Siheyuan: Big City, Small Love

When He Lai appeared in Hejia Village, the children on the roadside gathered around him because there was a big wild boar tied to the back seat of He Lai's bicycle.

The big wild boar was naturally taken out by He Lai from the space, and He Lai shot a bullet in the head to cover it up.

"Brother Lai, you caught another wild boar!" one of the older kids shouted happily.

"Yes, are my grandparents here?" He Lai asked.

"Yes, Great Grandpa and Great Grandma are in the cafeteria. I'll go and call them for you."

The child answered and ran away. The other children continued to surround He Lai, because they knew that He Lai had brought them food again.

The legend of He Lai is now circulating in the village. After all, every time He Lai comes back, there is wild boar meat to eat. In this era when meat is rarely seen in a year, having wild boar meat is equivalent to celebrating the New Year.

He Lai just gave them a handful of candy. Alas, these children were all malnourished, so he could only give them some candy. There was no need to tell them where the other things came from.

The group of children simultaneously peeled off the candy wrappers and put the candies into their mouths, with smiles on their faces.

He Lai, surrounded by a group of children, soon arrived at the village canteen.

The old couple He just happened to walk out and wanted to pick up He Lai.

"Xiao Laizi, you must be tired. Where did such a big wild boar come from?"

When Old Mrs. He saw the wild boar on He Lai’s bicycle, she exclaimed and hurried forward to check on He Lai to see if he was injured.

There's nothing we can do about it, this wild boar is just too big, it's estimated to be around 400 kilograms. He Lai says there's nothing we can do about it, there are no small wild boars in the space, they all eat too well in the space, so it's normal for them to grow a little bigger.

Fortunately, this is a 28-meter-long bicycle, so it has no problem carrying four or five hundred kilograms.

"Grandma, I'm fine. I met a wild boar on the road. I happened to have a gun with me, so I shot it down with one shot. Isn't that awesome?"

He Lai took off the water beads on his back and explained with a smile.

"Oh, luckily I brought a gun. But next time you see a wild boar, you have to be careful. It's best to just run away. We can't afford to mess with such a big wild boar."

When Old Lady He saw that He Lai was holding a spear in his hand and that he was indeed not injured, she finally felt relieved.

"Grandma, please have someone unload the wild boar. It's too heavy, and the bicycle tires can't bear it."

"Okay, okay, I'll go call someone." Upon hearing this, Mrs. He immediately ran into the cafeteria to call for help.

"Grandpa, what are you looking at? Come and help me carry the wild boar down."

He Lai saw that Old Man He was still watching and immediately spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Grandpa He came forward to help. The big wild boar was quickly put on the ground by He Lai and Grandpa He.

Old Lady He also came out with a group of women. Five younger women grabbed the wild boar's limbs and head and slowly carried it into the canteen. Behind them followed a group of children, all waiting for the lunch.

"Grandpa, what's wrong? Why don't you say anything?" He came to see that Grandpa He was silent, feeling a little strange.

"What are you talking about? Such a big wild boar was eaten by others. Grandpa feels sad."

Grandpa He knew that the wild boar had to be eaten by the whole village. After all, he couldn't cook alone at home now.

He Lai thought about it and it made sense. The communal dining system was still being implemented in the rural areas near the old city, and it would probably have to wait until the second half of 1960.

"Grandpa, don't think about it. My grandson brought you something. Let's go back to the yard."

"Okay, let's go." Grandpa He knew that there was nothing he could do about it, so he stopped thinking about it and followed He Lai to push the bicycle back.

When the two men returned to their own yard, He Lai took off the bag tied to the front bumper.

"Grandpa, I know there is a shortage of oil and water in the countryside, so I brought five kilograms of soybean oil, and also some milk powder. This is nutritious, and drinking a little every day is good for your health."

He Lai untied the bag and took out the things.

Old Man He looked at the oil and milk powder and couldn't say no. After all, his family really needed them now. And knowing He Lai's character, he would definitely not take them back if he took them.

"Grandpa, what are you thinking about? Take it inside and put it away quickly. If someone sees it, they will probably get jealous."

"Oh, good."

Mr. He took the things to the inner room and put them away first.

But at this time, Old Mrs. He and Daya also came over.

"Grandma, Sister Daya." He Lai shouted. He Lai hadn't seen Daya and the others for a long time.

