Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

A group of people walked into the guesthouse in the dark, carrying flashlights.

After everyone else left with their keys, Li Xiangdong approached the staff at the guesthouse.

"Comrade, could you please do me a favor?"

As Li Xiangdong spoke, he took a braised chicken out of his satchel and placed it on the counter in front of him.

The impatient staff member sitting behind the counter instantly beamed with joy upon seeing the braised chicken.

"We're all comrades in the same system, so just let me know if you need any help."

Li Xiangdong wasn't surprised by his staff's ability to change their expressions; there were always people like that among those who were paid by the government.

"Could you please find me a horse-drawn carriage or a donkey cart? If that's not possible, an oxcart will do. I need to go to Sidian Town tomorrow."

"No problem, when do you need it?"

"Just have him wait at the entrance of the guesthouse at five o'clock tomorrow morning."

"The fare?"

"One yuan, I'll be back tomorrow at noon."

"Okay, I'll contact them for you right away. You go back to your room and rest. I'll come find you again if things don't work out."

Li Xiangdong watched as the guesthouse staff, carrying a braised chicken, hurried out, and shook his head with a smile.

He didn't even ask why he was looking for a car; they were just doing their job because they were getting the benefits they were entitled to.

As for why he did this, it was naturally because they were going to Sidian Town the next day to collect crickets from Wang Erkui.

Sidian Town is far from the guesthouse. They had too much stuff to carry all the way over, and besides, there wasn't enough time.

He had no intention of going to the trouble of finding a bus in the county town; did those things even exist in small county towns these days?

Even if there are buses, what time do they depart? And what time do they return? They have to go back to Beijing tomorrow afternoon.

That's why he approached the staff at the guesthouse; they were locals and would surely be able to handle this small matter.

"Dongzi, is everything done? Come and have something to eat."

Li Xiangdong pushed open the door and went back into the house, where he saw A Zhe tearing apart a roast chicken.

Not only him, but A Zhe and Hou San also each grabbed a braised chicken when the train stopped at Dezhou Station.

"It's settled then. The three of us will set off at five o'clock tomorrow morning. After eating, go to bed early, or we might not be able to get up tomorrow."

"okay."

"I understand, Brother Dong."

At this point, Li Xiangdong and his two companions were also a bit hungry. They took the torn-up roast chicken and started gnawing on it, finishing the whole chicken in no time.

"go to bed!"

...

...

'dong dong'

"Comrade, are you awake?"

"coming."

Li Xiangdong got up, got out of bed, opened the door, and pulled the light cord at the doorway.

"The donkey cart has arrived at the door."

"Thank you."

"It's okay, I ate one of your roast chickens."

The guesthouse staff left, yawning.

Li Xiangdong turned around and went back into the room. After hearing the noise, A Zhe and Hou San got out of bed.

The three of them changed into their usual clothes and carried their cricket-collecting equipment as they headed out of the guesthouse.

"Oh dear, little donkey!"

Hou San was quite excited when he saw the donkey cart.

"Keep your voice down."

Li Xiangdong was worried that Hou San's voice would attract Gao Xinmin again.

The driver was a middle-aged man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"What's your name?"

My surname is Zheng.

"Okay, Uncle Zheng, let's set off now. Please try to make the donkey walk as fast as possible."

Li Xiangdong and the other two loaded their belongings onto the donkey cart. He and A Zhe sat in the back, while Hou San, who was very interested in the donkey, sat in the front, holding a flashlight to help light the way.

Once Uncle Zheng saw them seated, he cracked his whip, and the donkey, in pain, started pulling the cart.

The donkey cart hadn't gone far when A Zhe suddenly tugged at Li Xiangdong and whispered in his ear, "Dongzi, there are people at the guesthouse entrance."

Li Xiangdong turned on his flashlight and shone it directly over there.

Ah Zhe said softly, "It's Wang Chenghao."

Seeing the figure disappear, Li Xiangdong turned off the flashlight and looked at A Zhe, asking, "Did you see clearly?"

Ah Zhe nodded and said, "Yes, it must be him."

Hou San, who was sitting in the front, turned around and asked, "What's wrong, Dong-ge?"

"fine."

Li Xiangdong gave Hou San a perfunctory reply, then shifted his body to sit next to A Zhe and said softly, "He must be suspicious of our cricket collecting business."

Ah Zhe was a little worried, "Won't he do something bad to us?"

Li Xiangdong shook his head and said, "Probably not. With Hou San around, he wouldn't do something so thankless."

So you're saying he wants to make that money too?

"should be."

"Damn it! They're trying to rob us!"

Ah Zhe was even more annoyed. Trading crickets was such a safe and profitable business, and he didn't have to worry about anything. He definitely didn't want anyone else getting involved.

Li Xiangdong scoffed, "Let him do it if he wants to. What can you do to stop him?"

Ah Zhe asked anxiously, "How come you're not worried at all?"

Li Xiangdong explained calmly, "This kind of money isn't something anyone can just earn. People who have never played with crickets can't tell the difference between a good cricket and a bad one."

"If he's planning to take it, he's definitely going to fall for it. He's a greenhorn who doesn't know anything. Who else would he take advantage of if not him?"

"By the time he figured out some of the tricks, the cricket-keeping season was over."

After hearing Li Xiangdong's words, A Zhe was no longer worried. He had only been thinking about someone trying to rob them of their money and forgot that collecting crickets also required a keen eye.

When they went to the market to buy crickets last time, many people tried to fool them with crickets they had just caught. It was only because his childhood friend was not easily fooled that they suffered a loss last time.

What are you two whispering about?

Hou San crouched down and slowly moved over.

Li Xiangdong laughed and said, "I didn't say anything. Are you sleepy?"

Hou San shook his head and said, "I'm not sleepy."

"Dongzi, if you're sleepy, take a nap. Hou San and I will keep an eye on things."

As Ah Zhe spoke, he patted his cloth bag and then whispered in Li Xiangdong's ear, "I brought a knife, don't worry."

Li Xiangdong nodded knowingly, leaned back against the donkey cart, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

He also carried a knife in his satchel, fearing something unexpected might happen since he was in an unfamiliar place.

The road conditions are poor now, and the donkey cart not only wobbles but also makes a creaking sound.

Li Xiangdong didn't sleep well either. He just tried his best to rest more, because collecting crickets was a very energy-consuming task.

The donkey cart swayed and rocked until dawn, and the three of them continued to bounce around on it for more than an hour.

As more and more houses appeared on both sides of the dirt road, Uncle Zheng, who was driving the cart, turned around and said to Li Xiangdong, who had already woken up, "We've arrived at Sidian Town. The road we're on now goes directly through the entire town. If we keep going, we'll be out of town."

"Uncle Zheng, please pull over to the side of the road."

Li Xiangdong jumped off the donkey cart before it had come to a complete stop.

"Ah Zhe, Hou San, you two wait here. I'll go find out where Wang Er Kui lives."

"Dongzi, should I come along?"

"Brother Dong, I'll go with you."

"Neither of you need to come with me, I can go by myself."

Li Xiangdong waved his hand and strode towards the villagers who were carrying hoes and working in the fields not far ahead.