The courtyard: the atmosphere of human life

As the third brother walked past a half-cut corn field, he saw several people walking back and forth in the field with dogs. At first, because those people were holding dogs, the third brother did not pay much attention.

It was not until he saw clearly the person holding the dog that the third brother realized the danger. The person holding the dog was none other than Brother Xiu Li, who was in charge of beating the dog!

As innocent as dogs are, as vicious people are. The people in the dog-beating team raised a dog for the purpose of beating dogs. When people can't find the dog, they let the dog look for it.

"It's bad!" The third brother cried out and quickly went into the corn field, trying to bypass the group of people and find Xizi first.

Lao San hurried a few steps, but those people were too close to where Xizi was hiding, and Lao San was only half a step faster than those people. When he saw Xizi, the people from the dog-beating team also saw him.

"Run, little one!"

The third brother suddenly jumped out, scaring the people in the dog-beating team so much that they all paused for a moment. It was during this gap that the third brother quickly gave instructions to Xizi.

When Xizi, that bastard, heard Lao San's voice, he rushed out a long distance like an arrow.

The third brother also reacted quickly. He directly grabbed the leash of Brother Xiu Li's dog. As long as the dog was not let out to chase, these people would never be able to catch up with Xi Zi.

"Let go!" The eldest brother Xiuli had the dog leash snatched away and could not let the dog go to chase immediately, so he yelled at the third brother angrily.

"I won't let it go. I've caught a big dog. I have to hand it over to the dog-catching team in our neighborhood. Then they can write me a congratulatory letter and praise me. Maybe they can even send it to the school."

The third brother is not a fourth-generation brother. He is quick-witted and quick-spoken. With just one word, he choked elder brother Xiu Li so much that he was unable to speak.

Seeing that Xizi was no longer visible, eldest brother Xiuli felt annoyed. He frowned and tried to snatch the dog leash from the third brother.

"Captain, there's another one!"

The third brother was still confronting eldest brother Xiu Li, but another person's voice came from behind him.

Several members of the dog-beating team quickly changed direction and shifted their attention to the earthen nest behind them.

Lao San knew that the person in the earthen nest was Xizi's 'girlfriend', and he really wanted to save her, but the little bitch didn't know how to obey Lao San's instructions. No matter how Lao San shouted, she hid in the earthen nest and refused to come out.

In fact, the third brother didn't know that during the days when he was away, the bitch had already given birth to a litter of puppies. How could it be possible that it left the puppies in the litter and ran away alone?

When several people gathered near the earth cave, Xizi, who had disappeared without a trace, suddenly jumped to the entrance of the cave and made a posture ready to attack.

"Hey, don't even think about running away now!" Brother Xiuli looked at Xizi and smiled so hard that his flesh was shaking.

Lao San became really anxious when he saw this situation. He wanted to jump in front of Xizi, but two people from the dog-beating team locked his arms on each side. After all, he was only a teenager and could not resist the grip of two adult men.

"Xizi, run, Xizi, run..." After struggling to the end, only this weak roar remained from the third brother's mouth.

But Xizi, that dog spirit, has such sincere emotions and such persistent friendship, how could he possibly abandon his family and escape alone in such a critical moment?

The third brother watched with his own eyes as these people put a noose around Xizi's neck and hung him on a tree. After he drank a mouthful of water, Xizi's limbs quickly drooped down. The female dog and three puppies in the earthen cave were also blocked at the entrance of the cave and roasted to death inside...

After this incident, the third brother smashed everything he could in Xiu Li's house to pieces. The brutal killing of the three puppies also made the people in the dog-beating team become the rats crossing the street in the village.

The people who were originally angry but dared not speak out had their suppressed anger awakened by the third brother's smashing and looting.

"You can't blame the third brother. After all, he is only fifteen, and Xizi was raised by him since he was a child. Who can bear it when he sees it with his own eyes but is unable to help or save the child?" Darong's father blew a puff of smoke and comforted Darong's mother who was standing beside him.

"I'm not blaming the third brother. I just feel sorry for him. Look at the child. If he really is sick, I won't forgive the Zhou family."

Ever since Xizi's incident, Xiuli no longer dared to mention the issue of bride price to her third uncle. The people in Zhouzhuang also looked down on their family. Due to historical reasons, Xiuli's father had led a rebellion in the past and made many enemies in the village.

The third brother's disturbance this time aroused the long-suppressed dissatisfaction of the people in the village, and this family finally got their retribution.

"If his third uncle's marriage is successful, we won't miss meeting each other in the future. This third uncle has such a bad temper..."

"We don't care whether it succeeds or not. Anyway, if she dares to cause trouble with the third brother when we meet next time, I won't let her off. I will be in great pain even if my son is gone."

After saying this, Darong's mother also felt uncomfortable. After all, a kid like Xizi, who had such high IQ and EQ, had long been treated as a member of the family.

For many years after that, the spirit of Xizi was passed down orally in Darong's family. Even when Darong's grandson was born, people would still mention a dog spirit named Xizi.

The third brother never raised a dog since then. Although his life gradually returned to normal, Xizi's shadow never left his memory.

My third uncle eventually married Xiu Li, but grandma became a burden that the two sons disliked.

"She cries every time I go there, and she refuses to come even when I ask her to. These two have no conscience, and they really have forgotten their mother after marrying a wife."

Darong's mother had just returned from Zhouzhuang, and she complained to Darong angrily about her two uncles' unfilial behavior.

"My grandma is a person with old-fashioned ideas. She would definitely not allow a son to go to his daughter's house."

Darong has been working shifts with her colleagues these past two days, working day and night for several days in a row. She is so tired that she lies on the kang and doesn't want to get up.

"How many days can you take a break? You're so young, and you look so terrible after just a few days of work."

Darong's mother looked at Darong's tired appearance. Although she felt a little distressed, the words she said did not bring any warmth. She always suffered from not being able to express herself.

"Three days." Darong listened to her mother's words. She was unhappy but she didn't hide it. The coldness in her tone was clear to her ears.

After saying that, Darong climbed up from the kang, her stubbornness came back, and she went to the kitchen to busy herself.

Darong's mother was also angry when she saw this. This child would never give in or show weakness. Even though no one was ordering her to do something, she insisted on being stubborn.

"Third sister-in-law, Third Brother fell down from the construction site and was sent to the hospital. Go over and take a look."

Hearing Lao Liu's urgent message outside the yard, Darong's mother and Darong quickly dropped the work in their hands, pushed the cart and rushed out of the yard.