My 1978 Hotel

"I'm going to the team. You guys rest first; we have training tonight."

After Li Feng finished speaking, he packed some things and prepared to go to the brigade. When Liu Wei and the others heard that there was training that night, they all turned pale.

"Mr. Li, we really can't go on."

"Yes, I don't want to move at all right now."

"Even if you kill me, I won't be able to move."

"If you don't want to eat, then you don't need to train."

Li Feng glanced at the group of fat men. They hadn't gotten much exercise that day, and none of them wanted to move. How could they possibly lose weight like this? As for the injuries, they didn't care. Losing weight was the most important thing. At worst, they could get some treatment when they got back.

"If you don't want to eat, then don't eat."

"I'm too lazy to eat it. Even pigs wouldn't eat dried sweet potatoes."

"Brother Liu, let's not go tonight. I don't believe he can do anything to us."

"Don't talk for now, let's rest for a while."

They were exhausted from the journey, but Wu Tong, Qin Yue, and the others were used to it and had already started helping to prepare dinner. Li Feng went to the brigade and spoke with Han Anbing.

"Anbing, I'm afraid you've had a hard time. Here's the tuition fee."

Li Feng prepared ten yuan for tuition, along with a pound of cured meat, half a pound of candy, and a red sausage—a considerable sum.

"Don't be so polite with me."

Han Anbing said, "Wait a minute, I'll go with you to see just how fat he is, why he has to spend money to lose weight."

"Row."

When Han Anbing came over and saw Liu Wei and his group of fat men, he was completely dumbfounded. They were so fat! How did they eat so much? What did they eat? With all that fat, are city people really this rich?

Han Anbing was truly shocked that eating meat every day was impossible; they were all too fat, and there was a whole group of fat people there.

"Anbing, look, is this training okay?"

"No problem, leave it to me."

Han Anbing patted his chest. "I'll go back and prepare, and come over after dinner."

"Then I'll have to trouble you. Don't be polite with them, hit them or scold them if you need to."

"know."

Han Anbing nodded and went back. Li Feng glanced at Liu Wei and the others. "You just met the coach. He's the deputy captain of the militia brigade. I specially invited him for you. He'll be leading your training in a bit."

"We're not going to participate in any of that bullshit training."

"That's right, you're abusing her."

"I would rather die than participate."

Liu Wei didn't say anything, but his attitude spoke volumes; he supported everyone making a scene.

"This is going to be interesting." Wu Tong clapped his hands. "How do you think Boss Li will deal with them?"

"I'm afraid they'll go all out. Li Ran and his gang are capable of being ruthless, so let alone those fat guys who want to take advantage of Boss Li, I think they might even beat them half to death," Qin Yue said with a smile.

"No way?"

Tian Hao, standing to the side, was somewhat incredulous; Boss Li seemed like a very nice person.

"Will something happen?"

Hua Ziyao was a little worried; what if these fat guys caused trouble?

"Don't worry, it's fine. It's just a few of them. It's not that I look down on them, they're just incredibly lazy. Generally, lazy people don't have much guts." Wu Tong said with some disdain.

"Don't let their size fool you. They can't run, and they can't beat you in a fight. So what are they going to do? Besides, where are we? We don't know anyone here. What are they going to do? Who cares about them?"

"Hey buddy, you agree, right?"

Li Muchen nodded. "They won't cause any trouble. Don't be fooled by their shouting; I believe Han Anbing has the ability to train them well."

After dinner, of course, Liu Wei and the others didn't want to eat, since Li Feng hadn't prepared anything for them. They could choose not to eat, but they wouldn't have to train. Hehe, a little while later, Han Anbing came over.

"Wow, isn't this a bit too intense?"

Tian Hao's eyes widened in disbelief as Han Anbing approached carrying a rifle. "This can't be real, can it?"

"real."

Li Muchen was also quite surprised. "Cousin, will something happen?"

"Do not worry."

Han Anbing isn't stupid; he wouldn't actually shoot someone. At most, he'd fire a few shots into the back, hitting clods of dirt on the ground, or just to scare people.

"Are you kidding me?"

Hua Ziyan tugged at Li Muchen. "Brother, are you sure this is the real thing?"

“Yeah, there’s no way we can fake them at this time of year. Oh, and my cousin’s family also has Type 56 semi-automatic rifles and half a box of bullets. They used up their grenades in training the other day, otherwise they would still have some.” As soon as Li Muchen said this, Hua Ziyan and Hua Ziyao, as well as Tian Hao, stared wide-eyed.

"Aren't you kidding?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Li Feng asked with a smile.

"Cousin, do you have guns at home?"

“Yes, I even got a turtle box the other day.” Li Feng said, both amused and exasperated. “It was a gift from a writer friend.”

"Pfft."

