Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

After leaving the brigade headquarters, Zhao Shanhe did not go straight home.

He went to the Hongxing Brick and Tile Factory on the outskirts of the county town.

In those days, most houses in rural areas were still made of adobe, which was called "rammed earth".

Those with better conditions use stones for the foundation and whitewash the walls.

Those who could afford red bricks were the leading figures in the village. Those who could afford to build large red brick houses were the "wealthy."

Zhao Shanhe touched the thick wad of cash in his pocket, feeling very confident.

"Section Chief Li, I need five thousand red bricks, ten bags of cement, and five hundred jin of lime."

"Also, I don't have a vehicle to transport it. Could you please trouble the factory's tractor to make a trip? I'll pay for the transportation."

The sales manager of the brick factory looked at the man in the old cotton-padded jacket, but whose eyes shone with an intimidating gleam. He was about to say "no cars," but when he saw Zhao Shanhe slamming a large banknote on the table, he immediately changed his mind:

"Yes! You're so generous, brother! I'll have Old Zhang deliver it to you in his 'Iron Bull'!"

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

The entrance to Kaoshantun Village.

The quiet winter afternoon was suddenly shattered by a deafening roar.

"Put-put-put—put-put-put—"

A Dongfanghong tractor, billowing black smoke, like a roaring steel monster, swaggered into the village, crushing the snow.

The tractor's back bed was packed full.

The bright red bricks, set against the backdrop of pure white snow, appeared exceptionally opulent and glaring.

Wow! Who's building a house here?

"These bricks are red bricks! How much do they cost?"

"That's cement? Goodness gracious, they're going to build a huge brick house!"

The village's idle men and old women all came out to watch the spectacle, craning their necks and their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

The tractor didn't stop, chugging along through most of the village before finally turning a corner and heading straight for the most dilapidated courtyard at the west end of the village.

That was the dilapidated mud house where Zhao Shanhe lived after the family split up.

"That's... Old Master Zhao's daughter?"

"That's impossible! Didn't Boss Zhao go to borrow cornmeal just a couple of days ago? Where did he get the money to build a brick house?"

"Let's go, let's go take a look!"

In no time, half the village was in an uproar, and everyone followed the tractor toward the west end of the village.

The tractor stopped at the entrance of the dilapidated yard.

Zhao Shanhe jumped out of the passenger seat, patted the truck bed, and shouted into the house:

"Xiuer! Come out and unload the truck!"

Lin Xiu, who was sewing shoe soles inside the house, heard the noise and pushed open the door to come out.

When she saw the truckload of red bricks and cement, and her husband standing beside it, looking triumphant, she was stunned, and the sewing basket in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"Mountains...mountains and rivers, this is really..."

"real."

Zhao Shanhe walked over, tucked the fallen hair behind her ear, and loudly proclaimed in front of the entire village:

"I told you, I would make sure you and Niu Niu live in the warmest house in the whole village."

"We anticipated this today, so let's break ground tomorrow!"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

It really is Old Zhao! The Old Zhao who was kicked out of the Zhao family and everyone thought he was going to starve to death is really going to build a big red brick house!

The contrast is so great that it feels like a dream.

In the crowd, someone couldn't help but ask sourly, "Shanhe, where did you get this money? It couldn't be...?"

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was clear: the approach was probably not legitimate.

Zhao Shanhe suddenly turned his head, his eyes flashing like lightning as he scanned the entire room.

He didn't rush to explain; instead, he took out a pack of "Dashengchan" cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to the uncle from his clan who had led the questioning.

"Uncle, this money was earned with our lives."

Zhao Shanhe lit one for himself, took a deep drag, pointed to the mountains behind him, and spoke in a calm tone that carried a hint of ruthlessness:

"Yesterday I went deep into the mountains, and I was both lucky and unlucky; I ran into a leopard."

"That beast was incredibly fierce; he almost disemboweled me. But in the end, I still won."

He patted the spot on his chest where the money had been pasted: "A perfectly intact top-grade leather bag was exchanged for this truckload of bricks. This money is clean and pure."

"A leopard?!"

The crowd erupted in chaos.

