Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2813 Untitled Chapter

Section 25 Daya Village (4)

"People can't come back," Sister Li said while crying. "It's better to come back with some ashes than leaving nothing at all..."

"Lieutenant Li's ashes are now buried in the Cemetery of the Fallen in Nanning," Tan Shuangxi said with his head lowered. This was what he was most afraid of these days. "You can move him back if you want. But now Guangxi still has It’s not completely peaceful and the roads are not very safe. You can do this later.”

"In the autumn, I will definitely bring him back and bury him next to my parents." Sister Li said.

Sister Li began to look through Li Anze's relics, that is, the small notebook, and read each page carefully. The brother-in-law wanted to get closer, but Sister Li pushed him away, "I can read, I can read it myself. I can recognize Anze's calligraphy."

The sea breeze blew through the woods, causing the leaves to tremble. The swallows flew over the eaves and returned to their nests, and the baby swallows began to make a noise. The paper was turned page by page, and the sound of tears hitting the paper was like rolling thunder in my heart.

The sea breeze at dusk was moist and cold, blowing a cloud on the horizon to block the setting sun. The sunlight dyed the clouds golden yellow, casting a hazy glow on the seaside villages. The brother-in-law was still accompanying Tan Shuangxi and the two of them. There was already a pile of cigarette butts on the ground. The book he was reading just now fell to the ground and he didn't even notice it. He just asked some irrelevant questions here and there, with a look in his eyes. Out of confusion. Tan Shuangxi knew that the calmness just now was just the last moment of rationality, and the distraught feeling now was a normal reaction. During this time, Tan Shuangxi had already gained some experience in this kind of thing. Several villagers who came after hearing the news accompanied them and asked enthusiastically about the battlefield stories in the newspapers. There were some things that Tan Shuangxi knew a little about, and there were also many characters and battles that Tan Shuangxi had never heard of.

Seeing that it was getting late and the task had been completed, just when Tan Shuangxi stood up to say goodbye to her brother-in-law, Sister Li walked out of the room with the support of a woman. Sister Li had obviously been crying for a long time. The look she had when they first met had disappeared without a trace. She didn't care about the tears on her face at all. She was as weak as if she had a serious illness.

"Comrades, please go away." Sister Li said weakly, and then motioned to the woman who helped her out to hand over a cattail bag, "It's not a good thing. It was originally a little food I prepared for Anze. You are all him Don’t dislike your robe..."

Zhang Laicai wanted to refuse, but Tan Shuangxi said: "Thank you, Sister Li! We all like the food you prepared. We will come to see you again in the future..."

After walking not far, the village chief arrived and wanted to entertain them for dinner.

"It's dark now. You can't catch the bus. You can rest at the village hall today." Then he added, "Everyone heard that you were coming and wanted to meet you."

The village chief led them around the village until they came to a house. There were already many people gathered at the gate of the fence. There were forty or fifty villagers in the darkness, and they were all very happy. It's not dark yet, lanterns have been lit in the yard, and there are two gas lanterns raised high on bamboo poles, emitting a bright light.

This posture is obviously not a "distribution meal". There are more than a dozen large and small tables set up in the yard. Looking at the dishes and drinks on the tables, it can be regarded as a "banquet".

"Is this too much?" Zhang Laicai muttered.

Tan Shuangxi hurriedly said: "Village chief, your hospitality is beyond the standard."

"If it exceeds the standard, someone will pay for it, not public funds!" The village chief didn't care. "Besides, it's not my decision alone. Everyone agrees, right?"

The people in the village cheered together: "Yes!"

With that said, the two of them were surrounded and pushed to the head of the main table. The bench was not yet warm, but a familiar face came in, it was Private First Class Chen Kefa from the platoon.

Tan Shuangxi suddenly remembered that Chen Kefa was from this village. He was wearing clean "work clothes", but he smelled fishy, ​​and it looked like he had just gotten off a fishing boat.

Although they had not seen each other for only a few days, Chen Kefa was as affectionate as if they had reunited after a long separation. He first gave Tan Shuangxi a military salute, and then wanted to hug him. Tan Shuangxi was so frightened that he ran away without returning the salute. This was when he returned to Lin Shuangxi. New military uniforms received after high school. Seeing that several people were hiding aside, the corporal could only smile sheepishly, said hello to the village chief, and then composed a song to invite everyone to sit down.

"Is this your home?"

"Yes, that's my house." Chen Kefa said with a grin, "The yard is newly built. How about it, it's not bad!"

The house of the corporal's family is very large, an open-plan three-sided courtyard. His family is not a small family. He and his two uncles live in the same courtyard, working together and fishing together. Fishermen put their money where their mouth is, and this kind of family-run operation is very common.

By Tan Shuangxi's standards, the food and wine were very sumptuous, including a lot of chicken, duck, and fish, especially seafood, which was made in a variety of styles. According to Chen Kefa, it was the craftsmanship of his third uncle-his businessman in Bairen Town. I worked as an apprentice in a restaurant and now am my own "running shack".

