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

Xujia Village, White Rabbit Canteen.

The atmosphere was a bit eerie.

Second Uncle Xu Qiang had already circled the sack of red pine nuts eighteen times.

His hands, which had handled walnuts and signed multi-million dollar contracts, were now carefully holding a pine nut, his gaze more affectionate than when he looked at his first love.

"What a waste!"

"What a waste!"

Uncle Er slapped his thigh suddenly, pointing at Xu An with a pained expression: "Anzi, do you know what this thing is called when it's displayed on a plate in those high-end clubs?"

"That's called 'Changbai Mountain Black Diamond'!"

"Eighty? That's the purchase price! Once it's on the table, it has to be sold by the piece! Five yuan each!"

"You're actually going to use it to wrap glutinous rice balls?!"

My second uncle felt that his blood pressure was a little high.

This is like someone using Moutai to stew pig's trotters, or using Lafite to mix with Sprite.

Xu An squatted on the ground, holding a small hammer, and was cracking pine nut shells one by one.

"Second Uncle, you said it yourself, that's a private club."

"This is the cafeteria."

"Besides, Lao Wei said this is for the village kids."

"If you sell it and turn it into cash, it won't feel the same."

Xu An didn't even look up before popping a freshly peeled, plump pine nut into his mouth.

I chewed it.

"It smells so good."

In the live stream, over a million netizens watched this scene, their mouths watering.

[ID Lemon Spirit]: Five yuan a piece... If the streamer takes one bite, will I have to work half a day?

[ID: Hatred of the Rich]: Second Uncle is right, this is too extravagant! I suggest sending it to me, I'll help you bear this pain!

[ID: Human Sober]: Anzi did the right thing! Some things become vulgar once a price is put on them. These pine nuts represent Lao Wei's heart; can the heart be sold?

Uncle was so angry at Xu An's stubborn attitude that he gritted his teeth.

But in the end, he still sighed.

He quietly crouched down, took out his limited-edition Zippo lighter from his pocket, and offered to help crack the walnuts.

"have to."

"You're the boss, you make the decisions."

"Leave me a bowl later, I'll post it on my WeChat Moments to show off a little."

……

The pine nut incident is over.

Xu An wiped his hands and took out the rusty tin box again.

Since I've agreed to be a postman, I can't give up halfway.

Yesterday, I sent Lao Wei's letter, and it brought tears to the eyes of the entire internet.

Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, so we should do something festive.

Xu An rummaged through the box.

Some of the envelopes were rotten, and some had illegible handwriting.

Sudden.

A letter bearing a 4-cent stamp and an envelope with a drawing of a large red rooster caught his attention.

The handwriting on the envelope was very neat, written with an old-fashioned dip pen.

Between the strokes, there is a sense of "horizontal and vertical lines" like a bricklayer building a wall.

[To: Comrade Liu Shufen, Tofu Shop, Liuwan Commune.]

[Sender: Wang Degui, Construction Team]

Date: December 1982.

Xu An raised an eyebrow.

Liuwan?

Isn't that in the next town? It's only about 20 kilometers away from Xujia Village.

It is a famous "water town" because there is an old spring there, and the tofu made there is so tender that you can squeeze water out of it.

"Family members."

Xu An showed the envelope to the camera.

"We're not going far today."

"Let's go visit someone in Willow Bay next door."

"Look at these names... Shufen, Degui..."

"I have a feeling this might be a love letter that's forty years overdue."

The live stream chat instantly went wild.

[ID: Spectator]: Wow! Love letters from that era? Weren't they quite subtle? Like, "I want to build socialism with you"?

[ID: Ke Xuejia]: My guess is that they broke up because of a long-distance relationship! Or maybe their parents didn't approve!

[ID Liuwanren]: Holy crap! Liu Shufen? Isn't that Grandma Liu who sells tofu at the entrance of our village?

As Xu An watched the comments, a bit of gossip was burning within him.

Could we witness a reunion of two people in their twilight years today?

Without saying a word, he carefully put the letter away.

I didn't ride that tricycle either, since it was the second day of the Lunar New Year and there were many people visiting relatives on the road, making it too congested for tricycles.

