The train driver in the courtyard

time.

Like a woman in her thirties lying in bed, she seemed so impatient.

In the blink of an eye, several days have passed.

These past few days, Jia Dongxu has been ostracized by the residents of the compound for reporting the Third Uncle. The residents avoid him whenever they see him, which is reaping what he sowed.

The storyteller's career was forced to stop, and he had to get back on his bicycle and start collecting scrap.

Everyone has a bright future ahead of them.

Li Aiguo is living a pretty good life. During the day, he's busy working at the locomotive depot, and when he comes home at night, he can play and cuddle with Miss Chen, while also enjoying his life as a stay-at-home dad.

The field testing of the beetle is basically complete, and it will be transported to the State Farm General Farm next Monday for inspection by the farm leaders.

Because the matter of the "bowing insect" was of great importance, the railway department decided to send Li Aiguo with a technical team to accompany him.

It's the weekend, and after breakfast, Chen Xueru started packing Li Aiguo's things for his business trip early in the morning.

"It's hot now and there are a lot of mosquitoes. I'll put up a mosquito net for you so you won't get bitten at night." Chen Xueru packed a big bag of things and was also going to put up a mosquito net.

Xiao Mingwei was playing nearby when she heard this. She raised her pink arm and said, "Daddy, Wenwen is so mean. I want to be friends with her, but she bites me."

When Li Aiguo saw that Xiaoming had several red welts on his arm, he quickly picked him up, found some mint leaves, crushed them, and applied them to his arm.

When Xiao Dongfang saw this, he stretched out his arms and made "ee-yah-yah" sounds. Li Aiguo also applied some mint leaves to him, and then he became happy.

Just as things were getting lively, He Yushui knocked on the door and called out, "Brother Aiguo! Isn't today the day Brother Diquan brings his girlfriend home? When are we going to pick her up?"

Aunt Liu had mentioned Liu Diquan's return a few days ago, but Li Aiguo had been too busy lately and almost forgot.

I glanced at my wrist; in half an hour, the train from the south would be arriving.

Li Aiguo placed the two children on a straw mat, changed them into clean clothes, and drove his large SUV with He Yushui straight to Beijing Railway Station.

The SUV had a railway department pass on its windshield, allowing it to drive directly onto the platform.

As soon as Li Aiguo got out of the car, he saw Liu Diquan walking over with a woman, the two holding hands. This was nothing unusual, after all, many young couples would show their affection in public.

The key point is that the girl was also holding the hand of a little girl, about four or five years old, with two pigtails sticking up, who was looking around at the station.

As soon as He Yushui saw Liu Diquan, she immediately exclaimed, "Brother Diquan is back... Hey? Why are they bringing a child with them?"

Li Aiguo: "."

Liu Diquan also saw Li Aiguo and the other person at this moment, and looked a little embarrassed. He quickly let go of the woman's hand.

"Patriotism, this is Comrade Zhang Chunye, and this is..."

When Liu Diquan introduced the little girl, he hesitated for a moment and his tone softened: "This is Comrade Zhang Chunye's daughter, Xiao Ye."

"Second Uncle, is this the capital? This is the first time Xiao Ye has ever seen such a big train station!" Xiao Ye was still attracted by the station when Liu Diquan called to her, and the little girl was still a bit confused.

Second Uncle? He Yushui was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. Even if she was slow to react, she realized that this matter was a bit complicated.

Li Aiguo seemed to know nothing. He shook hands with Zhang Chunye, nodded to Xiaoye, opened the car door, and let Zhang Chunye, the child, and He Yushui sit in the back.

Li Aiguo asked Liu Diquan to get into the passenger seat, but Liu Diquan grabbed Li Aiguo's arm and pleaded, "Brother Aiguo, when we get home, I'll have to trouble you to persuade my mother."

Looking at him like that, Li Aiguo said irritably, "You little brat, you dare to do it but not admit it? Why didn't you explain the situation clearly when you wrote the letter? Now Aunt Liu has told all the neighbors in the compound about your upcoming marriage!"

Liu Diquan looked down at his toes: "I dare not say it, I'm afraid my mother won't agree."

