How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

In the early morning, the mist over the Taihang Mountains had not yet dissipated.

The roar of excavators has become the biological clock of Xujia Village.

Xu An crawled out of bed.

Her hair looked like a bird's nest.

He glanced at the Huawei Extraordinary Master tablet placed on the windowsill.

I forgot to charge it last night, and the battery still has 80% left.

This domestically produced phone has really impressive battery life.

Xu An wiped the dust off the lens.

I took a deep breath.

No pig slaughtering today.

No houses will be built.

The task I have to do today is even more daunting than slaughtering a pig, making Xu An's legs go weak.

Go find Second Uncle.

My second uncle's name is Xu Jianguo.

He was known in the village as a stubborn donkey and also a notorious drunkard.

When people see Xu An, they either scold him for wasting his education or complain that he's not strong enough.

Xu An was a little intimidated by him.

But then I thought of the melted candy that my third grandmother had last night.

Xu An thought.

There are some things that still need to be done.

He pulled out two dusty bottles of "Red Star Erguotou" from under the bed.

This is a gift I'm preparing for the Chinese New Year.

I can't worry about that now.

This is "toll money".

Xu An was carrying the wine and holding up his phone.

Push open the door.

Good morning, family.

"that……"

"I'll take you all to visit someone's neighborhood today."

"Everyone, please turn the volume down."

"I'm afraid that when my second uncle is cursing, it will shatter your phone screens."

The live stream attracted 100,000 viewers in seconds.

After yesterday's buzz, the number of followers has stabilized at 203 million.

【ID: Early Morning Worker】: Good morning, Xu An! Which divine elder is it today?

[ID wants to eat big pot dishes]: The blogger's appearance, carrying a wine bottle, looks like he's going to become sworn brothers.

[ID Social Anxiety Healing in Progress]: Looking at Xu An's cowardly appearance, I knew today's guest was not to be trifled with.

Xu An didn't dare to look at the comments.

He hunched his shoulders and walked eastward along the village path.

Second Uncle's family lives on the far east side of the village.

It was a lonely little courtyard.

We haven't even entered yet.

I could smell a pungent odor of alcohol.

And there was the sound of Shan Tianfang's storytelling coming from the radio.

"Clang clang."

Xu An knocked on the dilapidated wooden door.

Who is it?

A muffled roar came from inside.

It was like a thunderclap.

Xu An shuddered.

"Second Uncle, it's...it's me, Xu An."

"I've come to see you."

"Get in here!"

The door wasn't locked.

It opens with a single push.

The courtyard was empty.

There are no chickens, and no ducks.

There was just a bare old jujube tree.

Under the tree, there was a small, limping square table.

An old man as thin as a stick.

He was sitting cross-legged on that old rattan chair with exposed cotton wadding.

He was holding a chipped white tea mug in one hand.

He was holding a few peanuts in one hand.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

The old man had already started drinking.

This is my second uncle.

Xu An walked over and placed the two bottles of Erguotou on the table.

"Second Uncle".

"I brought you some water."

Second Uncle raised his eyelids.

Those eyes were small and cloudy.

But his eyes were like knives.

It hurts when it scratches your skin.

"snort."

"You've got some conscience after all."

"Unlike your deadbeat father, who was gone for more than ten years without ever coming back."

Xu An lowered his head.

There was no response.

Uncle Er unscrewed the bottle cap.

We don't need cups either.

He blew a mouthful straight into the bottle.

"ha--"

A strong smell of alcohol wafted out.

"that……"

Xu An carefully placed his phone aside.

"Second Uncle".

"This is... well, a live stream."

"Someone wants to hear your story."

The second uncle glanced at the phone that was bound with tape.

A hint of disdain lingered at the corner of his mouth.

"What are you going to say?"

"Tell me how I drink?"

"Or should I tell you how I curse people?"

"A bunch of idle people who have nothing better to do than eat and drink."

The live stream chat exploded with comments.

[ID Red Star Erguotou]: Holy crap! This old man has such a fiery temper! I like it!

[ID Sommelier]: Drinking 56-proof liquor on an empty stomach in the morning? That's ruthless!

[ID Psychologist]: Look closely at the old man's hands. They're so thin, yet he holds the wine bottle with incredible steadyness, without a single tremor.

Xu An scratched his head awkwardly.

"no."

"Let me tell you..."

"That injury on your leg."

Xu An pointed to the second uncle's straight left leg.

Even in the dead of winter.

Uncle Erda wasn't wearing cotton-padded trousers either.

He was just wearing a pair of thin trousers.

Roll up the pant legs.

A section of his calf, resembling dry tree bark, was exposed.

Above.

There is a winding, twisted scar.

Purplish-black.

It looks like a centipede crawling on your leg.

ferocious.

terror.

Second Uncle was stunned for a moment.

The bottle in his hand froze in mid-air.

The fierce look in his eyes suddenly disappeared.

It has become somewhat hollow.

It's quite far.

It was as if they could see through Xu An, see through the phone, and see through the layers of mountains.

I looked towards a distant, snow-covered place.

"hurt?"

Uncle Erda laughed.

His laughter was somewhat eerie.

"This is not an injury."

"This is Lao Tzu's weather forecast."

He stretched out his withered hand.

He patted the scar.

It made a "snap snap" sound.

"My legs felt itchy last night."

"I knew it, things were going to change."

"Look."

"Has the fog still not lifted today?"

Xu An nodded.

