Back to 1978

Chapter 192: You know I am soft-hearted

There is no high-end food in Xiaoshan. This place has always been targeting the general public since its origin.

Even if you come to visit Xiaoshan during the day, there are only low- and mid-range restaurants and snack shops along the street. What's more, it is dark now. The state-owned restaurants have been closed early by the waiters who earn their salaries. The only ones who can still insist on setting up stalls are the side businesses run by the various communes.

"Didn't Accountant Zhao, our team's worldly-wise man, say that the lady who sells fried cakes and stewed pancakes on the hill is very pretty. When she rolls up her sleeves, her arms are as white as lotus roots. Where do they sell fried cakes and stewed pancakes?" Xie Hushan asked jokingly, looking at the street filled with the smell of fireworks.

Han Laoer and Chen Daxixi laughed and looked around for where to buy fried cakes and stewed pancakes.

Their jokes about fried cakes and stewed pancakes were all told by Accountant Zhao, a social worker from Team 3, to these young boys.

There is still no bus service between Yaoshan and Zhongping, and not many people in the entire Zhongping have ever been to Yaoshan City. Accountant Zhao has been to Yaoshan for meetings, eaten in restaurants, and strolled around the city, which is already a remarkable thing.

After he returned to Zhongping Village, a group of young boys surrounded Accountant Zhao while enjoying the cool air to ask him what Yaoshan City was like and which one was better compared to the Bingyang County City they had visited.

Accountant Zhao kept praising her, and in the end, the group of boys only remembered that the big sister who sold fried cakes and stewed pancakes in Xiaoshan was very pretty. The rest of what Accountant Zhao said might have been nonsense, but the part about her beauty was the truth, because he was almost drooling when he said it.

"Hey, do you like to pick out handsome waiters when you go to a restaurant?" Da Qiao heard Xie Hushan's joke and said with a smile:
"I'll take you to a place that you'll definitely like. It's so beautiful, but you can only look at it. It's a place where you'll be married and have a partner and children."

Xie Hushan glanced at Da Qiao. This auntie was pretty good when she wasn't cursing. At least she wasn't pretentious and had a carefree personality. She could joke around with gay men and have fun. "Really, auntie?"

"No, buddy, you're being too polite. Are people so polite when talking to others in your place?" Da Qiao was a little dazed by Xie Hushan's calling her "cousin".

She would never understand where Xie Hushan was coming from, as he called her, a girl who looked the same age as him, "Auntie". When Xie Hushan called her "Sister", she had to ask herself who was older between her and Xie Hushan. Now, he directly promoted herself by two generations, making her sound like an old man.

Xie Hushan pointed at Yang Limin next to him and said to Da Qiao, "Do you know him?"

"We're not very familiar with each other. Should I know each other? Have you ever written me a love letter? No, if you look like this and write me a love letter, I will definitely remember the general idea." Da Qiao glanced at Yang Liming and shook her head.

"If he wrote a love letter to you, his wife would have killed him long ago." Xie Hushan curled his lips when he heard this. Wow, this elder sister is quite confident in her charm. Old Yang wrote a love letter to her. Old Yang is such a cunning guy. As for this Hu Niu, she must be the same as himself. She would run as far away as possible and would never get involved in it even if she is beaten to death.

Xiao Qiao, who was following Da Qiao, reminded her sister quietly: "That's the boyfriend of my niece Xiao Yuan, and they are already married."

"Aunt." Yang Liming greeted Da Qiao in a neither distant nor close tone.

"Xiao Yuan is getting married? Why didn't you inform us?" Da Qiao was a little surprised when she heard the news, but it was only for a moment. She didn't seem to pursue the idea of ​​Lu Yuan not informing her of her marriage. It seemed that her relationship with Lu Yuan was ordinary. Instead, she continued to say to Xie Hushan:
"That's not right. If you want to argue with him, you should call me aunt, not aunt grandma."

"He is my nephew." Xie Hushan seriously posed another ethical dilemma that made Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao fall silent:
"I call him uncle."

