Chapter 704: Continuing to Hold the Iron Rice Bowl

Wang An and Wang Li did not ride their horses, so after leaving the courtyard, they strolled toward the train station.

To get to the station, one not only had to pass through a small patch of woods but also cross a field of crops.

This field was the closest one to Mountain-Backing Tuntun, so it was considered the safest—though "safe" here meant it was less likely to be ravaged by wild boars or black bears.

As Wang An and Wang Li passed this field, they saw Niu Great Ming's wife leading her two children, working the land.

While others were using mules and horses to pull plows, followed by people planting seeds, raking manure, and rolling the soil, moving along as they worked,

covering one ridge per pass and two ridges per round trip,

planting this way usually allowed one to cover eleven or twelve mu of land in a day.

Niu Great Ming's wife, however, was using a hoe to dig holes, with one child dropping seeds and the other filling them with soil.

At this rate, they couldn't even finish half a mu in a day.

Truth be told, watching this widowed mother and her children working the land was quite a pitiful sight.

So, Wang Li suddenly said to Wang An, "Fourth Brother, look at that woman. Seeing her in such a pathetic state now, why do I feel so vindicated?"

Wang An was taken aback and asked subconsciously,

"What's up? How did she offend you?"

Wang Li said with a hateful expression,

"Two years ago, that wretched woman raised two pigs. Every summer, she'd have her two good-for-nothing kids drive the pigs into the small woods behind my house. If you weren't paying close attention, they'd ruin the cabbage and potatoes in my backyard. Those two little bastards wouldn't listen to a word, and I couldn't beat them, so it was incredibly annoying."

Wang Li said he "couldn't beat them," but anyone with eyes could tell he actually "didn't dare provoke them."

That's right, he didn't dare!

In those days, the power held by a deputy leader of the militia was quite significant, making it very easy for them to cause trouble for the villagers.

It was precisely because of this that Wang An, a "big loafer," had resorted to "playing dead" after beating Niu Great Ming in the mill house.

There was no helping it; if he had confronted them head-on, Wang An would definitely have been the one to suffer.

People say "a sesame-sized official," but honestly, could an ordinary farmer afford to cross them? Forget officials; even in ancient times, which commoner dared to go against the "clerks"? Of course, there is a saying: "A commoner's rage can spill blood five paces away!" But after the blood is spilled, what then? What happens? A lone bachelor is fine, because if one person is full, the whole family is fed; he can do whatever he wants and fight if he's not satisfied.

But what about those with families—parents above, children below, and a wife in between? So, it's not that you're cowardly for enduring or retreating; in fact, doing so is the right thing to do.

Wang An understood what Wang Li meant, but he certainly wouldn't expose him; after all, everyone needs to save face.

Wang An said with a smile,

"Now that Niu Great Ming is dead, you can get your revenge. You should raise two pigs yourself, and whenever you get the chance, drive them into her backyard to eat her potatoes and cabbage."

As soon as Wang An finished speaking, Wang Li suddenly frowned and asked with a face full of suspicion, "Fourth Brother, how do you know Niu Great Ming is dead?"

Wang An's expression didn't change; he still smiled and said, "I just feel like he must be dead. Otherwise, it's been so long, and there's still no sign of him."

Wang Li looked at Wang An sideways, blinked, and said, "Yeah, I feel that way too." It was clear that although Wang Li said this, his eyes were filled with doubt.

Wang An continued to smile and said,

"In my opinion, if she dares to let her pigs ruin your vegetable garden again, just set the dogs on them and kill them. It's her fault for not keeping them in check anyway. But I reckon she won't dare to do it this year; her old man is dead, and she's just a lone woman left with two kids..."

Chatting as they walked, Wang An and Wang Li arrived at the "Mountain-Backing Tuntun Station."

At this time of year, waiting for the train at this station was actually quite comfortable.

Although the wind still blew through this gap and it wasn't small, it no longer felt cold.

After arriving at the station, the two brothers only waited for twenty minutes before the small train, consisting of just one locomotive and two carriages, arrived.

After boarding, the two spent four cents to buy two tickets and found a place to sit.

The so-called tickets were actually just two pieces of scrap paper stamped with a seal, no bigger than a one-inch photo.

It was said that the tracks and the train for this line belonged to the forestry bureau internally and had almost nothing to do with the railway bureau.

The brothers each lit a cigarette, chatting and listening to the forestry workers bragging and blowing hot air as they headed toward the county seat.

Truth be told, the permanent employees of the forestry bureau in this era were truly enviable—though, to be fair, employees of any other unit were just as enviable.

This was mainly because they held a solid "iron rice bowl," receiving a fixed monthly salary and a pension after retirement.

Furthermore, medical care was free, as the unit covered all expenses, and there were many benefits distributed during every holiday.

And the most impressive part was that they could pass their jobs down to their children! This meant that whether a father or mother retired normally, was injured and couldn't work, or died, one of their children could directly become a permanent employee and continue to hold the iron rice bowl.

Naturally, these people felt a sense of superiority in front of ordinary farmers.

And it was understandable, because compared to ordinary farmers, their lives were truly worlds apart; there was simply no comparison.

Perhaps because Wang An and Wang Li were present, this group of workers bragged with extra vigor.

"My unit issued this today," "You're going to be eating meat tomorrow," "I can't spend all my salary," "My son is about to take over my post"—they went on and on, showing off their status, their superiority, and their happiness.

It left Wang An and Wang Li feeling somewhat amused.

I mean, brag if you want, but what does that have to do with me? So, Wang An and Wang Li kept to themselves, chatting away and ignoring everything the workers said.

When the train was about a third of the way to the county seat, a young man couldn't take it anymore.

He had been bragging the whole way and had run out of things to say.

Seeing Wang An and Wang Li still chatting happily, he roared at them,

"Can you two stop flapping your gums? Don't you know how annoying you are?"

(End of chapter)