First volume of imprisonment Chapter 4: Working (Part 1)
Before the Chinese New Year, the gun captain still paid back the Yu family's money. The oranges sold at home made more than 300 yuan in total. He paid off the debt, bought three catties of meat and 100 catties of rice, and left the rest to the old man for living expenses. The corn harvested last year can be eaten until June if it is frugal. If the pigs bought on credit grow well, they can be released in August or September. By then, he can pay back the money for the piglets, and it can barely support the old and the child until the end of the year. But what to do with the few months in between?
The gun commander thought that he had no choice but to go out to work. Zhang Sanwaer was just a simple-minded boy who worked hard, but he could earn money to buy a TV. Am I not as good as him? In terms of education, I at least went to junior high school for half a year, while Zhang Sanwaer only had a high school diploma. But the only one who could earn money by working outside was this bastard. Maybe I, the gun commander, would have to put down my face and beg him to lead the way, point out the east, west, south, and north, and help him out if anything happened in the future.
It would be better to ask someone to help him, lest this Zhang kid be ungrateful. Who should I ask? I'll ask the third sister of the uncle's family to talk to him. I think the third Zhang kid should give me some face, right?
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, according to rural etiquette, the New Year is not over until the first month is over, and people who visit houses have to carry something in their hands to express their gratitude, especially when visiting rich families, they cannot go empty-handed. Qiang Chang almost broke his teeth before he made up his mind to spend twelve yuan to buy a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of liquor to go to Chen Cangshu's house to pay New Year's greetings. Looking at the things in two black plastic bags, Chen Cangshu was very surprised to see that this guy who almost became his stepson actually came to pay New Year's greetings on New Year's day. The sun rose from the west. How could such a poor and rundown family, the father and son who couldn't even take care of their wives, have money to buy things?
No matter what, a visitor is a guest. He let the spearman into the main hall, poured water and handed over cigarettes. After a busy time, Chen Cangshu narrowed his eyes and asked, "I say, Siqing, no one comes to the temple for no reason. If you have any difficulties, just tell me. After all, we are from the same ancestor."
The spear leader felt a warm current passing through his heart, and with red eyes he looked at Chen Cangshu and said, "Master, I want to ask my third sister to help me ask for a favor."
Chen Cangshu asked curiously, "Can your third sister help you ask for favors? Tell me, what kind of favors are they?"
The gun captain tried his best to maintain a sincere look on his face. He still had a vague hope in his heart: How great would it be if the man in front of him was really his father? It was a pity that his mother didn't have an affair with him, otherwise... He collected his thoughts, thought about the wording, and then slowly said: "My family's situation is a bit difficult this year. There may be no rice to eat in August and September, so I want to go out to work. But I have never been out of the house, so I don't know the depths. When you go out, I heard that there are also very chaotic places. It doesn't matter if something happens to me. If it gets out and it embarrasses our family, it will be unacceptable. I would like to trouble my third sister to talk to Zhang Sanwaer for me. Going out with him, I dare not talk about making money first, but it is a good thing to be able to stand on my own outside. After all, more people mean more ways. He was also taken there by others in the beginning."
Chen Cangshu looked at the spear captain in astonishment. Did someone teach him to say this? Don't I know what the spear captain is thinking? But no matter what, what he said was very reasonable and polite, which made Chen Cangshu happy from the bottom of his heart. Even my third daughter can help with things. This at least shows his prestige in the family. Chen Cangshu "considered" for a while before saying: "Siqing, what you said is not a difficult matter, and your words are very reasonable. This matter is easy to handle. I think you should buy two packs of cigarettes and some wine, and I will ask your third sister to take you to Zhang Sanwaer's house to ask for favors!"
The spear captain felt bitter when he heard this, and his face turned pale. Isn't this asking for his life? Who the hell is this Zhang Sanwa to deserve me to bow to him?
Chen Cangshu saw that the gun chief looked very unnatural, and immediately understood the relationship. For him, this matter was a way to enjoy the scenery while taking a shit. He glanced at the black plastic bag that the gun chief put on the table. There was a pack of cigarettes and a pound of wine. This might be the last gift that the gun chief could show. Hesitating whether to help the gun chief? Two packs of cigarettes were nothing to him. He could give them, but what was the benefit? If the gun chief went out and performed as he said just now, he should not be worse than Zhang Sanwaer. Well, this thing was nothing big. Just treat it as a long-term investment. If this bastard had a promising future, he would also be grateful for what happened today.
