Chapter 26: It Turns Out to be an Exile (Part 3)
Reaching the summit, the scenery changed abruptly. A flat plateau opened up before them, dotted with terraced rice paddies that shimmered under the sunlight. A breeze swept down from the mountains, refreshing the spirit.
Tang Shugang, Hou Weidong, and Sister Yang, who had climbed up the narrow path, sat in the shade of a tree, enjoying the mountain air. Sister Yang took two bottles of soda from her backpack and handed them over. "Director Tang, University Student Hou, please drink."
Hou Weidong was not used to being called "University Student Hou." "Sister Yang, just call me Xiao Hou. 'University Student Hou' sounds awkward."
During the climb, Hou Weidong had learned that Sister Yang worked at the broadcasting station. According to her, the station was a public institution that struggled even to pay salaries. After her husband lost his job, they had partnered in a business that failed, leaving them in deep debt. To make ends meet, she had opened a small grocery store in the old market town on Qinglin Mountain to earn some extra money for the household.
Tang Shugang accepted the drink generously. "Yang Xinchun, you worked hard carrying these up the mountain. We can't drink them for free. We'll pay you the price anyway, since we need water."
Yang Xinchun smiled. "What's two bottles of soda?"
Tang Shugang pulled out a wad of cash from his inner pocket. "I know the price. This is for both of us. Please take it. Business is business; you have to cover your costs, especially since you had to carry them up from the valley."
Sister Yang accepted the money. "Have lunch at my house today. I’ve stewed a pot of pig trotters."
"Not today," Tang Shugang said. "It’s Hou Weidong’s first time up the mountain. The Agricultural Economics Station has arranged a welcome dinner for him. There will be plenty of time later; he can come eat anytime."
The old market town of Qinglin was truly old and small. One could walk its entire length in the time it took to smoke a cigarette. Although Hou Weidong knew that township conditions were poor, seeing such a简陋, messy, and dilapidated town still made him pause with a start.
The welcome banquet for the ascent to Qinglin Mountain was held at the best restaurant in the town. Hou Weidong did not go to the dormitory but went straight to the small eatery. On the second floor, a group of young men without shirts sat together, each holding three cards, playing "Zha Jin Hua." This was a game widely popular in Yiyang County, or rather, a form of gambling suitable for all ages.
A burly man with a thick beard shouted loudly, "Why are you moving so slowly? My stomach is glued to my back. Brothers, one last hand, then we eat." The men were huddled together, looking at their cards, ignoring everyone else. The bearded man walked over. "I’m Li Yong, from the Agricultural Technology Station. From now on, we’re comrades in the same trench." He shook Hou Weidong’s hand firmly; his palm was thick and strong.
A roar came from the card players: "Show cards!" Two voices announced their hands: "Straight," "Three of a Kind." Laughter and curses followed, and the players walked over.
Tang Shugang took off his shirt and introduced everyone. "This is the new university graduate, Hou Weidong. He will be working in the task force. Let’s have a good drink for him today."
"Sure," "We’ll get to know each other at the table." Several men sat down. A plump woman came up from downstairs, carrying a case of beer in each hand. "I only chilled two cases. Is that enough?"
Li Yong waved his hand. "There are eight of us. Two cases won’t be enough. Bring two more chilled cases."
There were exactly eight people at the table. Two cases contained forty-eight bottles, meaning six bottles per person. Hou Weidong was surprised. "Drink that much?"
As everyone sat down, Tang Shugang introduced them one by one. Besides Tang Shugang, the other seven were members of the Qinglin Task Force. There were two from the Agricultural Economics Station: Bai Chuncheng and Tian Fushen. Two from the Agricultural Technology Station: Li Yong and Duan Pangwa. One from the Broadcasting Station: Zheng Faming. And one from the police station: Xi Zhaoyong. The two from the Agricultural Economics Station had their hair combed neatly; they were fair-skinned and plump. Those from the Agricultural Technology Station and the Broadcasting Station had bearded, dark faces. The police station officer was in his thirties, with short hair, a lean face, and a hooked nose.
For Hou Weidong, who had just graduated from college, this was a lavish lunch. Braised pig trotters, stewed whole chicken, konjac with duck, stir-fried kidney flowers, and more filled the table. Li Yong easily bit open several beer bottles with his teeth, pouring one for Hou Weidong first, then for everyone else. Tang Shugang ate a few pieces of kidney, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Let’s raise our glasses. Today Hou Weidong comes to Qinglin Mountain, and from now on, we are colleagues. Let’s drink the first glass."
The summer heat was high. The first glass cooled them down. Everyone at the table drank. Hou Weidong was also a straightforward person with a decent tolerance for alcohol. They had left the Qinglin township government at 11:40 AM, walked for over an hour, and it was now past 1 PM. Hungry and thirsty, the cold beer went down smoothly, making every pore feel refreshed.
Tang Shugang raised his glass again. "There’s a rule on Qinglin Mountain: three drinks upon arrival. That was the first. I can see that Brother Hou is a straightforward man. I’ll join you for the second." Hou Weidong was gnawing on a fatty, fragrant pig trotter. Seeing Tang Shugang raise his glass, he quickly put the trotter in his bowl, raised his glass, clinked with Tang Shugang, and drank it down cleanly.
