Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

A Zhe lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up at Hou San beside him, who was scratching his head and looking completely confused. He had to admit that what Li Xiangdong said made a lot of sense.

He said to Hou San from the bottom of his heart, "You are so lucky."

Hou San didn't understand what Li Xiangdong said, but he understood what A Zhe said.

"Everyone says that, Zhe, are you envious of me?"

Ah Zhe retorted, "I envy your grandpa!"

Hou San scoffed, "My uncle is the deputy stationmaster of the Beijing Railway Station. You can't be envious, can you? What are you going to do about it?"

Ah Zhe retorted angrily, "Did I mean that? You son of a bitch!"

Hou San exclaimed urgently, "Ah Zhe, are you cursing me? You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch!"

Seeing that the two men were full of fighting spirit and looked ready to fight at any moment, Li Xiangdong quickly pushed them apart.

Even though there's no one in the corridor right now, given how much Chinese people love a good show, he's sure that if the two of them start arguing, a crowd will gather around them in less than two minutes!

Li Xiangdong didn't want to be praised one moment and criticized the next.

He said in a low voice, "Don't you two know what shame is? Shut up!"

Ah Zhe and Hou San snorted and stood on either side of Li Xiangdong, ignoring each other.

Walk through the corridor, open the door, and step outside the building.

A scent of earth wafted over, and the dry air of the capital seemed to have been filtered out, making it exceptionally fresh.

Although the rain had stopped, the sky was still somewhat overcast.

The three stood outside. Li Xiangdong took the Daqianmen cigarettes that A Zhe handed him, lit one, and put it in his mouth. He then took a bag of clothes from Hou San.

He looked at A Zhe and sighed, "Your dad's legs are more accurate than the weather forecast on the radio. If he says it's going to rain, it will rain. If your dad is feeling unwell in the future, remember to tell me in advance."

Ah Zhe said, embarrassed and annoyed, "Dongzi, if you have nothing to say, shut up and go home!"

Hearing the topic that interested him, Hou San forgot about his earlier argument with A Zhe and shamelessly leaned over to ask, "A Zhe, what happened to your dad's leg?"

Ah Zhe ignored him, so Hou San moved closer to Li Xiangdong, "Brother Dong, can you tell me? I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't figure this out!"

Li Xiangdong laughed and said, "Don't ask me, go ask A Zhe yourself if you want to know."

He left immediately after saying that. It would be better to go home and be with his wife. There's nothing to talk about with two bachelors.

"Zhe, tell me quickly, what happened to your dad's leg?"

"Say something! If you don't, I'm getting restless!"

I'll scratch you to death!

"Ah Zhe~ I'm so itchy~"

"Then you stand still, let me scratch you, hey~ don't run away!"

Listening to the conversation between the two people behind him, Li Xiangdong marveled at the wonders of the Creator, realizing that the world is full of wonders.

The diversity of biological species is vividly demonstrated in A Zhe and Hou San!

The distance from the train station to his home is all paved with cement and brick.

However, the underground sewage system in Beijing is currently inadequate, and low-lying areas along the roads are often flooded.

Li Xiangdong was in a great mood and, wearing his rain boots, went out to step in puddles!

He returned to his alleyway, feeling quite smug. It had just rained heavily, and many of his neighbors were out sweeping up the water in front of their doors.

Since it's still working hours, most of those out working are women who stay at home.

They saw Li Xiangdong wearing a brand-new railway uniform, carrying an overcoat, and a bulging cloth bag and sack containing unknown contents.

Their faces showed expressions of surprise and envy.

"Dongzi, why are you wearing a railway uniform?"

"Dongzi, you've really made something of yourself! You look so smart in that railway uniform, and that overcoat is really nice!"

"Why did you bring back so much stuff? Dongzi, are you tired? Do you need your aunt to help you carry it back?"

The women put down their brooms and quickly surrounded Li Xiangdong, bombarding him with questions one after another.

Li Xiangdong wanted to leave but couldn't, and to make matters worse, he couldn't resist touching his clothes, saying the material was nice as he did so!

Li's mother was sweeping fallen leaves blown by the wind and puddles of water at the front door of her house.

She heard a commotion coming from not far ahead, and when she looked up, she saw a large group of people gathered together. She thought there was some kind of excitement to be had.

She hurriedly put down the broom and walked over quickly. When she saw her third son surrounded by the neighbors, she immediately exploded!

"What are you all doing! What are you trying to do by surrounding our third son?!"

After a brief silence, the noisy women who had been surrounding Li Xiangdong quickly moved closer to Li's mother and surrounded her.

"Aunt Li, did your Dongzi go to work for the railway?"

"Didn't the neighborhood committee assign Dongzi to popcorn? Sister Li, did your family pull some strings?"

"Dongzi's personality is different from before. Now he's as shy as a young girl, and he won't say anything when asked."

"What are you saying? Dongzi is just being sensible; he knows to avoid suspicion when he's with us."

When Li's mother was first surrounded, she was still confused, thinking that her third son had gotten into some big trouble!

But when she heard her old friends, with whom she often chatted, asking her questions, she slowly understood what was going on.

“Our family doesn’t have that kind of ability to get Dongzi a job in the railway system. It was arranged by the neighborhood committee! You can’t just make things up!”

"Who said my Dongzi was going to popcorn? I'll go over there and tear her mouth apart if anyone dares to spout this nonsense again!"

With a smile on her face, Li's mother spoke harshly, saying that if this matter wasn't clarified today, who knew what kind of rumors would spread tomorrow!

"Aunt Li, what are you saying? Dongzi is a child we've watched grow up. Do you think we'd gossip about him?"

"That's hard to say. Just the other day, Huaizi's mother told me that Dongzi is a good-for-nothing and was assigned by the neighborhood committee to make popcorn."

"Stop talking nonsense! When did I say that? Sister Li, don't listen to her rubbish."

"If it wasn't you who said it, then who was? That's why I didn't believe it. I knew our Dongzi had been clever since he was little, and he would definitely be able to get a good job. Look at him now, he's working in the railway system, isn't he?"

While Li's mother was surrounded by the crowd, Li Xiangdong took the opportunity to slip away and ran all the way to his doorstep.

He turned around and saw Li's mother still standing in the crowd, smiling and enjoying the compliments from others.

When she speaks to others, her voice is extremely high-pitched and full of smugness!

Li Xiangdong could hear it clearly even from this distance. His mother said that he had always been an obedient, smart, sensible, and caring child...

Hearing this, he felt incredibly ashamed!

.........

P.S.: Today is the God of Wealth Festival.

Wishing all my book lovers great wealth and prosperity, and may fortune come from all directions!

May your career be smooth and free of worries, and may your family be happy and blessed!

I hope everyone gets rich and is loved!

Welcome good fortune!