This has relatively retained some young people who originally wanted to go out to work, but more young people still choose to go to big cities to find opportunities.

After getting up for breakfast, Zhang Xiangbei played with the children for a while before going out.

There are many of his classmates in the town and the surrounding villages, elementary and middle school students, and they came back this time just to see them.

However, like other rural market towns, most of the young people have already gone to work in the economically developed cities in the east and south.

Class reunions are usually during the Chinese New Year, but this year's Chinese New Year, for Zhao Song's album, he stayed in Dongjiang and did not come back.

And at this moment, in the bamboo carving factory in Tianmen Chengguan Town, Guo Tugen ushered in another scolding from the foreman. Somehow, he was always distracted today, and he had carved three bamboos.

He also knows that a bamboo material has to go through several careful processes of the previous masters to be made, but because of his own distraction, the lines of the foundation are carved crookedly, although as long as the carving masters carefully modify it with knives, the problem is not big, but after all, they have delayed everyone's time, and one of the materials because the lines are too crooked, to return to the first process to planing and restarting.

He lowered his head and sighed softly in his heart as he listened to the foreman's spitting accusations.

Actually, he didn't want to do this job at all, his dream was to paint. However, the family has no money, and the parents are old, if I leave them to work outside, although I can open my eyes and gain knowledge, I can't bear it.

His father was born in his forties, and the whole family raised him as a baby, and by now, when someone else's father was still middle-aged, his parents were already full of gray hair. And my father also has asthma, and the family has no money for treatment, so he can only struggle at home.

But he didn't know that at this moment, there was a guest sitting in his house, a person who could determine the path of his life.

Zhang Xiangbei walked into the courtyard of Guo Tugen's house, and several swaggering chickens looked at the strangers who had invaded their territory, and for a long time, they didn't find any threat, so they turned their heads to look for food in the grass in the courtyard, and ignored him.

Guo Tugen was his best playmate when he was a teenager, and it was natural to come to see his family, but this time he was not empty-handed, he went to Tianmen County, found the best shopping mall, bought some gifts for the second elder, and bought clams in the pharmacy, which made people powder, plus a few good medicines for asthma and phlegm, this is for Uncle Guo, I heard Guo Tugen say this recipe two years ago, but unfortunately he has no money at home, and he can't afford it at all, so he has to help them match some today.

When he came back, Zhang Xiangbei couldn't afford to wait for the shuttle, so he hired a black car directly at the long-distance station, and when the man heard Chengguan Town, he was so happy that he was going crazy, who had the money to burn in a panic, and ran so far with a black car?

This is a three-wheeled motorcycle, and the owner has creatively installed a compartment to protect it from the wind and rain, but because the center of gravity of the car is relatively high, there are unsafe factors.

However, in these small towns in the countryside, this kind of three-wheeled motorcycle is the most convenient means of transportation.

There are not many cars on the road, the road condition of the highway is good, Zhang Xiangbei returned to the town in less than half an hour, he did not get off the car, but let the car continue to move forward, and drove straight to Xiaoguo Village before stopping, and paid the owner an extra thirty yuan when he got off the car, and the owner laughed like a rabbit's mouth.

As soon as I entered the fence door, the bell hanging inside the door "jingled". A woman in her sixties walked out with her back hunched up.

"Auntie, I'm coming to see you." Zhang Xiangbei stepped forward with a smile.

The woman squinted and looked at it for a long time, then suddenly grinned and said, "Dad, come out quickly, it's coming north, coming back to the north." ”

As she spoke, the woman's eyes turned a little red, and she said, "You haven't been back for almost a year, Tugen hasn't had anyone to talk to all day, and when you come back from work, you're bored in the house and drawing." ”

At this time, there was a rapid coughing sound in the house, followed by a rapid panting, and the white-haired Guo Laogen staggered out.

Zhang Xiangbei hurriedly put down his things, stepped forward to help him, went to the hall to find a chair to sit down and said, "Uncle, what are you doing, lie down, it's hot, it's not good." ”

Aunt Guo rubbed her slightly red eyes and smiled: "He's happy, don't leave today, eat lunch at home, I'll go to the fire right away." ”

Zhang Xiangbei hurriedly got up and brought over the two big bags of things he brought, took them out one by one and put them on the table and said: "Auntie, if you are not busy eating, I will match Ah Bo with some clam powder in the city, and also add cordyceps, and give him some every day according to the doctor's requirements, which is good for asthma." ”

As he spoke, he put the two large iron cans in Aunt Guo's hands.

The couple looked at the two large jars of medicine and froze. The clam alone is actually not too expensive, but several other compatible medicinal materials, although the amount is not large, but extremely expensive, especially Cordyceps, that is simply the price of gold, who can afford to eat gold?

These two big pots of medicine, can't they cost thousands of dollars?

The two didn't dare to take it, but the dealer was honest and didn't know how to excuse himself.

