Chapter 600 Junior High School Classmates
The north wind blew gravel onto Zhou Dahu's goggles. He clenched the red tasseled spear in his hand, and the copper ornament on the spear tip shone coldly in the sun.
The stranger in front of me was indeed a stranger - his dark blue Zhongshan suit was washed to a pale color, with half-dried mud spots on his trouser legs, the straps of his canvas backpack were worn to the edges, and he had a green military bag with the words "Serve the People" printed on it slung across his shoulder.
"Comrade, who are you?" Zhou Dahu's voice was filled with vigilance. The other two security team members behind him had already spread out in a fan shape, and the wooden red armbands on their waists cast shadows in the wind.
The moment the cold wind blew into his collar, he touched the whistle hidden in the inner pocket of his cotton-padded jacket. The cold touch made his palms tighten slightly.
Liang Jingguo had three red-tasseled spears pointed at his chest, and his Adam's apple rolled as he swallowed back his anxiety.
He raised his hands red from the cold, and his knuckles turned white from the force he exerted. "Excuse me, is there a person named Zhou Yimin in your village?"
As he spoke, the white air he exhaled instantly condensed into white mist on his goggles. He hurriedly wiped it with his sleeve, revealing his bloodshot eyes.
Zhou Dahu's pupils shrank slightly. This winter, there were only a handful of outsiders who came to ask about Uncle Sixteen, and the last one was Master Xu Cheng from the city.
He stared at the half-cut corner of the blueprint sticking out of the other person's backpack, and suddenly held the red tasseled spear across his chest: "There is indeed a person named Zhou Yimin in our village!"
Before he finished speaking, Liang Jingguo's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed and he almost fell on the icy dirt road.
"Could you please ask him to come over and prove it?" Liang Jingguo took out a wrinkled handkerchief to wipe his sweat. Despite the biting cold wind, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Zhou Dahu glanced at the crooked stitching on the second button of his Zhongshan suit, and found that it was exactly the same as the mending technique on his Sixteenth Uncle's old work clothes.
"Wait here." Zhou Dahu stuffed the gun into his companion's hand, and his military rubber shoes slipped on the ice when he turned around.
He trotted towards the village, and behind him he heard his companions' questioning voices, as well as Liang Jingguo's intermittent explanations: "I came from... from the provincial capital."
The cold wind carried the last twang of the sound away into the gray sky. Zhou Dahu tightly grasped the whistle at his waist - hoping that this time, Uncle Sixteen could help again.
Zhou Yimin was warming his hands by the coal stove when he suddenly heard a hurried knock on the door outside the yard.
He rubbed his stiff fingers and slowly opened the wooden door. The cold wind wrapped in snow particles instantly blew into his neck: "Da Hu, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Zhou Dahu took off his hat that was soaked by snow and water. There were icicles hanging on the brim of the hat. He panted and said, "Uncle Sixteen, there's a man named Liang Jingguo outside looking for you!"
Zhou Yimin frowned and leaned against the door frame, lost in thought.
The name Liang Jingguo looms in the depths of my memory, like a dandelion blown away by the wind, you can see its shadow but you can't grasp the entity.
The coal in the coal stove suddenly exploded with sparks, startling him back to his senses: "Let's go and take a look."
The two men walked on the icy dirt road to the entrance of the village, and saw from a distance that Liang Jingguo was sandwiched between two team members, one on the left and one on the right.
The hem of his Zhongshan suit was rustling in the wind, but he kept his hands across his chest, blowing air into his palms from time to time to keep them warm.
Zhou Yimin narrowed his eyes, staring at the other person's red nose and slightly hunched shoulders, and the gears of his memory suddenly began to turn.
"Are you a student of Lantian Middle School?" Zhou Yimin asked tentatively. Before he finished speaking, Liang Jingguo suddenly raised his head.
The surprise flashing in those eyes instantly reminded Zhou Yimin of the boy in the back row of the classroom twenty years ago who always loved to secretly draw mechanical drawings.
"That's right!" Liang Jingguo took half a step forward, but was stopped by the team member's red tassel spear.
His voice trembled with excitement: "Yimin, I was your deskmate in the third grade of junior high school! Do you remember when we secretly modified the radio in physics class?"
These words were like a key that opened the floodgates of memory with a click. Zhou Yimin quickly stepped forward and held the other person's hand, and his cold palm conveyed the long-lost warmth.
After confirming his identity, Zhou Yimin turned around and waved to the team members.
Zhou Dahu put away his red tasseled spear and looked at the backs of the two people walking side by side towards the village. Suddenly, he discovered that Liang Jingguo was limping slightly when he walked, and the footprints he left behind were deep and shallow, winding into a zigzag line on the snow.
The entrance of the village was not very far from Zhou Yimin's home, so the two of them walked for less than ten minutes and arrived at Zhou Yimin's home.