Li Yong followed up. "Come, I’ll drink the third."
This group of shirtless men drank from large bowls and ate meat in big chunks, looking like heroes from Liangshan. After three drinks, Hou Weidong had hardly eaten anything, but looking at them, he felt as if he were seeing old friends. He proactively raised his glass. "Today, having come up to Qinglin Mountain, I am moved by your warmth, brothers. Let me toast you."
The police station officer, Xi Zhaoyong, said, "The rule for toasting is that everyone must toast individually." Hou Weidong said boldly, "Of course, I’ll toast each of you one by one."
Tang Shugang pointed to the person next to him. "This is Bai Chuncheng, the Station Chief of the Agricultural Economics Station." Station Chief Bai was as his name suggested: slightly plump, with slicked-back hair and skin as smooth as a white-collar woman’s, clearly someone who spent long hours in an office. He smiled. "Don’t talk nonsense. The Station Chief is down in the valley."
Tang Shugang retorted, "You are in charge of the Agricultural Economics Station on Qinglin Mountain. You are the Station Chief."
Bai Chuncheng raised his glass and clinked with Hou Weidong. "At most, I’m just the point leader on Qinglin. If you have nothing to do, come visit the station."
"This is Tian Fushen from the Agricultural Economics Station, Old Tian." Old Tian had the face of an accountant and spoke slowly. He hadn’t finished his beer; a small half remained. The police station officer Xi Zhaoyong, looking dissatisfied, said, "Old Tian, always like this. You won’t get drunk to death." Old Tian smiled awkwardly; he seemed afraid of Xi Zhaoyong. "I drank too much yesterday and haven’t recovered. I threw up when I woke up this morning." Xi Zhaoyong immediately exposed him. "Every time you drink, you say you drank too much the day before. Now that University Student Hou is here, drink generously."
It seemed that university graduates were rare on Qinglin Mountain, so they called Hou Weidong "University Student Hou." It was like the days when glasses were rare, and anyone wearing them was called "Glasses."
After the introductions, Hou Weidong had already drunk eight glasses of beer. The beer glasses on Qinglin Mountain were unique; a 640-milliliter bottle could only fill three glasses. Eight glasses amounted to nearly three bottles. Normally, drinking three bottles of beer posed no problem for Hou Weidong, but today he had drunk too quickly on an empty stomach. After eight glasses, he was already feeling the effects of the alcohol.
As Hou Weidong just picked up his chopsticks, Xi Zhaoyong looked at him sideways and said, "University Student Hou is the first university graduate to come to Qinglin Mountain. Let me toast you." Seeing Hou Weidong hesitate slightly, Xi Zhaoyong smiled without warmth. "University students look down on us rough locals."
Hearing this, Hou Weidong said, "Officer Xi, that’s not what I mean. I’ve drunk eight glasses and my head is spinning. Let me eat some food." Then he stood up. "Officer Xi, let me toast you."
They both drank it down. Xi Zhaoyong then turned to Li Yong. "Li Dapao, University Student Hou has a high degree. He’ll be a leader after a few years. Toast him quickly so you can get promoted later." Li Yong was quite displeased with this remark. "University Student Hou has been drinking the whole time and hasn’t eaten a bite. Why are you in such a hurry? Let’s chug a bottle together. Dare you?" Xi Zhaoyong glared fiercely at Li Yong. "Chug then. If you don’t, you’re a bastard." Both men bit open a beer bottle and tilted their heads back, pouring the entire bottle into their stomachs like running tap water.
Seeing the tension between the two, Tang Shugang changed the subject. "Xiao Hou, let me toast you. Li San, Old Tian, don’t just sit there. Why aren’t you toasting University Student Hou?"
After drinking seven more glasses of beer, Hou Weidong was completely drunk. However, his physical condition was good, and his mind retained a sliver of clarity. He grabbed a pig trotter with his hand and devoured it in seconds.
Bai Chuncheng was sweating profusely, drops of sweat falling directly from his belly onto the floor. He proactively suggested, "Let’s stop toasting. Let’s play finger guessing."
Xi Zhaoyong looked impatient. "Guess what?"
Hou Weidong had also drunk a lot. Hearing Xi Zhaoyong’s rude remark, a surge of anger rose in his heart for some reason. He stood up. "Officer Xi, I’ll chug a bottle with you too." Xi Zhaoyong, with a dark face, ignored Hou Weidong. Hou Weidong said, "I’ll drink first. If I don’t, I’m a bastard." Without regard for Xi Zhaoyong’s expression, he drank a whole bottle of beer in one go.
Tang Shugang, Li Yong, and others egged them on from the side.
"University Student Hou has drunk it. Officer Xi must drink."
"Not straightforward at all."
Finally, Xi Zhaoyong also drank that bottle of spiteful beer.
When Hou Weidong woke up, it was already evening. He looked up and saw clouds on the horizon, fiery red, as if they were burning the window and the leaves. "Where is this?" He sat up with difficulty, finding himself almost sitting in a pile of garbage. The floor was covered with miscellaneous items, like a camp hastily abandoned after a defeat. Old newspapers, glass shards, straw, bamboo strips, and calendars occupied the center of the room.
Qinglin Days