Chapter 386: Traditional Concepts and Secular Prejudices

On the train, a foul smell permeated the air. With the New Year approaching and fewer trains running anyway, the hard-seat carriage was packed to the brim. Every seat was occupied; some leaned against the sides, others lay on newspapers spread beneath the seats, the gangways between carriages were crowded, and even a queue constantly formed outside the toilet.

Outside it was pitch black, while the lights inside the carriage remained fairly bright. Li Li Anguo and Chen Chen Xingbang sat in the middle seats, Li Li Junfeng and Li Li Junshan sat on the outer seats, and two unfamiliar young men occupied the innermost spots; these two remained quite wary of Li Li Anguo's group of four, speaking very little throughout the journey.

Late at night, Li Li Anguo and Chen Chen Xingbang fell asleep with their heads on the table; the six-person tables in the hard-seat carriage were slightly longer than the four-person ones, yet still only reached the middle position, leaving Li Li Junshan and Li Li Junfeng on the outer seats unable to rest their heads down, so Li Li Junfeng leaned against Chen Chen Xingbang's back while Li Li Junshan pulled the lining of his overcoat over himself with both hands and slept with his head tilted back.

Then he felt a strange movement on his person; cracking his eyes open slightly, he saw a short middle-aged man leaning against the side of his seat pretending to rest, when in fact the man's hand was already reaching into his chest.

Li Li Junfeng instantly flew into a rage!

Although there was no money in his chest, daring to target him like this—did they think men from eastern Henan lacked backbone?

He half-closed his eyes, loosened his grip on his overcoat, clenched his hand into a fist, suddenly turned, grabbed the thief's outstretched wrist with his right hand, and smashed his left fist hard into the man's cheek!

The middle-aged man let out a miserable scream and collapsed.

Li Li Junshan, not yet satisfied, stood up and kicked Li Li Junfeng to wake him, then turned back and pinned the middle-aged man down, pounding him viciously.

After landing several blows, he felt someone tugging at him, but the pulling force ceased almost immediately; Li Li Junshan paid it no mind, struck the man a few more times, spat on him, and only then stood up, feeling satisfied.

Turning his head, he discovered that Li Li Junfeng and Chen Chen Xingbang were dragging another person and beating him, while Li Li Anguo had also stood up; in the aisle, another man gripped a short dagger, facing off against Li Li Anguo, who held a large construction shovel, neither of them having struck yet.

"We admit defeat!" the man with the short dagger shouted, seeing the ferocity of this group: "Let's go!"

With that, he sheathed his dagger and ran toward the carriage connection.

His several accomplices also broke free from Li Li Junfeng and the others' grasp and departed with bruised and swollen faces.

This brawl awakened many people; some began crying out that they had lost money, others found their clothes slashed, while some counted themselves lucky to have escaped unscathed.

When Li Li Anguo and his group left home, they had hidden their money securely, and with four strong laborers together, they hadn't worried about theft; however, it now seemed matters were not so simple.

A train attendant made a round, inquired about the situation, and upon learning that Li Li Junshan and the others had fought with thieves, specifically came over to ask for details; regarding the passengers who had been robbed, he could only say he would report the matter to the railway police and the train conductor, holding little hope that the stolen property could be recovered.

After all, there were too many people on the train at this time, too many stations along the route, and no surveillance cameras or the like, making it extremely difficult to find anyone.

"We'll take turns sleeping at night; just for these few nights, hang in there," Li Li Anguo said after a moment's thought. "Days will be better; at night, two people sleep during the first half and two during the second half, so if anything happens, we can wake everyone up immediately."

Taking shifts would be much better.

This was a measure of last resort.

One day passed without incident; because of the nighttime theft attempt, everyone remained highly vigilant, and no thieves came during the night.

Just as they were approaching a major intermediate station and everyone's vigilance had lowered, trouble struck again.

A group of people noisily blocked both ends of the carriage, shut the doors, and two of them restrained the train attendant who stepped forward to question them.

The leader held a dagger in his hand, while seven or eight others began searching each passenger one by one.

"Hurry, hurry, we're nearly at the station! Get moving!"

This was rather brazen!

Li Li Junshan and his group were seated about one-third of the way down; the search was fast approaching their row, and the two younger men looked to Li Li Anguo, waiting for him to make the decision.

"Don't give it up! Take out the shovels and trowels!" Li Li Anguo whispered. "We'll soon be at Chang'an Station; once we arrive, there will be railway police outside. They won't last long! As long as they don't rush us all at once, we can wait them out! Drag this out until the major station—I don't believe they'd dare continue until the train stops?"

