Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Honey (12 more)
The lard refined at home tastes much better than the soybean oil refined in the canteen. It is fragrant enough to be used to stir-fry dried goods and vegetables in autumn and winter.
It’s just that it’s difficult for ordinary people to buy a piece of fatty meat, let alone produce so much oil at once.
Wei Xiuhua: "Including the processing fee, they asked me for twenty-five, plus two military coats and military cotton boots. What do you think?"
Lu Qinghe: "We have a coat at home that we've worn for years, but we don't have any extra military boots. How about I give you 14 yuan for my share?"
After Wei Xiuhua and the other person finished talking, they discussed with their fellow villagers and bought two old coats and a pair of old cotton boots for a total of 26 yuan.
"My family needs another 60 kilograms of pork to make sausages and bacon. I won't compete with you on this. We have a large family, so we can split the purchase. You can ask for whatever else you have."
"Um."
Lu Qinghe did some calculations and ordered six ribs and thirty kilograms of pork.
Only after the villagers had slaughtered the pig and divided the meat did they prepare to go home.
"careful--"
"Comrade, hide quickly!"
Lu Qinghe had just walked out when he saw a child crying and running towards him, followed by a dozen fat bees. The "buzzing" sound gave him goosebumps.
Fuck!
Lu Qinghe was so frightened that he cursed inwardly, turned around and pushed Wei Xiuhua, who was about to come out, into the house.
"What the hell? Ouch, why are there so many bees!"
After a while, the door was opened.
The child was slapped in the face by an adult. "I told you not to dig out the beehive, but you were greedy and got stung so hard that your face is swollen!"
"Wow, wow, wow, I want to eat honey, wow, wow..."
Lu Qinghe's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he and Wei Xiuhua looked at each other, and they both thought of this.
"Sister-in-law, does my fellow villager have any honey for sale?"
"Let's go and ask."
Since bees were chasing them, honey was of course indispensable. In the end, each of them asked for a ceramic jar of honey before returning to the military family compound.
At this time, news of the village slaughtering pigs also came. At the door, I ran into several people who were rushing to see if they could buy more pork.
The orderly helped the two families unload the goods, and Wei Xiuhua stuffed half a pound of pork belly into his pocket to take home.
When Yu Lili came back in the evening and saw that Lu Qinghe had not gone out, she came over to ask out of curiosity.
"I got the news this afternoon and wanted to call you over, but I was so anxious at the time that I forgot about it while I was rushing to get on the mule cart. Oh, there are so many people from our family compound who went there today. I only bought 30 kilograms of pickled pork in my hurry. Qinghe, I'm so sorry. I will definitely remember to call you next time."
She didn't intend to shout.
Otherwise, she would not have been unaware that Lu Qinghe was not at home when she went out.
As for next time...
In the nearby countryside, pigs are slaughtered only once every one or two years.
Lu Qinghe walked out of the kitchen and looked over with a smile. "Yu Lili, we really thought of the same thing. When I heard the news, I wanted to call you too, but I forgot because I was rushing to get on the bus. So, I only bought some lard and ribs, not much leg meat."
Leg meat?
By the time it was Yu Lili's turn to get the leg meat, it had already been snatched up.
Yu Lili's face twisted with jealousy. "Oh, you went there earlier than me. I didn't even know when you got the news."
"It wasn't that long ago, maybe two hours earlier than you. I was buying tofu at the supply and marketing cooperative when I heard about it, but I didn't even buy any."
"Who told you that?"
"I heard it at the intersection."
Yu Lili became even angrier.
She spends all day trying to maintain relationships with people, and has heard a lot of the usual funny things, but why does the information not work when the critical moment comes?
Yu Lili wanted to say something else, but Lu Qinghe went into the kitchen.
"Lili, I'm going to stew some pork ribs with fermented black beans tonight. How do you like the soy sauce I gave you last time? Do you want some more fermented black beans?"
Yu Lili is lenient with others and she is not someone who doesn't care about face at all.
