60s: I have a store

Chapter 639 The Villagers Who Were Still Not Quite Satisfied

Seeing this, Lu Guofu and Zhou Yimin's grandmother couldn't resist trying it too.

Although it doesn't look very appealing, it tastes quite good.

The three of them were quickly "conquered" by the popcorn.

Zhou Yimin ignored him, put the popcorn he had already made into a bag, and repeated the process.

Before long, Zhou Yimin had made a huge pile of popcorn.

Looking at the huge pile of popcorn, I still feel a great sense of accomplishment.

In order not to waste it, Zhou Yimin did not plan to continue.

Lu Guofu looked at the sky and found that it was completely dark.

"Yimin, it's almost time."

Zhou Yimin nodded, and then led his grandparents and Lu Guofu to the threshing ground.

As soon as we approached the threshing ground, we found that it had been surrounded by villagers from Zhoujiazhuang.

Zhou Yimin had no choice but to say, "Everyone, please make way!"

Zhou Yimin spoke loudly, and the villagers, upon hearing him, quickly made way for him.

I easily got inside, without even realizing that the old Party Secretary was already sitting in the front row.

The lights in the threshing ground were moved to a corner, leaving only darkness in front of the screen.

Lu Guofu had already set up the projector properly. The black projector was placed on the temporary wooden table, with the film reel set up steadily beside it.

The power cord connecting the projector and the power source was carefully laid on the ground and thoughtfully weighed down with stones to prevent anyone from tripping over it.

Zhou Yimin and his grandparents sat next to the old Party Secretary.

The others were envious, but they also understood that without Zhou Yimin, they wouldn't even be able to see the movie.

So I didn't say much.

"Everyone, sit down! The movie is about to start!" Lu Guofu cleared his throat and called out to the crowd.

The villagers, who had been chatting and laughing quietly, instantly fell silent, and the children sat obediently beside the adults.

The elderly people adjusted their small stools and moved them forward, afraid they wouldn't be able to see clearly.

Even the usually playful young people restrained themselves and all turned their attention to the screen.

Lu Guofu pressed the switch on the projector, and the "buzzing" sound of the machine echoed in the threshing ground. A beam of white light shone out of the projector and landed steadily on the screen. The originally blank white cloth instantly lit up, revealing the three large red characters "Tunnel Warfare".

"This film tells the story of how the people of central Hebei fought the Japanese invaders using tunnels. It's really exciting!" Lu Guofu said softly to the villagers next to him while watching the film reel on the projector, afraid that they wouldn't understand the plot.

I've watched this movie countless times; to say I know it by heart would be an exaggeration, so I can explain it without any pauses.

The villagers of Zhoujiazhuang became excited as soon as they heard that it was about fighting the Japanese.

I wish I could join the battle myself.

Zhou Yimin still felt very excited watching the movie. Although it lacked the special effects of later generations, it had a unique charm.

While watching, he would occasionally take out a handful of popcorn from the bag and eat it with relish.

The old man and Zhou Yimin's grandmother, of course, couldn't miss it and started eating too.

The old Party Secretary, who was sitting to the side, saw this and immediately asked in a low voice, "Yimin, what is this?"

"smell good!"

The people sitting around also strained their ears, wanting to hear what this was.
Zhou Yimin explained directly: "Old Party Secretary, this is popcorn. Foreigners like to eat popcorn while watching movies."

"Want to try it?"

After saying that, he grabbed a handful from the bag and put it into the old Party Secretary's hand.

The old Party Secretary was surprised to find that this unassuming-looking thing was actually a "foreign product," and immediately became curious.

I took one, popped it into my mouth, and it was quite delicious. Then, just like Zhou Yimin, I kept my eyes on the movie while eating popcorn.

Those around, seeing this scene, could only feel envy and shift their attention to the movie.

Zhou Yimin wasn't stingy; he shared some with everyone around him. Even Lu Guofu was eating popcorn while watching a movie.

As the plot unfolds, scenes of villagers digging tunnels appear on the screen.

Some of the children, who had never seen a tunnel before, couldn't help but whisper, "Uncle, can people really hide in tunnels?"

Hearing this, Lu Guofu took advantage of the break between camera shots to turn around and explain with a smile: "Sure! This tunnel is very well dug. There are hiding holes, ventilation openings, and special facilities to protect against Japanese poison gas. If the Japanese come in, they won't be able to find anyone, and they'll get beaten up by our militia!"

