Chapter 115
Capture the reporter
Nie Gong then walked in, holding a hunting rifle in his hand. If Chen Lina and Nie Weimin had not intervened in time, the foreigners would have blown him into a sieve.
Ye Gong's English was taught by a British missionary who stayed in Hongyan. He speaks standard London country English, perhaps with a hint of slang.
Edward, a famous reporter from "Contemporary Weekly", spoke with a strong accent from his hometown, Detroit.
Poor Miss Chen had not learned much English. She could tell from the two of them chattering back and forth, the foreigner using his hands and feet and the worker nodding and shaking his head frequently that this was a fight between two gods.
After all, the Detroit accent and the London accent are like putting a Ningbo person and a Sichuan person together. They both speak Mandarin. If you ask them if they can understand what the other person is saying, I guess they can't.
"Nie Weimin, come here." She personally carried the rice out of the car, grabbed Nie Weimin and said, "Hurry up, take a big truck to the mining area, and tell your Aunt He that the American reporter is at our house. You have to know that the American has been missing in the mining area for two hours. It is estimated that the autonomous region will send the criminal investigation department to search the entire mining area. Hurry up."
"Is it that serious? He was chatting with me nicely all the way. He talked to me a lot. I tried to speak a few words to him in English, but he said my spoken English was all wrong."
Comrade Xiao Nie, who worked behind closed doors and was beaten by the foreign devils, whispered, "Comrade Xiao Chen, I heard my father's accent is completely different from his. He doesn't speak English like my father. Is he self-taught?"
Chen Lina smiled and said, "They are all right, but the accents are different. For example, we speak Mandarin, but when we meet Sichuanese, we speak Mandarin in the same way as in Qisi Township. They speak different languages with different accents."
Xiao Nie suddenly realized, "Does English have an accent?"
When he saw Chen Lina washing rice, he quickly waved his hands and said, "We can't eat rice. Edward said that he has money, but he wants us to eat the most original rice in our family. That is to say, we have to eat the same thing as we usually eat today. I understand what he means. He wants us to eat the worst."
During the lean period between March and April, the food we often eat now is buckwheat dumplings and rice in soup.
"Then let me ask you, don't we eat rice often?"
"After all, we don't eat much. And from what I heard from him, if the food is not good enough, he will give us money."
"Comrade Xiao Nie, you have always been the smartest one, but also the most ignorant one. Who likes to expose other people's shortcomings? If it were in our mining area, who would it be?"
"Aunt He, she loves to expose people's shortcomings. Especially you. If you say anything, she will immediately make fun of you in front of you."
"That's right. You know why not? Because Director He and I are colleagues in the same system and competitors. We both want to be the March 8th Red Flag Bearer. Edward and I seem to be human beings, but he belongs to the United States and we belong to China. We are competitors in the same global village. So, even if we have a messy meal, we must bring out the delicious food at this time. This is not vanity, but normal interpersonal communication. Do you understand?"
"Okay, Xiao Chen, I'm leaving now." Nie Weimin said, and slipped out the door like a puff of smoke.
It was said that he took a truck outside the base gate, but was Nie Weimin the one who took the truck?
He was also sneaking along, knowing that the security team would not check the workers' cars, so he took the opportunity when there were large trucks leaving the base and drove all the old Red Flags out.
When we arrived at the mining area, we certainly didn't dare to drive out of Gao Xiaobing's house. We parked the car at a distance and then ran to Gao's house.
Director He has already gone home. A group of family members of the officers are trying to comfort him. They are sighing, "We don't know where that foreigner has gone. If we can't find him in another two hours, Lao Gao and I will probably have to resign."
Nie Weimin knocked on the door and entered the house. Before he could finish his sentence "The American reporter is in my house", Director He was so excited that he almost knelt down. "Alright, alright, I have to go and inform Lao Gao personally about this matter. You guys take care of our Xiaobing's meals. We have some ham sent from the Northeast. Add some garlic sprouts and stir-fry them for Nie Weimin to eat. Let him eat before going home."
Having said that, she hurried to the district government.