Thinking of this, she called out, "Sixth sister... bring your brother Siqing two bottles of wine and two packs of cigarettes."
The gun master hurriedly shouted: "Master, no, I can't let you do this!" Chen Cangshu waved his hand and said majestically: "Listen to me, when you have a promising future, don't forget my painstaking efforts!"
The gun captain felt a rush of heat in his heart. Sometimes it felt like a stone was pressing on his chest, sometimes there was a spicy taste in his throat, and sometimes his eyes were swollen and uncomfortable. Just when he was feeling inexplicably moved, Sixth Sister came in, swaying her little waist, with cigarettes and alcohol in her hands.
The gun captain's head began to go dark with a buzzing sound. He remembered the action of Hu Laodao and Liumei's bed hitting the wall that night, and Liumei's moans. The gun captain's pants suddenly bulged up. He looked at Liumei with blank eyes, his throat gurgling. Liumei... Oh, he looked carefully at Liumei's waist and buttocks, imagining the scene inside his pants.
Seeing that the spear captain was in a daze, Chen Cangshu thought he was moved . Seeing that the spear captain's eyes were red, he pretended to laugh heartily and said, "Four Cleanups! Don't take it seriously. It's just a cigarette and alcohol. Will you care about these things when you have a promising future? Young people should go out and explore, dare to fight and fight, and seek wealth and honor in danger. The good men of our Chen family are not afraid wherever they go."
The gun captain didn't understand what Chen Cangshu said. His eyes followed the disappearing back of the sixth sister, as if his soul was taken away by the sixth sister. Alas, if he could lie down on the sixth sister like Hu Laodao, it would be worth dying. Look at her floury neck and the two lumps of flesh on her chest. I wonder how soft it would be if I pressed it down? Turning his eyes back, he saw Chen Cangshu untying the black plastic bag he brought. He couldn't help feeling a little ashamed. Compared with what the sixth sister brought, it was not in the same class. Chen Cangshu did this deliberately to make the gun captain remember his kindness: You gave me cigarettes for ten yuan a pack and wine for two yuan a pound. I return you cigarettes for twenty yuan a pack, or double, and the wine is also in bottles.
Chen Cangshu saw the uneasiness of the spear chief and said nonchalantly, "Siqing, come and teach us to pay respect to your uncle when you have good cigarettes and good wine. Even Han Xin ate at hundreds of people's houses. Who hasn't been down and out? The key is to be willing to make progress! Go and call your third sister and go to Zhang Sanwa's house. I won't go with you."
The gun captain took the cigarettes and alcohol that Chen Cangshu had just packed, looked at the white transparent plastic bag, and couldn't help but straighten his waist. This thing is decent, and the person is decent! He said repeatedly: "Sir, don't get up, I will go by myself. I'm really sorry to bother you. I will never embarrass you in the future. Please stay, I will go by myself."
He followed the third sister to Zhang Sanwaer's house with high spirits. On the way, he listened to the third sister's lectures, but in his heart, he was thinking, find a reason to send the third sister away, leave a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of wine. Why does the surname Zhang have the right to eat such good cigarettes and wine, damn it! His eyes kept scanning, but the third sister kept talking, and the gun captain really couldn't find a good excuse. He wanted to say that she was going to poop, but he was afraid that the third sister would help him take the things. He wanted to say that she had a stomachache, but he was afraid that the third sister would take the things back and not find a time.
Sure enough, when the third sister saw that the gun captain had not said anything, she stretched out her hand and said, "Bring the things here, they will be there soon, why are you carrying them?" The gun captain did not dare to say anything more, and handed the things to the third sister reluctantly, cursing in her heart: Just think of it as a gift to the dog, and if it was stolen by a thief, it would be a good thing for this bastard family.
Zhang San's family lives on a hillside, half an hour's drive up a small mountain road. They live in two large earthen-walled houses covered with green tiles and painted with white lime. There is also a small bungalow with a large TV receiver on it. All five members of Zhang San's family are there, including his parents, brother and sister-in-law. I heard that Zhang San has already found a marriage, which will be arranged next year.