When the scene on screen showed the Japanese soldiers entering the village to search and the villagers evacuating through tunnels, the threshing ground was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Even Zhou Yimin stopped what he was doing after seeing this, wanting to know how it would end.
Grandma Zhou Yimin was anxious and couldn't help but mutter, "Quickly hide! Don't let the Japanese devils see you!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Guofu added, "Auntie, don't worry, our militia is well-prepared and waiting for the Japanese to fall into our trap!"

At the climax of the film, the militiamen launch a surprise attack on the Japanese soldiers from various exits through the tunnels, with gunshots and explosions echoing across the screen.

Lu Guofu deliberately slowed down the projection speed and pointed to the tunnel exit on the screen, saying, "Look, everyone, this is the beauty of tunnels. There are exits everywhere, and the Japanese can't figure out the direction at all. They can only get beaten up!"

The villagers were thrilled, some clapping and cheering. Even the usually composed old Party Secretary nodded in approval: "This is a great idea! It protects us and helps us fight the Japanese!"

When changing the film, Lu Guofu specially opened the film canister so that the curious children could come over and look: "These films are full of small images, twenty-four frames per second, and they look like they're moving, just like when we flip through a comic book."

The children stared wide-eyed at the densely packed images on the film, their eyes filled with wonder.

As the night deepened, the light and shadow on the screen danced, reflecting on the faces of the villagers—a mixture of tension, excitement, and laughter.

While skillfully operating the projector, Lu Guofu would occasionally stop to explain the plot background and the underlying principles, making it easy for the elderly and children who had never been to school to understand.

When Zhou Yimin saw this scene, he realized that becoming a projectionist was not easy; it required more than just operating a complex projector.

You also need to be eloquent and able to explain the movie to everyone in the simplest terms.

The buzzing of the projector and the sounds on the screen made it almost nine o'clock in the evening before we knew it.

The movie ended with the final scene.

The villagers of Zhoujiazhuang were still enjoying themselves and wondered if they could watch another one.

The bolder person couldn't help but ask, "Could we show another one?"

After someone took the lead, more and more people joined in.

Seeing this, the old Party Secretary knew that if the situation wasn't brought under control, something bad might happen: "What's all the commotion here?"

The old Party Secretary's loud shout instantly brought everyone back to their senses. Those who had just joined in the commotion blushed instantly, never imagining they could have done something like that.

The old Party Secretary breathed a sigh of relief when he saw everyone recover.

Just then, Zhou Yimin asked in a low voice, "Uncle Lu, it's getting late. If we're not in a hurry to go back tomorrow, how about we show another movie in Zhoujiazhuang?"

Lu Guofu thought for a moment. If it were anyone else, he would have refused outright. But it was Zhou Yimin who spoke up, and he hadn't received the task by tomorrow.

Even the section chief wanted to get closer to Zhou Yimin, so let's do Zhou Yimin a favor!
"If it were anyone else, it definitely wouldn't work, but since you've asked, Yimin, let's postpone it for another day!"

Zhou Yimin was very happy to see that Lu Guofu had agreed.

He then said loudly, "Everyone, don't get excited, Uncle Lu, promise us you'll show another one tomorrow."

Upon hearing this good news, everyone cheered.

It's clear that everyone is very happy.

The old Party Secretary was still marveling at how influential Zhou Yimin was, managing to get the projectionist to show the film for another day—something he wouldn't have dared to dream of before.

"Everyone, did you hear that? Go back and rest!"

After hearing what the old Party Secretary said, everyone reluctantly went back.

On the way back, he kept looking back.

Soon Zhou Yimin and the others also went back. For the safety of the equipment, they decided to take it back and bring it back when the movie was shown tomorrow.
After returning home, the old man suggested, "Xiao Lu, the movie's over now, and there's still a long time until tomorrow. How about we have a couple of drinks tonight?"

Zhou Yimin chimed in, "Yes, Uncle Lu, no one usually drinks with my grandfather. It's rare to see you here."

Lu Guofu didn't believe it. If the old man took out Moutai, who could resist the temptation? "Okay."

Soon, Grandma Zhou Yimin took out some peanuts and melon seeds, and also stir-fried two side dishes to go with the drinks.

Although Zhou Yimin couldn't drink much, he still drank a little on the side.

