Chapter 599 Xu Xiangbei comes again
As dusk fell over the green tiles of the Zhou family's adobe house, the old man paced back and forth at the door of the main room, holding a shiny copper basin in his hand.
The edge of the basin hit the doorstep with a slight sound, startling the swallow's nest on the beam, causing dust to fall from it.
"Can I really take a hot bath?" He turned his head for the third time and asked Zhou Yimin who was squatting by the stove. The sparks in his pipe were flickering, but he forgot to put it in his mouth.
Zhou Yimin lifted the curtain, and water vapor carrying warmth blew towards him.
In the makeshift bathroom, faded towels were hung on bamboo poles wrapped in plastic sheets, and an old wooden stool was propped up in the corner.
"Grandpa, I've tried the water temperature, it's just right." He reached out and turned on the faucet of the solar water heater. The sound of water hitting the copper basin was particularly clear in the small space.
The old man took two steps closer, staring at the white mist rising from the water with his cloudy eyes - the mist was exactly the same as the water boiling in the stove, but there was clearly no smoke from firewood floating on the beams.
"Take off your clothes!" Zhou Yimin handed over the enamel pot and turned to go out.
The old man suddenly grabbed his wrist, his rough palms were calloused from years of holding a hoe: "This water, don't you really need to boil it?"
Without waiting for an answer, he tremblingly unbuttoned his cotton jacket, revealing a coarse cloth shirt that was washed to a pale color.
When the first handful of hot water was poured on his back, the old man's spine suddenly arched and the copper basin almost slipped from his knees.
"It's hot! It's hot!" the old man shouted, but did not dodge.
The warm water flowed down the groove of the spine and soaked the waistband of the pants.
He reached out to touch the faucet. The metal pipe his fingertips touched was cold, but the warmth in his palm was surprisingly real.
"Good God." He suddenly laughed, and the sound of his laughter made the phlegm in his throat rumble. "It's hotter than when I squat by the stove pit!"
Zhou Yimin heard the sound of water splashing outside the curtain, and the old man muttered indistinctly: "This iron lump is more effective than ginger soup!"
When the old man pushed the door open with wet hair and walked out in cotton pants, it was obvious that he had just taken a hot shower and his whole body was emitting "steam".
His eyes were surprisingly bright, as if he had won a wrestling match in the village when he was young, "Yimin, tell your grandma quickly!"
Seeing how good the results were, Zhou Yimin’s grandmother couldn’t miss the opportunity and went in with the clothes.
There was no more smoke rising from the chimney of Zhou Yimin's house, and the news spread faster than the northwest wind in the twelfth lunar month.
The next morning, the sounds of people carrying water with shoulder poles stopped outside Zhou's courtyard.
"We really don't need to burn firewood?" Aunt Zhang was leaning against the courtyard gate, with unkneaded dough still stained on the corner of her apron. Her cloudy eyes were staring straight at the row of shiny solar collectors on the roof.
The crowd immediately erupted in excitement. Aunt Li's voice drowned out the discussions: "My stove burns half a bundle of wheat straw every day!"
Uncle Zhao knocked his pipe against the sole of his shoe, making a loud noise. The tobacco shreds fell onto the sole of Xin Na's bed. "Yimin, how much does this thing cost?"
Grandpa Zhou pushed open the door of the main hall tremblingly, and the tea foam in the enamel pot in his hand swayed over the edge of the pot: "Come in and take a look!"
Before he could finish his words, the gate creaked as it was squeezed open. The children slipped through the adults' crotches like loaches and gathered around the faucet of the water heater.
When Zhou Yimin turned on the water valve and the warm water rushed into the copper basin, the yard suddenly became so quiet that he could hear the sound of sparrows pecking at grass seeds.
"It's hot! Really hot!" The boy from Erzhu's family was scalded by the hot water and kept shaking his hands away, but couldn't help but put them back.
Aunt Zhang stretched out her hand to test the water temperature. Her sleeve slid down to her elbow, revealing the wrinkled back of her hand. "This water is as warm as the one simmered over a stove!"
The crowd became agitated. Some stood on tiptoe to touch the water tank, while others took out their pipes and knocked on the holder. The sound of metal colliding was mixed with exclamations of amazement.
