Chapter 8: The Dispute Over the Homestead Base

  Finally arrived home, Han Yu stopped the car in front of his own house and walked in.

  "Grandpa! Grandma!" Han Yu shouted before even entering the door. An old rural woman came out to greet them: "Who is it?"

  "Grandma, it's only been two years since we last met, you can't have forgotten your own grandson, can you?" A smile finally appeared on Han Yu's face.

  "Little Rain? Ah, you're back! Who came with you?" Grandma Han Yu's eyes lit up and she quickly walked to the door to take a look: "Who was it that came with you? You're alone?"

  "Ah! Where's my grandfather?" Han Yu said, putting the milk and fruit he bought on the road into the house, and then came out again with a folding stool.

  "Your grandfather went to the new house to see the floor and came back." Grandma smiled and looked him up and down a few times, laughing: "You haven't eaten yet? Grandma's pounded sweet potato porridge, your favorite when you were young!"

  "That's great, I'm starving! Let me cook for you!" Han Yu smiled and sat down beside the earthen pot, skillfully picking up the firewood.

  The Han family's house was not big, with three tile-roofed rooms and a courtyard. On the west side of the courtyard were a doghouse, rabbit hutch, and a wooden chicken coop. On the east side was a flat-roofed house, next to which stood a steamer rack made of straw and mud, topped with several large black iron pots.

  In Han Yu's village, every household likes to use straw and branches to cook because they have land. Gas is only used when there are urgent matters.

  Cooking has many benefits, such as putting two pieces of sweet potato at the bottom of the pot, and when the rice is not yet cooked, the sweet potatoes are already roasted.

  "What are you doing? Wait a bit and you'll be covered in dust and dirt, take a rest!" Grandma was worried that her grandson would get tired.

  "It's okay! This clothes is originally for working!"

  "The pumpkin is done, if you're hungry, eat two pieces first! Wait for your grandfather to come back, we'll kill a chicken and stir-fry it!" Grandma smiled and went to wash the vegetables. The grandson came back, today they must add two more dishes.

  Han Yu smiled and nodded, using a wooden stick to gently pick out two pieces of sweet potato that were charred black on the skin. He patted his hand, peeled off the skin, and contentedly started munching away, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation and familiarity in his heart.

  Demobilized, unemployed, Hei Zi's death, everything was thrown behind his brain. In his eyes, in his heart, only the sweet potato in his hand remained.

  "By the way, Grandma, where are my dad and mom and big brother?" Han Yu asked vaguely.

  "Your dad went to work, your brother went to help his in-laws and left early. Your mom went to your grandma's place. How many days are you staying this time? And don't even mention wearing your military uniform for grandma to see!"

  "I'm so tired of wearing my uniform every day!" Han Yu's eyes flashed, and he temporarily didn't want to tell his family about his demobilization, so he lied: "This time the army gave me a leave to visit my relatives, I guess I can stay at home for a few days!"

  Han Yu didn't want to continue this topic, just wanting to say something else to divert Grandma's attention, when suddenly she heard a hurried footsteps: "Where is Tieguo? Where is Tieguo?"

  As he spoke, an old man burst in hastily. He wore a black ear-covering round hat on his head, with the two earflaps tied down tightly by strings at this moment. The silver hair that was slightly exposed on both temples was dazzling.

  Wearing a green jacket with an open chest, his nose was still exhaling coarse air!

  Han Yu quickly stood up and smiled: "Grandpa!"

  "Ah!" The old man responded with a sound, saw the iron shovel standing against the wall, picked one up, turned around and walked out.

  He didn't stop until he was about to leave, then he turned his head and looked at Han Yu, a hint of surprise in his slightly dim eyes: "Xiao Yu, when did you come back? Is that your car at the door?"

  "Ah!" Han Yu nodded and looked at his fierce grandfather, smiling bitterly: "Grandfather, what are you doing?"

  "Some people say that our house was built in violation of some regulations and should be demolished! I'd like to see who dares to do it!" Grandpa Han grunted, striding out the door.

  As he was about to leave, he didn't forget to remind him: "Don't go and do this, you're a soldier, you can't violate the discipline of the troops!"

  "Alas, you old fellow, why take a long-handled one? Taking a short-handled hoe is easy to suffer losses!" Grandma Han heard the news and chased after him, loudly reminding his grandfather's back.

  Grandma Han spun around in place a few times, glanced at the sickle hanging on the wall, and hurried over to grab it twice. The sickle was hung by Han Yu's older brother, so of course she couldn't reach it!

  "What's the point of hanging that sickle so high on a small day? Little Rain, take down that sickle hanging on the wall for me!"

  "What are you doing with the sickle?"

  "What's going on? Who dares to move our house, I'll kill myself, let's see who dares!" Grandma Han hummed and urged: "Take it down for me!"

  Han Yu's forehead suddenly appeared a black line, and he hastily said: "Grandma, let me go take a look at what's going on first!"

  "Then I'll go with you!"

  Han Yu nodded and the two of them went out the door. When Grandma Han saw the car, her eyes lit up: "You drive and take me!"

  "Ah? Is our new home far from here?"

