A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 980: Gunshots! (Please subscribe!)

PS: It’s September 18th again this year. The alarm bell should always ring. Never forget the national humiliation.

Director Wang was confused by the question. Why did it sound like the question was asking her "Will this watermelon be ripe?" This is a martyr's relative. How could you ask a question like that?

  He immediately gave Hua Twelve an unpleasant slap:

"You kid, how could the fact that you are a martyr's relative be fake?"

Hua Twelve chuckled: "Auntie Wang, that's not necessarily true!"

"Look, there are seven signs nailed to my door frame, but there is not a single one on the door of the deaf old lady. If there really were such signs, she would have taken them out long ago. Being a relative of a martyr is an honorable thing. I have never heard of anyone being so secretive about being a relative of a martyr!"

"I'm not saying anything, Aunt Wang, but seeing is believing, hearing is not. Think about it carefully, have you seen direct evidence that the old lady is a martyr's relative?"

Director Wang was a little stunned when she recalled this, because she had only heard that Mrs. Long was a martyr's relative, but had never seen a martyr's relative certificate.

Seeing Director Wang's expression, Hua Twelve knew what was going on, and he added more fuel to the fire:

"Auntie Wang, who told you about the deaf old lady sending straw sandals to Hongjun?"

  Speaking of this, Director Wang is quite confident:

"You are just imagining things, kid. Let me tell you, this is definitely true. Many people know about it. Leader Zhang from our district told me about it."

Hua Twelve laughed and said, "Auntie Wang, please wait a moment. Is that leader Zhang from Hongjun?"

"That's not the case, but he's an old comrade, how could he possibly lie to me!"

  Hearing that the other party was not Hong Jun, Hua Twelve felt more certain:

"Auntie Wang, let me analyze this matter for you. This deaf old lady speaks in Beijing dialect. It can be seen that she is a local resident of Beijing. Is that right?"

Director Wang nodded: "That's right, everyone can hear it, what's wrong?"

"What else? Let me ask you, has Hongjun never been to the capital? How did an old lady like her send the straw sandals over?"

"Look at that old lady, she's so clean and fair, there's not even a callus on her fingers, and her face, her skin, to be honest, is even smoother than yours. You can tell she's not from the working class. I don't mean to look down on her, but you can ask her to make up stories, but isn't it a bit difficult for her to make straw sandals?"

After hearing what Hua Twelve said, Director Wang thought about the deaf old lady's appearance and became uncertain, but he still said:

"Don't talk nonsense, kid. You have no basis for your claims. How can an old lady not be a working class person?"

Hua Twelve chuckled and said, "How come there is no evidence? Have you noticed the old lady's feet?"

Director Wang was a little confused: "What happened to the old lady's feet?"

"You didn't notice it at first glance, but I did. The old lady's feet were natural, not bound!"

Director Wang also understood a little. A deaf old lady of this age must have survived the Qing Dynasty. She was a woman of this age who had not bound her feet and was a local resident in the capital. If you think about it carefully, you will know that her background must be extraordinary.

"Are you saying that this deaf old lady is a bannerman?"

"I don't know if she is a bannerman, but I think that old lady looks like someone who has never suffered. Not only is she plump and white, with no calluses on her hands, but she is also greedy and wants to eat meat every other day. Most importantly, she calls herself the ancestor. She is so lazy and greedy, and yet she pretends to be a senior. Whose working class people look like this?"

"This kind of person claims to be a relative of a martyr, and even said that he gave Hongjun straw sandals. How credible do you think this is?"

  After Hua Twelve finished speaking, Director Wang finally showed a look of horror in his eyes:

"How is that possible? She was selected as a five-guarantee household based on her status as a relative of a martyr. If there is a problem with her status, many people will be held responsible!"

The Five Guarantees program is the Guo family's policy for caring for orphans and elderly widows. In theory, anyone who meets the requirements can be selected, but it is the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, so there shouldn't be too many people who meet the requirements.

