Reborn veteran, lying flat since high school

The first alley at the east end of Tangjia Village is where Tang Yisheng's residence is located.

The entire eastern side of the alley, as well as the southernmost drying ground, were Tang Yisheng's homesteads.

The alley next door to the east is a lake bay, which extends southwards and is much longer than the alley where Tang Yisheng lived.

At the southernmost point is a large family surnamed Zhai. There are no neighbors to the east, and it borders the lake bay.

The second house from the south is level with the drying yard.

Their family had long been accustomed to using the outhouse here. It was a short walk around the grove of trees by the bay, and it saved them the expense of hiring someone to clean their latrine.

It's just that after a while, people started to think that the Tang family's outhouse was a public place.

Tang Luquan's family moved away and got a new little kid. The couple even considered paving a brick road in the small woods by the bay.

When it rains, the ground becomes muddy and slippery. The so-called paving is nothing more than using the bricks from the Tang family construction site in the drying yard to make a stepping stone for their own outhouse in the future.

Before the couple could even begin, the workers at Tangjia's drying yard started dismantling it.

When the Zhai family saw this, they were shocked!

If the latrine is demolished, where will they continue to take advantage of the situation?

So the whole family stormed over and made a scene.

At that time, Tang Yisheng was still in the provincial capital and did not know.

Finally, village chief Tang Lucheng intervened, and the matter was dropped.

Actually, scolding or beating someone to drive them away would also work.

The Tang family can demolish or rebuild their own outhouse whenever they want; they have every right to do so.

However, as the village head, Tang Lucheng has to consider many more aspects.

Moreover, Tang Luyuan went abroad, while Tang Luquan remained in the county town, reflecting the difference in their closeness in terms of distance.

Furthermore, given what Tang Luquan did, it's clear he won't be able to get along well with his nephew in the future.

Tang Lucheng weighed the pros and cons for a long time, choosing not to take on any responsibilities in a high-profile manner to avoid wasting effort for no reward.

However, it is an undeniable fact that Tang Yisheng had already fallen out with his neighbors upon his arrival.

After a while, around lunchtime, two bicycles arrived in the village; they were delivery drivers from Chaoyang Restaurant.

An oval, double-layered wooden case was strapped to the back seat of a bicycle.

The huge restaurant didn't even have a tricycle, which suggests that food delivery services weren't just uncommon these days, but simply nonexistent.

"Sister-in-law, why don't you eat before you leave?"

A sumptuous feast was laid out on the coffee table in the main room.

Second Aunt Zhao Xiumin and Sixth Aunt Sun Lixiang were so happy they couldn't close their mouths.

Such a fine feast is rare in the village; we're in for a treat at noon!

Tian Xiaocui, however, seemed extremely uncomfortable. Upon hearing Tang Yisheng's invitation to eat, she reflexively dashed outside.

"I wasn't really able to help much, so I couldn't possibly stay for dinner..."

Tian Xiaocui has a sharp tongue.

She said it unintentionally, because she had to deliver lunch to the county hospital and relieve her mother-in-law at noon.

Even if they're busy all morning, they don't have time to stay for lunch.

But after she said that, her second aunt and sixth aunt felt embarrassed to sit down.

Especially Aunt Sun Lixiang, who had already sat down, stood up awkwardly again, looking at Tang Yisheng and Tian Xiaocui pulling at each other at the door, her eyes full of resentment.

How can a new bride talk like that!

You don't eat it, but you won't let others eat it either. Is that how you do things?

Her husband was lying in the hospital half-dead, and she was getting handsy with some young man. She's clearly not from a good family...

Tang Yisheng was experienced in life, and he knew as soon as Tian Xiaocui spoke that she was sure to offend someone.

They came to help out of kindness, and they were the most efficient and hardworking of the three. We can't let their kindness go unappreciated and instead invite their complaints.

