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

Yang Dalin had no choice but to accept it.

If he didn't accept it, he wouldn't be a friend. Moreover, fearing that Yang Dalin would refuse, Urigen's father insisted on loading several live sheep onto Yang Dalin's truck overnight.

Unable to refuse, Yang Dalin accepted it.

However, Yang Dalin also brought them a lot of vegetables.

The next day, Yang Dalin and his group ate and drank their fill before leaving.

Yang Dalin also set aside some fine grains for the hospitable Urigen and his companions.

These two herders were so kind, hospitable, and generous.

If others are generous, we shouldn't be stingy.

This is the way the drivers in the fleet conduct themselves.

That afternoon, the convoy arrived in the city where the Summer Palace is located.

The convoy will rest here for a while, and we should be able to drive to Beijing tomorrow.

Captain Wang arranged the convoy and asked Tian Xueyi to accompany him to visit Old Huang's house.

Yang Dalin first found the People's Liberation Army representative in the hotel.

The People's Liberation Army had vehicles, and Yang Dalin, admiring Uncle Huang, loaded them with quite a bit of stuff.

There were several burlap sacks, one of which contained a slaughtered sheep and a lot of game.

There are warm clothes made of rabbit fur.

There were also some refined grains, grain coupons, etc.

Two jeeps drove into a mountain village amidst the villagers' awe.

At this time of year, because the sun is shining, people are sunbathing, and there are still quite a few people outside the village. But by evening, there is practically no one left inside or outside the village.

Yang Dalin was riding in a People's Liberation Army vehicle, while the other vehicle belonged to the county's armed forces department.

The two vehicles arrived at the village's brigade headquarters one after the other.

After finding the village's brigade leader and inquiring about Huang Zhongjun's home, the two vehicles, led by the brigade leader, drove to the door of martyr Huang Zhongjun's house.

The house was made of adobe, with a thatched roof, and the earthen walls were less than a person's height.

When the two cars arrived, there was a thin woman in the yard drying wild vegetables.

The woman saw two jeeps suddenly pull up in front of her house.

As if realizing something, he took a few steps back and landed on his bottom, squatting down on the ground.

Yang Dalin and the PLA representative hurriedly got out of the car to go inside and help her.

Then a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old came out of the house. Seeing so many people at the door, he didn't bother to greet them and went to help the woman first.

"Mom, are you alright? Why are you sitting on the ground?"

"Who are these people? Are they my father's comrades-in-arms?"

Yang Dalin looked at the thin mother and son in front of him. Although the mother was wearing a cotton-padded coat, it didn't look very thick.

There are quite a few patches, and the fabric is clearly from several years ago.

The boy's clothes were the same; his cotton-padded jacket had a piece of fabric of a different color attached to the bottom.

They were both thin and short, with bright, piercing eyes.

At that moment, an eight- or nine-year-old boy and a four- or five-year-old girl ran out of the house.

The two children came out and hugged the woman, looking at Yang Dalin and the others with curiosity.

These are clearly Uncle Huang's two sons and one daughter.

The woman was helped up by her eldest son, so Yang Dalin didn't feel comfortable offering to help her up either.

I just don't know how to bring it up.

The two PLA representatives were clearly experienced.

One of the older majors spoke up: "Sister-in-law, you must be Comrade Liu Juhua, Huang Zhongjun's wife, right?"

The woman nodded.

The major, along with the captain who came with him and two men from the armed forces department, stood in front of the woman, stood in neat rows, and gave a solemn salute.

Then the major said, his voice trembling with emotion, "Comrade Liu Juhua, we are comrades-in-arms of Comrade Huang Zhongjun. We have some unfortunate news to tell you: Comrade Huang Zhongjun... has sacrificed his life..."

No sooner had the major finished speaking than Liu Juhua rolled her eyes and fainted.

Later, they found an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who helped Liu Juhua wake up on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Before that, everyone went inside the house and found that the martyr's home was extremely poor.

