Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 72 Second Uncle
The door not far away opened, and a middle-aged man walked out. He looked at the old man and Li Zhe, paused for a moment, and then his face lit up with joy. "Second brother, what brings you here?"

"Uncle, I'm working in the capital now, so I came to visit you and Aunt."

Seeing that it was an acquaintance, the old man said, "Alright, you two chat, I'll head back now."

"Thank you, Uncle Song."

"Don't mention it." The old man turned around, put his hands behind his back, and strolled away.

"Second brother, what are you standing there for? Come in!" Li Zhenguo stepped aside. "Wife, look who's here!"

The house is not large. There is a bedroom on the east side with a curtain hanging at the door. The living room is about ten square meters, with a bed in the corner and a curtain hanging at the head of the bed. A dining table is squeezed in the middle.

An elderly woman and a middle-aged woman were having a meal with a chubby, chubby-faced child.

The old lady showed no sign of moving, but placed a piece of fatty meat on the child's plate. The middle-aged woman also didn't want to move, hesitatingly glancing at her husband before reluctantly standing up. The chubby child continued to eat with his head down, slurping away.

Li Zhe entered the house and greeted her, "Auntie."

"Oh my, it's Li Zhe! When did you arrive in Beijing? Why didn't you give me a heads-up?" Chen Shuping looked Li Zhe up and down: he was wearing an old blue cotton-padded jacket with slightly faded cuffs, carrying a woven bag in his right hand and several yellow cardboard boxes in his left.

“I came to Beijing a few days ago and just finished settling things down. I came here specifically to see you and brought you some food.”

"You've come all this way, why did you bring anything?" Chen Shuping took the things, put the woven bag on the ground, and placed the net bag on the dresser.

Li Zhenguo said warmly, "Second brother, have you eaten? Come and have some with us."

"Second Uncle, I've already eaten." Li Zhe rubbed his hands together and breathed out white puffs of air. He noticed a plastic certificate on the dresser—'Li Huijing was awarded the title of 'Outstanding Student of 1987', with a photo of him at Tiananmen Square under the glass plate.

Li Zhe's second uncle brought him a chair. "Sit down first, I'll go get you something to drink."

"Second Uncle, Aunt, stop making a fuss. Sit down and eat first, then we can talk."

Li Zhe looked at the old lady sitting in the middle of the table, "Hello, ma'am, how are you feeling?"

"It's great. How's the harvest in your village this year?"

"It's pretty good too."

"That's fine then. You all rest, I've finished eating." The old lady said, then got up and went back into the house.

Auntie sat back down at the table and continued eating. The chubby boy, while shoveling rice into his mouth, glanced sideways at Li Zhe, thinking to himself, "These clothes are so rustic. Grandma was right, country folk are just different from city folk."

Li Zhenguo came over carrying a jar. "Second brother, drink it while it's hot, it'll warm you up."

The chubby boy sniffed the aroma, then stood up and exclaimed, "That's my malted milk powder! Grandma bought it for me!"

“There’s still plenty left. I’ll buy you more after we finish drinking.” Li Zhenguo glared at him. “Your brother’s been here for ages, did he even call anyone? All he’s thinking about is eating.”

The chubby boy pursed his lips and reluctantly called out "Brother".

The chubby boy was twelve or thirteen years old, right in the middle of his rebellious phase, so Li Zhe didn't argue with him.

After taking a sip of malted milk powder, Li Zhe said, "Uncle, you should eat first."

"I'm full." Li Zhenguo pulled up a stool and sat down opposite Li Zhe. "Second brother, what kind of work do you do in Beijing?"

"Farming doesn't make money these days, so I thought I'd come to Beijing to find a way to make a living. I'll sell vegetables at the market."

Which farmers' market? Where are you staying?

"Chongwenmen Farmers Market, I live in the front courtyard of No. 7 Suzhou Hutong next door. Whenever you and your aunt have time, you can bring Huijing to my place for a visit."

How are your parents?

“Everything is fine. My dad was talking about you yesterday. We’re currently running back and forth between selling vegetables. If you want to go back to the village anytime, just let us know in advance, and you can take a tractor back.”

"Pfft!" The chubby boy burst out laughing, spitting out his food. "Taking a tractor back? We'd freeze to death in this freezing weather!"

"Shut up! No one will think you're mute if you don't speak..." Li Zhenguo scolded. Before he finished speaking, the old lady's voice came from inside the house, "Zhenguo, you can't discipline children at home."

