Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

On the way back from Tianjin, we didn't stop or yield, and drove right into Beijing Railway Station on time.

As a train attendant, Ah Zhe certainly can't just get off the train when it arrives at the station; he still has to clean up.

Under the watchful eyes of others, Li Xiangdong and Hou San carried a flour sack filled with twisted dough sticks to the entrance of the water supply team's office.

As soon as the door opened, Liu Erdan and Wang Dahai were arguing, while Erguaizi was standing next to them cheering on his master.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiangdong slammed the door shut behind him.

Liu Erdan was furious when he saw Li Xiangdong and Hou San peeking in. He not only withdrew his head but also closed the door.

He shouted towards the door, "What are you two doing sneaking around like that? Come in here!"

When Li Xiangdong and Hou San heard Liu Erdan call them in, they had no choice but to carry the bags and push open the door to come in. The two of them put the bags on the desk.

Erguaizi asked curiously, "What's in here? It smells so good!"

"Twisted dough sticks, only 3 cents a pound without a ticket, how about that? We each bought 20 pounds, and they even gave us 6 pounds for free."

While showing off, Hou San took out the twisted dough sticks one by one from the bag and divided them into three piles.

Erguaizi gave the two of them a strange look but didn't say anything.

"You bought it from Zhao Si?"

When Wang Dahai saw the words on the bag, he immediately understood. He kindly advised, "I've met Zhao Si before. He's very bold. It's fine if you buy some food from him, but don't get too close to him."

Li Xiangdong nodded in agreement. Ever since he learned that the fried dough twists were made with flour from the cafeteria, he had no intention of having any close personal relationship with Zhao Si. At most, he would occasionally ask Zhao Si to bring him some food.

He chuckled and took out a bag of twisted dough sticks from his satchel, opened it, and placed it on his desk.

"Team leader, Uncle Hai, and Erguaizi, you all have to try some. Take two packs each back home for your kids to enjoy."

Liu Erdan didn't say anything. His brother-in-law, Hou San, was part of the money. Even if Hou San didn't send any to their family, his family would definitely get some. This was his confidence in his wife.

Wang Dahai and Erguaizi declined one after the other, having already learned about Li Xiangdong's family situation from Liu Erdan.

It's fine for them to eat a couple of pieces to try, but taking two packs home would be incredibly inconsiderate.

When Hou San saw Liu Erdan pick up a twisted dough stick and eat two or three in a row, he immediately became unhappy. "Brother-in-law, eat less. These are all for my nephew and niece."

Liu Erdan glared at his good-for-nothing and stingy brother-in-law, "Did I eat yours? I ate Dongzi's portion!"

Hou San chuckled and said, "Then you can eat it, brother-in-law, but I think you should eat less, or you'll get thirsty."

Liu Erdan swallowed the twisted dough stick in his mouth. "You know what, this stuff is a bit dry. San'er, go get me a glass of water."

"Ah~"

Hou San stood there, stunned. He said reluctantly, "Why do you want me to go? I'm not thirsty."

Liu Erdan laughed and said, "You're not going, right? Then I'll have to tell your nephew a good story when I get home about how his uncle was still wetting the bed when he was in junior high school."

"Brother-in-law, shut up! I'll go get you some water, okay?"

Hou San saw Er Guai Zi secretly laughing at him, and angrily took Liu Er Dan's teacup to pour water.

"San'er, put some jasmine flowers in my pancakes."

As he spoke, Liu Erdan tossed the key to his locker to Hou San.

He looked at Li Xiangdong, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Li Xiangdong shook his head with a smile and said, "I'm not laughing at anything. I just think that if you order Hou San around like this, he might go back and complain to his sister."

"Hey, Dongzi, are you trying to trick me? You were just giving Hou San advice, but you'll be disappointed. Your sister-in-law is very understanding."

Liu Erdan forced himself to finish speaking, then turned to Hou San, who was unlocking the door, and said, "San'er, come and rest. Your brother-in-law is just teasing you. I can't let you serve me."

“It’s okay, brother-in-law. I’m happy to do it. I won’t go to my older sister to complain.”

Hou San opened Liu Erdan's tea canister, grabbed a handful of tea leaves, threw them into the teacup, and was about to pour water.

Li Xiangdong tried hard to suppress his laughter when he saw Hou San's retaliatory actions.

Liu Erdan, unaware that Hou San was plotting against him, looked at Li Xiangdong and asked, "Dongzi, did anything happen to you guys on this trip?"

Li Xiangdong replied, "It's nothing. Hou San and I have been staying at the guesthouse the whole time and haven't even left."

At this moment, Wang Dahai interjected, "Team Leader Liu, are you done with your casual chat? Shall we continue discussing the shift change?"

Liu Erdan looked at Wang Dahai with a helpless expression, "Uncle Hai, our schedules are all set. It's not like I can just change them for you."

"If everyone came to me asking to switch shifts like you, how would I be able to do my job? Ask Dongzi, if I switched his shift with yours, would he be happy?"

Seeing that Liu Erdan was trying to provoke him, Li Xiangdong quickly nodded and said, "I'm happy to."

"what?"

Liu Erdan never expected Li Xiangdong to agree, and was completely caught off guard. He said angrily, "You said you were willing, so fine, you'll be running around Shandong Province for the next month!"

Li Xiangdong agreed, "I will follow the leader's arrangements. I will go to Shandong Province in place of Uncle Hai for the next month."

Hou San walked over with a teacup and slammed it down in front of Liu Erdan. "I'm going to Shandong Province with Dong Ge."

"You...you two little bastards, are you slapping me in the face right in front of me?!"

Liu Erdan was furious. He grabbed his teacup and gulped down a mouthful, yelling, "Ptooey! Third brother, you little bastard, why did you put in so much tea!"

Upon hearing himself being insulted, Hou San jumped up and shouted, "You dare insult my father! I'm telling you, brother-in-law, you're finished!"

Liu Erdan stared at Hou San with a grim expression. "You little brat, stop messing with me. You'd only be happy if I went home and argued with your sister, right?"

'snort'

Hou San stood aside with his arms crossed, saying nothing more.

Wang Dahai glanced at Hou San, knowing he was heartless, then looked at Li Xiangdong, a smart man who surely knew why he didn't want to go to Shandong Province.

He couldn't understand why Li Xiangdong would help him, and why he agreed so readily. "Dongzi, you..."

Li Xiangdong waved his hand and said sincerely, "Uncle Hai, you don't need to say anything. I still remember when I first arrived yesterday morning, you not only didn't look down on me for being a newcomer, but you also humbled yourself and took the initiative to talk to me."

"They even gave me some of your pre-Qingming Longjing tea. I'm a rough man, and I can't tell if tea is good or not, but that cup of tea warmed my heart!"

“You are an elder, it’s okay if you don’t want to go to Shandong Province, I, as the younger generation, will go for you for a month.”

Wang Dahai was so moved by Li Xiangdong's words that he didn't know what to say.

Dongzi is a good kid to get along with, but he's too honest!