A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1209: I just crossed over and started to criticize you; Don’t be angry, I’m praising you! (Please subscribe!)

PS: It’s a little late, but with 6,000 words, it’s not too much to ask for monthly votes, right?
In the winter of 1969, Jichun City Guangzi Film.

As soon as Hua Shier emerged from the darkness, he felt a cold wind blowing straight into his collar. Of course, with his physique, the biting cold wind for others felt quite cool to him.

Looking around, I found him standing in front of a pile of firewood in a small courtyard, holding an axe in his hand, probably chopping wood!
The next moment, the system in my mind transmitted the memories of the person being replaced, and it turned out to be Big Head Zhou Bingkun!
The person he replaced this time was Zhou Bingkun, the third son of the Zhou family. His father Zhou Zhigang was the first generation of construction workers after the founding of the People's Republic of China. He had excellent skills and a tough temper. He was about to leave home for the third front in the southwest.

My mother, Li Suhua, is a very traditional housewife. She is illiterate but kind-hearted.

My eldest brother Zhou Bingyi will respond to the call this year and is about to set off to build the Corps.

The second sister, Zhou Rong, has a strong and selfish personality. She likes poetry and yearns for romantic love. Her idol is the Beijing poet Feng Huacheng.

After receiving Zhou Bingkun's memories, which was equivalent to accepting his feelings towards his family, Hua Shier felt uncomfortable, especially regarding his second sister Zhou Rong.

Zhou Bingkun didn't know what kind of person his second sister was, but Hua Twelve knew that when Zhou Rong was in the second grade of junior high school, she had been communicating with the poet Feng Huacheng, who was seventeen years older than her, without her family's knowledge, and they had established an ambiguous relationship.

At this moment, this woman is planning to leave home and go to Guizhou to meet the middle-aged poet.

Just as Hua Twelve was absorbed in the memory, a middle-aged woman with a plump figure came out from the room behind him and called out:
"Bingkun'er! What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and chop the bamboo shoots and send them to your sister. She's waiting to cook. Your dad will come back and enjoy a hot meal!"

Hua Twelve turned around and recognized the voice as Zhou Bingkun's mother, Li Suhua, and immediately smiled:
"Got it, don't worry about me working, it will be done in no time!"

As he spoke, he bent down, positioned a piece of wood, and then chopped it into two halves with a light blow of the axe.

Seeing that his son was working efficiently, Li Suhua walked into the house with a smile and said to Zhou Rong who was washing the pot:
"Hey, Rong'er, isn't it strange? Why didn't Mom realize before that Bingkun looks pretty when he smiles?"

The young Zhou Rong curled her lips upon hearing this and said with a smile:

"That's because he's your son, and you think he's good no matter how you look at him!"

Outside the house, Hua Twelve saw Li Suhua come in. He was too lazy to chop the wood with an axe. He took off his gloves and put them in his pocket. Then he picked up a piece of wood with his hands and tore it in half with his hands.

The same goes for other woods. The frame can be made with just a few clicks.

I opened the door and walked into the house holding a handful of wood, and white hot air hit me in the face.

The Zhou family's bungalow is the only house with a foundation in Guangzi area. There is a stove as soon as you enter the door. The north room is a small house, which is usually used for the three children to study and is Zhou Rong's residence at night.

The east room is the big room, with a big kang next to the south-facing window. At night, Zhou's father and mother, as well as the brothers Zhou Bingyi and Zhou Bingkun, all squeeze on this kang.

Hua Twelve put the bamboo basket in front of the stove and clapped his hands:

"It's done!"

Li Suhua, who was chatting and laughing with Zhou Rong, was stunned:

"Kun'er, I just said a few words to your sister, and you've already chopped the bamboo shoots? You're working too fast!"

Zhou Rong smiled and said, "My brother is not good at studying, but he is good at work!"

Hua Shier glanced at the pretty Zhou Rong, smacked his lips and said nothing.

The second sister's words were supposed to be nice, but they sounded quite unpleasant.

At this moment, Zhou Bingyi's voice came from the north room:
"Bingkun, come in for a moment, I have something to tell you!"

Li Suhua patted Hua Twelve and said, "Go quickly, your brother is leaving soon and he may have something important to tell you!"

