He Songye quickly cleaned out a room. She had always been a clean and efficient person. Once she was free, she couldn't sit still. No corner of the house was covered in dust. Although the He family's old house was old and dilapidated, she kept it neat and tidy. There was no sign of decline at all.
Just in time, He Song Bai heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming from his surroundings. He lifted his eyes to look ahead and a graceful figure came into view. The woman carried heavy luggage and walked slowly to the He family's old house. After she put the luggage on the ground, she lifted her sleeve to wipe her forehead. Sparkling beads of sweat flowed down her skin. Her black hair stuck to the side of her face, and her almond-shaped eyes revealed her tiredness.
He Songye shook the bell at his waist and waved at his younger brother in the field.
He Songbai put down the manure in his hand and silently washed his hands by the well. He walked to the uninvited guest.
His older sister gestured at him and said, "Help, take the luggage."
He Song Bai wrinkled his thick eyebrows, his pitch-black and vicious eyes slightly darkened.
He Songye saw the strong vigilance in his older brother's eyes and said, "Let her, stay here."
"She, doesn't, have a place to stay."
He Songbai's rough fingers pressed on the woman's shoulder and pushed her back slightly. His tall body blocked the door and he said lazily, "What do you want?"
As he spoke, he used one hand to push He Songye into the house.
Zhao Lanxiang looked on helplessly as the old man slammed the door shut and locked He Song Ye in the room. No matter how much He Song Ye knocked on the door, the old man remained indifferent.
His thick eyebrows revealed undisguised coldness and vigilance. His slightly hoarse voice revealed a hint of indecency. "Do you know who I am?"
After saying that, the man wantonly let his gaze linger on the woman's chest until her face turned red. Only then did he openly move his gaze away.
Zhao Lanxiang didn't expect that her modest and serious husband would have such a roguish side.
Her heart actually pounded a few times.
This "poor and destitute" old man, when he was lazy and undisciplined, gave off the vibe of a gangster that was popular in the 90s. His sharp and deep eyebrows and unruly face made him look so fierce that he could jump up and beat someone up at any time.
Unfortunately … his awareness was twenty years ahead of his time. At that time, he had been sought after by tens of thousands of people. Now, he was a loafer who was pointed at and cursed by others.
Today, the man was wearing rags that had been washed until they were white, and his eyes were casual. Zhao Lanxiang, who had shared a bed with him for 20 years, knew that her man was a wolf cub. His tone sounded casual, but in his heart, he might have suspected that she had coaxed his honest elder sister.
Zhao Lanxiang took out three yuan and met his lazy and indifferent gaze. He said fearlessly, "This is the rent. I'm not living here for free."
"The collective dormitory of the educated youths has collapsed. I have no place to stay. Your family has a small population and a big place. I like living there. After the new dormitory is built at the end of the year, I will move out. "
No matter how young and immature he was compared to a few decades later, she firmly believed that he was still a smart man. Right now, this family was too poor. If the house that had been empty for many years could be exchanged for a small amount of rent, it was reasonable for them to refuse. Moreover … she didn't look like a restless person.
At this time, He Songye knocked on the door a few more times. He anxiously yelled and even kicked the door angrily because he was locked in the room.
For the sake of his elder sister, for the sake of this woman who was weak and harmless, He Songbai temporarily backed down.
He took the stack of money from the woman's hand and casually stuffed it into his pocket without looking. He warned her, "I'll say the ugly words first. Don't cause trouble. If you cause trouble, pack up your bag and get out. "
Zhao Lanxiang nodded and kicked the bag with her foot. "Thank you for your hard work, labor."
Zhao Lanxiang wouldn't be polite to him for the time being. After all, he was a stranger who had paid the rent. If he was too polite, he would be suspected of having bad motives. He Songbai had been used to the cold eyes of the entire brigade since he was young. When he suddenly met a stranger who was unreasonably enthusiastic, he would either suspect that she was stupid or had bad motives.
Zhao Lanxiang learned a lesson from the cold treatment in the cornfield last time.
He Songbai didn't like to owe people favors. The last time he helped her was probably because of those candies. He thought that once he paid off the debt, he would simply leave. If he ate a few more of her buns, the debt would be unsettled again.