Zhou Yimin pushed the creaking wooden door and let Liang Jingguo into the courtyard filled with the scent of firewood.
The bunches of corn hanging under the eaves swayed gently in the wind, brushing across Liang Jingguo's shoulders, and a few golden crumbs fell down.
"Grandma, there are guests coming!" Zhou Yimin shouted towards the kitchen. Before he finished his words, the crisp sound of a spatula hitting an iron pot was heard from the stove.
Grandma stuck her head out with her back hunched. Her blue apron was still stained with flour. Her cloudy eyes immediately smiled into two slits: "Hurry up and let the baby come in to warm up!"
The coal stove in the kitchen was burning brightly, cabbage was bubbling in the iron pot, and the hot steam steamed the plastic sheet covered with the windows into fine water droplets.
Zhou Yimin lifted the lid of the pot, picked up half a piece of frozen tofu and threw it into the pot. He turned around and saw his grandmother taking salted duck eggs from the jar: "Guests are coming. Cut two pieces of our pickled bacon as well."
The old man wiped his age-spotted hands on his apron and said, "Don't let the guests down."
Zhou Yimin didn't say much, he believed that his grandmother would definitely know what to do.
In the living room, Zhou Yimin pushed the enamel pot across the mottled wooden table, and the boiling water stirred up a few wisps of tea leaves at the bottom of the cup.
Liang Jingguo held the cup and watched the water vapor condense into white mist on the lens. He suddenly remembered that when he was a student, Zhou Yimin always gave him half of his meal ticket.
The flames from the coal stove licked the bottom of the pot, making a slight crackling sound. The shadows of the two people swayed on the wall, just like the chalk words swaying on the classroom wall back then.
"Are you happy working in the city?" Zhou Yimin added a new piece of coal into the stove. The moment the sparks flew, they illuminated Liang Jingguo's hesitant expression.
Liang Jingguo stared at the tea leaves swirling in the cup, his Adam's apple moved, and he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth: "It's fine, it's just... I just want to come and see my old classmates."
Seeing this, Zhou Yimin knew that things might not be going well at work, and it would take a long time to walk here in such cold weather.
He didn't quite believe it. He came here just to reminisce about the past. There must be something he needed help with.
Since Liang Jingguo didn't bring it up, Zhou Yimin pretended not to know.
At this time, grandma's voice came from the kitchen: "The meal is ready."
Dispelling the vague heaviness in the air, Zhou Yimin stood up to help and brought out the food.
On the eight-immortals table, in the dim light of the kerosene lamp, the steam from the food rose up and intertwined with the warmth in the house.
In the casserole, the bacon and vermicelli stewed with it were bubbling, the fat chunks of meat were faintly visible in the thick soup, and the vermicelli had absorbed the aroma of the meat, looking shiny and tempting.
The hot and sour potato shreds are bright red and oily, the scrambled eggs with green peppers are golden and fluffy, and the orange-red and shiny yolk of the salted duck eggs is bubbling with oil when they are cut open. Every dish exudes an appetizing luster under the light.
Liang Jingguo stared at the table full of sumptuous dishes, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, his hands tightly clenched the chopsticks, his knuckles turned white from the force, and his eyes were full of desire and disbelief.
In those years of material scarcity, such meals were like a feast for him.
"Hurry up and use your chopsticks! You're welcome!" Zhou Yimin's hearty voice broke the brief silence. As he spoke, he picked up a large piece of trembling bacon and put it into Liang Jingguo's bowl. The fat dripped along the edge of the bacon, creating an attractive luster on the rice.
The old man was not idle either. With his calloused hands, he picked up a piece of fat and lean pork belly and gently put it into Liang Jingguo's bowl: "Try this bacon, it's homemade, it's delicious!"
Grandma Zhou lovingly added a handful of lettuce to Liang Jingguo's bowl, piling the leaves with juice in the bowl, "Son, eat more greens. You look so thin, you need to eat more!"
Liang Jingguo opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Zhou Yimin who handed him another large spoonful of cabbage stewed with tofu.
Liang Jingguo's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly as he looked at the mountain of food in the bowl. His nostrils were filled with the rich salty aroma of bacon, the fluffy and burnt aroma of eggs, and the sweet taste of green vegetables. All kinds of flavors intertwined together, almost drowning him.
My throat rolled up and down uncontrollably, and my stomach felt a sharp hunger - it seemed like the last time I had such a sumptuous meal was a lifetime ago.
During his days at the agricultural machinery factory, he often ate cold steamed buns with pickles, and being able to fill his stomach was a luxury.
When he took the first bite of rice covered with gravy, the soft and glutinous rice grains mixed with the fat and lean bacon, and the fat melted on the tip of his tongue, he felt his eyes suddenly get hot.
This is not just the satisfaction brought by food, but also a feeling of being cared for and valued.
