Siheyuan: I am the seventh uncle of Banggen

"I was demobilized due to injury, and the regiment commander gave me his sword," said Zhang Dabao.

"Good boy, it seems that he thinks highly of you. That guy likes this thing the most. Let me see where there is a suitable house." Li Huaide returned to his desk and took out a booklet from the cabinet. After looking at it for a while, he said, "Here is it, No. 95 compound, there are a few houses in the backyard of our factory, take a look at the big label."

Zhang Dabiao walked over and took a look. The two northern rooms and three eastern rooms in the backyard were all empty. "Old leader, can you give us these five rooms?"

"Da Biao, according to the standards, you should get two rooms and Xiao Huang should get one. If they are all given to you, the other comrades will be dissatisfied," said Li Huaide.

"Old leader, you are our commander's comrade-in-arms. We are from the same army. You are my predecessor. I heard that your aunt comes from a wealthy family. She may like Commander Wu's specialties. I have two bottles of foreign wine in my bag. Can you help me treat others to a meal and do some work? Just say that Zhang Dabao is a wounded soldier after all, and he has a brain disease and needs care." After Zhang Dabao finished speaking, he took out the diagnosis certificate issued by the doctor and showed it to Li Huaide.

After reading it, Li Huaide thought for a while and said, "Da Biao, you are seriously injured. You are a war hero, so you should be taken care of. I will do as you say. Da Biao, which department are you assigned to? If you have any problems in the factory in the future, just come to me. Just tell others that I am your cousin."

"Thank you, cousin. What is this circle?" Zhang Dabao pointed to the east side of the east wing in the backyard.

"The former cattle shed in Yard 95 has no house on it now. There was a bit of a peculiar smell on the ground when the weather was hot. It is now empty," said Li Huaide.

"Uncle, can I buy it? I come from the countryside and I like to grow things," Zhang Dabao asked Li Huaide.

"Okay, just pay the additional three hundred yuan. The area is not small, about three hundred square meters." Li Huaide explained because he was afraid that Zhang Dabao would be unwilling.

"Okay, cousin, I'll go get the money," Zhang Dabao went out and stayed at the door for a while, then took out two bottles of red wine with foreign language prints from his bag and three hundred yuan and went into Li Huaide's office.

"Good boy, you come prepared. I'll write you a note. Will you still renovate the house? Go find the infrastructure engineer Kang Qianjin later. I'll give him a call. He knows you are my nephew and can give you a much lower price." Li Huaide did another favor.

Zhang Dabao returned to the Personnel Department with the note and said, "Xiao Huang, it's done. Go find Chief Kang to renovate the house."

"Secretary Zhang, how many rooms are there?" Section Chief Hu was also very concerned.

"Chief Hu, I got three rooms and Xiao Huang got two. Isn't that a coincidence? We were talking in Director Li's office and it turned out that Director Li is my mother's aunt's cousin, my uncle. Our two families haven't been in contact since he joined the revolution. I didn't expect to meet my relatives here," Zhang Dabao said with a smile.

"That's such a coincidence," Section Chief Hu also laughed.

The two of them asked for home visit leave from the Personnel Department and Section Chief Hu, and went to work on the sixth day after the Spring Festival. Then they went to the Infrastructure Department to find Section Chief Kang and told him their renovation requirements, especially that the bedroom must have a kang. They just needed to tidy up the messy things in the yard, and after the spring, they would have to plow the land and farm. Zhang Dabao left a fee of 200 yuan, which would be refunded if they exceeded the amount or supplemented if they lacked. After settling the bill at work, Section Chief Kang gave the two of them some new keys and said that he would replace the locks for them when the time came.

The two of them left the steel mill and headed straight for the train station. Zhang Dabiao saw Huang Xinsheng off on the train, and he took a rickshaw to the bus station and took a bus to his hometown, Zhangjia Village, Xiangyang Commune.

