Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Outside the city bureau gate, a large Jiefang brand truck covered in mud was already waiting by the roadside.

The front of the car pointed directly out of the city.

The driver, who was leaning against the car door smoking, saw the group of people rushing out noisily, so he quickly threw away his cigarette butt and nimbly climbed into the driver's seat.

"Boom!"

The diesel engine let out a rough roar, causing the entire carriage to tremble violently.

"Get on the bus! Let's go home!"

Old Hei roared at the top of his lungs.

A dozen or so men from Kaoshantun immediately scrambled into the truck bed like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.

Some were stepping on the tires, some were clinging to the guardrails, and others were using their shoulders to push their injured brother up—all of them were acting like impatient, wild wolves.

Da Zhuang was the most ferocious. With a hand as big as a palm leaf fan, he grabbed Da Niu by the back of his neck and pulled the 1.9-meter-tall man into the carriage as if he were carrying a sack of cornmeal.

"Get up there, you son of a bitch!"

Da Niu's eyes rolled back as he was being strangled, his big feet kicking wildly in the air: "You fucking easy on me! I just got out here unharmed, and you're going to tear my tattered cotton-padded coat to shreds again!"

"When you get back to the village, I'll buy you a new one!"

With a curse and a sudden burst of strength, Da Zhuang dragged and pulled Da Niu into the truck bed. A burst of boisterous laughter erupted from inside, as if the roof had been blown off.

Zhao Shanhe stood at the back of the car, taking a drag of his cigarette in the wind.

He watched as the group of men climbed into the carriage one by one. Old Black, Big Strong, Monkey, Big Ox... and those rough men with blood-soaked bandages wrapped around their heads and arms in slings around their necks, yet still grinning from ear to ear.

He looked at them one by one.

Once he made sure everyone was there, he grabbed the edge of the truck bed, flipped over, and jumped up.

"Sit tight, everyone!"

The driver stuck half his head out from the front and yelled at the top of his lungs, "The roads out of town are all muddy, don't fucking swerve off halfway!"

"Stop talking nonsense and drive your car!"

"We're from a mountain village, what are we afraid of in a few mud pits?"

"Hurry up and let's go! I need to go back and eat some big chunks of meat!"

A dozen or so men urged them on, unable to wait any longer.

The driver grumbled and pulled his head back, then floored the accelerator. He shifted gears and released the clutch.

The Jiefang brand truck suddenly lurched forward, its heavy rubber tires crushing the puddles on the ground, and rumbled as it drove out of the city.

Zhao Shanhe sat imposingly on the outermost side of the truck bed, one arm casually draped over the iron railing.

The chilly early autumn wind blew against him, making the hem of his black overcoat flutter loudly.

The tenement buildings and utility poles on both sides of the street, as well as the dusty state-owned factories at the street corner, were being left behind by the speeding trucks.

The car was going faster and faster.

A cold wind rushed in through the gaps, stinging their faces like knives, but the blood of the dozen or so men in the truck bed was scalding hot.

Da Niu had just settled into his seat with his back against the side of the carriage.

Just as Da Niu settled down against the side of the carriage, Monkey came over, pulled a greasy brown paper package from his pocket, and shoved it into Da Niu's arms.

"Here you go!" The monkey chuckled. "I bought this at the state-run restaurant last night, and saved it especially for you."

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, Da Niu reached out and tore open the paper package.

A roasted chicken, golden brown and glistening with oil, was revealed, its rich aroma instantly filling the carriage on the cold wind.

Da Niu grabbed the roast chicken, tore off a big chicken leg, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Skin and meat included, juicy and flavorful.

The 1.9-meter-tall man wolfed down his food, even chewing the bones with a loud crunch, as if he wanted to swallow his fingers whole.

"Holy shit! Slow down, you bastard!"

Da Zhuang, standing nearby, swallowed hard, his eyes practically glowing green, and reached out to snatch it: "Give me a wing!"

"Get lost!"

Da Niu stuffed meat into his mouth while mumbling curses, then kicked Da Zhuang with his big foot: "I've been eating nothing but boiled cabbage in there for days, and today I'm not even leaving you this chicken butt!"

"You son of a bitch! You've only just arrived and you're already ungrateful, haven't you?!"

Dazhuang was not to be outdone and pounced on the opportunity to snatch it.

The carriage immediately descended into chaos.

A dozen or so men, under the pretext of fighting over the roast chicken, shoved and rolled around together, their laughter and shouts filling the air.

The truck drove out of the city completely and onto a bumpy dirt road, with the poplar trees on both sides rushing past.

Someone, taking advantage of the wind, suddenly started belting out a very familiar old song.

"The sun sets in the west, its glow a fiery red—"

As soon as that raspy voice rang out, all the men in the carriage who were grabbing meat stopped.

Da Niu wiped the grease from his mouth and roared at the top of his lungs, "Soldiers, return to camp after target practice—return to camp!"

The next second, more than a dozen men from Kaoshantun clung to the edge of the carriage, facing the cold wind of early autumn, and roared and sang together with all their might.

"A red flower on her chest reflects the colorful sunset!"

"Joyful songs fill the air!"

"Misola misola! Lasomi dolai!"

"They marched back to camp in a grand procession—"

There was no accompaniment, no skill involved, and several people even sang off-key.

