Update, asking for monthly ticket

  *****

  They are now walking on the street that is located in the central and largest part of Shan Tun Er, but Lao Tian does not live on this street. After finishing this street, crossing a dirt road, and heading north, there is a street adjacent to the fields, with courtyards tightly packed together on the south side of the street, which is where Lao Tian's home is located.

  The street extends all the way to the foot of the mountain. Tian Lao lives in the last house at the end of the street, right next to the foot of the mountain. The location is not particularly good, but as soon as a horse carriage walks up this street, it can be seen that Tian Lao's house is absolutely the best house on this street.

  As she thought about the houses on both sides of the street they had just passed, Xia Zhi felt that her grandma's house was probably not only the best on this street, but also one of the best in Lao Shan Tun.

  Kaoshan Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with very little arable land. Many villagers make a living by planting fruit trees on the mountain slopes, leading to a very hard and poor life. Due to the lack of land, Kaoshan Village has no large landlords, and even the richest families only have a few acres of irrigated land. Although Kaoshan Village is cheap, it is relatively famous for being the poorest village within a hundred miles.

  Tian Wang's family, accompanied by his daughter-in-law Jiang and two granddaughters, Da Ya and Er Ya, were already standing at the gate to welcome the guests.

  Xia Zhi sat at the outermost side, so when the car stopped, she jumped down agilely. Then, Xiao Shu also followed and jumped down to show respect.

  Tian Wang immediately came up to welcome him, but deliberately avoided Xia Zhi, then hugged the small tree behind Xia Zhi and called out with a loving tone.

  The little tree called out to his grandmother, with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face. Ever since he was no longer deceived by the small favors of the Tian family, Xiao Shu had understood that his grandmother, Tian Wangshi, did not truly care for him. So being hugged by her like this made him feel somewhat uneasy.

  But Xiao Shu was a clever kid, he didn't reveal his thoughts too much, so Tian Wang naturally didn't notice anything unusual.

  "The little tree has grown taller again, this child..." Tian Wangshi said in a shrill voice, without even looking at Xia Zhi.

  Xia Zhi didn't mind either and took this opportunity to look around carefully.

  The courtyard in front of me can't compare to the old house in the summer family's backyard, and because it was built according to the terrain, it is not square. However, compared to the mountain village where most courtyards are surrounded by tree branches and fences, the walls of Tian Lao's courtyard are neatly stacked with stones, and they are higher than those of other people's houses.

  Just looking at the courtyard walls, the people living inside are at least middle-class families in the village, not as poor as Tian Shi said, needing help from others everywhere. If Xia Zhi's family doesn't support them, they will be left to freeze and starve to death.

  When the fourth hammer fell, Xia Xiuzai had already helped Tian Shi down from the carriage and met with Tian Wangshi. Tian Shi warmly called out "mother", and Xia Xiuzai also followed suit, calling out "mother-in-law".

  "Ah, ah, my daughter and son-in-law have arrived. Now that you're both here, it's all good." However, his somewhat dim old eyes looked past Tian Shi and Xia Xiuzai, directly at the car behind them.

  Xiaqiao got down from the other side of the carriage and came over to respectfully call Tian Wangshi "Grandma". Tian Wangshi responded with a gentle "ah" and also said that Xiaqiao had grown taller.

  She seems to have a limited vocabulary, or maybe she just doesn't have anything else to say to her grandsons, so she keeps repeating this one phrase. Anyway, for boys of Xiaqiao and Xiaoshu's age, before they become adults, their height always shoots up, so this sentence is never wrong no matter when it's said.

  "Girl, why did you come out to greet me? We're not outsiders, you could have just waited inside. Look at this big sun, it's really hot." Tian Shi said warmly and intimately as she stood facing Tian Wang Shi, but without any physical contact between them.

  "Not a day too soon, not a day too soon. I've been expecting you two for the past couple of days, and I've been waiting outside all day long. You've finally arrived." As she spoke, Tian Wangshi's gaze was still fixed on the car behind them.

  Everyone in the family has gotten off the horse-drawn carriage, but the things they brought are still on the carriage and haven't been taken down.

  Tian Wang's family couldn't wait for Xia Xiuzai and Tian to speak: "You've come from so far, what else do you bring?" As he spoke, he beckoned his daughter-in-law Jiang and two granddaughters to hurry over and take the things.

  Xiaqiao was very polite and said that there was no need for Da Gu to move, he called Xia Zhi and Xiao Shu'er over to help him carry things.

  However, Jiang had already walked over quickly with her two daughters. She greeted Tian and Xia Xiucai, and immediately went to the side of the carriage to get things. She was tall and had long arms and legs, standing under the horse carriage, stretching out her hand could take all the packages and baskets in her hands.

  The mother and daughter were very proactive in carrying things, and even a bit rushed. As soon as Xia Zhi picked up a basket, it was snatched away by Jiang Shi. It's said that she snatched it away, because although Jiang Shi had a smile on her face, her movements were extremely swift and forceful, as if she was afraid that Xia Zhi wouldn't give her the basket.

  Xia Zhi let go of his hand and looked at Jiang Shi in a daze.

  Jiang smiled slightly, "Take it to your aunt and sisters. Xia Zhi, you've come from so far away, how can I still let you work?"

  As they spoke, Jiang brought Da Ya and Er Ya, who were already holding a lot of things, and the small tree wanted to take things that had been taken away by them. In the end, only Xia Qiao held a basket in the Xia family, and Tian Shi was carrying a package under his arm.