The wine was not local wine, but baskets of Wenlanjiang beer bought from a nearby town and soaked in well water. As for fruit brandy, soda, and kvass, everything was available.

"This is too expensive." Tan Shuangxi was a little surprised, and Zhang Laicai was even more at a loss. It’s out of character, what’s the point of doing this? On the contrary, the village chief, stationed police and other locals who accompanied him looked calm. It seemed that a meal and wine were not too unexpected for this wealthy village. "It doesn't cost anything. I can borrow flowers to offer to Buddha - is that right?" Chen Kefa looked at the village accountant, the "cultural man" in the village. The village accountant smiled and nodded and said, "I almost didn't care."

"Let's forget it." Chen Kefa had already finished half a bottle of beer. "This banquet was originally to see off the new recruits from the village who enlisted in the army..."

"New recruits joining the army?" Tan Shuangxi was a little confused, "Where are the new recruits?"

"We're still packing up the boat at the dock. We'll be here soon!" Chen Kefa said, "He is my family's fisherman."

Zhang Laicai said, "Isn't it your cousin who is going to join this draft?"

"That's right, he was originally prepared to go." Chen Kefa said nonchalantly. There are many members of the Chen family in the local area, so in addition to Chen Kefa serving as a soldier, this time it is his turn to be a member of the army. According to his age, he is Chen Kefa’s cousin Chen Kecai. However, Chen Kecai had just graduated from the "Mechanical Technician Training Course" and obtained a technician certificate. This person was indispensable for the Chen family, so they began to think of finding someone to replace him.

"Is this okay?" Tan Shuangxi was a little surprised.

"What's wrong with this? The county only said how many people from this village would come out, but didn't say who would go." The village chief said carelessly, "The young man is also willing to go, saying that there is no future as a fisherman. It's also good to be a soldier. Chance."

While they were talking, several young men came in from outside. The parents of the Chen family immediately went up to greet them with a very cordial attitude.

"Look, the scapegoat is here." Zhang Laicai muttered in a low voice.

"What nonsense!" Tan Shuangxi lowered his voice and reprimanded, "What are you talking about!" Although he felt that this was a bit inappropriate, he seemed to have nothing to say.

"Come on, come on, these are the recruits we are going to see off this time." The village chief pulled the young people in front of Tan Shuangxi and others. Chen Kefa grinned even more and said, "This is Tan Shuangxi." Sergeant and Sergeant Zhang, please call the squad leader!"

Six young people lined up in a crooked line and shouted together: "Hello, monitor!"

Tan and Zhang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so they got busy and returned the greeting.

"Everyone, sit down, sit down," the village chief continued to greet everyone to sit down, and then he was busy toasting each table with the parents of the Chen family.

Zhang Laicai asked: "Chen Kefa! Is this banquet organized by your family?"

"My family can do it, but where can the money come from in the village?" Chen Kefa was very proud. "My father and two uncles asked me to come back from the army and work together. I won't come back. I'm going through the wind and the waves, so how can I be worthy? Happy soldier! After my vacation, I will go back to the army, no matter where I go to fight, come and have a drink!"

After several rounds of drinking, everyone became more enthusiastic and started talking. The village chief is a local, and because of Tan Shuangxi's grandmother, he can be considered a close relative. They also talk more to each other. He and Tan Shuangxi both spoke in Lingao dialect, which somewhat revealed the locals' sense of superiority. On the contrary, Tan Shuangxi insisted on answering in Newspeak because the stationed policeman was a northerner.

The conversation at the wine table started at the host's house. The village chief said with envy: Chen Kefa's family is now very prosperous. Not only do they have two new fishing boats built in Hong Kong, but they also have a seafood processing factory. The catch is sent to the processing factory as soon as it gets off the boat to be processed into various products. Compared with selling fresh and salty goods, you can make a lot more money. In particular, his grilled fish fillets have become a specialty in the county.

"... all the women in his family now work in the processing factory. It's not enough to catch fish at home, so they have to buy them at the port. The mackerel is baked into fillets in the factory and then sold to Dongmen City. The business is very good. Remarkable.”

"Grilled fish fillet? Didn't this thing also exist in the village in the past..." Tan Shuangxi remembered that when he was a child, he would go to his grandmother's house and her grandmother would give him grilled dried fish as a snack.

"This is different from the previous ones. You will know it when you taste it." The village chief continued to boast.

As he was talking, a special fragrance began to fill the air. The villagers who helped pass the dishes brought large wooden trays to the table. Inside the wooden tray was a huge oil paper bag with the imprint of Daya Chenji Fish Fillet printed on it.

"Come on, we produce and sell by ourselves, it's the best with wine!" Chen Kefa peeled off the oil paper package with his hands, and the strong fragrance hit his face. Inside was the grilled fish pressed into thin slices, "No need for chopsticks, just tear it up with your hands." It tastes good when you eat it!”

Tan Shuangxi took a piece, tore a small piece and put it in his mouth. The full salty flavor of the sea fills your mouth. After a few gentle chews, the taste is endless. It is indeed a good drink to go with wine.

(End of this chapter)