But these rough men, who had just escaped death and turned the city upside down, and finally returned home unscathed, were now expressing their pent-up joy in the most rugged voices.

Zhao Shanhe sat imposingly on the outermost side of the truck bed.

He watched his brothers howling in the cold wind, and pulled a slightly flattened cigarette from his pocket. Just as he was about to bend down and strike a match, he caught a glimpse of two figures on the other side of the road out of the corner of his eye.

The hand holding the cigarette froze in mid-air.

Ahead is a fork in the road outside the city hospital.

Liang Tiejun, wearing a faded old cotton overcoat, was helping a gaunt man walk slowly along the muddy roadside.

The man's face was deathly pale. His once-fitting Zhongshan suit now hung loosely on his skeletal frame, and his body swayed uncontrollably with every step he took.

But Zhao Shanhe still recognized him at a glance.

It's Deputy Factory Director Zhang, Zhang Dafa.

Zhao Shanhe slowly stood up, holding onto the iron railing of the carriage with one hand.

Da Niu was the first to notice his actions. With a chicken leg still clenched in his mouth, he asked indistinctly, "Brother Shanhe, what's wrong?"

Zhao Shanhe remained silent, only gazing at the other side of the road.

Da Niu followed his gaze.

When Da Niu saw the gaunt figure next to Liang Tiejun, who looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over, the smile on his face froze instantly, and he even forgot to swallow the meat he hadn't chewed properly.

"Director Zhang..."

Old Black, Big Strong, and the Monkey also turned their heads one after another.

The boisterous singing that had been echoing through the carriage gradually stopped. A dozen or so men from Kaoshantun clung to the railings, silently watching the two figures approaching.

Zhang Dafa also raised his head at this moment.

When his cloudy gaze pierced through the swirling yellow dust and he saw the Liberation brand truck roaring towards the city's outskirts, and the group of men from Kaoshantun huddled together in the truck bed, his unsteady steps abruptly stopped.

His gaze swept eagerly across the crowd, and soon it fixed firmly on Da Niu.

A person is alive.

He had lost a lot of weight, but he stood there unharmed, holding half a roast chicken in his hands.

Zhang Dafa's face, which had been tense for many days, finally relaxed completely.

Da Niu felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face, and his eyes instantly turned red.

He knew how Zhang Dafa had managed to pull off that grotesque look.

In order to protect these outsiders, this factory director, who had lived a clean and honest life, almost lost his life and reputation in the dark corner of the detention center.

Da Niu threw down the roast chicken in his hand, gripped the railing tightly with both hands, opened his mouth to shout, but his throat felt like it was blocked with a wad of cotton, and he couldn't make a sound for a long time.

The truck did not slow down.

The distance between the two sides is rapidly decreasing.

Looking at Da Niu's aggrieved expression with tears welling up in his eyes, Zhang Dafa didn't need to listen to what he had to say.

He gritted his teeth, pushed away Liang Tiejun's support, and forced his emaciated body to stand upright. Facing the choking exhaust fumes and the howling cold wind, he roared with all his might towards the truck bed:

"Great guy!"

Da Niu shuddered violently.

Zhang Dafa's chest heaved violently, his hoarse voice torn apart by the roar of the diesel engine, yet every word carried immense weight.

"This isn't your fault!"

"Did you hear me! You haven't done anything wrong to me, Zhang Dafa!"

The tears welling up in Da Niu's eyes burst forth instantly with that roar.

He leaned most of his body out over the railing, his eyes red as he roared back at the gaunt figure beside the road, as if shouting with all his might:

"Director Zhang!"

Take care of yourself! Get well soon!

Zhang Dafa nodded vigorously, raised his thin, bony arm, and waved it forcefully at him.

"You too! Go back and live a good life!"

The men in the truck bed could no longer hold back and stood up straight.

"Director Liang! Take care!"

"Director Zhang! Get well soon! Next time you come to Kaoshantun, my brothers and I will go hunting wild boar in the mountains and treat you to a feast!"

A dozen or so hats covered in dust were taken off and waved vigorously above the carriage in the cold early autumn wind.

Liang Tiejun stood by the muddy roadside, looking at the young people in the truck bed, who were covered in injuries but were laughing energetically again. His eyes gradually reddened.

He did not try to persuade him to stay.

He simply raised his calloused, rough hand and waved it forcefully at the truck.

"Go back! Live well, all of you!"

Zhao Shanhe raised his right hand and waved it solemnly, facing the oncoming cold wind.

"Director Liang."

"Director Zhang."

"Take care of yourself!"

Zhang Dafa's chapped lips trembled violently twice.

He had so much to say to Zhao Shanhe.

I want to thank him for his strategic planning, which pulled me out of the mire unscathed. I want to tell him about my past defensiveness and difficult behavior towards him, which I couldn't bring myself to do. I also want to ask him what the future path of Hongxing Machinery Factory should take.

The howling cold wind choked all the words back into my throat.

In the end, Zhang Dafa couldn't say anything. He swallowed all the complex emotions surging in his chest, which turned into just two words.

"goodbye!"

The heavy wheels rolled over the muddy dirt road.

The two groups of people brushed past each other cleanly and decisively amidst the swirling dust.

The truck drove further and further away.

Gradually, the waving arms in the truck bed blurred out of sight, carried lighter and lighter by the early autumn wind, until they completely merged into the vast mountains in the distance.