Chapter 104
On the streets of Tianli Town, horse-drawn carriages, ox-drawn carts, and mule-drawn carts were carrying people coming and going.
Yang Qiujin stood beside a newspaper stall in Tianli Town, holding a newly purchased newspaper in her hand, reading the latest seasonal news while staring at the alley across the street.
When a few hooligans dressed in tattered clothes, who looked to be under 20 years old, walked out of the alley, Yang Qiujin folded the newspaper in her hand and followed them.
However, when she crossed the street and just walked into the alley, a tall man came towards her and called her, "Qiu Jin, why are you here?"
Yang Qiujin looked in the direction of the voice and saw her own man whom she had not seen for a long time. He was wearing a military coat, tall and slender, with a cigarette in his mouth, a jade-like face, and his eyes and brows were looking at her coldly.
"Shengqing, when did you come back?" Yang Qiujin hadn't seen her man for more than a month. She was very happy to see him. She strode up to him and looked him up and down to see if he was injured.
Chen Shengqing put out the cigarette in his mouth with his bare hands and said, "I came back this morning."
"Why don't you go home now that you're back? What are you doing here?" Yang Qiujin didn't dislike Chen Shengqing smoking, but every time he saw her smoking, he would put out the cigarette. Yang Qiujin knew in her heart that he was actually afraid that the smell of smoke would bother her.
"I'm dealing with some military matters and haven't had time to go home yet. Why are you here alone?" Chen Shengqing asked, "Where are the children?"
"Tianyou went to the army to play with Songyue, and mom took little Tianxing to the house in town. I came here to follow those gangsters just now to see where their lair is and who is the gangster boss behind them."
Yang Qiujin told Chen Shengqing about the illegal work of Xu and Tao sisters. "I went to the Public Security Bureau and asked the police there if there were any cases of women and children being abducted in Tianli Town in recent months. A comrade said there were two cases. Both were young girls. Their parents looked for them everywhere but couldn't find them. After calling the police, the police looked for them for two months but couldn't find them. I advised Xu and Tao to stop coming to the town to wash dishes. The two girls agreed, but they still came to the town to wash dishes secretly at night and even worked in the town during the weekends. I had no choice but to come and see who the gangsters who brought them to work were."
Chen Shengqing always puts the stubbed cigarette butts next to the garbage pile on the roadside. "In the past two years, there are indeed more illegal hotels and bars in the town than before. The disappearances of women and girls are more or less related to them. I just happen to have a mission to investigate the forces behind these illegal shops. You should stop hanging out with those gangsters. Leave this matter to me."
He looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late. It's almost noon. Let's go eat. Let's find a restaurant to eat."
As Chen Shengqing spoke, he took Yang Qiujin's hand and walked towards another alley.
His hand was thick and warm, but Yang Qiujin didn't feel warm at all. She shook his hand off like it was a hot potato, "Shengqing, please be careful on the street. There are so many people watching us."
The situation on the border in the past two years is not as serious as in previous years, but men and women walking on the street still walk at a wide distance from each other, for fear of being too close and being caught by the little red soldiers for interrogation and household registration checks.
"You are my wife, and we are a legitimate couple. I will hold you if I want to. Who dares to control us?" Chen Shengqing clicked his tongue and took her hand again with a firm attitude, not allowing her to refuse.
Yang Qiujin saw that he was a little angry, so she coaxed him with a smile: "Okay, don't be angry, go ahead if you want to. If the little red soldiers come to check the household registration, you have to be careful and don't scare them."
Chen Shengqing tilted his head to look at her, his face still very cold, "Comrade Xiao Yang, we haven't seen each other for more than a month, right? When you saw me, you didn't feel the same joy as a wife seeing her husband who has been away for a long time. Tell me yourself, when I was away, did you contact Ji Mingchen again?"
It’s Ji Mingchen again. If he hadn’t mentioned him, Yang Qiujin would have almost forgotten about Ji Mingchen.
Yang Qiujin glared at him angrily, "Who do you think I am? If you don't mention Ji Mingchen, who would remember him? How do you want me to prove that I am happy to see you? Do you want me to hug you and kiss you in public?"
