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

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

Da Niu chased after him, his voice hoarse and strained.

"You just came out of there, can't you shut up for a bit!" Da Zhuang cursed fiercely, but his steps unconsciously slowed down.

When Da Niu caught up, he stretched out a thick arm and grabbed Da Niu's neck. The two of them pushed and shoved each other, their arms around each other's shoulders, and ran towards the west end of the village.

At this point, the village entrance was in complete chaos.

A dozen or so men who had just escaped death in the city were surrounded by their elderly parents and wives before they could even go home.

There was laughter and tears in the crowd. Some people grabbed their sons' arms and touched them from head to toe, as if they were afraid of losing a piece of their flesh.

Some people looked at the layers of gauze that were seeping blood and were so heartbroken that they wiped away tears on the spot.

Some hot-tempered old men would simply swing their pipes and give their sons a good beating on the back.

"You little bastard! You said you'd get a stable job in the city when you left! Look at the state you're in now, you almost lost your life!"

The man being beaten didn't dare fight back. He could only cover his head and run around the truck, pleading, "Dad! Stop hitting me! So many people are watching, have some decency!"

A burst of laughter immediately erupted around them.

The gloom and fear that had hung over Kaoshantun for many days were finally washed away in this rough and bustling atmosphere filled with cries, laughter, and curses.

Zhao Shanhe ignored his brothers who were making a ruckus.

He held Niu Niu steadily in one arm and held Lin Xiu tightly in the other, walking slowly home along the familiar dirt road through the noisy crowd.

Niu Niu was like a piece of chewing gum stuck to him, her two little arms tightly wrapped around his neck, refusing to get down no matter what.

"Father, are you leaving this time or not?"

"I'm not leaving."

"real?"

"Really." Zhao Shanhe's voice was very soft.

"Niu Niu wants to sleep with Daddy that night."

Lin Xiu, whose eyes were still red, couldn't help but gently pat her daughter's bottom when she heard her daughter's words, and said reproachfully, "How old are you and you're still clinging to your father? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"

Niu Niu buried her face in Zhao Shanhe's broad neck and declared confidently, "Dad is mine! I won't give him to anyone!"

Zhao Shanhe grinned and smiled silently.

He lifted his daughter a little higher into his arms, his tone indulgent: "Okay, Daddy will hold you while you sleep tonight."

The family of three walked back side by side along the dirt road.

Along the way, villagers carrying basins and bowls kept running out to greet Zhao Shanhe warmly.

"Shanhe, you've got to have a few drinks with this old man tonight!"

"I still have half a piece of cured pork that I saved for the Lunar New Year. I'll bring it all over to you in a bit!"

"Uncle Shanhe, I'm going to the threshing ground to help you move tables!"

Zhao Shanhe protected his wife and child, nodding and smiling all the way.

However, when they reached the century-old elm tree in the center of the village, Zhao Shanhe suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He squinted slightly and looked into the distance.

Under the old elm tree in the center of the village, a thin figure appeared out of nowhere.

Zhao Xiaoyu stood quietly by the dirt road, carrying a faded blue cloth bundle on her back.

She was clearly preparing for a long trip; her old padded jacket was washed clean, and her hair was neatly tied back with a black cloth strip.

However, several hideous scratch marks were left on his once handsome left cheek, stretching diagonally from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth.

Unlike before, she didn't cover her face completely with a headscarf; she stood there without any concealment.

He gripped the straps of the bundle tightly with both hands, the backs of his hands reddened by the cold wind of early autumn.

His knuckles were thick, and a thin layer of calluses had long been worn down on the base of his thumb and the palm of his hand.

Lin Xiu followed Zhao Shanhe's gaze and slowly stopped walking.

Niu Niu nestled on Zhao Shanhe's broad shoulder, her big, dark eyes fixed on the woman under the old elm tree, and timidly whispered:

"Little Aunt..."

Upon hearing this childish address, Zhao Xiaoyu's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

She first looked at Niu Niu, who was being held firmly in Zhao Shanhe's arms, then at Lin Xiu standing beside him. She managed a dry smile and then took a step forward.

Zhao Shanhe glanced at the light bundle on her shoulder.

"Are you leaving?"

"Um."

Zhao Xiaoyu nodded. "Aunt Wang asked someone to find me a job in the county town. It includes meals and accommodation. The pay isn't much... but I want to try it out first."

Zhao Shanhe looked into her calm yet slightly hesitant eyes and asked, "Have you thought it through?"

"I've made up my mind."

Zhao Xiaoyu lowered her head and glanced at her rough, cracked hands.

"From now on... I won't rely on anyone else."

