The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Tian Xueyi laughed for a while, then pointed to a pear and asked, "What variety is this? Why does it feel so soft?"

Yang Dalin glanced at it, then looked ahead and said, "That's a noodle pear, a special variety from my hometown. It's crisp when it's freshly picked, but the skin is quite hard."

If left for a while, the pulp will turn into a mealy texture, just like eating a steamed bun, and it will make you feel full.

The one you're holding is already doughy. Try using a little less force; you can break it open with one bend.

But eat it in small bites, otherwise you'll choke.

With a gentle push, Tian Xueyi broke the pear apart.

I picked up half and took a bite. The taste was alright, a little sour, not very sweet, and it was mealy, even more mealy than a noodle apple.

Eating them together can be a bit dry, but thankfully these pears aren't very big.

It was finished in just a few bites.

Tian Xueyi gnawed the pear core until only the seed remained, and he couldn't bear to throw the core away.

He took out a handkerchief and wrapped the pear core in it.

Yang Dalin tilted his head, watching Tian Xueyi's actions, and asked, "What's up, Brother Tian? Getting ready to go home and plant some crops?"

Tian Xueyi said, "Yes, it really does feel like eating grain. I'm thinking of taking it home and planting it in front of my house to try it out."

I'll send some more back to my hometown so that my fellow villagers can plant them and give it a try.

In case of another famine, they can use it as food.

Yang Dalin thought to himself, "When I was a kid, I really didn't eat much of this stuff, because a few of these kinds of pastries would make me feel full."

Then he couldn't eat anymore. Brother Tian had experienced the battlefield of hunger and then this famine.

He also cherishes food.

I just don't know if these seeds can be grown.

Anyway, when we plant new pear trees in my hometown in the future, we won't use seeds; we'll use grafted seedlings.

Otherwise, if you rely on seeds to germinate and plant them, and then wait for them to grow, flower, and bear fruit, goodness, that would take many years.

However, Yang Dalin wouldn't dampen Tian Ge's enthusiasm.

Yang Dalin said, "Then you can give it a try."

However, please keep the seeds safe and plant them in the spring after winter. Then, when I have the chance to go back to my hometown next spring, I will bring you a few seedlings.

Otherwise, planting these seeds would be a bit slow.

Tian Xueyi forced a smile and said, "It's okay, I'll go slower, I'll give it a try."

Tian Xueyi then took out a lumpy pear and asked him, "What kind of variety is this? Why does it look so ugly?"

Yang Dalin said, "This is a lumpy pear. It gets a bit mealy after being left out for a while, but it doesn't feel as filling as a mealy pear."

It tastes alright, but it looks ugly, with bumps all over the surface. There are hardly any of these pear trees in the whole village back home.

The best-tasting one is the small one, called the Fragrant Pear. That one is the sweetest and most delicious, but the yield is low and the fruit doesn't grow very big.

And the one next to it is a sour pear. It's really sour, but steaming it is good for people with coughs. It's like it can cure coughs.

The other two are a long-stemmed pear and a short-stemmed pear.

Tian Xueyi looked at the different kinds of pears but didn't eat any more. He had just eaten two, and since it hadn't been long since lunch, he wasn't very hungry yet. He planned to eat more later.

In the afternoon, the convoy stopped once to relieve itself, and continued driving until evening, when it reached Wen County and stopped for the night.

It's more than 300 kilometers from Jin County to Sijiu City. At this speed, it's impossible to reach Sijiu City in an afternoon.

Visibility is poor at night, road conditions are terrible, and driving at night is not very safe.

This time, the team leader learned his lesson well.

After 8 p.m., two people work in shifts to guard the car, carrying guns.

Each shift lasts two and a half hours, and it doesn't stop until six o'clock the next morning.

To prevent petty thieves from coming to steal things again, so that the same thing can happen in that county town last time.

Yang Dalin was given special consideration, while He Tianxueyi took the first shift.

Yang Dalin tried to decline, saying that he would be fine working the second half of the night shift.

As a result, everyone went along with him, saying that he was young, sleepy, and needed to rest.

Unlike those roughnecks, they can go a night without sleep without any problem.

Yang Dalin couldn't refuse everyone's enthusiasm.

Wearing thick clothes and wrapped in a coat, I sat in the car with Tian Xueyi, chatting idly.

Then, Tian Xueyi would occasionally go down for a walk.

Actually, Yang Dalin's hearing is still intact, so it doesn't matter whether he goes down or not.

However, since Brother Tian insisted, Yang Dalin couldn't say anything.

However, the two of them waited until almost midnight before going to have someone else come.

Let him stay on duty for a shorter period; two hours per shift will suffice.

Afterwards, everyone thanked the two of them.

Nothing happened overnight. Before six o'clock the next morning, Yang Dalin woke up on time, got up to wash and eat, and set off again as soon as it was light.

When they passed Xiao Cui and Xiao Yuan's commune, the team leader took the initiative to turn the car around to Lao Bai's restaurant so that everyone could rest for a while.

Give Yang Dalin some time to go and see Xiao Cui and Xiao Yuan, the two children.

Yang Dalin carried a large backpack filled with pears and apples, as well as some grain.

I saw Xiao Cui and Xiao Yuan again.

The two little ones looked much better than last time.

Xiao Cui and Xiao Yuan immediately recognized Yang Dalin.

She pounced directly on Yang Dalin's legs.

Xiao Cui's eyes were red, but she didn't cry. Xiao Yuan, a boy, cried loudly.

It took Yang Dalin a while to calm her down.

After chatting with Xiao Cui's grandfather for a while, Yang Dalin put down the things he had brought and left amidst the two children's reluctant gazes.

Yang Dalin sometimes felt that he was hard-hearted enough, but every time he saw the two children, he felt very reluctant to part with them.

Perhaps I am not a truly strong person; I can be soft-hearted and can't stand certain things.

They will pity some people who need pity.

As the saying goes, those living at the bottom of society cannot bear to see the suffering of others.

Yang Dalin hardened his heart and left with Lao Bai.

Once back in the car, Tian Xueyi noticed that Yang Dalin wasn't in high spirits.

I asked him, "What's wrong? Are you upset because you saw those two poor children?"

Yang Dalin nodded: "Yes, a little."

Tian Xueyi said, "From childhood to adulthood, I have seen far more people who are more pitiful than them."

I also saw quite a few dead people.

People who starved to death, people who were bullied to death by the white dogs, people who were beaten to death by the common people, and comrades who were killed by the enemy.

It's not that I'm heartless, it's just that I've seen too much of it and I've gotten used to it.

Relatively speaking, they are already quite good.

As long as we get through this disaster, everything will be alright.

At least they won't be as vulnerable as they were in the old society, where life was as cheap as grass.

Try to think positively. We're already lucky to be alive.

Yang Dalin actually knew that this disaster was more of a man-made one.

He just couldn't say it, and Brother Tian knew a little about it, but he couldn't say it either.

For some important figures, this is merely growing pains of development; for him, it is a matter of life and death.

He knew he couldn't change much, he could only do his bit.

The convoy traveled in a long procession until after 1 p.m. before finally arriving in Beijing.

Although it was lunchtime on the road, the convoy did not stop to eat, as everyone planned to wait until they got home to eat.

Because there are families who care about them, families who are waiting for them, and families they miss.