These words gave Li Li Junshan and the others a backbone; the four of them pulled shovels, trowels, and other tools from their black bags and huddled together, gripping their implements. The two unfamiliar young men looked stunned by this display, not expecting these four to be so fierce!

"If you two aren't part of their gang, crawl underneath!" Li Li Anguo told the two young men. "Otherwise, if you get hurt in a moment, it'll be our fault!"

The two young men immediately curled up under the chairs, while Li Li Anguo's group of four huddled in their seats against the carriage wall, two facing outward and two facing the opposite seats.

That group immediately spotted them, and four or five people surrounded them.

Li Li Junshan took a glance, feeling relieved that none of these men carried guns.

"Friends, what's the meaning of this?" the leader said, brandishing a machete. "Do you want to clash with us?"

Those who had been searching passengers one by one and forcing them to hand over money all gathered around.

Just as the onlookers expected a major battle to erupt, a dramatic scene unfolded—an event Li Li Junshan would remember for the rest of his life, one he could recount to his children and grandchildren for decades.

The two young men who had crawled under the chairs had somehow appeared on the periphery and, together with several other passengers, pinned those money-grabbing robbers to the ground.

It turned out they were plainclothes officers.

Nothing major happened afterward; before escorting the criminals away, the plainclothes officers even thanked Li Li Anguo and his group, saying they were grateful that these four had helped gather the culprits together.

After disembarking, Li Li Anguo remained puzzled: nothing had happened on the way to Xinjiang, yet on the return trip they encountered two incidents—was he somehow destined to attract thieves?

Better to hurry home.

In the railway station square, where foot traffic was heavy, the temperature was much higher than in Xinjiang, hovering around zero degrees.

Yet upon exiting the station, Li Li Junfeng couldn't help but wrap his clothes tighter, saying:

"This weather is truly cold! Damp and chilly! Even when Little Little Haizi was pulling fish out of the water, it wasn't this cold... truly unbearable!"

"Let's go, have lunch, then catch a ride home," Chen Chen Xingbang said, having no strong feelings about it; different places naturally felt different, and he had mentally prepared himself before getting off the train.

"Hey, that's right, the taste is different," Li Li Junfeng said; hearing talk of food, he didn't feel so cold anymore. "What shall we eat?"

"Braised noodles; what else?" Chen Chen Xingbang said with a smile.

"Alright."

"Alright!"

Li Li Anguo said nothing; today they would finally return home, and although he carried thick wads of cash in his chest, stepping into this region immediately made his mood turn somewhat unpleasant.

Xinjiang was quite good; although he had stayed there only a few months, he could see that in the village where his elder brother and younger brothers lived, there was no preference for sons over daughters—it was quite normal for families to have two girls, and some even had three.

Without Xiao Long's fiancée's family had only one daughter, and she had come along too.

Li Li Anguo had two daughters; in this village, traditional views ran deep, and if he didn't produce a son, his branch of the family line would be severed.

It might not lead to his household being completely absorbed by relatives after his death, but having the line cut off still felt like a regret.

Families in the village who already had daughters basically all tried to have a son, even if it meant violating birth regulations.

If Li Li Anguo had another child, it would constitute a violation of birth regulations.

Many in the village had violated birth regulations and had to pay fines; thus, his trip to Xinjiang served two purposes: first, to avoid the hassle, and second, to earn the money for the fine.

Chen Chen Xingbang was in a similar situation; he currently had only one daughter and planned to have another.

Although Li Li Junfeng was young, he was fortunate enough to have two sons, which was why he was so cheerful.

At noon, they ate noodles in the city, then went to the bus station to buy tickets and took the ride home.

The regional bus reached the county town; halfway there, the four of them got off and started walking toward the village—the highway still left four Chinese li, or two kilometers, to the Li family's village, which wasn't far.

"Walking is still good." Although the roads leading out from their hometown weren't paved with asphalt, they were mostly gravel paths, and since many people walked them, there was no accumulated snow now, making travel convenient; occasionally, they even bumped into familiar faces.

Compared in this way, it was much better than Northern Frontier.

That was why Li Li Junfeng felt such emotion.

"Each place has its merits." Li Li Junshan felt differently; the snowy landscapes of Northern Frontier looked pleasant too. But thinking about the damp, hard quilts awaiting them at home made him feel uncomfortable.

The stove and heated walls of Old Ma's compound were so much more comfortable!

Unfortunately, that was out of the question for the time being.

There was little grass by the roadside, and any fallen branches had already been gathered by others; in these times, anything that could legally and reasonably become firewood rarely stayed put. Unlike Northern Frontier, where wastelands were covered with shrubs and deadwood, this place felt much "cleaner."

