Chapter 28: It Turns Out to Be Exile (Part 5)

Chapter 28: It Turns Out to Be Exile (5)

“Buy a rice cooker.”

A woman in her thirties stood up, retrieved a rice cooker, and handed it to Hou Weidong. She asked casually, “You’re one of the newly assigned teachers, right?”

The brand was decent—Guangdong Aide. This came as a slight surprise to Hou Weidong. Hearing her question, he replied, “I’m not a teacher. I’ve just arrived at the government office.”

The young woman nearby spoke up, “You must be Hou Weidong. I heard from Li Yong that a college graduate was coming to the working group.”

Hou Weidong thought to himself, This Shangqing Forest Town is truly small; someone already knows my name. Out loud, he said, “Yes, I’m Hou Weidong. I just arrived. Please look after me.”

“You’re an official now. How could we possibly look after you?” the woman in her thirties laughed. “I have a wide variety of goods here, including all daily necessities. Do you need anything else?” The young woman introduced her, “This is Sister Chen, the wife of Principal Tie from Qinglin Primary School.”

Hou Weidong joked self-deprecatingly, “Sister Chen, thank goodness the shop wasn’t closed. Otherwise, I would have been in trouble, not knowing how to spend the night.”

Sister Chen looked honest and kind. She smiled and said, “No big deal. Even if it were closed, you could just knock, and we’d open it. We’re all from the same town.”

Hou Weidong scanned the shelves and listed his needs: “Zhonghua toothpaste, toothbrushes, a lunch box, instant noodles, chopsticks, and a water bottle.”

The young woman introduced herself, “I’m part of the working group. My name is Chi Ming. I live in the backyard. I’ll boil some water later; you can come over to get it.” Hou Weidong was about to ask for her name again when a loud shout came from outside the door.

“What are you doing? Show your ID card!”

Two men entered. One was the middle-aged man Hou Weidong had asked for directions earlier. The other was a sturdy young man with a fierce face, holding a police baton. He glared and said, “Show your ID card. I’m checking IDs.”

Hou Weidong explained, “I’m Hou Weidong, from the working group.” Seeing that the man wasn’t wearing a police uniform, he asked back, “What is your job? On what grounds are you checking me?”

“I’m a civil patrol officer from the police station. I have the authority,” the young man said. He switched on the high-voltage function of his baton, which crackled with “pa, pa” sounds. “Behave yourself. I know every single potato in the working group.”

The young woman behind the counter said, “Tian Dadao, he really is from the working group. He’s the college graduate just assigned to Qinglin Town.”

Tian Dadao glanced at Hou Weidong sideways, suspiciously. “Hou Weidong? Why didn’t I hear Brother Xi mention you?”

Hou Weidong, being new to Qinglin and unsure of the local dynamics, kept his attitude polite. “We had lunch together today at noon—Officer Xi, Li Yong, Director Tang, Accountant Tian, and Station Master Bai. I got drunk, and Officer Xi drank quite a bit too.”

Hearing those names, Tian Dadao believed him. He hung the baton on his waist and leaned against the counter. “No wonder Officer Xi didn’t come this afternoon. He must have been drunk. You’ve got a good tolerance for alcohol, kid.” He then turned to the young woman and said, “Chi Ming, the trademark, I got some new discs. American blockbusters. Come over to my place to watch them.”

Chi Ming refused to play along. “If you keep calling me that, I’ll chop you with a kitchen knife.” She added, “It’s so hot. Who wants to go to your house to watch discs?” She stood up and smiled at Hou Weidong. “I’m the cook for the working group. I live in the backyard. You can bring your water bottle down in the morning to fill it with hot water. Come over later, and I’ll boil some for you.”

Seeing Chi Ming smiling at Hou Weidong, Tian Dadao felt a sour jealousy. He said sarcastically, “Chi Ming, the trademark, seeing a handsome college student, you ignore me. Next time we go down the mountain, I won’t accompany you. Let this handsome Hou accompany you. If you get robbed by bandits, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”

The middle-aged man, realizing Hou Weidong was indeed from the working group, awkwardly offered a cigarette and put on a flattering smile. “Comrade Hou, sorry about that. I thought you were a bandit. Have a smoke. Come visit my home sometime.”