Hua Shier nodded and stepped into the north room. As soon as he entered, he saw a young man in his early twenties with thick eyebrows and big eyes packing his luggage. He looked exactly like Zhou Bingyi when he was young in his memory.

"What do you want to ask me?"

Zhou Bingyi waved his hand and beckoned Hua Twelve to come forward, pointing to a box of books and saying:

"There are 61 books in total. They are all very rare. Most of them belong to other people, including teachers, classmates, friends, and a few books from Hao Dongmei. Remember, these books must not be seen by anyone!"

Zhou Bingyi was afraid that Hua Twelve might not understand, so he said solemnly:

"Because our family is a working class family, it is relatively safe. Everyone will be gathered here with me. You must take good care of them after I leave!"

Having said this, he even emphasized his tone, sounding somewhat condescending.

However, in this era, it is normal for the eldest brother to speak impolitely to his younger brothers.

Hua Twelve smiled faintly:
"I don't care about such an important matter!"

Zhou Bingyi didn't expect his brother to refuse, and immediately said seriously:
"I'm not kidding you!"

Hua Twelve's smile remained unchanged: "I'm telling you the truth, you said to keep these books at home, I don't agree!"

Zhou Bingyi frowned slightly, thought for a moment, picked up a slightly worn green military coat from the kang and stuffed it into Hua Twelve's arms:
"Dad gave me this coat. You haven't thought about it for a long time. I'll give it to you. You won't be angry this time, right?"

Hua Twelve put the coat back:

"I don't want it, and I've never thought about it. You can keep it for yourself!"

If it were Zhou Bingkun, he would definitely accept it happily and feel very happy.

But Hua Twelve couldn't be happy. He looked at the clothes of the two brothers. Zhou Bingyi's clothes could be described in two words: "normal". The clothes were new from inside to outside, without even a patch.

Looking at what he was wearing, the collar was worn out and the hem was frayed.

As I recall, from childhood to adulthood, it was always Zhou Bingyi, the older brother, who wore new clothes. When they became old and small, it was Zhou Bingkun's turn. The clothes he is wearing now were all the equipment that Zhou Bingyi discarded three years ago.

Of course, in that era, no family was wealthy, and every family had this to live through, so Hua Shier could understand it.

But what was that sense of superiority on your face when you gave him the military coat?

Zhou Bingyi was a little surprised to see that he actually refused. He picked up his military coat and stuffed it back:

"You should take it if I tell you to. I'm going to the Construction Corps, and I've been given a new coat in advance. I won't be using this one, so you should take good care of these books for me, and that'll be a great honor for me!"

Hua Twelve smiled. It was indeed the case.

It would be wrong to say that Zhou Bingyi has no family in his heart. He really gave the military coat to his brother sincerely just now, but Hua Shier, who has watched the original plot, knows that this person has a problem, which is that he is as selfish as Zhou Rong.

This person puts his own feelings and interests first when doing anything, and puts his family and family members second.

It's not that Hua Shier had a preconceived opinion of Zhou Bingyi as his elder brother, but that the other party really did so.

In the original plot, Zhou Bingyi was dating Hao Dongmei in the Construction Corps. Knowing that she was infertile, he was afraid that his parents would not agree to their marriage, so he concealed the truth from his parents and did not consider their feelings at all.

If this is for love, then it is understandable. But after Hao Dongmei's parents, who are high-ranking officials, are rehabilitated, what does it mean for you to take the initiative to marry into her family?
Although the original drama never said that he was marrying into the wife's family, he has been living in the Western-style villa of his parents-in-law, leaving his biological parents to live in a cramped old house with Zhou Bingkun, and he has not fulfilled any of his obligations as a son or daughter. What is the difference between this and marrying into the wife's family?
That would be fine if it were just that, but the key lies in the situation between his parents and his parents-in-law. He has never considered the issue from his parents' side.

Who would dare to believe that the in-laws of their children who had been married for more than ten or twenty years, who still lived in the same city and had no conflicts with each other, had never met each other until they died?

I'm afraid no one would believe this if I told them!
Of course, it is definitely not right to say that he had never met her at all. At least before Zhou Bingyi and Hao Dongmei started dating and Hao Dongmei's father was not overthrown, he did meet Zhou Zhigang, a worker representative, when he came down to inspect.