With a wave of his hand, his second uncle tossed him the keys to the Raptor pickup truck.

"Drive this one!"

"Support us mail carriers!"

……

Twenty minutes later.

The black raptor, resembling a wild beast, stopped at the entrance of Liuwan Village.

This car is too big to fit into the alley.

Xu An had no choice but to get off the car and walk.

As soon as you enter the village, a rich aroma of soybeans wafts over you.

That's the unique rich aroma of soybeans in this season, mixed with a...

A strange, burning smell? Like someone's house is on fire.

Xu An sniffed.

"This flavor... is a bit intoxicating."

Holding a selfie stick, he followed the scent inside.

Liuwan Village is small, but it has a lot of character.

Every household has bamboo sieves hanging at their door, on which bean curd sheets and dried bean curd sticks are laid out to dry.

In the very center of the village, at the house with the largest crowd, thick black smoke was billowing from its chimney.

No need to ask, that's Liu Shufen's house.

Xu An leaned closer to take a look.

Good guy.

A long line formed at the entrance, all there to buy tofu.

An old woman with gray hair, wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, was standing with her hands on her hips in front of a large iron pot.

Holding a large iron ladle, he cursed loudly.

"Why are you squeezing in?!"

"Rushing to be reborn?"

"This is the only pot of smoked tofu we're having today!"

"Limit of two per person! Anyone who takes more will have their hand smacked with a spoon!"

This old lady...

That's pretty tough.

Xu An shrank back, his social anxiety radar going off like crazy.

If I went up there and said, "I'm here to deliver a letter," would I be mistaken for cutting in line and get smacked?

But we're already here.

Hundreds of thousands of netizens are watching.

Xu An gritted his teeth and squeezed through the crowd.

"Um... ma'am?"

"I'm from Xujia Village..."

The old lady was busy serving tofu and didn't even look up.

"What's wrong with people from Xujia Village? Does that mean they can cut in line?"

"Get in line at the back!"

Xu An blushed and quickly waved his hand.

"No... I'm not buying tofu."

"I'm here to deliver a message!"

"To Liu Shufen... Comrade Liu."

Upon hearing the name "Liu Shufen," the old lady paused for a moment, her spoon still in her hand.

She raised her head, and her still shrewd eyes sized Xu An up and down.

"That's me."

"Do people still send letters these days?"

"An IOU or a parking ticket?"

Xu An quickly took out the letter and handed it over with both hands.

"It's... a letter from forty years ago."

The sender's name is... Wang Degui.

"when!"

A crisp sound.

The old woman smashed the large iron ladle in her hand directly onto the edge of the pot.

The previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent.

The old lady, who had exuded an aura of authority just moments before, visibly changed her expression.

It was three parts surprise, three parts recollection, and ninety-four parts... murderous intent.

"Wang Degui?!"

The old woman gritted her teeth and squeezed out those three words.

"That damned bricklayer?!"

"He still dares to write?!"

Xu An was so frightened that he took a step back. This script wasn't right!

Isn't it a love letter? Isn't it about the golden years?

Why does it sound like mortal enemies?

Viewers in the live stream were also stunned.

[ID: MelonDropped]: Holy crap? This reaction is weird! Could it be a case of starting something and then abandoning it?

[ID Detective]: Bricklayer... Could it be that Wang Degui absconded with the project funds back then?

[ID: Trembling]: Run, streamer! I feel like the old lady is going to throw tofu at someone!

The old lady grabbed the envelope.

With his calloused fingers, he ripped the envelope open with a "rip".

The movements were so rough it was as if they were tearing Wang Degui's face off.

Take out the letter and unfold it.

Although Xu An didn't dare to get too close, his high-definition phone camera still faithfully recorded the contents of the letter.

There weren't many words, and there were even a few typos.

Comrade Shufen:

sorry!

I ran away.

When I was building that tofu stove for you yesterday, I was so focused on watching you that I built the flue backwards.

I didn't leave enough space in the smoke return vent, so the smoke will definitely back up when the stove is lit.

Your tofu shop will probably be turned into a spiderweb cave by the smoke.

I have no face to see you.

I can't afford to pay that.

I heard that you can make money working in the south.