"Xiao Laizi, where is your grandfather?" Old Mrs. He asked. Daya followed Old Mrs. He and smiled at He Lai without saying anything.

"Grandpa went in to put something down and will be out soon."

"Oh, Daya, please sit down first. I'm going to go see your grandfather."

After saying this, Old Lady He walked into the room.

Daya sat next to He Lai a little embarrassedly.

"Sister Daya, are you okay? I heard from Grandpa that you are helping with the village's accounting?"

He Lai found a topic to start the conversation.

"Not bad." Daya replied with her head down.

He Lai was a little embarrassed. He was not very good at chatting with girls, especially his eldest cousin.

The two of them just remained silent. Daya wanted to speak several times, but nothing came out. The two of them could only wait for the old couple He to come out.

In the end, only Old Mrs. He came out, but Old Mr. He did not.

"Grandma, where is grandpa? Why doesn't he come out?" He Lai was a little surprised.

"It's okay, it's okay. Your grandpa is resting in the house. Let's chat. Let's chat."

Old Mrs. He walked over and sat down next to He Lai, also looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Grandma, just tell me what's wrong. It makes me uncomfortable watching you." He Lai couldn't stand the two of them anymore.

"This...this..."

"Grandma, please tell me now. Your grandson is getting so anxious."

"Well, it's your second aunt's side. I heard that you arranged jobs for Da Hu and the kid from the Wu family. I'm a little dissatisfied. I'm begging your grandparents to ask if you can get them a job too. Xiao Laizi, why don't you help find one for them?"

Old Mrs. He found it a little difficult to say, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't treat everyone equally, and the second house was resentful.

"Well, is it Sister Daya going to work?" He Lai ignored this aspect. It was indeed a bit unreasonable that the second uncle's family was missing.

"Yeah, isn't it? Your eldest sister is 19 years old now. She should be getting married, but she is too proud and won't accept any of the men I introduce to her."

Old Mrs. He explained that Daya kept her head down and didn't say anything, for fear that He Lai would be unwilling to introduce herself.

"Then Sister Daya, have you ever thought about what to do? There are so many jobs in the city!"

He Lai said with a smile.

"Anything is fine. I can do it." When Daya heard that there was a chance, she immediately looked up and replied, then lowered her head again.

"How can that be possible? My elder sister is so pretty, she must find a good job. If she has one, how about working as a salesperson in a state-owned store?"

(I won’t write supply and marketing cooperatives anymore. Let’s call them state-owned stores. I forgot to change the name during this period. After all, supply and marketing cooperatives are generally located in rural towns, while state-owned stores are located in cities.)

He Lai thought that it would be best for girls to go to state-owned stores. After all, they were one of the eight major members. Although they might be led astray, she could find a better master to lead them. There wouldn't be too many people like that.

"Is it okay? It's not too much trouble. I can just be an ordinary worker."

Old Mrs. He was worried. Although she knew He Lai was capable, she didn't want He Lai to get involved too much.

"It's okay, leave it to me." He Lai felt that it was time to put so many wild boars to use, and he could just get one or two to do the job.

"Thank you, Xiao Laizi." Daya showed a long-lost smile and was no longer worried about her parents forcing her to get married.

"Are you saying anything else? If not, I'm leaving. I don't want to eat wild vegetable dumplings anymore." He Lai said that eating wild vegetable dumplings once was enough for him and he didn't want to experience it again.

"Okay, okay, let's go. Grandma doesn't have anything here." Old Mrs. He also knew that there was really nothing at home now, and there was nothing good to treat He Lai. He Lai would definitely not be able to get used to this big pot meal.

"Sister Daya, you should learn how to speak well these few days. A salesperson must be able to speak, and you can't keep your head down."

"I understand." Sister Daya hasn't recovered from her excitement yet, and she is about to get a job.

He Lai saw that Grandpa He didn't come out, probably because he was embarrassed to see his grandson begging him for help, so he didn't force him. After all, he was just here to bring them some things.

He Lai will have to find a place to show his kindness later.

"Old man, come out, Xiao Laizi is gone." Old Mrs. He shouted.

Mr. He came out. It turned out that he had been listening behind the door.

"Daya, you can't embarrass Xiao Laizi. You have to work hard when the time comes, understand? And you have to remember this favor, you have to repay it yourself."

"I understand, grandpa." Daya nodded solemnly.