Chapter 2726
The car stayed, the people came.
Chapter 2726 The car stayed, the people returned
Crunch~~~
The jeep stopped at the entrance of the alley, and Yang Xiaotao got out of the car.
He reached out and helped Old Ye out of the car, while the old Taoist priest jumped down on his own.
"Master, don't go tomorrow. Stay home and get some rest."
Yang Xiaotao supported Old Ye's arm and said with concern.
The weather is unpredictable. The elderly man got up in the middle of the night last night and was exposed to a cool breeze, so he felt a little groggy when he woke up this morning.
Yang Xiaotao didn't realize it when he took him to the Ninth Department, but it wasn't until lunchtime that the people at the research institute told him that Elder Ye had a fever and a cold.
So I quickly had someone at the medical station examine me, prescribed some medicine to take first, and then went home to rest.
"No, I still have a few jobs to do. Cough cough, let's talk about it in a couple of days, around New Year's Day."
"Don't wait a couple of days. Stay home tomorrow. Let Professor Shu handle things at the research institute for now. I'll come over whenever I have time."
The two walked through the hanging flower gate, but Old Master Ye still disagreed.
"When the research reaches a critical stage, I feel uneasy if I don't look at the experimental data every day."
After Old Ye finished speaking, the old Taoist priest, smoking his pipe behind him, said, "It's just data, I'll have someone send you a copy."
"You can just wait in the yard."
"Judging from the weather, it's bound to snow tomorrow. At your age, don't try to be brave."
After the old Taoist priest finished his advice, Yang Xiaotao continued, "That's right, we still have a long time. After the New Year, the equipment we purchased from France will be delivered, and the research will only be faster then."
"Your energy can be used on that later."
Old Ye shook his head, unable to refute it.
The three walked to the middle courtyard, where Grandpa Yang was playing with a group of children. Seeing them return, he stood up and went over to them, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Old Yang, stay away. You have a cold, don't let it infect you."
Old Master Ye covered his mouth and gestured for Grandpa Yang to keep his distance.
Ran Qiuye was preparing food inside the house when she heard the noise and quickly came out.
"What's going on?"
"Master caught a cold, took some medicine, and needs to rest well at home."
Yang Xiaotao helped him into the house. "I'll cook some millet porridge tonight, have some first."
Ran Qiuye nodded, then went back inside to prepare.
"Master, lie down and rest for a while. I'll come over in a bit."
Old Ye, lying on the kang (heated brick bed), waved his hand and said, "No need, I'm fine. Don't bother me tonight."
"No trouble!"
Yang Xiaotao helped tidy things up, then took out a thermometer and placed it under Old Ye's arm.
The old Taoist priest picked up the stove from the side, and after a while, Zhou Kui came over with red-hot coal briquettes, put them in the stove, and then pressed in new coal briquettes.
"Is the old man alright?"
Yang Xiaotao glanced at the thermometer, then shook his head and nodded. "He still has a slight fever. Let's check again tonight. If his temperature goes up, we'll take him to the hospital."
"Tao, Brother Tao, I'll be fine here tonight."
Zhou Kui found a chair and sat down, looking just like a bodyguard.
"Okay, you stay here and keep an eye on things for now, I'll come back later."
"You don't need any of you."
Old Ye was still stubborn when Grandpa Yang, who had just walked in, put down the thermos containing hot water and said, "Old Ye, just stop talking."
"Just focus on getting better. Once you're better, nothing else matters."
Old Master Ye sighed, his eyes filled with emotion, "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you."
Yang Xiaotao smiled at his great-grandfather before returning home.
Ran Qiuye had already started cooking the millet porridge and was also making noodles. When she saw Yang Xiaotao coming over, she hurriedly said, "I was thinking that just drinking millet porridge wouldn't be enough to fill me up. I'll make some noodles with some cabbage. It'll be lighter and still fill me up."
Yang Xiaotao nodded, then rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen to help.
After the couple prepared the meal, they first called the old man, the Taoist priest, and the children into the house. After the family finished eating, Yang Xiaotao took the lunchbox and went to Old Master Ye's house.
As soon as I entered, I saw Yan Fugui sitting inside.
