen, what would the situation be like now?
I'm afraid I won't have to worry about retirement anymore.

"Old Yi, did you listen to me?"

Hearing the voice of an old lady, Yi Zhonghai raised his head and took a bite of the steamed bread. The rough grains made his throat hurt. He picked up the bowl and drank a sip, which made it go down his stomach. Then he said, "Hmm? What did you say?"

The aunt didn't care after hearing this. She often did this after coming to Caojiagou.

Maybe, I'm old.

"I said, didn't you ask me to keep an eye on the people next door?"

After the lady finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai quickly perked up and asked, "Well, how is his family?"

Seeing Yi Zhonghai so affectionate, the aunt immediately guessed his thoughts and spoke in a low voice.

"I heard that his eldest daughter is going to be with the son of the brigade accountant."

After the aunt finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai immediately thought of Accountant Wang’s son.

He is thin, with yellow hair, and is not only malnourished, but also has a lopsided leg. The most important thing is that he has a bad temper and often throws things.

Because of this, no one in the surrounding area was willing to marry their daughter to him.

And now that the daughter next door has agreed, it seems like I can’t hold on any longer.

Yes, it’s time to face reality.

"Pity."

An old lady sighed and said.

As a neighbor, I naturally know what the eldest daughter next door looks like.

You can tell at first glance that she is a city girl, with a fresh complexion, well-dressed, and skin so fine that you can pinch water out of it.

Once she arrived in the village, she became the object of pursuit by the young men in the village.

Unfortunately, the other party's quality is too bad, which makes many young men dare not take this step.

Otherwise, many people would have come to propose marriage to you long ago.

What a pity, this time I ended up marrying a guy with a limp.

But considering the status of Accountant Wang in this village, he is in charge of the work points of the entire brigade.

If he thinks you've done a good job, he'll naturally give you more work points.

But if they don't get along with you, then naturally you will be recorded according to the lowest work points.

Therefore, even if some people make great efforts, they may still not be able to compete with those who are looking after cattle and sheep.

Thinking of this, the old lady couldn't help but shiver.

I didn't think too much about this before coming to the village.

It seems that after arriving in this village, I discovered that some people have to humble themselves and serve others just for a meal.

Some people have to marry a stranger in order to protect their family from being bullied.

Everything is different from what I imagined.

Hearing the old lady's sigh, Yi Zhonghai did not show any expression, but just started to think in his mind.

The person next door also came from the city. He probably came here because he had committed some crime.

Or the ingredients are not good. In short, once you come here, don't even think about going back.

"We are all neighbors. If there is anything we can do, please help each other."

Yi Zhonghai said this calmly, but Auntie looked suspicious, "Old man, didn't you tell me not to get too close?"

Yi Zhonghai put down the bowl and said, "It was Wang who gave the order earlier. No one is allowed to get close."

"Now that the Wang family has achieved their goal, they will be villagers in the future. With the care of the Wang family, things will not be bad in the future. Naturally, we have to get closer."

The lady suddenly realized and immediately said, "Okay, when I come back at noon, I'll give them some cooking oil."

"Well, don't you have a piece of rabbit meat at home? Send it to them."

"Good! I just heard that his wife is sick, and eating a piece of meat can help to replenish her health."

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai nodded. In this village, you can’t buy meat even if you have money.

He quickly finished his steamed corn bread and prepared to go out to work in the production team.

Because he had some skills, he was responsible for repairing machines in the village, which was an easy and decent job.

Auntie also hurried to eat. She also had to go to the team to help with cooking. This was her job.

The two of them packed up and went out.

Just as I walked out, I saw the village party secretary coming from outside the alley wearing a coat, followed by a young man who walked with a limp.

"Good morning, Accountant Wang."

Yi Zhonghai greeted him from a distance and lowered his body at the same time.

An old lady standing by also smiled.

"Hey, Master Yi, have you eaten yet?"

Accountant Wang came up to him with a smile and spoke enthusiastically.

The young man with a sloping back also came up to him, "Master Yi."

Yi Zhonghai responded hurriedly, then looked him over and said, "Xiaopeng looks very energetic."

Accountant Wang looked back at his son and said with a hint of blame, "He's far from it."

"Hey, that's not bad. I think it's the young people in the city who don't have the spirit of Xiaopeng."

Yi Zhonghai looked as if he was telling the truth, then he looked me up and down and said with more certainty, "At least the young people in the city don't have Xiaopeng's revolutionary spirit of hard work and perseverance."

"There is no such spirit of perseverance in serving the people."

These two sentences from Yi Zhonghai were like scratching the itch of Accountant Wang and his son, making both of them clear-headed both physically and mentally.

If someone else said this, they would just listen.

But since this is what the city people said, it must be correct.

As members of the people's commune and leaders of the production brigade, they naturally deserve this praise.

"Master Yi, my son Peng'er is going to have a banquet in a couple of days, and you, the master chef from the city, have to say a few words."

Accountant Wang made an invitation, and Yi Zhonghai quickly accepted it, "Of course, of course."

"Don't worry, I'll ask my relatives in the city to bring two bottles of good wine." Accountant Wang's eyes lit up when he heard this.

They had long known that Yi Zhonghai had contacts with people in the city, and the woman who came every time looked like a city person.

Her appearance is very much in line with the aesthetic taste of farmers.

It's a pity that she is a widow, otherwise he would have to take care of his son.

But the other person is in the city, so he is just thinking about it.

And now, there is a family coming to the city.

Although the ingredients are not good, what is theirs?
Three generations of poor peasants, definitely of good origin.

If a girl marries him, wouldn't the child she gives birth to still be the child of a poor peasant?

Speaking of which, this woman is really marrying above her station.

"By the way, Lao Yi, can your relative still get some medicinal wine?"

