Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The Jiefang brand truck headed north, and the further away from the city it got, the narrower the road became.

The smooth cement road gradually turned into a bumpy dirt road, and the gray factories and tenement buildings on both sides had long since disappeared, replaced by large areas of birch forests that were just turning yellow, and layer upon layer of dark green mountain ridges in the distance.

When we first left the city, the truck bed was bustling with activity.

The group of men scrambled for the roast chicken, sang in their hoarse voices, and waved wildly at the cyclists on the roadside.

But after the truck had been bumping along the mountain road for more than two hours, the excitement that had been building up for everyone gradually dissipated.

Da Niu was the first to fall asleep leaning against the side of the carriage.

He was still clutching the half-eaten chicken bone tightly in his hand, his head swaying wildly from side to side with the car body, and finally slammed onto Dazhuang's shoulder with a "thud".

Dazhuang pushed him away in disgust, and less than half a minute later, his own head drooped down, and he started snoring with his mouth wide open.

Old Black, Monkey, and the remaining men from Kaoshantun all huddled together and fell asleep.

Some people were resting their heads on each other's laps, some were huddled in corners wrapped in tattered cotton-padded coats, and two people were jostled together, muttering a few curses but not even opening their eyes.

They were so tired.

These days, everyone's nerves are stretched to their limit.

The tension finally eased only when the bull was sitting in front of him, completely intact, and when the truck had completely driven out of the city.

Zhao Shanhe sat alone on the outermost side of the truck bed, gripping the cold iron railing with one hand, quietly watching the mountains and forests rushing past on both sides of the road.

The wind blowing in my face became more and more familiar, carrying the scent of damp earth, pine needles, and withered leaves.

Zhao Shanhe took a deep breath, and the stale air that had been pressing on his chest seemed to dissipate completely.

"Comrade Zhao Shanhe!"

The driver suddenly poked half his head out of the cab and shouted into the wind, "Which way do we turn at that fork in the road ahead?"

Zhao Shanhe looked up and glanced around: "Turn right! After crossing the stone bridge ahead, keep following the ravine!"

The driver pulled his head back and jerked the steering wheel. The truck roared as it rounded the intersection, its heavy tires crushing the ancient stone bridge.

After driving for another ten minutes or so, wisps of pale blue smoke finally rose from the distant mountain valley.

Low-lying mud-brick houses are scattered along the mountainside, and the threshing ground, the old elm tree at the village entrance, and the dirt road that Zhao Shanhe could walk on blindfolded are all clearly visible.

We've arrived at Kaoshantun.

Zhao Shanhe's grip on the railing tightened slowly.

There was no earth-shattering excitement, nor the exhilaration of raising his fist and shouting at the entrance of the detention center. He simply looked at the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys and felt his heart, which had hardened in the city for many days, suddenly soften and collapse.

The roar of the truck startled the stray dogs at the village entrance. Several large yellow dogs darted out from behind the woodpile and chased after the wheels, barking wildly.

A few children playing marbles by the roadside looked up. One of them, with sharp eyes, stared at the truck bed for two seconds, then suddenly threw down the marbles and ran wildly into the village at the top of his lungs.

"Uncle Shanhe is back! Uncle Shanhe is back with Uncle Da Niu and the others!"

The childish shouts spread like wildfire throughout half of Kaoshantun.

The tightly closed courtyard gates were pushed open one after another, and villagers carrying rice bowls, holding children, and carrying fire pokers rushed out and surged towards the village entrance.

Old Black, startled awake by the shouts, groggily raised his head: "Where are we?"

The monkey rubbed his eyes and looked around, instantly waking up. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "We're home! Brothers, wake up! We've arrived at Kaoshantun!"

The group of men, who had been lying haphazardly, suddenly woke up.

Niu suddenly straightened up, his forehead slamming into Dazhuang's chin with a "bang," causing Dazhuang to curse loudly in pain.

The truck bed was in complete chaos again.

Some people hastily put on their cotton-padded coats, some wiped the drool from the corners of their mouths, and some even stood up and waved frantically at the familiar figures at the village entrance through the railing.

"mother!"

"Dad! I'm home!"

"Don't push! My arm's still in a sling!"

The truck rumbled into Kaoshantun.

The villagers lined both sides of the road, some laughing, some wiping away tears with red eyes. The elderly whose children had followed Zhao Shanhe into the city chased after the truck, searching for their sons.

Zhao Shanhe did not join the crowd in shouting.

From the moment the truck drove into the village, his eyes were constantly searching eagerly in the crowd.

Soon, he saw it.

Lin Xiu, wearing a faded blue cotton-padded jacket, stood outside her own courtyard gate.

She had clearly rushed out after hearing the commotion, not even having time to take off her apron, her flour-covered hands clenched awkwardly in front of her.

Niu Niu was held tightly by her side.