"It's not impossible." Chen Shengqing put his face in front of her with a serious expression.
His face suddenly appeared in front of Yang Qiujin. He was really handsome, but also really shameless. Yang Qiujin pushed his face away with both anger and amusement. "You are already in your thirties and a father of two children. Can you be more serious and stop making fun of others?"
Fortunately, the number of the ubiquitous Little Red Soldiers has decreased a lot in the past two years. Even if Chen Shengqing was walking on the street holding Yang Qiujin's hand, people could guess that they were a couple because they saw that he was wearing a military uniform, had a crew cut, and walked in the unique military-style marching posture and temperament. Otherwise, how could they have the courage to walk hand in hand on the street? Yet, along the way, no one asked about their household registration.
There was only one state-owned hotel in Tianli Town, but more and more educated youth and inland people came here to support the border areas or escape famine. The small state-owned hotel could not accommodate so many people.
The situation has gradually relaxed in the past two years. The wages of employees in many government agencies, mines, farms, etc. are quite high. Many workers are single and one person can feed the whole family. They don't want to cook and just eat out.
But when it comes to mealtime in the state-owned hotels, there are huge crowds of people eating, and they have to queue up, which makes many workers very upset.
Some people with active minds saw this situation and opened illegal restaurants and stood on the street to solicit customers in the past two years.
As long as the cooking skills are good, the food is delicious and the price is cheaper than state-owned hotels, people who sincerely want to eat will find them, and the black restaurants are doing very well.
Chen Shengqing took Yang Qiujin to a residential area. A few young men and women, all Han Chinese, stood on the road every few dozen meters. They kept muttering, "Red-braised pork, boiled scorpions, delicious, really delicious."
If a stranger hears their mumbling and looks at them with strange eyes, they will shut their mouths and walk around as if nothing has happened.
Chen Shengqing took Yang Qiujin to a woman who was muttering, "Garlic sprouts and fish are delicious." A short woman who looked like a Sichuanese said in Sichuan dialect, "How much does it cost to make two pickled vegetables and a soup?"
"What are you talking about? You can't even calculate the bill for a meal?" The other party saw that he was wearing a military coat and had a crew cut, and he was obviously a soldier. He couldn't tell whether he was here to arrest them or if he was here to eat sincerely, so he turned around and left.
Chen Shengqing took a step forward and blocked her way. "If you don't want to do the business that comes to your door, then I'll go eat at someone else's house."
The woman was sure that he wanted to eat, and said with a smile: "Comrade, don't be surprised. We are in this line of work, we are cutting off the tail of socialism, we can't be careless. If you just mentioned two dishes and a soup, plus a big bowl of rice, it will cost about one yuan, no ticket is required, and it is 30 cents cheaper than the state-owned hotel. Do you think it's okay?"
Chen Shengqing glanced at Yang Qiujin, "What do you think?"
Yang Qiujin calculated the price of the state-owned meals in her mind. If she didn't need a ticket, it would be a good deal. So she nodded and said, "Okay."
The two men followed the woman through an alley and came to a shabby-looking adobe house. There were four dining tables in the small yard, with two tables of people sitting inside, eating noisily. When they saw the couple come in, the diners at the two tables just glanced at them curiously and then lowered their heads to chat.
"Please take a seat, both of you." The woman led Chen Shengqing and the other person to sit at a small wooden table on the right side of the courtyard. Soon, she brought out several large portions of food and said with a smile, "Enjoy your meal, both of you. If you don't have enough soup, you can have a free refill."
Yang Qiujin asked curiously: "Your business here looks good, how did you come up with the idea of doing this business?"
"Well, it brings back bitter tears. A few years ago, my husband and I fled to our border area, thinking we could live a good life. Who knew that life here is even harder than back home? The money we earn from farming is not enough to support our family, so I thought of doing a small business like everyone else to earn some money to supplement our family income."
