Back to 1978

Chapter 216: Letter from Hong Kong

"There must be quite a few people visiting here these days. I guess you've heard a lot of unpleasant words." The office smelled of medicinal liquor. Xie Hushan, holding a cigarette in his mouth, stood in front of the office window, looking at the empty factory building and asked.

Accustomed to the bustling production scenes, Xie Hushan was still a little uncomfortable with the empty factory after the holidays.

Han Hongzhen was sorting out the previously signed contracts behind her and spoke casually:
"You've been scolded in the newspapers, so naturally everyone feels that you're gone. I'm just a nominal deputy factory director, and I'm a woman, so it's normal that people don't take me seriously. What you said was just to make people feel uncomfortable, but it's not that bad. What you heard when you were selling wontons at the market was really bad."

Before, Han Hongzhen had thought that the steel mill was the business of the brigade, but Xie Hushan’s absence these few days made her realize that without Xie Hushan, the steel mill would soon go bankrupt, and it might not even be a matter of going bankrupt, but the mill might be taken over by others.

There is no supply of scrap steel, no coal, and power outages... If any authority wants to block the steel mills, they will have to close down and stop production.

There were a lot of unpleasant words, but Han Hongzhen just didn't want to mention them to Xie Hushan.

After seeing Xie Hushan appear in the newspaper, he asked her in a roundabout way whether she was Xie Hushan's mistress and what would happen to Xie Hushan.

I asked Xie Hushan for a loan to repay my debts. If he didn't give it to me, I would not be able to start the factory.

She was promised a formal job and a city residence permit in exchange for her reporting to the brigade that the business was no longer viable and handing it over to the county steel plant for joint production.

Party A took the opportunity to lower the price and demand benefits, asking her if she was willing to let go.

There were all kinds of things to say. It could be said that in the past few days, she had seen people leave and the tea was cold to her.

Fortunately, Xie Hushan did not leave, but came back instead.

"These guys probably didn't expect me to be back. Actually, I didn't expect it either. I thought I should be enjoying myself in Hong Kong Island, but who would have thought I'd be back? Now that I'm back, they have to continue to boil water and make tea for me, regardless of whether they like it or not." Xie Hushan turned his head and looked at Han Hongzhen:

"You thought I was doomed, so you threatened me to take advantage of me. Now that you've done that, you still want me to be the same as before. How can it be so easy?"

Han Hongzhen raised her pretty face and looked at Xie Hushan, nodded tiredly, and said nothing.

"Ma San'er's arm should have recovered by now. Let him take the trouble to drive you to the county today, the last day before the New Year, to finalize the resumption of production after the New Year. I can't take this beating in vain. I have to make up for it. Speak politely to them and say that Xie Hushan is waiting for you to come back to the factory. If you can't handle it, he will come to the door with his injury. After finishing the work, he will go around the cliff and tell Taozi that I am back, otherwise she will still worry about me."

Han Hongzhen hesitated to speak, and finally just nodded and walked out: "I'm going to find Ma Saner."

She now didn't know what to say about Xie Hushan's arrangements. Should she say that he was arrogant and unreasonable?
I am a reasonable person. What I have heard in the past few days was really unpleasant. As soon as this man came back, Section Chief Liu, who had just said that he wanted to return the goods, suddenly changed his face and said it was just a joke without blinking an eye. He immediately followed Xie Hushan's instructions and promised to order 30% more goods when work started after the New Year.

All I can say is that honest people are not suitable for doing business, and only cruel, brutal and unreasonable bandits can subdue these people.

"Hey~" Xie Hushan stood in front of the window, looking at Han Hongzhen who had already walked out of the office, and suddenly shouted.

Han Hongzhen turned her head and looked at Xie Hushan in confusion.

"Tell them that I just came back today and I don't have time to prepare New Year's goods for them."

"I have already arranged everything for the New Year as you instructed," Han Hongzhen reminded.

Xie Hushan had previously established a relationship with her and had told her how to give gifts, and she had always followed Xie Hushan's arrangements.

Xie Hushan smiled and said, "I have to say that again, because my family doesn't have any New Year's goods yet. They are not fools. I'm injured, so it's unreasonable for them not to prepare some gifts for me. That's too unreasonable."

Han Hongzhen pursed her lips, nodded, turned and walked outside.

Xie Hushan looked at Han Hongzhen's back, then looked at Lao Meng who was sitting next to him counting firecrackers with Xiao Bao: "Lao Meng, what happened to the fourth girl? Has she been upset these days?"

"No? After the holiday, I was responsible for guarding the gate every day. Fourth Sister was in the house, and I was playing outside. I didn't see anyone bullying Fourth Sister?" Lao Meng said seriously, "She just came home late these days. She came home very late. She is not afraid to stay in this room alone. I have to let Dahei accompany me before I dare to wait for her in the factory."

After Han Hongzhen was taken away by Ma Saner, Xie Hushan waited for a long time until his buttocks no longer hurt when he sat down and the medicinal wine had taken some effect. Then he stood up and told Lao Meng to lock the factory gate and take him and Xiaobao back to the village.

