National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1 Meeting in a narrow road

After 1978, the spring breeze of reform blew across the land of China.

The Republic is bathed in the brilliance of the new era with the joy of just breaking free from confinement.

It's just that the general environment of society continues to improve.

But not everyone's life can turn the tide in the first time and rush to the happy road.

Because there is a saying that the happy people in the whole world are the same, but the unfortunate people are unhappy in their own way.

Don't forget, five fingers are not long on one side.

There are always so few people in the world who are outrageous exceptions.

Obviously they did nothing wrong, but their days were dipped deeper and deeper in sour bitter water, and there was no sign of improvement.

Can't help but feel sympathy.

But even such a poor man is still not the worst.

Because even more desolate than a poor person, it is two such poor people who meet together.

And between these two poor people, there is a fundamental conflict of interest for survival.

To put it bluntly, just like the "comparable miserable" joke in the movie "Tang Bohu's Autumn Fragrance", that's called good luck fooling people!
This is not nonsense. In real life, there is such a thing.

If I don't mention it elsewhere, let's talk about the old and the young in the No. 2 courtyard of Shan'er Hutong, Meishi Street, Beijing.

They belonged to two unlucky people who met in such a narrow way.

The old one is called Kang Shude.

Born in 1918, his ancestral home is Jinghai, Jinmen.

When he was young, he escaped from the famine and came to the capital, and later made a career of "playing small drums".

Because in the old days, there were only two industries in the capital that made the most money.

One is a tile eater, and the other is an antique shop.

Kang Shude not only married a wife in the capital, but also bought a house.

In fact, he is the landlord of the No. 2 courtyard in Fan'er Hutong.

It's just the change of times that makes it difficult to grasp the direction of life.

After liberation, Kang Shude's family returned to their hometown.

After more than ten years of vicissitudes, he was left alone.

In 1979, the house in my hometown collapsed again due to rain, and Kang Shude ran back to the capital again.

When we meet again, these old tenants in the yard all feel sympathy for Kang Shude.

Because his poor and down-to-earth appearance is not much worse than his description of going to Beijing when he was begging for food.

So under the advice of several tenants, it was approved by the street and housing management departments.

Kang Shude moved into the two small north houses where he had lived before, and stayed for the time being.

Due to the process of applying for a household registration, the food book provided by Kang Shude is temporary. For the monthly oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, he has to rely on the neighbors to help him temporarily.

As for the source of income, Kang Shude can only make a living by pasting cardboard boxes for Tong Ren Tang, which was renamed "Jingcheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Store" during the movement.

Is this kind of situation pitiful for such a large number of people?
But don't look at him poor, there are more pitiful than him.

It's not a coincidence to say it.

It happened not long after the old man Kang reluctantly settled down.

Another owner, who also had the right to live in these two small houses, also came back to the capital in the winter of 1979.

This is Ning Weimin, an educated youth who returned to the city.

Speaking of this kid, it's a tough kid.

Ning Weimin was born in 1961. His father, Ning Changyou, was a tricycle driver of the Dashilan Crane Club.

When he was two years old, he died early because of excessive cerebral congestion due to smoking and drinking.

The Ning family is real and has no relatives or friends.

Therefore, this child who lost his father at a young age did not even have a good day.

It was all raised by his widow mother who worked in the street sewing club.

As for the two of them moving to the No. 2 courtyard of Shan'er Hutong, of course, it was after the Kang Shude family moved out.

Mainly because the street cadres took care of her, it was not easy for the poor widow of Weimin Ma to lose her job.

I think if they move here, work will be close.

After moving here, they lived well, so why did the Ning family leave these two small rooms vacant?

That can only be said to be a trick of fate.

After graduating from junior high school, Gan Qing Ning Weimin went to Fangshan, a suburb of Beijing, to jump in the queue.

But in 1977, just because he went to Fangshan to see him, his mother had a traffic accident on the road and passed away.

And Ning Weimin did not have the sewing skills to take over the job of his mother, and it was not until two years later that he could move his hukou back according to the policy.