Under the same conditions, priority will be given to those relatives of martyrs whose lives were shed for the Guo family. Ordinary people can only be ranked at the back, not to mention the remnants of the Qing Dynasty with bad backgrounds.

If this matter is really as Hua Shier said, and if the old lady is not a martyr's relative, then we will be in big trouble.

The more Director Wang thought about it, the more confused he became. He already had some suspicions about the deaf old lady and planned to check her household registration file when he got to work the next day. If there were any problems, he would report them immediately.

When Hua Twelve saw Director Wang's expression, he knew that his goal had been achieved. He also knew that everything should be done in moderation and not overdone, so he changed the subject and asked about something else:

"Auntie Wang, I heard you say before that the deaf old lady did you a favor. I wonder what favor did she do for you?"

There was nothing to hide about this matter, so Director Wang told the story again.

During the Anti-Japanese War, the capital fell. At that time, there were many intelligence personnel on Baldy's side and my D side who were secretly collecting intelligence on the Japanese in the capital. Director Wang was one of them.

Originally, the intelligence personnel on both sides not only lived in peace at first, but also sometimes cooperated to a certain extent because they shared the same goal of resisting Japan. However, as the Japanese surrendered, the people on the bald side immediately turned against us and launched a mopping-up operation against our personnel.

During an underground organization meeting, the meeting place was surrounded by the enemy due to betrayal by a traitor. The comrades attending the meeting chose to break out, but some were killed and some were injured. Only Director Wang was lucky enough to climb over the wall and jump into a small courtyard.

The owner of the courtyard hid her in a hidden vegetable cellar, thus she escaped capture by the enemy.

Later, due to work needs, Director Wang was transferred to Tianjin by the organization. He returned to Beijing to work after liberation. When he went to the courtyard again, he found that the owner had already changed.

It was not until Director Wang was assigned to work in the street that she met her benefactor again. That benefactor was the deaf old lady. Since then, she has taken good care of the deaf old lady.

After Director Wang told Hua Twelve all this, he also sighed:

"Twelve, you said that this old lady risked her life to save my life from the enemy. Could she be a bad person?"

Hua Twelve felt something was wrong after hearing this, but he couldn't tell what the problem was, so he could only say:

"Aunt Wang, I didn't say she was a bad person. Anyway, let's check it out first. We have to confirm the old lady's identity. If she is really a martyr's relative, I can take care of her in her old age. But if she is not a martyr's relative, I can't pretend to be a martyr and deceive the Guo family and the people!"

"Besides, look at what she did. Isn't it tarnishing the name of a martyr's relative?"

Director Wang sighed: "You are right, let's do it this way!"

After seeing Director Wang off, Hua Twelve's main room was cleaned up by the neighbors and the furniture was put back in its original positions, except that the broken glass was not replaced.

Xu Damao invited Hua Twelve to stay at his place for one night. His place was big and they could stay in the outer room for one night and then move back tomorrow after replacing the glass.

He Daqing simply took down the glass in the ear room and installed it on Hua Twelve's side, which made Sha Zhu cough repeatedly to remind his father that his own son was here.

  Xu Damao was unwilling to miss any opportunity to belittle Sha Zhu, and he laughed:

"Silly Zhu, what are you coughing about? Are you reluctant to part with a few pieces of glass? Hey, this is for the young widow, you can give as much as you want. What's the matter? I heard that Twelve is Uncle He's benefactor. How can you be reluctant to part with a few pieces of glass for such a benefactor?"

He Daqing's face turned red. He turned around and glared at Sha Zhu, then started to remove the glass from the ear room.

Hua Twelve hurriedly stopped He Daqing and said, "Uncle He, I appreciate your kindness. I will go to Damao's place to spend the night. Please don't remove the glass, otherwise, Sha Zhu will cough out his lungs again and it will be over!"

Sha Zhu's face flushed: "Xu Damao, you are talking nonsense. I just haven't had any water for a long time, and my throat is a little dry!"

  Hua Shier laughed and followed Xu Damao. He Daqing kicked Sha Zhu:

"Why don't you come home with me!"

