Chapter 143 Educated Youth in the 1970s (Part 7) I Want to Build! I Want to Learn...
Song Ce first placed the parts he had collected at the brigade headquarters before sending Qin Tiezhu home.
"Father, Mother, I'm back!" As soon as Qin Tiezhu entered the courtyard, he shouted loudly to Li Qiuxia, who was busy in the main room.
Upon seeing Song Ce behind Qin Tiezhu, Li Qiuxia cheerfully said, "Little Song is here! Come in quickly! Auntie just made some porridge, please make do with this."
Song Ce waved his hand and declined, saying, "Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I still need to go back and tidy up my things. I'll definitely come over another day to try your cooking."
Upon hearing this, Li Qiuxia quickly wiped her hands on her apron and said without further ado, "You child, why are you being so polite with your aunt? You should at least eat your fill before you leave!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Tiezhu chimed in with a grin, "Mom, Master and I aren't hungry at all! Master treated me to a good meal before we came back from the county town, and my stomach is still bulging!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qiuxia reached out and slapped Qin Tiezhu on the back of the head, scolding, "You child, what did I tell you before you left? Your master taught you skills with all his heart, and look what happened, you even made your master spend money!" Then, she looked at Song Ce apologetically, "Little Song, this child is ignorant, don't take it to heart."
Song Ce smiled gently and said, "Auntie, please don't say that. Tie Zhu is a very honest boy. He worked with me at the scrap yard all day without complaining. Besides, as his mentor, it's only right that I treat my own child to a meal."
Qin Tiezhu chuckled and scratched his head, saying, "Mom, my master is right, so please don't scold me!"
Li Qiuxia sighed helplessly, handed Song Ce a bowl of water, and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, I won't get involved in your young people's affairs."
After finishing his water and exchanging a few pleasantries with Li Qiuxia, Song Ce took his leave, explaining that he needed to repair the tractor tomorrow and had to go back early to think about it.
Seeing that Song Ce insisted, Li Qiuxia stopped pressuring him. She turned around, took a bag of warm steamed buns from the kitchen, and stuffed it into his arms, saying with a smile, "Little Song, take this. Eat it if you get hungry tonight. You young people have good appetites, and you'll be busy tonight, so don't let yourselves go hungry."
Song Ce could not refuse, so he had no choice but to accept it.
"Thank you very much, Auntie."
Not long after Song Ce left, Qin Guangde returned carrying a shovel.
"Honey, how are those two pigs in the East Circle doing?" Li Qiuxia asked curiously, taking the shovel from Qin Guangde's hand.
Qin Guangde smiled and wiped his sweat. "What can they be like? They're doing great! They're even fatter than they were in March."
"Dad, have some water." Qin Tiezhu picked up the teacup from the room and handed it to Qin Guangde, saying with a grin.
"Good lad!" Qin Guangde chuckled, gulping down several mouthfuls before asking, "Tiezhu, how was it? Where did you and your master go today?"
Qin Tiezhu's eyes sparkled as he eagerly boasted, "Today, my master and I spent the entire day at the scrap yard, and we finally managed to find all the tractor parts! On the way back, my master even took me to the state-run restaurant for big meat buns, shredded pork soup, and wontons! They were so delicious!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Guangde's throat tightened, and the water he had just drunk spurted out with a "pfft," choking him and turning his face red. His eyes widened in disbelief as he asked, "What did you say, kid?"
"I...I was at the scrap yard with my master today..."
"That's not it!"
"The driver is taking me to a state-run restaurant...?"
Qin Guangde suddenly stood up, pretending to hit him: "You brat! When others learn skills from their masters, the apprentices treat their masters to good food and drink and serve them well. But you, on the contrary, are trying to get your master to take you to a state-run restaurant?"
"I didn't!" Qin Tiezhu looked aggrieved and quickly shrank behind Li Qiuxia, shouting, "Master said that the grain coupons he has will expire if he doesn't use them soon! Dad, do you know what expired means? It means that you can't use them anymore, they become worthless paper!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Guangde exchanged a glance with Li Qiuxia and sighed, "You silly boy, the state-run restaurants here only accept national grain coupons. How could they be expired? Your master was just being considerate of you and was deliberately telling you that!"
"No, no, my master said..."
Before Qin Tiezhu could finish speaking, Qin Guangde instructed him, "Our Tiezhu is a fool who is also blessed with good fortune. Listen to your father, and you must be filial to your master in the future! You can never repay such a great kindness in your lifetime!"
"Of course, do I even need to tell you that, Dad?" Qin Tiezhu said proudly.
"You're really lucky, kid! Your mother and I have lived most of our lives without ever being able to go inside that state-run restaurant!" Qin Guangde exclaimed.
"Dad, Mom, let me tell you, the noodles in the state-run restaurant all have meat in them! The meat buns are huge! And those big wontons, a whole bowl full of meat filling! When I make money in the future, I will definitely take you, Mom, and Master to the county town for a good meal!" Qin Tiezhu described the delicious food in the state-run restaurant in detail, his eyes shining.
Upon hearing this, Li Qiuxia tapped Qin Tiezhu's forehead and laughed, "Alright, alright, you brat, stop showing off! Go inside and move a table; we'll eat in the yard today."
"Why!"
After Qin Tiezhu went inside, Qin Guangde sat in the courtyard, lit a pipe, took a puff, and muttered, "This Comrade Song is really an honest kid!"
“Absolutely! That child has a kind heart at first glance, he’s bound to be a good person in the future!” Li Qiuxia nodded and chimed in.
As night deepened, lamps were lit in the Qin family's courtyard, and the aroma of food wafted through the air.
