Chapter 44: One Kind of Rice Feeds Hundreds of Kinds of People
Chapter 44: One Kind of Rice Feeds Hundreds of Kinds of People
Just after lunch on New Year’s Day, Li Zhichao came to find Su Chunfeng on his motorcycle to go out and pay New Year visits.
Su Chunfeng unwillingly climbed onto Li Zhichao’s motorcycle. He knew this was about going around villages to kowtow and pay respects to the parents of their close middle school friends. At fifteen or sixteen, they were not mature but thought they were already grown up, so they had to act all serious and proper. They followed customs like real men, as if not doing it would make them seem childish and clueless, while doing it meant they had become adults.
For example, after going out to kowtow and greet, they would brag and complain among their buddies later: “Ugh, I went to so many houses today, New Year is really tiring!” But their faces would show pride, like they had grown up and had their own social circles now.
Su Chunfeng didn’t mind it even though he felt helpless.
No matter the reason for this behavior, as the old saying goes, “A gift requires a return.” If other classmates kowtowed to your parents at your house for the New Year, you didn’t go to their houses to do the same, that would be rude.
Especially Li Zhichao, who loved this the most.
Of course, girls didn’t run around kowtowing for the New Year—that was tradition.
And boys weren’t dumb enough to go to girls’ homes to kowtow to their parents either. If they did, the girls’ fathers might hit them with sticks.
Two half-grown boys rode around on one motorcycle, visiting villages in a few townships to pay respects.
By the time they finished, the sky was getting dark.
On their way back through Linhe Village, they rode into a bumpy muddy section near the exit and had to slow down to avoid holes and dips. Just then, they heard someone shout from the tall, narrow roadside curb: “Hey, Su Chunfeng, Li Zhichao… stop right there!”
The voice sounded clear like a yellow oriole, pleasant but firm and bossy.
Su Chunfeng turned and saw Wang Rui, their classmate and Chinese class representative. She stood on the curb with hands on hips. She had on a slim fit trench coat style down jacket. Below, black straight-leg pants and half-heel black leather boots made her look tall and full-figured like models in New Year pictures. Without makeup, she seemed natural, pretty, with a cool beauty like their strict teacher Chen Liping.
This effect came from her formal outfit and angry expression.
Li Zhichao didn’t bother looking back as he rode cautiously. He finally drove out of the muddy patch, stopped at a dry spot by the road, then turned to Wang Rui. He waved and said, “Hi, Wang Rui, happy New Year.”
“Wang Rui, happy Spring Festival!” Su Chunfeng said politely too.
Wang Rui quickly walked down from the high clean curb, stood before both who had gotten off the motorcycle, and glared at Su Chunfeng with hands on her hips. “Su Chunfeng, why didn’t you come to my house on the twentieth of the lunar month as I invited you? I invited you myself! Are you looking down on me?”
As she spoke, she didn’t even glance at Li Zhichao.
Su Chunfeng paused, then quickly said, “I’m sorry, sorry, I meant to go that day, but something came up at home, so…”
“What came up at home that day?”
“Well, maybe I should not say,” Su Chunfeng said with an awkward smile.
Wang Rui snapped, “You just look down on me! You know, among all I invited to my house, you were the only boy. I didn’t even invite teachers! But you had no respect for me at all! How could you embarrass me like that in front of classmates?”
Su Chunfeng looked stunned. “Who would dare look down on you?” Wang Rui was visibly upset. She almost teared up. Li Zhichao watched dumbfounded. Wow! Su Chunfeng was amazing! Even the proud Wang Rui had invited him home… Wang Rui was the real school beauty. She was smart, had top grades, and her dad Wang Tianming was Party Secretary of Guanmiao Township. Sometimes cops from the Police Station drove her to and from school. Teachers and the Homeroom Teacher cherished her. And even though many junior high kids dated, no one dared pursue school beauty Wang Rui—they were scared and felt unworthy in her presence. Usually, Wang Rui acted high and mighty with boys. But she invited Su Chunfeng to her house and Su Chunfeng skipped it!
Seeing Wang Rui like this, Su Chunfeng rushed to apologize. “Really sorry, I did have something, apologies.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” Wang Rui said angrily.
