Chapter 9: Think back then, my team just started, totaling

By the time Yan Jiekuaung ran far away, Li Xuewu had already entered the room, and Yi Zhonghai had to walk out of the courtyard with a straight face.

Just as First Master went out, a half-grown boy with a pot-cover haircut ran into the courtyard with two little girls from outside the courtyard.

The three children were Qin Huairu's Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua.

Li Xuewu stood by the small window by the stove and looked out, watching the three children run into the courtyard.

Unlike most children in this era who were sallow and thin, Qin Widow's three children had round faces, and their clothes were washed clean.

It was time to integrate into this collective as soon as possible. He slept for an afternoon, and Qin Huairu knew from others that he had entered the factory, not to mention the "old news" of his return this morning.

Li Xuewu said to Liu Yin that he was going out for a stroll, and then went out.

Snowflakes began to fall in the sky again, and the mud on the road had frozen solid, and it was no longer slippery when stepped on.

Out of the alley entrance was Jiaodaokou South Street. Looking north was Andingmen, and looking east was Dongzhimen. Dongzhimen was the direction to work. Walking to the end of the road was the Rolling Mill, 15 minutes by bicycle, and an hour by walking.

There were few pedestrians on the street now, but there were many horse carts and cars. The surroundings were all broken and dilapidated, and some walls had collapsed.

Li Xuewu walked deep and shallow, and walked to a more dilapidated courtyard in the back alley, the second room of the inverted seat room. The light in the window was as bright as a bean.

Li Xuewu asked softly at the door: "Is Guodong at home?"

There was a response in the room, and a young man of eighteen or nineteen lifted the door curtain.

This was a person with deep memories, probably because they had mixed together.

Shen Guodong called out in surprise: "Wu Ge, why are you back? Ah, come in quickly."

Saying that, he happily let Li Xuewu into the room.

In the room, an old woman wearing old clothes was pasting matchboxes. Perhaps because she couldn't see clearly, she was carefully brushing the paste, raised her eyes, and saw Li Xuewu enter, and looked at him carefully.

Li Xuewu found a small stool and sat by the small table, asking: "Grandma, are you in good health?"

Seeing that his grandmother was still looking, she definitely didn't recognize him. Shen Guodong said to his grandmother: "Li Xuewu, my Wu Ge, came to see you."

The old woman only then knew who had come, and said politely: "Ah, Xuewu, you are back?"

Shen Guodong gave Li Xuewu a glass of water and said: "Her hearing hasn't been good for two years, and her eyes aren't good either. You have to speak louder."

Li Xuewu took the water glass and put it by his hand, raised his volume and said: "Grandma, it's me, Xuewu, I came back yesterday."

The old woman nodded and said: "It's good to be back, it's good to be back, it's too dangerous..."

Shen Guodong interrupted his grandmother: "That's how many years ago, there's no danger."

The old woman muttered: "No danger, why is your face ruined?"

Shen Guodong's parents died in the war in '45, leaving only the old woman to bring up her grandson, selling off the little family property, which was considered bringing Shen Guodong up.

Perhaps the old woman remembered the fierce events of the early years, so she said it was good to be back, which also meant comfort.

Shen Guodong ignored his grandmother's words and asked: "Wu Ge, are you still leaving this time?"

Li Xuewu picked up the matchbox and helped paste it, saying: "Not leaving, work is arranged, it's the Rolling Mill outside the city."

Shen Guodong was happy for Li Xuewu: "That's great, our brothers can mix with Wu Ge again."

Li Xuewu put down the pasted matchbox, looked at Shen Guodong and said: "Eighteen or nineteen, Grandma's health is getting worse day by day, are you still thinking about slacking off?"

Ever since Li Xuewu entered the room, Shen Guodong felt that the Wu Ge in front of him was different from the Wu Ge in the past. His edge was sharper, but he was as steady as Mount Tai.

"Wu Ge, ever since you left, our days have been like Wang Erxiao celebrating the New Year, one year worse than the next. I'm not good at reading, and seeing my grandma's health is really not good, so I didn't continue reading, and couldn't continue reading. I went out to carry grain bags at the grain depot, or when I caught up with the railway station recruiting temporary hands to unload train cars, 20 cents for a car of coal."

Shen Guodong's voice became lower and lower. Li Xuewu looked at the environment in the room, a kang, a clay stove, simple pots and pans, a small low table, and several small stools.

Li Xuewu asked: "Second Child, what about Dazhuang? Didn't Old Cousin help you?"

Shen Guodong's eyes turned red when he heard Li Xuewu's question, and he answered with a trembling voice: "Dazhuang is broken."

Li Xuewu thought of the honest young man in his memory, and couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart. They were all brothers who grew up together.

Li Xuewu's voice was also a bit low, and he asked: "How did he break?"

If those who mix on the street die of illness or accidents, they are called "gone." Those who are called "broken" are either in the number or passed away during a conflict.

Shen Guodong rubbed his face and said: "Laobiaoz followed his third uncle to engage in the pigeon market stall. At first, they collected eggs and millet from the countryside to sell in the city. Later, his third uncle saw that speculating on tickets was more profitable, so he instigated Laobiaoz to find a few people to work with him."

Li Xuewu cursed in a low voice: "Laobiaoz didn't say his third uncle was a coward, you guys dare to believe his ideas?"

Li Xuewu knew who Laobiaoz's third uncle was. He was not much older than Laobiaoz. He was the youngest in the family. He had been a thief since he was a child. He could steal chickens and dogs, but if he was asked to do something, he would either have diarrhea or pull his crotch.

Shen Guodong also said with grievance: "Laobiaoz was moved. After you left, we lost our backbone. We didn't let us go to the back sea anymore. The group of cubs on the street didn't greet us anymore. Laobiaoz's fruit also kicked him. This is to make some money to live."

Li Xuewu cursed in a low voice: "Things with brains on their buttocks, that's not called fruit, that's called wild fruit."

Shen Guodong grinned and said: "It was okay at first. We gave high prices, and everyone came to us to exchange. I don't know why, one day we were blocked by others. There were seven people on the other side, and four of us. Old Cousin's third uncle ran away, and the three of us were blocked inside. It was Dazhuang, who brought a fork and stabbed two, one of whom died on the spot. It scared the other side away, and we ran away too. But two days later, Dazhuang was still found, and he broke in the second month."

"Fairy Wood Legend"

Li Xuewu heard Shen Guodong's choked tone when he mentioned Dazhuang, knowing that he didn't feel comfortable either, but still asked: "Dazhuang's family only has his old mother and younger sister left, how do they live?"

Shen Guodong said: "How else can they live? We support them. The news of Dazhuang's death came back, and Old Cousin's third uncle sent 50 yuan to the family, saying he would give 10 yuan every month to support them."

Li Xuewu said angrily: "This grandson still has some conscience, what is he doing now?" ===== CHAPTER 10 =====