Zhou Kui stood by the stove, watching the fire, and the two were chatting.
"Third Uncle is here."
Yang Xiaotao greeted him, and Yan Fugui laughed immediately upon hearing this somewhat ancient term.
"Uncle, it's been a long time since anyone called you that."
"When you suddenly shout that, it feels like I'm getting an electric shock."
Yan Fugui stood up, cupping his hands from his lower abdomen upwards, as if recalling the past with particular novelty.
"Then you should go to the hospital for a check-up, as a precaution."
Yang Xiaotao joked as he placed the lunchbox on the table and glanced at Old Ye, who was sleeping.
"I heard that Old Master Ye is ill, so I came over for a walk after I finished eating."
Yan Fugui glanced at Elder Ye, then told Yang Xiaotao the reason.
"It was still a little warm when I measured it just now."
As Zhou Kui spoke, Yang Xiaotao reached out to touch his forehead and then said to Zhou Kui, "You should eat something too, no need to go home and bother."
Zhou Kui waved his hand, "No, no, I'll eat at home."
As he was about to leave, Yang Xiaotao couldn't stop him and could only watch him go.
Yan Fugui showed no intention of leaving. In this freezing weather, nobody wanted to go out for a stroll. Since there was nothing to do in the evening, he decided to stay inside and chat for a while.
"In two more years, I'll be retiring. Thinking about it, I've dedicated most of my life to the revolution, so I've done my best."
Yan Fugui touched the corrugated cover and sighed.
Yang Xiaotao laughed and said, "Yes, you can be considered to have retired successfully."
"Have you decided what you want to do after retirement?"
Yan Fugui shook his head. "If there's something to do, then do it. If there's nothing to do, then just stay in the yard and keep an eye on things. The kids in our yard are growing up, and there are more and more people. After the New Year, two more boys will be getting married."
“My old man is just right to take charge of this yard.”
Yan Fugui smiled, his eyes narrowed.
In recent years, because of Yang Xiaotao, a remarkable person from the neighborhood, most families have been provided with jobs, and their lives have gotten better day by day.
Now, when the neighborhood committee's "Third Aunt" hears that she's going to introduce potential partners to people living in courtyard houses, she'll search all over the city.
Especially for young girls, the desire to marry into a traditional courtyard house has inadvertently raised the bar for blind dates.
Not to mention the courtyard houses, even the surrounding courtyards are almost the same.
As long as I can become Yang Xiaotao's neighbor, establish a kinship, and exchange a few words with him when we meet, that's enough.
After that, whenever he went out and met people, he would tilt his head back, stick his thumb out, and say that Yang Xiaotao was his so-and-so, which made him feel very proud.
Moreover, it's not just about saving face, it's about substance.
“You’re the elder of this compound, a cultured person, a teacher. Educating people in this compound is your job.”
"Oh dear, please don't, please don't."
Yan Fugui hurriedly declined, saying, "A cultured person might be respected by others, but to you, I'm just showing off my limited skills in front of an expert, like trying to teach a master swordsman how to use a large axe in front of Guan Yu."
"No, that's called combining culture with experience!"
"Forget it, I know my own limitations."
The two chatted inside for a while, and then Yan Fugui left satisfied.
It's not that Yang Xiaotao gave him any great benefits, but rather that this was the first time in years that he had such a "close" exchange with Yang Xiaotao.
Only after returning home and sitting in a chair did he sigh, "Human hearts are most vulnerable to being schemed against."
The old lady was watching Yan Jiedi do her homework when she suddenly heard Yan Fugui say this. She asked curiously, "Old man, what's wrong with you?"
Yan Fugui glanced back at the three aunties, then smiled and said, "What I mean is, Old Yi has been scheming for most of his life, wanting to find someone to take care of him in his old age."
"But what happened in the end? Now everyone is no longer in the courtyard house."
"On the contrary, this old Ye, even though he is all alone and helpless, as long as Yang Xiaotao is around, he doesn't have to worry about the rest of his life."
"Do you think if Yi Zhonghai had known it would turn out this way, would he still have colluded with the Jia family to bully Yang Xiaotao back then?"
The third aunt rolled her eyes at this, saying, "If only anyone had known sooner."