He Songbai projected this kind of thinking onto a few decades later. He was rich and overbearing. He would spare no effort to repay the people who helped him. If there was money, he would give money. If there was effort, he would give effort. If he owed a penny, he would pay back three cents. Therefore, he was the "God of Wealth" for many people. The people around him were willing to make friends with him. Favors from all directions rolled in endlessly. His business was also thriving.
He Songbai put away his hooligan appearance. He silently bent down to pick up the scattered luggage on the ground and carried it into the house.
He Songye was let out. She raised her hand and clenched her fist to hit him twice on the head. Her face was full of anger. She was very dissatisfied with his behavior just now. It was as if she was defending her position as the head of the family. He Songbai didn't resist. He bowed his head and let her hit him.
He Songye smiled guiltily at Zhao Lanxiang and gestured to her. "He has a bad temper."
"He's not bad. Don't worry."
"You, sit. He, tidies up."
Zhao Lanxiang really did as she was told. She found a small stool and sat down. She supported her chin with both hands and watched the old man tidy up inside and out with relish. The man made a simple bed with a few planks. The joints were joined with mortise and tenon grooves. He didn't use a single nail during the whole process. His movements were very skillful. The wood chips were flying where the sickle saw fell. Finally, he blew a few times, and the wood chips on the bed board were blown down. He touched the bed board with his rough thumb and pulled out all the thorns that were sticking out of the bed.
His sharp and deep eyebrows were upside-down. He often showed a fierce look when he was expressionless. However, he was serious and meticulous when he was fiddling with the carpentry. Zhao Lanxiang was fascinated by it. Her eyes inadvertently showed a gentle look.
At this moment, she really wanted to hug the thin man and pick off the dust on his head. But … she knew clearly that she couldn't do this. The old man was a very vigilant person.
He Songbai raised his head. Zhao Lanxiang's eyes had already changed into normal emotions. She touched the bed with her thumb and asked with slight disgust,
"Can this sleep?"
He Songye smiled and gestured to explain, "He, has been a carpenter. Craftsmanship, OK. "
"Bed, steady, sleep."
Zhao Lanxiang handed the last meat bun that was still warm in her pocket to He Songbai, who was sweating profusely. He Songbai didn't take it. He wiped his sweat with a ragged towel and ran to the well outside to wash his face.
Zhao Lanxiang pushed the bun into He Songye's hand, "Give it to him. There's only one left. I'm full."
She touched her stomach. Just now, she and Sister He ate nine buns by the ridge of the field. Both of them were full now.
He Songye was the one who was truly stuffed. On the way back, her stomach was stuffed to the point of discomfort. Her stomach, which had not seen oil for a long time, became weak. She had only walked a few steps when she vomited. He Songye was both distressed and pitiful. She was extremely upset. She squatted in the grass and stared at the ball of filth for a long time. In the end, she couldn't bear to part with it and used a dustpan to feed it to the chickens.
In the end, He Songbai didn't even want to look at the bun. He Songye lovingly put it in a pot to warm it for his sister.
The siblings worked hard for a while before they worked together to tidy up the city guest's house until it was spotless. Zhao Lanxiang touched the new quilt on the bed and took out the silk quilt that Father Zhao and Mother Zhao had asked someone to sew for her. She carried the quilt and returned it to He Songye.
He Songye glanced at the city girl's quilt. It was soft and smooth, warm in winter and cool in summer, and gentle in winter. He Songye indeed didn't need her new quilt. He put his quilt back into the box. In He Songbai's eyes, this action had a different meaning.
He chewed on the croissant in his mouth and spat out the residue in his mouth. His eyes were dark and gloomy.
He Songye rang the bell a few times. He Songbai turned and went into the firewood shed. He put in a few sweet potatoes and some brown rice to boil a pot of water. He Songye saw that his brother had cooked sweet potato porridge. He scooped spoonful after spoonful. The water was clear like waves. She shook her head and added in a few handfuls of rice.
He Songbai looked up and squatted down indifferently to start the fire.
He Songye knocked his head with the bell and glared at him.
He Songbai said lightly, "That's enough. What will we eat next month with so much rice?"
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