Chapter 34

Li Dong, through several observations and Huang Shengnu's excellent performance, confirmed his guess: this was a comrade who shared his ideals.

Three times she had come out during the work period, which fully demonstrated that Comrade Huang Shengnu had a smart head, a trait very similar to his own. As a master of taking leaves, Li Dong gave Huang Shengnu a thumbs up.

Laziness, this trait fit perfectly. As for her love of food, Li Dong was even more impressed by Huang Shengnu, who could eat more than he could. A cute girl who would sell her 'body' and 'soul' for a meat bun and join the ranks of speculators was exactly the kind of partner Li Dong needed.

Yes, it was her. A lazy, smart, and gluttonous person—perfect. Li Dong thought, how could there be such a perfect person in the world?

Li Dong always believed that there were two types of people who engaged in speculation: the smart and the lazy gluttons.

The smart ones saw the opportunities, while the lazy gluttons saw a chance to slack off and get food.

Li Dong discovered for the first time that Huang Shengnu, besides being cute, had almost no flaws. What could he do? Not recruiting such a talent would be a waste.

Huang Shengnu felt a bit embarrassed under Li Dong's gaze and hesitated to pick up the meat dumplings. "Well, I'll think about it."

"Comrade Huang Shengnu, I hope you'll agree soon. This is a matter that can't wait," Li Dong said, looking at her. "I don't want you to regret it in the future, saying, 'Once, a plate of fragrant braised pork was placed before me, and I didn't cherish it. If someone offers me braised pork now, I'll tell them I'm willing and will even ask for extra soy sauce.'"

Ah, Huang Shengnu was moved. Two portions, that was just right. Braised pork, in an instant, Li Dong's sincere invitation to join the speculation became a big piece of braised pork.

Huang Shengnu swallowed, thinking, "That's a good point. I might really regret it. Imagine a plate of such sincere braised pork in front of me. If I miss it, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Alright, tell me, how can we eat meat every day?"

For the sake of meat, I, Huang Shengnu, am willing to do anything except sell my body. Even if it means betraying the revolution and selling my pure 'soul' to join the despised ranks of speculators, I am willing.

Li Dong gestured for her to come to the side, and they moved to a corner. "I've got some more shirts and a few sets of long johns. Can you help me figure out how to sell them?"

Sure enough, Huang Shengnu showed a hint of excitement. She didn't care about the clothes; they were all meat to her. "How about we go to the textile factory again, but this time we'll be more careful."

"Alright, but we need to be extra cautious this time." The last incident of being reported was still fresh in his mind.

They needed to coordinate their time well, as taking leave wasn't easy, especially for both of them at the same time. "In a few days, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival. We can say there's an activity at the commune, and the team should approve our leave." Huang Shengnu was indeed a good find.

Li Dong hadn't thought of the Mid-Autumn Festival. "Good, good idea. We'll meet at the entrance of the city inn early. This time, we have more clothes, so whether we can eat meat every day depends on this trip."

"Don't worry."

They agreed, and Huang Shengnu ate a few more meat dumplings, then waved and rode her creaky old bicycle away.

"If only I had a bicycle," Li Dong said, slapping his forehead. He hadn't thought of that. Next time, he would definitely bring one.

While Li Dong was staring at the bicycle, the children had finished the dumplings and meat, their mouths greasy.

"Dad, open your mouth," Xiaojuan said, holding two large meat dumplings for her father.

"Good girl."

Eating the meat dumplings, Li Dong patted Xiaojuan. What a good child, of course, she could also save money to repair the house and help her father find a wife, and always keep an eye on his pocket, which made her even more considerate.

After cleaning up the lunch box, Li Dong said to the children, "Are you all full?"

"Full."

"Good, study hard. I'm going back now." Li Dong packed up and went to the supply cooperative to find Gao Min, who helped him buy a bottle of wine. He had no choice; wine required coupons, and Li Dong didn't have any.

"Sister-in-law, tell Weimin that I've asked someone to handle it. In a couple of days, we'll have news. If he has time, he should go to Hanzhuang. I'll give him a definite answer, whether it works or not," Li Dong said, handing over the wine and putting it in his backpack. Indeed, having connections at the supply cooperative was helpful.

"Really, thank you so much."

Gao Min knew that Gao Weimin had asked Li Dong to help with something. Li Dong had come to the city early for this. "I don't have much, just some pastries for the kids." He handed over half a pound of almond cookies.

It was hard to buy pastries in the countryside, which required coupons. Unless you exchanged grain, but who would use their grain for pastries? Two pounds of grain for half a pound of pastries was too much for farmers.

Many rural children had never tasted almond cookies by the time they were seventeen or eighteen. In those days, almond cookies were genuine, with no shortcuts taken. "Thank you, sister-in-law. Tell Weimin that this time, we might get a men's watch. It was originally for my relative, but I don't need it. Tell Weimin to get a pair of couple's watches."

"Really?"

Gao Min was delighted. "Thank you so much."

She grabbed a handful of candy and gave it to Li Dong, who happily put it in his backpack. Gao Min warmly saw him off and said that if he needed anything, he should let her know, as long as the supply cooperative had it, it wasn't a problem.

Sigh, poor farmers. Without connections, they wouldn't know the joy of using backdoor channels. Li Dong was deeply moved. The sugar was sweet, and the almond cookies were fragrant.

He happily carried the backpack back to Hanzhuang, a journey of over ten miles, without stopping.

"Ah, Li Dong is back from the city."