"Sister-in-law, you can't leave empty-handed. How about this, you share some of the dishes on the table with your second and sixth aunts, otherwise I'll feel really bad."

"this……"

Tian Xiaocui hesitated, then noticed Tang Yisheng secretly winking at her.

My first thought was that my handsome little cousin was trying to seduce me.

Her face immediately turned red, and she quickly pulled her arm back.

I subconsciously glanced at the village chief's aunt, who had sat down and then stood up again... before I belatedly realized what was going on.

A feeling of being touched suddenly welled up inside me.

This handsome cousin is looking out for me, trying to smooth things over.

Village chief Tang Lucheng puffed on his cigarette as he entered the alley. He glanced at the abandoned vegetable garden a couple of times before seeing his wife walking out of Tang Yisheng's house.

Didn't you stay for dinner?

Oh, maybe it's meat and vegetables that haven't been cooked yet.

Can a boy who's only half a kid cook?

Tang Lucheng even doubted whether Tang Yisheng, after living in the provincial capital for so many years, could cook or steam buns.

Huh?

Tang Lucheng suddenly noticed that his wife was carrying several plastic bags, which were oily and steaming hot.

This is great!

It's more satisfying to eat it at home.

And it's obvious that the dishes were ordered from a restaurant.

Leaving aside Tang Yisheng, who was still a teenager, neither his own wife, nor his second brother's sister-in-law, nor Mei's young wife probably had that skill.

"You did a lot of work, and you even got to eat and take some food."

As the village chief, when it comes to matters concerning his own relatives, he will definitely have to complain a bit to show his attitude in front of outsiders.

"You're mistaken. We just took it; we didn't sit down to eat."

Zhao Xiumin and Tian Xiaocui walked behind, laughing and teasing each other.

Tian Xiaocui looked at Zhao Xiumin gratefully.

Zhao Xiumin gave her a reassuring look.

She's her second aunt, after all. It's no big deal.

Tang Yisheng is quite perceptive; he directly separated the food and let people take it away, thus avoiding unnecessary problems.

"Xiaocui, you still need to go to the hospital, right? Hurry up, don't dawdle, your aunt is waiting for you to bring her food."

Zhao Xiumin sent Tian Xiaocui away and walked west along the roadside with the village chief and his wife.

"Young people often speak without thinking; what can we, as elders, possibly argue with them about?"

Zhao Xiumin said casually.

"Yes, everyone knows her background, so no one will take a little girl seriously."

Sun Lixiang also figured it out.

Putting aside what will happen later, we must act magnanimously in front of the second son's family.

"What's going on? Are you still going to argue about it?"

"It's a woman's business, and you, a grown man, are still asking about it..."

Zhao Xiumin made a joke.

Villagers aren't usually that particular about what they say, especially since the two families are relatives from the same neighborhood.

After Zhao Xiumin turned into her own alley, Tang Lucheng asked Sun Lixiang again.

"Yisheng booked a table of food at a big hotel and asked us to stay for lunch. Tian Xiaocui was supposed to leave, but she insisted that she hadn't done much work and felt bad about staying for lunch, which made us feel uncomfortable too."

"So you still brought food out, didn't you?"

"That's because Yisheng is particular. He said if you don't leave any food here, you have to take it with you. Otherwise, he'll be very unhappy. What can I do?"

As Sun Lixiang spoke, she held up the plastic bag she was carrying in front of Tang Lucheng.

"What kinds of dishes are they?"

Tang Lucheng took it and opened the bag to look at it as he walked.

"They ordered six dishes and a soup; apart from the dumpling soup, they were all main dishes."

"Wow, not bad at all. Go back and get that half-bottle of sweet potato liquor from home. If we don't drink it, the smell will dissipate."

In Dongtou Hutong.

Tang Yisheng locked the courtyard gate.

This group of scheming, nitpicking old women and young wives have finally left.

It's best to avoid contact with them in the future; it's too upsetting.