Originally, he wanted the two of them to set off the momentum for returning to the village. As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, Lao Meng discussed with Xiaobao about going to the veterinary station to stick firecrackers in donkey dung eggs and blow them up. Xiaobao actually agreed, and the two of them went to the veterinary station hand in hand.

Looking at Xiaobao's new clothes for the New Year, and thinking about what they were going to do next and the old man's attitude and temper towards livestock, Xie Hushan felt that Xiaobao would enjoy similar treatment as himself when he returned home today, and his second uncle's regret of not being able to beat him up could be made up by his son.

After entering the house, Xie Hushan first lifted the lid of the pot in the main room, picked up a steamed bun made of mixed flour from the warm pot and put it into his mouth. The aunt was helping him light the stove in the west room that had not been occupied for several days. Seeing Xie Hushan eating the bun, she pointed to the cupboard:

"I stewed some meat yesterday. Go and have a few pieces. Eat slowly. No one will snatch it from you. When I light the fire, I'll make some shrimp soup for you. Drink some hot soup before you choke."

"Do we dare to put the meat for New Year's Eve in the cupboard now? Has Daxiu changed to a vegetarian diet?" When Xie Hushan heard the aunt say that there was meat in the cupboard, he opened the cupboard door and found a bowl of stewed meat inside. He was not afraid that the cold meat would be too greasy, so he picked up a piece and put it into his mouth.

The old lady squatted on the ground and stuffed corn cobs into the stove, saying:
"A few days ago, at the Zhongping market, her uncle took her away to live with him while the animal cart was coming to the market. In the afternoon, her father took time to pick her up. If your sister is at home, how dare I put the meat in the cupboard? If she sees it, it may not last overnight if I put it on the beam." Xie Hushan ate a steamed bun, lifted the curtain of the east room, and said to his grandmother who was sitting on the kang sewing insoles, "Grandma, I'm back."

The old lady was sitting on the kang, threading a needle with a thimble. When she heard her grandson's voice, she got so excited that the needle in her hand deviated and pierced her fingertip, leaving a hole from which blood oozed.

"Grandma, why did you get pricked again? The aunties must have told you that I'm back, right? Come, let me blow on it and it won't hurt anymore. Does it hurt less now?" Although Xie Hushan was lazy, he was very active in making his grandma happy. He put the steamed bun aside, and just like when he was a child, he jumped onto the kang, grabbed his grandma's hand and helped blow on it.

The aunt peeked in from outside the door curtain and found that the old lady had a serious look on her face, but when her grandson buried his head in his arms and spoke softly, the old lady's smile began to reappear on her face.

This kid has been favored by the old lady since he was young, and there is a reason for that. He is sweet-mouthed and good at dealing with things. Daxiu from her own family and Xiaobao from the second family are really not good at talking. What can the old lady ask of the younger generation? It's just to hang around her and say flattering words to make her happy.

"It doesn't hurt. Don't give me that." Grandma looked at Xie Hushan carefully and found that his complexion and clothes had not changed much. She breathed a sigh of relief and put her fingers in her mouth to suck for a while. With her other hand, she rubbed her grandson's head.

"You left on the eve of the New Year and just came back today. You've been gone for a week. They told me that you went to a meeting. Even though I'm illiterate and can't read, I know that the production team leader doesn't hold a meeting like this. You must have caused trouble again, right?"

"Has another traitor leaked the news to you?" Xie Hushan asked mysteriously with a smile and lowered his voice, as if he was meeting with a spy.

Grandma tapped her grandson's forehead with her finger:

"I'm not stupid or blind, and I can't read people's expressions. My two sons and my two daughters-in-law have been avoiding me these past few days. They must be afraid of me asking them something. Everyone else is in front of me, except you. Don't guess, it must be you who has caused trouble again. It's only because Taozi didn't stay with me that I think nothing serious has happened to you. If Taozi had stayed, I would definitely not be able to sit still and would have to use my crutches to look for you all over the world."

Xie Hushan sighed in his heart, this family still depends on Taozi. Grandpa, aunt, second uncle and second aunt have poor psychological quality. Taozi knows that staying to take care of grandma for her is definitely abnormal in the eyes of the elderly, which will definitely make the old lady suspicious, so she went back to her parents' home the next day.

"Otherwise I would have praised you for being cunning and sly. The country should have asked someone like you to be responsible for catching enemy spies." Xie Hushan coaxed his grandmother and said, "It's not a big deal. It's just Tiesheng who works on the railway. He got into a fight with someone and was arrested. He almost lost his job. I went to help Tiesheng mediate the matter these days."

"What's the matter? Why did they get arrested for fighting? That kid is so honest and kind..." Grandma was shocked. She was impressed by Song Tiesheng, the big young man who helped her tidy up the vegetable garden, because her grandson was always sweet-talker. But if she didn't tell him, he would never take the initiative to help her with the chores in the small vegetable garden.

My grandmother also couldn't understand why young people would be arrested for fighting. Nowadays, there are so many fights among young people in rural areas, but no one reports to the police. The police always come forward to resolve the case.

