Siheyuan: Breaking up with Shazhu at the beginning

55

Yang Jun then discussed with his second uncle Liu Haizhong and asked them to prepare the banquet for the guests first, while the people in the yard would be arranged later.

When Liu Haizhong heard that Yang Jun was going to receive the girl's family, he immediately became excited.

He knew that his wife came from a noble family, had a strong background, and was a person of great ancestry.

His highest position was only the director of a steel mill. He had never met a big shot like that before. How could he not be excited to see him in person?

Liu Haizhong generously said that there was no problem and was even willing to let everyone stand outside the courtyard.

After taking care of the banquet, Yang Jun came to the gate again to welcome the guests.

At this time, two men in tattered clothes appeared at the door. They looked like father and son.

The older man seemed to be in his forties or fifties. He had a woolen scarf on his head and a bulging sack on his shoulders. It was unclear what was in the sack.

The other was a young man whose skin looked dark due to frequent exposure to the plateau sun.

Whenever his honest face smiles, his white teeth look particularly dazzling.

The two men stood at the gate, looking anxiously into the courtyard, looking at each other, as if they were looking for someone to ask.

"Are you two coming to attend the wedding?" Yang Jun asked.

When treating any visitor, you should not look at them differently just because they are dressed in tatters, because every family has some relatives who are in financial difficulty.

The older man looked at Yang Jun carefully and noticed that he was wearing a clean Zhongshan suit with a red flower on his chest, so he mustered up the courage to ask:

"You are... Jun'er?"

Hearing this question, Yang Jun was stunned for a moment. The name sounded a little strange, but he felt a sense of closeness.

No one present called him that, even his mother Wang Yuying called him "Junzi".

The other person who could call him by his name like this must be someone of higher seniority in the family. Yang Jun thought about it and couldn't remember that he had any other relatives.

So he answered:

"I am Yang Jun, you are..."

Upon hearing this, the man immediately grinned with his yellow teeth and said, "I'm your second uncle, how could you not remember me?"

Yang Jun was puzzled: "Second uncle?"

"Of course, you still remember when you were a child, I held you in my arms, and you looked like this then." The man who claimed to be Yang Jun's second uncle explained while gesturing at height.

Yang Jun racked his brains but couldn't remember having such an uncle.

His father once mentioned that he was the eldest son in the family and his hometown was Shanxi, but Yang Jun didn't know much about other family members because Yang Gui rarely mentioned them.

As he grew up, went to school and joined the army, his knowledge of the family situation became even more limited.

Just as he was confused, this "Second Uncle" suddenly had a bright look in his eyes, and waved his arms happily behind Yang Jun and shouted:

"Sister-in-law! I'm here, Yang Dong is me!"

At this time, Wang Yuying, who was happily entertaining the female guests, was startled when she saw someone waving at her and calling her "sister-in-law".

After taking a closer look, she said excitedly:

"Xiaodong, you guys are here?"

As soon as Wang Yuying called out "Xiaodong", she immediately realized that it was inappropriate.

The man in front of me was once a young man full of vigor and vitality, but now his temples are covered with silver hair and his upright figure appears a little hunched.

The once green bachelor is now an old man with many children and grandchildren.

Wang Yuying sighed, "You are old too, Second Uncle."

Liu Haizhong, who had a simple and honest face from the countryside, chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? After twenty years, people always get older."

"Junzi, come quickly, this is your second uncle.

"

Wang Yuying quickly introduced Yang Jun.

“Second uncle.

"

Yang Jun called out politely.

Yang Dong agreed with a smile on his face and quickly introduced the young man next to him: "This is our family's second son Yang Anguo. He's a little silly, so you guys should treat him well."

Yang Anguo called out a little shyly.

The "Auntie" here is a specific name in Shanxi Province, which is very different from the aunt or aunt we call in our daily life.

In the slang of my hometown, only family members can call each other "Mom" directly, while others are called aunt.

One could tell at a glance that Yang Anguo was a typical rural boy. He shyly hid behind Yang Dong. If Yang Dong hadn't asked him to speak, he would almost have been mistaken for a girl.