"Nie Weimin, what are you doing in my house?" Gao Xiaobing was doing her homework and asked with a smile.
Nie Weimin scanned Gao Xiaobing's bookcase and asked with his head tilted, "Why have you been ignoring me at school recently?"
There were not many students in the mining area middle school. A full class had more than 50 students. Nie Weimin was good at studying, so he sat at the same table with Gao Xiaobing. They sat in the most central seat, in the teacher's saliva radiation zone, in the first row.
However, Gao Xiaobing has been indifferent to classmate Xiao Nie since the beginning of the school year.
Gao Xiaobing stood up, took a box of chocolates from the top of the bookcase, opened it, and said, "It's filled with wine, eat it quickly. But Nie Weimin, you've been a little abnormal recently. You've been carrying your sister's schoolbag every day, and you've been helping her clean the classroom and wiping the blackboard. How come you've never helped me?"
In order to prevent Liu Xiaohong from telling her parents about her secret car driving, Nie Weimin has been taking good care of Liu Xiaohong recently. Even the school hygiene is his responsibility whenever it is Liu Xiaohong's turn.
When children enter junior high school, they already have a lot of small groups and small things to do.
The city students excluded them and laughed at them. At first, because Liu Xiaohong always brought meals to him and Erdan, they once called Liu Xiaohong his child bride.
Recently, as Nie Weimin has been working tirelessly on sanitation, people have been joking that he is Liu Xiaohong's child adoptive husband.
"Isn't it our duty to help classmates and be helpful in school? Besides, Liu Xiaohong is my sister. Sister Gao, can you lend me this English tape? My rabbit is about to give birth to baby rabbits. I'll give you one tomorrow. Let's exchange, okay?"
Gao Xiaobing had several tapes of American spoken English. Nie Weimin had a conversation with an American reporter and found that his spoken English was not good, so he wanted to borrow them to learn.
"Then if you help me with my duty, I'll lend it to you." Gao Xiaobing said as he stuffed a chocolate with liquor filling into his mouth.
"Forget it, you can keep it. I, Nie Weimin, don't care about hygiene. I am fed up with it every day. It's annoying."
"But you did it for Liu Xiaohong, why can't you do it for me?"
"She is a tigress, or my sister, are you too?" Nie Weimin said, grabbing two more chocolates with liquor fillings, turning around and running. "Thank you for the chocolates, Sister Gao, but I absolutely will not help you with hygiene. You can keep the tape for yourself."
Gao Xiaobing was so angry that when she saw him open the door and run away, she pushed open the window and said, "Nie Weimin, don't blame others for making fun of you, you are just Wang Sitian's puppy."
Nie Weimin ran as fast as he could and got into his own car. If he met the security team, he would of course have to lower his head. Although he couldn't be seen through the windows on both sides, he would definitely be exposed if someone saw him from the front.
No wonder mom loves driving. It’s such a joy to drive around in the car.
Nie Weimin held a few chocolates in his hand, turned directly onto the road leading to the farm, parked the car in the poplar forest behind the 12th team's dugout, and ran to find Liu Xiaohong with a few chocolates filled with wine.
Liu Xiaohong was lighting a kerosene lamp and doing her homework when Nie Weimin jumped out of the window, giving her a big fright.
With a slap on the head, she said, "I knew you were driving a car again. I have to tell you, Nie Weimin, that you can stop when you have had enough of it. If you really drive again, I will make sure to tell my aunt."
"I'm a good driver. You've ridden in one before, so why can't I? Besides, it's chocolate with liquor filling. You can eat it if you want. If you don't, I'll take it away. Come and have a taste." Nie Weimin walked around in the cave, complaining that Liu Xiaohong's sleeping sister was really ugly, and said, "You ate my chocolate too. I can't take care of your hygiene anymore. Now even Sister Gao is gossiping about me."
"You deserve it. You should know that I didn't tell my aunt that you stole her car every day because I was afraid that she would be angry. Go back quickly. It's late at night. What if you run into bandits or members of the security team? Moreover, many proletarian fighters are cutting off the tail of capitalism everywhere recently. If you run into them, they will cut off your car as the tail of capitalism."