Zhangjia Village is 20 kilometers away from Beijing. Zhang Dabao, sitting on the bus, looked out the window and saw almost no pedestrians on the road. It is winter now and a difficult time. The autumn harvest this year is not optimistic. Most people are lying at home to reduce energy consumption.

An hour later, we arrived at Xiangyang Commune. After getting off the bus, Zhang Dabao walked another four or five kilometers to Zhangjia Village. When he arrived at his home, the house he imagined to be dilapidated was actually quite new. It seemed that someone was helping to maintain it. The door was closed, but there was smoke coming out of the chimney, so someone must be living there. Someone had occupied his house. Zhang Dabao was furious and tapped the door with his crutch, and it opened.

"Who is it?" A woman in her twenties came out, whom Zhang Dabao did not recognize.

"Who are you? Why do you live here?" Zhang Dabao said, holding his breath.

"This is my home. If I don't live here, I should live somewhere else. Get out of here right now. What is a disabled person asking questions about?" The woman spoke very unpleasantly.

After hearing what the woman said, Zhang Dabao couldn't control himself anymore and hit the woman on the shoulder with the crutch in his hand. The woman was stunned for a moment, probably because she didn't expect someone to hit her. She was about to curse when the crutch hit her on the back for the second time, each time harder than the last. She couldn't bear the pain anymore and shouted towards the door, "Zhang Shoucheng, someone hit me."

A young man in his twenties ran out and asked, “Who is so brave as to cause trouble at this time?”

Zhang Shoucheng was also greeted by the cane, again and again, and was soon knocked to the ground. The woman's screams became louder, and someone heard it - several neighbors came out.

"Are you Dabiao?" Someone recognized Zhang Dabiao.

"The village chief is here," someone said, and then a man about fifty years old appeared.

"Young man, who are you? Why are you hitting people?" the village chief asked Zhang Dabao.

"Fourth uncle, you are such a forgetful person. My own house has been occupied by someone, and I can't fight back against the robbers?" Zhang Dabao said to his uncle Zhang Zhiling who lived in the next room.

"Are you Da Biao? You're back?" Zhang Zhiling said in surprise.

"Uncle, when was my house distributed to others? I joined the army to defend my country, but you ransacked my house?" Zhang Dabao did not answer the village chief's question, but continued to look at the village chief and ask questions.

"Da Biao, you misunderstood. Shoucheng from your eldest brother Zhang Dasong's family lives here. You beat Shoucheng and his wife," explained the village chief.

"You let them live there?" Zhang Dabao's eyes made Zhang Zhiling dare not look him in the face.

"No, isn't Dasong your cousin? You've been in the army for five years and there's no news. The clan held a meeting and adopted Shoucheng to you. He has no place to stay when he gets married, so where else can he live if not here?" the village chief explained.

"Ha..." Zhang Dabao laughed, "Fourth uncle, Zhang Shoucheng is the only junior in the clan? It was because Zhang Dasong was incompetent that you were made the clan leader. At that time, the clan held a meeting and said that if the eldest grandson was capable, he would become the clan leader after you left. I remember that Zhang Shoucheng was the eldest grandson. Can the eldest grandson in the clan be adopted by someone else? Is this the rule you set? If I remember correctly, Zhang Shoucheng is two years older than me. I have little experience and have never heard of a son being two years older than his father? Who is sending whom off?" After Zhang Dabao finished speaking to Zhang Zhiling, he turned around and looked at Zhang Shoucheng and his wife lying on the ground.

The village chief Zhang Zhiling also looked unhappy. His nephew Zhang Dabao didn't give him any face at all. He just stood there and didn't know what to say.

"Who attacked our family, you bastard?" a shrew rushed towards Zhang Dabao.

Zhang Dabao was not polite either. He hit her on the leg and knocked her to the ground. She wanted to curse, but when she saw Zhang Dabao's cold eyes, she didn't dare to curse and stood up and wanted to run away.

"Sister-in-law, if you leave, I will go to your house to light up the restaurant. You can try it?" Zhang Dabao's voice was not loud, but the woman was scared.