The woman's eyes were filled with helplessness when she talked about this. "You two look like cadres. We are a small business here. We are honest and have never done anything to harm anyone. All the food here is genuine and generous. I hope you two will not report us after having dinner here. Let's make a good relationship. Next time you come to eat here, I will give you a lower price. If you can recommend your relatives and friends to come for dinner, I will give you a meat dish for free."
Yang Qiujin and Chen Shengqing looked at each other. No wonder this woman's business was so prosperous. She was so eloquent and knew how to behave. Not only were they moved by her words, but even those single men looking for food were moved. After all, a t-meat dish cost a lot of money.
Chen Shengqing waved at her and said, "We are here to have a proper meal. We won't report you. Go ahead and do your work. There is more than enough soup for us."
Yang Qiujin picked up a piece of half fat and half lean fried pork and put it into her mouth. The meat was burnt and slightly spicy, with the aroma of Sichuan hot sauce and garlic sprouts blended together. It was very delicious and went well with rice. Yang Qiujin took two mouthfuls of rice and said, "This dish is well cooked. It tastes as good as mine."
"We Sichuanese are known for our cooking skills wherever we go. But let me tell you, no matter how good the food outside is, it's never as delicious as yours." Chen Shengqing put a piece of bright red boiled fish fillet into her bowl, not even blushing when he spoke well of her.
Yang Qiujin also put a piece of shiny hot pot meat into his bowl and said, "You are just trying to coax me. You want me to cook for you, right? Let me tell you, I am busy these few days. Our farm is planning to build a textile factory. Secretary Zhai specifically asked me to help. I don't have time to cook for you."
The strong woman is busy with work, and as her husband, Chen Shengqing can only say support.
When the two of them finished eating, paid, and were about to leave, the woman brought three workers in wearing mining uniforms to eat.
The three workers came in and said, "Boss, please give us some fresh dishes today and a few glasses of your own wine."
"Stir-fried pork intestines, roasted chicken with potatoes, pickled pepper pork liver, fried peanuts, and a bowl of scorpion soup. Do you like it?" the woman asked.
“Okay, but don’t make it too spicy. We can’t eat spicy food.” said a worker.
Yang Qiujin said: "This black restaurant has a pretty complete range of dishes."
Chen Shengqing pulled her out and said, "If you think the food here is good, next time you are free, we can come here for a meal as a family."
"Okay, let the children learn some new experiences. Let me tell you, Shengqing, after I started feeding our little Tianxing meat dumplings, this little girl, like her brother, loves meat so much. She has to have some meat dumplings every day to be happy. If we don't give her meat, she will make a fuss. Moreover, she is getting bigger and bigger with breast milk, and she has grown two little teeth, which often bite me so hard that it hurts. I plan to wean her in two months, when she is one year old." Yang Qiujin chattered to him about daily life at home.
Chen Shengqing listened attentively, expressing his opinions from time to time, and the two walked hand in hand through the streets and alleys.
People around him cast strange looks at him, but Chen Shengqing not only turned a blind eye, he was even a little complacent. After all, not every couple is as loving and inseparable as they are after more than ten years of marriage.
They went back riding Chen Shengqing's horse, Zhuifeng, which was riding so fast that they reached the house in the town in less than ten minutes.
Li Xiu'e was holding Xiao Tianxing in the living room and playing with a ball of wool. When she heard the noise outside, she walked out with the child in her arms. Seeing Chen Shengqing coming back, she happily held Xiao Tianxing's hand, waved at Chen Shengqing and said, "Xiao Tianxing, look, who is that? That's Daddy. Daddy is back, and Mommy is back too."
Although he hadn't seen his father for a month, Xiao Tianxing hadn't forgotten him. When he heard the words "Mom and Dad", he danced with joy and uttered unconsciously, "Ba, ba, ma, ma."
"Oh, our little Tianxing can call mom and dad now." Chen Shengqing wanted his daughter so much that he hugged her in his arms, put his head close to her belly and tried to make her laugh. "Our daughter is smarter than other children. She can call people at only eight months old."
Little Tianxing was so amused by him that he burst into laughter and called "Daddy" even louder and louder.