Nie Weimin still climbed out from the window. He Lan'er had just come back from the field. She brushed off the dust on her body and went into the cave. She smelled of alcohol and was sniffing around.
Nie Weimin got into his car and was about to leave when unexpectedly Liu Xiaohong came again.
"I'm telling you, this is the last time. I really don't dare drive again. Have you forgotten how your mother died? My dad always said that when it comes to driving, the newer you are, the less you care.
The more experienced the driver is, the more scared he is, because after experiencing a lot, he knows that many times he is still alive because of luck. "You don't need to drive anymore, okay?" Liu Xiaohong held the steering wheel and asked Nie Weimin.
Nie Weimin sat in the car and thought for a while, then said, "Okay, this is my last time today, I won't drive again."
In the desert oasis in April, the sky and the earth are covered with gentle night.
Liu Xiaohong came out from behind and brought out a plate of locust flower cakes. She said, "There are eggs and locust flowers in it. Take it back and share it among the three of you brothers. Don't let Erdan finish it all by himself."
Nie Weimin brought the plate over and was about to leave when Liu Xiaohong said, "When I came out of Loulan Farm, I thought, if I can survive this time, I only ask for one thing in my life, to cherish my life and live it meaningfully. I can't let down those PLA uncles and my father who sacrificed their lives for me. Nie Weimin, cherish your life."
Okay, Nie Weimin listened to him. This time after he went back, he quietly put the car key back into the sewing machine and never touched the steering wheel again.
At home, Chen Lina steamed a pot of rice. Steamed dried vegetables with oil residue are the signature dishes of Lao Nie's family. For this American reporter, Lao Nie was specially asked to go out and hunt a rabbit and stew it, and also fried two kinds of green vegetables.
Frying, steaming and boiling, Erdan was cooking and Sandan was washing the vegetables. He was busy with the two children and had a lot of fun.
The American reporter had a Chinese stomach. He was chatting with the laborer in the yard about everything under the sun. While waiting for his meal, his stomach growled with hunger. He noticed an old lady next door who was always looking at him, so he patted his head and took a picture of her and her Han daughter-in-law.
The ethnic integration and the smiles on their faces are very real even though they are poor.
Everything was golden at sunset and this photo captured it beautifully.
"Nie Gong, this American devil is not here to steal our secret information, is he? I have a hunting rifle ready at any time, just in case he really dares to do so.
I'll come right over, but I still think you should let him go. It's okay for you to entertain him for one or two nights, it's just an extra bowl of rice at home, but what if you are labeled a spy because of this? What should you do? "
When Harbin Institute of Technology heard that Engineer Nie was saying the same thing as the Japanese the whole time, they were of course worried about Engineer Nie's safety.
Although we are not as cautious as we were in previous years, espionage is still a serious crime.
"All journalists pursue the truth. Mr. Edward's views on the country, the world, and the Cold War are all unique. He is a friend worth associating with. In addition, I really need to learn about the current international situation through him. Harbin Institute of Technology, lend him your horse for a while. He wants to ride a horse and walk around this land." said Nie Gong.
Now that Xiao Nie is back, it's time to have dinner at home.
Because Nie Gong was having a loud conversation with the American reporter, even Erdan, who was usually the most noisy, didn't dare to say anything. He just focused on eating and didn't say a word.
The laborer and Edward had a lively conversation at the table, but it did not delay their meal at all.
A pot of rabbit meat, steamed dried vegetables, and a few plates of greens were almost all gone.
After they finished eating, Nie Weimin made tea for the two of them. They sat on the chairs and chatted for a long time. When Harbin Institute of Technology brought the horses, they rode out.
"Comrade Xiao Nie, what are they talking about so excitedly?" Chen Lina asked Xiao Nie after the American reporters left.
"You can sing English songs, so how is it possible that you don't understand what they are saying?" Xiao Nie felt very strange.
"In a language, songs are the easiest to learn. I like the song 'Yesterday Again' very much, but I can only sing the lyrics. I don't understand any other words." Xiao Chen said, and then said, "Oh, that's not right. You were reading in the room that night and you didn't leave the room at all. How did you know that I was singing?"