Xu Damao went home and asked Lou Xiao'e to make two eggs. He took out some braised meat and had a few drinks with Hua Twelve. While they were drinking, they heard Sha Zhu's wailing coming from the middle courtyard. The two looked at each other, both gloating, and quickly put down their chopsticks and ran out to watch the fun.

Two flowers bloom, each showing its own beauty. Hua Twelve had just gone to Xu Damao's house. He Daqing called He Yuzhu back to the side room, closed the doors and windows, and stretched out his hand to his son:

"Bring it here!"

He Yuzhu was confused: "What is that?"

He Daqing smiled coldly: "Money, what else? You have been working for more than ten years, how much money have you saved for a wife? Show it to dad, and I will find a matchmaker to find you a beautiful wife!"

He Yuzhu moved his lips, then sat directly on the bed: "No, why? You left when you said you would, and when you came back you asked me for money. Do I forgive you?" He Daqing lit a cigarette for himself and sat on the edge of the bed:

"Okay, let's chat about this. I originally thought that as a father, I owed you something, but after listening to what Twelve said today, it suddenly became clear. You were sixteen when I left, right? Is it okay to start a family of your own at this age?"

"This"

  He Daqing laughed:

"Don't be so cynical. I haven't finished what I'm saying yet. I'll arrange a job for you. Even if Yi Zhonghai gets in the way and you become an apprentice instead of a regular employee, 19 yuan a month won't kill you, right?"

"I've arranged a job for you, reserved a house for you, and taught you all the skills of a chef that will keep you well fed."

  When He Daqing said this, his tone suddenly became more serious:

"He Yuzhu, tell me yourself, do I owe you anything as a father?"

  In fact, after He Yuzhu heard Hua Twelve say this in the factory, he also thought about it himself, and now he can only bow his head:

"Okay, just assume you don't owe me anything."

"What do you mean by 'owe'? Just tell me whether you owe me or not?"

"Not a loss, okay!"

He Yuzhu could only admit it, but he had always felt that He Daqing owed him over the years. This happened so suddenly that he felt that the turn was a bit hasty. He felt a little awkward for a moment and was very uncomfortable.

“As long as there is no loss!”

He Daqing stretched out his hand: "Give me the money!"

He Yuzhu was helpless: "You don't owe me anything, but I'm grown up now, so what if I earn money and keep it for myself!"

He Daqing sneered: "I didn't say I wanted it. I'll help you count whether it's enough to buy three turns and one ring, so that I can help you find a wife. Don't worry, if it's short, Dad will make it up for you!"

  He Yuzhu had nothing more to say. He held it in for a long time, his face flushed red. He took out seven dollars and fifty cents from his pocket and threw it on the bed.

"Look, look, I've calculated it all. I'm going to buy a Shanghai watch, a Forever bicycle, a Bee sewing machine, and a radio. The total is four hundred and ten yuan. I have seven dollars and fifty cents. I still need four hundred and two hundred and five yuan. Please make up for it!"

He Daqing's face twitched with anger. He had just heard from Hua Twelve that his son was tricked by a widow. He didn't believe it at first. Could such a thing be hereditary? So when he came back just now, he wanted to see how much money Sha Zhu had saved.

When I saw this, my heart sank.

He Daqing reached out and took the seven dollars and fifty cents and put it in his pocket. Sha Zhu immediately became anxious:

"My dear father, these seven dollars and fifty cents are all I have on me, inside and outside the house. If you take them all, I will starve to death this month. Didn't you say you don't want my money? We can't go back on our word."

  He Daqing didn't say anything, but silently picked up the feather duster on the bedside. Sha Zhu felt bad:

"He Daqing, what are you going to do?"

"What are you doing? I'm going to beat you to death for being so useless!"

He Daqing didn't care where he was, he just started beating Shazhu all over the head, making him scream.

Just as Sha Zhu was crying for his parents, Xu Damao's voice came from outside the window:

"Uncle He, don't give me face, beat him to death!"

