Siheyuan: Why does your brother beat you up every day, Shazhu?

"Who are you? Um...what's going on?"

Liu Jun put on a smile, took two quick steps, pulled out a pack of Daqianmen from his pocket, took out a cigarette and handed it over:

"Uncle, we are drivers from the Beijing Third Food Factory, and we do long-distance driving."

"It's getting dark now, and the roads are closed. I definitely won't be able to get back tonight."

"I just want to stay at your house for one night. Is that convenient for you?"

The old farmer hesitated for a moment, but still took the cigarette from Liu Jun, put it to his ear, and said:

"Comrade driver...my place is small and the conditions are poor, but I'm afraid I'll let you down."

Liu Jun waved his hands quickly:

"Sir, what are you talking about? A place that can shelter us from the wind and rain is enough for the two of us brothers to deal with for one night!"

The old man still looked a little hesitant.

These days, everyone is very vigilant, and the idea of ​​guarding against enemy spies is deeply rooted in people's minds. He didn't dare to easily agree to let two strangers into his house.

At this moment, He Weiguo stepped forward and said sincerely:

"Uncle, look,"

He pointed to the truck parked not far behind him:

"That car belongs to our Beijing No. 3 Food Factory. We are the factory's official drivers."

"Besides, we all have our IDs, including letters of introduction and driver's licenses."

Just as the old farmer was still weighing and hesitating, a tall and strong figure rushed out from behind the house, holding a heavy pig feed bucket in his hand.

The person who came looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, and was about 1.7 meters tall, which was considered very tall for a woman of that age.

She has a strong body, not the frail type. Her arms are round and powerful, and you can tell at first glance that she is an expert at doing farm work all year round.

The skin color is a healthy reddish-brown, created by wind and sun.

Under her thick eyebrows, her eyes were dark, bright and lively. She didn't look at people shyly like other country girls. Instead, she looked at people with a bold and decisive spirit.

The whole person gave He Weiguo the feeling that he was extremely full of vitality, tenacity and energy.

She came over, put down the pig feed bucket with a "dong" sound, looked at her father, and said in a clear voice:

"Dad, what are you dawdling about? It's already dark, and you're leaving your comrades standing outside the doorway, starving?"

As she said this, she also quickly glanced at the truck driven by He Weiguo and others outside the yard.

She had attended elementary school for a few years and could recognize some words. When she saw the blurred words "Beijing No. 3 Food Factory" and the Beijing license plate number on the car door, she had a rough idea in her mind.

Nowadays, if enemy spies dare to drive such a conspicuous large truck on the road, they would be too stupid.

So when He Weiguo and the others said they were drivers, it was almost certain.

Seeing his daughter say so, the old farmer nodded and stepped aside:

"Well... then come in, comrades... My family's conditions are not good, please don't despise me."

He Weiguo smiled and said in a more sincere tone:

"Uncle, it's okay! Just a place to shelter from the wind and rain and rest your feet will be fine!"

"We two brothers drive sports cars, and we're used to the open air. We don't have to be so particular. Thank you so much for the trouble tonight!"

Soon, He Weiguo and Liu Jun followed Uncle Wang and his daughter Wang Cuilan into the house.

There was no electric light in the room. Instead, an old-fashioned kerosene lamp was lit. The dim flame swayed gently with the wind coming in from the door, casting swaying shadows on the wall.

This is not to say that there is no electricity here at all. The village should have electricity, but the power supply in this era is extremely unstable. Not to mention the countryside of Zhuozhou, even the city of 1949 often has power outages.

It is normal to have power outages for ten or eight days at this time.

Therefore, kerosene lamps are still a "strategic material" that every household must have.

As for the furnishings in the house, they are even simpler.

In the middle is an old wooden table that has been used for some time. The surrounding walls are hung with various farm tools and daily necessities such as sickles, hoes, straw hats, etc. Although simple, they are kept in good order.

As soon as they sat down, Liu Jun took the initiative to speak, breaking the slightly unfamiliar atmosphere:

"Hey, sir, what's your name? It's not nice to keep calling you that."

The old man rubbed his hands and replied:

"Oh, comrade, my last name is Wang. Um, you can just call me Uncle Wang."

After saying that, he pointed to his daughter who was busy next to him:

"Ah, this is my daughter, her name is... Wang Cuilan."

Liu Jun nodded:

"Uncle Wang!"

