This girl is still the same as before, always following behind Sha Zhu, staring longingly at the lunchbox in his hand.
Inside Sha Zhu's house, there was a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and a dish of peanuts on the table; looking at the cold and lifeless room, he felt even more uneasy.
He stroked the letter in his hand, a letter he had read countless times and could recite from memory, and his mind began to wander... Ran Qiuye, Ran Qiuye, where have you been all these years?
Just then, Xiao Dang knocked on the door from outside: "Silly Dad, silly Dad!"
Sha Zhu quickly got up and opened the door for her, finally putting on a smile: "Why did you come to my house instead of eating at Fatty's?"
Xiao Dang crawled in from under his armpit: "Of all the big family Uncle Pang has, you're the only one all alone, so of course I'm here to keep you company!"
Xiao Dang quickly tidied the table, poured wine for Sha Zhu, and took out pickled vegetables and steamed buns from the dish rack.
Sha Zhu sat down at the table with satisfaction and pulled out a lunchbox from somewhere.
Xiao Dang exclaimed with delight, "Wow, a lunchbox!"
I quickly opened it and found sausages and small sausages inside! I was so excited I almost shouted out loud.
As the two ate and drank, Sha Zhu asked Xiao Dang, "Has your brother come back from being sent to the countryside?"
Xiao Dang didn't even look up: "You're back? You never have anything to do all day, just lying at home."
Sha Zhu took a sip of his drink with disdain. That little bastard, eight years, eight years and he still hasn't said a single word to him.
So much good food back then ended up in the dogs' bellies...
Inside the fat man's room, they were also eating and drinking.
Xu Damao also came over to join us today. After a few drinks, he started saying, "Brother, my biggest mistake back then was underestimating that kid surnamed Nie! That bastard, he actually got promoted and went to the higher-ups. Who can blame him when he has connections in the higher-ups!"
As the fat man popped peanuts into his mouth, he said to him, "You should be secretly happy. In the end, they didn't fire you. Look at Liu Guangtian, does he even look like a human being anymore?"
Xu Damao took a swig, downing half a glass of wine in no time: "He deserved it! He brought it on himself. That little bastard even dared to dig up dirt on us. If you ask me, he should be taught a good lesson!"
Inside the room, Chen Yan was about to chase after Chen Mengqi to feed her when Yu Li stopped her, saying, "It's all because of you, her aunt, that she's been spoiled. Let her eat by herself!"
Helpless, Chen Yan placed the small bowl in front of Chen Mengqi: "I have no other choice, you can eat it yourself."
Chen Mengqi said in her childish voice, "Auntie is afraid of Mom."
"That's right! Your aunt is 35 this year and still can't get married, and she doesn't even have a job. So she has to rely on your mother's approval to get by."
Yu Li was furious: "Chen Yan, are you trying to pick a fight?"
Qin Jingru chuckled beside her: "Alright, alright. Everyone in our courtyard envies your relationship! You two are a model of harmonious sister-in-law relationship."
Yu Li rolled her eyes: "That's true, unlike you and your sister."
Qin Jingru put down her chopsticks: "Are you doing this on purpose? You even told me not to eat. Don't mention her to me!"
Yu Li and Chen Yan burst into laughter.
Hearing the laughter from inside, the fat man outside couldn't help but ask loudly, "What are you saying, so happy? Do you have enough food? If not, come up and get some more."
Chen Yan came out of the house and, upon seeing Xu Damao, said, "He's in the zone again. Is the food cold? Do you need me to heat it up for you?"
After being stopped by the fat man, Chen Yan simply sat down at the table and said, "I heard that Banggeng is back from cutting in line?"
Xu Damao scoffed: "That little bastard didn't even want to go back then. He actually had the audacity to put Xiao Dang's name on it. You can't believe Qin Huairu would do something like that!"
That's right, Bang Geng was sent to the countryside in 1973.
That year, when the neighborhood committee notified the Jia family, their family was in an uproar.
Jia Zhangshi's precious grandson, Qin Huairu's only son, whom she cherished and pampered since childhood, actually wanted to cut in line.
Didn't you see how angry they were back then? They were so angry that even Director Wang of the neighborhood committee wanted to go back and get his gun!
Director Wang put his hands on his hips and said, "You have three children, and not one of them is married or has a job! If he doesn't go, who will?"
Qin Huairu retorted sarcastically, "The fat guy in the front yard's second sister isn't married or looking for a job yet, why don't you let her go?"
Director Wang was furious: "Qin Huairu, are you trying to mess with me? Only educated youth are qualified to go. How old is she? What kind of educated youth is she?"
Of course! Chen Yan was born in 1941, so she was 32 years old that year, and she only had a primary school education. She wasn't a graduate of the "Old Three Classes" (referring to students who graduated from high school in 1966, 1967, and 1968), nor was she an unemployed youth. How could she be qualified to go?
Ever since Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady stopped liking her, Qin Huairu has been placing all her bets on this side of the street.
Eight years have passed, and she has actually managed to cultivate a good relationship with the neighborhood.
When one plan failed, Qin Huairu came up with another: "Director Wang, why don't we send Xiao Dang instead?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Jia immediately thought it was a great idea, a brilliant idea, and echoed repeatedly, "Yes, yes, let Xiao Dang go!"
Director Wang was about to explode: "Is Xiaodang even your biological daughter? You won't let your 20-year-old son go, but you're letting a 14-year-old girl go, is that it?"
This... Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were rendered speechless by Director Wang's rebuttal.
Left with no other choice, the "chosen one" Bang Geng had to obediently cut in line.
The precious child who shouldn't have gone left, and the money-losing child who should have gone didn't go, so Xiao Dang became a thorn in their side.
At 14 years old, before even graduating from junior high school, Qin Huairu went to the school and insisted on getting Xiao Dang expelled.
Xiao Dang is one of the top students in her class, consistently ranking in the top 10 of the grade.
The teachers tried to persuade her, the grade-level staff tried to persuade her, and even the principal tried to persuade her; Qin Huairu only said one thing: "Alright, alright, why should a girl like her study so much? Besides, tuition is money!"
Xiao Dang was dragged out in front of the whole class, and the simple words "I'm not going to study anymore" easily crushed all of Xiao Dang's hopes.
That evening, Xiao Dang, clutching a paper package, tiptoed towards the cellar. She only started crying once she reached the cellar.
After crying until she was exhausted, ignoring the tears streaming down her face, she slowly opened the paper package, smiled, and said, "Goodbye..."
Then, the fat man suddenly appeared and snatched it away: "Rat poison?!"
Little Dang frantically tried to snatch it: "Give it to me! Give it to me!"
The fat man scattered the rat poison, easily tucked her under his armpit, and, ignoring the little girl's wailing cries, took her to his room.
Once inside, Yu Li hugged her tightly, cursing Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu while tenderly comforting the girl.
The fat man, annoyed by what he heard, slammed his hand on the table and said, "It's just going to school, tuition is only a few dollars, I'll pay for it for you!"
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