"Da Biao, I won't leave. I'll ask Shoucheng to move back now." The woman was scared. It was this man. When she was thirteen years old, she scolded his father, and he chopped her with a knife. Her cotton jacket was torn and the wound on her back was half an inch deep. Even so, he still didn't let her go. He chased her for more than a hundred meters with a knife. When she went home and closed the door, he chopped the door again and again, scaring her to the point of peeing. In the end, her second uncle came and persuaded him to stay. She went to his father and knelt down to apologize, and he let her go. Now she is still a little scared when she thinks of that scene.

"Shoucheng, where are my family's things?" Zhang Dabao asked Zhang Shoucheng again.

Zhang Shoucheng kept his mouth shut.

Zhang Dabao's cane hit them down again and again, without a trace of expression in his eyes.

"Da Biao..." Zhang Shoucheng's mother loved her child and wanted to say something, but when Zhang Da Biao looked over, she quickly shut her mouth.

"Uncle, he's in the east room," Zhang Shoucheng said quickly, fearing that he had been beaten.

Zhang Dabao walked into the house and took a look. He saw things were in a mess, so he turned around and walked out.

"Shoucheng, pack him up before the New Year and don't put things in the wrong place, otherwise I won't forgive you," Zhang Dabao said to his nephew lying on the ground.

"Fourth uncle, this house is mine and no one else can occupy it. Whoever occupies it will bear the consequences. If someone comes to rob it, I hope you can tell him. Otherwise, if someone dies, it will be difficult for you to be the village chief. I will stay in the small house in front of the ancestral grave for a few days to accompany my parents and second uncle. Don't let anyone come over." Zhang Dabao said a few words to Zhang Zhiling, then walked up the hillside with a crutch.

After he walked away, Zhang Shoucheng and his mother and son stood up. "Fourth Uncle, those who were demobilized came back in the autumn, but Zhang Dabao came back at this time. He must have run away. He is a deserter. I want to report to the government," Zhang Dasong's wife said to Zhang Zhiling.

"You can report it or not, but don't tell me. I don't represent the government, so what am I?" Zhang Zhiling also got angry and turned away.

Seeing that there was nothing exciting to watch, the neighbors left. Zhang Shoucheng, his mother and his two sons discussed it together, and Zhang Shoucheng went to Xiangyang Commune.

Chapter 4 Visitors from the Commune

There is a small house about 100 meters in front of the Zhang family cemetery. There is a shed next to the house for cooking. The house is more than 10 square meters and was used by the people who guarded the cemetery. There is a kang, a water tank and other items inside. It can be lived in after a little cleaning. It is said that the small house was built during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, a scholar appeared in the family, and the family gradually prospered. The clan paid for the house and found someone to guard the cemetery.

Now it is a new society, and there is no one to guard the cemetery. It is winter, and no one has come for a long time. The house is very dirty. Zhang Dabao put his luggage into the space, took out a broom and started to clean. The house is built on the hillside. Not far in front of the house is a small ditch with water flowing all year round. There is a small road above the ditch, which winds its way to Qinjiagou, a village deep in the mountains of Xiangyang Commune.

After cleaning, Zhang Dabiao cut a lot of grass and spread it on the kang, brought a bucket of water from the ditch and filled the large water vat in the house. He cut a tree from the ditch and dragged it to the front of the house, ready to light the kang. After the fire was lit, the smoke in the house was so thick that Zhang Dabiao choked. He went out of the house and came to his parents' graves, and began to tell his parents about his experiences over the years.

"Is Comrade Zhang Dabao here?" a voice shouted.

"It will be over soon." Zhang Dabao stood up and returned to the cabin.

"Comrade Zhang Dabao, you have been in the army for five years. Are you retired and coming back?" asked the older one of the two people standing at the door.

"Yes, is there something? Come in and talk." Zhang Dabao invited the two people into the house.