"Yes."

"Second Uncle, what exactly happened?"

"Was it... left over from the war back then?"

Xu An's voice was very soft.

They were afraid of touching some taboo.

The chat in the live stream instantly fell silent.

Everyone held their breath.

Uncle Erda took a swig of wine.

Smack his lips.

"fight?"

"Is that what you call fighting a war?"

"That's called risking your life."

Second Uncle put his legs down.

His eyes became somewhat unfocused.

"That's 50."

"It's even colder than this."

"It's so cold you have to carry a stick when you pee, lest you freeze into an icicle."

"We're lying there."

"Three days and three nights."

There's no food.

"Just one potato per person."

"They were frozen solid, like pebbles."

"Want some?"

"You have to warm it up in your armpit before you can peel off a layer of skin."

Xu An remained silent.

I just listened quietly.

Mobile phone camera lens.

He aimed at his second uncle's deeply lined face.

"Back then."

"I'm not called Second Uncle."

"My name is machine gunner Xu Jianguo."

"That's a name that crawled out of a pile of dead bodies."

The second uncle's voice was very calm.

It's like talking about what you ate this morning.

That night.

"Those foreign devils' planes blew the sky up."

"That shrapnel."

"It looks like a red-hot sheet of iron."

"Sizzle."

"It burrowed into the flesh."

"I didn't feel any pain at the time."

"It just feels warm."

"I even told the squad leader, 'Squad leader, this foreigner is so thoughtful, he brought us hand warmers.'"

Uncle Erda said this.

He chuckled twice.

I laughed until I cried.

"And then?"

Xu An asked.

"later?"

Uncle Er slammed the wine bottle on the table.

"Later, the class monitor was gone."

"The platoon leader is gone too."

"There are thirty-six people in the whole row."

"I'm the only cripple left."

"Take this piece of metal with you."

"I'm back."

wind.

The wind blew through the courtyard.

The branches of the old jujube tree swayed.

It makes a rustling sound.

In the live stream room.

Online users: 230 million.

Not a single comment was joking or laughing.

The entire screen is:

【pay tribute!】

Old soldiers never die!

That wasn't a drunkard; that was a living monument!

Xu An looked at his second uncle.

Suddenly I realized...

The man in front of me was thin, a heavy drinker, and had a bad temper.

It became incredibly tall.

It was so tall that he had to look up at it.

"Second Uncle".

"So...do you regret it?"

Second Uncle glanced at Xu An sideways.

It's like looking at a fool.

"regret?"

"Regret my ass!"

He pointed to the phone in Xu An's hand.

He then pointed to the roaring excavators in the distance.

"If it weren't for that battle back then..."

"You think you can just wander around with this thing like that?"

"You actually have the time to listen to this old codger's ramblings?"

"What a wonderful day."

"They're all those same guys."

"I risked my life to pave this way for you!"

After Uncle Er finished speaking...

Pick up the wine bottle.

in one breath.

They finished off the remaining half bottle of wine.

"Cough cough cough..."

He started coughing violently.

He coughed until his face turned red and his neck swelled.

I coughed so hard that tears and snot streamed down my face.

But he was still laughing.

"happy!"

"That was fucking awesome!"

"Anwazi!"

"Got it!"

"This is Xu Family Village."

"Although poor."

"Although it's broken."

"But every brick here, every handful of soil."

"They're all clean!"

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble here..."

"I have a lame leg."

"I could still break his spine!"

Xu An's eyes reddened.

He stood up.

No extra language is needed.

No emotional background music is needed.

He was facing his second uncle.

Deeply.

He bowed.

"Second Uncle".

"I've got it."

In the live stream room.

The gift effects exploded like a tidal wave.

But this time.

Nobody shouted "666".

The screen was filled with red national flags.

[ID: Huixian Culture and Tourism]: It has been verified that Xu Jianguo was a soldier in a special-class meritorious company of a certain unit of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. Veteran hero, Huixian salutes you!

[ID: Chinese Veteran]: Salute! Old Squad Leader!

[ID wants to go to Xujia Village]: I cried. Seriously. This is the true essence of Xujia Village. This isn't a hollowed-out village; it's a village of heroes!

Xu An looked at the comments on the screen.

I want to tell my second uncle.

But the second uncle had already lay back down in the rattan chair.

With eyes closed.

He was still clutching the empty wine bottle tightly in his hand.

It's like clutching that machine gun from back then.

The storytelling on the radio was still going on.

To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next installment...

Xu An quietly picked up her phone.

They left the courtyard.

Close the door gently.

Sunlight.

Finally, we broke through the thick fog.

It spilled onto the mottled wooden door.

It also spilled on Xu An.

Xu An thought.

The burden on one's shoulders.

It seems to have gotten heavier.

But this kind of sinking.

It makes him feel at ease.

"Family members."

Xu An was walking back.

His voice was a little hoarse.

"Second Uncle drank too much."

"Asleep."

"that……"

"Actually, there are many elderly people like this in the village."

"For example, Aunt Wu, who likes to make clothes for cats."

"I used to be a primary school teacher in the village, and I taught for forty years."

"For example, there's Grandpa Liu who's always sharpening scissors at the village entrance."

"It used to be a model for repairing the Yellow River dike."

"They're all here."

"To guard this mountain."

"To stay and protect this home."

"I think."

"Our cafeteria."

"We need to cover it up quickly."

"We cannot let heroes be..."

"Let's not eat cold food again."