"He is your nephew, you call him uncle..." Da Qiao counted the generations Xie Hushan mentioned on her fingers. After studying for a long time, she still couldn't figure out the relationship between him and Lao Yang. Finally, she seemed to react:
"Fuck, your relationship is quite complicated. Why is it so messy? Hey... I understand a little bit. Your uncle is so young. Is your father also an old revolutionary? His wife died early, and some young female comrade found an opportunity to flatter the organization and succeeded. Your uncle is equivalent to your stepmother's younger brother, isn't it?"

Xie Hushan's mouth twitched when he heard this. He really didn't expect that just because of the joke he made, Miss Da Qiao had already imagined a lot of 404 plots in her mind. This series of words made Xie Hushan not know how to continue the topic.

If his father was an old revolutionary, and he had a young and energetic stepmother and a young uncle, would he have to make his debut by cheating people out of manure in Zhongping?

"Aunt, I'm Yang Liming, Lu Yuan's lover. The wedding was not a big one, we just had a meal together for the two families, so I didn't notify the relatives on both my father-in-law and mother-in-law's sides." Yang Liming took over the conversation and said to Da Qiao with a smile.

Da Qiao nodded in understanding, not taking it personally: "I see. The main reason is that your mother-in-law hasn't been notified. Your mother-in-law doesn't get along with my mom, which is normal. I didn't even want to inform my mom when I was getting married. Forget it, let's not talk about it. We'll talk about our own things in the future. Don't call me auntie. Just call me big sister or sister Yanni like my colleagues do. It's too uncomfortable to hear auntie. Anyway, don't let your mother-in-law and my mom affect the relationship between Xiaoyuan and me. Let's go. I'll take you to eat something delicious. I often come to eat after get off work in the evening. Look, it's just in front."

She pointed to a shack stall on the roadside not far ahead.

In fact, she didn't need to say anything. The fragrance in the air had already made Xie Hushan, Han Hongbing, Yang Liming, and Chen Daxixi start to sniff their noses vigorously. The fragrance seemed familiar.

"Your sideline business has started. Why does it smell like stewed pork?" Yang Limin sniffed a few times, then looked at the shack with big clouds of steam coming out of it, and said to Xie Hushan in confusion:
"It really is. Look carefully at the brand."

Xie Hushan looked in the direction Yang Limin pointed. There was a wooden sign hanging on the stall with a few large characters written in white chalk: "Authentic Yaoshan Big Pot Braised Stew."

"How can braised pork be cooked in a simmering pot? It must be boiled in a boiling pot. Just based on these few words, this braised pork is not authentic." Xie Hushan said with a snort after seeing the sign.

Braised food must be cooked in an open pot because the purpose is to create a visual appeal. If it is cooked in a simmering pot, passers-by will have no idea what is being cooked.

"You also know about braised pork?" Da Qiao asked curiously after hearing Xie Hushan say that this braised pork was not authentic, "There is only this one in Yaoshan. I've eaten it. It's delicious."

"How could there be only this one family in Yaoshan? It's obvious that they are stealing skills here, and they haven't even figured out how to do it yet." Xie Hushan lifted the half-closed straw curtain and walked in.

The windproof shed is not very big. There are five small square tables arranged horizontally, and a circle of benches and stools are placed beside the tables. It is not yet time for the night shift workers to get off work, so there are no customers in the stall. At this time, a woman in her twenties wearing an apron is sitting in front of the boiling pot of fragrant stew, warming herself by the fire and taking a rest.

Just like Da Qiao said, the woman is quite good-looking and can be considered a beauty.

Seeing the straw curtain open and Xie Hushan walk in, the woman raised her head and greeted with a smile: "Let's eat braised pork. How many of you are there?"

"Sister Song, I brought them here to eat something, one bowl for each person. Why are you alone today? Where is your brother-in-law?" Da Qiao followed Xie Hushan in and greeted the woman warmly. It was obvious that she came here often.