  During this time, a small episode occurred. Jiang took all the things in the car into his own hands and was about to take them into the courtyard when he was stopped by Lao Guai. It turned out that not only did Jiang take the things brought by Xia Zhi's family, but also rolled up the mat that Lao Guai had laid in the car for the guests to sit on, intending to take it into the courtyard as well.

  She was stopped by the old man, and Jiang's face turned a bit red. She shook off her quilt with some force, saying that she had accidentally picked up the wrong one for a moment.

  Lao Guai didn't say anything, and the matter was dropped. But Xia Zhi gave Jiangshi a few more glances. Logically speaking, every time Tian Shi came, she would sit in Lao Guai's carriage, and the cushion on which guests sat was provided by Lao Guai himself. Jiang Shi should have known this, but she still wanted to take it into the courtyard, which had some implications.

  Everything was moved down from the vehicle, and Lao Guai came over to talk to Tian Shi and Xia Xiuzai, asking when he would come to pick them up tomorrow.

  "Come a bit later, or the day after tomorrow, otherwise it will be the day after that. I'll let my daughter and son-in-law stay at home for a few more days." Tian Wangshi said in a sharp tone.

  "Daughter, your uncle still has to go to the county town, really no time." Tian Shi smiled and then told Lao Guai to come to Kao Shan Tun tomorrow before noon to pick people up.

  Lao Huai responded with a grunt and drove off immediately.

  The carriage left, and Tian Wang led the Tian family, Xia Xiuzai, and Xia Zhi to walk towards the backyard. After a while, Xia Zhi found that his elder sister-in-law Jiang Shi and two cousins Da Ya and Er Ya were nowhere to be seen.

  It wasn't until they reached the upstairs room that she realized the mother and daughter had already moved their things in.

  The front and back yards of Lao Tian's house are very spacious, with five main rooms, all made of green bricks and tiles, built in a very majestic manner, looking quite new, probably not more than ten years old.

  In an environment like Kuai Shan Tun, the Tian family's mansion can be said to be very eye-catching, standing out from the crowd. Xia Zhi thinks that perhaps the saying "there is no landlord in Kuai Shan Tun" is not true. Looking at the grandeur of the Tian family, if it is said that there is a landlord in Kuai Shan Tun, then it must be the Tian family in front of us and no one else.

  The Tian family led the Xia family into the east wing of the upper house on the summer solstice. The five rooms of the Tian family's upper house were decorated in the same way as the Xia family's.

  The old man's house looks grand from the outside, and it's also quite good inside. On both sides of the room, there is a large kang by the window, with tables, chairs, and benches placed on the floor. The cabinets against the wall are also filled to capacity, and on top of them are bottles, mirrors, and other items, making it look very dignified.

  Tian Lao Tou didn't go out to greet his daughter and son-in-law's family, he was sitting on the kang with his legs crossed, wearing shoes and smoking a dry pipe. Tian Da Shu was lying down beside him on the kang, it was unclear whether he was asleep or not. Next to Tian Lao Tou was another person, who was none other than Tian Lao Tou's foolish grandson, Tian Da Bao.

  Xia Xiuzai and Tian Shi entered the house, and Old Man Tian was still motionless on the kang. As soon as Tian Shi entered the house, she didn't seem as relaxed as she had been outside. She led Xia Xiuzai to walk quickly in small steps to the front of Old Man Tian's kang, then respectfully paid her respects to him.

  "Dad, we've come to see you." Tian's voice also dropped by an octave in front of Old Man Tian.

  The old man in the field seemed to have just realized that Tian Shi and Xia Xiuzai had arrived. He slowly raised his eyelids to take a look at them, and a faint smile finally appeared on his thin face. As he said "you've come", he made a gesture as if he was about to get down from the land.

  Tian's family hastily stretched out his hand to block Tian Lao's move. Xia Xiuzai also tactfully said that Tian Lao didn't need to be polite, he was the elder, and they were all younger, letting Tian Lao sit down.

  The old man in the field let out a sound of approval, seemingly pleased with the actions of Tian Shi and Xia Xiucai. Then, his gaze fell on his eldest son beside him.

  "It's still not up, your sister and brother-in-law have arrived." Old Tian shouted loudly, while also tapping on Tian Dashu's buttocks with a tobacco stem.

  Tian Dabao finally stirred slightly, opening his sleepy eyes. It seemed he had indeed fallen asleep earlier. Tian Dabao woke up, still somewhat confused about the situation, until he saw Tian Shi and Xia Xiucai.

  "Sister and brother-in-law have arrived!" Tian Da Shu finally got up, "I went to the village entrance early in the morning to wait for you, waited for half a day without waiting, came back to rest for a while and fell asleep."

  "You're tired, just keep sleeping. Your sister and brother-in-law aren't outsiders, they can still argue with you about this. You're also doing it to welcome them." Tian Wangshi walked over from the side, looking at Tian Dabo with a smile.

  "What's with all this sleeping? You should be having a good talk with his sister and brother-in-law!" Old Tian gave Tian Wangshi a sideways glance, as if scolding her for spoiling her son.

  "Right, get up and have a good chat with your sister and brother-in-law. Once they arrive, you won't have to worry anymore." Tian Wangshi immediately opened her mouth, revealing scarlet gums.