"Really?"

"It was used for the anti-Japanese war, so it's not very usable anymore," Li Feng said. "I plan to take it back and use it as a decoration."

"By the way, I'm planning to buy a few air guns to play with in a few days."

“Rifles are good for shooting, but they’re from the militia brigade, which isn’t very convenient,” Li Feng said. “Also, rifles are inconvenient for hunting small animals; we don’t often hunt wild boars or antelopes.”

"I support this."

Qin Yue quickly added, "Last time I used a rifle, I felt it was quite heavy, and the recoil was also a bit too strong. The air rifle is much better."

"Me too."

"Okay, I'll buy a few in the next few days."

The commune's supply and marketing cooperative has these things, and they're not expensive. Li Feng isn't short of money right now, so buying ten or eight isn't a big deal.

"Great."

"That way we can hunt field mice, rabbits, and pheasants."

"It's probably not easy to catch them; the prey in the surrounding area has been almost completely hunted away recently."

"It's fine to play around with it."

Good heavens, Tian Hao thinks you guys should be concerned about that guy carrying a rifle, and those poor fat guys. This guy's got real guns and ammunition, no joke. Liu Wei and the others didn't react for long when they saw Han Anbing carrying a rifle, until Han Anbing fired a shot at their feet.

"I rely on."

"Are you serious?"

"Attention, everyone. One minute to prepare."

Han Anbing didn't stand on ceremony with them. The bullet casings were still lying at his feet. Liu Wei and the others stood there trembling, their faces pale. "Anbing, don't hurt anyone."

"rest assured."

Han Anbing laughed and said, "My marksmanship is still pretty accurate."

"Alright, stand still. You're all big guys, why are you so timid? Never handled a gun before?"

Han Anbing looked at Liu Wei and the others who were trembling with fear and was full of disdain. Where did these people come from? They were all big guys, but they had no courage at all. They were so scared that they trembled at the sound of a gun.

"No."

Liu Wei said in a trembling voice, "Where do you see someone shooting on sight, especially with a real gun?" Liu Wei and his group were terrified and listened to everything Han Anbing said.

"Alright, let's go. I'll give you a quick training session today, and we'll start formal training tomorrow."

After Han Anbing finished speaking, he called Liu Wei and the others out of the courtyard.

"This guy is way too fierce!"

Tian Hao waited until Han Anbing and his men left before he spoke.

"Not bad."

Li Feng laughed and said, "If we're talking about being fierce, Uncle Fuqiang is probably fiercer, after all, he's seen blood."

"There's something even more intense?"

"This village is full of hidden talents."

"It's not as exaggerated as you said."

Li Feng said with a smile, "These days, which village doesn't have a few veterans who have fought in wars? It's not that unusual."

"Let's go out for a walk."

Li Feng said, "How about this, I'll bring the gun and see if I get lucky, maybe I'll run into a wild rabbit."

"Really? Then what are we waiting for?" Tian Hao and the others perked up. Li Feng went inside to get his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle and loaded some bullets. "Let's go. Where are Dong Qing and the others?"

"Still busy at the furniture factory."

"Then let's bring a flashlight."

Li Feng had originally planned to bring a solar-powered light, but with Dong Qing and the others not around, he really didn't know where to put it.

The group left happily, passing by Liu Wei and his group's training area. Li Feng felt a little sorry for them; these chubby guys needed a tough guy to manage them. They would talk back to him, but now they looked like well-behaved babies.

"Train hard."

Liu Wei and his men glared at Li Feng with hatred, as if they wanted to devour him. Li Feng smiled and fired two shots into the air with his Type 56 rifle, startling Liu Wei and his companions into taking cover. "You guys are tough," one of them said. "What kind of place is this? Everyone here has a gun!"

"Mr. Li, can I have a turn with you?"

"Okay, buddy, you teach him."

Don't point it at people. This guy has real guns and ammunition, which is quite dangerous. Fortunately, Tian Hao and his friends had handled guns before, so they quickly got the hang of it and fired over a hundred bullets in about an hour. Unfortunately, they didn't see a single wild rabbit.

It was all a waste, but they had a lot of fun. On the way back, they passed the training ground and saw Liu Wei and the others covered in sweat and panting. Li Feng was genuinely worried. "An Bing, don't overdo it. Why don't you take a break?"

"It's alright, I know what I'm doing."

"Okay, but don't stay out too late."

Back home, Li Feng and the others washed up and waited for Dong Qing, Wu Yu, and the Gao brothers to return. "Is the chainsaw installed?"

"almost."

Dong Qing said with considerable pride, "It's almost there, but it will definitely be ready to use tomorrow morning."

"Oh, by the way, I've installed the solar lights at the entrance."

"I've also finished installing the toilet light."

"Thanks a lot."