"Besides, back then, only a fool would choose Yang Xiaotao over the Jia family."
"You, aren't you also a very smart person?"
Yan Fugui chuckled sullenly, then turned and walked into the house.
Regardless of what happened before, at least now, of the three old men in the courtyard, he's the only one left.
After Zhou Kui finished eating at home, he brought over a bag of sunflower seeds.
The two of them sat around the stove, eating sunflower seeds.
"Where's Zhou Peng? I haven't seen him lately."
When Yang Xiaotao asked Zhou Peng, Zhou Kui shook his head, "He's always busy and never home."
"Where's your older sister?" "Hehe, she found a boyfriend, he's also a worker."
As Zhou Kui spoke, Yang Xiaotao thought of Zhou Yun, who was only eighteen or nineteen years old this year, which was also the age to get married and start a family.
"Who is it?"
"He works at a chemical plant; he's the eldest of four siblings."
Zhou Kui thoroughly investigated his future brother-in-law, including how many people were in his family, what they did for a living, and their social class.
This level of meticulousness is even more serious than when getting married.
“I told the second brother, I told him.”
"My family's dowry included a bicycle, my second son's dowry, a radio, and my mother's dowry included a sewing machine."
Zhou Kui smiled, his face beaming with excitement.
Yang Xiaotao waved his hand, "I, as the eldest brother, will provide the sewing machine; Aunt Zhou can just sew the quilt."
Zhou Kui shook his head. His family was able to live the life they had today thanks in large part to Yang Xiaotao's help, in addition to their own efforts.
Without Yang Xiaotao, they wouldn't be where they are today.
"It's settled then. I'll have your sister-in-law go and check it out, and maybe she can also get to know you as relatives."
Zhou Kui nodded with a smile. These days, women are in charge of the household, and when it comes to weddings, it's most appropriate for them to just pay to accompany the guests.
The two chatted for a while, then Ran Qiuye came to visit, and the three of them chatted briefly again.
Perhaps the noise was a bit too loud, because Old Master Ye woke up. Yang Xiaotao took the noodles off the stove, ate them, took his medicine, chatted for a while, and then went back to sleep.
Ran Qiuye didn't come to take over the shift until the next day when it was light.
Yang Xiaotao rubbed his eyes and yawned as he arrived at the Ninth Department. He sat in the office for a while, looking at the piles of documents, but he had no energy at all.
Liu Lixue made Yang Xiaotao a cup of coffee.
This stuff was a gift from Ran's father. Yang Xiaotao didn't like the taste, but occasionally having a cup could really refresh him.
It's incredibly bitter.
Having finally gotten through the ordeal, Yang Xiaotao was about to process some documents when Zhao Chuanjun walked in carrying a satellite phone.
"Director Yang, it's Captain Liang on the phone."
Yang Xiaotao glanced at Zhao Chuanjun, "Old Liang is looking for me?"
"Yes, they'll call back soon and say they have something important to discuss with you."
Yang Xiaotao nodded, thinking to himself that his precious treasure was probably going to be "borrowed" by Li Datou.
Yang Xiaotao picked up the satellite phone, left the office, walked into the conference room and closed the door behind him, then dialed the number.
The phone rang twice, and there was a lot of noise coming from the other end.
"I said, this thing is really amazing, it's much better than that walkie-talkie."
"What was this again?"
"Satellite phone, yes, satellite, you guys in Department Nine are really capable and amazing!"
"Commander, the call's through. Should I speak or you speak?"
Three voices came through the phone. Yang Xiaotao guessed that it was Lao Li and Liang Zuoxin, but he couldn't guess who the last one was.
"I'll talk, I'll talk! You're such a coward, you won't even fart after three kicks!"
I could vaguely hear Old Li's disdainful voice, and then the microphone in my ear suddenly became louder.
"Brother Yang, are you there?"
Yang Xiaotao curled his lip. This guy is already sixty years old, which means he's practically a grandfather.
But this shameless nature of his is something he'll never change.
Hearing the voice, Yang Xiaotao laughed, "Brother Li, you have a really loud voice. I could hear you talking from far away."
"Ah, haha, I heard that!"