When the old couple of the Zhang family saw that it was Chen Cangshu's third daughter, they hurriedly offered her a seat, served her tea and water, and after a long greeting, the third sister told her about the spear chief. Zhang Sanwa was very straightforward, thin, half a head taller than the spear chief, with a tanned skin. She was not very handsome, but looked very honest. After listening to the third sister's words, she nodded and said, "Don't worry about it. We are all family, and we have to take care of it no matter what. Don't worry, I will leave on the sixth day of the New Year, and the spear chief needs to make good preparations."
The gun captain didn't expect things to go so smoothly. He felt sorry for the cigarettes and alcohol, and calculated the money he needed to spend. He asked honestly, "Sanwaer, how much money do you think I should take with me?"
Zhang San rolled his eyes and calculated, "Two hundred yuan is enough at most."
On the way back, the third sister gave another long lecture, which made the gun captain dizzy and confused. He was thinking about how to ask Master Xiaobai at the power station to borrow money. Well, there are still three days. I will think about it slowly and ask Master Xiaobai for help when there is a suitable opportunity. Maybe he agreed to it casually when he was drunk that night. How can I remind him of this? If I spread the word and let others know, they will definitely scold me for defrauding the good guy! He is not a good guy? The guy who was about to blow up the house should talk to two people who usually have a good relationship with Master Xiaobai, and then let them go to Master Xiaobai to verify it. Well, maybe it will work.
After saying goodbye to the third sister, the gun captain went home with all sorts of thoughts. He thought of the sixth sister, then thought of the cigarettes and alcohol he sent to Zhang San's family, and finally thought about the money. Alas, people! It's not good to be without brains. If it were these stupid farmers nearby, they wouldn't think so much, so they always suffer losses. I can eat everything but never suffer losses!
Two days later, it was already the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. The gun captain had packed and unpacked his clothes several times, but he still couldn't make up his mind. Just when he was distracted, he heard shouting on the road. The gun captain pricked up his ears and listened for a while. It was someone calling him! He quickly ran to the side of the path and looked down. He saw that it was Master Xiaobai who was shouting. He hurriedly answered and rushed down the slope like a wild dog hit by a stone.
Xiaobai looked at the gun captain with a smile. After he caught his breath and wiped the sweat off his face, he turned around and walked into the station and into the duty room. It was already noon. Xiaobai took out five dollars from the bottle and handed it to the gun captain, saying, "Go get some wine and some peanuts. Let's have a couple of drinks." The gun captain took the bottle, responded in a flattering manner, and then turned and left.
"You are the first person I met after I came here. Although we never call each other brothers, you have always followed me to hunt birds in the mountains and fish in the rivers. This affection will always exist. Let's drink this cup!"
The spear chief tilted his head and poured the wine into his mouth. A bitter and spicy taste rushed down his throat and burned the blood in his body. He smacked his lips and said, "Master Bai, you treat me as your brother! We are real brothers, no problem. I am over 20 years old, I have accomplished nothing, I steal all day and am hated by others. You don't despise me, and it is really happy to follow you, drinking, eating meat, smoking and playing cards. I, the spear chief, have a conscience, a conscience! People should have a conscience. I will go out tomorrow, and I must do something to let those who bullied me see that I! The spear chief! I am a man, and I am fully capable of making money! This glass of wine is for you!"
Xiaobai held down the gun captain's hand and said, "I toast to you! Make more friends when you get out, be diligent, do more things and talk less. It's not easy to be away from home." After he finished the wine in one gulp, he reached into his trouser pocket and took out a wad of money. The gun captain's heart almost jumped out of his throat. I didn't let anyone know, so why did Master Bai take the money now? This is good, he promised two hundred yuan.
Xiao Bai took the money in his hand, looked at the gun chief and said, "I heard from Zhang Sanwaer that you wanted to go out with him. I promised to give you travel expenses. You know that although I have a job, the salary is not high. This is almost one month's salary. Take it!"
The gun captain took the money with trembling hands, feeling mixed emotions, sour, spicy, bitter and sweet all coming up at the same time. He felt emotional. No wonder that blind bastard said that I would have help from noble people after the New Year. First it was my family, and then it was Master Bai. They were all good people!