At first, the little girl opened her big, bright eyes and tried hard to look into the truck bed.

When she clearly saw Zhao Shanhe sitting on the far right, she was stunned for a moment.

The next second, she suddenly broke free from Lin Xiu's hand and ran wildly toward the truck with her short legs.

"father!"

The child's tender voice, tinged with sobs, pierced through all the noise of the crowd.

Zhao Shanhe felt as if something had struck his heart heavily.

Before the truck had come to a complete stop, he grabbed the handrail of the truck bed with one hand and jumped down without hesitation.

Zhao Shanhe landed firmly on his feet, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

He had just half-squatted down when a soft little bundle of flesh crashed into his arms.

"father!"

Niu Niu clung tightly to Zhao Shanhe's neck with her little arms, buried her face in his broad shoulders, and cried so hard she could barely breathe: "I thought you didn't want me and Mom anymore..."

Zhao Shanhe's heart instantly melted into a pool of water.

He tightened his strong arms and lifted his daughter up steadily, his rough hands gently patting her sobbing back.

"How could your father abandon you? Your father is back now."

He stood up, holding Niu Niu, and looked up.

Lin Xiu had already walked up to her.

This usually gentle and delicate woman had her eyes red as a rabbit's at this moment.

She stared intently at Zhao Shanhe, who was unharmed, and then at her brothers who were jumping out of the truck bed one after another, all of them injured but lively.

She didn't cry out loud, but simply raised the back of her hand, which was covered in flour, and vigorously wiped her eyes.

"It's good that you're back."

Lin Xiu's voice trembled, but a reassuring smile appeared on her lips: "The dumplings with sauerkraut and pork filling at home are almost ready, and your favorite sauerkraut stew with pork is simmering in the big iron pot... I've been keeping track of the time, it's still piping hot."

At this moment, Da Niu, Da Zhuang, and Lao Hei all jumped off the vehicle.

Looking at Lin Xiu, these rough men, who had been bloodthirsty and daring to cause trouble in the city, all shrank back somewhat awkwardly.

Da Niu stepped forward, his voice muffled: "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have made you all worry."

Looking at the emaciated Da Niu, Lin Xiu couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She quickly turned around and hastily wiped her hands with her apron.

The surrounding villagers also crowded around.

Some held their sons' hands, looking them up and down; others wiped away tears of heartache; still others laughed and scolded loudly. The elderly, women, and teenagers who remained in the village surrounded the dozen or so men who had just escaped death. The entire entrance to Kaoshantun village was in an uproar.

Zhao Shanhe held Niu Niu in one arm, looking at the chaotic yet bustling scene before him, and took a deep breath of the crisp early autumn air.

Zhao Shanhe grabbed Lin Xiu's flour-covered hand and glanced at the pairs of red eyes around them, eyes filled with ecstasy.

The pent-up frustration in my chest dissipated completely, replaced by a surge of exhilarating emotion that soared to the top of my head.

He suddenly raised his voice, which drowned out all the noise at the village entrance.

"Today is a good day!"

Zhao Shanhe shouted, "All our brothers who went to the city are safe and sound, not one of them is missing!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even louder cheers.

"So today, our whole village is having a feast!"

Zhao Shanhe raised the hand that was holding Lin Xiu's and shouted to the villagers of Kaoshantun: "Every household, bring out your tables and benches and set them up in the threshing ground! Bring out all your best wine! Today, no matter who you are, the whole village will make dumplings and eat meat together!"

These words immediately caused an uproar at the entrance of the village.

"Okay!"

"Let's have a village feast!"

"Dazhuang! Hurry home and dig out that jar of baijiu your dad buried in the cellar!"

Da Zhuang slapped his thigh, his eyes practically red with excitement: "Wow! I'm going to drink every last drop today!"

Old Hei slapped the monkey on the back of the head and yelled, "What are you standing there for! Go to the threshing ground and move a table!"

After being quiet for many days, Kaoshantun suddenly burst forth with amazing vitality, like a drop of cool water splashed into a boiling oil pan.

The men roared and ran to the threshing ground to move tables and benches.

The women rolled up their sleeves, some ran home to fetch basins of flour, others went to the cellar to get sauerkraut, and all crowded into Zhao Shanhe's spacious courtyard, ready to knead dough, chop filling, and make dumplings together.

The boys, barely out of school, ran excitedly all over the village, chasing after the big yellow dogs, barking and shouting.

Da Niu stood in the middle of the crowd, looking at the bustling atmosphere of the village, and then glanced at Zhao Shanhe, who was standing not far away, smiling at him. The tears in his eyes were completely squeezed out by his bright smile.

He sniffed hard, rolled up the sleeves of his tattered cotton-padded jacket, and roared at Dazhuang's back.

"Hey Dazhuang, you son of a bitch, wait a minute! I'll go with you to get the wine!"