"Someone just said that you beat someone up and you escaped back. We are from Xiangyang Commune and came here to ask about the situation," said the older man.

"Is there a problem if I beat up a robber who robbed my own home? I joined the army to defend my country, but after I came back I had no home. Can you tell me why? My legs haven't healed yet, and a grenade knocked me unconscious. I stayed in the hospital for more than a month, and you treat me like this? I dare not say that I am a meritorious minister, but at least I have made some contribution to the country. Should I suffer such a fate?" Zhang Dabao asked several questions in a row, and the two people from the commune could not answer.

"This is my material. You two take a look at it. I won't go to the steel mill. I will go back to the army tomorrow. When I get back, I will ask the leaders of the army what I should do. I can't shed blood and tears." Zhang Dabao continued to put pressure on the two.

"Captain Zhang, you are seriously injured." The young man saw the diagnosis certificate the doctor gave to Zhang Dabao.

Zhang Dabao did not answer.

After reading all the materials, the two men handed them to Zhang Dabao. The older one said, "Captain Zhang, I understand your situation. We will go back and report to the leadership immediately and will definitely give you a reply. Please don't cause trouble for the leaders of the army for now."

After the two of them finished talking, they walked out of the hut. Zhang Dabao also came out, but he didn't come to see them off, but started chopping wood.

The cemetery was exceptionally quiet at night, but Zhang Dabao was not afraid at all. All those buried there were his closest relatives, and what others were afraid of was exactly what he liked. Zhang Dabao slept exceptionally well, just like when he was lying in his mother's arms when he was a child.

The leaders of Xiangyang Commune did not get a good rest tonight. The two people who returned reported Zhang Dabao's situation to the leaders and said that Zhang Dabao wanted to return to the army to appeal for justice. The first and second in command of the commune slammed the table on the spot and demanded that those who occupied the combat hero's house be arrested immediately. They also wanted to severely criticize Zhang Zhiling, the village chief of Zhangjia Village.

Zhang Dasong did not show up for what happened during the day. He originally wanted to be the last buffer zone, but he did not expect his little cousin to be so stubborn. He beat people up without saying a word. Zhang Dasong is a little angry now. He has invested a lot of money in this house. The roof was repaired once, and the wall is covered with mud every year. He thought his little brother died on the battlefield, but he came back. Now the house is not big enough for him. The second son Shouyue and the third son Shouping have grown up and are about to get married. What should he do?

"Build another house, and after dawn, go to your aunt's house in the city to see if you can borrow some money. I can borrow some from other brothers. Don't mess with your seventh uncle in the future. That man has been a soldier and has killed people. He is very ruthless." Zhang Dasong was afraid that his son would cause trouble for Zhang Dabao, so he gave him some special instructions.

At dawn, Zhang Dasong had just knocked on the gate when he was tortured by Director Liu of the commune and his men. "Leader, why is this happening? I haven't broken any law," Zhang Dasong shouted loudly.

"Zhang Dasong, isn't it illegal for you to rob someone else's house? Let me tell you that is the home of a combat hero. Who gave you the courage to rob the house?" Director Liu of the commune said loudly, "And you, Zhang Zhiling, can you still take care of the village affairs? If you can't, just tell me earlier and I will find someone to replace you. Do you have no eyes or ears? You don't know about such a big thing? You are the uncle of a hero. What kind of uncle are you to do such a thing?"

Director Liu's words made Zhang Zhiling feel ashamed, but there was nothing he could do. As the village chief, he was under the jurisdiction of the commune, so he just endured it. He lowered his head and said nothing.

"Leader, Dabiao and I are cousins. We have the same grandfather, and his father is my third uncle," said Zhang Dasong.

"That's even more inappropriate. You're robbing the houses of brothers who have the same grandfather. Are you still a human being?" Director Liu scolded.

"The leader and I have held a meeting in our clan. I have adopted my eldest son to my younger brother. He joined the army and we are afraid that he might have an accident on the battlefield. The house is for his son to live in." Zhang Dasong did not want to be taken away, and continued to explain to Director Liu.