Li Aiguo was amused by his words: "You've already done all that, and now you're worried that the old lady won't agree? Do you even look like a man?"

As he spoke, he took out a cigarette and tossed it to Liu Diquan, then lit one for himself: "Tell me what exactly happened!"

Hearing the commotion outside, Zhang Chunye, who was inside the car, tried to get out, but Liu Diquan quickly stopped her, saying, "Chunye, don't rush. Aiguo is my own brother."

Zhang Chunye's face was filled with fear at this moment. Hearing Liu Diquan's words, she sat back down.

When Liu Diquan returned, he lit a cigarette, sighed, and said something that made Li Aiguo's pores explode: "Chunye is my best friend's wife."

Li Aiguo suddenly turned his head and stared at him: "You dare to steal your friend's backyard?!"

Seeing that Li Aiguo was furious, Liu Diquan dared not hide it anymore and quickly said, "My buddy is gone. He died trying to save me!"

The cigarette butt in Li Aiguo's hand trembled unconsciously, and the ash fell and was blown away by the wind.

This story begins with Liu Diquan's involvement in tungsten mine exploration in Jiangxi Province.

During an exploration, Liu Diquan's geological team encountered an extremely dangerous surge in groundwater. Liu Diquan was unable to climb to higher ground in time and was swept away by the groundwater.

Without hesitation, Zhang Tianming, a geological sampling worker from the geological exploration team, jumped into the water and tied a rope around Liu Diquan's waist, allowing the team members to pull Liu Diquan back.

Unfortunately, Zhang Tianming hit his head on a rock, sank to the bottom of the water, and lost his life.

After this incident, Liu Diquan felt extremely guilty and personally took Zhang Tianming's ashes home, which is how he met Zhang Chunye.

Those who have worked in exploration know that exploration teams are different from ordinary factories; they usually don't allow immediate family members to take over the business.

However, Zhang Tianming died in the line of duty, and in addition to the compensation, the team also gave him a temporary job.

When Zhang Tianming's brother and sister-in-law heard about this, they used the fact that Zhang Tianming had borrowed money from them years ago as an excuse to seize all the compensation money and even forced Zhang Chunye to give up her temporary worker position.

“Brother Aiguo, I’m a man too. Tianming died saving me. If I just stand by and watch his wife and children be bullied, how can I be considered human?” Liu Diquan recalled what happened back then and took a few deep drags on his cigarette.

Li Aiguo knew a little about the commune.

Orphans and widows like Zhang Chunye would surely be devoured by those ravenous wolves there, leaving not even bones behind, and then kicked aside.

Liu Diquan also had a fiery temper. He got into a fight with the Zhang family and then took Zhang Chunye to the county town, where they found a temporary job at the local exploration department.

But the Zhang family didn't give up on the prize they had in their grasp. They kept harassing Zhang Chunye in the county town, spreading rumors that she was having an affair with Liu Diquan, and even reported it to the leaders of the exploration team.

Liu Diquan, a young man, kept going to the young widow's house. Those who knew about it were fine, but those who didn't were sure they would gossip behind his back.

Liu Di was at his wit's end, so he came up with a plan: if he married Zhang Chunye, he could rightfully protect her and her daughter. That's how the rest of the story unfolded.

"Brother Aiguo, I actually have no other intentions towards Zhang Chunye. I just want to repay Zhang Tianming for saving my life." After finishing his cigarette, Liu Diquan threw the butt on the ground and crushed it out with the sole of his shoe.

Li Aiguo was at a loss for words.

Was it wrong for Liu Diquan to marry the widow of a team member in order to repay a debt of gratitude?

But is it really right for him to gamble with the rest of his life?
"Brother Aiguo, I've made up my mind. I'm definitely getting married this time, and no one can stop me!" Liu Diquan said, adding a firm statement.

"Let's go back."

Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, let alone Liu Diquan, who is still a hothead; saying more is useless.

Li Aiguo didn't say much. He got on the SUV, lit the engine, and the car was silent the whole way, except for Xiao Yezi who kept chattering while looking out the window at the traffic.

When the SUV arrived at the courtyard gate, Aunt Liu was already waiting.