The woman smiled at Da Qiao and said, "It's not time for the boss yet, so one person can handle it. Your brother-in-law can go back and clean up the coal shed. We'll have to prepare the coal briquettes soon. Find a place to sit and I'll cut them for you."

Xiao Qiao lowered her head behind Da Qiao as if she was being bullied, and whispered, "Sister, I'm not hungry."

"If you think it smells bad, go out and wait." Da Qiao seemed to dislike her sister and said impatiently.

Xiao Qiao was not angry when she glared at her. Instead, she just lifted the curtain and walked out obediently. She stood at the door and endured the cold, not daring to resist.

Han Hongbing was about to speak when Xie Hushan looked at him. Finally, Han Hongbing lowered his head in embarrassment, found a square table and sat down, and said in a low voice:

"Xiao Qiao and I are just...book friends...it's not what you think. Nothing has happened yet."

"Comrade, where did you learn how to make this braised pork? Isn't this a local snack in Yaoshan?" Xie Hushan ignored Han Laoer's explanation, walked to the big pot of braised pork, and asked as he watched the woman skillfully taking the pork out of the water and starting to cut it.

The woman raised her head and glanced at Xie Hushan, then said cheerfully:
"Hey, there was a driver in our commune who ate this at a rural market when he was delivering goods. He thought this thing was good and cheap, so he wanted to have another one. However, there was no one selling this thing in the whole Yaoshan City, even in Xiaoshan, where most snacks were sold. So he went there again, bought some, and told the commune that he would set up a stall in Xiaoshan to sell this thing."

"He said this thing is called Da Men Lu Zhu, and it was learned by an old coachman named Xie in Zhongping after eating it in Beijing. He said that the emperor used to eat this thing every day. We were all wondering how could there be such a rogue name as Da Men Lu Zhu. The public accountant said that the coachman must have remembered it wrong, and it should be Da Guo Braised Lu Zhu, so he gave it this name."

That is to say, this elder sister is married with children, so she can speak freely. She doesn't blush or get nervous when she mentions the word "Da Men'er Luzhu". If the young widow Han Hongzhen was asked about this, Xie Hushan estimated that she would stick her head into the pot.

After listening to the woman's explanation of the origin of the braised pork, the four men, including Xie Hushan, all laughed out loud, making Da Qiao and the woman who was cutting the braised pork laugh so hard. They didn't understand why the four men were suddenly so happy. Even Xiao Qiao, who was outside, couldn't help but hear the noise and lifted the curtain to look inside.

"Sister, I'm from Zhongping. I learned this from your commune. It's not called big pot stew. If you remember correctly, it's called big pot stew." Xie Hushan said.

Da Qiao frowned beside him: "What a fucking rogue name."

Xie Hushan pointed at Yang Limin, Han Hongbing, and Chen Daxi who were sitting down, and said to the woman:

"When I was little, my nickname was Xie Damenr. I was probably the first one to set up a stall selling this stuff in the entire Yaoshan Mountain. The name was personally chosen by Ma Laowu, the former captain of the Zhongping Production Team 3. If you don't believe me, you can ask them if it's true."

The woman looked at Yang Limin, Han Hongbing, and Chen Daxi. The three nodded repeatedly, proving that what Xie Hushan said was true. The woman's personality was indeed friendly and cheerful. Seeing the three people testifying for Xie Hushan, she laughed and said to Xie Hushan:

"Oh, so this is the master who came to our door? We are selling fake medicine, should we smash the pot and kick the sign? I tell you, don't rush to smash the sign, wait until after you eat, you will have more strength after you eat."

Xie Hushan also laughed: "Why smash the signboard? Do you think we are unreasonable bandits? This business is not a state secret, anyone can do it. What I mean is that you should change the sign when you have time. Just use the authentic Yaoshan stewed meat. Stewed meat does not need to be stewed. People who have eaten it will think it is not authentic."

"Okay, I'll ask my partner to change later. This guy is really nice to hear. I'll cut a few more pieces for you, so that you, the owner, can taste the craftsmanship stolen from our commune." The woman skillfully cut a few more pieces of intestines for several bowls, and even chopped off a piece of pork belly, cut it into a dozen thin slices and divided them into several bowls.

