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

Yang Dalin thought he could finally get a good night's sleep on the plane.

I've been incredibly busy these past few days.

There's no time to rest properly.

We arrived in Northeast China in the afternoon.

Yang Dalin went straight to Xiao Cui's new home at the new address that Director Hou had given him.

This is a rural area on the outskirts of a big city.

Conditions are much better than at the border.

At the very least, there is a simple road leading into the village.

It's much better than those border mountain villages.

Yang Dalin drove a jeep, carrying a lot of things, and went to find the village chief.

The village chief was about forty years old and a veteran of the Korean War.

There is a slight disability on his right hand; it looks like he's missing a finger.

Yang Dalin guessed that it might have frozen off on the battlefield.

But he's a very easygoing person.

Yang Dalin couldn't help but wish he could travel back to the early days of the People's Republic of China.

I was sure I could be of great help on the battlefield at that time.

At the very least, it will ensure that these most beloved soldiers are well-fed and warmly dressed, thus reducing many casualties.

The village chief led him to a rather old house located on the edge of the village.

Obviously, it's impossible to build a new house for Xiao Cui's family in the dead of winter.

The village chief also said that next spring, the government will provide some money, the village will provide manpower, and Xiao Cui's family will contribute some, to help them build a new house.

This arrangement is very good.

In reality, Xiao Cui's family couldn't contribute much money; a symbolic contribution would suffice.

Even from a distance, the village chief called out loudly, "Uncle Wang, your family is here! Xiao Cui, Xiao Yuan, your family is here!"

Soon, Xiao Cui and Xiao Yuan ran out of the house.

It seems that their eldest brother's safe return has made Grandpa's health much better.

Then Old Master Wang also came out of the house.

It's obvious that Yang Dalin has arrived.

Xiao Cui and Xiao Yuan rushed over and hugged Yang Dalin's legs.

The old man happily stepped forward, excitedly grasped Yang Dalin's hand, and said, "Thank you, Comrade Yang, my Dashan is back."

He suffered a lot.

But it's good that he can come back.

After a winter of rest, they can be back to work in the fields next spring.

The three of them excitedly surrounded Yang Dalin, talking about their new home and Wang Xiaoshan.

The village chief reminded him, "Uncle Wang, why don't we go inside and talk?"

"It's so cold outside!"

Grandpa Wang then remembered: "Oh right, oh right, I almost forgot in my excitement."

Come on, come on, let's go inside, let's go inside.

Upon entering the house, Yang Dalin carefully examined the old building.

The old house is a bit small and a bit low.

There are only two rooms.

One room serves as both the living room and the cooking area.

One room was a huge fire pit.

Wang Xiaoshan was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), continuing to recover.

Although the house was small, it was warm enough because of the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

It's clear that the village also helped them with the repairs.

The interior furnishings are also quite neat.

Yang Dalin also looked at the grain jar in his house.

There was a lot of grain inside.

That's enough for them to eat.

Xiao Cui introduced her older brother, Wang Xiaoshan, to Yang Dalin.

Yang Dalin pretended that it was the first time he had met Wang Xiaoshan.

I chatted politely with Wang Xiaoshan.

Wang Xiaoshan naturally had no idea that he was actually rescued by Yang Dalin.

At that time, Yang Dalin disguised himself as someone else.

She was also wearing a scarf and hat, which changed her voice.

Wang Xiaoshan naturally wouldn't recognize him.

He was very honest and thanked Yang Dalin for taking care of his younger brother, sister, and grandfather.

I also told him to let me know if I need any help in the future.

I may not have much else, but I do have a lot of strength.

The things Yang Dalin brought prompted the village chief to call his wife over, and they cooked a delicious meal.

I had a drink with the village chief and Grandpa Wang.

At this point, they're not checking for drunk driving anyway.

Tell Wang Xiaocui and Wang Xiaoyuan to focus on their studies, and I'll write to him again when I have time.

He will come to see them again when he has time.

Yang Dalin believed that they would have a better life in the future.

Once this city develops, we might encounter demolition compensation. It's not far from the capital of Jilin province.

Yang Dalin stayed there until it was almost dark before he finally took his leave.

Wang Xiaocui and Wang Xiaoyuan remained standing by the roadside, their eyes red as they watched Yang Dalin drive away.

Yang Dalin returned to Changchun and did not choose to stay another night.

Drive directly to the vicinity of the train station here.

I bought a train ticket to Chengde City, the summer resort.

I'll visit Huang Weiguo's family tomorrow.

I'll be able to get back to Beijing tonight.

This time I was away for almost twenty days.

It's time to go back.

They all miss their daughters and sons.

Besides, the Lunar New Year is just around the corner.

I bought a ticket, but it's for midnight.

Yang Dalin found a place to store the car in his storage space.

Then I set an alarm and went to catch up on sleep online.

I slept until the train was about to leave.

Yang Dalin had just woken up when he left the space and boarded the train.

The train arrived at Chengde Mountain Resort City at dawn.

Yang Dalin exited the train station, found a secluded spot, and released the jeep.

The car was filled with some New Year's goods that Yang Dalin had prepared.

He went straight to the military guesthouse.

Aunt Liu, the widow of martyr Uncle Huang, works here.

Yang Dalin drove directly to the guesthouse.

The staff thought it was Yang Dalin who wanted to stay at the hotel.

The result was that they came looking for someone.

They warmly welcomed him into the guesthouse.

Find out who he's looking for.

They immediately called Aunt Liu, who was still at work.

Aunt Liu saw that it was Yang Dalin who had arrived.

Ask your boss for leave during holidays.

We need to take Yang Dalin home through the alley from the back door of the guesthouse.

Yang Dalin said, "Auntie, I still have some New Year's gifts for you in my car."

Don't go that way, come with me and take the car back.

Aunt Liu said politely, "Come on in, it's good to see us. Take the New Year's goods home with you, we have plenty to eat."

Yang Dalin would never agree to that.

After some pulling and tugging, the aunt finally got into the jeep.

The jeep circled around and entered the courtyard through the gate of the guesthouse's family compound.

They're probably on holiday.

There were many children playing together in the yard.

They are not afraid of the cold.

Even though their little faces were flushed, they were all running around like crazy.

This is a group of children having a snowball fight.

Through the glass, I guess the aunt saw that her two sons were having a snowball fight.

Aunt Liu immediately told Yang Dalin to stop the car.

After Yang Dalin and Aunt Liu got off the bus.

The aunt shouted loudly, "Weiguo, Jianguo, look who's here!"

One of the children, who had grown considerably taller than before, suddenly stopped, and a large snowball landed on his face.

He shook his head, brushed the snow off his hair, and held out his hand: "Pause, pause, my mom's calling me."

After saying that, the guy ran this way.

Yang Dalin recognized him as soon as he got out of the car; it was Huang Weiguo.

The eldest son of martyr Huang Shujia was also the one who wrote the letter to Yang Dalin.

As he approached, Yang Dalin grabbed a handful of snow from the roadside and made a snowball.

It was thrown directly at Huang Weiguo.

Huang Weiguo tilted his head, gritted his teeth, and shouted with a smile, "Brother Dalin, is that you, Brother Dalin?"

When he shouted, his younger brother Huang Jianguo, who was still being hit by snowballs behind him, also stopped what he was doing.

He ran back after them.

"Brother Dalin, my brother Dalin is here! Stop, pause, he's here!"