Not daring to ask any more questions, she praised repeatedly, "The soy sauce is much more fragrant than the ones sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. It's just our relationship. If you can keep it, don't give it away. Otherwise, it would be a waste."
"I still have some at home."
Seeing that it was time for dinner, Yu Lili didn't stay any longer.
Not long after, the children came back with Zhao Zhanming, and they smelled the aroma of meat as soon as they entered the door.
"There's meat to eat!" Lu Yao ran so fast.
The dishes were already on the table. Zhao Zimo took his brother and sister-in-law to wash their hands before sitting down.
"How's it going?"
"Delicious! Mom is a great chef!"
"It's actually spare ribs." Zhao Zimo was a little surprised. He took a bite and his mouth was filled with fragrance. "This is too delicious."
"It's so tasty." Zhao Zhanming was amazed after eating it.
When they had some time after dinner, Lu Qinghe told Zhao Zhanming that the dried fermented black beans were sent by the Ye family.
Zhao Zhanming recalled: "I was too young at the time and had no memory of it at all. I didn't feel familiar with it after eating it, but it was indeed delicious."
"What's important is the thought behind it. They thought of us. Unlike my family back home, they wrote to me last month asking us to help with Zhao Laosan's betrothal gift issue."
Zhao Zhanming: "We agreed on this before we came out. There's no more, but what we should give won't be less. This is my way of thanking them for their kindness in raising me. Just pretend you didn't see it and don't reply."
"I know what's going on, but I can't handle these constant letters."
Zhao Zhanming frowned. "Next time I write back, if they don't know what's going on, I don't mind talking about how they sold the child. I gave them face, but if they don't want it, don't blame me for being rude."
"It's not that serious."
Lu Qinghe yawned, chatted with Zhao Zhanming for a few more words, and then went to sleep.
-
"You're well-read, so you won't get lost once you get there. With this letter of introduction, we have nothing to fear. If we really can't find him, we can ask the police for his address and contact information."
Before Zhao Guodong, the third brother of the Zhao family, left, Zhao Chengshi gave him some instructions.
Sun Juhua: "I watched Zhao Zhanming grow up. I know his personality very well. He doesn't take soft or hard words, but he listens to reason. When you meet him, you can talk about the big principles and cry about how difficult it is for your family and you."
"I get it. You guys are so annoying." Zhao Guodong scratched his ear impatiently. "Where's the money? Just give me these five dollars?"
"I'll give you ten more dollars, but don't spend it recklessly. Farmers can only earn a few dollars a month."
"You're so nagging. Give it to me." Zhao Guodong snatched the money and put it in his pocket.
Zhao Bowen, the second son of the Zhao family, and his wife Wang Cuiping also came out to see him off.
Wang Cuiping: "Third brother, I can't get a say with my eldest brother and his wife. Your second brother is a good-for-nothing lazy fellow, so the family is counting on you. If you see any clam oil when you get home, bring me a bottle. My face is peeling this winter..."
"What clam oil? It's free!" Sun Juhua interrupted her daughter-in-law.
"mom……"
"Alright, Third Brother, let's go now. We should be there before dark tonight. Remember to keep the letter of introduction."
"I know."
After two hours of mountain road, Zhao Guodong took a bus to the train station according to the route he had inquired about before leaving, bought a ticket and got on the bus. After waking up from a nap, he arrived in Hua City.
After leaving the train station, Zhao Guodong looked around curiously.
Hua City is really nice. Even the train station is bigger than that of a small county town.
There are many people and it is lively. You can tell at a glance that the female comrades are city people, no matter how they look or dress.
There was actually a sales outlet at the entrance of the train station. Just taking a look inside, he saw a lot of things that Zhao Guodong had never seen before.
If... if I could really stay in Hua City, it wouldn't matter if it was a little hard.
When the time comes, I will find a local wife and slowly settle down.
Originally, he was only 80% concerned about it, but now Zhao Guodong is 100% concerned about it.
It's so nice here, he must find a way to stay.
Zhao Guodong's train was delayed by an hour. It was already dark outside and he couldn't even take the bus at that time. After thinking about it, Zhao Guodong decided to find a place to stay for the night.