Following Zhang Sanwa, each of us carried a plastic bag. We first took a bus from the town to the county, then from the county to the provincial capital, and then from the provincial capital to the road and bridge engineering team where Zhang San worked. In 1993, there were no long-distance sleeper berths, and everyone had to sit on a hard seat. When we arrived at the county, the gun captain had vomited all over the place and couldn't tell east from west. Zhang Sanwa took care of him like a young daughter-in-law along the way, sometimes giving him water, sometimes giving him paper. He drank soy milk at the station and vomited while drinking, which made the fat woman selling soy milk jump up and curse: "If you have to poop blood, poop far away. You country bumpkin, don't go out if you can't get a ride. Clean it up for me."
Zhang San was cleaning while apologizing to the fat woman: "This is my friend's first time going out. He has never taken a long-distance bus before. I am sorry for causing you trouble!"
The gun captain felt like he was going to die at this moment, his stomach was churning, but there was nothing he could vomit out. His face was frighteningly blue, his long hair was a mess, some of it had been rubbed into lumps, his head was numb and he had no feeling in it. He squatted on the ground holding a plastic bag, just like a circus monkey, except a sick monkey!
After Zhang San bought the ticket to the provincial capital, he helped the gun captain to board the long-distance bus and waited. As soon as the gun captain got on the bus and smelled the gasoline, he began to retch. Zhang San said with a worried look on his face: "Gun captain, can you hold on? We don't have much money. We can't stay in the county town. There are still hundreds of kilometers to go."
The gun captain shook his head, his voice half dead: "Sanwa, I'm fine, I just can't adapt. Don't worry, I can bear it! Wow..." Zhang San looked at him helplessly, fearing that he would get sick when he arrived at the farm. The three things he feared most when working away from home: one is the boss running away, two is accidental injury and illness, and three is eating, drinking, whoring and gambling.
The bus didn't leave until four in the afternoon. The gun captain felt dizzy and as if he was being roasted on a stove. In addition, the bus was overloaded with more than a dozen people. The bus was originally designed to seat forty-five people, but now it was crammed with sixty people. The smell of sweat, tobacco, and vomit was everywhere. The gun captain was sweating all over and was tossing and turning in the bus, with hot and cold. Zhang San and his son could no longer take care of the gun captain. The two of them swayed in their seats and kept twisting and turning with the bus. After nearly twenty hours, they finally entered the provincial capital. There were wide roads, tall buildings, cars running everywhere, people, cars, music, and horns. After entering the station, Zhang San's eyes were already sparkling, but the gun captain was breathing weakly. The whole person looked like he had been fished out of the water, and his face was pale and scary. Zhang San hurriedly shook the gun captain and shouted, "Gun captain, gun captain..."
He opened his eyes a little and said in a voice so weak that it was almost inaudible: "Where are we?"
Zhang San let out a long sigh and said, "We've reached the provincial capital. Another 400 kilometers to the end of the country."
The gun master groaned and cursed, "Is this a car for people? I'm going to die." Zhang San laughed and said, "I was worse than you when I went out for the first time. You still have the nerve to scold me now. At that time, I didn't even know what the provincial capital looked like."
The gunner turned around and saw garbage everywhere, and several dirty buses parked on both sides. "Is this the provincial capital? It's nothing compared to our county."
Zhang San smiled and said, "This is a bus stop for county buses. It's very beautiful outside." The gun captain pouted and cursed, "Horse shit is shiny on the outside." He looked disapproving.
Zhang San threw the bag at the gun captain's feet and said, "You keep an eye on the bag while I go buy the ticket. Don't run around. Even though this place is small, it will be hard to find anyone once you get out."
The gunner squatted on the ground and smoked a cigarette. His face was still pale, but his spirit had slowly recovered. He cursed in his heart: "What a crap job! If I had known I would have to travel such a long way, I might as well have been a plasterer in the county town."
Then he thought, I've been to the provincial capital. Hehe, I'll have something to brag about when I go back. The provincial capital. He turned his head and looked around. In addition to the cars and people, the gun captain was a little happy to see a few tall buildings in the distance. Who lived in them? It would be nice to go in and take a look.
After getting in the car again, they drove around the provincial capital for several times. It took almost an hour before they slowly drove out of the provincial capital. The gun captain said to Zhang San, "Damn it, this provincial capital is so big!" Every time he saw a female passerby, the gun captain had an urge to whistle and say hello, but he was afraid of being called a hooligan.