Tian Dadao patted the middle-aged man’s shoulder. “Old Tian, you’re truly a security activist. High vigilance. Keep it up.” He took the cigarette from Old Tian, lit it with a lighter with a snap, blew a smoke ring, and then said lightly, “College student, the security situation on the mountain isn’t great. Don’t wander around. Stay inside. The bandits don’t know you, but be careful not to get robbed.”

Hou Weidong sensed Tian Dadao’s obvious hostility and felt uncomfortable. He thought to himself, A civil patrol officer, acting so arrogant. He ignored him and turned to Sister Chen. “Sister Chen, I also need towels, toilet paper, and a broom.”

Chi Ming stood up. “Sister Chen, I’m heading back.” She then said to Hou Weidong, “I’ll start the fire and boil some water. Bring your bottle over later.”

Chi Ming left, and Tian Dadao followed, shooting a fierce glare at Hou Weidong as he went.

Watching Tian Dadao’s retreating back, Sister Chen whispered, “Tian Dadao is the nephew of Director Song from the police station. He’s a rascal. He’s pursuing Chi Ming. Stay away from him. Only Officer Xi can keep him in check on Shangqing Mountain.”

The pile of goods cost over three hundred yuan, leaving him with only a little over one hundred yuan. Sister Chen closed the shop and helped him carry the items back to the courtyard. The neighbors on the same floor still had their doors closed. Sister Chen explained, “That’s Town Mayor Gao’s house. He went down the mountain to drink. Only Aunt Liu is home.”

Hou Weidong seemed to recall the rich aroma of stir-fried pork slices again.

After clearing away the clutter, Hou Weidong first swept the walls with a clean broom, removing dust and spiderwebs. He then swept up the mouse droppings that covered the floor. Half a bucket of droppings made him feel nauseous. He then mopped the floor several times with a cloth mop. Only then did the room look presentable.

Finished with the chores, Hou Weidong washed his face with the new towel and carried his water bottle to the backyard.

The backyard consisted of a row of single-story houses with blue tiles, forming a quadrangle courtyard. Coal was piled on the left side, next to a large coal-burning stove. Shazhou was an area with abundant natural gas, and counties like Wu Hai and Yi Yang all used natural gas. Hou Weidong hadn’t seen a large coal-burning stove in a long time. Next to the stove was a small door, from which faint light spilled out.

Hou Weidong asked tentatively, “Is Chi Ming here?”

“Come in.”

The room was a typical old house, with wooden beams visible on the ceiling. The beams were dark under the light, stained by years of cooking fumes. Suddenly, Hou Weidong recalled the large cafeteria at the Wu Hai County Public Security Bureau in the early 1970s, which had a similar layout. That cafeteria had since been converted into a police guesthouse. The cafeteria in this Shangqing Forest Township still retained its 1970s layout, lagging behind by twenty years.

“Haven’t eaten yet? There’s some leftover braised pork and rice. I’ll stir-fry some vegetables for you. Make do with it.”

In this Shangqing Mountain, where he had no relatives or friends, Chi Ming’s attitude gave Hou Weidong a sense of warmth. He rubbed his hands together, embarrassed. “Sorry to trouble you. I really appreciate it.”

“This is the working group’s mess hall. No trouble at all.” Chi Ming held a book in her hand. The title Deep Affection, Heavy Rain was prominently displayed on the cover. She wasn’t reading it but sat behind the greasy square table. She studied Hou Weidong for a moment and asked curiously, “You’re a college graduate. Why did you come to the working group?”

Hou Weidong sensed the implication in her words and asked back, “Is the working group bad?”

“The Qinglin Town Government was formed by merging the Shangqing Forest Township and the Xiaqing Forest Township. The government is located in Xiaqing Forest Township. The officials, those in charge, and those handling finances are all concentrated in the government office. The working group consists of older people, those who can’t handle important tasks, and those who are disobedient.”

Hearing this, Hou Weidong was stunned. His heart sank. The fragrant braised pork suddenly lost its appeal. He tried to force a smile, but he could feel it looking strange. He made small talk, “Do many people eat here usually?”

Chi Ming shook her head. “Most people in the working group have families on Shangqing Mountain and cook for themselves. Only two or three people eat here. But they often go to the villages, so they don’t eat here four out of five days.”

Hou Weidong asked in surprise, “Then there’s no need to have a mess hall.” Chi Ming smiled. “You’re new and don’t know the situation yet. The Qinglin Town Government has two cook positions. Brother Zhu works in the Qinglin Town Government mess hall, so I had to come up the mountain.”