Chapter 81

The car stopped beside Zhou Andong, the window rolled down, and a guy with a center-parted hairstyle and sunglasses poked his head out, smiling as he said, "Dongzi, long time no see. How are you getting by these days?"

Zhou Andong sighed and said, "Just muddling along. As long as I have enough to eat and drink and don't go hungry, that's enough. Unlike you, driving a big BMW already."

Zhang Sihe got out of the car and took off his glasses: "Dongzi, you can't keep going on like this. Why not come south with me? Work under me, help me manage people. I'll give you four thousand a month; isn't that better than staying in that broken winery?"

Zhou Andong smiled: "I'm used to being lazy. I'd rather just muddle along at the winery; it's freer."

"You, always so devil-may-care. I don't know what to say to you." Zhang Sihe shook his head, looking as if he were angry at Zhou Andong's lack of ambition, then turned back and knocked on the car window, "Tian Tian, come down, let me introduce you to someone."

A woman dressed in a trendy, foreign style got out of the car reluctantly. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't pretty either; she was just a very ordinary woman, though she was definitely more than enough for Zhang Sihe.

"This is my brother I grew up with, Zhou Andong. You can just call him Dongzi."

"Hello, Dongzi!" The woman nodded expressionlessly, her Mandarin spoken quite well.

Zhou Andong gave a chuckle.

Zhang Sihe put an arm around the woman's shoulder, "My partner, Tian Tian!"

Zhou Andong chuckled again.

This made the woman frown in displeasure: "It's too cold, I'm getting back in the car." After saying this, she got in and slammed the car door shut with a bang.

"She's a southerner, not used to our northern winter. Don't mind her."

Zhang Sihe took a business card out of his pocket, handed it to Zhou Andong, and then patted Zhou Andong on the shoulder, "Brother's word is always good. Whenever you want to come out, come find me anytime." After saying this, he got into the car.

Tian Tian looked at Zhou Andong outside the car window and said with disgust, "What kind of friend or brother is that? A total bumpkin. Don't introduce such people to me in the future."

Zhang Sihe picked up a cigarette from the glove box, lit it, and started the car: "When we were kids, this guy looked down on me. Now that I've returned home in glory, of course I have to let him know that I, Zhang Sihe, am a thousand times, ten thousand times better than him, Zhou Andong. Whether now or in the future, he will be stepped under my feet."

Speaking of this, he gave a mocking sneer, "College student, bullshit."

Tian Tian glanced at Zhang Sihe: "Since you hate him so much, why are you still thinking about recruiting him?"

Zhang Sihe said: "Let someone who once looked down on me be my dog. Don't you think that would be satisfying?"

Tian Tian gave a laugh: "Don't forget who gave you everything you have."

Zhang Sihe grabbed Tian Tian's hand and said with a look of deep affection: "In this life, I'm stuck on you. Even if you wanted to run, you couldn't."

"What a piece of work. When we were kids, he followed behind our butts, calling 'Brother Dong' this and 'Brother Dong' that. Now he actually calls him 'Dongzi' and even claims to be his brother at the end. Truly, a petty person drunk on his own success."

Gao Zhen spat a glob of phlegm at the rear of the BMW that had already driven far away, "Pah, a gigolo, and he has the nerve to come back and show off."

Zhou Andong said: "When we were kids, this kid was no good, which is why I often warned you not to play with him."

At this moment, the sound of drums and trumpets came from the direction of the brigade. Zhou Anbei's eyes lit up: "The brigade's Yangge dance troupe is here."

Zhou Andong said: "You go back, take the fourth one to watch the Yangge, so she doesn't keep pestering me to take her to the city to play."

"Okay!" Zhou Anbei was only sixteen and still had a child's temperament. With the brigade's Yangge troupe arriving, how could he not be anxious? He took off running toward home.

Gao Zhen asked: "Where are you going?"

Zhou Andong walked toward the old man's place: "Going to my grandfather's."

Gao Zhen said: "I'm going with you."

Zhou Banghua was sitting on the kang rolling a cigarette, and the old lady was scooping pickled cabbage out of the vat in the outer room.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm here." Zhou Andong shouted as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Old lady Zheng Guifen heard the shout, lifted the cotton door curtain, and said happily: "My eldest grandson is here."

Zhou Andong entered the room: "Grandma, my mom wants you to come to our house for the New Year."

"Not going anywhere!" The old lady said: "You brought us so much meat, we can just make something to eat at home."

"Grandma, Happy New Year!" Gao Zhen had hung out with Zhou Andong since he was little and had always followed suit, calling them Grandpa and Grandma.

"Oh my, Gao Zhen is back. Seems like you've grown taller again." The old lady said warmly, "Hurry and come into the room."

Zhou Andong entered the room, and Gao Zhen followed: "Grandpa, Happy New Year."

The old man laughed and said: "Happy New Year."

Gao Zhen didn't stand on ceremony, picked up an apple from the kang, and took a bite: "So sweet!"

The old lady said: "This is from your eldest aunt's own fruit tree. If you like it, take some with you in a while."

Zhou Andong said temptingly: "Grandpa, come to our house for the New Year. I have good liquor; if you don't go, you'll regret it."

The old man didn't want to go either, but as soon as he heard his eldest grandson say there was good liquor, he couldn't sit still: "Going. My eldest grandson has come to call, so I must go."

Zhou Andong smiled. This old man was simply a legend when he was young. He had been a bodyguard, a house guard, later joined the revolutionary ranks, walked the Long March, fought the Japanese devils, and served as a guard for high-ranking officials. There were many opportunities to become an official, but the old man refused them all.

After the victory of the War of Resistance, the old man told his superior that the war was over and it was time to go home, so he went home to farm.

Sometimes, Zhou Andong really wanted to ask why he didn't want to be an official. Otherwise, wouldn't he be a second-generation, no, a third-generation official? Then, he could go street racing, drink heavily, go to bars, find a few intimate young ladies, chat about life, explore human anatomy, and not have to think about a damn thing. How pleasant that would be.

Zhou Andong said: "I'll go first, you guys come over in a while."

"You go ahead!" The old lady waved her hand.

The two came out, and Gao Zhen asked: "When does your family eat?"

Zhou Andong said: "It has to be at least two in the afternoon."

Gao Zhen nodded: "I'll find a few people then and come to your place to play cards."

"Fine!" Zhou Andong didn't stay idle when he got home, helping to tidy up the house, cooking and preparing dishes. By one o'clock, the food was ready.

The whole family sat in a circle around the table, with more than ten dishes piled on the table, all of them meat.

Yuan Liying suddenly shed tears, and Zhou Xiaoxin said with dissatisfaction: "What are you crying for on such a big New Year's day?"

Yuan Liying wiped her eyes: "It's been so many years, this year's New Year's meal is the most abundant."

The old lady sighed: "Liying, all these years, with the big ones and the small ones, you've suffered."

"This is just the beginning. From now on, our life will get better and better." Zhou Andong smiled and poured liquor for the old man and old lady, "Come, let's have our family toast."

The old man picked up the wine glass and sniffed it: "Today, I'll take advantage of my eldest grandson and taste what Moutai is like."

The little girl raised her almost-empty cola and shouted: "Cheers!"

"Eating so early." Zhou Anbin suddenly lifted the door curtain and entered the room, holding a large basin in his hand, "Grandpa and Grandma are here too."