"Hello comrade, I want to live here."
"Is it to arrange accommodation?"
"Yes, yes, accommodation, and do you have any meals here?" Zhao Guodong's stomach growled. On the train, in order to save some money, he fell asleep directly when it was time for dinner.
"There is food. After you check in, you can go get it with your receipt."
"How much per night?"
"A quad room is 80 cents, a single room is 1.80 cents a night, and two nights will be 1.60."
"Then I'll live with the dead for one night."
"letter of introduction."
“Here.”
The staff member looked at the letter of introduction handed over and asked, "Visiting relatives? Who in your family is in Hua City?"
"My elder brother, my dear elder brother, is serving in the army here."
"OK."
After checking in, Zhao Guodong entered the room according to his room number. He didn't bring any luggage, just a carry-on bag with not much money in it. He put all the money in his trouser pockets and didn't dare to take it out easily when he was out.
Before leaving, his family gave him a total of 15 kilograms of food coupons. Zhao Guodong bought a portion of fried cabbage and four taels of rice, squatted at the door and ate before going in to rest.
In the four-person room where he lived, except for an old man, the other three people were men of similar age who were visiting relatives and friends.
"Are you here to see your eldest brother?"
After chatting for a while and getting to know each other, they couldn't help but inquire about each other's situation.
"You have a big brother serving in the army here, how can you not find a job? Otherwise, let's leave your contact information. When you become successful, you can bring me along."
Zhao Guodong was a little flattered by the praise and couldn't help but say a few more words: "My eldest brother is very capable and has a high position. When the time comes, let alone a job, maybe he can arrange for me to be a small official in the factory."
"That's even more impressive. Your eldest brother must be an officer."
"Officer? I don't know what officer means, but my eldest brother has been paying a lot for my family's expenses in the past few years. He doesn't hold a high position, so he definitely can't come up with so much money."
"Oh, then your family must be well off."
Zhao Guodong does not have deep feelings for Zhao Zhanming.
After the Zhao family had their second child, Zhao Bowen, their attitude towards Zhao Zhanming changed 180 degrees. He was just a labor force at home, not to mention after the third child was born.
Not long after Zhao Guodong started to remember things, Zhao Zhanming went out to join the army. The two of them rarely talked to each other, let alone their feelings.
But this time, Zhao Guodong truly felt the benefits of having Zhao Zhanming as his elder brother.
The feeling of being flattered, superior, and being one step ahead of others made him addicted.
With this mood, Zhao Guodong fell asleep peacefully and had sweet dreams all night. The next day, he was awakened by someone knocking on the door.
“Who is it?!”
Zhao Guodong was still a little impatient.
"The police are conducting a ward inspection!"
Hearing this, Zhao Guodong suddenly woke up and hurried to open the door with disheveled hair and dirty face.
"Sorry, Public Security, I was sleepy and thought I was at home. Sorry, sorry."
The police came in with a notebook and looked around.
Only then did Zhao Guodong follow the police to take a look at the situation in the room.
Surprisingly, the people who slept with him last night were all gone.
Zhao Guodong's eyes widened. "What time is it now? Why are they all up so early?"
"Eight thirty." The police officer came over coldly, "Let me see the letter of introduction."
"oh oh."
Zhao Guodong scratched his head and hurriedly turned back to look for it, but...
"Where's my letter of introduction?"
Forget about the letter of introduction, even the bag he was carrying yesterday is gone! !
"Comrade Public Security, I, I encountered a thief!" Zhao Guodong said anxiously: "Comrade Public Security, I am here to look for my relatives, I..."
The police looked at each other and said, "Put on your clothes first, and then come with us to the police station."
"ah?"
Zhao Guodong panicked even more. "I, I haven't been to the police station yet. I...I didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who was robbed. Seriously, everything I said is true!!"
"No matter what you say, if you don't have a letter of introduction, you have to go back with us."
"What about my lost bag?" Zhao Guodong was about to cry. "My letter of introduction was in it!"
"Are there any valuables in the bag?"