Wang Yuying led them to the backyard and asked about the situation along the way: "Second Uncle, when did you arrive?"

“I arrived yesterday afternoon.

"

Yang Dong said this, but Wang Yuying seemed puzzled: "You arrived yesterday afternoon, why are you here so early this morning?"

Yang Dong looked at his second son Yang Anguo, scratched his head awkwardly, and said with a smile: "Aunt, we rushed here right after receiving your letter.

But the way from the train station to where you live is really hard to find. An Guo and I spent most of the day to get here.

The gate was already closed, and we didn’t want to disturb you, so we had to stay overnight in the yard.”

Yang Jun was surprised when he heard this, and blurted out subconsciously: "You stayed out in the open air all night last night?"

Looking closely at the father and son, their worn sheepskin coats and coarse cloth trousers were not much warmer than what ordinary people wore.

Yang Jun felt unbelievable. Their experience made him admire them as true warriors who dared to sleep on the streets in the cold night of Beijing.

I really admire their courage to be able to hold on in such a cold winter night. It can be said that all the ancestors of the Yang family were protecting them from freezing to death or frostbite.

Yang Dong didn't notice Yang Jun's subtle thoughts. Instead, he patted his chest and said nonchalantly, "It's just a small matter. It's really cold where we are. After getting off the train, Erwazi and I took a bath by the river."

Yang Jun could only secretly sigh that his second uncle was truly courageous, being able to face harsh life circumstances without fear.

No…what is he facing?

Forget it, that's not the point.

After Yang Jun confirmed that the father and son had spent the night outside, he guessed that they must not have had any meal.

So he went back to the front yard and asked Sha Zhu to make a big pot of mutton soup, and then took ten steamed buns back to the backyard.

At first, Yang Dong and his son were a little reserved, until Wang Yuying pretended to be angry, then they started to use their tableware.

The father and son seemed to be very hungry. They each grabbed two steamed buns, tore them into small pieces and soaked them in the hot mutton soup, then picked up the big bowl and wolfed them down.

In less than twenty minutes, the big pot of mutton soup and ten steamed buns were all gone.

Seeing this scene, Yang Jun and Wang Yuying looked at each other in silence. It was truly a scene from the 1980s.

Have they eaten well enough these years? Can the little food distributed by the cooperative feed the whole family? For two children and three generations of old and young, even if it is only a year and a half of food rations, it will not last until the end of the year.

Although he really wanted to add more food, Yang Dong firmly opposed it. He said that white flour buns were precious and not easy to eat too much, so he just needed to taste them.

Yang Jun did not force it anymore, he just wanted to fill his stomach first. He needed to control his food intake after being hungry for a long time, besides, he needed to have a full meal soon.

(to be continued..)

=3D=3D=3DAfter finishing the meal, Wang Yuying became concerned about the Yang Dong family's recent situation, asking about the health of the grandparents, whether there was enough food, and other trivial matters of life.

But Yang Jun did not leave immediately, but listened quietly to Wang Yuying's questions.

During their conversation, Yang Gui revealed that after leaving his hometown and making a living in a steel plant in Beijing, he rarely returned to his hometown in Shanxi. Later, after he and Wang Yuying started a family and settled in Beijing, he returned home even less frequently. However, he would mail money to his hometown every year to express his concern.

Yang Dong has been staying in his hometown in the countryside, taking care of his parents.

He has two sons so far. The eldest son, Yang Anbang, is 25 years old this year. He has already married and has a pair of children. As for Yang Anguo, whom I have met, he is his youngest son, 19 years old. After dropping out of junior high school, he became an agricultural tractor operator in the team.

From what they learned during their conversation, even after her father Yang Gui passed away, Wang Yuying still insisted on sending money to Yang Gui's hometown.

As life at home became increasingly difficult, Yang Jun found it hard to imagine how Wang Yuying managed to raise so many younger siblings and take care of distant relatives at the same time. Even with the subsidy from Meimei's internship and the twenty yuan he sent every month, the burden was still heavy.

Yang Jun gazed at the wrinkles on Wang Yuying's face and the smile that concealed her determination, and felt deeply what a great mother she was.

