Chapter 251: Homecoming

Ugh—!

The steam locomotive belched thick smoke, like a weary yet victorious beast, slowly pulling into the platform of Beijing Station. The doors opened, and Li Ping'an, bearing the dust and chill of the northern lands, was the first to step onto the solid concrete.

Behind him, Wang Dahu and other Security Department cadres disembarked in turn; though their faces were weary, their eyes held the relaxed confidence of a mission completed and the steadiness of returning home.

"Director, we can call this a complete merit!" Wang Dahu stepped a few paces closer, lowered his voice, his face showing uncontainable excitement, "Those mountain goods are real hard cash!"

Li Ping'an gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the bustling yet pale‑faced exiting crowd, and whispered, "Hold off on making a fuss. Dahu, take two men and watch over our mountain goods. I'm going to make a call and have the factory send a vehicle to pick us up."

He deliberately emphasized the words "mountain goods," and Wang Dahu immediately understood, nodding solemnly. In these days, a few hundred jin of meat can cause a sensation and must be handled discreetly.

Li Ping'an went to the station's telephone room and directly dialed the internal line of the Steel Rolling Mill Security Department. A moment later, he emerged and told Wang Dahu, "Everything's arranged; the factory has sent a covered truck to come, and it will pick us up right at the cargo yard. Load the items separately and keep them concealed."

The group understood, escorting the receipt document that symbolized the mission's successful completion, along with several burlap sacks containing frozen, rock‑hard wild boar, Sha Zhu, and some mountain delicacies (such as hazelnut mushrooms, wood ear, etc., which Li Ping'an obtained by trading part of the boar meat with local villagers), and moved to a relatively secluded freight yard to wait.

About half an hour later, a military‑green Liberation truck slipped silently into the cargo yard. Behind the wheel was a veteran driver from the Security Department, absolutely reliable; upon seeing Li Ping'an and the others, he merely nodded silently and helped load the heavy burlap sacks onto the truck, covering them tightly with a pre‑prepared old canvas tarp.

The convoy attracted no attention and headed straight back to the Steel Rolling Mill. It was already afternoon; the plant still roared with machinery, yet the hunger hanging in the air seemed even stronger than when they left.

The truck pulled up directly to a small storeroom behind the Security Department office building. Li Ping'an ordered everyone to unload the supplies. The total haul was: three wild boars of various sizes (about 420 jin after skinning and eviscerating), one Sha Zhu (about 60 jin), and several dozen jin of dried mountain delicacies.

Seeing the meat in the storeroom, even the seasoned old driver couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. These days, oily meat is just too pricey.

Li Ping'an scanned the circle of his teammates eyeing him eagerly and said in a deep voice, "This northward trip, brothers, you've worked hard and earned merit. By the rules, most of it must be turned over to the factory. But the brothers of the Security Department cannot work for nothing."

He paused, then continued, "We'll set aside one hundred jin of pork and twenty jin of Sha Zhu meat; the brothers who took part in the mission will divide that according to their contribution, and the remainder will serve as night‑shift allowances for the department. Half of the mountain delicacies stay with the department so everyone can sample them."

At his words, a restrained cheer erupted in the storeroom. The team looked at Li Ping'an with gratitude. Though each person received only a little over a hundred jin of meat, in these times that was a huge benefit! The key was that the Director thought of everyone!

"Director, this…" Wang Dahu said, a bit agitated.

"That's settled." Li Ping'an waved his hand, his tone unquestionable, "The rest, I'll report personally to Factory Director Yang Changzhang and Deputy Factory Director Li Yaozong, and the factory will handle it uniformly." He specifically named the two directors to show the matter was public and transparent, not a private deal by Li Ping'an.

After allocating the department's share and assigning Wang Dahu to handle the registration and distribution, Li Ping'an took his own small portion—about ten jin of wild boar meat, five jin of Sha Zhu meat, and some mountain delicacies—carefully wrapped in old newspaper and twine, stuffed into a half‑worn cloth bag, and walked home. This amount fit easily in a single cloth bag, with no need for a truck.

When he entered the Siheyuan carrying the cloth bag, Yan Bu Gui was in the front courtyard fiddling with a few half‑withered jasmine pots at his own doorway; his nose twitched like a radar, his spectacles' lenses flashing as his small eyes instantly lit up, fixed on Li Ping'an's seemingly heavy bag.

"Hey! Ping'an, you're back!" Yan Bu Gui plastered an exaggerated grin, stepped forward, "Back from a business trip? Wow, this bag… looks heavy. What's inside?" He tried to lean in to sniff, his greedy gaze almost spilling over.

Li Ping'an kept walking, giving him a faint glance, his tone detached, "Teacher Yan, nothing special, just some change of clothes."

He held no goodwill toward this neighbor, who had once reported him during the Anti‑Japanese period and was shrewd in calculations; sharing the hard‑won food was out of the question. Want to take advantage of Li Ping'an? Not a chance!

Yan Bu Gui hit a soft nail, watched Li Ping'an's back as he headed toward the Xi Kua Yuan, spat resentfully, and muttered low, "So proud, huh? Hide a bit of stuff and keep it to yourself, no neighborly feeling at all!"

In the Central Courtyard, Jia Zhangshi was sitting at the doorway polishing shoe soles; seeing Li Ping'an return, especially the bulging bag in his hand, Sanjiao Yan's eyes also flashed a glint, and she opened her mouth as if to say something.

But Li Ping'an didn't look at her at all; he pushed the door and entered his own Xi Kua Yuan, leaving Jia Zhangshi there staring blankly, muttering "stingy fool" under his breath.

In the Xi Kua Yuan, Lin Xueqing, hearing the noise, came out holding a child, and Li Pingle also hurried out of the house.

"Ping'an!"

"Brother, you're back!"

Seeing Li Ping'an return safely, both faces showed genuine joy. Li Ping'an placed the cloth bag on the stone table in the courtyard, opened it, and revealed the meat and mountain delicacies inside.

"Ah! Meat!" Lin Xueqing exclaimed, her face full of surprise. In her arms, Li Yaozong waved his little hands, babbling as he tried to grab.

"Brother, this time…" Li Pingle said, both startled and delighted.

"The mission is complete, and we picked up some mountain goods along the way," Li Ping'an smiled lightly, "We'll keep this for ourselves to eat, to nourish you and the children." He deliberately glanced at his sister and his wife's noticeably thinner cheeks, feeling a slight pang.

He would never, like some self‑righteous do‑gooders, give the hard‑won, family‑sustaining provisions to the idle, unscrupulous Jia family, nor would he bother with people like Yan Bu Gui. His goodwill and resources are reserved only for worthy comrades and family.

As for Sha Zhu? Though He Daqing helped him back then, sending half a jin of meat that night would repay He Daqing's kindness.

As night deepened, the Xi Kua Yuan filled with the long‑missed aroma of meat. Li Ping'an kept the scent carefully within the courtyard, not letting it spread too far. The family gathered around the table, the light warm, the bowls holding solid chunks of stewed meat and vegetables; though the portions were modest, they soothed days of thin broth and brought a precious warmth and hope to the cold winter.

Beyond the courtyard walls, the Siheyuan remained shrouded in hunger, the clacking of abacuses, curses, and sighs persisting. Inside the walls, a pocket of stability was guarded by skill and caution. Li Ping'an knew the days ahead would still be hard, but he was confident and capable of carrying his family forward.