A group of residents were standing nearby, including Yan Jiecheng, Xu Damao, Jia Dongxu, Liu Haizhong, and Aunt Er.

Just as Li Aiguo had expected, Liu Da Niang and the other residents were very excited when they saw Liu Di Quan.

After Zhang Chunye and Xiao Yezi got out of the car, everyone fell silent.

Xu Damao was so shocked his eyes almost popped out. He wanted to say something witty, but Liu Lan pinched him.

Li Aiguo quickly smoothed things over: "Auntie, Diquan is back! It's windy outside, you must have a lot to say to him, let's go inside quickly!"

Aunt Liu finally came to her senses and led Liu Diquan into the courtyard.

But Liu Diquan turned around, picked up Xiao Yezi, took Zhang Chunye's hand, and strode into the house under the watchful eyes of the neighbors.

"That guy really has a stubborn temper." Li Aiguo shook his head and went home.

Chen Xueru returned after watching the commotion and asked curiously as soon as she entered, "Is Liu Diquan's girlfriend a woman with a child?"

"Yes." Li Aiguo took a sip of tea and recounted Zhang Chunye's situation.

Chen Xueru was observant, and after listening, she sighed, "If it weren't for Liu Diquan, who knows how this girl would have survived. She's so pitiful."

Li Aiguo nodded and said, "Liu Diquan is indeed well-intentioned, but he has not thought this through properly. Just wait and see, the compound will soon become lively."

Just as Li Aiguo had predicted, rumors were already spreading throughout the compound before noon.

Some people think that Liu Diquan stole someone else's wife and ran back to the capital.

Some people also believe that Liu Diquan's wife was abducted from another place.

Jia Dongxu was spouting nonsense: "I think Liu Diquan is just like Xu Damao, a born eunuch, otherwise why would he be willing to take over?"

Xu Damao grabbed a stick and pointed it at Jia Dongxu: "You bastard, I have a daughter!"

Seeing that he was getting anxious, Jia Dongxu quickly corrected himself: "Oh dear, I remembered wrong! It was Yi Zhonghai who was castrated!"

Yi Zhonghai had just come over to join the conversation when he heard this, his face immediately turned as long as a donkey's, and he turned away cursing.

Finally, it was Uncle San who stepped in and chased away the residents who were gathered around the pond, and the courtyard finally quieted down again.

Everyone was watching Aunt Liu's house, waiting to see what would happen.

"He Yushui is out. She's going to Li Aiguo's house. Aunt Liu is definitely going to ask Li Aiguo for advice."

“What ideas could Li Aiguo possibly have about this kind of thing?”

"Yes, Aunt Liu is a woman who cares a lot about her reputation. She's bound to be furious this time."

Li Aiguo was about to help Chen Xueru pack her luggage when he saw He Yushui arrive, so he followed her to Aunt Liu's house.

The atmosphere at Aunt Liu's house was rather somber. When Aunt Liu saw Li Aiguo arrive, she looked at He Yushui and said, "Yushui, it's too hard for your sister-in-law Xueru to take care of three children by herself. Why don't you take Chunye and Xiaoyezi with you? There are lots of toys there, and Xiaoyezi will definitely like them."

He Yushui responded and looked at Zhang Chunye.

Liu Diquan was a little nervous and wanted to stop her, but Zhang Chunye smiled and said, "Brother Diquan, I've always heard you mention that you have a good sister-in-law. Of course, I have to meet her now that I'm back."

After He Yushui and Zhang Chunye left with Xiao Yezi, the door was closed.

Aunt Liu sat in the chair and looked at Liu Diquan: "Kneel down!"

With a "thump," Liu Diquan knelt on the ground: "Mother, I know I was wrong. You can hit me or scold me as you please. This has nothing to do with Chunye. Please don't make things difficult for him."

Aunt Liu, rarely so angry, widened her eyes and said, "You're wrong, but not because you wanted to marry Miss Chunye, but because you kept it a secret and even brought her to our door, making it known to everyone!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Diquan froze as if struck by lightning. He looked up and stared at Aunt Liu, his dry lips trembling as he asked, "Mother, you...you don't object to me marrying Chunye?"