Zhao Guodong shook his head and said as he put on his clothes, "No, my money and food coupons are all sewn into my trouser pockets... Wait a minute! Where's my money?!"
Zhao Guodong was completely stunned. He felt as if someone had poured a basin of cold water on him, and his whole body was cold and stiff.
"Comrades, please help me. My money has been stolen. The three people I was sleeping with last night might all be thieves!"
"Get dressed first, then come with us."
"I'm telling the truth! You can ask the comrades in the guesthouse, they have seen my letter of introduction." It's over, it's really over.
Why did he have to encounter such bad luck?
It’s not scary to be treated as a vagrant without the letter of introduction. He can try to get someone to contact Zhao Zhanming.
But losing money is a big deal!
"We'll ask questions and investigate. Hurry up and get dressed and leave. We have to continue our rounds."
The police officer was a little impatient, and Zhao Guodong didn't dare to say anything more. After hurriedly putting on his clothes, he found that his pants were on inside out, and the pocket in the middle of his pants was exposed.
"Ah, you're being a hooligan!"
A female comrade passing by took a look and quickly covered her eyes and ran away.
Zhao Guodong had no choice but to rush back and change it in a hurry.
Zhao Guodong spent the entire morning with the police checking two guesthouses before being taken back to the police station.
"Comrades, please listen to my explanation. I'm really not a drifter. I was robbed..."
"We've already understood the situation. The people at the guesthouse did see your letter of introduction, but it's only valid for three days. Who are you going to look for? If we can't find you today and the thief hasn't been caught, we can only temporarily send you to a shelter. Someone will deport you home when the time comes."
Zhao Guodong hadn't even uttered a word of thanks when he heard the second half of the sentence, and it felt like the sky was falling.
"No, I finally got out. I came to see my brother. My brother's name is Zhao Zhanming, and he's serving in the army here."
"Military family?"
"right!"
The staff looked at each other and asked, "Do you know which military district you are serving in?"
"I don't know...
"Then how can we help you contact people?"
Zhao Guodong was also dumbfounded. "What? You know the name but can't contact me?"
"Nonsense, think about it quickly. I can only send you to a shelter."
So after thinking about it for the whole afternoon, Zhao Guodong still couldn't figure out which military region Zhao Zhanming had said he was in.
He waited until nightfall, and when he was about to be sent away, he hurriedly said, "I just remember my eldest brother said he was in the suburbs of Hua City."
"Understood."
Zhao Guodong immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great, that's great. Please help me contact my eldest brother and ask him to come and pick me up. This day has been so upsetting. It's all his fault. He didn't tell my family where I was."
“…”
The public security officer in charge of him frowned, his eyes showing a hint of disgust.
His own elder brother is defending the country, and he has the nerve to ask someone to come and pick him up, and even blame his elder brother.
It's really annoying to have such an ignorant brother!
However, even if we guessed that Comrade Zhao Zhanming was a soldier from the East Suburb Military Region, it would still take some effort to contact him. It was already evening and there were not enough people.
In desperation, Zhao Guodong could only sleep in the Public Security Bureau for the night.
The next morning, Zhao Guodong woke up with back pain and sneezed as soon as he opened the door.
The weather is getting cooler.
When Lu Qinghe woke up in the morning, she felt the change in temperature. She remembered what happened last year and was afraid that the children would catch a cold and fever again, so she changed them into thick clothes.
"This mission is short, we'll be back in about seven days. The weather is getting colder, and if the child still gets a fever, I've already told everyone. Xiao Li is there too, so remember to call for help."
Lu Qinghe nodded, "I know what to do, just be at ease outside."
After the children had gone to school, Zhao Zhanming hugged Lu Qinghe from behind as she was sorting clothes and said, "Thank you for your hard work. After October, when you're done with this busy period, I'll take you for a walk in the mountains."
Lu Qinghe slapped Zhao Zhanming's restless hand away and said, "What's so interesting about the mountains? I went to Zhaizi Village with Sister Wei. It's close to the mountains, but it didn't seem very interesting."
"The hills over there are smaller and there's a lot to do. You'll know when the time comes."
