Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Upon hearing Li Xiangdong's question, Hou San stood still and, unusually, became very serious, saying, "Brother Dong, you've come to the right person. I have indeed heard my father mention this matter before."

“Uncle Gao used to be a soldier. Several of his comrades sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. Since then, Uncle Gao has divided his monthly salary into several parts and sent them to the hometowns of his fallen comrades.”

"Two years ago, he couldn't even afford to buy cigarettes for his own production. He was always taking advantage of others. Many people who didn't know the situation called him 'Old Miser Gao.' It was only in the last two years that several of his comrades' children have come of age and can earn their own money, so his burden has not been as heavy as before."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangdong was filled with awe. This kind of person deserves everyone's respect!

He originally thought Gao Xinmin was just making grand pronouncements, but now he realizes that this is just Gao's true nature.

"Uncle Gao is a pretty good person."

Li Xiangdong's words were not flattery, but came from the bottom of his heart.

"Of course Uncle Gao is good. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken out the Panda cigarette for him to smoke. I'm not stupid. My uncle hides his cigarettes and doesn't want to smoke them. I wouldn't even let anyone else see them."

As Hou San spoke, he touched the half-pack of cigarettes in his pocket. He felt incredibly unlucky, having suffered injustice but not daring to tell his family. If his father found out he had stolen his uncle's cigarettes, he would definitely beat him up.

The kind of thing even Uncle Hai couldn't stop!

The two of them were taught a lesson by Gao Xinmin, and now they've learned their lesson. Even while chatting, they didn't stop what they were doing.

The train departed from Beijing Railway Station as the sun rose.

Li Xiangdong and Hou San inspected the entire train before entering the dining car one after the other.

From the moment Li Xiangdong received the lunchbox until he put down his chopsticks, less than 15 minutes had passed.

Sitting opposite him, Hou San showed off five steamed buns, two small dishes of pickled vegetables, and a lunchbox of millet porridge.

"You eat so much, how come you're not growing taller or gaining weight? Where does all your food go?"

Hou San was casually picking his teeth with a toothpick in his hand when suddenly he felt a rush of air and let out a burp. "Burp~ Brother Dong, I don't know, my mother says I'm straightforward."

"Great!"

Li Xiangdong gave him a thumbs up, "Are you full? If not, I'll go get you another steamed bun."

"I am full."

After Hou San finished speaking, he stood up, tiptoed, raised his heels, and then quickly lowered them. He did this four or five times in a row. After finishing, he let out a long breath and then burped, "Burp~ That feels good. I need to work harder to pass gas after a meal!"

Damn~

With a series of subtle actions and self-composed slogans, Li Xiangdong was completely bewildered by Hou San. This guy really puts on a show every day!

Moreover, this set of movements seems to be a traditional Chinese medicine exercise to replenish Yang energy, but it's missing an pelvic floor contraction breathing exercise...

"Cough cough~"

Li Xiangdong noticed that all the passengers eating in the carriage and his colleagues were staring at him. He coughed twice and said, "Hou San, now that you're full, let's get back to work."

"Okay, Dong-ge, Da Ni should have finished her water. Even if she didn't finish it, it's cold now. I need to hurry over."

As Hou San spoke, he quickened his pace, leaving Li Xiangdong following behind him with a sense of helplessness.

"Hou San".

Hou San stopped and turned around, saying, "Hey, what's wrong, Dong-ge?"

Li Xiangdong stepped forward, put his hand on Hou San's shoulder and patted him, "Kong Dani isn't a water hyacinth. You've already gone to pour her water seven or eight times this morning, haven't you? Aren't you afraid of making Kong Dani bloated?"

Hou San blushed and stammered, "I just wanted to talk to her."

"Understood, I understand."

Li Xiangdong nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Don't pour water for her anymore. You can go over and ask her why she didn't come for breakfast. That way, you two can start a conversation."

"Thank you, Brother Dong!"

Hou San, carrying the water bottle, skipped along the way, looking very excited as he walked towards the sleeper car.

Li Xiangdong, who was walking behind, could hear Kong Dani's shouting coming from the broadcasting room ahead.

"How dare you ask me why I didn't eat breakfast! I told you I wasn't thirsty, I wasn't thirsty! How can I eat if you make me drink so much water?"

Li Xiangdong paused, turned around and walked towards the hard-seat carriage. As he walked, he muttered, "San'er, I meant well, I didn't mean to cheat you, please don't blame me."

As he was pouring water into the thermos, Hou San quietly walked over.

"Brother Dong."

"Are you OK?"

"fine."

"Get to work."

"Oh."

Hou San sniffed and picked up the tin kettle to pour water into the thermos.

As darkness fell, after dinner, the train needed to stop for water. This stop was relatively long, so Li Xiangdong and Hou San got off the train to get some fresh air and stretch their muscles.

The trains these days are so bumpy and unstable that if your feet don't touch the ground for a long time, you'll feel a bit floaty.

"Take this one from me."

When Li Xiangdong saw Hou San take out the cigarettes from his pocket, he handed him his own Daqianmen cigarettes, saying, "Next time you have good cigarettes, remember to keep them for yourself and smoke them secretly. Don't show them off like that."

Hou San took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled, "It's alright. When we get back, I'll go to my second grandfather's house and steal a couple more packs."

Li Xiangdong laughed and said, "Be careful your dad beats you up."

Hou San retorted, "If he dares to hit me, I'll run away. I'll come stay at your house then, Brother Dong, wouldn't you welcome me?"

Li Xiangdong patted him on the shoulder and nodded, saying, "Welcome. If you have nowhere to go, come to my house. My back room is currently empty, so I guarantee you'll have a place to stay."

"Dong-ge, you're such a nice guy... Hey~ Da Ni, have you eaten your dinner yet?"

Hou San was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Kong Dani get out of the car. He casually threw away the cigarette he had just taken two puffs of and ran over to her.

Li Xiangdong finally understood why everyone said Hou San was heartless; this guy's ability to self-regulate and heal was indeed powerful.

I was scolded by Kong Dani this morning and was so embarrassed that I was listless all day. Now I'm fawning over her like a lapdog.

'Beep~'

The whistle blew, and passengers on the platform boarded the train one after another.

After the train started moving, Li Xiangdong called Hou San to inspect each carriage as usual, and the two of them walked towards the sleeper carriage.

Upon entering the sleeper car where the train crew members were resting, the air felt much fresher. The other cars were filled with smoke, and the smell of sweat was mixed with all sorts of indescribable odors, making even a few breaths feel pungent and refreshing.

"Dong-ge, let's share a cubicle."

Hou San sat on the lower bunk on the left, leaning against the carriage with his body tilted to one side.

"Take a quick nap, we need to get up to refill the water in two hours."

Li Xiangdong sat down opposite Hou San, took off his leather shoes, and lay down on the bed.

He had just closed his eyes when an unbearable stench hit him. "Damn it, Hou San, you better go wash those stinky feet of yours!"

"Does it stink?"

Hou San, who was taking off his socks with his legs crossed, bent down and sniffed his feet when he heard this. "Achoo! Achoo!"