Return to the 1982 Staff Compound

Chapter 40: Relatives Visiting

Qiu Huoming was eating from a large bowl while looking around. As night fell, the business of the roadside stall began to pick up.

If he were the poet Gu Cheng at this moment, he would definitely write a poem like this:

"Spread a tarpaulin on the corner of the street, with the road in front. They are very sensitive, like spiders on the web. They are very confused, like prey in the web..."

The title of this poem is "The Peddler", which is also one of Gu Cheng's early poems.

Misty poetry has become popular on campus, and in the future it will become popular in all industries across the country.

After finishing the egg fried rice, Qiu Huoming poured tea into the clean bowl and took a big gulp. The tea was warm and just right for his taste.

"Let's go and send classmate Gu home first." After Qiu Huoming said this, he stood up, took out 1 yuan from his pocket and turned to hand it to Aunt Pang.

Gu Xiaoran touched her belly, which seemed to have gained weight recently. "No need, I can ride faster. It's getting late, you guys should go home quickly too."

"Well, be careful on your way."

"I'm not a child. There are a lot of people on the road at this time. Don't worry, don't worry."

Gu Xiaoran pushed the cart to the road and said, "Let's go. See you next week."

The bicycle rode away in a cloud of dust, the light swaying in the distance...

Qiu Huoming stretched out his hand and put it on Ding Yu's shoulder, "Don't look at her, she didn't even turn around."

Ding Yu snorted coldly, and when he saw that Gu Xiaoran had disappeared, he asked, "Huozi, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"What else can I do? I have to copy the tapes. I have to go to the provincial capital next Tuesday. I don't have much time to do it in the meantime."

"I really envy you for being able to go so far."

"We're not going there to play, we're going to compete. It's going to kill a lot of brain cells."

"That's right. When you think about it this way, you are quite pitiful."

Qiu Huoming:...

It was almost seven o'clock when he finally got home. Qiu Huoming skillfully walked through the small door reserved on the downhill side of the staff compound. Ah Huang in the doghouse in the corner came to greet him, wagging his tail. Qiu Huoming half-knelt down and touched its little head. Ah Huang had been raised to be chubby and somewhat cute these days.

He stood up straight, and just walked a short distance when he heard Zhang Yougen's voice coming from the balcony behind him: "Huo Ming, it seems like there are guests at your house, go back and check."

Qiu Huoming turned his head and looked over. Zhang Yougen was standing on the balcony with a cigarette in his mouth, waving at him.

Qiu Huoming was stunned. Who would come at this time? He quickened his pace. Before he reached the entrance of the alley, he heard his mother's voice, which seemed to be cursing.

He started running. At this moment, several neighbors gathered at the door of his house, including his old classmate Du Xiumin.

"Everyone, please judge for yourself. This old man and his family framed my Huo Ming, and he still had the nerve to come to our door and say that we are unfilial. Why should we be filial to him? He has his own sons and daughters..."

"Our Lao Qiu treats his father very well. Ask around in our compound and our village, and you will find that everyone praises him! When their own children have nothing to eat, they always think of their own father first, and their disabled second uncle..."

Du Xiumin's voice rang out, "That's right, we all saw how good Aunt Chen's family was to us."

Several neighbors nearby immediately echoed a few words. People in the compound may gossip at ordinary times, but when something really happens, they will not turn their guns inward.

Qiu Huoming squeezed into the crowd. Under the dim light, a dark-skinned, thin old man stood at the kitchen door. He was the second uncle from the country. Next to him sat on the ground a middle-aged woman with two thick braids. She had high cheekbones and a somewhat lonely look. She was wiping her tears. She was the eldest aunt Gu Cuifang. Standing in the front was the eldest uncle, and it was he who had quarreled with his mother.

Chen Suniang had her hair loose and stretched out her arms to protect her two daughters. There was no sign of Qiu Jianshe.

The anger in Qiu Huoming's heart suddenly rushed to his head. He just felt his head was hot. Who could bear this scene?

He rushed over and punched his uncle hard on the chin.

"You old beast only dares to bully women and children! Why do you come here at this time when my father is not at home!" Qiu Huoming threw another punch, causing Qiu Jianjun to stagger backwards.

