On the surface, the man was supposed to be taking him to the village for the night, but Chen Wei felt that the man next to him was there to monitor him. If he didn't go or did something else, the man would probably just grab him and leave. He had no choice but to obediently follow him.
Today is a joyous occasion for the whole village. It's mealtime right now, and the air is filled with the aroma of meat. Every house is brightly lit, just like celebrating the New Year.
The educated youth also received meat. After discussing it, they decided to keep some to make fried pork for later consumption, and use the rest to make dumplings.
A large group of people busied themselves in the kitchen. They had a lot of meat, and they bought some more later. In addition, the winery project was progressing steadily, and the site had been set up.
However, due to the recent heavy snow, many projects have been put on hold, but everyone is still very happy, so we used an extra lot of meat today.
Liu Ru sniffed. The dumplings hadn't been cooked yet, but she could already smell the aroma, and her stomach was rumbling.
Who's playing the drums?
Liu Ruo: "..."
The group became much closer, joking with each other amidst the steam, and the number of dumplings on the steamer increased.
"Let's pool our money and buy some meat to make dumplings during the Chinese New Year."
"By then, the distillery might be almost finished, so we can celebrate."
A group of people were dreaming about the future when suddenly there was a knock on the door.
A boy walked out and was somewhat surprised to see Lu Yang.
Lu Yang pulled him aside and said, "Could this man stay overnight at your educated youth settlement? You men can keep an eye on him and charge him."
Chen Wei looked around. The living conditions in this village were too good. The aroma of meat filled the air. No wonder Guan Lian was so desperate to come here.
Lu Yang lowered his voice, "He has nowhere to go. If he wants anything, you can charge him accordingly. I need your help again tomorrow. Take him to the city's train station and make sure you watch him get on the train and leave."
He handed him a stack of small bills, but the man waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "No, Brother Lu, you're too kind. This is just a small favor."
"It's so cold outside, consider this my offer to treat you to hot tea."
After giving the instructions, he walked over to Chen Wei and said, "Comrade, this comrade will take you to the train station tomorrow."
Chen Wei didn't even see him, how could he leave? He went through so much trouble to find him, and the train ticket he took wasn't free.
However, he was alone in an unfamiliar place and dared not argue with the man, so he could only nod.
Lu Yang then left.
The male educated youth took him to his dormitory, made room for him, and then went to the kitchen. Everyone heard the commotion and asked him what was going on. He then told them what Lu Yang had instructed him to do.
"friend?"
"Not really. I think he's more like a prisoner. Just think about it, you have to watch him tomorrow and take him to the train station. What is that if not surveillance?"
"How could that be? If he were really a prisoner, why would he be sent here?"
However, everyone was still somewhat wary of this person, and specifically sent a male comrade back to the room to pretend to read a book.
The educated youth paid Chen Wei three cents for lodging. He sat alone on the kang (a heated brick bed), wanting to ask them for information, but the people there seemed very wary of him, giving him only perfunctory answers no matter what he asked.
After the dumplings were cooked, a group of people sat at the table in the main room. Chen Wei, who was inside, sniffed and felt hungry. He was so tempted by the dumplings that he could hardly sit still. He went out and asked the male educated youth from earlier if he could buy a bowl.
"We're making a small portion, so please wait while I go ask everyone."
Hearing that he wanted to buy a bowl, the others looked at the dumplings left in the pot and said, "We made a lot of meat today, a bowl should cost at least a dollar."
It's not just about the meat; you also have to factor in labor costs and firewood.
Chen Wei looked at the dumplings that were served. There was only a little over half a bowl, and it cost a dollar, but he swallowed hard and still paid.
————
"I didn't mean for you to wait at the table. I'll bring the rest of the dishes over later."
"Third Aunt, I want to tell you something."
Aunt Tian stopped what she was doing. "What's wrong?"
"Sister Guan didn't divorce her ex-husband. They agreed that each of them would take one child. Xiao Liang was originally supposed to live with his father, but Sister Guan couldn't bear to part with him. Besides, the child's life with his father wasn't as good as here."
Her husband has already arrived, but Sister Guan doesn't know yet, and she doesn't know how he found the address. Lu Yang took him to the educated youth settlement to stay overnight, and he's even asked someone to take him to the train station tomorrow, but I'm afraid he won't want to leave.
"Is he coming to take the child away?"
Song Qing shook his head. He didn't seem to be taking the child away, but rather intending to continue living with them.
“You’re already divorced, why are you still coming here? Are you trying to summon his spirit? Don’t worry, I’ll go to the educated youth settlement first thing tomorrow morning. If he doesn’t leave, I’ll beat him with a manure ladle until he leaves.”
Why come here when you're already divorced?
No wonder Xiao Liang seemed to be in a good mood when he went home in the afternoon; he's been spacing out just now.
Although Guan Lian had not told them about her relationship with her ex-husband, she subconsciously felt that there was something wrong with that man. If there was nothing wrong with him, why would he come here alone with his child?
Even another child fell silent and stared blankly when he arrived.
Song Qing helped Aunt Tian take the remaining dishes out. Inside, Uncle Liu was already drinking; the whole table was full of meat.
Especially that big bowl of crispy fried pork that was fried in the afternoon, An'an has eaten so much of it, and she also ate a lot of barbecue skewers. Song Qing was afraid that she would get a sore throat from eating too much, so she only let her eat a little more.
People don't usually get to eat this much meat. Aunt Tian's cooking is excellent. The house is steaming hot, and there's a big pot of stew. Everyone in the house is so engrossed in eating that they don't even have time to look up.
"Dad, I want to go up the mountain next year too."
Liu Jiandong finally looked up from his large bowl, slurped up another mouthful of vermicelli, still wanting more. If there were another hunter in the family who went up the mountain, the meat would be even more plentiful.
"Come on, let your traps catch more things first. How many field mice did you catch last month?"
I'm tired of skinning rats.
"Mom, why do you always discourage me? Did Dad and my brother also catch big prey right away? Old hunters all start as novice hunters."
Uncle Liu: "Although I also caught rabbits the first time, I quickly learned to go into the mountains alone. You're as timid as a rabbit."
The "going up the mountain" he was referring to was not just going to the mountains to pick up some things; it meant going deep into the mountains.
"One day I'll make you all look at me in a new light!"
"Hurry up and eat, the food's getting cold!"
Aunt Tian simply stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth. Everyone was eating, but he was making noises with his little mouth. Everyone else was trying not to laugh, but An'an burst out laughing.
He didn't dare say a word to his mother, but she was just a little kid? Liu Jiandong picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth.
After dinner, Uncle Liu was already drunk and started bragging. Aunt Tian immediately carried him into the house. Song Qing and Lu Yang were holding An'an, with Chen Junliang and Lu Ronghui also present.
It's so cold outside, and a few snowflakes just fell. Aunt Tian originally wanted them all to stay at her house, but Xiao Liang didn't want to. She couldn't just let him go alone.
They decided to leave together.
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