They encountered more and more familiar faces, including children, greeting everyone along the way until they finally returned to the village.

Knowing they had come back from Northern Frontier, many people stood at their courtyard gates watching curiously and asking a question or two.

Before returning, all four had changed into new clothes: new cotton-padded jackets bought from the supply and marketing cooperative as workwear, with outer layers made from cloth purchased and hastily sewn by Liang Yuecotton and Sister Lu.

On their feet were cotton-rubber shoes, which now felt slightly warm.

But comfortable!

Dressed entirely in new clothes and carrying large and small bags, they clearly gave the impression of having earned money.

"Didn't they say the Li family's Second Son took people to work in that sandy place in Northern Frontier? How come they look so well-off!" someone questioned.

"Who knows if they're just pretending?" another said, holding onto old impressions. "That northwest region is bitter and cold, a place where criminals are sent for reform through labor; how could it be any good?"

"That's not certain," someone analyzed rationally. "When the Li family's old master returned earlier, the money he spent was definitely real; he must have spent several hundred yuan over these past six months—people have been keeping count. I heard the Li family's eldest son previously sent money home in amounts of dozens or even hundreds; could that money be fake?"

Silence fell.

!.

Watching these four "strut through the market," many felt quite envious.

The first family members to rush over were Li Li Anguo's two daughters: the elder was eight, the younger five; both wore patched clothes, their hair tied in small braids, their faces reddened with broken capillaries from the cold, yet upon seeing their father return, they excitedly hugged Li Li Anguo's arms, one on each side, and even tried to help him carry his bags.

Li Li Anguo wouldn't let them carry the bags; they were heavy, containing items meant for the old master.

Li Li Anguo, Li Li Junfeng, and Li Li Junshan lived in the same village, while Chen Chen Xingbang's village was less than a hundred meters farther away.

Li Li Qing Xia already knew his second son and son-in-law had returned. As the family elder, he naturally couldn't go out to greet them, so he waited at the courtyard gate, feeling somewhat restless.

Du Chunfang sat at the doorway of the house; seeing him repeatedly go out to look, she couldn't help but say:

"If you're eager, just go meet them; what's there to fear? He's your son. If you don't want to go meet him, then just stay put honestly; when he gets home, he'll definitely come to see you first."

That was true.

Li Li Qing Xia had no particular insights otherwise; he felt he was just an old rustic farmer with nothing to boast about, the only thing comforting him being that his children were all quite filial.

His eagerness to see Li Li Anguo stemmed more from wanting to hear how Li Li Anguo and the others had spent the winter in Northern Frontier.

Li Jianguo had sent telegrams more than once, urging them, the two elders, to move to Northern Frontier to live and spend the winter there. Previously, he hadn't wanted to, but after staying there for a few months last summer, Li Li Qing Xia felt that place was actually quite nice.

Although there were many old friends here, winters were truly hard to endure; it was damp and chilly, causing frequent coughing fits that felt as though one might cough out their lungs.

Old bones suffered greatly!

This made him miss Northern Frontier's sun all the more—the summer sun, where everything felt warm!

The elderly feared the cold, and Li Li Qing Xia was no exception; now hesitating whether to go to Northern Frontier, he wanted to hear what Li Li Anguo had to say.

Li Li Qing Xia didn't have to wait long in anticipation before Li Li Anguo arrived at the courtyard where the old couple lived, carrying their gifts.

"This is the money Eldest Brother asked me to bring you, and this is the honey and liquor Little Dragon sent for you." Carrying everything over, Li Li Anguo smiled and said, "Eldest Brother says you should still move to Northern Frontier; it's so cold here."

"Can it be warm over there?" Du Chunfang asked, puzzled. "Doesn't it snow there? Isn't it colder than here?"

"There are stoves and heated walls!" Li Li Anguo explained. "Eldest Brother's family had a whole truckload of coal delivered; stoking the stove day and night, the rooms get so warm one can wear only single-layer clothing..."

"A whole truckload of coal? How much would that cost..." Du Chunfang said, pained at the thought. Here, they couldn't afford coal; they could only use honeycomb briquettes mixed with yellow clay, each costing several fen.

"Coal is cheap over there; one ton costs only twenty or thirty yuan—one ton! That's two thousand jin! And if you don't want to burn coal, as you should know, the wastelands are full of firewood..."

"Did you make money on this trip?" Li Li Qing Xia asked.

"We did." This was what Li Li Anguo was most proud of; he hadn't even had the chance to tell his wife yet.

"Making money is good enough." Looking at Li Li Anguo's new clothes, Li Li Qing Xia understood. "Quite a lot, I presume."