Meanwhile, in the former compound of educated youth.
Zhang Shuda put the washed dishes in the communal kitchen and came out just in time to see Song Ce carrying a bag of things he couldn't make out as he went back into the house. He quickly closed the kitchen door and whispered to Chen Shi, who was sitting in a chair reading a book, "Guess what I just saw?"
Chen Shi paused, gestured with his eyes to the room next door, and raised his chin.
“You guessed right! It was Song Ce! I just saw him carrying a bag of things, tiptoeing back into his house! Humph, some woman must have brought him something again! So late at night, how shameless!” Zhang Shuda said sourly.
"Tell me, I haven't seen him all day," Chen Shi said softly, his eyes flashing.
“When I went to work, I asked him and he said he asked the team leader for leave today and went to the county town, but I don’t know what he did.”
“Sigh, Shuda, tell me, how can we compare to Song Ce? You and I are both down-to-earth and honest people, but Song Ce is the one who wants special treatment. He’s only been here a few days and he’s already thinking about taking leave to shirk his responsibilities? I bet he’ll cause a lot more trouble in the future!” Chen Shi smiled and said casually.
Upon hearing Chen Shi's words, Zhang Shuda's expression darkened further. He let out a heavy snort and gritted his teeth, saying, "Hmph! Tomorrow, when I go to work, I'll report this to the team leader!"
Chen Shi put down his book, stood up and sat down next to Chen Shuda, advising, "Shuda, I think you're an honest person, so I'm telling you a few honest words. Don't do anything foolish! Have you forgotten? On our first day of work, Song Ce went to see the team leader! Do you believe there's nothing going on here?"
Zhang Shuda's eyes widened as he pressed, "What did he go to see the captain for?"
"Look at you, you're still in the dark! You couldn't learn his scheming spirit even if you tried! What could he be doing? He must have been giving gifts to the brigade leader! Otherwise, why would Song Ce be doing all the hard and tiring work while we're all doing the easiest tasks?"
Zhang Shuda suddenly stood up and angrily said, "Aren't they exploiting loopholes in capitalism? This is unfair!!"
Seeing this, Chen Shi quickly grabbed his shoulder and said anxiously, "Shuda! Keep your voice down! If this gets out, we'll all be in trouble!" As he spoke, he reached out and closed the window tightly, lowering his voice to say, "Even if you think it's unfair, what can you do? You say Song Ce gave the brigade leader a bribe? What real evidence do you have? Just because he went to see the brigade leader on his first day here? And then asked for leave and carried a bag of things? What does that prove? No! We need evidence for everything."
Zhang Shuda snorted coldly, plopped down, and said angrily, "Then what do you suggest we do? Chen Shi, are you just going to stand by and watch him ride roughshod over us?"
“How could that be! You know I felt uncomfortable with Song Ce the first time I met him. We’re educated youth going to the countryside, not young masters going on a trip! He even deliberately wore a new watch, acting all high and mighty!” As he spoke, Chen Shi rubbed the book cover, his eyes darting around, and said, “We need to think about this carefully.”
"Hmph, I just can't stand him! We educated youth all came together, so why does the brigade leader treat him differently? What's your idea? Just say it, I'll listen to you!"
"Shuda, since Song Ce went to the county town today, he must have bought something. Do you think he would only give one gift if he wanted to curry favor with the brigade leader? Here's what we'll do: tomorrow, let's find a chance to come back early and try to go to his room. If we can find something, then we'll have evidence, right? If the brigade leader is still trying to protect him, we'll report the situation to the county's educated youth office together!"
"Okay! We'll do it your way!"
That night, Zhang Shuda tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, his mind filled with images of Song Ce secretly giving gifts and making special arrangements behind their backs. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, dawn broke, and hearing the loudspeaker signaling the start of work outside, he jumped up and joined the others at work.
Zhang Shuda and Chen Shi deliberately lagged behind the group, keeping a close eye on Song Ce's back. Song Ce walked briskly, smiling gently, seemingly unaware of the gazes behind him.
"Hmph, hypocrite." Zhang Shuda muttered through gritted teeth.
The sun was exceptionally hot today, and Zhang Shuda's hands, gripping the shovel, were sunburned. He glanced at Chen Shi every now and then, and saw the other man wiping his sweat and giving him meaningful looks. He immediately understood that it was time to take action.
Zhang Shuda glanced at Lü Sangui, who had his back to him, threw the shovel on the ground, and then lay down pretending to faint.
Upon seeing this, Chen Shi rushed over and shouted, "Shuda! Shuda! What's wrong? Wake up!"
Upon hearing this, Lü Sangui was startled and quickly ran over to check the situation.
"What's wrong with this young comrade?"
"Uncle Lü, I don't know either! I just saw Zhang Shuda sway and then fall down!" Chen Shi said anxiously.
"Hmm, let me see... It's nothing serious, T seems to have heatstroke and has fainted. You take him back to lie down first, and I'll go talk to the captain later and ask him to get him sick leave this afternoon," said Lü Sangui.
"Uncle Lü, will Shuda be alright?" Chen Shi asked with a worried expression.
"No, don't worry. If this young comrade wakes up, just let him drink two bowls of hot water and sweat it out."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shi sighed, somewhat troubled, "Sigh, Uncle Lü, I'd like to take Zhang Shuda home first, and then come back to work after he wakes up, is that alright?"
Lü Sangui naturally wouldn't make things difficult for two knowledgeable and cultured young men. He nodded slightly and said, "Alright, you should send him back right away!"
Chen Shi responded gratefully, then turned and left the Bund with Zhang Shuda on his back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