Li Xiu'e smiled and said, "When you were not at home, Tianxing learned to call mom and dad, but the first time he called out the word dad very clearly."
Yang Qiujin said, "That's right. I worked so hard every day to feed her, but she called me daddy when she could clearly hear me cry."
Chen Shengqing was even happier after hearing this. He held Xiao Tianxing in his arms and started playing with a bomber, making the child laugh. "Comrade Xiao Yang, don't be jealous. There's an old saying that goes, when a child learns to speak, whoever she calls first will die young and cause more trouble. If she calls you later, you will definitely live a good life and live a long life."
"Nonsense again." Yang Qiujin glared at him, walked into the kitchen, lit the coal stove, put a pot on the stove, and heated water for him to take a bath.
After taking a bath, Chen Shengqing played with his daughter on the kang for nearly an hour before he remembered, "It's already past noon, Tianyou hasn't come back yet?"
"He is riding with the troops in Benying and is expected to have dinner at Wang's house. He will be back before dark, so don't worry." Yang Qiujin walked in and said.
Chen Shengqing hummed, not surprised.
At the Wang family's house, Chen Tianyou was borrowing books from Wang Songyue's room.
Wang Songyue's room was just like her mother Liang Xueqing's, kept clean and tidy without a speck of dust. The kang bed was covered with light pink bedding and sheets. There was a bookshelf against the wall with various domestic and foreign books neatly arranged on it. In front of the opposite window stood a small wooden table covered with a checkered tablecloth, with a snow lotus flower placed in a glass bottle on the table. The window was open with a thin slit, and the cold wind blew the aqua blue curtains, making the whole room clean and beautiful, with a fairy-like air.
Wang Songyue loves reading. No matter what kind of book it is, as long as she likes it, she will buy it with her own pocket money.
If Wang Zhijun went out on a mission, to a farther place or to another city, and asked her what gift she wanted, she would always answer to buy a certain book.
As time went by, Wang Songyue's room was filled with books. Chen Tianyou and Wang Songyang, Sandan, Gou Dandan and other children played crazy for most of the day. Then he remembered that his head teacher asked him to read a collection of Olympiad mathematics exercises before the holiday, so he asked Wang Songyue if he had it, and if so, he could lend it to him.
Of course Wang Songyue had it, and she led Chen Tianyou directly into her room to look for it.
It was the first time for Chen Tianyou to enter a girl’s room. He felt a little embarrassed and wanted to leave after borrowing the books.
Wang Songyue stopped him and said, "What's wrong with you these days? You come to the courtyard every day, but you don't come to play with me. You always stay until it's almost dark before you leave. What are you doing in the courtyard during the day?"
"During the day, I played with Dadan and a few others in the family yard, and monitored Xu Tao at the same time." Chen Tianyou said after a moment of hesitation.
"Why were you monitoring Xu Tao?" Wang Songyue was surprised.
"She and her sister go to the town to work illegally at night. I advised her not to go, saying that those people are liars and will sell her and her sister to old bachelors as wives, but she wouldn't listen. I have no choice but to follow her secretly every day to see where she goes to work illegally. If something happens to her, I can ask an adult to save her." Chen Tianyou said distressedly, holding the book in his hand.
Wang Songyue suddenly realized, "Xu Tao is really something. How could she believe those hooligans? It's too unsafe for a girl to work illegally at night. Come on, Chen Tianyou, I'll go with you to persuade her."
"Can you do it?" Chen Tianyou expressed deep doubt.
"If you don't try, how do you know I can't do it?" Wang Songyue pushed him out of the room.
Liang Xueqing was sitting at the sewing machine in the living room, sewing a set of winter clothes that she had promised to make for Yang Qiujin's little daughter. When she saw them walking out of the house, she asked casually, "It's getting dark. Where are you going?"
"Mom, Tianyou and I have something to do. I'll be back soon." Wang Songyue said.
Wang Songyue has always been a well-behaved child. She never runs around or jumps around, nor does she go out to play by herself, let alone go out to play in the yard at night.
