The children playing at the head of the village saw a visitor riding a donkey and leading a large buffalo in the distance, so they pointed and shouted.

"Look, whose family is coming to visit relatives again, and they are still bringing a big buffalo to pay New Year's greetings, it's so funny!"

A seven- or eight-year-old child named Axe grabbed his cousin named Saw, and said while running over to meet Liao Chengzhi: "Hurry up and greet you, it may be that your uncle came to pick up your mother and go back to her mother's house for the Lantern Festival!" Your uncle's family is rich, and it is not an old tool to give your family a cow. ”

On the other side, the iron pillar pulled Xiao Holly and pointed at the visitor to show him, and said in his mouth: "Holly, let's see if it will be your father, didn't you say that your father went out to make a lot of money, and he should have come back a long time ago?" I can't tell if it's your dad who made a lot of money and came back! ”

Little Holly didn't hear anything else, only heard the word "Daddy", and immediately turned around and ran home, shouting as he ran: "Daddy is back!" Daddy is back! Tie Zhu was two years older than Holly, and he was much more sensible, so he immediately chased after him and grabbed him, shouting: "Didn't you tell you to see if it was your father first?" Why don't you shout without looking at it? If it weren't for your father, your mother wouldn't have beaten your ass! ”

Xiao Dongqing's face was bitter all of a sudden, and she turned around and ran towards Liao Chengzhi, who was getting closer and closer. Before he could get to him, Little Holly recognized his father. While running towards his father, he shouted loudly: "Dad! Why haven't you come back now, Xiao Dongqing and her mother miss you so much, and your mother cries in the bed every night. ”

Liao Chengzhi saw his son running behind other children, hurriedly jumped off the donkey's back, and waited for his son to run to him, so he carried his son to the donkey's back and sat down with his legs crossed. While walking, he supported his son's small body. Xiao Dongqing's cousin Lin Quanbao saw that the visitor was really his uncle who went out to do business, so he ran home with his feet and rushed into the house like a small cannonball.

The family is worried and anxious about Liao Chengzhi, who is almost the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and has not yet returned. Lao Lin was also anxious, but he saw that his daughter didn't eat, drink or sleep. tortured himself undecently, so he couldn't help but reproach her: "You! See what it's all about? Your child is still breastfeeding now, and you don't eat or sleep like this, if you delay your child, I think you will regret going! ”

Lin Quanbao rushed into the courtyard gate and shouted to his grandmother and aunt: "Grandma, auntie, our uncle is back!" ”

Liao Lin immediately hugged Xiao Dongming and trotted out of the yard. Lao Lin was just busy talking about his daughter, and he didn't understand his grandson's words, so he was stunned: "Baozi, what are you talking about?" ”

Lin Quanbao replied loudly while following his aunt and running out reflexively: "My uncle is back and bought a big buffalo and a donkey." I also carried a number of cloth bags. ”

Lao Lin understood now, and his son-in-law finally came back safely. Everyone else ran out to meet Liao Chengzhi, but she hurriedly ran to the eldest uncle's house to find her wife who was out to come back.

Outside the entrance of the village, on the narrow ridge road, Liao Chengzhi watched the road carefully, not to be accidentally squeezed off the field by the donkey, and at the same time to help his son not to be excited and accidentally fall down. The donkey was followed by a large, fat and sturdy buffalo. The two sides of the back are full of large bags and small bags, which are full of things that Liao Chengzhi bought. The big buffalo was followed by a long group of children, one of whom was in the way of the old cow. I couldn't see Holly riding a donkey, so I shouted in a hurry: "Holly! Holly! Isn't it fun to ride a donkey? ”

Another child said louder: "Riding a donkey is not majestic in riding a big horse, when my family has money, I will ask my father to buy me a big horse to ride!" ”

Another child shouted: "Horseback riding is not as good as riding a carriage, not afraid of rain!" ”

Liao Chengzhi listened to the children's arguments funny, and he also came here when he was a child. I knew in my heart that these children also wanted to be able to ride donkeys and play. He stopped the donkey and the buffalo, and picked up his son and carried him on his shoulder. Then he said loudly to the children behind him, "This donkey." I'll take turns riding for a while, which of you will come first? ”

Now the children in the back exploded, all vying to come first. Later, it was Xiao Dongqing who shouted at the best iron pillar who played with him: "Brother iron pillar, come quickly!" Tie Zhu heard Xiao Dongqing's shout, and without saying a word, he crawled through the belly of the cow and came to Liao Chengzhi. Liao Chengzhi climbed onto the back of the donkey with the iron pillar and walked all the way to the village.

The child in the back shouted anxiously, "It's my turn, Tiezhu, you come down." ”

Liao Chengzhi put his son off his shoulder, handed the reins of the buffalo and ran out to greet him, Liao Linshi, who was crying out of breath, patted the child's mother on the back and said softly: "Why are you crying like this?" Waiting at home, right? Then he got close to the child's ear and whispered: "Don't cry now, I'll surprise you at night!" ”

Liao Chengzhi was talking about the surprise of making a lot of money, but when Liao Lin heard about it, he thought that the child's father was teasing him, so he blushed all of a sudden, and forgot to cry. Xiao Dongming, who was looking at his father curiously with only one hand, let go of his other hand, and angrily twisted the flesh on the back of the child's father's hand.

At first, Liao Chengzhi looked at the child's mother's sudden behavior inexplicably, and then looked at the child's mother's shy and anxious expression before he figured it out. couldn't help laughing loudly, which only made Liao Lin even more angry.