In Hua Shier's opinion, Hao Dongmei's parents despised the Zhou family because of their humble background and looked down on them, which was why they had never visited them.

There was only one time when they said they would come to visit during the Chinese New Year. In order to welcome the in-laws, Zhou Zhigang took his two sons to start a thorough cleaning. They were so exaggerated that they even cleaned the public toilet outside. They were busy until dark, but the in-laws said they would not come again.

Yes, you are powerful, you have a lot of things to do and you are busy!
But there are so many days during the Chinese New Year, can’t we squeeze out time to meet?

If I can’t squeeze it out this year, what about next year or the year after?
How can you find time to make dumplings, play chess, chat with your daughter, and play table tennis with your son-in-law during the Chinese New Year?
Zhou Zhigang supported the Third Front and brought back two boxes of good tea from the mountains. He asked Zhou Bingyi to give them to his father-in-law. This was definitely a good intention. It was a favor between relatives.

As a result, when the good relative went to return the gift, the two boxes of tea were returned intact in the same way they had been sent.

Is this a slap in the face?
Even if the secretary made a mistake, you are being too careless towards your in-laws.

From the beginning to the end, Zhou Bingyi always stood firmly on the side of his parents-in-law, fearing that his family would benefit from his parents-in-law and he would be looked down upon by others.

When his powerful father-in-law passed away and he became an official, he firmly lived with his mother-in-law and wife in the small Western-style building. He never used any of the power in his hands to seek any living or housing benefits for his parents. He was definitely a good official!
Does Zhou Bingyi really care about his parents-in-law?

It’s not that he’s afraid, he just simply cares about himself, that’s all!

Therefore, Hua Shier believes that Zhou Bingyi is a selfish person, at least towards his own people!
Just like this military coat, would he have given it to him if Zhou Bingyi hadn't given him a new one?
That definitely won’t happen!
Although the two brothers are four years apart in age, they are both men of similar build. Whatever you, Zhou Bingyi, can wear, I, Zhou Bingkun, can wear too. It's okay for you to always wear new clothes because you are the eldest brother. So why do you still feel superior?
I can't stand this!
Hua Twelve smiled and stood up, putting his general's coat on the kang again:
"I don't like to eat food given out of pity. I am quite warm in my old cotton-padded jacket. Your military coat is too new and I am not used to it!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Zhou Bingyi was startled at first, then showed an angry expression and chased out of the hut:

"Zhou Bingkun, what are you crazy about? Just tell me clearly what you mean. This is just beggar's food!"

He chased out of the hut and was about to argue when he saw a middle-aged woman push the door open and walk in. He hurriedly greeted her awkwardly:

"Aunt, you're here!"

Hua Shier also greeted the visitor. This middle-aged woman was the old sister of his mother Li Suhua, the mother of Zhou Bingkun's childhood sweetheart Qiao Chunyan, and the neighbor Aunt Qiao who worked in the street.

Zhou Rong, who was cooking, looked at Zhou Bingyi and Hua Twelve strangely. She felt that the atmosphere between the two brothers was not right. Then she smiled and greeted Aunt Qiao.

Aunt Qiao's face was full of smiles:
"Hey, everyone is at home. Where's your mother? I have something to talk to her about!" Li Suhua, who was busy in the big house, heard the noise and came out:
"His aunt is here, hurry in and get on the kang to warm up!"

Aunt Qiao came this time to talk about the educated youth going to the countryside. Zhou Bingyi said:

"Aunt, I will respond to the call and go to build the corps immediately!"

Aunt Qiao said with some embarrassment:
"Aunt knows, but we have a requirement. From a large family, only one child can stay. My family has three children, so I only kept Chunyan'er. You also have three children, so one more has to go!"

Zhou Rong poured Aunt Qiao a cup of water and said:
"Aunt, let me make my position clear to you. I'm leaving!"

Hua Twelve laughed in his heart. Zhou Rong agreed readily because this was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to run away and meet the middle-aged poet!
Li Suhua said quickly: "Girl, what do you know? Girls' good days are only these few years!"

Hua Twelve coughed lightly:
"I'd better let me go. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a grown man now. When I stand up, I'm taller than my dad. For things like this, a man has to step forward!"