"I, Lao Li, always say that your Ninth Division is amazing. If we had such good stuff back then, it would have been so much easier to command battles."
As soon as Li Yunlong finished speaking, Yang Xiaotao immediately retorted, "Yeah, if we had that thing, Brother Li, you wouldn't have to disobey so many military orders."
"Ah, hehe!~~~"
Li Yunlong chuckled dryly, then glared at Liang Zuoxin, "You little brat, you've spilled all my secrets."
Liang Zuoxin was completely innocent; how could he dare to expose his past?
"Xiao Yang, I heard from Liang Zuoxin that you guys have a special forces team there?"
Yang Xiaotao leaned against the table and then laughed, "That's right, our special forces team has been established for three or four years. We have one not only at headquarters, but also one in the Northwest."
"Hey Lao Li, how about you become a special forces captain?"
"Really? Okay, then bring your special forces team over here. I'll train them for ten days to half a month, and they'll definitely be better than before."
"That's not necessary."
Yang Xiaotao refused outright, already prepared to take a loss; he was prepared to learn from this experience.
If we were to send the special forces team there, they would most likely perish.
"However, Lao Li, I heard that your training is going quite well. Lao Liang is even preparing to form Special Operations Group C."
Yang Xiaotao quickly changed the subject and offered some compliments to prevent Lao Li from getting angry and causing trouble.
"That's right, it was my suggestion, Old Li."
"With this aquatic dragon in hand, your special forces team will truly be an elite force."
"Yes, a dragon in the water, this is not something that can be accomplished overnight, but I'll still need to trouble you, Lao Li, in the future."
Yang Xiaotao flattered him again, and Lao Li laughed heartily.
"Since that's the case, Xiao Yang, I, Lao Li, am a straightforward and honest person. I'll just tell you the truth."
Old Li finally spoke his mind, and Yang Xiaotao, who was prepared, said, "Speak up, be a straightforward person, don't hold back."
"Okay, that's good to hear."
As Li Yunlong spoke, he glanced at the two men beside him, then lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Yang, I have someone here. Could you help me make some arrangements?"
"What?"
Yang Xiaotao was taken aback, then casually asked, "You don't want the equipment anymore?"
"Cough cough!"
"No, I mean, who are you going to assign?"
Fortunately, Yang Xiaotao reacted quickly and changed his question.
But Li Yunlong had already heard it, and glared at Liang Zuoxin, who felt even more aggrieved.
It really wasn't me who leaked it.
"Hehe, it's just one person. Aren't you Ninth Division a big and powerful organization? What do you think?"
Yang Xiaotao, however, had a serious expression. Giving equipment was nothing; the Ninth Division could manufacture it anyway. It was just a matter of submitting a report.
But if it's just a small fry, you can find a factory to arrange it. But would someone who gets Li Yunlong to personally take charge be a small fry?
"who is it?"
"My brother, Zhao Gang!"
Old Li said it directly.
"it is good!"
Then I heard a crisp, decisive voice from the other end.
Old Li won't do it this time.
"Okay, okay."
Old Li snapped out of his daze and quickly agreed.
Yang Xiaotao then said, "How about this, Lao Li, leave the equipment as payment, and have him back before New Year's Day."
"Ah, okay, okay!"
Old Li didn't expect any extra benefits and immediately nodded in agreement.
After hanging up the phone, Old Li said smugly, then looked at Liang Zuoxin and said, "You're something else, kid. You've revealed all my secrets."
"I'm innocent, old commander."
Liang Zuoxin hurriedly defended himself, saying, "How could I dare to say anything bad about you?"
"Besides, it's not like I'm the only one who knows about your affairs; maybe it's someone else."
"How dare you talk back?"
"Alright, Lao Li!"
Zhao Gang quickly stopped him, and Li Yunlong then explained the situation.
"Hey, this kid's a good guy, he even left his equipment behind, not bad at all."
Old Li had long coveted those armored vehicles; they were comfortable and fast inside, especially the command vehicle, which was practically a mobile command post.
"This arrangement is also to cover up the truth."
"To deceive people?"
Li Yunlong was taken aback, then suddenly realized.
"No wonder this kid was able to become Minister Yang!"