"Okay, I'll wait for you then. Let's get going quickly. Remember to put on the cotton insoles I brought for you."
"Yeah, I know."
It was already afternoon when Lu Qinghe received the news that his brother-in-law had come to Hua City from the countryside.
"Zhao Guodong?"
"Yes, sister-in-law, does the name match?"
Lu Qinghe hesitated for a moment and nodded: "That's right, what's his current situation?"
The operator briefly explained what happened at the Public Security Bureau. Lu Qinghe thought for a moment and asked, "Can I call you back now?"
"Yes, I can. I'll go back to the military region later and tell my sister-in-law to send a message to the Public Security Bureau. If you want someone to come over, we have comrades there to help send them over."
Lu Qinghe nodded. "That's it. Please tell them for me. Tell them that I saw everything about the family in the letter. Zhao Zhanming is not at home right now. Even if he was at home, there would be no way to solve the problem. Let him go back as soon as possible."
After saying this, Lu Qinghe was afraid of misunderstanding, so she quickly added, "It's not that I don't have any feelings, but we already give him money every year, and this brother-in-law insists on introducing him to a local girl. Don't you think this is a joke? Which girl from the city would be willing to go to the mountains? And everyone knows that my son Zhao is adopted by my parents-in-law, so it's inevitable that they are partial to him. He has already given a lot to the family."
The communicator nodded repeatedly, "We all understand this. Some of the people who come from my hometown have good intentions, but naturally there are also those who come here to cause trouble. Don't worry, sister-in-law, I'll tell you what to do."
"Hey, thank you, little comrade."
"You're welcome, sister-in-law."
On the other side, the Public Security Bureau.
"What? You want me to go back?" Zhao Guodong collapsed.
He traveled for a day and waited for two days, and now he is told to go back?
Is he a dog? Why don't you take him seriously at all?
"I'm not going back!"
Zhao Guodong's eyes were slightly red. "Why would you go back without seeing anyone? Anyway, I won't leave."
The police officers looked at each other, and one of them stepped forward and said, "Comrade, we're not trying to embarrass you. That's what they said over there. I guess there might be some conflict in your family, but it has nothing to do with us. If you don't leave, we'll have no choice but to send you to a shelter."
"Then my lost things must be related to you guys!" Zhao Guodong was about to cry, "How could you do this? I haven't even found my bag or money, and you want me to go back!"
"It's really difficult."
"Yes, word came over that Comrade Zhao Zhanming was only adopted by our family, so it seems they are not close."
"I can't be close to relatives like this."
Several staff members talked quietly among themselves and thought for a long time before finally deciding to send the child to the shelter first.
"We, the police, can't keep you here forever. Since you want to wait for us to find your backpack, you'll have to go to the shelter first. We don't have letters of introduction there."
Zhao Guodong had no choice. With several police officers standing in front of him, he could only follow them obediently.
But what made Zhao Guodong even more devastated was yet to come.
He really didn't expect that the conditions in the shelter were even worse than those in the mountains.
The shelter here is quite large, but there are also many people there.
When sleeping at night, I have to squeeze into a large bunk bed in a room with dozens of other people.
It’s cold in winter, but when there are many people in the house and it’s not ventilated, the smell becomes correspondingly unpleasant.
Especially at night, many people were afraid of the cold and too lazy to open the door to go to the toilet, so they prepared a chamber pot in the house. When they woke up in the morning, the whole house was filled with all kinds of smells, and Zhao Guodong almost vomited.
The accommodation conditions are so bad, not to mention the daily meals.
He had to work with the migrant workers every day. When things were better, he was assigned to sweep toilets. When things were worse, he had to follow them to the mines to dig coal.
Not to mention eating.
If he worked in a shelter, he could still have some steamed bread and cabbage to eat, but if he worked in a mine, Zhao Guodong would be unpopular and some people would deliberately target him, so he wouldn't even be able to eat.
Zhao Guodong is the youngest child in the Zhao family. He has not done much housework in his life. After coming here for a few days, he touched his body at night and felt that he had lost ten kilograms of weight.
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