After several large bowls of steaming hot stewed food were brought over, the woman brought out a few porcelain bowls and poured a bowl of wine for each of the four men. Needless to say, the skill of serving wine was also learned from Xie Hushan.

Xie Hushan took a sip and found that the alcohol content was higher than the watery wine served by his own stewed pork stall, which meant that the stall was more conscientious than him and diluted less water. "It's quite cold, why don't you let your sister come in? She'll freeze to death." Seeing Han Hongbing keep glancing at the door, Xie Hushan said to Da Qiao.

Da Qiao glanced at her sister who was standing at the door with her arms crossed. "Don't pay attention to her. Last time my mother took her and me to the German experts' cafeteria at the Luanshui Power Plant to eat Western food. After preparing Western food for a long time, it turned out to be rotten. The Germans prepared a big bowl of pig intestines and beef tripe stew, which was smelly and stinky. Why didn't she say she wasn't hungry right away?"

"Isn't it because there were foreigners at the time? They were hypocritical and pinched their noses and said it was delicious. If you ask me, now there are a group of young people who are stupid because of reading books. The Chinese have stood up a long time ago. What about the United Nations? They were all beaten by us in North Korea. I don't know why these educated children are so soft-hearted. Chinese sewage smells like organs, but they are unwilling to pinch their noses and pretend to be polite to their own people and say it is delicious. Foreign large intestines are fragrant even without washing. Isn't this just hypocrisy? It's all because of my mother's indulgence."

Although she said so, she still stood up and walked over, dragged Xiao Qiao in, asked the big sister who was selling stewed pork for a bowl of hot water, and went to the stall next to her to get two freshly baked sesame cakes, stuffing them into her sister's hands: "Eat it, it doesn't smell like internal organs, it's freshly baked."

"Thank you, sister." Xiao Qiao was not angry even though Da Qiao nagged and scolded her. Maybe she had been subdued a long time ago. She just ate the sesame seed bun with water in small bites. Da Qiao sat at the same table with her and watched her eat.

"Eat quickly, you have no chance, come back with me after you finish eating." Seeing that Han Lao Er was still looking at him, Xie Hushan swallowed the food in his mouth and urged Han Lao Er:
"Also, pack up. The production team has decided to send you to Hong Kong Island to sell calendars as a side job next month."

"I have to die knowingly, right?" Han Hongbing heard what Xie Hushan said and said in a low voice, "Otherwise, wouldn't I have bought so many books in vain?"

Seeing that Han Hongbing still wanted to die with a clear mind, Xie Hushan was amused: "My Chief of Staff Han, you have no sense of danger at all? This wife and this sister-in-law, what kind of combination? One is good at mental damage, and the other is proficient in physical damage. How desperate must you be to jump into this fire pit?"

"I will go there again after the Spring Festival, and I will have to write a letter to confess my love. There is no hope at all." Han Hongbing said.

Da Qiao had finished arranging Xiao Qiao at this time, and came over to pat Han Hongbing on the shoulder: "You go sit at that table with her. I can't sit with her. I want to scold her after just three words."

When Han Hongbing heard that Da Qiao had created an opportunity, he immediately rushed to Xiao Qiao's table with his bowl in hand. Da Qiao sat down next to Xie Hushan and turned to ask Xie Hushan:
"Dude, do you know who that guy was that you beat up last time?"

Seeing Xie Hushan was busy eating and ignoring her, Da Qiao continued, "Did you tell him that I have a boyfriend? If he dares to look for me again, I will kill him?"

"Puff~~" Xie Hushan spat out a mouthful of sesame cake and explained seriously:
"Auntie, this is a misunderstanding. I thought you were your sister. I said that on behalf of Han Lao Er. If this misunderstanding causes the gay man to break up with you, I am willing to apologize to him. If you are worried, I will bring my wife and we can go together."