"Absolutely!" Li Li Anguo exclaimed with emotion. "Little Dragon is incredibly capable; he led the four of us through quite a lot of hustle and bustle. In these past half a year, we earned... several hundred!"

He didn't dare mention that his personal share was nearly a thousand.

He had never dreamed in his life of earning so much money!

"Little Dragon... certainly knows how to hustle." Recalling how he had followed his youngest son into the mountains to cut poles, Li Li Qing Xia couldn't help but smile.

He asked in detail about life during winter in Northern Frontier; after Li Li Anguo left, Li Li Qing Xia could no longer sit still in the courtyard.

Du Chunfang carried the honey, liquor, and other items inside the house and put them away properly; coming back out, she saw Li Li Qing Xia pacing around the courtyard and couldn't help but ask with a smile:

"So you're thinking of going to Northern Frontier? Tickets will be hard to buy at this time."

"Sigh." Li Li Qing Xia thought to himself, if only that troublesome incident hadn't happened, they wouldn't have needed to return.

When Chen Chen Xingbang arrived home, his wife, Li Xia, had already heard the news and had been watching outward from the courtyard gate; upon seeing him carrying his bag, their daughter, Hongqin, also ran over to welcome her father.

Hongqin was five years old, not yet attending school, but already knew how to show affection to her father; with Chen Chen Xingbang gone for several months recently, she had missed him greatly.

Looking at Hongqin's patched clothes and the dilapidated courtyard, Chen Chen Xingbang felt an impulse to move away from here—he had earned enough money building new houses in less than half a year while following his brother-in-law in Northern Frontier; now, returning here without new income, that money would be entirely spent within a year.

Thinking about the life they led in Northern Frontier, eating meat every day, drinking wine occasionally, having money to spend—what about now?

"Come inside quickly; the meal is almost cold. Eat something first to fill your stomach." Li Xia didn't ask her husband how much money he had earned; she first urged her man to eat his fill.

They had eaten on the road, but home-cooked meals were different nonetheless. Li Xia brought out cornmeal steamed cakes and stir-fried cabbage—with a few drops of oil floating on top—a large bowl of flour paste containing chunks of sweet potato, and on the table, a plate of dark, dried sweet potato slices—this was the staple food usually eaten by mother and daughter.

"Come here, Hongqin; Dad bought you some delicious treats." Chen Chen Xingbang opened his bag, took out the sesame cakes and egg cakes he had brought back, placed them on the table, and opened them for his daughter to eat.

"Just eat one piece," Li Xia said hurriedly. "You already ate lunch; save the rest to eat slowly later."

"It's fine; we made money on this trip, so there will be plenty to eat later." Thinking of how he ate delicious food every day in the Northern Frontier horse stables and hardly ever consumed coarse grains, while his wife and child were struggling to swallow these difficult-to-eat black dried sweet potatoes, Chen Chen Xingbang felt an urge to punch himself.

"Even if we make money, we shouldn't spend it recklessly." Li Xia was frugal by nature. "Chinese New Year is approaching; won't we have to buy things for Father and Mother? Won't that cost money? We'll also need to get clothes for your younger brother and sister-in-law, won't we? Won't you have to spend money?"

The father and mother Li Xia mentioned were Chen Chen Xingbang's parents, who were her father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Their daughter would soon start school, which also required setting aside money; expenses were everywhere.

"It's fine; we earned quite a lot on this trip," Chen Chen Xingbang emphasized again. He did not specify the amount, worried that Hongqin might blurt it out, which would be bad.

This place was different from the Northern Frontier; there were people who suffered from green-eyed jealousy, people with malicious intentions, and people plotting to cause trouble.

One had to be on guard!

"By the way, Hongqin, I also bought you a foreign doll! I went specifically to the Department Store Building to buy this for you; look, isn't it beautiful!"

"So beautiful!" Hongqin had never dared to hope she could own such a beautiful doll; she immediately hugged the toy and refused to let go.

Children were indeed easy to coax.

"There's one for you too," Chen Chen Xingbang said to his wife. "Without Xiao Long bought jade ornaments in Wu City; this piece is for you; take a look..."

"There's one for me too?" In Li Xia's memory, her youngest brother-in-law was still a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old youth, somewhat delicate, somewhat stubborn, and not very talkative.

Now he could earn money?

Was he this sensible?

Chen Chen Xingbang then told Li Xia about Li Long's affairs.

At home, Li Li Junfeng was also telling his wife and child about matters in the Northern Frontier; although he was the protagonist of the story, Uncle Without Xiao Long remained an important figure who could not be ignored.

For a time, the story of the Li family's youngest son spread throughout the village.

This was something Li Long had not expected.

Legend Degree +1. (End of Chapter)