Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

After the room heated up, Xu Bei stayed for another hour or so before locking the door and leaving.

With only a few days left until Chinese New Year, the festive atmosphere is getting stronger and stronger.

Not only did the smell of fried food waft from the nearby residents' homes, but children running and playing outside the gate were also setting off disassembled firecrackers.

A crisp bang echoed across the open snowfield, instantly filling the air with the smell of sulfurous gunpowder.

After Xu Bei rode out of the alley and onto the main road, he saw that the entrance to the movie theater was still bustling with people.

Along the street, there were some craftsmen wearing thick coats and dog-skin hats, meticulously carving several ice sculptures with axes, chisels, and other tools.

Because 1983 was the Year of the Pig, in addition to the Spring Festival slogans made of large blocks of ice, there were also plump, round ice pigs that looked almost finished being sculpted.

The pig's ears are chiseled large and droop on both sides of its head. Its nose is a slightly raised truncated cone with two deep holes punched into its nostrils. Its four short, thick legs are sturdy, as if they are ready to root for food at any moment.

Because of the hardness of the ice and the limited tools, the lines carved out, though not as smooth as the future ice sculptures, have a kind of simple and adorable charm.

As a native of the forest area, Xu Bei has long been numb to the ice sculptures and ice slides that government agencies make every winter.

But returning to the 1980s, many familiar things felt new.

Xu Bei stopped his bicycle with one foot on the ground and watched the others work for a while.

Furthermore, they plan to bring their family over for a group photo during the Chinese New Year.

Little did he know that while he was watching the spectacle, someone among the crowd gathered at the movie theater entrance was also watching him.

They were Xu Dajiang's two sons, Xu Wei and Xu Yong.

The two of them had finally made it here from their rural hometown, and had just recovered a bit today, but couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere at home, so they ran out to watch a movie.

Xu Wei withdrew his envious and jealous gaze, his voice trembling from the cold as he whispered, "Xiao Liu, why the hell aren't we as lucky as Xu Bei? If we were born into Second Uncle's family, wouldn't we have city residency and be able to take over the family business as workers?"

Xu Yong was also freezing, constantly hunching his shoulders and stamping his feet. "Brother, comparisons are odious. It's also our dad's fault for not being able to endure it and running back to the countryside back then. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to envy others."

"Yeah, our dad's a good-for-nothing too. If he were like our second uncle and held on, wouldn't our whole family be safe?"

Xu Wei rolled his eyes. "However, now that my second uncle is divorced, things are getting more and more tense between him and his son. Just like my aunt and grandma said, no matter how stubborn my second uncle is, it's useless. As long as we behave well, we may still have a chance in the future."

Xu Yong sniffled, his nose stinging from the cold. "That's because you had the chance, brother. It's too cold here, I can't stand it. I still want to stay with my parents and farm."

A glint of joy flashed in Xu Wei's eyes, which he quickly concealed. "Anyway, whether there's a chance or not, we definitely can't let that Xu Bei get cocky. He beats me up and then takes over? How come he gets all the good things? Otherwise, he'll really think our Xu family has no one else left!"

Xu Yong nodded in deep agreement, "That's right, he even hit us and our dad. Even if our second uncle is willing to let it go, we can't swallow this insult!"

The two brothers, united in their hatred of the enemy, talked louder and louder, without much restraint.

Those standing nearby who heard this turned to look at them.

Seeing this, the two quickly restrained themselves.

However, they secretly agreed that after watching the movie, they should definitely go and visit the shop that their divorced second aunt, Zhao Fengying, had opened with a lot of money.

Xu Bei, who was unaware of this at the moment, went back to his rented house.

He poked the stove, which was covered with coal, and made it hum and burn again.

Then, around 4 p.m., when it was completely dark outside, I got dressed again and went to the store.

As a result, Xu Bei had just turned into the alley when he saw two people standing outside his shop who didn't look like they were buying anything and were acting suspiciously.

"What are you doing?"

Xu Bei's soft shout startled Xu Wei and Xu Yong, who were craning their necks to look inside through the brightly lit shop window.

Upon seeing that it was Xu Bei, the two felt guilty, as if they had been caught red-handed. They exchanged a glance and then silently turned into a nearby alley and ran away.

Xu Bei originally wanted to ride his bike to catch up and see what was going on, but from their clothes, their figures, and the way they tumbled and rolled in the snow, he quickly recognized them as Xu Dajiang's son.

Just then, Zhao Fengying, who had heard the commotion inside the shop, pushed open the door and leaned out.

"Son, what are you shouting for?"

Not wanting his mother's good mood to be ruined by those people, Xu Bei calmly replied, "I didn't shout anything. Is the shop busy?"

"It's not too busy now. There was a really busy period before, but luckily the three of us managed to keep up." Zhao Fengying paused and then called out, "It's quite cold outside, come in quickly."

Xu Bei smiled and replied, "I know. Let me park the car first, Mom, you can go in first."

After his mother, wearing a cotton-padded coat and arm warmers, closed the shop door and went inside, he locked the car while a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Xu Bei wasn't surprised that Xu Dajiang's two sons had come to the store to spy on them from outside.

After all, this shop is openly operated, and anyone with curiosity will want to come and see what's going on.

As for whether those two would do something to sabotage them behind their backs, they probably wouldn't have the guts.

However, there's no guarantee you won't be used as a pawn, so you have to be on guard early.

Xu Wei and Xu Yong slipped and fell several times in the snow before they finally managed to run a little further away.

The two men, panting heavily and supporting their knees, looked back anxiously. They breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't see Xu Bei chasing after them.

"Oh my god, bro, that scared me to death!"

"Me too. His yell scared me so much..."

Xu Wei, panting, was halfway through his sentence when he belatedly realized something was wrong. "But we don't need to be so afraid of him! Can't we just stand outside the shop and look around? We're not going in, are we?"

Xu Yong, panting heavily, said, "It's hard to say whether he'll be able to handle it! He can even beat his own father, and he didn't hold back yesterday either. Besides, my second aunt isn't someone to be trifled with either; she might hear the commotion and come out to yell at us!"

"There are so many people buying things in the store, it's probably impossible."

Xu Wei, having figured it out, said, "Business seems pretty good. The five hundred yuan they borrowed to open the shop shouldn't be hard to pay back! Did our second uncle get fooled by that mother and daughter?"

"It's hard to say. Xu Bei is the same age as you. Who would lend him such a large sum of money so easily? If you were to go out and borrow it, could you, brother?"

"A few dollars might be possible! Five hundred dollars? That's enough to marry two wives in our village! What a pipe dream! Most likely, Uncle Er earned that money anyway..."