"I'll do whatever I can myself. If I don't know how, I'll learn slowly."

She swallowed hard, her thin shoulders tensing slightly. "As long as I can still move my hands and feet... I have to rely on myself to survive."

Zhao Shanhe remained silent.

Zhao Xiaoyu adjusted the bundle on her shoulder and continued, "I came here today for no other reason than to hear the villagers shouting that you and Da Niu are back."

"I don't know when I'll be able to go back to Kaoshantun after I leave. So I wanted to come and take one last look before I go."

She stared intently at Zhao Shanhe, then at Lin Xiu and Niu Niu, her eyes gradually reddening.

"It's good to see that you're all doing well..."

Lin Xiu's eyes welled up with tears as she listened, and she turned her head slightly to the side.

Zhao Shanhe looked at the several hideous scratches on Zhao Xiaoyu's face and remained silent for two seconds.

"Life in the county town is tough; be careful when you're out there."

"I know."

Zhao Shanhe then asked, "Do you have any money for the journey?"

Zhao Xiaoyu was clearly taken aback.

She seemed completely unprepared for Zhao Shanhe to bring this up at this time.

"have."

She nodded quickly, her voice tinged with panic, "Aunt Wang lent me five yuan first, and I wrote it down carefully in my notebook. I'll pay her back as soon as I get my first month's wages."

Zhao Shanhe looked at her and slowly nodded.

"Now that you've made up your mind, be more careful in the future."

Zhao Xiaoyu's eyes instantly turned red.

She quickly lowered her head, blinked hard a few times, and forcefully suppressed the tears that were about to well up.

"Um."

She responded emphatically, then looked up at Lin Xiu beside her.

"sister in law."

Lin Xiu looked at her quietly.

Zhao Xiaoyu swallowed hard, her voice lowering: "What happened before, I'm sorry to you and Niu Niu. I don't ask for your forgiveness, from now on... you should live your lives well."

The emotions in Lin Xiu's eyes were extremely complex.

After a moment, she sighed softly and nodded.

"Take care of yourself too."

The emotions in Lin Xiu's eyes were extremely complex.

She looked at Zhao Xiaoyu's scarred face and calloused hands, and remained silent for a moment.

She sighed softly.

"Going out to work is different from staying at home; you have to consider whether you're comfortable or not."

"Don't get stuck in a rut when you encounter difficulties, and don't be afraid of hardship. As long as you are willing to work hard and steadily, life... will gradually warm up."

Zhao Xiaoyu bit her lower lip hard and nodded desperately.

"I know."

She didn't say anything more, and her gaze finally fell on Niu Niu in Zhao Shanhe's arms.

The little girl was wearing a clean, coarse cloth jacket, her cheeks were rosy, and she was staring at her with her big, dark eyes.

"Niu Niu,"

Zhao Xiaoyu spoke softly, her voice slightly strained.

Looking at the clean and tender little face in front of her, she recalled how she had always found ways to make things difficult for this mother and daughter at home, and how she had never even given this little niece a proper look. It felt like a handful of rough sand was stuck in her throat, stinging painfully.

"From now on, listen to your parents at home. Eat more and grow up quickly..."

She swallowed hard, her eyes reddening, and added, "When you grow up, be a good son to your parents, and never be like your aunt."

Niu Niu nodded as if she understood, looked at her, and asked earnestly, "Auntie, will you come back again?"

Hearing this naive question, Zhao Xiaoyu felt as if something had clenched her heart.

"Come back, I..."

Her voice choked with emotion, and she couldn't help but raise her rough, cracked hand, wanting to touch Niu Niu's head.

But as he reached out halfway, he hesitated and stopped in mid-air, as if worried that Zhao Shanhe and Lin Xiu might have some reservations.

Lin Xiu did not speak.

She took only a small step forward, gently supporting Niu Niu's back to let the child move a little closer.

Zhao Xiaoyu's eyes instantly turned red.

She then carefully lowered her hand and touched Niu Niu's soft hair.

"Once my aunt learns a skill, earns money, and makes a good living for herself, she will come back to see Niu Niu."

Niu Niu nodded seriously.

"Then Auntie should come back soon."

"it is good."

Zhao Xiaoyu responded with a heavy thud.

She withdrew her hand, hastily wiped away the tears on her face, and tightened the light blue cloth bundle on her shoulder again.

Finally, she gave Zhao Shanhe a deep look.

"elder brother."

Zhao Shanhe's eyes flickered slightly.

"I'm leaving."

After saying that, Zhao Xiaoyu turned around. Facing the cold wind of early autumn, she walked steadily along the bumpy dirt road in the village, her back slender yet extremely firm.