After the ceremony, the dam construction team was disbanded on the spot, and the workers returned to their own production teams. Li Shouzhong was no exception.
He and Gaoda joined the construction team in the 17th year of Wanli and worked on the dam for exactly one year.
But Gaoda didn't come back with him. Because of his active work and outstanding performance in the past year, this kid was finally awarded the third-class model worker. He was taken to the city by the commune cadres to attend the commendation meeting held by the city. I heard that the mayor would also invite him to dinner...
Li Shouzhong felt a little uncomfortable because his brother-in-law, whom he had always looked down upon, had actually surpassed him this time. Perhaps there were other emotions as well. Anyway, he carried the tools of two people and returned to Xinkang Village where his team was located in a depressed mood.
After going to the village office to complete the formalities of returning to the team, the production team leader originally planned to take him to see the land that the village had given to his two brothers to cultivate.
But seeing that Li Shouzhong didn't look well, the team leader thought that he was tired from working in the construction team, so he considerately gave him a few days off so that he could relax and then go back to work.
Li Shouzhong thanked him and returned to his and Gaoda’s new home.
The new house is a two-story building with a half-acre yard. Its size and specifications are similar to the residence of Master He Xinyin and his apprentice in Ningbo, Xingang City, but it looks newer.
The two brothers were lucky. When they arrived, the city was just building houses for their commune. They signed a mortgage agreement without thinking and became glorious house slaves.
The brick-paved yard had just been cleaned and sprinkled with water. The team leader had told him that during the time they were out working, fellow villagers in the same team would take turns to clean the yard for them regularly. There was new rice in the rice jar this year, and knowing that they were coming back, the team also prepared oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, vegetables and eggs for them, so that the two bachelors would not be unable to cook when they returned.
This kind of mutual help in the production team cannot but make people feel warm, but it also makes Li Shouzhong feel more irritated.
Moreover, he had enough to eat every day at the construction site and had meat to eat every day, so he had long passed the stage of being reborn as a starving ghost.
He put his bedding and tools on the ground, drew a bucket of water from a hand-operated water pump, and took a nice shower. Only then did he feel less bored.
But he still couldn't muster the energy, so he spread the cool mat he brought back on the ground and lay on his back under the loofah rack to enjoy the cool air.
The loofah vines on the rack are growing wildly under the subtropical sunshine. They were planted in the spring and can now provide shade.
Watching the sunlight flowing through the leaves and yellow flowers, the sense of unreality became stronger, as if everything in front of me was about to disappear.
While I was half asleep, the gate of the courtyard was suddenly kicked open, and the production team leader rushed in with the commune security officer.
Behind him were several ferocious-looking militiamen armed with knives, guns, sticks and clubs.
"He is the spy!" The production team leader, who had been smiling all the time, turned ferocious.
"Catch him!" The security officer waved his hand, and the militia rushed forward and pinned him to the ground.
Li Shouzhong struggled desperately, but to no avail, and he was so scared that he shouted for mercy.
It was not until he was slapped in the face that he woke up and realized he was dreaming.
After calming down, he saw that it was already dusk and Gundam had returned.
"You are so bold that you dare to draw a line?!" Li Shouzhong said angrily.
"Will you wake up if I don't beat you? What if someone hears you talking in your sleep?" Gundam rolled his eyes at him. He then carefully took off the big red flower on his chest and carefully put it back into the house together with the medal and certificate. Then he came out to scoop some water to drink.
"Look how much you cherish it." Li Shouzhong said unhappily, "Have you forgotten what you are here for? And you are a model worker!"
"I'm only a third-class model worker. It's nothing to be around." Gao Da smiled modestly, "Isn't it just to get home quickly? I only have your sister in my heart." He rolled his eyes at his brother-in-law and said, "Unlike you, you're already a father, but you've been on the construction site for a year and slept with several indigenous girls? Are you worthy of my sister?"
"Alas, there is nothing I can do about it. I am a lovely girl." Li Shouzhong was not ashamed, but proud of it. "Besides, the girls of the Pingpu tribe are really sexy. Even if they are black, who can stand their waists when they twist?"
"That can't be compared to our Mizhi women!" Gaoda spat, "I really despise you, you asshole!"
"Oh, why say those things? The good days are over." Li Shouzhong sighed and got up from the ground.
"What?" Gundam was stunned.
"Let's go inside and talk."
~~
After entering the room, closing the door and lighting the light, Li Shouzhong took out a crumpled envelope from his arms.
It was on the way back that the commune correspondent handed over a letter from his "cousin" to him, and this was the real source of his troubles.
Gundam took it, took out the letter and looked at it, and his happy mood disappeared instantly.
The cousin said in the letter that he had received their letter last year, and that their fiancées were doing well, but he missed them very much. In addition, there had been severe droughts in his hometown for many years, and he could not survive any longer, so he wanted to bring his family to immigrate overseas.
But their cousin uncle was very worried and asked him to come to visit relatives to check the situation first before making a decision...
It’s no wonder that this cousin is from the East Factory.