“Why should I object!” Aunt Liu stood up and walked to the long table, where a black and white photo of Old Man Liu was placed.

"What did your father teach you when he was alive? To be a good person is to repay kindness, for the debt of saving a life is deeper than the sea! If you abandon us, your mother will really get sick from anger. That would be called ingratitude, worse than pigs and dogs!"

Aunt Liu lit an incense stick for Old Man Liu, then turned to look at Liu Diquan: "Now I have a question for you, and you must tell me the truth."

"Mother, ask away."

Do you like Spring Leaf Girl?

Liu Di's face turned as red as a cloth, and he stammered, "Mother, at first I just wanted to take care of her... but then I thought she was quite good, well-educated, hardworking, and not temperamental..."

Aunt Liu then asked, "What was Chunye's attitude?"

Liu Diquan replied, "I don't know either, but in the South, Chunye helped me wash my clothes and even my undergarments. She must like me."

Aunt Liu sat back down in her chair, her eyes fixed on Liu Diquan: "Then I agree to this marriage! But you have to promise me that if you ever dare to bully Chunye or complain about her taking care of the child, I won't let you off the hook!"

Liu Diquan hadn't expected this outcome and nodded happily, "Mother, don't worry! I'll definitely treat Chunye well!"

Li Aiguo was also quite surprised, but after thinking about it again, he felt relieved.

Before liberation, it was common for the younger brother to marry his sister-in-law after the elder brother passed away. Besides, Liu Diquan and Zhang Chunye were about the same age and genuinely cared for each other, which was a wonderful thing.

Liu Diquan brought Zhang Chunye and Xiao Yezi back from the Li family, and Aunt Liu personally asked Zhang Chunye for her opinion.

Zhang Chunye straightened up slightly, each word spoken with seriousness: "Mother, at first I just regarded Di Quan as my brother and my support, after all, he saved my mother and me and brought us out. But after spending more time with him, I understood. He doesn't shy away from trouble, that's a man's responsibility."

He treated me with the utmost sincerity, always thinking of my mother and me first when he had something good. His heart was truly warm. I acknowledge him as my mother, and I also acknowledge you as my mother.

As she listened, Aunt Liu pushed the rough porcelain teacup in her hand toward Zhang Chunye: "Good child, I'm sorry to have troubled you. Now that you're back, let's hold the wedding to avoid gossip from outsiders."

Upon hearing this, Liu Diquan and Zhang Chunye, who should have been excited, exchanged bewildered glances.

Aunt Liu frowned: "What?"

Liu Diquan replied awkwardly, "Mother, I only took a few days off. After deducting the time spent traveling, I have to take a bus back to the south tomorrow morning."

He never expected Aunt Liu to agree to his return, let alone plan to hold a wedding.

Zhang Chunye suggested, "Let's go back first, and hold the wedding next time we come back."

Although Aunt Liu was open-minded, she was also a person of principle, and upon hearing this, she immediately disagreed.

"You two haven't had a wedding, so you can't be together."

The situation has now reached a dilemma.

He Yushui was the one who broke the deadlock.

"Mother, we can hold a wedding for Brother Diquan and Sister-in-law Chunye right now."

"Isn't there enough time?" Aunt Liu worried.

He Yushui looked at Li Aiguo: "Brother Aiguo, is there any way to hold a wedding for Brother Diquan and his wife today?" He Yushui had spent some time with Zhang Chunye and had also fallen in love with this kind girl.

After hearing about Zhang Chunye's situation, he felt even more sorry for her and wanted to bring Liu Diquan and Zhang Chunye together.

Li Aiguo raised his wrist to check the time. It was already nine o'clock in the morning. In the capital, there was a custom of not marrying after noon, so time was indeed quite tight.

"If you want the ceremony to be held before noon, you have to listen to me."

Liu Diquan immediately stood up: "Brother Aiguo, we will all listen to you."

After being given the responsibility of being the chief wedding coordinator, Li Aiguo immediately began his work.

Weddings in this era are simple, but some essential items are still required.

Aunt Liu helped Chen Xueru clean the house.

