Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Liu Erdan put down his teacup and looked at Hou San, asking, "San'er, you know about this too?"

"I know, I know, that's exactly what Brother Dong said."

Hou San nodded repeatedly. They had already discussed it on the way back, and they would say the same thing no matter who asked.

Even if Liu Erdan were his own brother-in-law, he wouldn't tell the truth.

Dong Ge repeatedly warned them along the way that they were making money by relying on information barriers, and that once outsiders figured out the ins and outs, they would no longer be able to make money.

Hmm, he still doesn't understand what information barriers mean.

Liu Erdan gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Dongzi, you did a really good job on this, making us gentlemen in the capital proud! Don't worry, I'll get you and Hou San a better shift next month."

"Team leader, we don't need to use it for now. The doctor from Tongrentang said that we need to take this medicine for three months."

Li Xiangdong declined Liu Erdan's offer, as July to October was the perfect time to deal with crickets.

A month is not enough.

Let him finish these three months first!

Liu Erdan got up and walked over to Li Xiangdong, patting him hard on the shoulder. "You're so kind! Dongzi, you did a really kind thing!"

"Team leader, please don't praise me like that."

Li Xiangdong was starting to feel uneasy. It seemed that the secrecy surrounding the three of them dealing with crickets needed to be raised; they couldn't let Liu Erdan and Wang Dahai find out.

"What's wrong with praising you a little? I'm even thinking of reporting you to the higher-ups!"

Liu Erdan is increasingly satisfied with Li Xiangdong. He has good character, doesn't care much about money, and most importantly, he's one of his own.

We need to train him properly; he might even have to take over my position as group leader in the future.

"hehe"

Li Xiangdong forced a smile, but he felt like he was about to have a stomach spasm. This couldn't possibly be reported; he really couldn't cover it up!

Just as he was about to confess, Liu Erdan suddenly sighed.

"Oh, what a pity. It's not good to exaggerate your point of view. In the end, this is just a matter between you guys. Otherwise, if you added what happened a couple of days ago, you would definitely get a commendation from the department."

Seeing that Li Xiangdong's expression was not good, he comforted him, "Dongzi, don't be too discouraged. I'll find some time to have a good talk with my father-in-law about this and see if we can promote it for you from another angle."

"No need, team leader! Absolutely not!"

Li Xiangdong shook his head repeatedly. He wasn't Hou San, so whether he received a commendation or not didn't matter to him. He just wanted to dispel Liu Erdan's idea.

"Team leader, I've only just started working in our section. It's not good to stand out too much. Besides, this is my friend's family's private matter, and it wouldn't sound good if it got out."

Upon hearing this, Liu Erdan frowned. He had indeed overlooked these points. They could still protect the one who stood out, but doing this would give outsiders the impression that he was stepping on his friends to get ahead.

Although the plan didn't work out, it wasn't without other gains.

At the very least, Liu Erdan felt that he had discovered other shining qualities in Li Xiangdong.

For example, being steady and composed, and acting with integrity...

"Well done! Dongzi, you're very good. No wonder my father-in-law entrusted Hou San to you."

Hou San, who had been silent all along, asked with a puzzled look after hearing this, "Brother-in-law, did my father say that? I remember he told me to take Dong Ge with me. Something doesn't feel right to me."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Liu Erdan was still feeling sorry for Li Xiangdong when he heard Hou San's words and blurted out without thinking, "What you think is unimportant..."

Hou San: "..."

Li Xiangdong: "..."

"Hey~ no!"

As soon as Liu Erdan spoke, he realized he had inadvertently revealed his true feelings. He quickly tried to make amends, "San'er, what your brother-in-law means is that what you're thinking isn't important. It doesn't matter who takes care of whom when you and Dongzi are working together."

"Oh~"

Hou San rubbed his nose. "I thought you looked down on me, brother-in-law."

"No, no, San'er, don't think nonsense. You are the precious darling of our Hou family."

“Your second brother-in-law, your two older sisters, and I all love you from the bottom of our hearts. You are a smart child, and you must know that what your brother-in-law said is what he really meant.”

Liu Erdan now says whatever sounds nice, but his wife's nails are a bit long and she likes to pinch his soft flesh. He's afraid that because of his slip of the tongue earlier, he'll get into a fight with his wife when they get home.

That's too unfair...

Upon hearing these words, Hou San blushed and said shyly, "Brother-in-law, Dong-ge is still here. Why did you say what was on your mind? It's so embarrassing."

Li Xiangdong: "..."

"Cough cough~"

Liu Erdan changed the subject, saying, "Let's get down to business. You two just came back from Tianjin, and you should be resting, but you both agreed to take over from Uncle Hai and Erguaizi to go to Shandong Province, so you'll have to work non-stop."

"The bus departs at six o'clock tomorrow morning. You two should come early, or you can't be late."

Liu Erdan then told the two of them the return time and some precautions to take on the journey.

"Alright, you can go home now. I have some things to do, so I won't stay with you two any longer."

After Liu Erdan left, Li Xiangdong said to Hou San, "You stay here by yourself for now. I'll go see if A Zhe has returned."

Without waiting for Hou San's reply, he pushed open the door and walked out.

"They don't pay attention to ideological education, neglect the development of their organizational structure, listen to the radio, read newspapers, or improve their personal qualities and character. No wonder they could do such a shameful thing..."

Li Xiangdong was standing outside the flight attendant's office when he heard the sounds coming from inside. He was about to push the door open and call out to someone, but he turned around and went back inside.

"Hou San, the flight crew is having a small meeting. Wait for A Zhe to come over and tell him that I want to send five packs of my fried dough twists home."

"As for the rest, let him handle it himself. He'll understand what I mean. I'll go find out the price of crickets in the capital now."

Tomorrow, Li Xiangdong will be taking over from Wang Dahai and Erguaizi to Shandong Province. Time is of the essence, so he feels it is necessary to scout out the route now.

"I understand, Brother Dong."

Hou San put his leg down from the desk, stood up and looked at Li Xiangdong. He had never been exposed to these things before, and his face was full of curiosity and anticipation. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"You don't need to follow me for now. Your task is to pass on a message to A-Zhe for me."

Li Xiangdong was worried that Hou Sanduo might be thinking too much, so he explained, "I'm just going there now to check out the market. Once we get things going, I'll definitely let you come along."

After he finished speaking, he began to change his clothes and took out a flashlight from the locker.

The train leaves at six o'clock tomorrow morning, so he has to get up at four o'clock. It'll be pitch black outside, so he'll definitely need to use a flashlight.

Li Xiangdong quickly arrived at the station square, boarded a bus, and headed straight for the White Pagoda Temple at Fuchengmen.