Before Mr. Shen sent them out on their mission two years ago, he had instructed them that after settling down overseas, they must immediately write home to report their safety and exact location.
If they didn't receive their letter before the end of the 17th year of the Wanli reign, the two families would definitely not be able to celebrate the New Year.
The two had no choice but to write a letter to the "cousin" in Li Jiqian's camp... who was actually a secret agent of the East Factory.
I didn't expect that just half a year had passed and I received a letter from there.
And the letter said that my "cousin" also left at the same time as I sent this letter, so we should be able to meet soon...
Gundam said like an eggplant hit by frost: "Oh, what can I do?"
"I know what to do." Li Shouzhong took out an equally wrinkled cigarette box with a depressed look and lit two Fengshan brand cigarettes on the lamp.
The two brothers started smoking in silence.
"Anyway, I don't want to be a traitor." Gundam said in a muffled voice.
"Whose side are you on?!" Li Shouzhong glared at him fiercely and said, "Don't forget, we are the court's lackeys who have been favored by the emperor for generations!"
"Fuck the emperor's grace, I'm just a poor soldier! I never had a full meal when I was with Emperor Zhu, and my pants were so tight that my butt was exposed! I can't read a single word at the age of 18, I'm just a complete fool! Only idiots have henchmen!" Gao Da said disdainfully: "Look at the past two years, what kind of life have I led in the group? Who allowed me to have a full meal? Who taught me to read? Who told me that I was also an upright person?
"You can't let a little favor buy you off, can you?" Li Shouzhong said, sticking his neck out. "A loyal minister should not serve two masters. Do you understand?"
"Bullshit! That's all made up by the dog emperor to deceive people!" In the past two years, Gaoda's level has skyrocketed. He is no longer the foolish boy who believed whatever his brother-in-law said. "You also built the Jianan Canal yourself. How much money and effort did the group spend? In the end, the people who benefited the most are the people of our three cities! You kid call this bribery? Do you have any conscience, you dog?!"
"You..." Li Shouzhong was speechless after being scolded by him like a machine gun, so he had to lower his head to smoke. After a while, he wiped his tears and said depressedly:
"Then what do you want me to do? My son is already two years old, you know?"
"Then his mother is still my sister." Gundam also put out his cigarette.
"Or, let's write a letter to Uncle Seventh to ask him what we should do." Li Shouzhong said desperately.
"What if Uncle Qi's reply hasn't arrived yet and someone shows up, what should we do?" Gao Da rolled his eyes at him and said, "What if someone reads our letter? We might even end up getting Uncle Qi in trouble!"
"Then what do you say we should do..." Li Shouzhong asked for the first time.
"If you ask me, it would be better to confess directly to the commune!" Gao Da thought for a while, exhaled a mouthful of smoke and said: "Write a letter to Uncle Qi, he will definitely advise us to trust the group! There can be no other answer!"
"That won't work..." Li Shouzhong said in panic:
"What should we do at home?"
"Alas, brother-in-law, you are really... concerned and confused!" Gao Da shook his head and said, "Think about what Uncle Qi said before he left."
"He said...boy, you have a secret in your heart, right? Don't hold it in, tell me and I'll help you figure it out." Li Shouzhong narrowed his eyes and recalled: "He scared me at the time."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I think he sees through us." Li Shouzhong said while taking a puff of his cigarette butt.
"Now that I think about it, he saw through me at that time!" Gundam said calmly, "Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to say those things."
"How could that be?" Li Shouzhong was stunned.
"Why not?" Gao Da said in a deep voice, "Think about it, we were two idiots at that time. How could we have hidden it from others?"
"That's right..." Li Shouzhong nodded. Over the past year, he often recalled the scenes in Zhoushan. He was often frightened by the brothers' outspokenness and broke into a cold sweat. He secretly felt lucky. "Why did Uncle Qi let us come to Taiwan?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's a chance for us to confess and turn ourselves in." Gundam pursed his lips.
"Hmm..." Li Shouzhong thought of his dream. The scene in the dream was really too scary. It must not happen again. "But what if you guessed wrong?"
"If you guess wrong, you'll have bad luck." Gundam gritted his teeth and repeated, "Anyway, I won't be a traitor! The group is the hope of us poor people, and I won't sell it out no matter what!"
"Then what should I do..." Li Shouzhong came back to the point.
"You have to believe in the group!" Gundam clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot as he growled, "At worst, I'll be buried with my parents, your sister, my elder sister, and my nephew! Anyway, in this damn world, there's no difference between being alive and being dead!"
The last sentence hit Li Shouzhong's heart like a heavy hammer.
He knew that what Gundam said was absolutely right. It was only now that he was living a life like a human being that he realized that he had previously lived a life like an animal.
No, not even as good as animals! At least animals can eat and drink enough, and the employer is afraid of losing weight. And what about them? They do more work than animals, but they can't even eat...
"It's settled! Tomorrow I will no longer be called Li Shouxiao, I will resume my identity as Gaoda!" Gaoda stood up suddenly and said with determination: "Turn myself in to the group, report my uncle, and ask the group to help save our family!"