Chapter 481

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Yang Dafu entered the banquet hall and saw it bustling with noise and excitement; there were simply too many people. This was the first time he had witnessed such a grand scene. In the past, when attending other people's banquets, there were at most thirty or forty tables; beyond that, there were none. He never expected that this time, for his son's university entrance celebration, Wang Changgen would actually set up sixty or seventy tables.

Most importantly, he had also heard that it was Zhang Zhongtian who helped arrange it, and the owner of this New Era Hotel was none other than Zhang Zhongtian.

This made Yang Dafu sigh involuntarily in his heart. If back then he hadn't done that kind of foolish thing, hadn't lusted after Li Xiulan's beauty, would the Village Chief of Shanggou Village today be him?

Would everything Zhang Zhongtian now possesses have become his possessions?

Don't say it's impossible — there truly was that possibility!

Back when he served as the Family Planning Liaison Officer, due to the Family Planning Policy, his importance in the village was far greater than that of Zhang Zhongtian, the Village Accountant.

If he hadn't committed that offense, then after Liang Yuanchao stepped down, it really would have been very likely for him to become Village Chief.

Alas, in life, there are never any "ifs."

Some mistakes require a lifetime to pay for.

Even if one escapes their original place, it can never be completely erased.

Take the knife scar on Yang Dafu's face, for instance — it doesn't just affect his appearance, causing him to be unable to find a wife after his divorce; moreover, when job hunting, he often faced discrimination because of that scar.

This is the bitter fruit he can never shake off.

He has endured much for it, and these years he has been constantly repenting and reflecting.

He has already deeply realized his own errors.

This is also why, when Zhang Zhongtian called him to return and attend this banquet, he was willing to come back.

He hoped to resolve the past grievances with Wang Changgen. Though it was already too late to change anything, at least he could seek peace of mind.

"Brother, you actually came back!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out beside Yang Dafu's ear.

He looked up and saw his own younger brother, Yang Xiaocai, waving at him.

Yang Xiaocai walked up to him with a face full of smiles:

"Brother, haven't seen you in so many years. You came back and didn't even tell me?"

Ever since Yang Dafu went out to the city to work, he had never returned to Shanggou Village again.

Not even for Spring Festival or Qingming Festival did he come back.

The reason Yang Xiaocai hated Li Xiulan so much before, deliberately making things difficult for her when she built her new house, was because he felt his older brother never returned because of Li Xiulan.

Yang Dafu wore a bitter smile, feeling ashamed and guilty:

"Xiaocai, I have no face to see you, no face to see the villagers of Shanggou Village."

"Brother, that was so many years ago. It's time to let it go. Look, now even Wang Changgen has invited us to attend his son's university entrance celebration."

Yang Xiaocai spoke like this.

Right now he was happy, even happier than during Spring Festival.

Zhang Zhongtian had told him before that his brother Yang Dafu might very well return.

At the time he didn't believe it, but now his real brother was right before his eyes, and he finally believed it.

At the same time, he felt very grateful to Wang Changgen, and also very grateful to Zhang Zhongtian.

"Brother, there's still a plot of homestead land left at home. If you've saved up some money working outside, you can come back and build a house at home. You're getting on in years; it's time to return to Shanggou Village to spend your old age. In the future, if anything comes up, we brothers can look out for each other."

Yang Xiaocai persuaded Yang Dafu like this.

Yang Dafu, however, smiled bitterly:

"These years working in the city, I've only barely managed to scrape by. Where would I get extra money to build a new house?"

Yang Xiaocai was immediately surprised:

"Brother, you've been gone outside for seventeen or eighteen years, right? And you haven't saved a single penny? The government is very good now. For solitary elderly people building new houses, there are subsidies. You don't have to pay that much yourself!"

The country indeed has this policy now. For rural solitary elderly building new houses, there are quite a few subsidies. Moreover, whether it's town cadres or village cadres, they all take this matter very seriously.

Yang Dafu couldn't help but sigh:

"One step out, and in a blink it's been seventeen or eighteen years. I almost can't believe it. Has it really been that long?"

Yang Xiaocai said, "Brother, when you left, Wang Xiaohua hadn't even been born yet. And now, Wang Xiaohua has already finished the college entrance exam. To be exact, it should be 19 years, because Wang Xiaohua was born in October and started school a year late."

Hearing this, Yang Dafu felt even more mixed emotions. His eyes couldn't help but grow damp, tears spinning in his eye sockets, and for a moment he couldn't utter a word.

"Brother, just come back and build a house. If the money isn't enough, I can give you some. Drifting around outside is ultimately no solution. If we really can't afford a building, let's just make a tile-roofed house!"

Yang Dafu nodded, choking with sobs:

"Okay, okay. I'll consider it carefully."

Then he hurriedly changed the subject:

"Xiaocai, have you been doing alright in Shanggou Village these years?"

Yang Xiaocai replied with a smile:

"Doing great. You don't know, ever since the New Rural Construction, Shanggou Village has taken on a whole new look. From the village head to the village tail, cement roads have been paved, and tap water has been connected. Living in the village is even more comfortable than in the city. The only shortcoming is that there are far fewer people in the village than before, not as lively as it used to be. But that's not really a shortcoming either. Fewer people isn't a bad thing — it's just a bit quieter."

The two Yang brothers chatted amiably.

At this moment, at the entrance of the New Era Restaurant, a white sedan slowly drove up.

Accompanied by Niu Chunsheng, Xiao Xueqing actually came to attend this university entrance celebration as well.

"County Magistrate Xiao, you actually came too! Welcome, welcome!"

Wang Changgen hurried forward to greet her.

Xiao Xueqing's arrival immediately startled the entire venue.

Upon seeing her, Zhang Zhongtian hurried over.

The several tables of Town Government Leaders already seated at the front VIP tables also all took the initiative to come out and welcome her.

She is a Deputy County Magistrate after all; no matter what, they had to give her full face and full pomp.

Facing everyone's enthusiastic welcome, Xiao Xueqing instead behaved very easygoing:

"Everyone need not be so polite; today I am attending this banquet in the capacity of an ordinary person!"

Xiao Xueqing said so with her mouth.

But the people present did not dare to truly take her as an ordinary person.

She was just saying it casually; if you actually took it seriously, you might accidentally offend someone.

Offending an ordinary person is fine, but offending a Deputy County Magistrate — that would be a big deal.

So although Xiao Xueqing said this, everyone's enthusiasm toward her did not diminish in the least.

The door of the New Era Restaurant was immediately surrounded until not even water could leak through.

Wang Zhanggen and Zhang Zhongtian, as well as the other Town Government Leaders, all clustered around Xiao Xueqing, enthusiastically escorting her to the innermost VIP table to be seated.

This VIP table was originally the seat for the Town Mayor; the Town Mayor took the initiative to yield it, letting Xiao Xueqing sit in the host position, while he very tactfully went to the secondary accompanying seat.

Xiao Xueqing politely declined a few times, then sat down.

Just as she sat down, she asked:

"Where is Xiao Hua? Why don't I see him?"

Wang Zhanggen also did not see Wang Xiaohua, so he hurriedly called Li Xiulan over, anxious as if his buttocks were on fire:

"Where did that stinky brat go? County Magistrate Xiao has come; hurry and let him come out to see County Magistrate Xiao!"

Li Xiulan gave a dry laugh:

"I also don't know where he ran off to; I'll give him a call and tell him to come back."