Over a dozen women were picking cotton on the hillside. Seeing Li Dong return with a large backpack, they laughed and shouted, "What good things did you bring? Such a big bag."

"Nothing much."

Li Dong said, a bit embarrassed. "Two sets of long johns, and a few pairs of shoes for Xiaojuan. Not much, just some braised beef, a bottle of wine, some pastries, two pounds of mooncakes, and some seasonings."

"Nothing much?"

"Good grief, not much? A few sets of clothes and several pairs of shoes. My goodness, how many cloth coupons does that take?"

"Wow, city people are different. So many good things, and he says it's nothing much."

"What do the mooncakes look like?"

Some women asked what the mooncakes looked like. In the countryside, it was rare to eat mooncakes. In the city, a good family might get two or three, and a better-off family might get one or two.

Li Dong wasn't stingy. He took out a large mooncake, broke it into ten pieces, and shared it. The mooncake weighed half a pound and was the largest. If Xiaojuan saw it, she would cry. Her father was so careless.

"Try it."

"Oh."

The women quickly wiped their hands on their aprons. The mooncake looked oily and had meat inside.

"What kind of mooncake is this? It has meat?"

"It's from the south, a savory meat mooncake."

"It really has meat."

"Delicious."

Many people put a piece in their pockets to give to their children. Such delicious mooncakes were rare.

"Aren't these mooncakes expensive?"

"Not too much, about a yuan each."

How much? A yuan? Oh my, that's more than a pound of cooking oil. This kid says it's not much. Li Chunhua was shocked and quickly put the mooncake in her pocket. Her piece was big, at least two mao.

Good grief, a mooncake for a yuan, this isn't a mooncake, it's gold.

Before Li Dong even got home, the news spread in the village. Li Dong had brought back many good things, and a large mooncake cost a yuan, with meat inside. Many people told their wives about the meat mooncakes.

The oily, fragrant mooncakes made people's mouths water, but they were too precious to eat. The older folks shook their heads. "What a waste."

"A mooncake costs enough to buy rice for a family for three days."

"What a waste."

Indeed, a waste. Who had ever heard of a mooncake costing a yuan? Even red bean mooncakes, which cost only a mao, were too expensive for most people to buy.

Han Guofu almost came to Li Dong with a whip. "Dad, it's from his city relatives. You have no reason to find Li Dong."

"I don't believe it. What relative buys a mooncake for a yuan? I think he bought it himself."

Han Guofu was furious. He had thought Li Dong was doing well recently, but now, he was back to his old ways.

Li Dong didn't know his casual words had caused such a stir. He always found the savory meat mooncakes peculiar and didn't like them. He shared them, and the one-yuan price was just a casual remark. People always have their moments of showing off.

"Uncle Guofu."

Li Dong was organizing Xiaojuan's shoes and clothes, hanging them up, but he had no hangers.

Han Guofu saw three pairs of white Huili sneakers. Three new pairs of shoes at once—what kind of relative would be so generous? Han Guobing, who followed, also saw the two sets of long johns for adults and children.

The clothes looked expensive, and Han Guofu's face changed. "Did you sell the house?"

"No, not yet."

Li Dong trembled. Why were Uncle Guofu and Uncle Guobing here?

"Didn't you sell it?"

"We've agreed, but they're still gathering the money."

Li Dong invited them to sit down and drink water. "What's this?"

"A kaleidoscope, a toy for Xiaojuan."

Han Guofu fiddled with it but couldn't figure it out. Li Dong adjusted it, and Han Guofu was startled. "What is this?"

"A kaleidoscope, it shows colorful patterns inside."

Han Guobing took it and looked, but he was prepared. "Did your second uncle give you all these things?"

"And my cousin."

Li Dong wiped his sweat. Lying was getting harder. "Uncle, try the almond cookies."

They hesitated, took a bite, and put it in their pockets for their children. "Good, in a while, follow me to work. The team warehouse needs a new roof, and we'll cut reeds. We can fix your roof at the same time. It will take a while to build a new house, so let's fix the old one."

"Alright."

He thought there would be many people, but only he, Han Guofu, and a few others were there. Li Dong was assigned to Han Guofu's group. Li Dong took the scythe Han Guofu handed him and was confused. "Uncle Guofu, do you have another scythe?"

Oh my, this scythe looks different. How do I use it?

Han Guofu looked at Li Dong, who seemed clueless. What have I done, bringing back a city boy? "I'll teach you. Follow me, bend your waist a bit, and angle the blade. Don't make it too flat."

"Right, right, like this."

Li Dong cut two reeds and looked pleased. Not bad, his first success. Han Guofu, however, was not impressed. He looked around for a stick to beat Li Dong. Two reeds, at this rate, it would take until next year.

Han Guofu was on the verge of anger when Li Dong stopped celebrating. "Uncle Guofu, I got it."

Han Guofu felt a pain in his chest, a headache, and an urge to hit Li Dong. No, he was an excellent team leader, a dedicated cadre for the socialist cause. He couldn't be angered by this boy. He had to be strong and have a steel will.

Han Guofu took a deep breath and hit Li Dong's head with the reed. What excellent leader, what cadre, forget it. He had to hit this boy, or he would be driven mad.

Li Dong jumped away. What's wrong with Uncle Guofu? Is he having a seizure? Why is he hitting people? I haven't done anything to anger him.

"Uncle Guofu, let's talk."

"I don't want to talk."

This old man is having a seizure. Li Dong ran into the reeds.

"Hey, Uncle Guofu, a wild chicken."