He took out the 40 cents he had prepared long ago from his pocket, and then took out two taels of national food coupons and handed them over:

"Uncle, this is the money for our accommodation and meal tonight."

Uncle Wang saw it and quickly declined:

"Oh, comrade! This won't happen! This won't happen!"

At this moment, Liu Jun pretended to be stern, but his tone was still polite:

"Uncle! These days, it's not easy for anyone! We two brothers drive sports cars, so we have big appetites!"

"You should take these money and tickets, otherwise we two brothers will not feel at ease living here!"

"You said we wouldn't stay at your house, but would spend more money at those inns or hotels along the highway!"

"Just accept it!"

Uncle Wang was still hesitating, but Wang Cuilan, who had been silent, took it for her father and said quickly:

"Dad! The comrades have said so, you should just accept it!"

"We accepted this money, and other comrades lived more comfortably, so we didn't feel we owed them a favor."

After she finished speaking, she turned to He Weiguo and Liu Jun, looking at them with her bright black eyes and a frank smile:

"Don't you agree? Two big brothers."

Liu Jun and He Weiguo nodded repeatedly.

Indeed, after giving money, they feel much better, and no one wants to owe others a favor.

At the same time, Wang Cuilan's straightforward and unpretentious nature also made the two of them feel good about her.

Seeing the two nod, Wang Cuilan didn't say anything more. She stuffed the money into her father's hand and said to He Weiguo and the others:

"That's fine! Brothers, please sit down for a while. I'll get you something to eat first. I'll heat up the kang for you later. I guarantee you'll be warm!"

After saying that, she turned around and went out in a hurry. Soon, the busy sounds of crackling fire and chopping vegetables came from the simple kitchen next door, very efficiently.

Chapter 139 Cuilan, the Queen of the Farm!

Uncle Wang saw his daughter busying herself at the stove, and he felt embarrassed to just sit there, so he quickly said to Liu Jun and He Weiguo:

"Comrade, please wait a moment. I'll pour you a glass of water."

Soon, Uncle Wang poured two bowls of warm water into two rough earthen bowls and placed them in front of the two people.

The two were indeed thirsty, so they thanked him and started drinking without any hesitation.

While Wang Cuilan was cooking, the three of them started chatting casually.

Ask about the harvest, talk about what you saw on the road, and chat about the latest news in the city...

The initial sense of strangeness and wariness gradually faded away in the casual chat.

Not long after, Wang Cuilan prepared dinner and served it on the table one by one.

A plate of yellow cornmeal pancakes and a bowl of steaming corn grits porridge.

A big bowl of homemade, crispy pickled radish strips.

Finally, there is a small plate of stir-fried bok choy. Although there is almost no oil in it, it is still green and appetizing.

Uncle Wang greeted him a little embarrassedly:

"It's not a very good dish, please don't be offended, comrades... It's just enough to fill you up, just enough to fill you up..."

Liu Jun spoke quickly, his tone sincere:

"Oh! Uncle! This is great! Hot rice is better than anything else! This pancake smells delicious!"

He Weiguo also nodded repeatedly, looking at the tall pile of pancakes, and praised Uncle Wang:

"Yes, uncle! You are so lucky! Your daughter is really capable!"

Seeing He Weiguo praising his daughter, Uncle Wang's face showed no joy, but he sighed:

"Hey, comrade... We are all farmers who work in the fields to make a living. We have no choice but to do this. It's all forced by hardship."

He paused, as if he wanted to say something, but found it difficult to speak:

"This girl of mine is really nimble, but... it's..."

Wang Cuilan, who was standing next to her, was unhappy and immediately interrupted her father. Her voice was clear and sharp, with a hint of dissatisfaction:

"Dad! You're here again! You can't even stop talking when you're eating, right? What's wrong? Am I wrong with my quick hands and feet?"

She raised her eyebrows and continued:

"So do I have to be like that girl from Old Li's family at the west end of the village? She's so timid, and even cries when she pricks her finger. Is that what's good?"

At this point, the old farmer, Uncle Wang, looked worried and helpless, and said:

"Look at you! Look at your temper! What other girl is like you?"

"Look, you're already 20 years old, and no one dares to propose marriage to you. Don't you understand why?"

"You don't even know what those people are saying about you behind your back..."

Uncle Wang didn't say anything else. He just sighed heavily, and the worry on his face deepened.