But Ning Weimin's succession was another surprise.

When he finally returned to the capital, he found that he didn't even have a place to stay.

His home has moved into a strange old man.

How frustrating is this?

No wonder people say that if a person carries it on his back, he can't wait to gag his teeth even after drinking a mouthful of cold water, and jump on his heels when he farts.

In short, the two desperate people pointed to these two small rooms for the rest of their lives, and this matter was twisted.

Whether it was Kang Shude or Ning Weimin, everyone wanted the other to leave.

To this end, they not only asked the neighbors in the small courtyard to judge, but also had a fierce dispute, which suddenly came to the street cadres.

But to be honest, in the face of such a situation, street officials and neighbors are also in a dilemma, and it is difficult to judge.

Everyone deserves sympathy and help.

Everyone has valid reasons to assert power for themselves.

So difficult!How to solve this problem, really embarrassing!

Not to mention the two unfortunate people, they themselves are troubled and disturbed.

Even these people around them shook their heads and sighed on their behalf, sucking Hanako in embarrassment.

So after a lot of summing up and deliberation, the solution finally given by the street cadres, it can only be a solution that can't be helped - equal share!
Since it is not appropriate to let anyone move.

Two small rooms, just one per person.

But to be honest, neither old man Kang nor Ning Weimin felt comfortable with this result.

Because this is not the kindergarten children sitting in rows and sharing the fruits.

First of all, this room is divided into inside and outside, that is a problem.

These two small rooms are actually the two easternmost rooms of the five north rooms in front of the small courtyard.

It is equivalent to a suite with a door inside and a door outside.

Temporarily breaking a door is of course unrealistic.

Putting money aside, just to keep warm, you have to wait for the spring to bloom before you start.

Who's in and who's out?

Both wanted to live inside, but knew that living outside would be disturbed.

For this, you have to fight first.

Old man Kang's leaning on the old and selling the old played a role.

He said that he was too old to stand the wind.

In this way, he won a game temporarily and moved into the inner room.

But within two days, he took the initiative to change out of the back room.

For nothing else, it was all because Ning Weimin hung the portraits of his parents on the west wall of the outer room.

Every day old man Kang came in and out, he had to meet the dead person in the photo.

Over time, he couldn't take it anymore.

He would rather eat the wind with his old bones than let Ning Weimin's parents stare at him.

And this is just the beginning, and there are more disputes later.

For example, Ning Weimin hates old man Kang for snoring.

As for Kang Shude, he also disliked Ning Weimin's lack of rules and manners.

For another example, Ning Weimin blamed Kang Shude every day for making the outhouse full of cardboard boxes, so that the smell of stinky paste could not escape.

As for the old man Kang, he was also determined not to let Ning Weimin smoke in the house, for fear that he would lead to the cardboard box.

And retorted, saying that he went to bed without washing his feet, and the smell was stronger than paste.

What else, I would rather have no income for the people, but also have to eat and drink.

He unceremoniously used old man Kang's rice noodles and coal fire.

How can old man Kang do it?

Of course he had to cover it, not willing to be taken advantage of.

But Ning Weimin said again that the furniture, stove and pots and pans in this house are all theirs.

If you don't eat or drink, then don't use it.

In this way, the two quarreled so much that the neighbors were disturbed, and under the persuasion and witness of everyone, they negotiated a solution.

That is, Ning Weimin has to help paste a certain number of cardboard boxes every day, and he has to take out the non-staple food book and share it with Old Man Kang.

Only this old man can provide free food, drink and coal fire.

In short, the old and the young have not had a good impression of each other since the beginning of the meeting.

With personal emotions and living habits so different, naturally we can't live together.

For them, everything can become a contradiction, and it is not bad that the human brain is not a dog brain.

And this is also a problem for the whole small courtyard.

The neighbors are annoying. When it comes to persuading these two people to fight, they all have a heartache.

The difficulty lies in the fact that it is not good to be biased towards this, nor to this or that. No matter what you do, you will be wrong.

But don't mention it, just when everyone thought that Kang and Ning Weimin would go further and further on the road of mutual incompetence.