Liang Xueqing was still relatively confident in her. In addition, Chen Tianyou had grown up under her care. The child was very capable and could fully protect herself and Wang Songyue. Liang Xueqing stepped on the sewing machine and said, "Go ahead. The sooner you go, the sooner you will come back."
The two children walked hurriedly towards Xu Tao's house. When they were almost there, they saw the two sisters sneaking out of the courtyard where they lived.
Wang Songyue walked up to Xu Tao and said, "Xu Tao, I heard that you went to the town to work illegally for others in the middle of the night?"
"What's it got to do with you?" Xu Tao saw her and Chen Tianyou standing together. Both of them were wearing neat clothes and looked more handsome than the other. She felt very sad and spoke in a particularly aggressive tone.
Wang Songyue frowned, "Xu Tao, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Think about it carefully. You are a girl and you go out to work illegally in the middle of the night. Not to mention the impact on your reputation when others find out, what good boss would let a little girl wash dishes in the middle of the night? This is obviously a trap. Don't wash dishes anymore. Listen to Chen Tianyou."
"What does my reputation have to do with you, Miss Wang? Do you think everyone is like you, with loving parents, a good family environment, a comfortable life, no worries about food and clothing, and that you only need to study hard and be a lady who doesn't have to do any housework?
Wang Songyue, you are not me. You don’t know how painful it is to live in a family where your father doesn’t love you, your mother doesn’t love you, you have been hungry and clothed since childhood, you have been abused and beaten, and you have never been loved by anyone.
I don't want to work illegally, but if I don't work illegally and don't earn money to hide, when I get into high school, no one will pay for my tuition and living expenses, and my cruel stepmother will find a man to marry me in exchange for the bride price. I don't want that. I would rather take the risk of washing dishes than let my fate be controlled by others and manipulated by them. "
Xu Tao went from being angry and angry at first to feeling wronged, crying, and finally becoming extremely sad. "Wang Songyue, I know you and Chen Tianyou are good to me, so you keep trying to persuade me. I also know that many people in the family compound know that my sister and I went to the town to wash dishes these days, and they are gossiping about us behind our backs, saying that we sisters are hanging out with those hooligans in the town, exchanging our bodies for money, which is not clean. But in all conscience, we are just exchanging our labor for money. We are clean and upright. We just want to make money to support ourselves. We are also very wary of those little hooligans and will not fall into their trap easily. We are not that stupid, so you should stop meddling in other people's business and stop caring about us."
Chen Tianyou said: "There are many ways to make money. Why would you risk your own wealth to do illegal work? What if..."
"Nothing will happen." Xu Tao interrupted him and said, "Let me ask you, you said there are many ways to make money, which one is more profitable than working illegally? We can earn one yuan by washing dishes for two hours. Can other odd jobs earn as much as this?"
Chen Tianyou fell silent. Indeed, there were not many jobs in the town and the family courtyard that could allow children to earn money. For example, making matchboxes. Children could not get odd jobs from making matchboxes. They had to get them from adults. Not to mention the trouble. Making matchboxes took from morning to night and only those who were nimble could barely earn a dollar. It was not as easy as washing dishes where one could earn a dollar in two hours.
Seeing that he was speechless, Xu Tao had nothing to say, so she waved her hand at him and said, "Chen Tianyou, you should go home as soon as possible and stop following me. I will take care of my own safety."
It turned out that she knew that he was following her. Chen Tianyou looked at her leaving back, gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Wang Songyue was extremely anxious. "Why is she so stubborn? Chen Tianyou, you should just follow her secretly and see where she works. If something happens, you can find someone to save her in time."
"You let me follow her. I am about the same age as her. If something happens, I will fall into the hands of those bad guys. Aren't you worried about me?" Chen Tianyou stared at her and asked.
"You are different. You have been practicing martial arts and boxing all the time. Even Deng Gangzi, the strongest man in our school, is no match for you. If you encounter danger, you will be able to escape safely with your intelligence and skills." Wang Songyue said seriously.
Chen Tianyou was so proud of her affirmation, "Okay, I'll continue to follow her. I'll borrow the book. I'll return it to you after I finish reading and take notes."
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