Li Suhua's eyes turned red: "Our Kun'er has grown up!"

Zhou Rong pouted: "No, if we talk about growing up, I'm two years older than you. I'm the older sister, I'll go!"

Finally, it was Li Suhua who spoke up: "No one should argue anymore, just wait for your dad to come back and decide!"

As soon as Aunt Qiao left, Zhou Rong ran to cook angrily. Zhou Bingyi said to Hua Twelve:

"Come on, let's go to the cabin and I'll talk to you!"

Hua Shier threw his arms and said, "What's there to talk about? I'm going to the bathroom!"

Zhou Bingyi wanted to say something, but his mother Li Suhua asked with concern:

"Bingyi, have you packed everything you need to take?"

Hua Shier went out for a walk and took a look at the famous light-word piece in the original drama!
Guangzi District consists of five streets and alleys, namely Guangren Street, Guangyi Street, Guangli Street, Guangzhi Street and Guangxin Street. Their names are taken from the Confucian "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness".

Despite its resounding name, it looks like a shantytown, with low brick and wood houses crowded together. The alleys are very narrow, like a tangled mess of hemp. The coal smoke coming out of the chimneys is torn into wisps of gray by the north wind, drifting in the streets and alleys, with a pungent smell.

A few snotty-nosed kids were chasing a deflated rubber ball, their soles slapping on the icy road as they ran.

Hua Shier found a place sheltered from the wind, and seeing that there was no one around, he went into the storage space to change into his own underwear, then smoked a cigarette before returning to Zhou's house.

I saw a big 28-inch truck parked in the yard. It was obvious that Zhou Zhigang, who had gone to the photo studio in the city to get a family photo, had returned.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw Zhou Zhigang distributing family photos. When he came back, he handed me one:
"This is just in time for you. One for each of you. This is yours. I'm going to the Third Front, Bingyi is going to the Construction Corps, and one of our family members has to go. I don't know when we'll be together next time. Keep this family photo for a reminder!"

Li Suhua was a little sad, wiping her tears and asked:

"One more person from our family has to go. Who should go? His father, you decide!"

Zhou Zhigang sighed, his eyes reddened: "Let's go with Bingkun, it's okay for a boy to suffer a little!"

These days, fathers have the final say at home. Although Zhou Rong was reluctant, she didn't dare to say anything. She went out to cook quickly and had dinner ready in no time.

Today's meal is for Zhou Zhigang and Zhou Bingyi. It is a rare occasion to have meat, stewed meat with sauerkraut, and large cornmeal pancakes.

The family sat together and had a reunion dinner.

When the meal was almost over, Zhou Bingyi suddenly asked at the table:
"Bingkun'er, why do I feel like you have something against me?"

Zhou Zhigang frowned and asked the two:
"What's going on? Tell me!"

Zhou Bingyi recounted what happened in the cabin. Zhou Zhigang looked at Hua Twelve and glared:
"What's the matter? Have you grown strong enough to challenge your elder brother?"

Hua Twelve showed Zhou Zhigang a harmless smile:

"Now that we're talking about this, I'll also share my thoughts. But let's make it clear first, let's talk it out. If what I said is wrong, you can point it out, but don't do it, okay?"

"If you insist on using force and being unreasonable, then I won't say anything!"

Zhou Zhigang laughed:

"Hey, you're trying to reason with your father. Okay, let's not fight. Let's talk about reason today. Tell me, why are you still awkward with your brother?"

Hua Twelve shook his head and said:

"I'm not upset with him. I think Zhou Bingyi didn't consider his family before doing anything!"

Zhou Bingyi suddenly became anxious, put down his chopsticks and said:
"Why didn't I consider my family?"

Hua Twelve laughed:
"Isn't it obvious? You said that most of those books belong to other people. Other people don't dare to keep them at home, so why should they be kept in our house? If these books are found, I don't need to say much about the consequences, right? The whole family will be in trouble!"

"Oh, why should we transfer the danger to our family just because others think it is dangerous? Before you, Zhou Bingyi, made this decision, who did you discuss with your family? Aren't you being selfish?"

Zhou Zhigang frowned and said, "Bingkun, it's just a few books. Is it really as serious as you say?"