"Is that the son adopted by Comrade Dabiao?" Director Liu also knew that there was a custom in the village to adopt sons to brothers. He thought that Zhang Dasong was somewhat human, and he was worried that his brother who was a soldier would have no descendants.

Zhang Shoucheng came over with his body bent. Director Liu was so angry that he laughed when he saw him, "Zhang Dasong, you dare to deceive the organization? This guy is a few years older than Zhang Dabao. How can he be his son? Take him away." Zhang Dasong was taken away while crying.

Zhang Dasong's wife stopped Zhang Zhiling who wanted to leave and said, "Fourth Uncle, you have to find a way to save Dasong."

Zhang Zhiling didn't want to get involved, but he couldn't leave. "Dasong's wife, how can I get involved? I can't. Dabiao didn't like me yesterday, and you saw it."

"Shouping, go call your sixth uncle. Your youngest uncle has a good relationship with him. Let's go and beg him." Zhang Dasong's wife was also quite clever.

Zhang Dasen, the youngest son of Zhang Dabiao's second uncle, came over and asked, "Sister-in-law, what's the matter?"

"Dasen, your elder brother has been captured by the people from the commune. Please go and talk to Dabiao to release him," Zhang Dasong's wife began to beg her cousin.

"Da Biao has such a bad temper, what can I say?" Zhang Dasen was a little embarrassed. He also heard about what happened yesterday.

"Dasen, ask Dabiao what he wants. We will do it even if we have to sell everything we have, as long as Dasong is released. Shouping is still young and can't be without his father," said Zhang Dasong's wife.

"Okay, Fourth Uncle, you have to go with me. I don't dare to go alone," Zhang Dasen called to Zhang Zhiling who was standing beside him.

Zhang Zhiling had no way to go up the hillside with Zhang Dasen.

"Da Biao, you're back," Zhang Dasen said, scratching his head.

"Sixth brother, you and Fourth Uncle must have something here, just say it directly." Zhang Dabao asked the two to come into the house and sit on the edge of the kang.

"Da Biao, my brother was captured by the people from the commune today. My sister-in-law asked me to beg you to release him. If you have any requests, you can just say them directly and they will agree to them." Zhang Dasen went straight to the point.

"Sixth brother, what do I lack? What does Zhang Dasong have? Fourth uncle, can't you see such things? Now I ask you, have you ever said anything about Zhang Dasong and his son? I actually have the most opinions about you. You are the elder, the village chief, and the leader of our clan. I always thought that you are fair, but today it seems that you are different from what I thought." Zhang Dabao directed his spearhead at Zhang Zhiling.

"Dabao, your fourth uncle was wrong in this matter. I thought the same as they did. We all believed that you would never come back. Zhang Dasong was wrong, but he is also my uncle's grandson. You have the same grandfather." Zhang Zhiling admitted his mistake directly and began to persuade Zhang Dabao.

"Please let Zhang Dasong, this beast, go for the sake of my sixth brother. My grandfather loves him, but what kind of things has he done? Fourth uncle, I want to sever ties with Zhang Dasong's family. We are no longer brothers, and we will no longer have contact at weddings or funerals. Please call a meeting," Zhang Dabao stated his request.

Zhang Zhiling thought for a moment and asked, "Is it with Zhang Dasong's family, or with Brother Zhifeng's branch?"

"Did Zhang Dayang and Zhang Dabai also participate in occupying the house?" Zhang Dabao asked.

"No, it was all the idea of ​​Zhang Dasong and his wife," said Zhang Zhiling.

"That's Zhang Dasong's family, including his children. We will have no contact with them in the future. After the meeting, let Sixth Brother come to get the letter of understanding, and then find someone to go to the commune to take him back," said Zhang Dabao.

"Okay, then you take a rest. If you have anything, let us know in the village." Zhang Zhiling and the other man had completed their mission.