Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

It was a little after 5 p.m.

He Daqing greeted Boss Jin and left work early.

After leaving Zhimei Building, he headed straight for the bicycle repair shop not far away—that area was filled with bicycles and tricycles, a place where rickshaw pullers in the city often gathered.

As soon as He Daqing arrived, a dark-skinned man in his thirties exclaimed in surprise:

"Cai Quanwu, you've struck it rich, haven't you? You've got a whole new outfit! What happened to all those old rags?"

"Wait a minute, you've aged so much in just half a day!"

He Daqing felt reassured.

We've found the right place.

He walked slowly around in front of the man, his hands behind his back, then turned his head to look at him:

"What, is this Cai Quanwu I told you about really that similar?"

"By the way, where is Cai Quan?"

The man then realized he had mistaken the person for someone else.

The man then realized he had mistaken someone for someone else, but he wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he circled around He Daqing, marveling at him.

"You're really not Cai Quanwu?"

"But their faces are so similar! It's just that their spirit and energy are different."

"Hey bro, you guys aren't related, are you?"

"He went to the grain depot to unload grain this afternoon, he should be back soon, and he'll definitely stop here to rest later."

"If you're looking for him, wait here for a bit."

He Daqing found a place to squat down and asked the people around him about Cai Quanwu's situation.

They are all people who work at the bottom, and they know each other very well.

Cai Quanwu is a loser.

They made a living by carrying heavy loads and doing manual labor.

They also rented a tricycle with a partner named Qiangzi, and the two of them took turns pedaling it to earn some hard-earned money.

He Daqing felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, thinking of his son whom he had never met, who was living such a hard life. Fortunately, they were finally able to recognize each other, and things would get better in the future.

Not long after, someone next to them shouted:

"Cai Quanwu is here!"

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around, all of whom recognized Cai Quanwu and wanted to see what would happen when these two identical-looking people met.

He Daqing stared at the young man walking towards him, whose face was almost a carbon copy of his own, and he was stunned on the spot.

I never expected this child to look so much like me.

He doesn't resemble anyone else at all; he looks exactly like someone from the He family.

He Daqing's feelings were complicated. He opened his mouth and first revealed his identity:

"that……"

"You can tell now, can't you? I'm your dad."

Cai Quanwu paused for a moment, stared at He Daqing for a few seconds, and suddenly threw a punch:

"I'm your grandpa!"

He Daqing staggered from the blow, and his anger flared up instantly—

This is outrageous! The son dares to hit his father!

I must discipline him properly today and establish the father's authority.

But he overestimated himself.

Although being a cook meant he wasn't physically weak, Cai Quanwu was young and strong, having done hard labor every day. The two wrestled together, and for a while, neither could gain the upper hand.

Seeing that things were not going well, the people nearby quickly stepped forward and pulled the two apart.

About ten minutes later, on the stone pillar by the roadside.

He Daqing and Cai Quanwu sat side by side.

They were all panting.

He Daqing took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one for himself, and tossed one to Cai Quanwu.

He Daqing took a deep breath before speaking:

"Back then, your mother and I met in the Eight Great Hutongs..."

He Daqing slowly recounted the events of that year to Cai Quanwu in detail.

Then he sighed:

"I know you must have suffered a lot over the years, and I understand if you have any complaints, but one must always look forward."

"By the way, who else is in your family? Do you have a wife yet...?"

Cai Quanwu scoffed:

"Don't try to glorify yourself."

"I don't feel anything for you. That punch I just threw was something I promised my mother back then."

"You don't need to pity me, I'm not as miserable as you think."

"My parents are both good to me. My father doesn't look down on me and treats me like his own child. He even supports my education."

"It's just that the war in previous years wiped out my family, which is why things are like this now."

"If you have to blame someone, blame the world."

The two squatted by the roadside, smoking one cigarette after another until the cigarettes burned their buttocks.

He Daqing tossed his cigarette butt aside and spoke again:

"Come back with me."

"On my side, you have a younger brother named He Yuzhu. He's a bit simple-minded, and everyone in the neighborhood calls him Silly Zhu. He's eighteen this year and works as a cook, just like me."

"I also have a younger sister named He Yushui, who is eight years old and in elementary school."

"I just heard them say that they carry heavy bags and drive tricycles, earning hard-earned money."

"You can continue pedaling a tricycle, or you can learn to cook. Although you started a little late, the He family's offspring are born to be chefs."

"You're not young anymore."

"Keep it this way."

"It's so hard to even find a wife."

Even if you have grievances, at least try to make the most of your life.

……

night.

The Jia family home was unusually lively.

Many people from the courtyard flocked to the central courtyard, especially the young men.

Because Jia Dongxu, without making a sound, brought a girl home after get off work.

Although she wasn't as stunning as Qin Huairu, she was still quite pretty. Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, and their group were naturally curious and all crowded around.

Jia Dongxu led Chen Ting around the yard, watching Sha Zhu and the others with envious expressions, feeling extremely smug.

"Chen Ting, let me introduce you. These are all people from our department."

"This is Sha Zhu, he's a bit of a simpleton, you can call him Sha Zhu from now on, that's fine. And that pointy-faced guy next to him is Xu Damao, he's got a lot of bad ideas..."

Sha Zhu and Xu Damao exchanged glances and couldn't help but purse their lips.

Now they are brothers in a united front.

Xu Damao reached out to strike up a conversation:

"Hello, Comrade Chen Ting, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Don't listen to that bastard Jia Dongxu's nonsense. Let me tell you, he's done a lot of bad things in the past, things he definitely didn't tell you. Let us tell you all about it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Dongxu pushed him away.

He hasn't even properly shaken hands with Chen Ting yet; Xu Damao is just asking for a beating.

Chen Ting saw it all but assumed it was just young people playing around.

He smiled and looked towards the Jia family's house:

"Dongxu, I see Auntie is busy by herself. Let's go over and lend a hand, and make dinner together."

Actually, it's just a simple meal, there's no need for help at all.

Jia Dongxu told Jia Zhangshi in the morning that he would bring a girl back in the evening, but Jia Zhangshi still only prepared a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes, a plate of stir-fried cabbage and eggs, and a few steamed buns.

The food was even worse than when Jia Dongxu went on his last blind date.

In Jia Zhangshi's view, this girl was obviously trying too hard to get close to her son, so she had to first test her attitude and let her know who was in charge in the family.

Chen Ting didn't quite understand Jia Zhangshi's personality.

The first time they came, there wasn't even any meat or vegetables, and their expressions weren't very pleasant.

But the thought of becoming a city dweller after marriage and starting a new life here, with no one knowing about her past, made her swallow her grievances.

Seeing that Chen Ting was quick and efficient and attentive, Jia Zhangshi was slightly satisfied.

During the meal, Jia Zhangshi inquired about the other party's family situation.