The deaf third master suddenly shouted at the top of his voice: "If this thing can be on our roof."
Before he could finish his words he was drowned out by laughter.
Grandma Zhou brought out some roasted melon seeds from the kitchen, but no one was bothered to take them.
Uncle Zhao squatted at the foot of the wall, using a branch to scratch the ground and calculate: "The firewood saved can pickle two more jars of pickled cabbage."
Aunt Li had already grabbed Zhou Yimin's sleeve and said, "Yimin, tell me, how do we install this thing on the roof?"
As the sun set, the crowd gradually dispersed.
The wall of Zhou's courtyard was covered with mud marks, and a few pipes were scattered around the water tank.
Zhou Yimin did not pay much attention to this place, but instead focused his attention on the solar water heater.
The next day, the north wind blew fine snow over the earthen walls of Zhoujiazhuang, and the chain of Xu Xiangbei's 28-inch bicycle creaked under the heavy load.
The aluminum lunch box hanging on the handlebars clinked with the bumps and the only remaining half piece of hard-wheat cake inside froze hard in the cold wind.
On the branch of the old locust tree of the security team at the entrance of the village, the frozen red armbands were fluttering in the wind, and several men wearing straw hats were stamping their feet to keep away the cold.
"Engineer Xu!" Zhou Dahu, with sharp eyes, shouted, his neck exposed by the collar of his cotton-padded jacket red from the cold, "How come you have time to come here today?"
The wooden roadblock next to him was still wrapped with hemp rope used for flood prevention, and now it was shaking with fine ice chips in the wind.
Xu Xiangbei slammed the brakes, and the bicycle slid half a meter away on the icy dirt road.
He took off his earmuffs that were wet by the snow, and tiny ice crystals condensed on his eyelashes: "Yimin, are you in the village?"
The white air exhaled while speaking instantly condensed into rime, sticking to the brown paper bag in the basket - the bag contained half a piece of brown sugar that her daughter had left over when she had a fever.
"Engineer Xu, Uncle Sixteen is in the village and should be at home now!" Zhou Dahu glanced at the other party's hand that was frozen purple. When he was about to say something else, Xu Xiangbei had already taken out a wrinkled cigarette box.
The golden tinfoil flashed in the snow. "Thank you!" As the cigarette was stuffed into the man's rough palm, he turned around and pedaled his bike. The wheels rolled over the ice edges, making crisp clicking sounds.
In the alley leading to Zhou's house, broken ice flew under the tires.
Xu Xiangbei recalled that when he opened the rice jar this morning, he saw the bottom of the jar emitting a cold light.
When the wife pushed the last half bowl of porridge to her daughter, the sound of the porcelain bowl hitting the wooden table is still echoing in my ears.
Three days ago, he emptied out his six months' worth of food coupons to help his comrades pay for their medical expenses. However, he did not expect that his daughter would suddenly develop a high fever, and the antipyretic drugs in the pharmacy would require food coupons to be exchanged.
Turning the last corner, he saw the solar water heater on the roof of Zhou Yimin's house glowing silver in the snow.
The moment the handlebars hit the wooden door, the chickens in the corner of the yard flapped their wings and flew away in fright, and chicken feathers mixed with snow fell on his shoulders.
"Yi Min!" The sound of him knocking on the door startled the icicles on the wall to fall off.
Zhou Yimin, who was wiping the controller of the solar water heater in the main room, suddenly heard a familiar shout coming from outside the yard.
The north wind blew the two words "Yi Min" and hit the window frame, causing his hand holding the rag to tremble slightly.
He put down his tools and put his ear against the mottled wooden door. The panting voice came through the wind and snow again - it was indeed Xu Xiangbei!
The moment the bolt was pulled open, the cold wind carrying snow rushed into his neck. Xu Xiangbei stood at the gate of the courtyard, where the moonlight and snowlight intertwined, holding his bicycle. The crooked brown paper bag in the basket was still stained with ice, and his trouser legs were covered with thick snow crusts.