  "It's not far, but if you don't hurry up, what if your grandfather gets into a fight with someone? With his old arms and legs, if he really gets hurt..."

  "Oh, then hurry up and get in!" Han Yu quickly interrupted her words, opened the car door for her, and the two got in, heading towards Grandma's new home.

  Han Yu's new home, or rather his older brother's new house, was built by himself after Han Yu joined the army, right on the land of their family home at the village entrance.

  Still far away, Han Yu saw his grandfather standing in front of a dump truck with an iron shovel, several people were standing under the dump truck saying something, and there were a few early risers scattered around watching.

  It wasn't until they got closer that Han Yu noticed the north side of the bungalow was in the shade, and the cement on the wall hadn't even dried yet, with shadows on it.

  Han Yu drove the car directly in front of the shovel car and then got out after pushing the door open.

  Her eyes flickered slightly and swept across the faces of those people under the truck before she finally helped her grandmother get out of the car.

  Grandma Han's face was flushed with a faint red glow, as if she were walking on the Oscar's red carpet.

  The people around looked at Han Yu, stunned for a moment, before recognizing him: "Isn't this the second son of the Han family? I heard he joined the army, how did he come back?"

  "It's probably demobilization, what's the use of being a soldier at this age?"

  "I heard that this time it's the second son of the old Xu family, wanting to build something in our village, and has set his sights on the land of the old Han family. How cruel! This house was built brick by brick by the Han family themselves, and now they're going to tear it down just like that?"

  "What can be done? His son is a big shot outside, and the village chief has to nod and bow when he sees him!"

  The people around were discussing and speculating, some of them curiously looking at Han Yu. In their hearts, they secretly sighed that the second son of the Han family had not been seen for two years, but he was getting more spirited by the day. Unfortunately, his family was too poor and had offended someone's son, otherwise it would have been possible to arrange a marriage for him!

  "Didn't I tell you not to come?" Grandfather Han frowned and glanced at Han Yu.

  "I let him come! What's wrong?" Mrs. Han glared at her old husband, turned around with the support of Han Yu, and looked at a middle-aged man standing under the excavator: "Second Uncle, you are the village head, right? As a cadre, you should keep your word! When we asked you for housing land before, what did you say? The village agreed to let us build on our own land, didn't they? Now why do you want to demolish ours? You'd better explain!"

  That middle-aged man, Han Yu knew him, his name was Ma Baoquan. Before he joined the army, he was the director of their village! In the vicinity of Han Yu's home, all the village heads, directors and secretaries were held by one person concurrently!

  Ma Baoquan slightly furrowed his brow and pushed up his glasses. As for the old Han family, only the second son of the Han family who had been a soldier made him somewhat concerned, but he didn't expect that he would come at this critical moment.

  He forced a smile and first greeted Han Yu: "Little Rain, when did you come back?"

  "This morning!" Han Yu smiled and replied.

  Ma Baoquan nodded and said in a low voice, "Xiaoyu, you are from the troops, have received party education, should know what's going on here? Yes, the village committee did give your family a permit, but that was under the premise that no one would report it to the higher-ups. Now someone has reported it to the top, and Second Master is just a village head, what can I do except follow the arrangements from above?"

  Grandma Han raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Han Yu nodded hastily and said, "Yes, I understand Second Master's difficulties!"

  As soon as he spoke, the onlookers couldn't help but show a contemptuous expression, thinking that he had been intimidated by Ma Baoquan's big hat. Grandpa Han's face changed slightly, but he didn't make a sound, only tightening his grip on the iron shovel!

  Ma Baoquan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "Understood, understood, you're really a good kid, not bad for a soldier, your awareness is high. When the village committee opens a letter of recommendation, take it back to the troops, it will be helpful for your promotion!"

  As soon as these words came out, Grandpa Han's hand holding the iron scoop loosened involuntarily. One was the happiness of his eldest grandson and the other was the future of his second grandson. He felt as if the iron scoop in his hand had become much heavier.

  "Thank you, Second Master." Han Yu smiled calmly and said softly, "However, I'd like to know what compensation will be given after the village takes over our family's homestead?"

  Ma Baoquan's smile froze on his face, and the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat. The veins on his forehead throbbed slightly as he rubbed his dry hands together and said, "Compensation?"

  "The homestead is approved by the village committee, as the most basic rights institution, you represent the government! The government should not let us ordinary people suffer losses, right?"

  Han Yu's smile somehow fell into Ma Baoquan's eyes, and for some reason, it made him feel a little cold. He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him was no longer the child who could be coaxed with a piece of candy to call out "Second Master" a few times.

  Han Yu didn't respond to Ma Baoquan's idea, and said lightly: "Moreover, the villagers all know that my elder brother has just gotten engaged, and this new house was built for his wedding! My brother and I will call you Second Uncle, you can't let him not even have a place to get married, right?"

  "With compensation, you can demolish yours! If there isn't any, then you're not demolishing houses, but bullying people!" Han Yu said with a smile, narrowing her eyes.

  Sweat, at a glance, out came a cow called Oubie, thank you brothers for your support, but the VIP ticket just means it's okay, don't bleed too much, or I'll be embarrassed to update...