The second uncle reacted very quickly. He showed no signs of old age at all. He immediately inserted himself between them, grabbed Qiu Huoming's hand, and sat down on the ground while shouting, "Unfilial son, you are hitting someone!"

"Your unfilial descendants are behind you! Why are they howling at our family?" Qiu Huoming was able to beat his great uncle because he first let his family down and then obviously bullied his mother, which he could not tolerate.

But he couldn't hit the second uncle, because the second uncle was grandfather's biological second brother. After all, he was an old man, and he still cared a lot about such things these days.

The eldest and the youngest sister immediately called him aggrievedly, "Big Brother."

The eldest sister spoke clearly with a hint of tears in her voice: "They started swearing as soon as they came up and even grabbed mom's hair."

Qiu Huoming's wrist was held tightly by the second uncle, and Chen Suniang was about to come up to help.

I only heard an old voice coming from the side: "I am almost 80 years old, older than you. You use your age to bully other people's children, I will also bully you, why don't you try to hit me."

Grandma Zhu hunched over, pushed Du Xiumin's hand away, and walked forward tremblingly.

The second uncle was lying on the ground, looking at the old lady who could get the whole village to treat her to a meal with just a hard push, and his face immediately turned green.

He let go of his hand tremblingly and was thinking of a countermeasure.

The aunt in the hall started to cry and curse, "For a stranger, you don't care about the life and death of your family..."

The eldest uncle was punched twice for no reason and was a little dazed. When he came to his senses, he rushed up to hit Qiu Huoming, but before he got close, someone tripped him and he fell to the ground.

Chen Suniang was afraid that her son would suffer, so she rushed into the kitchen without saying a word, took out a kitchen knife, and then shouted: "If you touch my son, I will chop you."

The second uncle hurriedly got up and reached out to pull the eldest uncle, "We can't explain it to the woman, let's go find Jianshe." No one paid any attention to the eldest aunt on the other side, so she quickly got up by herself.

The eldest uncle was pulled by the second uncle. Before he could stand up straight, Qiu Huoming pushed him from behind. He stumbled into the crowd again. Someone pulled his hair, pinched his waist, and stepped on his shoe. He howled on the spot, "The people in the compound are bullying me! It's unjust!"

Chen Suniang held the knife and glared at the second uncle and the eldest aunt who were still standing there. They shuddered and immediately turned around and pushed through the crowd to walk out.

Chen Suniang relaxed with a sigh of relief, her body limp as she leaned against the wall, her eyes red as she looked at her three children.

Qiu Huoming clasped his hands and bowed to the neighbors who were watching. "Thank you, good neighbors, for speaking up for our family. Thank you, Grandma Zhu. Thank you, aunts and uncles. You can go back first. You've worked hard..."

Du Xiumin supported Grandma Zhu and walked the slowest. Qiu Huoming followed her for a few steps. "Sister Xiu, thank you for today as well."

Du Xiumin blushed, "It's what I deserve. They are too bullying."

After the crowd dispersed, Qiu Huoming took the knife from Chen Suniang's hand and put it back in the kitchen. He helped her into the house and asked, "Where's Dad?"

The eldest sister said bitterly: "I watched a good movie. I met a man on the way and he went back to work overtime."

Qiu Huoming took a deep breath and looked at Chen Suniang: "Mom, don't be sad first, tell me, what happened?"

Chen Suniang calmed down and said in a hoarse voice: "We were going to give the job quota after the demolition to your third aunt. I don't know how this matter spread in the village. Your second uncle said that the third aunt's surname was not Qiu, and insisted on giving this opportunity to his daughter-in-law Gu Cuifang. Of course I refused, so I made a scene..."

The eldest sister replied coldly, "Gu Cuifang's last name is not Qiu, their family is the bad people!"

Chen Suniang's face was gloomy. "Go wash up first, and lock the door. No one is allowed to open the door for your father. I've had enough! If you don't give me an explanation for this, I will never let him go!"

Qiu Huoming rubbed his face, thinking that his cheap father was afraid that he would suffer.

Hey, I made 10,000 today!