He Yushui was responsible for purchasing the melon seeds and candies needed for the wedding, as well as a thermos and an enamel basin set.

"What about the quilt?" Aunt Liu asked another question.

"It seems we still need help from the neighbors in the compound."

Li Aiguo originally planned to notify the residents to attend the wedding later, but upon seeing this situation, he went out of the house and called on Uncle San to strike the gong.

The residents in the compound had been keeping an eye on Aunt Liu's house, and now that they saw a meeting was about to start, they quickly came out of their houses and gathered in front of Aunt Liu's house.

"Why do we need a meeting?"

"Has something happened?"

After the discussions among Li Aiguo and others gradually subsided, he briefly recounted the situation of Liu Diquan and Zhang Chunye.

There's nothing shameful about this, especially since Zhang Chunye's ex-husband sacrificed himself to save Liu Diquan, which garnered sympathy from the residents.

"I never expected Liu Diquan to be such a kind and righteous child."

“I think this marriage is a good idea, and we should all help out.”

At that time, four or five residents stood up. The third uncle, the third aunt, Liu Haizhong, and the second aunt all showed great enthusiasm.

"Third Uncle, you're in charge of writing and pasting the 'double happiness' character."

"Second Uncle, take Third Aunt to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy wedding quilt covers. After you bring them back, Second Aunt and Aunt Wang will sew them together."

"Nan Yi is in charge of buying groceries and cooking."

"Let's get moving!"

With Li Aiguo issuing a series of orders, the residents of the compound quickly sprang into action, and the courtyard became lively.

Yi Zhonghai, who had been rebuked by Jia Dongxu, was currently hiding in his room to soothe his wounded heart. Hearing the commotion outside, he felt puzzled.

"Old woman, what happened?"

The older woman explained the situation, and Yi Zhonghai scoffed, "Young people just don't know their place. Wedding ceremonies are complicated; how can they be arranged so easily?"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw an older woman walking out and asked, "Old woman, where are you going?"

"Go help."

The woman's figure disappeared through the doorway, and a voice drifted in.

Yi Zhonghai frowned: "Damn it, Li Aiguo is trying to use this to increase his prestige in the compound. That kid is too cunning!"

Most of the residents in the compound were optimistic about the marriage, but some thought Liu Di was just fooling around.

For example, Jia Dongxu.

Everyone else was busy lending a hand in preparing for the wedding.

He, on the other hand, squatted by the pool, cigarette butts scattered all over the ground, spitting as he yelled, "Isn't she just a loose-fitting woman? She died young, and now she's a widow. Liu Diquan is just this lousy; he's a disgrace to our courtyard!"

These words not only insulted Liu Diquan, but also Xu Damao and several other residents in the compound.

Two or three residents in the compound had also married widows.

Those people had all survived the chaos of war, and their lives were already difficult. Jia Dongxu touched a raw nerve, and their faces turned bright red, but they didn't dare to argue with him.

Li Aiguo hadn't intended to pay any attention to Jia Dongxu, but seeing him rambling on, he ignored him and kicked him directly.

The kick was powerful. Jia Dongxu was smugly crossing his legs when he was suddenly kicked in the lower back. Like a deflated ball, he rolled three times before crashing into the old locust tree, wincing and gasping for breath in pain.

"Li Aiguo! How dare you hit someone! Neighbors, come and see! Li Aiguo is beating people up!" Jia Dongxu got up, his hair a mess, but when he saw Li Aiguo's cold face, his voice trembled a little, but he still insisted on crying out for innocence.

Yi Zhonghai, unwilling to let Li Aiguo steal the limelight, also arrived at the Intermediate People's Court. Upon seeing the situation, he immediately stepped forward.

"Patriotism? That's not right of you! Jia Dongxu may have a sharp tongue, but hitting someone is wrong. Is that something to talk about?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu nearly fainted.

This old man is clearly taking this opportunity to get revenge for his previous "castration"!
Now that they had a common enemy in Li Aiguo, Jia Dongxu decided to ignore Yi Zhonghai and continue to target Li Aiguo.

"That's right! Assaulting someone is illegal! Yan Jiecheng, you should go call the police right now and bring Captain Liu here to deal with him!"

