Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Although only Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying ate lunch at home, they didn't make do with anything.

Zhao Fengying was in a great mood, especially since she had earned commission money again.

She also generously made oily and high-quality fried dough, stir-fried shredded potatoes, fried egg sauce and frozen cabbage, and chopped a green radish that she had just taken from the cellar.

Xu Bei's favorite food is the fried pancakes made by Zhao Fengying. They are soft, multi-layered, and have just the right amount of chewiness and saltiness.

Later, he ate all kinds of pancakes and tried to make them according to his mother's secret recipe of "three parts scalded dough and seven parts kneading," but none of them could compare to the pancakes his mother made.

Now that we have the chance to go back in time, of course we have to eat and drink to our hearts' content.

Furthermore, adding some scallions to the potato rolls and pairing them with crisp and refreshing green radishes preserved in the cellar makes it even more appetizing.

Then, frozen cabbage dipped in egg sauce is also exceptionally delicious.

After a satisfying meal, lying on the warm kang (heated brick bed) and listening to the radio broadcast of "The Legend of Yue Fei," which is currently a nationwide hit, feels both comfortable and blissful.

Perhaps many times, a beautiful afternoon in life may seem ordinary at the time, but it will be something you will savor and reminisce about every time you think of it afterward.

Around 1 p.m. is considered the hottest time of day.

Xu Bei didn't rush out. Instead, he put on his work clothes and started chopping firewood in the yard.

Winters in the forest are long, lasting several months, so living in a single-story house means you'll feel cold around a fire and need to burn a lot of firewood.

Aside from the firewood provided by some work units, people usually collect it from the mountains by pulling a cart or sled.

Dead standing logs on the mountain, fallen trees on the mountain, felled crooked trees, and large branches can all be chopped into firewood.

Sometimes a large family goes into the mountains to collect a lot of firewood, sometimes even enough for one or two years.

The collected firewood is processed into sections and stacked into firewood piles. After being exposed to the wind and sun for a year or two, it is completely dried and covered with a weathered dark brown coat before it becomes a large firewood that can be used for burning.

Almost every household has more than one stack of firewood, distributed in front of or behind the house or outside the gate.

If you see someone's firewood stacks neatly arranged, it clearly indicates that the family is a thrifty and hardworking household.

As the saying goes, "If you don't follow the grain when chopping wood, you'll work yourself to death."

Don't underestimate the task of chopping firewood; there are some skills involved.

However, Xu Bei, who was born and raised in the forest area, has been using a small axe since he was a few years old, and is already a skilled veteran.

He used his waist and abdomen to swing his arms down sharply.

With a crisp "snap!" the axe blade sliced ​​the wood in two cleanly, like cutting tofu, following the grain of the wood.

Next, Xu Bei's axe rose and fell, making rhythmic cracking sounds.

Although it was sunny outside and the temperature was below minus thirty degrees Celsius, he didn't feel cold at all; on the contrary, the drier it got, the warmer he felt.

Afterwards, Zhao Fengying saw that her son had chopped up such a large pile, so she put on gloves and came out of the house to help.

The mother and son carried the chopped firewood into the woodshed and stacked it up.

The longer ones were used for heating the stove pit, while the shorter ones were used for heating the furnace.

While wiping the sweat from his brow, Xu Bei glanced at the time on his watch. "Why isn't my dad back yet? Doesn't he have the night shift tonight? Shouldn't he get some sleep and rest?"

The timber processing plant is constantly sawing houses. The night shift usually runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, which is quite exhausting.

"I guess he was helping someone with their chainsaw and firewood, and then he got drunk and started drinking," Zhao Fengying said with some complaint. "He doesn't put any effort into his own work, but he's so enthusiastic about helping others. I don't even want to say anything to him. Luckily, I have a son who's been able to work since he was little, so I don't have to rely on him."

Xu Bei suddenly burst into laughter.

In fact, he had become numb to his parents' constant bickering and arguing throughout their lives, this pattern of things being good one day and bad the next.

"Then Mom, you can count on me. Your son will definitely not let you down."

Zhao Fengying was pleased and said, "I think so too. My son is the most reliable."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Dashan returned from outside.

You can tell from the way he walks that he's been drinking a lot.

"Why are you back so early? I was thinking you were going to finish your work for someone else before going to work at your office, you've been working non-stop."

Faced with Zhao Fengying's sarcastic remarks, Xu Dashan, whose face was flushed from drinking, waved his hand and said, "You old woman, are you using me like a donkey? Hurry up and get me some tea to sober up... No, my stomach hurts so badly, I need to go to the outhouse first."

"Lazy donkey on the millstone, always pooping and peeing." Zhao Fengying complained, but obediently went into the house.

Xu Bei was too lazy to get involved in the couple's next bickering or argument.

After changing out of his work clothes and washing his hands, he put on his outdoor clothes and shoes, then pushed out his clean and dry secondhand bicycle and left home.

When we finally reached the bustling streets, it was still more than an hour before my sister, Xu Juan, would get off the bike after returning from the city. It was freezing cold, and there were limited places we could go.

Therefore, Xu Bei decisively chose to go to the cinema to watch a movie.

Although there isn't enough time to watch the whole thing, it's still better than wandering around in a store or freezing on the street or by the river.

The cinema of Beishan Forestry Bureau is located on Beidao Road, and it is very close to the Beida Building.

To meet the cultural and entertainment needs of local employees, the cinema is not only a place to screen films, but also a large auditorium, and a place where many young people fall in love.

The architecture is both ancient and grand, making it arguably the most attractive place in an era where material entertainment is scarce.

The area in front of the movie theater is always bustling, and people often stop to see what movies are showing.

A regular ticket usually costs between 15 and 25 cents.

Student or child tickets cost around 10 cents.

The film market of that era was also very interesting, featuring both domestically produced patriotic blockbusters and imported films intended for internal screening.

In addition, before each movie screening, some news briefings and other propaganda and educational videos are shown.

Before Xu Bei even reached the destination, he saw a large number of people at the entrance of the movie theater and on the steps.

It must have been right after the last movie ended.

Remembering that his childhood friend Dahei had mentioned that "The Herdsman" was still showing in theaters, Xu Bei decided to find a place to lock his car and then go to the ticket window to see if he could buy a ticket for the movie.

As soon as he bent down to lock his bicycle and took the key out of his hand, a woman's voice rang out behind him.

"Brother Xiao Bei, why aren't you at work?"

Xu Bei subconsciously turned around and looked back.

Then, he saw a very stylish young woman walking briskly towards him...