The people of Kaoshantun all know what they're talking about; it's a "mountain spirit" from the forest, exceptionally ferocious and extremely difficult to hunt. A single pelt is worth a fortune!

Now, no one dared to question where the money came from.

The way everyone looked at Zhao Shanhe changed from suspicion to awe.

To be able to take down Ma Baozi, this Boss Zhao is truly a ruthless and capable man!

Looking at the stunned faces around him, Zhao Shanhe didn't get carried away with his pride. Instead, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the crowd.

"Gentlemen, since you're all here, there's nothing else to say."

"My house is breaking ground tomorrow. We need to dig the foundation, make adobe bricks, and build walls. We're short-handed."

"Anyone who is willing to come and help out will be treated well by me, Zhao Shanhe."

"One yuan a day, three meals a day! Every meal includes big slices of fatty meat! All you can eat!"

Boom! That sentence was more lethal than a red brick.

In those days, being a helper usually meant being provided with a meal and some cigarettes and alcohol.

One dollar a day? And fatty meat at every meal? That's practically the treatment of a landlord!

"I'm in! Count me in, Shanhe!"

"I'll go too! I have a good trowel at home!"

"Me too! I'm strong!"

The villagers, who had just been looking forward to seeing him make a fool of himself, suddenly became incredibly enthusiastic.

In this impoverished mountain village, the person who has the strength (to hunt), the financial resources (to build a brick house), and the willingness to spend money is the boss!

……

Outside the wall, in Zhao Shanhe's big pot, slices of fatty pork stewed with vermicelli were bubbling away, and the domineering aroma of meat, carried by the northwest wind, seeped into every crack of the Zhao family's door.

Inside the walls, the Zhao family's house was like a lump of rotten flesh kept in an ice cellar.

The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a nauseating smell of excrement, rotting flesh, and the old woman's musty, stale tobacco.

"Mother...oh dear...Mother..."

On the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room, the third brother, Zhao Shanlin, lay paralyzed, his legs swollen like steamed buns, the skin dark purple, emitting a strange odor. He was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat, his voice hoarse from howling.

"Find me a doctor... or even just a painkiller injection at the commune clinic... I really can't take it anymore..."

Ever since Zhao Shanhe broke his leg, the wound seems to have become infected because the bone wasn't set in time. Every minute and every second is torture for him.

The outer room.

Old Mrs. Zhao sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to her youngest son's howls. Her hands trembled as she packed a bag of tobacco, but she hesitated to light it.

Did she feel heartache? Yes, she did. But the thought of spending money at the commune clinic made her heart ache even more, like it was being cut by a knife.

"Why see a doctor? Do you think doctors are free?"

The old lady took a puff of her unlit cigarette, hardened her heart, and shouted into the house:

"A broken bone takes a hundred days to heal, just rest! Are those painkillers made of gold? They cost several dollars for one shot! Just bear with it!"

"Mom! I can't take it anymore! I feel like my legs are going to rot!"

Zhao Shanlin cried, tears and snot streaming down his face, and suddenly looked at his second brother, Zhao Shanhai, who was squeezing pimples in front of the mirror by the window:

"Second brother! Second brother, please save me! You have money! You've saved up for the bride price! Lend me five yuan... no, just two yuan! I'll pay you back like a slave!"

Zhao Shanhai froze abruptly as he looked in the mirror.

He slowly turned around, his usually refined face now filled with indifference and calculation.

"Third brother, it's not that your second brother doesn't want to help you."

Zhao Shanhai spoke slowly and deliberately, even reaching out to straighten his hair, which wasn't actually messed up:

"As you know, I'm going on a blind date in three days. It's with the daughter of the village secretary next door. The dowry and the money for her clothes are all very tight. If this money gets involved, if I lose face, if the marriage falls through, who will our Zhao family rely on for the future?"

"Can't you just give me a little bit? Just two dollars!" Zhao Shanlin cried out in despair.

"Return it? What are you going to use to return it?"

Zhao Shanhai sneered, his eyes revealing a hint of disdain:

"Now that your leg is broken, you're bedridden and need constant care for everything, from eating and drinking to using the toilet. Whether you'll ever be able to stand up again is uncertain, and even if you do, you'll be lame. How are you going to repay me?"

