In the courtyard, everyone is afraid of the little boy who is so smart!

Zhao Xiu'e greeted them warmly with a friendly smile on her face. She kept saying words of welcome and at the same time stepped aside to welcome them into the house.

Her enthusiastic attitude seemed to warm the air in the room.

After entering the house, she hurried to the simple stove and picked up a few slightly rough clay bowls.

He scooped some cool well water from the water tank nearby and carefully brought it in front of everyone, handing them out one by one, muttering to everyone to drink the water to quench their thirst.

Zhao Shuzhuo quickly took the bowl of water with both hands and bowed slightly to express his gratitude. After a brief greeting, he asked again:

"Aunt, where is Village Chief Wang? We are here because we have something important to discuss with him in person."

Zhao Xiu'e waved her hand gently, and said with a hint of helplessness on her face:

"He is always busy. At this moment, he is probably busy with official business in the village office. Don't worry, I will send someone to call him back."

As she spoke, she stood up and walked with quick steps to the wall beside the yard.

The wall was covered with traces of time, and a few unknown grasses grew in the cracks. Zhao Xiu'e stood still, took a deep breath, raised her voice and shouted to the neighbor:

"Yang Chan, Yang Chan, stop playing around with Xiao Juan. I have something important for you to do."

"Hurry up and go to the village office to call your uncle back. Tell him that there are guests at home. Ask him to come back quickly and don't dawdle."

The sound echoed in this quiet courtyard.

After a while, Yang Chan's crisp and cheerful response was heard from next door, followed by the sound of brisk footsteps.

She ran out quickly like a lively deer and her figure soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

After Zhao Xiu'e arranged to call someone, she turned around and slowly went back into the house. Her steps were a little heavy, as if she was slowed down by memories of the past.

After entering the room, she gently straightened her clothes and slowly sat down next to Zhao Shuzhuo and the other two.

There was still that warm and hospitable smile on his face, but there was a hint of vicissitudes between his eyebrows.

Wang Jianguo saw Zhao Xiu'e sitting down and thought this was a good time to find out more about the situation, so he asked softly:

"Aunt, I just heard you call her Yang Chan. It turns out that Yang Chan is your niece. I thought Yang Chan was the niece of Village Chief Wang."

Zhao Xiu'e raised her head slightly, her eyes showing a trace of distant thoughts, but with a smile on her lips, she spoke to Wang Jianguo:

"Yes, Yang Chan is from my sister's family. I'm not originally from here."

"A few years ago, my hometown suffered a severe famine. It was really a nightmare."

"The fields were barren and people were starving everywhere. I had no choice but to leave my homeland with my family to escape the famine."

She paused and took a deep breath, as if she wanted to exhale the sadness and pain along with the air.

"But who could have imagined that the road to escape famine would be so difficult. Along the way, disease and hunger continued to take people's lives."

"My sister's family couldn't survive the hardship on the journey. They all starved to death, leaving only poor Yang Chan."

At this point, Zhao Xiu'e's eyes turned red. She raised her hand and gently wiped the corners of her eyes, then continued:

"My heart was almost broken at that time, but I told myself that I must live with Yang Chan."

"We wandered all the way and came here by chance. It was also our good fortune that we met the husband of my family."

"He was very kind-hearted. Seeing how miserable we were, he not only gave Yang Chan and me food, but also didn't look down on us at all just because I had a child."

A trace of relief gradually appeared on Zhao Xiu'e's face.

"I thought at the time that there are still good people in this world. From then on, I followed him."

"And he treated Yang Chan so well, just like his own child."

"I have never looked at Yang Chan differently just because she is not my biological daughter. For so many years, I have always held Yang Chan in my hands and cherished her."

Zhao Xiu'e was a very straightforward person. She couldn't keep things in her heart, nor could she hold back her words.

As soon as she talked about children, it seemed to touch the softest and most sensitive string deep in her heart.

In an instant, it was like opening a chatterbox filled with stories, all about Yang Chan's life from childhood to adulthood.

Like a flood breaking through a dam, words poured out of her mouth in an endless stream.

From Yang Chan's naive appearance in childhood, to the funny things she did in her childhood, to the intelligence and cleverness she gradually revealed in her adolescence.

She told every detail one by one, and every expression and every movement was filled with deep pampering and love for Yang Chan.

Just as the four of them were sitting together, immersed in the warm and relaxed atmosphere of chatting, a sound of footsteps was heard outside the house coming closer and closer.

It turned out that Wang Jiqing heard that there were guests at home, so he hurriedly put down the work at hand and rushed back home.

He walked hurriedly, with a look of curiosity and doubt. Following behind him was the lively Yang Chan.

Her little face was slightly flushed, and there were a few drops of sweat on her forehead. It seemed that she had been jogging all the way back.

Wang Jiqing stepped into the room and glanced quickly at everyone.

When he saw that the people coming were Zhao Shuzhuo and Wang Jianguo, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and then he quickly stepped forward.

However, when his eyes fell on Cheng Erhua, he couldn't help but be slightly startled, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

But he quickly came to his senses, and extended his hand enthusiastically, shaking hands with Zhao Shuzhuo and Wang Jianguo one by one. The strong handshake seemed to convey his sincere welcome and greetings from his heart.

His voice was loud and kind, and he said:

"The child ran to call me and said that there was a guest at home. I was wondering who it could be all the way."

"I never expected it to be Captain Zhao and Comrade Jianguo! You are such rare guests!"

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Cheng Erhua again and asked inquiringly:

"But who is this young comrade?"

Seeing this, Zhao Shuzhuo hurriedly stepped forward, with a polite smile on his face, and introduced Wang Jiqing in detail:

"Village Chief Wang, this is Comrade Cheng Erhua from our village. He is working as an employee in the supply and marketing cooperative that we are about to open."

"Speaking of his father, you should have an impression of him. He is the fourth master carpenter with superb craftsmanship in our area."

"Master Cheng Si's carpentry work is famous for its fineness, and he is also a well-known figure in our village."