The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 431 Master An Wu!
Last year, nothing major happened and it passed quickly.

Time flies and it is early June 1975.

These days, there are almost no motor vehicles on city streets except for buses. Everyone rides bicycles to and from get off work or takes rickshaws.

Later, there were cars on the road, but there were not many of them and ordinary people could not afford them.

In those days, it was common to see old men riding tricycles waiting for customers in the streets and alleys of Beijing. They mainly relied on this method to make a living.

For example, some drivers experienced ups and downs in life, as described by Lao She in Camel Xiangzi. There is also Mr. Wu, who chose to ride a tricycle to support his family after being released from prison.

Once upon a time, "Camel Xiangzi" became a cultural symbol of the old capital.

In fact, there is another type of operating vehicle - the tricycle.

Tricycles appeared in the 1930s. Since they were less labor-intensive than the rickshaws pulled by Xiangzi and others, they gradually replaced the rickshaws.

At that time, this kind of semi-mechanized vehicle was popular in Beijing. It became the first choice for people to travel. The labor intensity of the driver was also reduced a lot.

The drivers are also divided into different grades. Some of them specialize in picking up foreigners. Not only are they dressed neatly, but their drivers are also newer.

At that time, the drivers had to speak simple English.

While waiting for a seat, the drivers would gather together to chat, and even formed a special "jianghu spring code", a kind of industry language that only the drivers could understand.

After liberation, tricycles became increasingly specialized. In addition to carrying passengers, they also developed a freight department called a lifting company.

The appearance of the vehicle has also become a "flat tricycle". Ordinary people cannot rent it, nor can they afford to rent a car. If they occasionally need to pull something big, they have to find a crane company.

Even the logistics of each unit need to buy a few vehicles, and the canteen needs to buy some supplies. It is very useful and can carry a lot of
After the reform and opening up, flatbed three-wheelers basically became special vehicles for vendors, much earlier than the "three-wheeled vehicle".

From fresh vegetables to daily necessities, we carry everything and sell everything.

The rickshaw drivers riding their rickshaws through the streets are still an indispensable sight in the capital.

Walking in the alleys, you will often pass by them: "Would you like to go to Zongbu Hutong?" "Would you like to go to Prince Gong's Mansion?" The legs pedaling the bicycles are neither hurried nor slow, and the tourists sitting on the bicycles look around - this is how you should slowly and carefully experience the Beijing flavor.

Riding a tricycle requires a skill. Even if you can ride a bicycle, you may not be able to ride a tricycle. They are two completely different things.

Uncle An Wu is an expert at riding a tricycle. Not only is he good at riding, he is also familiar with the roads. He rides fast and steadily.

Uncle An Wu went out again early in the morning. There were five copper bells tied to his handlebars, which were from the lion dance his father used to perform.

A few years ago, the lion skin was burned, and An Wu picked up the bell from the ruins.

At around nine o'clock in the morning, the sound of "ding-ding-dang-dang" rang out in Nanluoguxiang, which had not yet become lively. Uncle An Wu was driving his tricycle again. A row of copper bells were tied to the handlebars of his tricycle, and the crisp sound could be heard a hundred meters away.

Uncle An Wu is 63 years old this year. He has a strong body, dark skin, and short hair with some white stubble.

It was hot, so he wore a Chinese-style buttoned jacket with his chest open, a bronze pocket watch pinned to the front, wide-legged drawstring pants, and white-bottomed black kung fu shoes.

The situation was better last year, and An Wuye became a rickshaw driver walking around the streets again.
Thirty years passed in a flash, and he changed from "Little An" to "Old Man An".

Seeing Luoguxiang transformed from aristocratic mansions into ordinary homes, his life went through ups and downs along with the changes in the alley.

After riding a bicycle for most of his life, he still refuses to stop.

This is what he thought.

"The old man is out driving again!"

"Hey! Mr. An!"

"The old man is in good health!"

"good!"

"Old man, take a break. What's the point of earning so much money?"

"I'll keep it for my little one!"

He has lived in the hutong all his life. Neighbors would greet him whenever they saw him, and would wave at him when they saw him from afar on their bikes. In the past, everyone called him Uncle An Wu, but after he turned 60, they all changed their address to Old Man.

Nanluoguxiang runs from north to south, with eight alleys on the east and west sides, arranged symmetrically.

As you enter from the south entrance, the first alley on the left is Fuxiang Hutong, where Master An Wu lived for decades. The first alley on the right is Chaodou Hutong, where Master An Wu parks his car and entertains guests now.

Here, being able to park your car openly at the entrance of the alley is a symbol of status.

An industrial and commercial manager nearby said that there are usually eight rickshaw drivers in Chaodou Hutong, and only two of them have business licenses. An Wuye is one of them. The other "black rickshaws" can only hide deep in the alley.

Even so, he is not the best in business. He is old and does not have the pressure of supporting a family. He is not in a hurry to make money. "Old man is a respectful title. If they call you old man, you have to act like an old man."

The weather is quite hot today, the sun is scorching, and the blue brick road looks like it is oozing oil. At around four o'clock in the afternoon, four female college students are going to take Master An Wu's car to tour the old capital. This is a big event.

Master An Wu thought for a moment, then waved his hand and called another driver, "Girl, I'm about to get off work, you can take his car."

The weather was hot and few people were out for sightseeing, so the driver didn't open his car for the whole day.

"These children are from other places who are going to school. I have old and young people at home, so it's not easy. I am a starving camel, but it's bigger than a horse. I don't care about this one more." He explained to the driver.

The driver actually knew what was going on. Master An Wu was taking care of him.

So he smiled and responded, "Okay! Fifth Master, don't say anything, I understand."

Uncle An Wu never hangs around the street corner to pick up people. He has been hanging around here since he was a child. He usually waits at this fixed "parking space".

More than half of the customers are repeat customers who come from word of mouth.

He grew up in Luoguxiang, and was influenced by it since childhood. His mind is filled with the history of Beijing. When he walks around Luoguxiang, every step tells a story.

"Luoguxiang was actually called Luogouxiang. It is high in the middle and low at both ends, like a hunchback. But Luogou doesn't sound good, so it was renamed Luoguxiang. It was built in the Yuan Dynasty and has a history of more than 700 years." This is the opening remark of Uncle An Wuye's hutong tour.

He can talk to you about everything from the Bell and Drum Tower to the Central Academy of Drama, from Feng's former residence to Wanrong's parents' home, Houmen Bridge... He knows them all like the back of his hand.

"Wanning Bridge is also called Houmen Bridge. It is opposite to Qianmen Bridge and is on the central axis of the capital. The central axis is also called the meridian. When the city gates are all open, at noon, the sun can shine through the gaps of Yongdingmen, Zhengyangmen, Tiananmen, and Di'anmen.

In case you don’t understand “Inner nine, outer seven, imperial city four”, Master An Wu took a piece of paper and drew these city gates and walls. “See, the outline of the old capital is like a hat.”

Neighbor Lao Xiao often chats with Master An Wu when he has nothing to do. "The old man really knows a lot. He speaks very clearly and logically. People young and old all like to listen to him talk about old things."

Mr. An waited for the night to fall, then leisurely got on his tricycle and set off on his way home. Passing deep into Nanluoguxiang, the quaint door lintel of No. 95 Siheyuan came into view. He involuntarily slowed down the speed of the car, braked lightly, and gazed at the door mottled with time with tenderness in his eyes.

What is the meaning of this?

This is because one of his benefactors lives in this courtyard, and perhaps the other party does not know the existence of Master An Wu.

However, in the heart of Mr. An Wu, he believed that one who does not repay a favor is not a gentleman. Every time his wheels lightly rolled over the cobblestone road of No. 95, he would stop for a moment, silently praying in his heart that he would meet his benefactor by chance.

Even if it is just a brief conversation or giving someone a ride, for him it is a precious opportunity to express gratitude and the most simple return for the unspoken kindness.

By the way, this happened more than ten years ago.

That year, the tricycle that An Wuye relied on for his survival was stolen by some unscrupulous "Buddha". It was all his belongings!

Uncle An Wu was extremely anxious after losing his beloved car, and blisters appeared on the corners of his mouth. More importantly, this car was still his dream, and it also contained the only relic left to him by his father.

During that period, Uncle An Wu would shuttle between the repair shop and the used car market every day to look for his car. He almost became a frequent visitor to these places, as if he was possessed by a demon.

His family and neighbors were all worried that something might happen to him, so they advised him, "Forget it, Uncle Wu. It's lost, so don't get angry. Let's all chip in and buy you a new one!"

"Yes, Master Wu, if we don't get rid of the old one, the new one won't come! You should be more open-minded..." Master Wu An said, "Thank you! Gentlemen, I don't want a new one, I just want my old car. My father spent all his savings to buy it for me. I can't bear to part with it..."

As time went by, there was no information about his car, so he reported the case to the police. The officers at the police station were also actively helping him look for it, but they still couldn't find it.

As time went by, his beloved car disappeared without a trace.

In a panic, he called the police.

The officers from the police station acted quickly and actively participated in the search, but unfortunately, the car seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

Just when Mr. An Wu's heart was tightly entangled in anxiety and despair and was almost suffocated, a "severe crackdown" storm suddenly blew over the city.

The leader of this public security rectification campaign was the iron-faced and impartial Liu Zhiye.

Under his command, a group of lawless criminals who called themselves "Foye", "Nanzhu" and "LM" were arrested one after another, their illegal gains were checked one by one, and most of the stolen money and goods were returned to their original owners. The light of justice illuminated every corner of the city.

Among the recovered properties was the long-lost tricycle of Master An Wuye.

Its appearance was like a gust of spring breeze that blew away the haze in An Wuye's heart and rekindled the fire of hope in him.

Even though it’s just a tricycle, this is Mr. An Wu’s fate.

Later, when Mr. An Wuye learned that his benefactor was Liu Zhiye, a neighbor of Nanluoguxiang and lived in No. 95 Courtyard, he became interested in him and would stay here for a while whenever he had time, hoping to meet his benefactor.

However, Master An Wu had considered the idea of ​​paying a direct visit. He knew that Liu Zhiye was a man of high character and integrity, and he was afraid that a hasty visit would disturb the peace of his benefactor or allow this pure kindness to be tainted by worldly dust.

Therefore, he chose a more subtle way, waiting silently instead of thanking directly, hoping that this gratitude could be conveyed to the benefactor in another form inadvertently.

Today, Master An Wu stopped here for a while as usual, and a cigarette lit up leisurely with a flick of his fingertips.

At this moment, in the No. 95 compound, a figure hurried out, breaking the surrounding tranquility.

Master An Wu's eyes fixed. He was not unfamiliar with the man. It was Teacher Yan Bugui. He was walking hurriedly as if he had something urgent to do.

"Hey, Uncle Wu, you came at the right time. I was worried that I couldn't find a car!" Yan Bugui glanced at Uncle Wu An and his face instantly lit up with joy.

Seeing that he looked anxious, Master An Wu asked quickly, "Teacher Yan, what's the emergency?"

Yan Bugui stamped his feet anxiously: "Fifth Master, you have to help me, my second daughter-in-law is about to give birth, it's late at night and I can't even get a car..."

When Master An Wu heard this, he threw away the cigarette butt in his hand without saying anything and said anxiously: "Oh, this is a big deal, we can't delay for a moment, let's go, let's go to the hospital now!"

Yan Bugui burst into tears of gratitude: "Thank you so much, Fifth Master! I am so sorry to bother you so late at night..."

Master An Wu interrupted him and urged, "Teacher Yan, it's already this late, why are you still bothering with these polite words? Saving lives is the most important thing, thank you later, quickly carry your daughter-in-law into the car!"

The threshold of the courtyard was too high for the tricycle to pass, so Yan Bugui led An Wuye into the front yard on foot. After hearing the noise in the yard, Yan Jiefang hurried out and asked anxiously, "Dad, is the car located?"

"Oh, isn't this Master An Wu?" Yan Jiefang's gaze fell on Master An Wu, with a bit of surprise and respect in his tone.

Although Uncle An Wu makes a living by riding a tricycle, he is very famous in the Nanluoguxiang area, and both adults and children are quite familiar with him.

Master An Wu smiled and nodded at him.

Inside the house, Yu Li was experiencing the hardships of having a second child. Today she accidentally had a miscarriage and was in unbearable pain, her face as pale as paper.

"Ouch! This pain is killing me!" She clenched her teeth, her voice trembling with uncontrollable pain.

"Mom, it really hurts!" She asked for help from her mother-in-law beside her.

The third aunt touched Yu Li's head and comforted her: "Xiao Li, bear with it, the car will be here soon, we can go to the hospital, don't be afraid!"

Yan Bugui immediately arranged for the three aunts to take a tricycle to take care of Yu Li.

He and Yan Jiefang accompanied them on bicycles, and arranged for the eldest brother Yan Jiecheng to call Liu Zhitai using Liu Zhiye's home phone.

Since such a big thing happened to the Yan family, the neighbors also came to help. With strength in numbers, everyone carefully lifted Yu Li onto Uncle An Wuye's tricycle.

Uncle An Wu was indeed an old hand. He drove the tricycle fast and steadily. In just twenty minutes, the group arrived at Union Hospital.

At Union Hospital, Liu Zhitai, the authoritative director of the Department of Internal Medicine, received Yan Jiecheng's emergency call for help. As their two families had a close relationship, it was reasonable for them to help, so he took action immediately without any delay.

He first quickly dialed the obstetrics and gynecology department, but still felt unsure, so he decided to go to the obstetrics and gynecology department in person to find out what was going on.

With Director Liu's personal involvement, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology naturally attached great importance to it. They even urgently recalled Director Wang Youfang who had just returned home.

Wang Youfang is now the leading figure in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Union Hospital. Director Lin is old and his energy is declining. In recent years, Director Wang has been in charge and supported the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

As soon as Yu Li arrived, she was quickly transferred to the delivery room.

Then, Director Wang arrived in a hurry. She quickly examined Yu Li and then informed Yan's family: "Fortunately, she was sent to the hospital in time, otherwise the fetus might be in danger. But the current situation is still serious..."

"What! Will it be dangerous?" Yan Jiefang's heart tightened when he heard this. Caesarean section was an unfamiliar concept to him. He had never thought that giving birth required cutting open the abdomen to take out the baby.

Director Wang said patiently, "Don't worry. Although caesarean section has risks, the success rate is very high. It is now a very mature surgery."

Yan Jiefang, Yan Bugui and the three aunts exchanged complicated looks, "This... Doctor, is it feasible to insist on natural childbirth? After all, operating on the stomach..." There was obvious hesitation in their words.

Director Wang seemed a little anxious and urged, "Don't hesitate any longer. Every minute you delay will increase the risk for the mother. Please make a decision as soon as possible!"

Yan Bugui also seemed at a loss at the moment. He turned to Liu Zhitai for help, "Zhitai, you are a doctor and you know more about this than us. Can you help Uncle San come up with an idea?"

Liu Zhitai patted Yan Jiefang's shoulder and said to them firmly: "Don't be nervous. Caesarean section may sound scary, but it is just an ordinary operation with a very high success rate and is very safe. You can rest assured about Director Wang's skills. She is a top expert in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Union Hospital and is known as the 'obstetrics master'!"

Yan Bugui exchanged glances with Yan Jiefang and his son, and then made up their minds: "In this case, we will choose a caesarean section. Director Wang, thank you for your hard work! Please be sure to..."

After Yan Jiefang signed, Director Wang calmly comforted him and then went to the delivery room to arrange the operation.

The Yan family watched as the door of the delivery room was tightly closed.

Only then did they come to their senses.

"Oh! Fifth Master, you are still here. I'm sorry, sorry, for delaying your return home." Yan Bugui discovered that there were not only their family but also Liu Zhitai and Fifth Master An who had brought them here.

While saying his apology, he took out a few Great Unity notes from his pocket. These were 10-yuan notes from the third set of RMB.

Master An Wu smiled and said, "Teacher Yan, I just ran an errand, but there's no need to spend so much money. Forget it, let's help each other as neighbors."

"How can this be possible? I'd feel bad for bothering you to make a trip so late at night. You have to take the fare anyway." Of course Yan Bugui refused. He used to like to take advantage of others, but that was because he had to.

Now their family is no longer the same as before. He is not only the school's principal, but also a prestigious figure on the street.

Speaking of his eldest son, Yan Jiecheng, he is already a deputy-division-level leader in the supply and marketing cooperative system. Although his position is not prominent, the real power he holds cannot be underestimated.

Since being promoted to a middle-level cadre in the Beijing Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the eldest brother Yan Jiecheng and his family have successfully moved into the family building arranged by the supply and marketing cooperative, and their quality of life has improved significantly.

The second son, Yan Jiefang, was equally outstanding. In his thirties, he became a section-level cadre in the street office, responsible for important matters such as welfare and housing management.

The third son, Yan Jiekuang, joined the army to serve his country; and the youngest daughter, Yan Zhaodi, worked in a state-owned cotton spinning factory, so it would not be difficult for her to find a good family in the future.

This family is undoubtedly one of the highest-income families in Nanluoguxiang. They live a rich and enviable life.

Seeing this, Liu Zhitai on the side also quickly joined in the persuasion: "Master An Wu, we appreciate your kindness, but you must accept the money as a token of our appreciation."

Seeing this, Master An Wu couldn't refuse, so he had to accept Yan Bugui's kindness with a smile, but he only took out one card.

Then, he turned his eyes gently to Liu Zhitai, thinking that he looked familiar, and asked with a little curiosity: "What's your name?"

(End of this chapter)