Going to the morning market every morning was Qin Huai's unbreakable habit. One day, he found something interesting at the market. Pointing to a stall of bright yellow things, he said, "Is this honey?"
He had never seen the stall owner before. He was an old farmer in his fifties, with a dark complexion and a weathered look. "Authentic Sophora japonica flower honey, would you like some? It's so sweet when you soak it in water when you get home."
"How many do you have here?"
"Five pounds."
Honey doesn’t require a ticket and costs two yuan per pound. The key point is that it is too scarce.
"Give it all to me."
The old farmer looked at him in surprise, and Qin Huai paid another fifty cents to buy his glass bottle.
Seeing this thing, Qin Huai thought about it, and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two Daqianmen cigarettes, four bottles of local Daqu wine, and some candy and brought them to the store.
The old man was selling soap, and the customer was a middle-aged woman who seemed to live nearby. She said to the old man, "Old man, your store is close to our compound. I think you should also sell some oil, salt, sauce and vinegar. It will be more convenient for everyone in the future."
Old Man Qin said, "Okay, I'll discuss it with the child."
Qin Huai greeted the man with a smile. The aunt asked, "Young man, I see you in this store every day. How old are you? Do you have a partner?"
Qin Huai said, "Auntie, I'm from the countryside and I'm here to help with odd jobs."
The auntie immediately lost interest. What's the point of a country boy looking neat?
The old man saw the things and asked, "Why did you buy so much?"
"Uncle Qin Wei has helped us so much, I want to visit his house today."
"Yes, it's right. We are from the same village, so we should show our appreciation."
Qin Huai took out about two pounds of honey from the jar and handed it to the old man, saying, "Grandpa, this is for you to make some water with millet."
Old man Qin said, "You guys drink it. I'm old and don't need this."
Qin Huai smiled and said, "You're here again. You should eat better when you're older."
At around ten o'clock, the Grain Bureau's car was sent for repair. In those days, the grain department was a hot spot, and all the grain in the county was purchased from them.
The driver was a retired soldier named Hong Xuewen. He had been here several times and was already familiar with Qin Huai. Qin Huai unpacked the Daqianmen and asked him to sit on the side and wait.
The old man brought him a bowl of water. Hong Xuewen said, "Thank you, old man, Qin Huai. I've been exhausted these past few days. I went to the farm with our leader. The farm was so scary. They were investigating a case when I went there."
When he heard the word farm, Qin Huai couldn't help but think of Maggie Cheung.
"What cases are there on the farm?"
Hong Xuewen said shockingly: "Eat people."
Qin Huai's eyelids were twitching. He knew that the conditions on the farm were difficult, and it had come to this.
Hong Xuewen continued, "It all started with a woman in the provincial capital. Her husband was in a farm for reform. She walked for two days, carrying dozens of kilograms of food on her back, to the farm to look for him. Her husband's roommates only told her that he was dead, but remained vague about where he was buried and wouldn't tell her."
"That woman was also very ruthless. She went without food and water and searched the farm for two days. When she finally found a burial site, she saw a new grave and wanted to open it for people to look at. Guess what happened?"
Qin Huai was so moved by what he said that he forgot to repair the car.
"There are two burial sites. The people in the dormitory originally told her to give up, so they didn't tell her the real location. Seeing that she was persistent, they hesitantly told her that her husband was buried in another place."
"This woman ran like crazy to where her husband was buried, and guess what?"
"The people in the dormitory didn't tell her the truth because they were afraid she would be upset. When her husband was buried by the burial team, he was wearing a woolen coat and wrapped in a quilt. Someone saw him and dug him out right after he was buried. His clothes were stripped off, and his coat and quilt were taken away. This wasn't the worst of it..."
He took a drag on his cigarette and said with lingering fear, "The worst part was, the man's buttocks and thighs were gouged out, leaving him naked in the open air. The woman burst into tears when she saw it. The people in the dormitory didn't dare tell her because they were afraid she wouldn't be able to bear it."
Qin Huai had experienced cannibalism several times, but what Hong Xuewen described was still hard for him to accept.
When he went to the farm, he saw Zhang Houchang's physical condition. He was dying after being hungry for more than ten days. Several months had passed, so such a thing was not surprising.
Hong Xuewen finished speaking with a lingering fear: "Qin Huai, I saw the body with my own eyes. She was a doctor. I never thought a dead person could end up like this. The woman was sitting at the door of the farm office with the body on her back. She wouldn't leave until the murderer was found. You didn't see it, but she was already dying. It seemed like a gust of wind could blow her down."
Qin Huai said, "Brother Hong, please stop talking."
Hong Xuewen said to himself, "We all have to live well."
The problem with the car was not serious, so Qin Huai repaired it and charged twenty yuan for replacing a part.
After watching Hong Xuewen drive away, Old Man Qin said, "At this time, I don't know when I can get over it."
"Grandpa, this kind of thing will gradually disappear."
Old Man Qin didn't believe it: "I hope so."
As he was talking, Qin Xiaomi came back, called out "Brother" and went to find something to eat. There was a stove and a coal stove here, and the whole family had lunch here.
Taking a mixed flour pancake and eating it with relish, Qin Huai said, "There are good things over there, go and have a look."
Qin Xiaomi went over and was surprised to find that it was honey. She immediately made herself a large cup of tea and poured half a cup for the old man first.
Then he handed it to Qin Huai and said, "Brother, try it first."
Qin Huai took a sip and said, "It's not sweet, add more."
Qin Xiaomi said, "Why isn't it sweet anymore? I think it's very sweet." She didn't finish it completely. She drank half of it and said she would leave it for her sister to drink when she came back.
The habit of living frugally is ingrained in this child.
Qin Huai said, "There are still so many. Why don't you let your sister handle it herself later?"
The little girl smiled, put down the cup and came to clean up. Qin Huai asked her if she had homework, and she said no.
Qin Xiaoyun came back and started cooking.
Qin Huai stood at the door and looked at the house next to him. The old man said, "Don't look. Her house is closed at noon."
This family consists of a woman with two children, a boy and a girl. They come from a poor background, but live in a big house. The family members are dressed neatly all day long, but their faces are pale from hunger.
After they moved in and opened the shop, when Qin Huai and his friends were having dinner in the shop, the boy from this family stood at the door and watched.
Qin Huai kindly gave the boy a flatbread. The boy took it, bowed to him, and took it home. But after a while, the boy's mother grabbed his ear and came to Qin Huai. She threw the flatbread in front of him and said, "We are not beggars. We don't need your pity."
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