"I put a bug on you, what's so strange about that?" Xiao Nie said this without frowning.
Chen Lina kicked him after hearing this. "Okay, Xiao Nie, you, the spy, are playing with your mother. Tell me, what are they talking about?"
Xiao Nie also only understood half of what he said, so he said, "What Edward meant is that there is no human rights in our republic, and the people are living in great hardship now. It is not right to keep the country closed. The country must be open so that the people can be prosperous. Capitalism is the real democracy and can solve the problems we are facing now."
"So this is a real reporter. So, how did your father answer him?"
"My father said that the Republic has a large population and a large area, so reforms will happen sooner or later. The party and people of the Republic are advancing by trial and error."
"It seems that he is a real reporter. That's terrible. I don't know whether he likes gold or not," said Miss Chen.
"I think we should forget about selling gold. If he is found out at the customs, the higher-ups will come and take responsibility for us," said Xiao Nie.
Chen Lina shook her head. "Well, if he is a real reporter, then selling gold is a piece of cake. Now, I have to consider making good use of this new foreign reporter to make our mining area truly prosperous."
It was almost eleven o'clock at night before the laborer and the American reporter returned on horseback.
Two years ago, Lao Nie's family built a bathroom. It used the principle of mirror reflection. They took a lot of mirror fragments and pieced them together into a big disc. On the disc was a big iron kettle. They heated the water during the day and used it for bathing at night. If the water was hot, they would cool it down with something cool. If it wasn't hot, they would just bathe directly.
The American reporter had never seen this thing before, and he kept raising his thumb towards the worker after taking a shower.
District Chief Gao came in the middle of the night. Hearing that the American reporter would stay at Old Nie's house, he took advantage of the foreigner's shower to tell Nie, "You must show us our best side. Do you understand? You must let these foreign devils know that the people of our Republic are living happily, blessedly, and well, and have delicious food every day. Do you understand?"
Nie Gong had a serious heart and said, "At present, there are many shortcomings in our lives. We cannot compare with developed countries. How can a beggar pretend to be rich?"
Chen Lina said, "Okay, District Chief Gao, I'll take care of this guy. Don't worry, I promise to have him write a report that will get you promoted directly to the top position in the autonomous region. Do you think it's okay?"
The head of the autonomous region is about to move to a higher level, so the secretary-general-in-chief must of course be selected from among the prefecture-level cities.
Although the entire border area is full of hidden talents, District Chief Gao is also the best reserve seedling, so now is the critical stage for his promotion. This is also the reason why he tried to attract American reporters to the mining area.
Gao Feng was of course very happy when he heard Chen Lina's promise. "Xiao Chen, remember, as long as you can get things done this time, our future as in-laws will be secure."
"Who are you and your two in-laws, District Chief Gao? Your children are still young and they are studying together. Don't say such nonsense. It will affect their studies and interactions."
"Yes, yes, okay, okay. You guys take care of entertaining the reporters. I have a meeting in the autonomous region, so I'll be leaving first." With that, District Chief Gao left.
"You really want to help Gao Feng carry the sedan chair. Besides, he won't fall in love with our Wei Min, right? It seems like he wants to become his son-in-law." Nie Gong asked.
Chen Lina put her hands on her hips, looked up at the desert oasis in the hazy night, the smoke from cooking fires and the lights of the houses, sighed, and said, "Old Nie, you know what, if you never leave this desert oasis, then I, Chen Lina, will turn it into a whole mining area.
No, it is the most prosperous place in the whole republic, comparable to the capital and Shanghai. Do you know why I suddenly put down the gold and want to capture this reporter? Because this reporter can help me achieve this wish. "
"Why?"
"You are silly, because I love you." Just when Lao Nie heard this touching and earthy love talk, the green apricot tree branches above his head were about to bloom with joy.
Then Xiao Chen said, "No, no, because I love him. I want to do my best to help him realize his dream of prosperity in the mining area and the frontier, which he failed to achieve in his previous life."