In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 70. Optimistic Tiger Head

Yan Jun was wearing a faded blue work uniform that was almost impossible to tell the original color from, and he was carrying an old canvas shoulder bag that was also faded and had the words "Huguang Food Factory" printed on it in a blurry way.

He was excessively thin, like a slender bamboo pole bent over by the weight of life.

At this moment, he leaned slightly against a cracked, thick tree trunk, his fingers unconsciously picking at the moss in the cracks of the bark, his gaze vacant as he stared at the dazzling white light reflecting off the surface of the artificial lake in the distance.

The lingering melancholy between his brows seemed even more solid and heavy than when we last met, as if he were shrouded in a small, invisible, damp, and cold cloud, making even the cicadas' chirping sound distant.

Chu Dahu, standing beside him, resembled an iron tower that had suddenly burst into this tranquil green forest.

He wore an old T-shirt that was stiff from washing, with a loose and deformed collar that revealed his muscular, bronze neck. His bulging muscles gleamed with a healthy and powerful sheen under the blazing sun.

He was idly practicing his straight punches against the trunk of another tree, his movements wide and forceful, the wind from his punches whistling through the air, causing the sycamore leaves above him to tremble as if a green rain was falling.

At his feet lay a bulging, coarse cloth bag covered with several dark patches.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he abruptly pulled back his fist and turned around. His large eyes, beneath his thick eyebrows, lit up instantly. He grinned, revealing a set of teeth that gleamed white against his dark face, and his voice boomed like a thunderclap from a clear sky:
"Mingming! You finally showed up! I thought you'd gotten too arrogant since you became a cadre!"

Before he finished speaking, the man had already darted forward in a few steps. His large, fan-like hand slapped Yang Guangming squarely on the shoulder with such force that the latter staggered, almost dropping the paper bag from his hand.

"Hiss—you pliers!"

Yang Guangming grimaced as he steadied himself, glaring at him irritably, but a quiet sense of relief washed over him at the familiar gesture. Tiger Head, after all, was still Tiger Head.

"Oh my! What does it taste like?"

Chu Dahu's attention was instantly drawn to the heavy, seemingly magical brown paper bag in Yang Guangming's hand.

He twitched his nose dramatically, like a fierce dog spotting its prey, his eyes wide and almost bulging out. "Smells so good? You've struck it rich again?"

He yelled and impatiently reached out his greasy hand to try and open the bag.

Yan Jun was also startled by the unusually strong fragrance emanating from the bag. He slowly moved over, a genuine surprise showing on his handsome but tired face. His gaze darted back and forth between the bulging paper bag and the sunlight, his voice low and hoarse:
"Mingming... what's wrong with you?"

"Just eat, why ask so many questions?"

With a bright, cheerful laugh, he avoided the probing gaze and placed the bag firmly on the cool stone table with an undeniable air of authority. "Today we're giving out tiger heads, plenty!"

He turned to Yan Jun, his eyes gentle yet filled with undeniable concern, "You should eat more too. Look how thin you are, you look like you'd be blown away by the wind!"

The paper bag was opened, and four oil paper packages, tightly wrapped in straw paper and with oil stains already soaking through the back of the paper, were untied one by one.

The braised beef had distinct marbling and a tempting reddish-brown color; the roast goose skin was glossy, golden, and crispy; the braised duck gizzards were a deep, dark sauce, neatly arranged; and the drunken chicken skin jelly was crystal clear, with a subtle aroma of wine. This sumptuous, almost luxurious feast, with its most primal and direct allure, instantly dispelled the lingering melancholy that had just begun to brew under the shade of the sycamore trees.

"Mommy's winter vegetables! Is it for the New Year?"

Chu Dahu swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, his eyes almost popping into the greasy mound of flesh.

He no longer cared about being polite, stretched out his large hand, and headed straight for the fattest and greasiest roast goose leg.

With a delightful "rip," a goose leg, still covered in golden, crispy skin and dripping with juice, was torn off by him and stuffed into his mouth without hesitation, taking a big, hard bite!
Grease trickled down his thick lips, leaving glistening marks on his bronze skin, but he paid no heed, his cheeks bulging as if two large steamed buns were stuffed inside, as he loudly and indistinctly exclaimed in praise.

Spittle splattered everywhere, glistening with oil: "Delicious! It's fucking delicious! A hundred times better than those meat buns with vegetable scraps mixed in at our school cafeteria! No, a thousand times better!"

While he was chewing, he also made room to shove another equally plump goose leg into Yan Jun's hand without a word, the action rough yet revealing an undeniable intimacy:
"Yan Jun, take it! Don't be so coy like a little girl. Eat! You'll need energy if you eat!"

Yan Jun was somewhat overwhelmed by Chu Dahu's overwhelming enthusiasm.

Looking at the heavy, oily goose leg in his hand, exuding a deadly aroma, then at Chu Dahu's mouth drooling with gusto, eating with gusto as if he were about to devour the whole world, and then at Yang Guangming's gentle yet encouraging gaze.

On his taut face, a faint but genuine smile finally managed to slip through his fingers, like a crack in the surface of a frozen lake.

He stopped refusing, lowered his head, and began to nibble at the food with a delicate but extremely earnest touch.

The long-lost pure meaty aroma bursts forth on the tip of the tongue and in the dry mouth, carrying a scalding temperature and rich fat, like a faint but firm warm current, briefly dispelling the heavy gloom in my heart.

Yang Guangming also picked up a piece of clearly textured braised beef and chewed it slowly.

His gaze fell on Chu Dahu.

Tiger Head devoured the food with gusto, his cheeks bulging as if he wanted to chew up and swallow all the delicious food, along with all the lingering affection and reluctance for this vast city that remained in his bones, and take it all with him.

As he struggled to swallow, he mumbled loud boasts, his greasy lips moving with a blind, touching optimism:
"Don't worry! Going to northern Jiangsu is like a dragon returning to the sea, or a tiger returning to the mountains! With my physique and strength..."

He pounded his thick chest with a heavy thud, "When I get to the countryside, I guarantee I'll earn a full set of work points! At the end of the year, when the grain is distributed, I'll send it all back so my parents can have a good meal! And so my three little ones can have white rice every meal!"

He waved the half-eaten, juicy goose leg in his hand as if waving a flag for a charge:

"I heard there are plenty of fish in the rivers in the countryside, and the eels in the fields are fat and strong! When the time comes, I'll catch some eels by hand, grill them over a fire, and they'll smell amazing! Sizzling and dripping with oil! They're almost as good as roast goose! Haha!"

He laughed heartily, his broad shoulders shaking with laughter, but his eyes burned with a youthful, almost tyrannical courage and a fearless yearning for the unknown.

(End of this chapter)