Chapter 47 Cousin Zhou Dayong

Zhang Xingwang knocked on the door and looked into the yard.

There was no one there. Just as he was wondering if he had arrived too early, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw a woman with gray hair staring at him intently, tears in her eyes, and asked with a choked voice:

"Xingwang, your illness is really cured."

As he said that, he walked over quickly, took Zhang Xingwang's hand, and looked at him carefully.

Zhang Xinwang was also looking at his aunt. She was not actually very old, but the years had left obvious marks on her face, including a waist bent by life, tanned skin, and hands covered with calluses.

It seems that my aunt has suffered too much over the years. Looking at her excited face, I feel mixed emotions. At this time, the little girl said timidly:

"Hello, auntie, I'm Xiaoya"

The eldest aunt smiled and responded, picked up the little girl and said:

"You clever little thing, you still remember your aunt"

As he spoke, he opened the door and pulled Zhang Xingwang in. The yard of my aunt's house was also quite large, and there was a small vegetable plot next to the wall.

There are four adobe houses in the house, which look quite old. The roof of the one at the end has half collapsed, revealing the blackened beams. There are also many large holes on the wall that look like spider webs.

I took a look before entering the house. The yard was very tidy. There were a lot of wild vegetables and dried chilies drying by the wall, as well as some unnamed medicinal herbs. The yard was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.

It's obvious that the owner of the yard is very hardworking. But these days, hard work doesn't mean you can fill your stomach.

I walked into the house and took a look. There was basically no furniture. There was only a tattered table, two benches, and a mottled wardrobe.

My aunt got off work a little early and prepared to go home to make some cornmeal porridge so that she and my cousin could have some during the lunch break.

There is a big pot of rice in the village, but it is just enough to fill your stomach. Everyone tacitly cooks their own meals at home and eats them during their rest time.

Otherwise, the body can't bear the heavy physical labor every day. My aunt's family can only have such a meal at noon after the old man brings corn noodles. Before, they had to eat water in the village and wait for work on an empty stomach.

I told my aunt that I had recovered and what I had done recently. My aunt looked at the brand new bicycle in the yard and said happily:

"Last time your grandfather came and said you were well, I didn't quite believe it. This time I see you looking so energetic, I feel relieved."

After saying this, he remembered to pour a glass of water for Zhang Xingwang and the little girl, and said with relief:

“The men in our Zhang family are capable, and you are just like your father, both are capable.

But you are weak, you should take care of your body and don’t do anything dangerous, your family is counting on you, right?”

After chatting with my aunt for a long time, I remembered the snakeskin bag on the bicycle.

Zhang Xingwang took the bag and started taking things out, taking out a lot of odds and ends. At first, his aunt kept saying that it was too expensive, that the family just got better off and that he didn't need it.

As I watched more and more things being taken out, it seemed endless. I was a little confused as to how so many things could be put into the bag?

Looking at the 20-foot cloth, several large bags of snacks, soap, towels, toothbrushes, brown sugar, melon seeds, peanuts, fruit candies, and a flashlight on the table.

The eldest aunt was completely stunned and said solemnly:

"Why did you bring so many things? Life at home is tough, so I'll ask you to take them back later."

After showing the fishmonger's sign and the bicycle at the door to her aunt, she reluctantly accepted the things he brought, but she refused to take the cloth and kept saying that Zhang Xingwang had many family members and she wouldn't listen to any explanation.

Originally, the eldest aunt was planning to cook some cornmeal porridge to feed her cousin, but when her nephews and nieces came, she started kneading the dough to prepare steamed buns, saying that there was nothing good at home, so they would have a meal together when her cousin came back.

While his aunt was cooking, Zhang Xinwang took his younger sister to the yard and looked around. The collapsed room should be a kitchen and it looked like it could not be repaired.

This kind of situation also happens in the village. When encountering such a situation, the villagers will call on everyone to lend a hand and help rebuild it. They will not ask for any wages, as long as the host can provide a meal.

But things are different now. The food in the canteen is not enough to fill your stomach, and if you don’t go to work your work points will be deducted. Plus, my aunt’s family can’t afford the meals for the workers, so it’s delayed.

After my aunt had finished cooking, my cousin Zhou Dayong came back. Before he even entered the house, he shouted:

"Mom, why didn't you go over to eat?"

After entering the yard and seeing the bicycle, he asked in surprise, and then went into the house:

"Mom, is there anyone coming home?"

When he entered the house, he saw Zhang Xingwang and his sister. He stared at Zhang Xinwang and said

"This should be Xingwang, and the one next to him must be Xiaoya"

Zhang Xingwang's first impression of his cousin was that he was a typical village man, with a tall and thin figure and a signature loud voice, giving people a very cheerful feeling.

The eldest aunt invited us to start eating, and while eating she happily told her cousin about what happened after Zhang Xingwang recovered from his illness and the bicycle at the door.

When the cousin heard this, he patted Zhang Xingwang on the shoulder and said frankly, "Great!" His shoulder hurt from the pat. It seemed that the cousin and the eldest sister had inherited the Zhang family's strongman gene.

After finishing the meal, they sat down and started chatting. Zhang Xingwang asked about his cousin's girlfriend, but the straightforward cousin became dull and hesitant, scratching his head.

It was my eldest aunt who explained the whole thing in a few words.

There was a girl from the He family in the village who used to be very close to her cousin. But when her family found out, they immediately cut off the relationship between the two.

When she said this, her aunt also looked remorseful. At this time, her cousin did not hesitate, but said sincerely:

"I can't help it. My family doesn't even have a decent adobe house. We can't make ends meet. How can I mess with the girl? That would hurt her. The girl's family did nothing wrong."

It seemed that my cousin really liked her, and then he asked about her situation. The girl's name was He Chunyan, five years younger than my cousin.

She has two older brothers, and her family is relatively well-off in the village. Her father and cousin have similar personalities, both are warm and cheerful country men, but her mother has some power.

Because my cousin He Chunyan had a lot of unpleasantness with her family, she is now 21 years old and has not yet found a marriage. She is already considered an old maid in the village.

When my cousin talked about this, his face was full of regret. He must be blaming himself for delaying other people's affairs.

After hearing this, Zhang Hongniang immediately came online, took out 50 yuan from her pocket, handed it to her aunt and said:

"Aunt, take this money. Grandpa sent you some corn flour a while ago. We'll be done soon. Ask the villagers to clean up the house."

After saying this, seeing that the aunt was stunned and didn't answer, he continued:

"Aunt, you can't refuse this money. My nephew is making money now, so everything else is easy to deal with. The main thing is that my cousin is old, and we can't delay any longer.

And it's not just him, you can't let the girl down. My nephew is capable of making money now, so you should take it with peace of mind. Everyone has a hard time, and our family has just come out of hard times."

Seeing that my aunt was still indifferent, I had no choice but to transform myself into the Lord of Morality and said earnestly:

"If it doesn't work, just consider it a loan. My cousin can pay me back slowly after he gets married.

And, aunt, you can't just think about yourself. You should think more about your cousin and the girl.

It's obvious that both of them are waiting for each other, and they can't keep dragging it on like this. There was no way before, but now that we have money, let's get my cousin married first.

If you delay any further, my cousin will really be a bachelor. You can't just watch the Zhou family die without an heir. If my uncle knew, he would definitely agree."

My aunt and cousin were silent for a long time. My cousin clenched his fists and looked up at my aunt who looked at her with a bewildered look on her face.

Then he stood up, grabbed Zhang Xingwang's arm, and when Zhang Xinwang was about to cry in pain, he said seriously, word by word: