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

Chapter 552 A prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold!!!
At night, Liu Zhiye held a banquet at the Liu family's old house to entertain the two old comrades.

In addition to them, those present also included the third uncle who was nearly 70 years old and addicted to drinking, and the brother-in-law Liu Fusheng who was also a veteran.

The few of them had common topics, and Liu Zhiye hadn't drunk so happily with them for a long time.

Liu Zhiye smiled and asked the third uncle Liu Yuanhai: "Third uncle, how are you feeling lately?"

Liu Yuanhai was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. He replied: "Very good, I can eat and drink, and I am in good health, hehehe!"

Uncle Liu Yuansheng said, "Your Third Uncle has nothing to worry about now. Even Taozi, who used to love to cause trouble, has become successful now."

"Xiao Tao?" Liu Zhiye was stunned when he heard the name.

Their Liu family is huge, with many descendants, many of whom he cannot even remember their names.

However, he did have some impression of Liu Tao, the grandson of his third uncle Liu Yuanhai. That kid was not a quiet person.

"What's up with Xiao Tao? Has he become successful?"

Liu Yuanhai smiled and said, "That's right! This kid has made great progress, which finally makes me feel relieved. Your second brother sent him to the army, and he is doing quite well."

After hearing this, Liu Zhiye couldn't help laughing: "Hey, why didn't he tell me that Xiao Tao was going to join the army!" What he meant by this was that he wanted to take care of his nephew.

Liu Yuanhai responded: "We sent him to the army to temper his temper. If he greeted you, that would go against our original intention!"

"Besides, I'm mainly worried that this kid will be useless and cause you trouble and embarrass you!"

"Oh! Not really. Our Liu family has a good tradition and will never produce unfilial descendants!" Liu Zhiye shook his head.

Liu Zhiye has always been grateful to his third uncle Liu Yuanhai, who was the person who supported him the most besides his family.

So Liu Zhiye wanted to repay him in his heart and wanted to help the younger generation of the Third Uncle, but he never found the right opportunity.

Now the opportunity has come, although the third uncle did not come to ask him for help regarding Liu Xiaotao's joining the army.

This kid is an outlier in the Liu family and a thorn in the side of the Third Uncle. It would be great if he could achieve something.

Speaking of Liu Xiaotao, he was a soldier in Yanjing two years ago. The place where he served was quite far away, and he went straight to the southeast coastal area.

Liu Xiaotao has been wild since he was young, and he did not study well after graduating from junior high school.

He often fights with a group of "street urchins" on the streets.

In the winter of the year before last, local governments implemented the policy of sending soldiers to the army, and the political review was very simple.

Liu Xiaotao's father wanted to stop him from causing trouble at home, and Liu Xiaotao himself wanted to leave home and try his luck.
The second brother used his brother-in-law Liu Fusheng's connections to get Liu Xiaotao enlisted in the army, and he later became an ordinary soldier in a unit on the southeast coast.

The troops were stationed in a small town called Hecun.

There is a small river in the town. It winds through the town from the west end, turns south at the east end of the town, and flows into the Jiangshan River one kilometer away.

It provides abundant washing water for the people in the town.

The provincial road with cement pavement runs from east to west through the town, providing strong road support for land transportation in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi.

From Shilipai, head west, pass a big downhill slope next to Jiangshan Gas Station, and walk about 5 miles to reach Hecun Town.

The first weekend after the Spring Festival last year.

Liu Xiaotao was in a particularly good mood that day.

People say “Every festival makes us miss our loved ones more”.

However, after graduating from the recruit company as he wished, Liu Xiaotao was assigned to the regiment's warehouse storage class and became a keeper of the equipment warehouse.

I am not subject to strict discipline like the soldiers in the company, nor do I have to do morning exercises, so I don’t miss home at all.

He was holding a soldier's wide-brimmed hat in his hand. Although the weather was still a little cold, in order to pretend that he was a soldier in the government, he imitated the old soldiers and deliberately unbuttoned the first and second buttons of his shirt.

While walking, I hummed "Don't pick the wild flowers on the roadside, it would be a waste if you don't pick them..."

That morning, Liu Xiaotao did not go to the soldiers' kitchen for breakfast.

As a soldier from the north, he was not willing to eat southern rice and pickles for breakfast.

He wanted to go to Hecun Town to taste the southern-style wontons.

He heard from the supply officer at the soldiers' kitchen that Jiangshan's wontons were especially delicious, with paper-thin skin, meat filling, and scallions and lard added to the broth before serving.

Although the first-year soldier’s allowance is only 12.5 yuan per month, it is still okay to eat a bowl of wontons occasionally.

Thinking of this, Liu Xiaotao couldn't help but reach into his pocket and twist the rolled-up thirty-plus yuan bill.

He thought of the rice and pickles in the soldiers' kitchen every morning, the rice and cabbage with rapeseed oil at noon, and the rice in the evening...

It is rare to have a meal of white flour in seven days a week.

Liu Xiaotao couldn't help but sigh.

He is the most delicious person, and he said to himself, "When the hell can I eat white flour every day!"

After saying that, he twisted the money in his pocket again. A strange thought popped into his mind: "It would be great if this money could generate more money in my pocket."

Fantasizing about the delicious southern wontons, Liu Xiaotao unknowingly walked down the steep slope of the gas station.

There is no rice planted in the rice fields on both sides of the provincial road.

Small purple and orange flowers are blooming in the rice fields, looking like purple and orange patterns embroidered on a green carpet.

Liu Xiaotao thinks it is particularly beautiful.

I thought the south was the best place, with flowers everywhere just after the Spring Festival.

He didn't know that this was a kind of short, round-leaved fertilizer grass that farmers planted in their fields.

Before transplanting rice seedlings in spring, the ground will be plowed directly, which is equivalent to applying base fertilizer to the rice fields.

We are about to reach Hecun Town.

There were a few houses with black tiles, white walls and wooden doors scattered along the roadside.

Next to a pond on the south side of the road, there is a black and gray buffalo with two thick horns on its head, which are bent toward the front and upper part of the head, as if gathering huge power.

The buffalo was constantly chewing the grass that it had regurgitated from its stomach.

There was a thin line of white mucus hanging from the mouth, which sank down after a while.

After arriving in the town, Liu Xiaotao had no clear destination and just walked blindly along the street.

He knew that in such a small town, it wouldn't take long to find a place to eat wontons.

As I was walking, the aroma of chopped green onions wafted into my nose.

Liu Xiaotao's stomach immediately began to growl with joy.

Liu Xiaotao looked in the direction of the fragrance and saw a typical southern door-panel store with a large white sign with black characters hanging above the door.

The word "breakfast" on the sign is very eye-catching.

The removed door panels were neatly stacked on both sides of the store.

On the door panels that were not removed, words such as "wonton", "soy milk", and "youtiao" were written in white paint.

The fragrance came from this breakfast shop.

Next to the breakfast shop is a restaurant with a red sign that reads “Jiale Hotel”.

On the right side of the sign, there is a picture of a beautiful woman with curly hair. She is looking at Liu Xiaotao sweetly with a pair of charming eyes.

This made Liu Xiaotao feel an inexplicable impulse in his heart.

On both sides of the entrance of this hotel, there are also a row of removed door panels stacked up.

In two simple wooden boxes containing Jiangshan beer next to the door, there were some empty beer bottles scattered around.

Most of the beer bottles are green, with a few brown ones mixed in.

People in the town said that the beer in the brown bottle tasted better than the one in the green bottle.

Liu Xiaotao took a quick look at the Jiale Restaurant and then turned his attention back to the "breakfast" shop.

He saw several men and women eating fried dough sticks and wontons in the "breakfast" shop.

Just as Liu Xiaotao was about to go in and try the wontons, a woman came out, holding onto the door panel that had been removed from the store with her left hand, and shouted loudly into the distance: "Shenigui (local dialect, meaning little boy), it's time to eat!"

"Oh, Laxue (meaning pee)..." Liu Xiaotao saw a little boy about 10 years old by the river and responded. He shook his legs, pulled up his pants with both hands, turned around and ran into the store.

When I entered the door, I almost bumped into an old man carrying a bunch of rice dumplings.

The old man raised the rice dumpling up and said, "Be careful, ghosts!" Then he turned to look at the naughty little boy and walked out of the store.

The little boy made a face and ran quickly into the store.

Then the woman said loudly: "It's either laxative or lahu (meaning defecation), let's eat!"

The little boy sat on the long orange in front of his mother's square table, picked up a dough stick, and took a big bite.
His mouth slid along the edge of the wonton bowl from left to right, and with a "slurp", he sipped a mouthful of wonton soup. Liu Xiaotao looked at this scene with some amusement, and he followed him into the store.

"Comrade, are you here for dinner?" A pretty woman with a blue apron around her waist and white sleeves on her arms greeted.

Liu Xiaotao looked the woman up and down.

This woman looked to be in her twenties or early thirties.

A long braid that falls over the right shoulder to the chest.

She was wearing a blue top with white flowers, white cuffs on the sleeves and a blue apron around her waist, looking very neat and tidy.

Looking at the woman's face more closely, her features were regular, and her single-lidded eyes, under her long, thin eyebrows, were very lively.

Although her nose was a little small, it was also very delicate. As she spoke, her white teeth were neatly arranged in her mouth.

It looks like artificially trimmed mutton-fat jade, which makes people love it very much. Although there is no lipstick on her thin lips, they are also rosy and lovely.

"Comrade, what would you like to eat?" the woman asked again.

"Ah, a bowl of wontons, 4 liang of fried dough sticks, and a piece of fermented bean curd." Liu Xiaotao came back to his senses and said. He thought again: "People say that beautiful women come from the southeast." It seems to be true.

"Please wait a moment, it will be fine soon!" said the woman, and she wiped the dust-free long orange in front of Liu Xiaotao with the towel hanging on her arm, and motioned Liu Xiaotao to sit down.

While waiting, Liu Xiaotao carefully looked at this southern breakfast shop.

This shop is located on a small river in the town, and the river is under the wooden floor of the shop.

When people walk on the floor, they feel a little dizzy.

You can also hear the sound of "dong, dong..." under your feet.

After a while, the woman brought a bowl of wontons and a plate of fried dough sticks.

There was also a small porcelain plate filled with red milk dough on the plate.

"Eat slowly, it's delicious!" said the woman.

Liu Xiaotao looked up at the woman again, and the aroma of chopped green onions and lard in the wonton bowl wafted into his nose.

Liu Xiaotao lowered his head, held it in front of him impatiently, picked up the spoon and took a sip of the wonton soup with lard and chives floating in it.

"Home (meaning mom), do the People's Liberation Army still eat?" The little boy looked at Guan Ping, turned to his mother curiously and asked.

"Eat your food, don't show off!" The little boy's mother glared at the child.

Before they knew it, the little boy, his mother and other guests who were having breakfast in the restaurant had all left.

Only Liu Xiaotao was left.

"Boss, check out the bill!" Liu Xiaotao finished his breakfast and stood up and shouted to the kitchen.

"Oh, okay!" The woman came to Liu Xiaotao with a scent of green onions.

“6块5毛5，同志。你付6块5吧！”那女子说道。

Liu Xiaotao thought that this southerner was just good at doing business and was not generous at all, so he only saved 5 cents.

He took out a 5 yuan note and two 1 yuan notes from his pocket, handed them to the woman and said, "7 yuan, no need to change."

"It's not right to be like this, comrade. It's not right to charge you more money!" the woman whispered.

"It's nothing. Don't worry, I'll come again next time!" The men in Yanjing are very generous. Liu Xiaotao waved his hand and said generously.

"Okay, okay!" The woman's face was full of gratitude.

After going out, Liu Xiaotao was picking his teeth in a good mood, thinking that this kind of military life was not bad.

As an administrator, he is not tired from training, and he can also come out for a good meal and appreciate the beauties when he has the chance.

But the good times did not last long. Liu Xiaotao's comfortable days came to an end. Out of nowhere, a document came from above, dismissing him from his position as custodian and transferring him to an infantry battalion for training.

…………

"Report, please give instructions!" Liu Xiaotao was about to drink some water after training, when he heard a loud report from outside the cafeteria.
He looked up and saw the communicator Xiao Gao standing upright, reporting something to the squad leader Li Qiang.

"Xiao Gao, are you here to beg for food again?" Liu Zhi Xiaotao put the enamel bowl on the table and shouted towards the door.

Gao Jianjun was the communications officer of their company. Because he always went to the kitchen, his comrades called him "Beggar Gao".

These days the troops have strict management and particularly strong discipline.

When the wake-up call sounded at 5:30 every morning, everyone had to quickly get out of their bunks, fold their quilts, and line up for morning exercises.

At the end of the day, it is common to be so hungry that your stomach is sticking to your back.