There will be no other possible times except for mutual harm.

This guy fate has arranged another very wonderful turning point, which turned the situation from bad to good in one fell swoop.

That is, around the Spring Festival of 1980.

These two people, who could be called enemies in the past and enemies in the present, not only resolved the conflicts in the past, but also became as close as a family.

To ask what happened?

The answer is actually very simple, just five words, adversity sees the truth!

The cause of this transformation occurred on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The elderly get up early when they sleep less.

When Kang Shude woke up that day, he found that the smell of coal fire in the room was not right.

Wearing a piece of clothes, he searched for his taste and found Ning Weimin's door.

Followed by a knock on the door to call for someone, there was no response from the room.

The old man was in a hurry, knowing that something was wrong.

He decisively took the stool and smashed the window of the inner room, which saved Ning Weimin's life.

But after the new year, it was Kang Shude's turn to have an accident.

At noon on a working day, Ning Weimin came back from outside for dinner.

I didn't see the food, but found that the old man was holding a cardboard box in his hand and lying on the table with his eyes closed.

Can't wake up no matter what.

Touching it again, the forehead is hot.

Come on, Ning Weimin was also unequivocal, and quickly carried Kang Shude on his back.

He also greeted the neighbors at home next to him—the retired Uncle Bian and his wife, Aunt Bian, the director of the neighborhood committee.

Several people sent the old man to the Friendship Hospital together.

Unexpectedly, the situation is not very optimistic. Not only do I have to get drips, but people have to be hospitalized for two days for observation.

The problem is that Kang Shude has to pay for medical treatment at his own expense. Who will pay for this money?
Just when Aunt Bian was arguing with the hospital and asked if the neighborhood committee could be a guarantee.

No one expected that Ning Weimin went out for a while.

When I came back more than half an hour later, it was like a magic trick, and I sold 60 yuan on the spot.

What is even more unexpected is that the money has been paid in a hurry.

Without even allowing Aunt Bian and Uncle Bian to intervene, Ning Weimin fell to the ground.

There was chaos on the spot.

The old couple of the Bian family were also terrified, and hurriedly called the passing doctor to see what was going on.

Then the mystery was completely revealed.

Where did this money come from?

Dare to love Ning Weimin's urgency, he just went to the blood drawing room to donate blood.

The list in the pocket is clearly written.

I took 300CC from him in exchange for this life-saving money.

And, don't forget, when is this all?
Ning Weimin had not eaten until this time.

He carried someone to the hospital, and after drawing blood from an empty stomach, he felt a fire in his heart, and he didn't even take a sip of water, how could he not faint?

Then think about it, when Kang Shude was rescued and knew what happened, how would he feel in his heart?

People's hearts are all fleshy, and even if there are many quarrels in daily life, it can't be worth a life-long friendship, right?
Speaking of which, none of this young and old would have thought that the other party would do this at a critical moment.

So after all this tossing, they both felt that the other was the one they could rely on to share weal and woe.

Thinking of each other's well-being, they naturally became harmonious.

After that, it's definitely not the same.

The weak and the weak have turned into pity for each other. Ning Weimin respects the elderly, and Kang Shude loves the young.

Even if there is any conflict between the two, they can tolerate each other.

They never got angry again when they talked, but they often laughed and chatted to tease boredom.

Those who didn't know, thought that the two of them were originally a family.

In this way, the street cadres finally relax, and even want to combine the old and the young to make them truly become a family.

As for the neighbors in Shan'er Hutong, they were all beaming with joy, taking this as a model of "there is true love in the world" and talking about it endlessly.

But here, there is something that needs to be explained first.

This seems to have been a happy result, but it is not the end of the story, it is just the beginning of the story.

Because fate has played this trick, its unimaginable level is far beyond what people can imagine.

No one could realize that the Ning Weimin in their eyes was actually not the Ning Weimin from the past.

This kid's body has been replaced by a brand new soul...

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Another: The business line is not simply collecting antiques and stamps, but speculation and traditional business

(End of this chapter)