Liao Chengzhi smiled and said: "You have heard something wrong, there are other good things!" Don't think about it, you look at the cow first, I'll take these children and let them ride for a while, and we'll be here thanks to their parents and grandparents. ”

Liao Lin nodded with a red face, and in response, he pulled the buffalo and hugged his son, standing aside and not daring to move.

Liao Chengzhi took the children back and forth to ride and play in the open space of the village, and the relatives in the village who heard the news also rushed over. Someone else took the donkey's rope and helped to take the children to play, and let Liao Chengzhi go to the house to drink water and eat.

The adults and the children, who had already ridden donkeys, poured into Lin Quanbao's house. Lin Quanbao raised his head high, and greeted these friends who usually worked with mud, hide and seek, went up to the tree to pound the bird's nest, and often fought with the little master.

Liao Chengzhi, together with his father-in-law, eldest brother-in-law, and brother-in-law, unloaded the large bags and small bags full of cattle on their backs and took them into the hall. He first took out the candy for the children and scattered them for the children. Calm them down and coax them out to play. Adults can talk and chat without being disturbed.

Liao Chengzhi took out dry tobacco again, filled it with the old generations of the Lin family who loved to smoke dry tobacco one by one, and then sat down to drink water and talk.

Lao Lin was anxious to ask his son-in-law why he came back, but when he saw that he was a guest, he waited patiently. Seeing that his son-in-law was finally able to rest, he couldn't help but be the first to speak: "Chengzhi! Why did it take you so long to come back? I didn't bring a letter back, but do you know what kind of hurry we are at home? ”

Liao Lin's father was a little dissatisfied with the old woman's tone of speaking to his son-in-law, so he glared at Lao Lin. Liao Chengzhi didn't care, knowing that they were waiting at home in a hurry, he couldn't help but be a little angry. He replied with a smile: "We originally planned it." Just on the northern border, I exchanged my things for silver and came back. However, when we were about to leave, we met two large merchants doing business in the middle of the road, and I didn't expect that there were friends I knew in the past along the way. I stepped forward to recognize someone, and I followed them across the border. So I came back a little late. ”

Liao Chengzhi didn't dare to say too much, for fear that people would know that he had earned a lot. When the time comes, it will be passed to the Liao family, and he will not be able to leave if he wants to.

As soon as everyone heard that he was crossing the border to do business, they all took a breath nervously, and the eldest uncle Lin Xianhu asked directly: "Big brother-in-law, you are really bold!" There's a war going on in the north, and you dare to go with it? ”

Liao Chengzhi shook his head with a smile and said, "At that time, I thought that I could make a lot of money by crossing the border, but I didn't think about it so much. Later, I heard that there would be no war. I don't care even more. ”

They looked at each other, their faces full of doubts, "No more fighting?" ”

Liao Chengzhi looked at their expressions. It didn't seem to know the news of not going to war, so he asked strangely: "I already said that I wouldn't go to war last year, why don't you know it until now?" ”

Lin Xianhu replied: "We haven't heard of it!" At first, he said that there would be a war, so that our families would have to give food, but there were those who were not given. The government didn't come to urge, and it didn't specifically say that there would be no war. So we don't know what's going on! ”

Liao Chengzhi nodded. In the countryside, the news is very closed, and the government will not kindly come to tell you that you will not fight.

Wait until Lin Luo and Lin Song prepare the meal. The neighbors of the Lin family all said goodbye and left one by one, so that Liao Chengzhi could eat with peace of mind.

At night, after putting the children to sleep, Liao Chengzhi took out the gifts he bought for his father-in-law's family.

He first took out a red muslin cloth and gave it to Lin Song, and said, "Brother and sister! You and your sister-in-law, I'm not suitable for buying hairpin jewelry or anything, so I have to buy a piece of cloth for each of you, see if it's okay? If it doesn't work, you can change it, I told the shopkeeper, I'm a big man really won't choose this. ”

As he spoke, he took out a big red muslin with broken yellow flowers in the cloth bag and gave it to Lin Luoche, "Sister-in-law!" Do you see if this is right for you? If it doesn't work, you can change it! ”

Lin Song looked at the pink muslin cloth with colorful flowers, which was just right for him to wear, and he liked it very much. Touching the soft muslin cloth and smirking happily, Lin Luo couldn't see the stupidity of his brother and daughter-in-law, so he stepped forward to remind Lin Song to pay attention. I was startled by a piece of cloth that was suddenly stuffed into my hand, but when I saw that this pattern and color were exactly what I was wearing, I could see that this eldest brother-in-law was really interested in it, and he was very happy at the moment. With an exaggerated surprise smile: "Ouch! His uncle really knows how to choose patterns, and I like this very much when I look at it, and it is really suitable for me to wear. Thank you Uncle He! ”

Liao Chengzhi replied politely while starting to take things out again: "Sister-in-law, don't be polite, we have eaten and lived here as a family for so long, this little thing is really not respectful." ”

Old man Lin was listening, so he said angrily: "What's the big deal about living in your mother's house for a few days, you have to fill it with something like this?" ”

Liao Chengzhi hurriedly smiled and said: "That's not what I mean, blame me for saying something wrong, it's actually a New Year's gift for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, it's late, don't you care!" ”

As he spoke, he took out the other pieces of muslin that he had used to make clothes for adults and children.

"These horses are for my father, mother, eldest brother, younger brother and a few children. This hairpin is for my mother, and my two children and their mother told you to bother. ”

Lao Lin smiled and stretched out his hand to take the golden hairpin, thinking it was a silver hairpin, but when he saw that it was gold, his hand shook in shock, and he almost fell to the ground without holding it. Trembling asked, "Chengzhi! Isn't this gold going to be gold? (To be continued)