Back to my 1980s

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Zhao Hua looked up upon hearing this.

...For the first time, I felt that my future brother-in-law was so kind, and even his chubby face seemed so cute.

"Brother, I'm from Shuanghuai. I came here to visit a friend, but I couldn't find him."

As he spoke, Zhao Hua handed him a cigarette, lit it for him, and then squatted back down in his original spot.

"No wonder my sister said you've been here for ages and haven't left." Song Zhiqiang, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, walked over and squatted down next to Zhao Hua without any hesitation.

"What's your friend's name? How old is he? Let me see if I know him."

"His name is Liu Dezhu, he's about my age. I've asked many people but haven't heard from him. We didn't have time to exchange addresses when we parted ways."

Song Zhiqiang rubbed his forehead and thought for a moment: "I've never heard of this name before. Is it from our village? Does it have a nickname?"

"I don't know, it's been too long and I can't remember."

The two chatted casually.

"Brother, is this your home?"

"Yes, I just got back and my sister told me there was someone squatting outside and asked if I knew him, so I came out to check."

Zhao Hua picked up the canned food next to him and handed it to Song Zhiqiang: "Brother, take this. It's no use for me to carry it. My home is far from here, and I'm too lazy to carry it all the way if it gets damaged on the way."

"How could I possibly accept this?"

Song Zhiqiang stared at the canned food in Zhao Hua's hand, somewhat incredulous.

A can of food costs a little over a dollar. Even if your family spoils you, you can't eat it often. You can only enjoy it during holidays.

You just said a few words and gave it to yourself?

"It's alright, brother. I just bought this at the village store. I can't return it now, so please just take it."

When Song Zhiqiang heard that it had just been bought from the convenience store, he felt much more at ease.

If all else fails, just go to the convenience store later and ask if you've seen this person before eating, and if they bought it from there.

But this guy is probably rich to give away something that costs just over two dollars so casually! And he wouldn't be after anything from someone he just met, would he?

Song Zhiqiang pondered to himself.

Zhao Hua ignored his petty thoughts; in his memory, this kid was also a lazy, good-for-nothing.

After Zhao Hua married Song Xueping, Song Zhiqiang visited her a few times, saying he missed his sister and wanted to see how Song Xueping was doing.

However, every time he comes over, he has to be treated to good food and drinks. Every meal must include beef, mutton, or seafood, and he only eats pork ribs. He won't touch his chopsticks if anything is missing.

So Zhao Hua took out the canned food to test the waters, just in case it led to another solution.

A moment later, Song Zhiqiang indeed reached out and took the can of food: "You're too kind, brother. What's your name? Are you from Shuanghuai?"

"Yes, my name is Zhao Hua. My grandfather used to be the accountant of the brigade, but he has retired now. Just ask around in Shuanghuai and you'll find out who I am."

As Zhao Hua spoke, he took out the two remaining train tickets from his previous trip and handed them over.

Song Zhiqiang took it and glanced at it briefly. His doubts completely vanished, and he smiled broadly as he spoke:

"Zhao Hua, right? Okay, brother, my name is Song Zhiqiang!"

He leaned forward and casually put his arm around Zhao Hua's: "So what are you going to do now that you haven't found a friend? The sun is getting higher and higher."

Zhao Hua's face immediately showed a troubled and distressed expression: "I don't know. I thought I could find my friend here, but I haven't found him yet. I asked the ticket seller before I came, and the return bus won't be until this afternoon."

Song Zhiqiang nodded: "That's a hassle too. Do you have anywhere to go right now?"

"This is my first time here too, I don't know anyone here..."

Song Zhiqiang patted Zhao Hua's arm: "Come on, buddy! Since we get along so well, let's become sworn brothers! Don't be shy, come with me to my room for a drink of water, rest your feet, have some food, and then we can wait for the bus. It's not good to just sit here all the time!"

After saying that, he stood up and said, "I'll ask around for you later and see if there's anyone in the village named Liu Dezhu."

Zhao Hua was overjoyed and almost burst out laughing. He suppressed his excitement and pretended to be hesitant, saying, "I'd be happy to be your brother. You seem to be older than me, so I'll call you 'brother.' But wouldn't it be too much trouble to come inside?"

"Hey! We're all brothers, don't worry about the trouble, just come with me, I don't have anyone else at home."

"Oh! Thank you so much, thank you so much!"

Song Zhiqiang waved his hand cheerfully: "Don't mention it! Come anytime, feel free to come here. Make yourself at home!"

Zhao Hua followed behind, secretly reviewing her performance. She almost squeezed out tears; her acting skills were still lacking.

Song Zhiqiang pushed open the courtyard gate, stepped into the yard, and called out to the house, "Mom, my brother is coming over for lunch today, so please prepare a few extra dishes!"

Song's mother walked out of the house expressionlessly, and Song Zhiqiang handed her the can of food.

Song's mother looked surprised. This time, her brother had brought gifts with him.

He took the can of food and looked at Zhao Hua, frowning as he pondered, "Hmm...where did this young man come from? I've never seen him before?"

Song Zhiqiang waved his hand impatiently: "Why do you care so much? Just prepare more dishes later."

As he spoke, he led Zhao Hua toward the main room.

Zhao Hua followed behind, feeling slightly embarrassed.

He quickly stepped forward and said to Song's mother, "No need to trouble yourself, no need to trouble yourself. I'm from Shuanghuai. My name is Zhao Hua. I came here to look for a friend but couldn't find him. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Auntie."

Song's mother looked him up and down and saw that the young man was well-behaved, clean-dressed, and spoke politely, unlike the other people she had brought home before.

With a smile plastered on his face, he said, "No trouble at all, please come in and have a seat!"

Song's mother gestured for them to come inside, saying, "Little Zhao, what would you like to eat? I'll go prepare it for you!"

Zhao Hua thanked her and said, "Auntie, you don't need to trouble yourself. I'll eat whatever you have at home. I'm not picky about food."

Zhao Hua dared not make any demands. These days, no family is well-off; it's good enough to have something to eat.

Many people bring their own food when visiting relatives, afraid of burdening the host family. They also share meals among themselves when they have a get-together in the village.

If Zhao Hua hadn't impulsively gone out to buy two cans of food, he really wouldn't have felt comfortable coming over to eat for free.

Who knows how the brother-in-law managed to eat his way up to be so big and round, how he ended up looking like a pig while his sister Song Xueping was starving and skinny?

As far as I can remember, even in my past life, I never stole my sister's food.

I didn't go home for meals much. I would just find a place to play cards with my friends and play all day long. Whoever won would treat everyone. After dinner, I would stay at my friend's house and continue playing the next day.

Or, if you go out and help someone with a ride to make a scene, that's enough to eat for many days. If you really run out of money, you can go back home and ask for more. Even if you get a few scoldings, the money you get is enough to eat for many more days.