Xie Hushan deliberately straightened his back and patted his chest with his hand: "It's okay, he was released, the mediation is over, and the other party will not hold him responsible for my sake."

"It's still for your sake. What's the point of a team leader like you? How can I promote you to be useful to the county?" Grandma was amused by his pretentious behavior and said with disgust.

Xie Hushan helped grandma pack up the needlework basket beside him: "It works well, just like the ones in the city. I also told you, grandma, after the New Year, you can go to the sanatorium once every three months. Everything has been arranged. You can just take Taozi to the sanatorium."

"You have just become a team leader, and grandma can only go to the hospital once every three months. When you become the director of the commune, your grandma and I will have to go to the hospital every day. I won't go. I just want to go once to open my eyes. I am a countryman and can't enjoy that kind of luxury. I think I can live a few more years with simple meals. I can't bear to eat greasy food every day." The old lady took the basket from Xie Hushan's hand:
"Go ahead. You don't need to do the sewing. I'll prick your finger. Go eat. Heat up the meat. Don't just eat the buns. Take a nap after eating. When you wake up, make paste with milk. I asked Mr. Meng to help write Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters. You will be responsible for pasting them. Also, the day after the meeting, Hongbing sent back a bunch of New Year goods. The Han family sent the third son to deliver them to you. I put them in your cabinet. I don't know how much money the child made in Hong Kong Island. Daxi, Ma Saner, Lao Meng and others all got a share."

After Xie Hushan finished chatting with his grandmother, he returned to his west room. After opening the cabinet, he found a large bag of foreign goods inside. There were no expensive items, just gloves, scarves, cassettes, toys, etc. Along with the foreign goods, there was also a stack of postcards and a small photo album.

The postcard was supposed to have a blessing message on it, but Han Laoer used it as writing paper. He wrote on it that these things were for Xie Hushan and others to give to relatives to cheer everyone up during the New Year, and that he should not buy expensive gifts because he did not have much money.

Now I am working in a garment factory, responsible for driving a truck to transport raw materials. I have now figured out the general process of the factory, but because I don't understand foreign languages, I don't know who the boss's business client is. I only know that the jeans I make are sold abroad, so I have to go to night school to take English classes every night.

The small album contains photos of Han Laoer taken at several famous scenic spots in Hong Kong Island. He looks well-dressed and his dress is indistinguishable from the local people in Hong Kong Island.

In addition to his own solo photo, there is also a group photo at Tsim Sha Tsui Railway Station. The C position in the middle of the photo is empty, and Han Hongbing and Zhu Youjun stand on the left and right of the empty seat respectively.

Next to Han Hongbing is Lin the translator, and then Xiao Qiao. According to the closeness of the gang members, next to Zhu Youjun should be Dabao and Xuanzai, but there is one more person in this photo.

The female high school student from Gezhi Academy, whom Xie Hushan had specially visited, was now hugging Zhu Youjun with a smile on her face, looking towards the camera generously.

Next to her were Xie Hushan’s two disciples, Xuanzi and Dabao.

Several postcards were filled with messages. Translator Lin was still in the same state, asking Xie Hushan to return to Hong Kong Island if he had time. She felt that the gang was more reliable with Xie Hushan around.

Don't ask, Lin the translator has not succeeded yet, and is holding back to call Xie Hushan to return to Hong Kong Island to help her snatch Han Laoer from Xiao Qiao.

Xuanzi told Xie Hushan on the postcard that he had been bullied while doing business at Pengcheng Railway Station not long ago. He now had saved 5,000 yuan and wanted to ask Xie Hushan how many brothers he could recruit in Zhongping to help him get back at his loss with so much money.

Dabao was very concerned about Xie Hushan's current identity. He didn't know that Xie Hushan was the team leader. He was just curious about what the position of the captain of Zhongping Team 3 was. Was it equivalent to a subordinate gang leader of the society? If Xie Hushan was a gang leader, should he be regarded as the second marshal of Zhongping? Could he have another title printed on his business card, such as "Vice President of Zhongping Cooperative Hong Kong Island Branch"?

Xie Hushan laughed out loud when he saw the messages on these goods. His laughter attracted an old lady from outside, who thought her nephew was mentally ill. Xie Hushan explained to her that it was the postcards sent by Han Laoer, and the old lady then walked out half-believingly.

On the back of the last postcard of the scenery of the Peak is a letter written by Zhu Youjun to Xie Hushan:
"Comrade Xie Hushan, time flies. It has been nearly a year since we last met. I learned from Chief of Staff Yu Han that you have become a bully in the village, known as the captain of the third team. You ride on men and women, do all kinds of evil, and are quite like Hu Chuankui."

"Hahaha... I can't write any more. The previous words were said by Chief of Staff Han. The second-hand business at the station is booming. Now I'm busy running the formalities to bring my parents to Hong Kong Island for a reunion. In fact, those are all trivial matters. I'm very curious. What would your reaction be when you saw an extra person in the group photo? Curious? Alas, it's a pity that there is not enough space. I'll write a postcard next time. Best wishes. Your Hong Kong Island comrade Zhu Youjun."

(End of this chapter)