He tried hard to resist the urge to wolf down the food, but he couldn't help chewing faster, fearing that the food in the bowl would suddenly disappear.
Zhou Yimin looked at Liang Jingguo wolfing down his food and smiled as he added more food to his bowl: "Eat slowly, it's enough!"
The old man and Grandma Zhou also kept reminding him: "Don't worry, don't choke!"
Liang Jingguo responded vaguely and ate faster, but the elders fed him even faster.
The tears finally fell uncontrollably into the bowl and were swallowed along with the food, turning into a heart full of emotion and warmth.
The cold wind outside the window was hitting the window frame, but the house was filled with the aroma of food and strong friendship. At this moment, all the hardships and difficulties quietly dissipated in front of this table of sumptuous food.
The leftovers on the table gradually cooled down. Liang Jingguo stroked his slightly bulging belly. The half cup of herbal tea left in the enamel pot was oozing with oil.
Zhou Yimin added a new piece of charcoal to the coal stove, and sparks splashed on the iron mesh cover, exploding in the silence. Liang Jingguo looked at the leaping flames and finally mustered up the courage to speak: "Yimin, could you please go to our village to take a look?"
These words made the air suddenly stagnant.
Zhou Yimin paused with his hand holding the charcoal tongs, turned around and saw Liang Jingguo's clenched fist - his knuckles were white, and there were blood scabs on the base of his thumb from pushing the cart on the road.
"Our village has had poor harvests for three consecutive years. The corn grown in the fields is no thicker than a finger." Liang Jingguo's voice was hoarse, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down under the dim kerosene lamp. "The money for buying food has long been spent. The old people can only eat tree bark mixed with wild vegetables."
Zhou Yimin silently added a spoonful of cold tea to the other person's bowl, and Liang Jingguo's haggard face was reflected on the water surface.
The north wind outside the window suddenly howled, making the plastic sheet on the window frame rustle. "I saw your inventions in the newspaper, such as the solar cooker."
Liang Jingguo suddenly grabbed Zhou Yimin's wrist and said, "You have a sharp mind, maybe you can figure out something on the barren hill in our village!"
The charcoal in the coal stove suddenly exploded, startling Liang Jingguo so much that he retracted his hand.
Zhou Yimin looked at the flickering flames and recalled the time when they were student days, secretly drawing mechanical diagrams under the desks.
"Okay!" He patted Liang Jingguo's shoulder heavily, causing the dust on the shoulder of his Zhongshan suit to fall off. "We'll go and take a look later!"
Liang Jingguo rubbed his frozen hands and looked at the empty dirt road worriedly: "I wanted to borrow a bicycle."
Before he could finish his words, Zhou Yimin had already dragged him into the woodshed. Liang Jingguo's footsteps suddenly stopped at the door of the woodshed, as if he was nailed to the frozen ground.
Soon a not-so-new motorcycle came into Liang Jingguo's sight.
His Adam's apple rolled violently, making a dry sound. As a technician at an agricultural machinery factory, the most advanced parts he had touched were only the gears of the Dongfanghong tractor, but now he felt like he was facing some mysterious mechanical beast.
His tentatively extended fingers stopped five centimeters away from the fuel tank. His fingertips could feel the faint chill emanating from the metal, mixed with the faint smell of gasoline and the sweet smell of chain oil. The smell was so unfamiliar that it made his heart beat wildly.
"This, this is." Liang Jingguo's voice was interrupted by the sudden rumbling sound of the engine.
The moment Zhou Yimin turned the accelerator, the white mist from the exhaust pipe brushed past his trouser legs, startling him so much that he staggered back half a step, and his lower back hit the pile of honeycomb coal, and several coal briquettes rolled under the wheels.
Amid the crisp sound of metal colliding with coal, he saw the headlights suddenly light up - two pale beams of light pierced the darkness of the woodshed, casting distorted shadows on the wall, and the dust floating in the beams seemed to be given life, spinning and rising wildly.
"Get in the car!" Zhou Yimin's voice came from the roar, with a metallic texture.
Liang Jingguo stared at his distorted reflection on the fuel tank - the man wearing a patched Zhongshan suit and his hair messy by the wind, his eyes filled with incredible shock.
He recalled the only motorcycle he had seen in the county last year. It was the vehicle of the director of the post and telecommunications office. The children had chased it for three streets. But now, this steel beast was so close that he could even hear the sound of fuel burning in the carburetor.
When Zhou Yimin put the safety helmet on his head, he suddenly came back to his senses when the cold plastic touched his forehead.
His fingers unconsciously scratched a tiny scratch on the fuel tank. It was a mark left by a bump, but it made the mechanical behemoth feel more real.
The moment he got on the back seat, his thigh hit the exhaust pipe and he jumped away with a scream, causing Zhou Yimin to laugh: "Hold on tight!"
(End of this chapter)
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