"Brother Xu, come in and sit down!" Zhou Yimin quickly stretched out his hand and touched the hard ice edge on the other's sleeve, and his heart sank suddenly.
In weather like this, who would ride twenty miles on a dirt road unless absolutely necessary?
The coal stove in the main room was burning vigorously, the flames licked the bottom of the pot, making a slight "crackling" sound.
Zhou Yimin pushed the enamel pot across the mottled wooden table, and the steam of the hot jasmine tea blurred Xu Xiangbei's red face.
"Brother Xu, has something happened?" He glanced at the other party's hesitant look and deliberately added a new piece of coal into the stove. The moment the sparks flew, they illuminated the dark circles under Xu Xiangbei's eyes.
"To be honest with you." Xu Xiangbei's hands were shaking slightly as he held the teacup, and the moisture condensed into white mist on the lens. "In order to help my old comrade-in-arms get through this difficult time, I put all my food coupons into it. Unexpectedly, my daughter suddenly developed a high fever, and we ran out of rice for porridge at home."
At this point, his Adam's apple rolled violently, and his voice was choked with an imperceptible sob, "I went to the courtyard to look for you but came up empty-handed. I had no choice but to shamelessly chase you to the village."
There was a sudden crisp sound from the coal stove, startling the swallow's nest on the beam, causing ashes to fall from its nest.
Zhou Yimin looked at the unmelted snow on the other's shoulders, and recalled the hard work they had done together in the reservoir on the back mountain last year. He stood up and opened the rice jar in the corner. The wooden ladle for scooping rice made a clear sound when it hit the wall of the jar. "Brother Xu, leave it to me."
Xu Xiangbei looked at the corner of Zhou Yimin's clothes that was lifted up when he turned around, and his throat tightened as if it was blocked by coal slag.
The old clock on the wall of the main room was ticking, and the flames of the coal stove cast the shadows of the two people on the mottled wall, flickering.
He stared at the enamel mug in his hand. The tea leaves floating on the surface of the tea trembled slightly with his breathing, as if they were also worried about him.
After just a moment, Zhou Yimin returned with hurried footsteps. The thing in his arms was wrapped in a blue cloth, but it could not hide the refreshing smell of flesh.
Before Xu Xiangbei could open his mouth, a few pieces of greasy bacon and a lively old hen were placed on the table. The old hen flapped its wings and the flying feathers fell on Xu Xiangbei's shoulders.
"Brother Xu, take these things back and use them to nourish our daughter!" Zhou Yimin's voice was filled with an irresistible force. He stretched out his hand to hold down the still struggling chicken, and he was unaware of the red marks on his palms from the chicken's claws.
Xu Xiangbei looked at the pieces of fat and lean bacon. In the days when supplies were supplied with coupons, these were rare items more precious than gold.
"Yimin, no, it's too valuable, I can't accept it!" Xu Xiangbei stood up hurriedly, and the patch on the knee of his overalls brushed against the edge of the wooden table.
Of course he knew that if this meat was sold on the black market, the price would be enough to equal his half-year salary. Even if he had money, he would have to use several connections to buy it.
But Zhou Yimin took it out as casually as if it were an ordinary object, which made him both moved and frightened.
Zhou Yimin suddenly frowned, his brows knitted into a knot: "Brother Xu, don't you consider me a friend?"
His eyes were blazing, and under the reflection of the fire, they looked a bit fierce. "If it weren't for your help last year, Zhoujiazhuang wouldn't have been able to get electricity so smoothly."
Xu Xiangbei's throat rolled a few times, and finally he stretched out his hand tremblingly.
The old hen's body temperature came through the cloth, and the aroma of bacon mixed with the smell of firewood penetrated into my nose, reminding me of the image of my daughter yelling for meat before she fell ill.
"Yimin, thank you!" His voice trembled, warmth welled up in his eyes, and a tear quietly fell on the blue handkerchief, leaving a small mark of water.
Xu Xiangbei clutched the heavy blue cloth bag, his knuckles turning white from the force.
The coal stove in the main room was emitting warmth, but it couldn't overcome the anxiety in his heart - his daughter was still running a fever, and the rice jar at home was empty. He wanted to ride his bike back immediately. "Yimin, we really have to go. If we are late, we will not be able to catch the supply and marketing cooperative in time."