The furniture was simple, and the family slept on a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) in the east room.

Yang Dalin looked at the rice jar and saw that there wasn't much grain in it. Most of it consisted of a small amount of dried sweet potatoes and cornmeal, along with some dark flour. He didn't know what kind of flour it was made of.

There wasn't much firewood in the yard, so when the village head went to find the old Chinese medicine doctor, Yang Dalin picked up the wood-chopping knife from the martyr's house, asked the villagers, and went to the back mountain to help chop firewood.

The captain who came with them also knew that Liu Juhua was only temporarily unconscious and that it wasn't a big problem. Seeing that Yang Dalin had gone out, he followed him.

The two people from the armed forces department helped fetch water and tidy up the house.

When Yang Dalin and the captain returned, each carrying a large bundle of firewood.

Liu Juhua has woken up.

While chopping wood, Yang Dalin chatted with the captain and learned that this was Uncle Huang's direct superior, the head of the security department of a certain military factory.

The major was Uncle Huang's former company commander.

He is also currently the deputy director of the security department at a certain military factory.

He was also Uncle Huang's old comrade-in-arms.

Uncle Huang's remains were left in the Martyrs' Cemetery.

The army gave out a pension of 500 yuan.

Uncle Huang was posthumously awarded a first-class merit.

A plaque reading "Home of Martyrs" will be hung in their home.

Liu Juhua will be assigned work.

Logically speaking, a deputy head of the security department shouldn't live in such poverty.

The captain told Yang Dalin that many of them divided their wages into several parts, sending one part home and the other parts to support the families of comrades who had died on the battlefield.

Not only did Uncle Huang do this, but he and the major did the same.

It's because of the natural disasters these past two years.

We would feel really bad if we didn't lend a hand.

So it's not surprising that Uncle Huang's family is so poor.

Although Yang Dalin did not agree with their approach, which involved hardship for their families and self-sacrifice, his disagreement did not mean he did not admire them.

Uncle Huang's family was just a little poor, but the children all had clothes to wear. They weren't at the point where only the adults had clothes while the children hid on the kang (a heated brick bed).

It seems Uncle Huang isn't so pedantic after all.

When they returned to Uncle Huang's house, Aunt Huang, Liu Juhua, was already awake.

The traditional Chinese medicine doctor said it wasn't a big problem, but she fainted from excitement.

However, he needs more rest and recuperation; he is suffering from severe malnutrition.

The major had the old Chinese medicine doctor prescribe some medicine, paid him a consultation fee, and then sent the old doctor away.

There were too many people watching the spectacle in the courtyard and inside the house.

The major spoke to the production team leader.

Several village officials and the brigade leader's wife were left behind.

Most of the onlookers went about their business.

However, before everyone left, the major loudly announced: "Comrade Huang Zhongjun is a martyr and a first-class meritorious soldier in the army. I hope everyone will help his widow and children in the future."

If I find out who bullies them in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless.

The major seems to have a lot of experience and knows a lot about the dirty deeds of bullying the families of martyrs.

This is a warning shot.

Yang Dalin keenly noticed that after the major finished speaking, a middle-aged man in the group shrank back.

One of the village officials also looked rather unwell.

The production team leader and his wife looked normal.

It seems the production team leader shouldn't have much of a problem.

As these people were about to leave, Yang Dalin stood at the door and shouted loudly, "Wait!"

Yang Dalin called out Huang Weiguo, Uncle Huang's eldest son.

Yang Dalin put his arm around Huang Weiguo's shoulder: "Weiguo, tell me, when your father wasn't home, did anyone bully your family here? I'll avenge you!"

Huang Weiguo glanced at his mother lying in the inner room, then at his father's four comrades-in-arms carrying pistols, and at his older brother Yang Dalin in his military overcoat. Confident, he pointed with his small hand: "Yes, there's Huang Dafa, and Huang Zhongshi, the team leader of the village's first team."