At this moment, he truly felt all the hard work of the family and the heavy maternal love.

At that moment, Yang Jun secretly vowed to let her live a happy life, and also hoped that his relatives could live well.

He raised his hand and glanced at his watch - the time to pick up the bride was approaching.

So, after saying hello to Yang Dong and Wang Yuying, he took Yang Anguo and the team to welcome the bride.

As a member of the family, Yang Anguo is an important representative of this welcome.

In the newly built residential area, Yang Jun asked Yang Anguo to take the prepared wedding candies and cigarettes, and the two walked outside.

As soon as they got outside, he distributed a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes to each of the good brothers who drove them here. This was a return gift for using someone else's vehicle. Some of them rewarded with money, while others directly gave cigarettes and alcohol to express their gratitude.

In the past, like when Zhizhu got married, they would each be given a pack of Huanghelou cigarettes and a large bag of wedding candy as a thank you gift.

The comrades took the cigarettes with a smile and rushed into the vehicle.

Yang Jun drove his car in the lead, followed by seven vehicles.

The second uncle stood on the high steps in the yard, his big round belly looking a little proud, and shouted loudly: "The auspicious day has arrived, go pick up the bride!"

As Liu Guangming lit five thousand firecrackers, accompanied by crackling fire and thick smoke, the convoy passed through the alley like a colorful dragon.

During the journey, Yang Jun took the opportunity to ask Yang Anguo about his hometown, and also gave him a brief introduction to the beautiful scenery of the capital.

Yang Anguo felt a little uneasy sitting in the car. His big eyes looked around from time to time, with a look of surprise on his face. He had never seen such straight and flat streets and towering buildings. He also couldn't understand why cars were flying through the city like flocks of birds.

Noticing the envy Yang Anguo showed, Yang Jun asked casually, "Do you want to stay here?"

Without even thinking, he blurted out, "Yes!" But then he quickly shook his head and said, "No." It was obvious that he was struggling with other considerations.

Yang Jun can sympathize with this idea and understand the possible reasons behind it: "We don't need any estrangement as a family. If you really want to stay, I can think of a way."

Yang Anguo lowered his head and thought for a long time, then muttered in a low voice: "It's not that I don't want to go, but my parents said that it's very hard for Auntie to raise three children alone, and they don't want to add to your troubles."

Yang Jun told him not to worry, "If you are interested, I will communicate with my second uncle.

As long as you are willing, this is your home." Seeing that Yang Jun was not joking and was not on guard against him, Yang Anguo's nervous mood gradually relaxed.

"Brother Jun, to be honest, today's mutton soup with steamed buns is the most delicious meal I have ever had in my life.

I was never really full.

I...I...I'm really scared of being hungry." At this point, his voice was full of emotion.

After finishing speaking, Yang Anguo's words became choked and tears could not help but fall.

Yang Jun, who was driving, patted Yang Anguo's shoulder to comfort him and said:

"You're still so young, and you're talking about your whole life like this."

"Follow me, and you will never have to worry about going hungry again."

Hearing this, Yang Anguo smiled, wiped away his tears with his sleeves, and replied with a simple smile:

"Thank you, brother."

Then, the two began to chat and discuss other topics.

Soon, they arrived at their destination - the military families' compound.

The area in front of the gate was not as lively as imagined. There were red "囍" characters hung on the stone pillars on both sides.

After simply greeting the guard and confirming the identity of the receptionist, Yang Jun led his group into the compound.

There, the entrance to the compound was filled with various vehicles, most of which had license plates starting with "Jun", and next to each vehicle stood a guard in military uniform.

These are most likely the personal drivers of various companies.

Because Yi's father was the superior of these senior leaders when he was alive, Yi's family received special attention after the death of Yi's parents and was regarded as one of their family.

Yi Qiu Shui's wedding naturally became their top priority. Although it was simple, everyone was present.

If it weren't for the two big "囍" characters on the door as a reminder, Yang Jun would never have realized that this was a wedding.

Perhaps due to some hidden considerations, the wedding ceremony was simplified as much as possible.