Hua Twelve stood up and moved the box from the hut over:

"How many? More than 60 books, including some textbooks, The Dream of the Red Chamber, and Anna Karenina. All of these are now considered poisonous weeds!"

Zhou Rong sneered, "You just haven't read enough books. These books are out of print. They are precious cultural treasures and the spark of civilization!"

Hua Twelve asked back:

"You are right. These books are cultural treasures and the spark of civilization. So why don't the owners of these books protect them well? Why do they keep them in our homes?"

"When Zhou Bingyi agreed to help others keep the items, did he ignore the safety of his own family? Why didn't he seek the advice of his family?"

Zhou Bingyi said confidently:
"I've already told you, our family is a working class family, it's safer!"

If it were the earliest Hua Twelve, he would have nothing to say about this, but he had also experienced this period in the Siheyuan world and knew a lot of things.

He laughed sarcastically:
"Who told you that? Just last year, Fengtian fan, biao, an, did you know how many families like ours suffered misfortune?"

"If these books are found, our family will be finished, you know?"

Hua Twelve looked at Zhou Rong who was about to speak:

"It's not that I don't agree with protecting the flame of civilization, I just don't understand why our family should take risks for others!"

When he said this, Li Suhua was frightened:

"Bingyi, if it's really like what Kun'er said, let's just ignore it."

Zhou Bingyi suddenly became anxious: "Only our family knows about this. As long as we don't tell anyone, no one else will know!"

Zhou Zhigang nodded: "Stop arguing, I understand this matter. Bingyi, next time something like this happens, tell me first before making a decision, got it?"

Zhou Bingyi glared at Hua Twelve and could only bow his head and admit his mistake:

"I know, Dad. I didn't think it through, but Bingkun was exaggerating a bit!"

Zhou Zhigang also said to Hua Twelve:
"It's just a box of books. It's not that serious. I'll dig a hole in the cellar and bury it deeper. As long as we don't tell anyone, no one will know. Just keep it!"

Hua Twelve nodded: "Okay, you have the final say!"

Zhou Rong was just retorted by Hua Twelve, and was unhappy that he had snatched the opportunity to leave home, so she said sarcastically:

"Bingkun, you just don't like to study. You have no knowledge. If you can study hard, you will be as enthusiastic about protecting these books as me and my elder brother. You just suffer from lack of education. After all, you dropped out of school in the first grade of junior high school, and your first grade of junior high school is no different from not going to school at all. Remember to read more books in the future!"

Hua Twelve said calmly:

"Mencius said: A gentleman studies deeply in the Way, hoping that he will obtain it by himself. Nowadays, some people have only a little knowledge, but they are arrogant and proud, and they trample on others. Isn't it ridiculous?"

He blurted out a sentence in classical Chinese, and the whole family at the dinner table was stunned. What he meant was that Mencius said that a true gentleman studies knowledge in order to understand the truth for himself. It is ridiculous that you, Zhou Rong, dare to laugh at others when you only know a few words.

Zhou Rong's eyes turned red from being provoked by him. Zhou Zhigang didn't understand what Hua Twelve said and scolded:
"Okay, what you said is all old-fashioned, all Confucius's stuff. Your brother and sister studied Western culture, advanced ideas and science, and listened to storytelling for a few days, and now they are acting like that in front of their family members!"

With her father's support, Zhou Rong is confident:
"Yes, Bingkun, I told you not to listen, but dad said you should listen. It's like the English books in this box. They all record advanced knowledge. I can understand them, and so can my brother Ken. Can you understand them?"

"Only by learning these advanced cultural and scientific knowledge can you broaden your horizons and mind, and not be so narrow-minded and only consider personal gains and losses!"

This is not just a thorn in the side, this is a mace in the side, a naked mockery.

Hua Twelve rolled his eyes and said to Zhou Rong:

"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.—— Socrates"

Then he translated it for everyone:

"Socrates said: The real learning is to realize one's own ignorance!"

"Zhou Rong, you looked very ignorant just now. Don't be angry. I was praising you."

Thanks to: 08a, Brother Xiao Xiaohu in the Demon World for the reward, and thanks to the brothers who voted for monthly votes and recommendation votes, thank you very much.