"Hey, I was just kidding with him." Li Zhenguo waved to the chubby boy, "Go out and play after you finish eating."

"Hmph, fine, I'll go out then!" The chubby boy stood up, shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, made a face, and slipped out the door.

The second aunt stood up. "You two, uncle and nephew, chat. I'm going to pack some things and take them back to your mother later." After saying that, she went into the house.

Only the uncle and nephew remained in the living room. Li Zhenguo looked somewhat embarrassed. "Second brother, the capital is not like home. There are many intricacies and complexities. Don't try to tough things out when you encounter problems. Remember to come find me."

"Don't worry, Uncle, I'll definitely come if anything happens. How have you been lately?"

"Hey, same as always. I work in a collective enterprise run by the community. The salary isn't much, but it's enough. I was planning to go back to the village on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but something came up at the factory and I couldn't go."

"Work is important. When my father comes to Beijing, you two brothers can get together."

Li Zhenguo's face lit up with joy. "That would be great! But you must let me know in advance."

"Don't worry, we'll prepare some wine. You two can have a good drink."

As the uncle and nephew were talking, the second aunt came out carrying a large bundle. "Second son, take this with you when you leave."

"Second Aunt, we have everything we need, you don't need to take so much."

"Why are you being so formal with me? Besides, not all of these are for you." Auntie rummaged through the bundle. "This coat was issued by my workplace. The material is good, but I think the color is too old. Take it back for your mother. This is Huijing's school uniform. It still has the school logo printed on it. Alterate it for Xiaona. There are also two old work clothes of your uncle. Take them back with us. Either you or your father can wear them if they want."

Chen Shuping handed the bundle to Li Zhe, saying, "Take this."

“Okay, then I’ll take it back.” Li Zhe stood up. “Uncle, it’s getting late, I’ll head back now. Please come visit me sometime.”

Li Zhenguo felt embarrassed that his nephew was leaving so soon after arriving, but he didn't know how to persuade him to stay. "Okay, I'll see you off."

The uncle and nephew went out one after the other. After going downstairs, Li Zhenguo took out a wad of crumpled bills from his pocket and stuffed them into Li Zhe's hand, saying, "Second brother, take this money."

"Second Uncle, I have money." Li Zhe spread out his hand and saw that he had some change and some cash, about fifty yuan, and a few meat coupons.

"Why are you being so polite with me? Take it! Things outside are different from home; you have to spend money everywhere. Having money on hand means you won't panic if something happens. Don't buy anything from your uncle again next time you come here. Look how fat your brother has gotten; he can't eat anymore."

Li Zhe smiled and said, "Uncle, I really don't need the money. I can earn quite a bit selling vegetables now."

"Why are you so disobedient? How much money can you make by selling vegetables for others?" Li Zhenguo didn't believe that Li Zhe was his own boss and thought he was working for someone else.

“I’m not short of money right now. The cucumbers we grow in our fields can earn us a lot of money if we sell them in Beijing.”

"What nonsense are you talking about, child? Where would you get cucumbers in the dead of winter?"

Li Zhe was taken aback. "You've never been to a farmers' market before, have you?"

“Normally, the money at home… the groceries are all bought by the old lady.” Li Zhenguo changed his words halfway through his sentence.

“Uncle, go back and check. The woven bag is full of cucumbers. You can get them from me after you’ve eaten them.” Li Zhe pushed the money back into Li Zhenguo’s hand. “I’m not being polite with you. I’ll keep the meat ration coupon, but you can take the money back.”

Li Zhenguo was completely bewildered: How could cucumbers grow in the dead of winter? Especially since they were grown on his own land. He felt something was amiss, but Li Zhe spoke with absolute certainty, so he had no choice but to believe him.

"Second Uncle, go back now, I'm leaving."

Li Zhe tied the bundle to the back of his bicycle, got on, and rode away.

Li Zhenguo watched Li Zhe walk away before turning around and going upstairs, where he saw the old lady and her daughter-in-law sitting in the living room eating snacks.

The old lady held the pea flour cake in her hands, looking a little embarrassed, and said awkwardly, "Zhenguo, this pastry is not bad, why don't you try some?"

"You guys eat, I'll clean up the dishes first." Li Zhenguo silently stacked the bowls and chopsticks on the table into the iron basin. Just as he was about to carry them to the water room, he saw the woven bag by the wall and picked it up and went out.

(End of this chapter)