Soon, the grandfather and grandson worked together to get Lu Guofu drunk.

Then they could only help Lu Guofu into the guest room to rest.

Grandma Zhou Yimin said from the side, "You two are really not kind."

The two of them knew this, so they could only smile awkwardly.

The next day, early in the morning, the old Party Secretary went to the brigade leader's house.

Upon seeing the team leader, who was just about to go to work, he quickly said, "Team leader, wait a moment?"

Although the brigade leader was puzzled, he did as he was told: "Old Party Secretary, is there something you need?"

The old Party Secretary said, "Actually, I wanted you to take the security team into the mountains to hunt. The projectionist Lu agreed to show it again because of Yimin, but we can't just leave without giving anything in return."

Upon hearing this, the captain immediately nodded: "That makes sense, but it's winter now, so I can't guarantee that I'll catch any prey."

Just to be on the safe side, it's best to make things clear, otherwise, it will be troublesome if we don't catch any prey.

The old Party Secretary knew this, of course; how could he possibly be 100% sure of catching a game? He said, "Captain, don't worry, just do your best."

The captain then nodded.

The old Party Secretary smiled and nodded, then added, "Captain, please be careful when you go into the mountains."

The brigade leader earnestly assured him, "Old Party Secretary, don't worry, I won't go too deep. I'll just wander around the area near the back mountain."

The old Party Secretary left satisfied after hearing the brigade leader's assurance.

Before long, the brigade leader and four members of the security team gathered at the village entrance.

The group carried hunting nets and machetes on their backs, with water bottles hanging from their waists. They even brought two coarse grain buns for lunch. They were all in high spirits, and their enthusiasm immediately lifted when they heard that they were hunting for Lu Guofu.

"Set off"

After giving his instructions, the captain led the way.

Although it's winter, there are still many dead branches and old trees in the forest behind the mountain, so be careful.

The experienced captain led the way, occasionally crouching down to examine the ground and see if he could find any wild animal footprints.

To increase efficiency, the team leader said, "Everyone, spread out and search. Don't go too far. Call out every now and then so we don't get separated!"

At first, everyone was quite enthusiastic.

Zhou Dahu found a few tufts of grayish-brown rabbit fur under a pine tree and excitedly called to the brigade leader, "Brigade leader! There's rabbit fur here! There must be rabbits nearby!"

The captain rushed over and followed the direction of the rabbit fur, but only saw a series of blurry footprints that quickly disappeared into the thick layer of fallen leaves.

"This rabbit runs pretty fast, let's keep looking ahead!" He patted his teammate on the shoulder and led them forward.

But this search took most of the day.

The sun gradually rose to its zenith and then slowly began to slant westward. The team members' water bottles were empty, and they had finished their mixed grain buns, but they hadn't seen a single wild rabbit, let alone a pheasant.

Zhou Dahu, one of the team members, wiped the sweat from his forehead, somewhat dejected: "Captain, we've searched most of the mountain, how come we haven't even seen a trace of prey? Could they have all run off into the deep mountains?"

The captain hadn't expected that, apart from the footprints he had initially discovered, there would be no further finds.

He looked up at the sky; the sun was almost setting behind the mountain peaks, and a faint orange-red hue was appearing on the horizon. If he didn't leave soon, the mountain path would become difficult to traverse once it got completely dark.

Moreover, everyone is really looking forward to tonight's movie; after watching it this time, they don't know when they'll get another chance.

Although I really want to hunt the prey, I'm willing to risk everyone's safety to do so.

The captain could only say, "It's getting late, let's go back the way we came!"

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Their biggest fear was that the captain would insist on going his own way, and they would have no choice but to obey the captain's orders and continue the search.

The captain led everyone back the way they came and soon returned to Zhoujiazhuang.

"Go back!"

After saying that, he went to the old Party Secretary's house alone.

The old Party Secretary was very happy to see the brigade leader come to visit, but he quickly noticed the brigade leader's expression and knew that they had not caught any prey.

The brigade leader looked embarrassed: "Old Party Secretary, this time when we went into the mountains, it was as if all the pheasants and rabbits had vanished; we didn't encounter a single one."

The old Party Secretary patted the brigade leader on the shoulder: "Brigade leader, if it were that easy, all the nearby villages would probably go hunting in the mountains, and we wouldn't even have a chance."

The captain also understood this path.

(End of this chapter)