Yan Jiecheng rolled his eyes, but didn't move his feet.

Jia Dongxu called out twice more, but Yan Jiecheng still didn't move. Jia Dongxu was so angry that he cursed, "You're Li Aiguo's lackey!"

Li Aiguo spoke up at this point.

"Yan Jiecheng, shall we go and report this to the police?"

"Huh?!" Yan Jiecheng was stunned.

Jia Dongxu was dumbfounded, scratching his head and thinking, "What does Li Aiguo mean by this? Stop trying to scare me! Even if you have a good relationship with Captain Liu, he can't protect you from hitting people!"

"Li Aiguo, what do you mean? Stop trying to scare people. Even if you have a good relationship with Captain Liu, he can't protect you."

Li Aiguo sneered at him, "You're the one who should be worried. Zhang Chunye's ex-husband, Zhang Tianming, sacrificed his life during exploration and was a meritorious person. Your slander of Zhang Chunye is a smear against meritorious people."

These words struck Jia Dongxu like a thunderbolt, instantly freezing him in place. Cold sweat streamed down the back of his neck, and his feet felt a chill run down his spine.

How could he forget that!

Seeing that things were getting interesting, Xu Damao immediately chimed in, "That's right! He just called Zhang Chunye a slut and said Zhang Tianming was going to die young. I heard it all clearly and can testify to it!"

The residents in the compound also felt that Jia Dongxu had gone too far. Zhang Chunye's husband had passed away, and it was only natural for her to remarry. Yet Jia Dongxu kept using the phrase "loose pants".

Several residents stepped forward to testify.

Jia Dongxu hadn't expected this outcome, and after stammering for a long time, he said, "I... I didn't mean that." He couldn't explain himself clearly at this point.

"Oh dear, Jia Dongxu, what are you doing! Apologize to Aiguo right now!" Qin Huairu knew from the noise outside that Jia Dongxu had gotten into trouble again.

She rushed out of the house and pinched Jia Dongxu's arm hard.

"Apologize to him? He just kicked me!" Jia Dongxu's eyes reddened with frustration, but when he saw Qin Huairu's murderous glare, he chickened out.

"Jia Dongxu, do you want to be sent to the police station?"

Seeing that Yan Jiecheng had already turned and run away, Qin Huairu quickly ran over and stopped him: "Jiecheng, we're all neighbors in the compound, this is just a small misunderstanding."

Seeing how quickly Yan Jiecheng acted, Jia Dongxu knew he couldn't avoid it this time, so he reluctantly stepped forward and bowed his head to Li Aiguo.

"Li Aiguo, I'm sorry."

Li Aiguo crossed his arms and simply looked at him indifferently: "You made a mistake, and all you have to do is apologize?"

Jia Dongxu's eyes burned with rage, but he couldn't help gritting his teeth and slapping himself.

"My foul mouth! I spout nonsense! I deserve a beating!"

The slap landed on his face, but the pain was excruciating; Jia Dongxu almost burst into tears.

Aunt Liu was waiting for Li Aiguo to help settle Zhang Chunye. When she came out and saw the situation, she quickly stepped forward and pulled Li Aiguo's arm: "Aiguo, today is the day of Diquan's great joy. Let's just let this matter go."

Li Aiguo nodded and looked at Jia Dongxu: "Remember, if you dare to be foul-mouthed again, it won't be as simple as getting kicked."

"Yes, yes, yes," Jia Dongxu's face flushed red as he returned to his room with Qin Huairu's help.

Li Aiguo turned his attention to Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai gave an awkward laugh: "Aiguo, I didn't know the situation either, cough cough."

As he was speaking, Yi Zhonghai suddenly clutched his stomach: "Ouch, my stomach is upset, I'm going back now."

Yi Zhonghai turned around and ran away in a flash, faster than a rabbit.

Jia Dongxu is a good-for-nothing who only makes things worse. Every time he gets the upper hand, he will never show up again.

No, there won't be a next time. I heard that Master Liu, the operator of the four-roll plate bending machine, has taken sick leave, and his plans will be able to begin soon.