I went to Shenzhen.

Once I've earned enough money to rebuild the stove, I'll come back and kowtow to you to apologize!

and also……

Actually, what I wanted to say was...

The flue was installed backwards because I was distracted.

It looks so beautiful when you make tofu.

Wang Degui.

1982.12.20]

Xu An finished reading the letter.

stunned.

The hundreds of thousands of viewers in the live stream were also stunned.

Immediately afterwards, the comments section went wild.

[ID burst out laughing]: Hahahaha! This is the truth?!

[ID Architecture Department]: What the hell?! I was so focused on seeing that you built the chimney backwards! That reason... is too hardcore!

[ID Top-Level Understanding]: This isn't a love letter! It's a confession of a crime! It's an engineering accident liability determination report!

[ID Dihualiu]: Wait a minute... the stove is built backwards, the smoke is backflowing... the smoke is coming out... Holy crap?!

Xu An suddenly looked at the large pot.

Then I looked at the chimney billowing black smoke.

Then look at the dark, shiny tofu that the diners are queuing up to buy, emitting a strange, burnt aroma.

The case is solved! The whole case is solved!

The shoddy construction project that reversed the flue back then did not ruin Liu Shufen's business.

On the contrary, it's because of that unique, unreplicable smoky flavor.

This pot of tofu has been smoked and transformed into an "intangible cultural heritage" of Liuwan Village!

No wonder the old lady gritted her teeth whenever Wang Degui was mentioned.

Is that hatred?

That's anger!

I'm so angry at that idiot! He did a "good deed," but because he was a coward, he scared himself away!

This run lasted for forty years.

"This...idiot!"

Liu Shufen looked at the letter, and as she read, she smiled.

As I laughed, tears started to fall.

She slapped her thigh and pointed at the letter, cursing:

"I knew this stove was choking no matter how it was used!"

"I knew it! This tofu had this smoky smell that just wouldn't go away!"

"So you, you little bastard, built it upside down for me?!"

"I've been coughing for forty years because of this stove!"

"A cough led to a millionaire!"

"What the hell are you running for?!"

"Come back!"

"Come back and fix my stove!"

As the old woman continued cursing, she squatted down on the ground, covered her face, and burst into tears.

The villagers queuing up to buy tofu looked at each other, unsure whether to offer advice or laugh.

Xu An stood to the side, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Forty years.

One thought he had committed a terrible crime and left his hometown to atone for his sins.

One person, who guarded this "mistaken" stove, unexpectedly benefited from the misfortune but ended up living a life of widowhood.

Why haven't you contacted me?

Because in those days, there were no cell phones or WeChat.

Wang Degui ran away without even leaving an address.

He thought Liu Shufen must hate him to death, and might even have gone bankrupt.

He dared not ask, dared not inquire.

And Liu Shufen.

She thought Wang Degui either disliked her or had his eye on the outside world and dumped her without a word.

The two people are separated by a mountain and a knot in their hearts, just twenty kilometers apart.

I missed half my life.

"aunt……"

Xu An squatted down and handed him a tissue.

"So... did Grandpa Wang come back later?"

Liu Shufen wiped her nose and said fiercely:

"Come back my ass!"

"If he dares to come back, I'll smash him to death with tofu!"

Just then, in Xu An's live stream room.

A comment with a gold border floated by weakly.

[ID Shenzhen Lao Wang (verified: Chairman of XX Construction Group): Um... Shufen.]

[ID: Shenzhen Lao Wang: Is it too late for me to go back now?]

[ID: Shenzhen Lao Wang: I'm rich now. I can not only fix your stove, I can also build you a tofu factory.]

[ID Shenzhen Lao Wang: Also... the way you swear is still so handsome.]

Xu An looked at this comment.

My hand trembled, and I almost dropped my phone into the pot.

Goodness, is this live stream cursed?

Yesterday, a forestry expert was exposed; today, a construction tycoon has been revealed?

This isn't live-streaming e-commerce, it's a nationwide manhunt!

Xu An took a deep breath and shoved his phone screen in front of Liu Shufen.

"aunt."

"Don't cry yet."

"That guy who built the stove..."

"He turned himself in."