Accountant Wang suddenly came up to him and spoke in a low voice.

Yi Zhonghai immediately looked at the young man behind the other party, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

This guy can't be that bad.

Is he the same as Xu Damao?

If the girl from this family marries him, she will be in trouble.

But on second thought, Secretary Wang seems to have only one child in his family, could it be...
"Yes, don't worry, I'll tell my relative next time she comes."

Yi Zhonghai just thought about it and gave the answer immediately.

Accountant Wang smiled and nodded, "The child is young, and I just want to have a grandchild sooner."

"I know, I know. We are all contributing to the revolution."

"Yes, that's what I mean. Have more children and make contributions to the revolution."

The two chatted for a while before Accountant Wang led his son to knock on the door of the next room.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at the old lady and then quietly walked away.

crunch
The door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses saw the father and son at the door with a melancholy look on his face.

"Morning, Mr. Lu."

Accountant Wang greeted him with a smile, then patted his son behind him and said, "Why are you standing there? Call me uncle."

"Uncle, uncle."

The young man shouted, but his pair of triangular eyes just looked into the house.

When Lu Tao saw the young man like this, he felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"Accountant Wang, what can I do for you?"

Lu Tao stood at the door and had no intention of letting the father and son in.

Seeing this, Accountant Wang's face turned cold, and he was obviously very dissatisfied with this attitude.

"Lu Tao, let me tell you, your whole family is in the brigade, and you all have to work to earn work points. You can't hold the whole team back."

After hearing this, Lu Tao's expression tightened again.

"Secretary Wang, my wife is sick now."

"Then I don't care. This is the mission of the entire brigade. You don't want to harm the collective interests."

At this point, a cold light flashed in Accountant Wang's eyes.

This family really thinks they are city people.

Now that you have come to the village, you have to change your city habits.

"But my wife is ill, and working will make it worse."

Lu Tao said with resentment, "I can just do it for her."

"No!"

Accountant Wang snorted coldly, "Everyone has his or her own job, and must accept the guidance and education of the people."

"Are you going to defy policy?"

At this point, Accountant Wang clasped his hands together and said, "Lu Tao, I advise you not to have such negative thoughts. This is very bad for you and your family."

Lu Tao's face turned pale, but then he thought of something and became determined again.

Even if I die, I cannot let my family get hurt.

"I"

"dad!"

At this time, a voice came from behind him. Lu Tao turned around and saw his eldest daughter standing behind him.

He was wearing plain clothes, but his eyes were a little red.

"Xiaojuan, why are you out here? Go back to the house."

With sadness in his eyes, Lu Tao scolded his daughter.

Every daughter is the softest place in her father’s heart.

A father can give everything for his daughter.

"Dad, let Uncle Wang come in."

The eldest daughter bit her lip and spoke seriously.

"You~~"

Lu Tao was a little angry, but Accountant Wang at the door was smiling particularly brightly. As for his son behind him, he drooled when he saw Lu Juan.

The girls in this city have a different temperament.

"No, no, no, work is about to start, I won't go in now."

Accountant Wang waved his hand at the door and said, then looked at Lu Tao, "Old Lu, we are relatives from now on. Don't worry, no one dares to bully us in Caojiagou."

After hearing this, Lu Tao was filled with anger, but had no place to vent.

"Well, Xiaojuan, since your mother is sick, just stay at home and take care of her."

"I'll ask Xiaopeng to send some Xiaomi over later. You young people should communicate more."

As he said this, he glanced at his son who looked like a pig and patted his chest in annoyance.

The young man quickly came back to his senses, subconsciously wiped his mouth, and then nodded with a smile, "Yes, yes, I, I have millet porridge at home, I will go home and get it for my mother-in-law, I will go back right away."

"You kid."

Accountant Wang doesn't mind his son calling her mother-in-law.

At the same time, I feel a little jealous.

The daughter looks like this, so naturally the mother is not bad either.

At first glance, the mother-in-law was a good-looking woman, and she could not compare to those yellow-faced women in the village.

From now on, she will be my mother-in-law.

"Okay, Lao Lu, remember to bring your hoe with you, don't make a mistake and make a fool of yourself."

As he said this, he turned around and patted his son on the head, scolding him for being useless, but with a smile on his face.

Lu Tao closed the door weakly and looked at his crying daughter.

"My daughter, Dad is useless."

"Dad is useless."

After saying that, she squatted at the door, tears streaming through her fingers.

The daughter stood aside and let her tears flow down and fall into her mouth, which tasted bitter and salty.

Cough
There was a coughing sound in the room, and then the door of the main room was pushed open. A little boy about ten years old walked out with a middle-aged woman, and both of them had tear marks on their faces.

"mom!"

The daughter turned and ran to her mother.

"Juan'er, my Juan'er~"

The woman coughed, but she touched her daughter's long braids lovingly, with love in her eyes.

"Sister, I won't let you marry that guy!"

My younger brother stood aside and spoke stubbornly.

"Xiao Ning, don't talk nonsense."

The daughter reached out and touched her brother's head. Over the past six months, her brother's complexion had become worse and worse, and his hair had even turned a little yellow.

She knew it was all caused by malnutrition.

But other children in the village did not have it.

Because they are all from the village, they can all have some contact with meat.

Only they, up to now, have only steamed buns and wild vegetables, not to mention meat, there is not even a drop of oil.

Everything is for this family.

"Oh my God."

Cough
The woman covered her chest and hugged her two children in her arms, "Why, why do you do this to us?"

"Mom~"

"Miss!"

At the door, Lu Tao heard the crying of his wife and children, and sat on the ground, looking at the farm tools placed beside him. With tears in his eyes, he smiled brightly.

"A scholar is useless."

"Ah~~~"