Li Aiguo was unaware of Yi Zhonghai's thoughts, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

As the chief wedding planner, Li Aiguo was currently busy arranging a wedding venue for Zhang Chunye.

According to the old customs of the capital, the new bride needs to be brought from the bride's family home to the groom's family home.

Zhang Chunye originally planned to ignore these old-fashioned ideas and just make do.

Aunt Liu, however, was worried that she had been wronged, so she went to follow all the rules.

Li Aiguo contacted the guesthouse of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and asked them to prepare a room. When the staff at the guesthouse heard that he was a friend of Li Aiguo, they immediately arranged a room for him.

Zhang Chunye went to the guesthouse accompanied by Liu Lan.

He Yushui also returned with her purchases: two thermos flasks, two washbasins with large red flowers on them, and two plastic buckets for washing feet. The bridal chamber was now ready.

The third uncle also pasted a big red "double happiness" character on his SUV.

At 9:30 a.m., Li Aiguo drove his SUV to the guesthouse with Liu Diquan to pick up Zhang Chunye.

There were none of the outdated customs for welcoming brides today, no money for getting into the car, and hardly any gifts.

Whether it's the man or the woman, if either of them dares to cause trouble, they'll be criticized and gossiped about behind their backs.

Everything went smoothly. Before 10 o'clock, Li Aiguo brought his new bride to the courtyard house.

Yan Jiecheng was in charge of setting off firecrackers, and Li Aiguo even brought over a loudspeaker from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to make it quite loud.

In those days, there was no custom of playing songs at weddings, and the residents who came to watch all praised it.

Everyone was all smiles, and joy was truly overflowing.

At noon, Nan Yi, along with Liang Ladi and several children, placed the prepared food on the table.

After the simple ceremony, everyone took their seats.

Zhang Chunye picked up her wine glass, walked up to Li Aiguo, and offered him a toast.

"Brother Patriot, thank you so much this time."

"You're too kind." Li Aiguo took the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

He thought the sweet potato stew tasted pretty good.

Sitting at a remote corner of the table, Yi Zhonghai felt incredibly aggrieved upon witnessing this scene.

If he had known that the wedding banquet could be arranged in such a short time, he would definitely have done it before Li Aiguo.

Pity.
In the evening, the wedding proceeded to its final activity: the pranks in the bridal chamber.

The unmarried young people in the compound were waiting outside early.

We live in a new society now, and we value civilized wedding celebrations.

Encouraged by the residents, Liu Diquan and Zhang Chunye shared an apple. When the two faced each other, the young men burst into laughter, and the atmosphere reached its climax.

Just as Li Aiguo was immersed in joy, a banquet was also being held in the expert building of the State Farm General Farm, where guests and hosts were enjoying themselves.

Zhang, the leader of the State Farm, let out a burp, picked up a sausage and took a bite: "Professor, the sausages from your Russian country are really flavorful, they're all meat."

"Eat more if you like. I just brought some more from my hometown a couple of days ago. Take a few back with you later." Professor Selyov also drank half a bottle of vodka, but his expression didn't change at all.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Leader Zhang was quite excited. He was truly grateful to his mentor, who even gave him the sausages for free.

Professor Selyov lit a cigarette, squinted, and said, "I just got back and heard that things have changed a lot at the main site."

"Ugh, don't even mention it! It's all the fault of those guys in the technical department. They've come up with a new type of oil pump, the kind I opposed before, and they're planning to test it in a few days." Mentioning this, Director Zhang felt guilty towards Selyov.

"Professor, you've been working tirelessly for our import of oil pumping units, but those people have changed their minds, making all your efforts futile. However, please rest assured, that thing is definitely useless. Once the technical department suffers a loss, they'll have to come to us for help again."

"You're overthinking it. I only offered my help for the sake of our friendship. I genuinely want to help you, and this little thing won't affect our friendship."

Upon hearing this, Leader Zhang picked up the wine bottle, poured a glass of wine, and handed it to Selyov with both hands.

"Professor, you are my elder brother, my good elder brother."

Professor Selyov took the wine glass, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

The night outside the window grew even darker.

(End of this chapter)