The breakfast in Haicheng is very different from that in Yuchuan County.
The group got up early in the morning and went to the cafeteria of the guesthouse. Jiang Dahai looked at the long row of windows displaying a wide variety of breakfast items for selection and was completely dazzled.
“This rice cake is good.”
Ruan Yuanjiang felt a little heavy-hearted, but when he saw these long-missed hometown snacks, he couldn't help but smile.
The rectangular, poker-card-sized rice cake is fried until golden and crispy, and the rice inside is soft and delicious. The old Haicheng people like to eat it with sweet soy milk, but Ruan Yuanjiang has a strange taste. He likes salty soy milk. He puts fried dough sticks, dried shrimps, seaweed, chopped green onions, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar in the bowl, pours boiling hot soy milk into it, holds the big bowl, and eats and drinks with big mouthfuls, without having to worry about any etiquette at this time.
Under Ruan Yuanjiang's explanation, Jiang Dahai took a few rice cakes, some fried dough sticks, a basket of glutinous rice steamed buns and a basket of scallion oil rolls.
Jiang Yilu grew up in the north and then went to the United States. He had heard of the name of salty soy milk many times, but had never tried it. He simply helped his father get a bowl of sweet soy milk and got himself a bowl of salty soy milk, wanting to try the taste.
"This Haicheng is really different from our little place."
Jiang Dahai looked at the breakfast in front of him. He had been to the staff canteen of the machinery factory before, but it didn't have as many fancy things as the one in Haicheng. The machinery factory was still the most profitable large factory in Chongqing and Sichuan.
Jiang Yilu sniffed the bowl of steaming salty soy milk in front of him and took a sip bravely. How could he describe the taste?
He frowned and swallowed the salty soy milk with difficulty, then immediately took a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth to get rid of the strange bean taste in his mouth. He really shouldn't have tried it casually. The sweet and salty parties had been fighting for so many years, and there was indeed a gap that the sweet party couldn't cross.
But what should he do with the salty soy milk that he had hardly touched? Wasting food these days would be condemned by everyone, and Jiang Yilu's frugal habits from his previous life would not allow him to do so. It seemed that he could only hold his nose and drink the bowl of salty soy milk.
“Drink this.”
Jiang Dahai handed over the sweet soy milk that he had not yet drunk. Before Jiang Yilu could come to his senses, Jiang Dahai gulped down the bowl of salty soy milk.
"Smash, smash--" Jiang Dahai frowned and smacked his lips, apparently not used to the power of the salty soy milk.
"This rice cake is delicious, eat more."
Jiang Dahai saw that his son was looking at him, so he picked up a rice cake and handed it to him, urging him to eat quickly.
Jiang Yilu lowered his head, drinking the warm sweet soy milk, and a warm feeling flowed through his heart.
Ruan Yuanjiang drank the delicious salty soy milk with fried dough sticks and rice cakes, and watched the interaction between the father and son.
Xiaobao can see clearly what other people are doing, but he is confused when it comes to himself. I don't know what he has been through before, but he seems to have a knot in his heart with his parents and his old friend. It shouldn't be like this. They hold him in their hands, so how could he have such a big knot in his heart?
The smarter a person is, the less likely he is to listen to advice from outsiders. This knot in his heart can only be untied by himself.
******
Ruan Yuanqing arrived earlier than they expected. Not long after breakfast, Xiao Xu from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office came to the guesthouse and wanted to take Ruan Yuanjiang and the others there.
"I want to be with Brother Xiaobao."
Ruan Ruan hugged Jiang Yilu's arm tightly. She still remembered what her grandfather said last time, that he would give her to that uncle. She was worried that if she left today, she would never come back.
"Ruan Ruan, listen. Brother Xiao Bao is too tired. Look, the circles under his eyes are dark. Go meet Uncle Yuan Qing first today. Brother Xiao Bao will play with you tomorrow."
Jiang Yilu pointed at the dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't slept all night, and the dark circles under his eyes were particularly obvious.
"Then, Ruan Ruan will stay and sleep with Brother Xiao Bao."
Ruan Ruan clung to Jiang Yilu and refused to let go. She turned her head and looked at her grandfather with a hint of vigilance in her eyes.
"Ruan Ruan, be good. It's a rare trip for your uncle to Haicheng, so why don't you go with grandpa to see your uncle? Grandpa promises that he will never let you take you away today." Ruan Yuanjiang squatted down and said to Ruan Ruan.
"Yes, Uncle Yuan Qing came from such a far place to see Ruan Ruan. If he didn't see Ruan Ruan, he would be so sad." Jiang Yiliu looked at Ruan Ruan, "Brother Xiaobao is waiting for Ruan Ruan to come back at the guesthouse."
Jiang Yilu touched the pigtails he had tied for Ruan Ruan early in the morning, and his heart softened when he saw her hesitant and conflicted expression.
Ruan Ruan looked at her grandfather and brother Xiaobao, who were full of encouragement and expectation, and did not notice that her grandfather emphasized that he would not send her away today. After hesitating for a long time, she finally let go of her hand and left the room, looking back every three steps.
"Xiaobao, just have fun with Ruanruan these days."
Jiang Dahai didn't know that his son already knew that Ruan Ruan would be sent away. Looking at Jiang Yilu, he wanted to blurt out the words several times, but he swallowed them back when they came to his lips.