Zhang Xiangbei knew the mood of the two of them, and said with a smile: "Aunt Uncle, don't worry, I have made a lot of money now, these things are nothing, and when Uncle finishes eating, I will give them back." ”

Aunt Guo knew that her wife coughed and wheezed uncomfortably every day, so she wanted to give it to him, and when she heard Zhang Xiangbei say this, she thanked Lu Xie with some embarrassment on her face and accepted it.

Guo Laogen was a little more atmospheric, and when he saw Zhang Xiangbei say this, he waved his hand and didn't let his wife say anything more.

Zhang Xiangbei took out some cooked vegetables and put them on the table and said: "Auntie, don't be too busy at noon, I also brought some food, and I will eat here at night, and when Tugen comes back, I want to chat with him more." ”

When Aunt Guo saw it, she was really surprised and delighted, she didn't expect Zhang Xiangbei to be so thoughtful. My family is poor, and I invite someone to eat, and I don't have a few meat stars.

Although Guo Tugen can earn 800 yuan a month in the factory, he wants to buy painting materials, so he removes some of them, and the old couple still has to save some money for his wife, and they can't get a few dollars a month to subsidize the family.

The family still relies on the two acres of vegetable land served by Aunt Guo, and can get a few dollars from selling vegetables every year, so as not to fight famine.

Zhang Xiangbei took out some health care products, all for the old couple. Of course, there are also some painting supplies, Aunt Guo saw it, and couldn't help but thank her, saying that these things are too expensive, Guo Tugen has always been reluctant to buy them, and now give them to him, I'm afraid he won't be willing to use them.

Saying that, Aunt Guo also went into the house to take out the painting drawn by Guo Tugen and show it to Zhang Xiangbei.

In fact, Guo Tugen has not studied painting, but he has been a hobby since he was a child, and his family did not spend money to deliberately train him, he just followed the comic books he saw when he was a child, and he drew according to them, and his sketching skills were quite good.

Zhang Xiangbei looked at these paintings and couldn't help laughing, Guo Tugen's paintings were even better than he imagined.

Aunt Guo suddenly said at this time: "By the way, Xiangbei, I saw you singing on TV a few days ago, and I saw Tugen applaud, that night, he cried and watched you sing that song, can you make so much money singing on TV?" ”

Seeing that Lao Guo Laogen was also looking at him, Zhang Xiangbei smiled and said: "Yes, I can make money, no, I just want to talk to Tugen today, and I am going to let him go with me to earn money, so that you two elders and lower generations don't worry about him anymore and have a comfortable old age." ”

When Aunt Guo heard this, her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands and said, "There is such a thing, that's great." ”

Guo Laogen asked with some difficulty: "But...... Tugen he can't sing. ”

When Aunt Guo heard this, her face suddenly darkened, and she was speechless.

Zhang Xiangbei hurriedly patted the sketch in his hand and said with a smile: "It's not for him to sing, these paintings he paints can also make money, I promise this." ”

When Aunt Guo heard this, she covered her mouth with her right hand, her eyes became moist, and after a while, she pushed her wife and choked up: "Old man, you heard it, Xiangbei said that painting can also make money, but I didn't expect Tugen to tinker with these paintings for so many years, and there are days when he will come out." ”

Guo Laogen couldn't say a word, but he was panting even more.

Zhang Xiangbei hurriedly got up and helped him into the back room to lie down, when he entered the house, Guo Laogen gently patted the back of Zhang Xiangbei's hand with his hand, Zhang Xiangbei could clearly feel the deep expectations and love of a father for his son contained in the pat.

Before the lunch was ready, Guo Tugen came back.

This surprised the old couple.

But the most surprising thing was of course Guo Tugen, who didn't expect Zhang Xiangbei to sit in his own hall. When the two sworn friends met, it was a deep bear hug, beating each other's chests, although they didn't say a word, they could understand the joy in each other's eyes.

Aunt Guo asked her son why he came back so early, Guo Tugen said that there were many mistakes today, and the factory asked him to take a half-day vacation to come back to clear his mind.

Aunt Guo asked worriedly, and Zhang Xiangbei hurriedly said: "Tugen, I came this time to talk about your business, go to the Dongjiang River with me, you can paint such a painting, and it will be buried in the bamboo carving factory." ”

Guo Tugen's eyes lit up, but then he looked at his old and weak mother and his father lying on the bed in the back room, and couldn't help but feel depressed, and said: "How can I make money with this kind of painting, which can't get into the stream?" ”

Zhang Xiangbei said with a smile: "I have a project in my hand now, what I need is your kind of painting, you have also seen the cartoons on TV, you draw better than them, just have this craft, you and I go to Dongjiang, sign a contract with our company, first learn the basic skills of painting at the School of Art of Dongjiang University for one year, the monthly salary is 5,000 yuan during this year, and after a year, I officially enter the company to work, with a basic salary of 10,000 yuan per month, and a bonus according to the results, of course, every year, the salary will rise. How's that, the conditions are good, right? ”

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The preparation of a new project has begun, and now I would like to explain some background, so please bear with me.