“Hey, I was fixing machinery at home. If you don’t believe, ask Li Zhichao. He knows. Our Combine Harvester was at his Feed Factory,” Su Chunfeng pointed at Li Zhichao.
Wang Rui said, “Don’t lie! Li Zhichao came to my village fair that day. I saw him.”
“Him being there doesn’t mean I wasn’t helping my dad fix the harvester at their factory…” Su Chunfeng looked innocent.
“Right!” Li Zhichao jumped in to help cover it up. “Su Chunfeng and his dad were fixing it in our factory that day. Plus, Combine Harvester parts are hard to get. The supplier took three months? They finally shipped it. Think about it, if that had happened during farm season, it’d ruin everything.”
Su Chunfeng nodded hard. “Exactly!” It looked like Wang Rui believed them now and calmed down. She gave a soft, satisfied hum. “Fine, I accept your apology. Don’t let this happen again!” She turned and walked gracefully toward the clean curb.
Watching her slim figure, Li Zhichao gulped and asked, “Chunfeng, why didn’t you go?”
“Didn’t want to,” Su Chunfeng said as he got on the motorcycle. “Let’s go. It’s getting dark.”
“You rock!” Li Zhichao gave a thumbs-up and quickly pedaled hard. The motorcycle roared to life and raced toward Hetang Village.
Sitting behind, wind hitting his face, Su Chunfeng thought about Wang Rui’s recent attitude and couldn’t help but sigh. Even at a young age, Wang Rui was influenced by her parents. She only made friends with capable people who might be useful later, ignoring all others. He remembered: at age thirty-one, she became Deputy Mayor of Pingyang City, holding big power. Of course, her dad helped, but her brains and cunning were scary enough. Overall, it was better to keep distance from such women. Because if she thought you were useless, she’d push you away without hesitation, using you to get gains and even selling you out without blinking.
The next few days went by paying respects to relatives, following customs.
On the sixth day of the New Year, Su Chunfeng and his younger brother followed their parents to visit relatives in Pingyang City.
These weren’t distant relatives. It was Chen Xiulan’s own uncle on her mother’s side, Chen Xian, Su Chunfeng’s Third Maternal Grandfather. Chen Xiulan’s family used to be well-known intellectuals. But when she was young, during special times, their home declined, so she couldn’t attend school. Her branch became ordinary farmers, and her grandparents died young out of sadness. Chen Xian had been sharp and sly back then. Stirred by society in that era, he ended ties with his family and led attacks against them. This saved him from harm and made him a big-shot rebel. Later, sensing danger, he quickly joined the military. After that period, when people sought justice for victims, luckily and predictably, Chen Xian wasn’t touched. Instead, he became an excellent officer in the army.
In 1983, Chen Xian left the army and got a job as Deputy Head of the County Police Station. With his political smarts and clever ways, in ten years, his path steadily climbed. Now, he was in the municipal party committee as Deputy Municipal Party Secretary—a true powerful figure.
With such an important elder relative, Su Cheng and Chen Xiulan’s brother Chen Shunhe shouldn’t have been stuck like this. Just getting a steady factory job would be better than farming.
But Chen Xian was old-fashioned and honest, never using power for personal gains. His brother and nephews still farmed. Su Chunfeng knew Chen Xian’s relatives held grudges—after all, this talented Chen family member had cut off his family to rise up back then, even attacking loved ones. Later, once Chen Xian became an officer and official, he visited family himself. So, the family stopped bringing up the past.
Who wouldn’t want this big official relative to help them? Sadly, Chen Xian hadn’t helped anyone! Old hates and resentments meant they only saw each other at big holidays like the New Year. Younger family members would go to the city to greet Chen Xian. For sure: the Chen family, including Su Cheng, still felt proud to have such a relative. Some also hoped he would assist them one day.
It wasn’t selfishness or bootlicking. It was natural. At least Su Chunfeng knew his dad Su Cheng never asked Third Maternal Grandfather for a job boost. Su Cheng had real pride—he farmed at home. Even though Su Cheng was a soldier at the Southern Borderlands. He’d suffered injuries and earned combat medals. If he had asked Chen Xian for help after leaving the army, and if Chen Xian agreed, Su Cheng could have easily started a job at a government office, thanks to his service records.