Reborn in 1982, the prodigal son returns

It was the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, just as dawn was breaking.

Lin Nuo came out of the east room, already wearing her cotton-padded coat.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, I was surprised to find Lin Jiang already standing at the door.

The eldest brother stood in the snow outside the door, waiting for who knows how long, a thin layer of snow covering his shoulders and hat. He was wearing a drab gray cotton-padded coat and carrying a bundle in his hand.

"Second son."

Lin Jiang handed over the bundle, his voice softer than usual.

"Your sister-in-law made these; they're filled with radish. Eat them while they're hot."

Lin Nuo took the bundle; it felt heavy in his hand, and the fresh scent of radishes mixed with the aroma of flour filled his nostrils.

Lin Jiang didn't say much, hesitated for a few moments, and then spoke:

"Your sister-in-law said... she felt bad for you before."

He left as soon as he finished speaking, his pace quickening considerably.

Lin Nuo paused for a moment, then placed the bundle on the kitchen counter, untied the knot, and opened the bundle.

The steamed buns were plump and white, huddled together like a group of chubby little pigs.

Lin Nuo picked one up and took a bite. It was filled with radish and some vermicelli, and the salt was just right—neither too salty nor too bland. The radish was finely chopped, with distinct strands, the vermicelli was stewed until soft, and the dough was fluffy and sweet. He finished one in a few bites, then picked up another and popped it into his mouth.

The kitchen was quiet, save for the sound of him chewing. Zhao Xiuying hadn't gotten up yet, the fire in the stove wasn't lit, and the pot and stove were cold. He stood in front of the cutting board, eating one dish after another, until he had eaten four before stopping.

Hot steamed buns are delicious.

Just then, heavy footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Qi Dawu had already arrived and was standing at the door.

He was wearing an old, faded cotton-padded jacket, the blue fabric of which had turned grayish-white. His hair was damp, having been rinsed with water, with a few strands clinging to his forehead, but one tuft of hair stood out stubbornly on top of his head like a rooster's comb. He was carrying a bulging sack, its contents unknown.

"No... Brother No. I'm here."

His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of being overheard.

Lin Nuo glanced at him:

Have you eaten?

Qi Dawu shook his head, then quickly nodded, and finally said honestly:

"No...no."

Lin Nuo handed over the bundle: "Eat two."

Qi Dawu took it, clumsily untied the bundle, took a steamed bun, took a bite, and mumbled:

"tasty."

He took another bite, this time eating slowly. He chewed it carefully, as if savoring something precious. He lowered his head, looked at the bun in his hand, stared for two seconds, and then took another bite. After eating two, he rewrapped the bundle, tied the knot, and carefully handed it back.

"Take them all, eat them on the way."

Lin Nuo shoved the bundle back into his hands.

Qi Dawu paused for a moment. His hand froze in mid-air, the bundle passing between his two hands, as if unsure whether to accept it or not.

"……Why."

Lin Nuo took out a burlap sack from the kitchen, which contained the turtle that weighed more than eight ounces.

Qi Dawu also picked up his sack, which was a size larger than Lin Nuo's, and was full, bulging like a big pumpkin.

Lin Nuo glanced at it:

"What are you pretending to be?"

"Hazel... hazel mushroom."

Qi Dawu's voice trailed off again:

"I used to pick them, dry them, and save them; I couldn't bear to sell them. My mother taught me how... they won't spoil if dried."

When he said "my mother," his voice lowered even more. Lin Nuo knew that Qi Dawu's mother had passed away early, several years ago.

Even when his mother was alive, Qi Dayong wouldn't have dared to go this far.

Lin Nuo patted him on the shoulder:

"Walk."

The two walked towards the village entrance, one after the other.

……

Upon arriving in town, Lin Nuo led Qi Dawu straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.

The supply and marketing cooperative was warm and cozy, with the stove burning brightly.

Liu Jun stood behind the counter, using an abacus. He was wearing a blue work uniform with dark arm warmers on the cuffs, and a section of a white shirt was showing at the collar, the collar of which was a little dirty.

Fingers moved back and forth on the abacus beads, making a clattering sound as crisp as popping beans hitting wood.

He saw Lin Nuo come in, looked up, and peered over his glasses. The lenses were as thick as the bottom of a wine bottle, requiring him to squint when looking at people.

"Yo, Noko? You're here again?"

"Brother Liu, we have some goods."

Lin Nuo placed the sack on the counter and untied the rope.

Liu Jun came over, opened the sack, looked inside, his eyes lit up, and then he reached in and pulled the turtle out.

"A turtle? Alive?"

This stuff is in very high demand.

Liu Jun flipped the turtle over and examined its underside. The underside was pale yellow with a slightly whitish tinge. He then weighed it in his hand.

"A little over eight ounces, and it's only been out of the water for a couple of days?"

"Yeah, I found it in an ice hole."