Solar lights are not advanced technology; they are already available in the United States, and even in Nanjing, they have been installed in the past year or two, mostly as a symbol. The price is still quite high, as they have not been widely adopted.

Even in the US, this thing isn't cheap, Li Feng checked it out. The light wasn't too bright, but it was enough for illumination. Li Feng had no idea that this commotion would cause quite a stir.

"what is that?"

"Uncle Feng's house is so bright."

The little ones, who were playing hide-and-seek, were immediately drawn over. "DaYa, what's that?"

"Electric light."

Daya said with a hint of pride, "My father brought it from the city."

"The lights are so bright, it's like daytime."

"Yes, Da Ya, your father is really amazing."

"Of course! Dad's a writer, he writes a lot of things and knows a lot of friends." Daya was very proud of Li Feng.

"Yes, many uncles and aunts sent Dad delicious food."

Er Ya also joined in, though she was more sensitive to food.

"Look, this is chocolate."

Er Ya took out a few chocolates, and Da Ya couldn't stop her.

"Is the chocolate delicious?"

Some children have never seen or heard of chocolate.

"Chocolate is delicious."

Han Mingliang said with a hint of pride, "I've eaten it a few times. Uncle Feng gave it to me. It's sweet and delicious."

"Really?"

"Is it tastier than fruit candy or milk candy?"

"Ah."

"I don't believe it."

"If you don't believe me, try it."

Er Ya actually stuffed a chocolate back into Han Minggui's mouth, and Han Minggui immediately put it in his mouth. When the other children saw this, they all exclaimed that they had never eaten chocolate before and did not believe that it was delicious. Er Ya also realized what was going on. "Minggui, give me back my chocolate!"

"have eaten."

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

Li Feng came out to see what was going on, and sure enough, a group of little kids were making a ruckus under the solar-powered light, chattering away.

"Dad, Minggui tricked me out of the chocolate."

"Really?"

Li Feng chuckled, especially after hearing Er Ya's complaint. "Fine, one chocolate. Dad will get you a few more later."

"Ah."

"Mingliang, why did you guys stop playing? What are you doing in front of my house?"

"Look at the light, uncle, is this an electric light?"

"That's it."

Li Feng laughed and said he didn't explain the solar lights, because even if he did, the kids wouldn't understand. Unexpectedly, not long after, Han Guofu and Han Futian arrived, all having heard that the lights in front of Li Feng's house had been turned on.

Everyone came to see what was going on, and it's actually quite bright here.

"This is no worse than a gas lamp."

"You bet! What kind of light is this? Is it a new type of gas lamp?"

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, and Li Feng, left with no other option, could only offer an explanation. "Uncle Tomita, this is a solar-powered light."

“Solar energy?”

"Yes, it relies on sunlight to convert it into electricity and store it."

Li Feng laughed and said, "In the end, it's just an electric light, only brighter."

"If the sun shines on it, it will be bright at night?"

"Correct."

"That makes sense, how amazing."

Ah, Li Feng really didn't know what to say for a moment. This is amazing, there are plenty of examples in later generations, almost every rural household has a few solar lights. "Well, it's alright, not that amazing."

"Isn't that amazing?"

The old man was practically kneeling down to worship the sun lamp. Li Feng was both amused and exasperated. "You can't explain it to them. They've never been to school. Their names were taught in literacy classes. They might not even know how to write them properly."

"Where did this come from?"

“My relatives in Shanghai heard that we didn’t have electricity here, so they used their connections to get some from elsewhere,” Li Feng said. “We didn’t get many. One lamp is at the entrance, another is in the yard, and the third is in the toilet.”

"Put it in the toilet, why?"

"Now we don't need to use a flashlight at night."

"Good lad, you're really wasting your talents."

"This stuff is great; it can be put to good use in furniture factories, production brigades, or even large haystacks."

Upon hearing Han Futian's words, Li Feng curled his lip, thinking, "Well, I'm not a village official, why are you telling me this?"

"Here's what you'll do, sell one to the brigade."

Han Futian said, "Let's install the furniture factory first. We can work overtime tonight and make more furniture."

"alright."

"Then give this lamp by the door to the furniture factory."

Li Feng turned to Dong Qing and asked, "How many lamps did you give us in total?"

There are six lamps in total.

I originally brought ten lamps, but only six passed the test due to outdated technology. "Six lamps, okay? Give one to the brigade, and the other two to the furniture factory. I won't leave mine here."

"Row."

"Let's calculate how much it costs; the brigade will cover it."

"Just give me whatever you like."

Li Feng gestured with his fingers.

"Five dollars?"

"Fifty-one cups."

Li Feng was speechless. Five yuan? You can buy a hammer for at least fifty.

"Alright, fifty it is." (End of Chapter)