Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

We returned to Beijing safely, but the train was severely delayed this time, and it was already past nine in the morning when we arrived at the station.

With his hands behind his back and humming "We Workers Have Strength," Gao Xinmin strode briskly into the train attendant rest carriage.

Li Xiangdong hurriedly offered him a cigarette, "Uncle Gao, I'm troubling you again."

Gao Xinmin was clearly in a good mood. He happily accepted the cigarette, and then, unusually, he even snatched the cigarette pack away.

He looked at the bewildered Li Xiangdong and laughed, "You're really that reluctant to give your uncle half a pack of cigarettes?"

"No, no, I just feel that half a pack of cigarettes is not enough to express my respect for you."

Li Xiangdong certainly wouldn't say anything like "Gao Xinmin is quick." He opened his cloth bag and took out another unopened pack of Daqianmen cigarettes.

Gao Xinmin did not refuse. He smiled and accepted it, then put it in his pocket, saying, "You gave it to me willingly."

Li Xiangdong nodded and said, "Of course, it was my initiative to give it to you. My respect for you is like the cigarettes you put in your pocket; it can't be contained in one pack, it's overflowing halfway."

"hehe."

Gao Xinmin felt extremely pleased when he heard these words.

It's like chewing on an icicle hanging from the eaves during the coldest days of winter, especially during the hottest days of summer.

"You two don't have to leave yet. The train police on this train have already called their superiors. I reckon Liu Erdan will be coming to find you two soon."

Upon hearing this news, Hou San tugged at Li Xiangdong's clothes, "Brother Dong!"

"Calm down first."

Li Xiangdong replied to Hou San, and then very attentively helped Gao Xinmin to the bed.

"Uncle Gao, are you tired? Would you like me to massage your shoulders?"

Gao Xinmin laughed and cursed, "Stop giving me that crap. You two get lost. I'll watch these crickets here for you. When your friend comes, I'll help him get them outside the train station."

"Thank you, Uncle Gao."

Before Hou San could finish speaking, he turned and ran out.

Li Xiangdong grabbed Hou San's arm and looked at Gao Xinmin, who had already taken off his shoes and was lying on the bed with his legs crossed, smoking. He said "Thank you for your trouble" twice before following Hou San out.

"What's the rush? Shouldn't we go and tell Ah Zhe first?"

After Li Xiangdong dragged Hou San out of the rest carriage, he pulled him to find A Zhe.

A-Zhe, who was mopping the carriage floor, froze on the spot, leaning on his mop, when he heard the two people standing in front of him recounting the whole story.

"Damn! You two are really tight-lipped! I never expected you two to be involved in that incident. This is great news! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have been happy for you too!"

Li Xiangdong smiled but didn't reply. He felt he had let go of an opportunity to change his reputation as "Li the Loudmouth," which was why he didn't show off to A Zhe.

Hou San completely forgot to brag to A Zhe, because he has an advantage that many people don't have.

That is, no matter what good or bad things he encounters, he forgets about them as soon as the cycle of emotional fluctuations passes.

Commonly known as heartless.

"Uncle Gao is watching the crickets for us in the rest area between Hou San and me. Remember to hurry over after you finish cleaning. You don't need to wait for us outside. Just find a tricycle and take the crickets over there first."

After instructing A Zhe, Li Xiangdong thought for a moment and said again, "Uncle Sun shouldn't be home at this time. Go check where Uncle Sun sets up his stall first, so you don't have to go back and forth."

A Zhe nodded and said, "Dongzi, don't worry. If I can't handle this little thing, then I've lived in vain."

"You know what to do. We're leaving now. Be quick and don't keep Uncle Gao waiting too long."

After getting off the bus, Li Xiangdong and Hou San walked along the platform towards the office. Just as they reached the office area from the employee passage, they ran into Liu Erdan, who was looking for them.

"Team Leader Liu."

"Brother-in-law."

When Li Xiangdong and the other man saw Liu Erdan, they greeted him one after the other.

"You two really made me proud, well done!"

As Liu Erdan spoke, his eyes were fixed on Li Xiangdong, as if Hou San, who was standing to the side and was so excited that his face was flushed, was just an extra.

After praising the two of them, he looked around the corridor to make sure no one was there, and then said softly, "I reckon this reward for you two is an internal commendation. Time is too tight, so we'll have to save up the credit for now."

"But don't worry, you two. As the group leader, I promise you privately that when it comes to selecting outstanding individuals at the end of the year, I will definitely nominate both of you."

"That's great, brother-in-law! But there are still several months until the New Year, so please don't forget!"

"Can't forget."

"Hehe~"

Hou San was already ecstatic. Internal commendations and applications for outstanding individual awards would all be recorded in his file. He could already imagine the look of admiration on Kong Dani's face when she saw him!

No wonder his father repeatedly told him that when he was away from home, he must listen to Li Xiangdong no matter what matters, big or small. He now felt that his father was absolutely right. Brother Dong was his lucky star!

Li Xiangdong smiled and said, "How to reward us is a matter for the leaders, and I understand what you mean. But I still want to thank you, Team Leader Liu, for taking care of our matter."

Hou San didn't realize that Liu Erdan's words had a hidden meaning, but Hou San did.

Liu Erdan's words were telling them that it had only been a little over a month since the last salary increase, so they shouldn't even think about it again.

Large collectives and organizations emphasize steady progress. Frequent promotions will inevitably lead to dissenting voices within the organization, which would be detrimental to their future development.

Well, thinking about it carefully, I realize that my contribution this time wasn't significant enough.

"No need to thank me, we're all on the same side."

Liu Erdan patted Li Xiangdong on the shoulder, "You two go to the office and wait. I need to go to a meeting now. When I get back, your matter will be settled."

Li Xiangdong and Hou San stood there waiting for Liu Erdan to leave before returning to their office.

"You're not full? Wake up and stop sleeping!"

Upon entering the office, Li Xiangdong saw a young man sleeping on the communal desk. He walked over and knocked on the desk, but the young man was still fast asleep.

He grinned wickedly and slammed his hand on the table twice, shouting, "Chen Jianjun, you've been caught! Come with us to the police station!"

Chen Jianjun, who was sleeping, shivered and sat up. He opened his drowsy eyes and saw Li Xiangdong and Hou San standing in front of him. His tense expression immediately relaxed.

"Damn! Laba Dong, you scared the hell out of me! I thought the police were really coming to arrest me!"

Chen Jianjun laughed and cursed a couple of times. He rubbed his eyes, looked at Li Xiangdong, and said, "Can you please stop calling me hungry from now on?"

Li Xiangdong pulled a stool out from under the table, plopped down, and said, "Aren't you still calling me Trumpet Dong?"