That's a really harsh statement.

Zhao Shanlin was directly demoted to a worthless useless person.

"You...you ungrateful wretch!"

Zhao Shanlin slammed his fist on the kang mat in anger, "You never treated me like this when Zhao Shanhai was alive! Now that Zhao Shanhai is gone, you just want to watch me die, don't you?!"

"Shut up!"

The old lady suddenly slammed her pipe on the kang table, glared at her, and cursed:

"Stop wailing! Your second brother is right! Good steel should be used where it's needed most! This is all the money we have at home. If we don't use it to help your second brother get married, and instead fill this bottomless pit of yours, our whole family will starve!"

The old lady subconsciously clutched her inner pocket.

There was her savings for her funeral, a little over a hundred yuan, sewn there. But that was her lifeline, and she trusted no one. Even if her own son was dying of pain, she would never take it out.

Seeing that his own mother and second brother refused to help him, Zhao Shanlin was utterly desperate.

After despair comes madness and resentment.

"Fine...fine! You won't treat me, huh?"

Zhao Shanlin's eyes turned bloodshot, and he suddenly became fierce, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Then I'll sue him!!"

"Xiaolan! Go! Go to the commune! Go to the police station!"

"Go tell the police that Boss Zhao is going to kill someone! Say he broke his own brother's leg! Have the police arrest him! Put him behind bars!"

"As soon as the police come, he'll have to pay compensation! He'll also have to pay for my medical treatment! I'll make sure he rots in jail!!"

Zhao Shanlin waved his arms wildly, as if he had gone mad.

Since his family wouldn't pay, he'd make his enemies pay! He didn't care if things escalated.

Fourth sister Zhao Xiaolan was so frightened that she huddled in the corner, looking at her second brother helplessly.

"Let's see who dares to go!!"

Just then, a sharp shout interrupted Zhao Shanlin's roar.

Zhao Shanhai rushed to the door of the east room and pointed at Zhao Xiaolan: "You stay put!"

Then, he turned his head and stared menacingly at the third son on the kang (a heated brick bed):

"Third brother, is your brain filled with shit?"

"You're going to report him to the authorities? You're going to arrest him?"

Zhao Shanhai sneered repeatedly:

"Do you think you own the police station? Who will you arrest first when the police come?"

"What were you doing at Zhao Shanhe's place that day? That was burglary! Zhao Shanhe acted in self-defense! The whole village saw you rush into Zhao Shanhe's house that day. Going to report it to the authorities was like walking into a trap!"

"I'm not afraid!" Zhao Shanlin retorted, "As long as we can catch him, I'm willing to go to jail!"

"You admit it? I don't!"

Zhao Shanhai slammed his hand on the doorframe, finally revealing the real reason he had been preventing the report from being filed with the authorities:

"Third brother, listen to me carefully."

"My big blind date is in two days. The matchmaker is introducing me to the daughter of the village secretary—she's a respectable woman!"

"If the police show up at home right now, and if they find out I have a younger brother who's a robber, and he's fighting tooth and nail with my older brother..."

"Would that girl still want to be with me?!"

Zhao Shanhai gritted his teeth, his facial muscles twitching:

"To cure this rotten leg of yours, you're going to ruin my future? Ruin our family's chance to turn our lives around?"

"Let me tell you, you want to report me to the authorities? Not a chance!"

"In this family, as long as I haven't gotten married, this matter has to be kept a secret!"

After saying that, Zhao Shanhai slammed the door to the east room shut, shutting out Zhao Shanlin's howling.

In the room.

The old lady puffed on her cigarette, and surprisingly, she didn't refute her second son's extremely selfish words; instead, she nodded.

"The second brother is right. Third brother, just bear with it. Once your second brother marries his wife and has the Party Secretary as a relative to back him up... then it won't be too late to deal with that unfilial son."

On the kang (heated brick bed), Zhao Shanlin listened to the final words, looked at the tightly closed door, and smelled the aroma of meat wafting from outside the wall.

He suddenly stopped howling.

He gripped the rotten mat beneath him so tightly that his fingernails drew blood.

This is his home.

These are his family members.