"Dad, I didn't sleep well last night. I want to sleep a little longer." Jiang Yilu yawned and lay down on the bed, looking like he was going to sleep.
"Okay, Dad will lie down with you for a while and call you when it's time for dinner."
Jiang Dahai was unfamiliar with the place and didn't dare to go out. His son was still in the guesthouse, so he had to keep a close eye on him.
Although Jiang Dahai was not sleepy, he also lay down on the other bed, took out the list that the villagers entrusted them to bring, and started reading it. Over the years, under the guidance of his son and daughter, he has learned a lot of words, so he can still understand this simple list.
How come this word is written in a different way? There are two pieces of soap. Why does the word "two" have four horizontal lines?
Jiang Dahai felt dizzy and seemed to smell a pleasant floral scent. He became more and more sleepy. Finally, he could not hold on any longer and fell onto the bed.
"dad."
Jiang Yiliu saw his father lying down, and called out to him a few times tentatively. He seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, and even snored. Jiang Yiliu jumped off the bed swiftly, straightened Jiang Dahai's crooked body, and covered him with a quilt.
If he wanted to go out, he could only ask his father for help. However, the fragrance would only make people fall asleep and would not cause any damage to the nerves. Jiang Yilu comforted himself in his heart, said sorry to Jiang Dahai who was sleeping soundly, picked up the room key, and turned to leave.
Not long after he left, a middle-aged couple and a young man in his early twenties came to the guesthouse and asked, "Comrade, is there an old man named Ruan Yuanjiang living here? He has a little girl of about six or seven years old, and a strong man in his forties is with him."
The girl sitting at the front desk thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there is such a person, but there is also a father and son with them."
The girl looked at the three people who were dressed neatly and cleanly, and she did not have any defensive thoughts: "But the old man you are looking for left with the comrades from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office this morning, and he has not returned yet."
“Let’s go!”
The wife of the middle-aged couple couldn't help but exclaimed, and anxiously pulled her husband's sleeve: "What if the old man really leaves with my cousin? This is Hong Kong City. My second uncle took away so many good things, but they are all in his hands. The old man and that little bastard are going to live a good life, and our son and daughter have to stay here. I don't care, you ask the old man to send us out together."
"Keep your voice down."
Ruan Yuanshen gently scolded his wife, saying that although overseas Chinese are now allowed to immigrate abroad, they cannot shout about it outside without any carelessness, for fear that others will accuse them of treason.
"Second sister-in-law." The young man standing behind them said, "The father and son who came back with Dad should still be in the guesthouse. Why don't we go talk to them first?"
Ruan Yuanshu, the young man, was the youngest son of Ruan Yuanjiang and a student at Haicheng Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University. As the first person to stand up and sever ties with the bad element Ruan Yuanjiang, he was greatly praised by the organization. The place at the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University was also one of the rewards he received.
As a college student with a bright future, he had no interest in the prosperous port city that his brother and sister-in-law talked about. What he cared about most now was the Ruan family treasures left in the old man's hands. He didn't believe that the old man had no good things in his hands. Anyway, he was going to leave, and those things couldn't be taken away, so why not leave them to his son.
It would be better if the second and third brothers went with the old man. This way, no one would snatch those things from him.
Ruan Yuanshu narrowed his eyes and thought of what Xiuxiu had said to him. As long as he could find the Ruan family treasure, her second uncle would promote him to the Municipal Party Committee. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Bang, bang, bang—”
After asking the girl at the front desk for the location of the room, the three of them came to the door and knocked, but there was only Jiang Dahai in the room who had fallen asleep, and no one would open the door for them.
"Why is there no movement? Could he have gone out?" Ruan Yuanshen said uncertainly.
"Really? Why are you two country bumpkins running outside instead of staying inside?" Zhuang Fan cursed a few times in dissatisfaction. "What should we do now? We can't just wait at the door forever. We have already wasted half a day and lost a lot of wages."
Mr. and Mrs. Ruan Yuanshen and the third brother, Mr. and Mrs. Ruan Yuankuan, are both working now. It can be said that Ruan Yuanjiang's success has made all the other younger generations successful, and now these people live a much more comfortable life than ordinary people.
"Let Lao San and his friends come again this afternoon. I don't believe they won't come back."
Ruan Yuanshen kicked the door and spoke to his wife and brother behind him.
"This is the only way." The three came with high hopes but left disappointed, but it was obvious that they would not give up so easily.
The confident people obviously did not consider whether the heartbroken Ruan Yuanjiang would agree to their series of excessive demands. In their opinion, it was impossible for a father to not forgive his son. As long as they admitted their mistakes and made amends, the old man should be grateful and welcome them back.
At this time, Jiang Yilu had no idea what happened after he left. He was now wearing a loose, thick rag coat, a pair of cloth shoes with several height-increasing insoles on his feet, a thick layer of the darkest foundation on his face, and a scarf wrapped tightly around his face. He was guarding the door of the largest textile factory in Haicheng, observing the workers coming in and out.
"Sister, do you want some fine food?"
Jiang Yilu saw a middle-aged woman wearing a neat Lenin suit and a watch on her hand, who was about to push her bicycle in. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, he walked up to her and whispered in her ear.
As soon as I said this, I felt something was wrong. How could these words be directed at the wretched men who sell pornographic films on the streets in the future?
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