When Liu Xiaotao was born, their Liujiazhuang had already risen, and he had never suffered since he was a child.

That's why he developed this dandy character, and hard life is the best way to train a person!

Comrade Liu Xiaotao, are you hungry again? "Instructor Lao Wang walked in with his hands behind his back and looked at him with a smile, "Eat more, there is physical training in the afternoon."

Liu Xiaotao quickly stood up and said, "Report to the instructor! Yes, I was a little hungry after the heavy training just now."

"Exercise well and eat well." Lao Wang patted his shoulder. "Although the food in our army is not rich, we should also learn to be grateful and content."

"Old Liu, when do you think our food can be improved?" Gao Jianjun asked Liu Xiaotao in a low voice, holding the bowl. "I heard that the reconnaissance team can eat meat every day."

Liu Xiaotao put down his chopsticks and glared at him: "Don't ask about these nonsense, kid. It's good enough to be full. Besides, you are here to be a soldier, not to be a master."

Squad leader Li came over from the stove, holding a large bowl of shredded radish in his hand: "You are the only one who talks too much. If you think our food is not good, go to the reconnaissance company!"

Liu Xiaotao often hears veterans talk about their stories when they first joined the army.

What the old squad leader loved to talk about the most was the food they had back then. Every meal was just cabbage and radishes, without even a drop of meat, and they had to eat sparingly.

"You new recruits, what do you know?" Squad Leader Li always said, "When we were young, we had very little oil, not to mention meat. Now you have pickles every day, you are enjoying it."

There is an unwritten rule in the army that if someone receives a package from home, they must share the food with their comrades.

I remember one time, Liu Xiaotao received a large piece of bacon sent from home. He divided it into more than ten portions and shared it with his comrades in the class.

There are also Yanjing specialties sent from home. It’s better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone!

"Xiao Tao, you are a very good squad leader." After the instructor Lao Wang knew about it, he praised Liu Xiaotao and said, "You should understand unity and friendship, which is the fine tradition of our army."

In this way, Liu Xiaotao gradually grew up!
"Comrade Liu Xiaotao, the organization has decided to let you work in the military district headquarters."

One day, the group leader suddenly called Liu Xiaotao to his office and said, "This is the organization's trust in you. You must work hard."

The news came so suddenly that Liu Xiaotao was at a loss for words.

You know, being able to work in a military district headquarters is an enviable job.

Moreover, the military district headquarters is in a big city. These days, a certain big city in the southeast is very prosperous.

But just the day before Liu Xiaotao was about to be transferred, an accident happened.

Squad leader Sun from the kitchen squad accidentally injured his hand while cutting vegetables, and the situation was quite serious.

When Liu Xiaotao found out, he sent him to the hospital without saying a word.

"Xiao Liu, aren't you going to die tomorrow?" Squad Leader Sun looked at Liu Xiaotao guiltily while lying on the hospital bed. "Why are you still meddling in this matter?"

Liu Xiaotao poured him a glass of water and said, "We are comrades-in-arms. This is nothing. Besides, you have cooked so many meals for us over the years. What a small thing I have done is nothing."

Due to this delay, Liu Xiaotao missed the time to report to the military district headquarters.

When the regiment commander found out, instead of criticizing him, he praised his comradeship.

"Well done, Comrade Liu Xiaotao!" The regiment commander patted him on the shoulder and said, "This is the good tradition of our troops. There will be opportunities to work at the military district headquarters in the future."

In this way, Liu Xiaotao continued to stay in his original unit.

Coincidentally, not long after that, the superiors raised the food standards of their company, and the monthly food expenses per person increased to ten yuan.

"Old Liu, you are so lucky." Gao Jianjun heard about him from somewhere, "If you hadn't stayed, you wouldn't be able to eat the improved food!"

Liu Xiaotao smiled and shook his head: "You just know how to tease me.

To be honest, the two years in the army have taught me a lesson: being a soldier is not for the sake of comfort, but for the sake of protecting our country. "

Liu Xiaotao today is completely different from what he was two years ago.

When his family members learned of his transformation, they were all shocked.

His grandfather Liu Yuanhai thought to himself: "It's a good thing we sent him to the army, otherwise this child's life would be ruined!"

After Liu Zhiye learned about his nephew, he also thought about how to help him.

Jade is not cut, not a device!

(End of this chapter)