The construction site was on the bank of a big river. It was a highway bridge, and there were more than a dozen sheds along the mountainside. Zhang San took his gun captain to the foreman to sign up. The salary was six yuan a day, with food and lodging provided. The gun captain didn't mind, as the conditions were much worse than those in his hometown. There were bare fields everywhere, and not many people. There were more than 40 workers in the entire construction team, all of whom were farmers from all over. The foreman was very generous to Zhang San's family, who brought their relatives with them.
They ate boiled potatoes and cabbage and lived in a shed. This was completely different from what the gun captain had imagined. The gun captain thought that he should at least give them a set of worker's clothes, but except for a safety helmet, he had nothing. He had to carry stones, cement, and sand every day. Less than a week after he started working, the gun captain couldn't stand it anymore. His hands and back were covered with blisters. He had a tasteless mouth after eating so much. There was no alcohol to sell and no cigarettes to smoke. The gun captain asked some workers, but they all brought their own. No one was willing to sell him. What should he do? Fortunately, a fellow villager from somewhere nearby came to the construction site with a basket of alcohol and cigarettes. The gun captain took out the few dozen yuan he had left and bought all the alcohol and cigarettes. He originally planned to steal some tonight to satisfy his craving.
The gun captain really couldn't stand it anymore, so he slept in the shed every day. When Zhang San came to call him, he lied that he was sick, then opened a bottle of wine and drank a few ounces, and then fell asleep. After about a month, the money he brought with him and his wages were not enough to buy cigarettes and alcohol. He shamelessly asked for advances twice, but the foreman refused to give him any more.
What should I do when I feel like smoking? I have no choice but to do what I did before. When my colleagues were working, I would steal two cigarettes from this shed and drink a little wine from that shed. I have been doing this for about a month. The bold words I had said before were long forgotten. Seeing that the gun commander was like this, Zhang San really couldn't think of any good way.
Just on this day, Zhang San received a letter from a working buddy he met last year, saying that he found a job as a waiter in Xi'an, and the income was not bad. When the gun chief heard what Zhang San said, his eyes lit up, and he thought of a way to go to Xi'an to work with this buddy. Waiters, haha, just serve tea and pour water, this job is easy. After the gun chief told Zhang San about this idea, Zhang San also felt that the gun chief could not bear the hard work, so he agreed to write a letter to ask for him, but the travel expenses to Xi'an... The gun chief was embarrassed to ask Zhang San, because he had borrowed 20 yuan from others, and he had not paid it back yet? If he wanted to go to Xi'an, he had to continue working to earn money.
But he couldn't stand it for two days, so he had to go to the foreman with a thick face. "Advance? You want an advance again? You've advanced me two hundred yuan in total, and now you're still short of one hundred and twenty yuan after deductions." The gun leader cried, "Boss, please have pity on me. I received a letter from home saying that my father is sick and urgently needs two hundred yuan for medical expenses. I really have no other choice. Can you be kind? I swear that from now on I will never ask you for an advance again, and I will go to work on time and work harder!"
How could the foreman fall for this? He knew that this guy was lazy and gluttonous, so he glared at him and cursed: "You bastard! How can you curse your father? Do you think I don't know you? Don't try to be so rude, just do what you need to do. If it weren't for Zhang San pleading for you, I would have kicked you out long ago. Damn it! I've never seen a guy as lazy as you. Do you think you are a rich boy?"
The gun chief was scolded by the foreman and couldn't say a word. His face was blue and red. It was really embarrassing. He had been thinking about his words for two hours last night, but he was scolded so badly. He wanted to pick up a stone and smash it on the head of the bastard, but his feet were shaking when he thought about it. After the gun chief went back in disgrace, he scolded the foreman's ancestors for eighteen generations. What's so great about it? He is just a contractor. I look down on you. If it weren't for my education, I would have fucked you a long time ago. Humph, brother-in-law, you are just a stupid brother-in-law, making fun of your brother-in-law! I will go back and fuck your sister when I have time. Let's see what you can do? Haha, does he have a sister?
After thinking about it for a long time, the resentment in his heart was all over. The gun captain, who was desperate, finally had to go back to his old job and started to steal the pockets of his fellow workers. It was not until two days later that someone discovered that the money had been stolen. This had never happened before, and the first person the foreman thought of was the gun captain!
But he couldn't find him anywhere. He asked Zhang San and he said he had a stomachache and went to see a doctor. The foreman stamped his feet and cursed, saying that the boy must have run away!