"How old are you when you already have a wife?" Da Qiao's face suddenly showed some regret when she heard Xie Hushan's last words. The last time Xie Hushan drove away the blind date who harassed her, her eyes lit up. This time, he stood up for Han Hongbing, which made her have a deeper impression of Xie Hushan.

But I didn't expect that this man, who looks only twenty years old, already has a wife.

There is no chance. If Xie Hushan didn't have a wife, I would take him home as a partner and I would have no shortage of helpers when I quarrel with my mother.

Xie Hushan lied seriously: "I already have a wife, and now she and I sleep together. I am not old enough, so we will get the marriage certificate next year, and the child should be born by then."

He had no thoughts about this female scoundrel and didn't even have the mood to say a few dirty words to her. As for other women, such as the young widow, Zhu Youjun and others, he could still say a few dirty words to amuse them, because they were not hooligans and would get angry or shy.

Speaking dirty words to this elder sister, Xie Hushan was worried that she could speak more fluently than him, laugh more dirty than him, and would never get angry or embarrassed. Moreover, the first impression was too deep. Although this elder sister was very beautiful, like Xiao Qiao, tall and with pretty features, but when Xie Hushan thought of her performance in the porcelain factory, let alone speaking dirty words to her, even if this elder sister took off all her clothes and stood in front of him, he would not react and could not get hard.

When he saw other pretty girls, he wondered which gay man was lucky enough to sleep in the same bed with such a pretty girl.

When he saw Da Qiao, he wondered which male comrade was unlucky enough to share a bed with this big brother and become sworn brothers with him.

One has to be very horny to be sexually interested in this kind of woman. It's not like there are no other kinds of women in China.

"Bingyang County, I've never been there since I was a child. Is the county fun?" Da Qiao didn't continue to pester him, and simply changed the subject, asking Xie Hushan what fun or delicious things there were in Bingyang County.

Xie Hushan quickened his eating speed and said a few perfunctorily: "It's not as good as Yaoshan. It's just a small county town. Only the Railway Workers Club newly built after the earthquake is okay. I don't think it can compare to the cultural palaces and clubs in Yaoshan."

"Hey, if I have time to go to Bingyang with my coworkers and encounter hooligans, will it work if I mention your name Zhongping Hu San in your county?" Da Qiao asked curiously, "You should be pretty good at intimidating people in your county, right? You're already a factory director at such a young age."

Xie Hushan finished his stew, pushed his bowl and chopsticks aside, stood up and walked out: "I'm going to go outside to smoke a cigarette, warm up the car, and see what the guy behind me is like."

Before leaving, he saw Da Qiao still looking at him, waiting for a reply, so he smiled at her:
"I'm from the countryside, and my elders taught me since I was a child that when encountering problems, I shouldn't rely on bluffing, but on being reasonable."

When the four men drove back to the steel mill, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening and the gate was closed. Han Hongbing jumped out of the car and knocked on the door. Lao Meng and Dahei came out and opened the gate.

The night shift workers in the workshop were still working hard. The light in Director Xie Hushan's office was on. Looking through the window, the young widow was still at her desk, checking the manifests one by one.

"Why haven't you gone to bed yet?" Xie Hushan took out two bags of sesame cakes and buns that Xiaoshan had specially brought for Lao Meng from the car and handed them to Lao Meng and asked.

Lao Meng doesn't even go home now. He lives in the factory dormitory and has become the breadwinner of the family. His parents come to him for money every month. It's just that Lao Meng doesn't have so many twists and turns in his mind. If he were a mentally normal son, thinking about the suffering he had suffered from being ignored and treated coldly by his parents before, how could he face his parents without resentment?

Lao Meng took the pancake and smiled: "Fourth sister left late today. She was afraid of the dark, so she asked me to wait until she was done, and then I would take Dahei to send her back and come back to sleep."

"Go to sleep after eating. I'll drive her there later." Xie Hushan smiled at Lao Meng.

Lao Meng held the food and agreed, "Yes!"

Then he simply ran away and disappeared into the dormitory.

