Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

"Third brother, hurry up and eat these two eggs."

It was still early morning, and it was still Li's father, but the time had suddenly turned to late August.

The father and son pushed their bicycles out of the house. Li Xiangdong was peeling eggs while his father went to lock the door.

"Hurry up and get in the car, it's getting late."

Mr. Li hopped on his bicycle and gestured to his youngest son to hurry up.

He can ride a bicycle, and so can his eldest and second sons.

The reason why the family has never bought a bicycle is simply because their workplace is very close to home, so there is no need for it.

"You should let them touch your bicycle less often in the future. It's only been a month, and look at the state it's in now!"

Li's father stomped his feet hard while muttering a few words under his breath.

"understood."

Li Xiangdong swallowed the egg in his mouth and hurriedly responded.

He knew exactly who his father was talking about: Li Xiaojiang and his group.

Ever since this bicycle came into their home, his father and mother have said such things many times, and even Zhou Yuqin said it once.

The main issue is that bicycles are still a big purchase. People who buy them often keep them looking brand new for years, wiping and washing them every day and taking great care of them.

Even worse, many people will simply carry their bicycles along when they encounter bad roads while cycling.

Unlike his bicycle, which has already chipped off several patches of paint in just about a month since it was brought home.

Because of this, Sister-in-law Li beat Li Xiaojiang and his brother quite a bit, but he was rather nonchalant about it and didn't care at all about the minor bumps and bruises.

Modern bicycles are of excellent quality and durable; any kid in the family who wants to ride one can ride it freely.

"Dongzi, there's something... never mind, let's talk about it when you get back."

Li's father hesitated for a moment, then gave his youngest son a taste of something that made him vomit.

"Oh, if there's no rush, let's wait until I get back."

Li Xiangdong had just woken up, and his mind was not very clear at the moment. He did not notice that his father's tone was a little strange.

They rode their bicycles to A Zhe's house, stacking the sacks directly on the back seat. Li Xiangdong pushed the bicycle, while A Zhe supported it from behind, and Li's father carried the cricket box for them.

The three of them walked to the outside of the train station building with flashlights, where Hou San was already waiting.

After a month of getting to know each other, they now work together quite well.

"Hou San, and A Zhe, remember to come over for dinner when you get back from Shandong Province."

Through these interactions, Li's father has gradually become more and more familiar with Hou San.

Moreover, knowing that his three youngest sons were working together to make money, he became much more enthusiastic and casual in his conversation.

"Understood, Uncle Li."

"Okay, Uncle Li, please remember to prepare some good wine and food."

A Zhe and Hou San replied with a smile.

"Dad, you should hurry back."

Li Xiangdong helped Hou San and A Zhe unload the sacks from their bicycles and urged his father to hurry home to catch up on sleep, as his father still had to go to work the next morning.

"Yes, please be careful when you're out and about."

After giving his instructions, Mr. Li got on his bike and left.

Li Xiangdong and his two companions carried their belongings and chatted as they walked toward the platform.

Gao Xinmin, who was smoking on the platform, saw Li Xiangdong and the other two about to board the train and hurriedly waved and called out, "Dongzi~!"

Li Xiangdong turned his head and saw Gao Xinmin standing not far away, and asked loudly, "What's wrong, Uncle Gao?"

"After you've put the things away, the three of you come down and find me."

"Understood, Uncle Gao."

Li Xiangdong responded and, together with Hou San and A Zhe, placed the sacks and cricket boxes in the crew rest area before the three of them quickly got off the train.

"Uncle Gao, what are your instructions?"

Seeing that Gao Xinmin was almost finished with his cigarette, Li Xiangdong took out a Daqianmen cigarette from his pocket and offered it to him.

Gao Xinmin took the cigarette offered to him, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and said to the three of them, "From now on, don't put crickets in my office vehicle when you come back."

"Ah~"

Upon hearing this news, Li Xiangdong frowned slightly.

Ah Zhe, who was standing to the side, really wanted to ask why, but he was the one among the three who couldn't get a word in edgewise with Gao Xinmin, so he could only stand there anxiously.

"Uncle Gao, how could you do this? You've eaten quite a bit of our braised chicken lately. If you don't want us to release the crickets, then you should spit out those braised chickens."

Hou San's words were clearly a bit presumptuous.

He's very angry right now because he was even scolded by his second grandfather once because of the braised chicken incident.

His second grandfather had never eaten the braised chicken that he had given him, but Gao Xinmin had eaten several!

"Hou San, how dare you speak like that!"

Li Xiangdong glared at Hou San, then looked at Gao Xinmin and asked, "Uncle Gao, did someone say something?"

Nobody said anything.

Gao Xinmin ignored Hou San, took a drag on his newly lit Daqianmen cigarette, exhaled smoke, and began to explain slowly.

"It's not that I'm making things difficult for you, Uncle Gao, but some people on this train have already started to learn from you and start dealing with crickets."

"If I still allow you to put crickets in my office vehicle, then what about allowing others to put them in? I can't have them all in my office vehicle, can I? What would my office vehicle become then?"

After Gao Xinmin finished speaking, Li Xiangdong couldn't wait to ask, "Uncle Gao, how did you know that some people are now learning from us how to collect crickets?"

Gao Xinmin yawned and said, "I saw them just fifteen minutes ago, carrying sacks just like you guys."

Li Xiangdong asked again, "Are you sure?"

"Why would I lie to you? I saw them carrying sacks to get on the truck, so I went over and asked them a couple of questions."

Gao Xinmin chuckled as he spoke. He glanced at Li Xiangdong and the other two, and continued, "Not only do they outnumber you, but they're also not like the three of you, spouting nothing but lies."

"One said his father was in poor health, and the other said he wanted to marry a cricket wife to carry on the family line. When I asked, they told me directly that they were going to Shandong Province to collect crickets."

After he finished speaking, he took two steps forward and slapped Hou San on the back.

‘Hiss~’

Hou San straightened his back and bounced on the spot.

Gao Xinmin asked with a smile, "What's wrong with me, your uncle, eating a few of your braised chickens? You actually want me to spit them out? Should I go ask your dad and have him tell me if I need to pay you back for the chickens?"

"No need, Uncle Gao, I was just joking with you. If you like it, I'll buy you more on the way back! Just don't go looking for my dad!"

Hou San was terrified when he heard Gao Xinmin say he was going to talk to his father!

His father had spent a lot of time with Gao Xinmin over the past month, and he didn't know what the two of them had to talk about.

Although his father beats him less often now, he has become even more nagging than his mother, constantly talking about this or that in his ear.

What frightened him most was that his father would sometimes pull him aside with a smile and have a heart-to-heart talk that would last for more than an hour, without even taking a sip of water.

He gets goosebumps all over just thinking about the scene with his father in the study!