Before he could finish his words, Zhou Yimin grabbed him by the back of his collar with such force that he staggered half a step.
"You want to leave without even having dinner? Do you think my home is an inn?" Zhou Yimin said with a stern face, dragging the man towards the eight-immortals table.
The table was already set with dishes and chopsticks. There was steaming sweet potato porridge in the coarse porcelain bowl, accompanied by a few dishes of pickled vegetables, which glowed attractively in the winter.
Xu Xiangbei was pressed on a bench, watching Zhou Yimin's wife, wearing a patched apron, putting freshly baked cornmeal cakes into a bamboo plate. The aroma of the wood stove mixed with the salty aroma of bacon went straight into his nose.
"Brother Xu, listen to me."
Zhou Yimin squatted beside the coal stove and used tongs to pick up a few pieces of red charcoal and put them into the furnace. Sparks flew. "If you ride your bike back now, the road will be windy and the food will be cold by the time you get home. Your daughter is waiting for you to replenish her body. How can you take care of her on an empty stomach?"
He didn't turn around while speaking, but accurately pushed the enamel pot to Xu Xiangbei's hand, and the boiling jasmine tea created ripples in the cup.
Xu Xiangbei stared at the cabbage and tofu soup with oil floating in the bowl, and his Adam's apple moved.
Suddenly, there was a fluttering sound of an old hen outside the yard. It turned out that Zhou Yimin's chicken had broken free from the rope.
Zhou Yimin chased out cursing, and Xu Xiangbei looked at his trouser legs that were lifted up as he ran - the trouser legs, which were patched on top of patches, were still stained with mud from installing the water heater this morning.
The wind blew in fine snow through the crack in the door, but it dissipated the moment it touched the heat from the coal stove. The aroma of the steaming food on the eight-immortals table had already turned the anxiousness of returning home into a long-lasting warmth.
The steam rising from the Eight Immortals Table blurred the ice flowers on the window lattice. Grandma Zhou Yimin served the last dish, which was bubbling in the casserole: bacon stewed with vermicelli. The thick slices of bacon were faintly visible in the thick soup, and the sweet potato vermicelli was full of the meaty aroma and had an enticing oily sheen.
Xu Xiangbei looked at the table full of delicious dishes and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.
"Brother Xu, hurry up and use your chopsticks!" Zhou Yimin was the first to pick up a piece of trembling bacon, and the fat dripped down the chopsticks into the coarse porcelain bowl. "Try my grandma's cooking. This bacon was pickled for the Chinese New Year, and I specially saved a few pieces."
As he spoke, he added another large spoonful of cabbage stewed with tofu into Xu Xiangbei's bowl. The tender white tofu absorbed the soup, and golden egg skin shreds were dotted in between.
Xu Xiangbei held the bowl, but he was a little overwhelmed. In addition to the main dish, there was also hot and sour potato shreds on the table. The bright red pepper shreds and the golden potato strips complemented each other.
A plate of greasy salted duck eggs, the shiny orange-red yolk when cut makes people salivate, and the cornmeal pancakes just out of the pan, the edges are baked to a slightly crispy texture, exuding the sweet aroma of grains.
In the era of material scarcity, each of these was a rare delicacy.
“Eat!”
Zhou Yimin stuffed a cornmeal pancake into his bowl and took a big bite, puffing up his cheeks. "This pancake goes really well with the bacon soup!"
His words made Zhou Yimin's wife smile, and she added half a bowl of sweet potato porridge to Xu Xiangbei. The rice grains were floating in the amber soup.
Xu Xiangbei finally picked up a piece of vermicelli with chopsticks. The soft and chewy texture mixed with the salty fragrance of bacon made him couldn't help but let out a sigh of satisfaction.
He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had eaten such a sumptuous meal. After his daughter fell ill, the food at home became increasingly simple. The taste that bloomed on his tongue at this moment actually made his eyes slightly warm.
At the dinner table, Zhou Yimin was eating heartily while talking about interesting things in the village. When he got to the funny parts, he laughed so hard that he fell over.
(End of this chapter)
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