"It seems that the female devils are the leaders. I'm not sure. I always follow the female devils. I don't usually come into contact with the male devils."
"You know what it does, right?"
"Of course I know that."
Nan Yi took out a Mudan cigarette from the Jingji cigarette case and handed it to Old Man Geng, then took out another Jingji cigarette and put it in his own mouth.
"Those who deal in mountain products bring mountain products from the Northeast to Japan to sell."
Old man Geng glanced at the cigarette butt and saw the word "Peony". He then put the cigarette in his mouth, picked up a piece of coal from the fire pit with tongs, lit the cigarette, took a puff, and said, "Black fungus and mushrooms?"
"Yes, we also want wild vegetables and other things. I heard that these things can be sold for a high price over there."
"I know that. When the city was occupied by the Japanese, they also wanted these things, so they sent whole train cars from the northeast to here. Back then, a few brothers and I climbed on the trains, just like the railway guerrillas..."
OK, Jingchui mode is turned on.
Nan Yi stood there and listened for ten minutes. Seeing that Old Man Geng was still "reminiscing about the past", he deliberately looked his watch and said, "Uncle Geng, I will listen to your glorious history next time. I still have work to do and need to go back early."
"Okay, I'll talk to you next time."
Just when they were enjoying themselves, Old Man Geng became a little annoyed with Nan Yi's "ignorance", but there was nothing he could do. He just spat and called him "traitor".
Nan Yi left in a hurry, pretending not to notice the three words "Traitor" tattooed on his back.
Some people talk beautifully, but their actions are really what they really are. Working in an office building that serves foreigners, even in a boiler room, is not something that everyone can do.
The salary here is half a level higher than outside. Old man Geng just burns the boiler and delivers water, and earns about 70 yuan a month. For this job, if you don't have a noble name and your legs are not broken, there is no way you can squeeze in.
After going through so much trouble to get here and serve the foreigners, the Japs, and even a traitor like Nan Yi, he still has the nerve to call Nan Yi a traitor.
Old man Geng is the kind of person who nods like crazy if you ask him to donate 1 or 8 billion, but shakes his head like a propeller if you ask him to donate 100 million.
Nonsense, I really have a hundred in my pocket.
…
It had been three days since Nan Yi had been to Baihua Hutong. As soon as he got off work, he rushed to Baihua Hutong.
Fan Qianye was not there, probably still playing outside. Hongdou was sitting in the yard, helping Xu Xiaofang paste matchboxes, reciting a Tang Dynasty poem, "Red beans grow in the south, how many branches will bloom in spring? I wish you would pick more, for this is the most nostalgic thing."
"What does Southland mean?"
"To the south, uncle, you haven't been here for three days."
When she saw Nan Yi, the color in Fan Hongdou's eyes changed from black and white to color.
"I'm here, Hongdou, go back to your room first, I want to talk to your mother."
"oh."
Fan Hongdou nodded, put down her things, and walked towards the room.
Nan Yi sat on her low stool and said to Xu Xiaofang, "Sister-in-law, you and Zuo Can have known each other for half a year. What do you think of him?"
Xu Xiaofang blushed and hummed, "Very good."
"Since you think he's good, I think he's interested in you too. How about I make it clear to you guys and just live together?"
"Is this...is this appropriate? He is a grown man."
"There's nothing wrong with that. Zuo Can is a good person, but he lost a hand after all. To put it bluntly, it's not easy to find someone who is really good.
Sister-in-law, although you have two children, you are not too old and are on par with him. If you two are together, you can have children if you want, so you can't say you owe him anything."
"But if I have another child, that would be three. It would be so hard to raise them."
"It's not a big deal. Sister-in-law, you can see that I like Hongdou very much. If you agree, I plan to adopt her as my goddaughter. I will be responsible for her food, drink, defecation, education, and future dowry.
Of course, you are still her mother, Hongdou just has me as her godfather."
Xu Xiaofang said, "I heard from the neighbors that there was a little girl living here. Is that your daughter?"
"I've never been married, so how can I have a daughter? She's my goddaughter. My grandmother is in Xiangkeng, so I sent her to study there. Sister-in-law, if you agree, I'd like to send Hongdou there to study after a while.
The current education level in the mainland is a little lower than over there. I plan to let Hongdou study in Xiangkeng for a few years and then go abroad to continue her studies.
Hongdou is a smart child. It would be a pity not to educate her well.
As for girls, instead of hoping to find a good husband in the future, it is better to train them up. As long as they have their own foundation, they don’t have to worry about having a bad life in the future.”
"That's true, but Hongdou is still so young. I'm really worried when she's not around."
"I understand, sister-in-law. If you are really worried, it's okay to send her away two years later. You are her biological mother, so of course you have to make the decision on her affairs."
As long as Xu Xiaofang and Zuo Can are together and then get pregnant, Nan Yi doesn't believe that she can treat them equally.
Even if she can keep it even, the amount of water she can get will be less.
Besides, no matter how good Zuo Can is, there is still a difference between being a biological child and not being a biological child.
It didn't matter to Nan Yi that Fan Hongdou would be taken away later, but she herself still had to learn a lot of things, and since her study time was shorter, she would have to suffer more.
"Then I'll let the child come out and kowtow to you?"
Xu Xiaofang would also weigh the pros and cons and believe that her daughter would not suffer any loss by having a godfather like Nan Yi.
"Forget about the kowtow. It's not the same as before. When Xu Feiyang comes back in the fall, I'll prepare a table and have a family reunion banquet."
"That's fine."
After finalizing the plan with Xu Xiaofang, it was almost six o'clock. Xu Xiaofang went to cook, and Nan Yi went into the house to call Fan Hongdou out and help her make matchboxes.
It was around half past six when Zuo Can came back carrying Fan Qianye.
There were two cuts on Fan Qianye's face, and there were traces of dried blood in his nose grooves.
"Old soldier, what happened to Chiba?"
"Fight." Zuo Can said.
"Hongdou, go get a basin of water for your brother so he can wash himself."
"Well."
Xu Xiaofang, who was cooking in the corner, also heard the noise. She wiped her hands on her apron, hugged Fan Qianye, and asked distressedly: "Qianye, what's wrong? Why are you like this? Tell mom, who hit you..."
Nan Yi winked at Zuo Can, and the two of them walked out of the courtyard gate.
"what happened?"
"nothing."
Zuo Can didn't want to elaborate, so Nan Yi asked in a different way: "Whose fault is it?"
"Chiba."
Since it was Fan Qianye's fault, Nan Yi didn't ask any more questions.
If it was someone else's fault, Nan Yi would ask for clarification. Although he didn't like Fan Qianye, he was living under his own roof after all.
No matter how much you look down on others, they are still “our own people” and you cannot let others bully you for no reason.