Sha Zhu was so angry that he pointed out the window and cursed: "Xu Damao, don't let grandpa catch you, or I will beat you to death, ouch"

Before he could finish his words, He Daqing hit him in the face with a feather duster, and a stream of blood immediately came out.

Hua Twelve also watched the fun, but he was not going to tolerate it:

"Uncle He, Shazhu is not convinced. Give him a few more slaps to satisfy your craving!"

He Daqing was also a wonderful person. He responded with a voice: "Just wait and see!"

After saying that, he started beating him so hard that Shazhu, a man of nearly 1.8 meters tall, started crying.

Other people in the yard also came to watch the fun, but no one spoke up to try to stop the fight.

Firstly, Sha Zhu has a very bad reputation. If Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady were still alive, they would definitely persuade him, but other people are too lazy to speak up for him. Secondly, the father is teaching his son a lesson. In the words of the second uncle, it is only natural for a father to beat his son, so let's just watch the fun.

What’s interesting is that Jia Zhang also came to watch the fun and enjoyed it very much, but Qin Huairu didn’t come out at all.

He Daqing beat Shazhu for ten minutes, leaving his face covered with blood. Finally, he made him kneel on the bed so that he could sulk alone.

Seeing that there was nothing fun to watch, everyone dispersed.

  After all the onlookers had left, He Daqing asked Sha Zhu:

"Where did the money go?"

After saying that, he shook the feather duster and said, "Think about it first!"

Sha Zhu didn't dare to lie: "I spent some of it myself, and I borrowed some of the rest from the Jia family every month."

"Where's the IOU?"

"No, no IOU!"

He Daqing almost choked up: "Okay, from now on I will collect your salary, pay for your cigarettes and alcohol, and save the remaining money for you to marry a wife. From now on, you will cut off all ties with the Jia family, do you hear me?"

Sha Zhu looked embarrassed: "Dad, you don't know, Jia Dongxu just passed away not long ago, and the Jia family has only two women. Widow Qin is still pregnant, and she relies on me to bring lunch boxes to supplement her nutrition every day!"

He Daqing rolled his eyes: "Are you interested in that widow?"

"No, no. I'm just taking care of their family for Dongxu's sake!"

Sha Zhu blushed. He didn't understand what he was thinking now, but generally speaking, he still wanted to marry a virgin girl.

  He Daqing nodded:

"That's good. You should not have any dealings with his family. Zhuzi, listen to what dad says. You can't control that young widow. As for the lunch boxes, dad will send them to her in the future."

Shazhu: “.” I just felt something was wrong.

The next day, Hua Shier went to work as usual. Before leaving, he threw two dollars to Yan Jiecheng and asked him to help cut some pieces of glass and put up the window. The rest was considered as errand fee.

  When the third uncle heard this, they were all very happy. How much did a few pieces of glass cost? They could save 70 or 80 cents. The third uncle sighed:

"Twelve, you are being too polite. Why are you giving me money?"

After that, he instructed Yan Jiecheng: "If you have any money left, ask your mother for it. You can't keep it for yourself!"

Yan Jiecheng looked reluctant.

Hua Twelve was speechless and said with a smile: "Uncle, you should be more polite!"

After saying that, he smiled and went to work with Xu Damao.

When I arrived at the company, I sat in the section chief's office and spent the whole morning reading newspapers and drinking tea. Before lunch time, the phone rang. When I picked it up, it was Director Wang from the Street Office.

"Twelve, come over here later. I found out something about the thing you mentioned yesterday!"

After hanging up the phone, Hua Shilian didn't even have lunch in the factory. He just went out. Now he is the head of the security department, so it is convenient for him to come and go. He said hello to his subordinates, rode his bike out of the factory and went to the street office.

  As soon as I got to the street office, I heard two crisp sounds in front of me, like firecrackers.

Hua Twelve's expression froze: "It was the sound of gunfire!"

Thanks to: 08a, Xiao Xiaohu from the Demon World, and Chu Ritian, the Happy Daluo Immortal, for their rewards. Thanks to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you very much.