Chapter 52: Dare Not Make Mistakes
On the country path, two horses walked one after the other, the brass bells around their necks tinkling softly as they made their way to the entrance of the educated youth compound in Lujiawan's Team 6.
Chen Fan was half-asleep, half-awake, just clinging to the horse's back to keep from falling off. Only when he felt the horse stop did he open his eyes, sit up straight, dismount, and stroke the horse's head. "Such a good girl."
The little mare snorted and nuzzled his head gently with hers.
Zhang Wenliang led his horse over from behind, laughing heartily. "Master Chen, I told you – this horse is steady as can be, even young brides aren't afraid to ride her."
Just then, Jiang Lili heard the commotion and hurried over to open the gate.
When she saw Chen Fan, her face lit up with joy, but then she noticed Zhang Wenliang and quickly nodded timidly. "Hello, Company Commander Zhang."
Zhang Wenliang glanced at her, his smile fading slightly as he returned the greeting. "Xiao Jiang."
Seeing their interaction, Chen Fan realized that just as Captain Yang had said, Zhang Wenliang was deliberately keeping his distance. So he took the initiative to speak up. "Brother Sanhu, come in and have some tea."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili immediately ran inside to prepare the tea.
Zhang Wenliang paid no mind to her and smiled at Chen Fan. "No need for tea – it's almost dark, I need to hurry back."
He then unloaded the two baskets from the horse Chen Fan had been riding, picked one up in each hand, and walked into the courtyard, asking as he went. "Which room is yours?"
Chen Fan was stunned.
He'd noticed the baskets on the way back but hadn't wanted to ask about them, so he'd said nothing.
Now it seemed like all these things were for him?
He quickly followed inside. "Brother Sanhu, what are you doing?"
When Chen Fan didn't answer, Zhang Wenliang turned to Jiang Lili, who was coming out holding a teacup. "Which room does Master Chen stay in?"
Jiang Lili immediately pointed. "The one at the very end."
Zhang Wenliang smiled. "Thank you."
Then he added, "I won't be having any tea – give it to Master Chen instead, he's had quite a bit to drink."
He kept walking as he spoke, and in just a few steps was inside the room, setting the two baskets down.
Even with empty hands, Chen Fan couldn't keep up with him. "Brother Sanhu, I can't accept all these things."
Zhang Wenliang turned to look at him, his expression serious. "Master Chen, these items are from three different sources."
At this, Chen Fan was even more surprised – three sources?
Zhang Wenliang pointed to one basket. "This one has things from our brigade headquarters – mostly daily necessities. You don't have anything here since you just moved in, so Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang thought about your situation and prepared these for you."
Then he pointed to the other basket. "On top is a bundle with a brand-new military greatcoat and a pair of suede leather shoes – a thank-you gift from Captain Xiao."
Chen Fan quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no – I can't take this."
Zhang Wenliang ignored him, lifted the bundle and placed it in the first basket, then continued. "The things below are a small token from our Team 5 – not much, but please don't take offense."
Chen Fan wore a troubled expression. "Brother Sanhu, I really can't take all this. I just went over and made one meal..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Wenliang held up a hand to cut him off. "It's no use telling me this – my job was to bring you and the things back safely. Now that my task is done, I'll come pick you up in a couple of days – Captain Xiao is still waiting for you to help him make pickled cabbage.
"You've had quite a bit to drink today – get some rest early. Alright then, goodbye."
With that, he strode out of the room, nodded to Jiang Lili who was standing at the door holding the teacup, then swung his arms as he walked toward the gate.
By the time Chen Fan chased out, Zhang Wenliang had already mounted his horse, holding the little mare's reins in one hand as he waved. "See you later!"
Then he squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and the horses trotted off into the distance.
Chen Fan stood there with a dejected look on his face, watching Zhang Wenliang's retreating figure before turning to look at the things in his room, feeling a bit dizzy.
From what he knew about this era, poverty wasn't scary, nor was having no place to live. No matter what, the production team and commune wouldn't abandon you – as long as you were here, you'd never be left without shelter or food.
They might assign you a thatched hut to live in, or have you share a room with some old bachelor, but you'd have a roof over your head. There was also relief grain available; whether you could pay it back or not, the production team couldn't let anyone starve to death.
At worst, they might give you a hard time when you borrowed grain, giving you a sour face to look at.
But what you absolutely couldn't do was make mistakes...
That was why he had to be extremely careful.
Life wasn't easy!
Just then, Jiang Lili came over holding the teacup. "Chen Fan, have some water first."
Chen Fan turned to look at her. "You're still holding that?"
He was feeling a bit thirsty anyway, so he took it and took a sip – the temperature was just right. He drank it all down, handed the cup back to her, and said, "Help me keep an eye on those things – I'm going to find Captain Yang and let him handle this."
Jiang Lili took the cup and quickly said, "It might not be safe for you to walk after drinking – let me go instead."
Chen Fan smiled. "It's almost dark – a young woman walking at night would be the one in danger. Don't worry, I only drank warmed wine over there."
Then he lowered his voice deliberately. "Just like this morning – I drank a little and poured out the rest. I'm perfectly fine."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili couldn't help but grin widely before quickly lowering her head.
Chen Fan waved his hand. "I'm off."
Jiang Lili looked up quickly. "Be careful, take your time."
Chen Fan raised his hand in a wave without looking back and strode off.
Soon he arrived at Captain Yang's house, where they were just cleaning up after dinner.
When they saw Chen Fan, Captain Yang pulled out a chair for him. "You're back – come, sit down."
Chen Fan first greeted "Aunt Yang," then leaned in close to Captain Yang and spoke quietly. "I won't sit – Captain, you really need to come take a look at my place."
Captain Yang was slightly surprised. "What's wrong?"
Chen Fan gestured with his hands. "Zhang Wenliang, the militia company commander from the brigade headquarters, brought me a whole bunch of things. I don't dare keep them, but he just left them and took off. I don't know what to do, so I had to come find you."
Upon hearing what it was about, Captain Yang burst out laughing. "That's all? I already know about it – it's fine, just keep what he brought you."
Chen Fan was stunned. "You knew?"
Captain Yang nodded. "Yes – not long after you left, some militia from the brigade headquarters came to tell me. These things are from the brigade headquarters and Team 5 – you can rest assured keeping them."
But Chen Fan still wasn't at ease. "No, no – there's too much stuff, I really can't take it. Captain, please come take a look with me."
Seeing how concerned Chen Fan was, Captain Yang didn't find it annoying at all – instead, he felt quite pleased. He patted Chen Fan's arm. "You're a young comrade with good awareness and high vigilance. Alright then, I'll go take a look with you."
He then turned to Yang Ju, who was standing nearby. "Go get Accountant Liu and Storekeeper Huang – ask them to come to the educated youth compound."
Then he turned back to smile at Chen Fan. "Since this is official business, we'll handle it the proper way."
(End of Chapter)
Comments
Post a Comment