Liu Jun placed the turtle on the scale pan on the counter, adjusted the weight, and the scale rod tilted up and then fell back down. He tried this twice before it stabilized. He looked at the scale markings, then at the turtle, and held up six fingers.

Six pieces.

Lin Nuo shook his head. He leaned against the counter, his hands resting on the surface, and calmly began to speak:

"Brother Liu, even Uncle Ma didn't try to drive down the price this much when he bought the wild sheep last time. Wild sheep are two yuan a pound, and you know better than I do how much turtles cost. Eight yuan and fifty cents."

Liu Jun smacked his lips, took the turtle out of the weighing pan, and then put it back:

"Seven dollars, that's the most I can go. It's the end of the year, and our accounts are tight."

"Eight yuan. Brother Liu, it's the New Year, give me a lucky number. Eighty-eight brings good fortune, may you make a fortune next year."

Liu Jun glanced at him, his lips twitching slightly, somewhat helpless. This kid was so cunning. He put the turtle back into the sack and counted out eight yuan from the drawer.

He slapped the money on the counter; eight bills lined up in a row:

"Eight bucks, I give up. Come back to me next time you have stock. Don't go to anyone else, or I'll get angry."

Lin Nuo took the money, folded it neatly, and stuffed it into the inner pocket of his cotton-padded coat. The inner pocket, sewn by Zhao Xiuying, was specifically for holding money; it had a button that was fastened tightly. After fastening the button, he patted it down and winked at Qi Dawu.

Qi Dawu stood by the counter, his hands gripping the opening of the burlap sack. He saw Lin Nuo's expression, paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and put the burlap sack on the counter.

He moved very gently, as if afraid of breaking the counter. The sack made a dull thud when it was placed on the counter, and he quickly steadied it with his hand, afraid it would tip over.

Liu Jun untied the burlap sack, saw that it contained dried goods, his eyes lit up, grabbed a handful of hazel mushrooms, and smelled them.

The hazel mushrooms were completely dried, each one individually with its caps curled at the edges, emitting a rich aroma. He grabbed another handful, examined their appearance, checked their dryness, and nodded.

They weighed it.

"Good quality. A little over two pounds, three yuan a pound, I'll give you six yuan fifty."

He counted out six yuan and fifty cents from the drawer: one five-yuan note, one one-yuan note, and one fifty-cent note.

The price was reasonable, and since he was there, Liu Jun didn't try to lower the price, so Lin Nuo didn't say anything.

Qi Dawu looked at the few bills but didn't dare take them. He turned to look at Lin Nuo.

"Take it," Lin Nuo said.

Qi Dawu then reached out, picked up the money, and stuffed it directly into the lining of his cotton-padded jacket. He patted it repeatedly to make sure it wouldn't fall out.

Lin Nuo didn't leave immediately. He moved closer to the counter, rested his elbows on it, and leaned forward. He lowered his voice:

"Brother Liu, I want to ask you something."

Liu Jun was packing the hazel mushrooms back into the sack when he paused. He glanced at Lin Nuo, then at the honest and simple-minded Qi Dawu beside him.

"What's up?"

"The Xiahe Village incident. Fake fertilizer."

Liu Jun's hand stopped at the opening of the sack. His fingers slowly loosened the sack, the opening closed, and the hazel mushroom swayed inside.

How did you know?

His voice was also lowered, almost squeezed out from his throat.

"The third brother works at a fertilizer factory; he mentioned it once."

Lin Nuo's voice went even lower, so low it sounded like he was talking in his sleep:

"I'm just curious, why isn't there any news about this at all?"

Liu Jun remained silent for a moment. He looked towards the door, but no one was there.

"They paid."

His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth:

"The fertilizer plant lost a lot of money and suppressed the matter. Most farmers took the money and kept quiet. Who wants to go through all that trouble during the Spring Festival? Taking the money to buy some meat is better than anything else."

"But there was one old, childless family that refused to comply no matter what."

Lin Nuo's heart skipped a beat.

"An old, childless family? Which village are they from?"

"He's from Xiahe Village, surnamed Zhou, named Zhou Laoshuan. The couple never had any children of their own, but they raised their daughter as their own, cherishing her dearly. This time, the fake fertilizer destroyed all their crops, and the old couple was so angry they wanted to fight to the death. In the end, I don't know what they negotiated with the factory, but Zhou Laoshuan didn't sue."

At this point, Liu Jun shook his head, it was unclear whether it was out of sympathy or something else.

Why doesn't he want money?

Liu Jun smiled and said, "Old Zhou's daughter has poor eyesight and is thinking of using this to extort a worker from the fertilizer factory to marry her."

Having poor eyesight is definitely a problem these days; everyone's worried about not being able to carry on the family line. But trying to extort a worker to be her son-in-law is quite something.

Lin Nuo nodded and kept these thoughts in mind:

"Brother Liu, could you help me find out exactly where that family lives? I'll treat you to drinks another day."

"Okay, I'll ask around for you."

Liu Jun tied the sack shut and pushed it to the counter.