Although Lao Meng is not very smart, he is very practical and obedient. Xie Hushan asked him to be responsible for weighing in the weighing room. In fact, Lao Meng is not responsible for looking at the numbers, he is only responsible for inspecting the goods.

The reason for inspecting the goods is that some tractor drivers who help steel mills haul scrap steel try to cut corners by loading some bricks and tiles in the truck bed to increase the weight in order to earn an extra three or five yuan in freight. For this purpose, they sometimes give gifts to the people in the weighing room, hoping that the other party will give them a break.

Previously the inspection of goods in the weighing room was the responsibility of the militia or workers, but there have been examples of people being let off the hook. When discovered, the tractor drivers cried poor and said some soft words, and unloaded the bricks and rubbish without deducting the freight, and the experts would let it go.

Later, Xie Hushan replaced Lao Meng with the person in charge of inspecting the goods, and there were no more tractor drivers taking advantage of others.

Because it's no use even if you and Lao Meng cry your eyes out. The freight will definitely be deducted. Even if your whole family dies, it won't stop you from taking advantage of the steel mill and getting your money deducted.

As for gifts, they accept all the benefits without showing any favors.

If the other party sends food, then eat it yourself. If it is cigarettes or alcohol, send it to Xie Hushan's office.

Chen Daxi kicked the man out of the car and asked Xie Hushan, "What should we do with this kid? Lock him up in the cellar?"

"It's so cold, there's no way anyone will freeze to death in the cellar. You know I'm kind-hearted." Xie Hushan lowered his head and lit a cigarette, saying.

His words brought silence to everyone.

After taking a puff of cigarette, Xie Hushan said:

"It's cold, don't let him get cold. It's warm in the workshop. Choose a good location for the gantry crane, find a cage, strip him of his clothes and stuff him in it, then hang the cage up in the workshop for the workers to keep him as a pet to cheer them up and prevent them from suddenly snatching him away. If they dare to snatch him away, loosen the cage and soak it in the stove, letting them fish him out slowly."

"Put a bucket in the cage for his convenience, put a steamed bun on top of the cage every day, and if he wants to eat, let him eat it slowly through the cage with his hands. If he is thirsty, let the workers spray the cooling water pipe at him for a while. Whoever feels sorry for him will be put in to keep him company. After three days, if no one from the other side comes, bring Dahei and Erxi's family of seven over to start the feast."

Yang Limin hesitated to speak, and Xie Hushan looked at him:
"Are you trying to persuade me again? Think about it, it's only now and not a few years ago, otherwise the pornographic book incident could have implicated Han Laoer's brother's future and ruined it. Rural people hate having their future ruined the most. If Han Laogou was here today, he would have to be killed today on behalf of the Han family. We're waiting for the other factory director to come. It's impossible for him to live until twelve o'clock in the morning. You're just trying to scare people and you still don't let me do the full job. Are you waiting for Ma Laowu to find you to deal with ten people?"

"Be careful." Yang Liming turned his head away and stopped looking at the other person, sighing in embarrassment.

Xie Hushan patted Yang Limin on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Do you think I did this for the other party? I did it for Old Han's family and everyone in Zhongping. I made the scene a little ugly and the torture a little fierce, but at least this kid can still be alive. On the contrary, I let him be handed over to the team with his tender skin and good food. If he doesn't survive tomorrow, he will be killed. I am protecting him in reverse."

The descendant of a big family in the village almost ruined his future. How can he let him go unless he squeezes out all the eggs in the other party's bag?

From the other side’s perspective: all the people in Zhongping Village are unruly people. If you have any problems, go to the police to report them. How can they just shoot and arrest people privately?
But from Zhongping’s perspective: Do you have the guts to say it again while standing on Zhongping’s territory?
This is the most common national situation for decentralizing power to the grassroots.

Yang Limin stopped talking and walked towards the office. Xie Hushan said to Han Hongbing:

"Go home later. I think Er Mian Fei and Accountant Zhao are still in the team headquarters. Go over and tell them what happened today. Let him and Second Uncle figure out how to kill them overnight."

(End of this chapter)