"But don't tell anyone about this. The fertilizer plant doesn't want anyone to know, and it won't do you any good to talk about it."

"clear."

Lin Nuo turned to leave. After taking two steps, he stopped again.

He stood in front of the counter, hesitated for a moment, then put his hands in his pockets and took out the money.

"Brother Liu, buy one more thing."

"What?"

"Red scarf."

Liu Jun took a red scarf from the shelf. The scarf was neatly folded and wrapped in a piece of white paper with the words "Made in Shanghai" printed on it. He unwrapped the paper and unfolded the scarf.

It's pure wool, and the color is perfect. It's not that tacky red, but a very true vermilion.

"Did you buy this for your wife?"

Liu Jun asked, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Lin Nuo hummed in agreement.

He thought to himself that Su Wanqing would definitely look good wearing it.

Liu Jun smiled, folded the scarf again, wrapped it in white paper, and handed it over.

"Two dollars and two jiao. Just give me two dollars, the other two jiao is on me."

Lin Nuo placed two yuan on the counter and tucked the scarf into his coat. The scarf pressed against his chest, soft and carrying a faint scent of new fabric. He patted his chest; the scarf bulged, revealing a bulge underneath.

After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, the two headed out of town.

On the way, Lin Nuo said something out of the blue.

"Da Wu, would you like to work for me from now on?"

Qi Dawu was stunned:

"Brother Nuozi... can I... can I do it?"

His voice was very soft, so soft it sounded like he was talking to himself:

"I can't do anything... I can only do some clumsy work... moving things, chopping wood, carrying water... I can't do anything else. My sister-in-law says I'm a blockhead... she says I can't do anything right..."

He spoke softer and softer, the last few words almost muffled in his mouth.

Lin Nuo looked at him and sighed.

"If I say you can do it, then you can."

Da Wu is indeed pitiful; he also needs such a helper.

Qi Dawu lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he raised his head and looked at Lin Nuo. This honest man had red eyes, but he didn't cry.

"Brother Nuozi, I... I'm willing to do anything. I won't slack off, I have plenty of strength."

As he spoke, he bent his arm, wanting to show off his strength. But then he felt a little silly, and gave an embarrassed smile, revealing two rows of slightly crooked teeth.

Lin Nuo patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go back and talk about it."

Qi Dawu nodded vigorously and followed behind Lin Nuo, his steps much lighter than before.

The two found a donkey cart in town to take them back to the village.

The old man glanced at the two men and raised an eyebrow.

"To Liujia Gou?"

"Go. Two people, two cents."

The old man nodded.

On the way, Lin Nuo told Qi Dawu to hide the money and not give it to his brother. He told Qi Dawu to save enough money, build a house, and then divide the family property with his brother.

Qi Dawu felt a little reluctant, but he still nodded.

He now knows who is good to him.

The donkey cart stopped at the village entrance.

The old man put away the whip and stuck it on the edge of the cart. Lin Nuo and Qi Dawu jumped off the cart, Lin Nuo jumping first and landing steadily on the ground.

As soon as I stood still, I saw a person standing at the entrance of the convenience store: Liu Jianguo's wife.

She had a gray headscarf wrapped around her head, tied in a knot at the back of her head, with the two corners sticking up like rabbit ears. She was talking to the shopkeeper, who was leaning against the door frame, her hands tucked into her sleeves, her neck hunched.

When Liu Jianguo's wife saw Lin Nuo, her eyes lit up, and she said:

"Brother Nuozi! You're back!"

Her voice was so loud it could be heard halfway down the street; even the dog in front of the convenience store looked up.

"Your third son is drinking at my house, why don't you come over too!"

Lin Nuo was stunned for a moment.

Lin Jian? Didn't he send a message saying he wouldn't be coming back for the New Year? Why is he suddenly back?

"When did you arrive?"

Lin Nuo asked.

"I arrived this morning, bringing two bottles of wine. I've been drinking with Jianguo all morning, and we're still here."

Liu Jianguo's wife said:

"His face is as red as Guan Yu's, and he's slurring his words. You should go quickly; I think he's in a bad mood. He's drinking alone, and I can't stop him. Jianguo is with him; he's had quite a bit to drink."

Lin Nuo glanced at Qi Dawu:

"Go back first, and remember to hide the money well."

Qi Dawu nodded, picked up the empty sack, and turned to walk back into the village.

Lin Nuo turned around and walked towards Liu Jianguo's country.

The gate to Liu Jianguo's courtyard was not closed; it was ajar, with a crack in it.

Before Lin Nuo even reached the door, she heard voices coming from inside; it was Lin Jian's voice.

"Don't worry, Jianguo, raising Angora rabbits will definitely make you a lot of money. My second brother doesn't understand... what does he know... he can't even control his own wife... what does he know about raising rabbits..."

"Let the two of us make money and make them all envious."

Lin Nuo stopped outside the courtyard gate, clenched his fists, and took a deep breath.

He reached out and pushed the door open.