Chapter 8 How come you meet so many great people? (《》)
An Yi, who had been working continuously for eighteen days, finally got two days off. Shopkeeper Chen, who had received instructions from his boss Ou Yaoting before the holiday, stopped An Yi and gave him a bonus of thirty yuan. Afterwards, he said earnestly that he had received a "huge bonus."
"More importantly, we must repay the favor and work hard."
An Yi was indeed repaying his kindness, but the person he was repaying was not his shopkeeper Chen.
Not long after three o'clock in the afternoon, An Yi, who was carrying several paper bags, came to Mr. Lao's stall and sat down. He put the bags under the square table and grabbed Mr. Lao's tea cup and drank it. Mr. Lao sent away a middle-aged man.
The young woman accepted the three cents and turned around. She was very distressed when she saw An Yi drinking up all her cup of tea: "What kind of tea do you drink at a young age? Isn't there a pot of boiling water behind me? I have a long time here."
I can’t bear to drink my hometown tea, it’s a waste, it’s a waste!”
An Yi turned around as if no one was watching and refilled the tea cup, then reached out and took out a bag of tea leaves from a paper bag: "Here, give it back to you, cheapskate! This is the Pu'er you like, bought from Liuxiangzhai."
"Are you rich? You can't be so lavish. You have to start saving money to marry a wife." Mr. Lao happily picked up the tea and closed his eyes and smelled it: "What a good tea! It costs an ocean a pound, right?"
"As long as you like it, I'll buy it for you after you drink it." An Yi said cheerfully.
Mr. Lao was moved in his heart but kept it secret: "You have no future and just mess around with two dollars. That's how prodigal boys get used to it."
An Yi didn't care at all. He picked up a paper bag from under the table and pulled out the carton inside: "I measured the pair of rotten leather shoes under your bed this morning. I think they are suitable. Let's try them out."
Mr. Lao was stunned when he opened the box. After looking at it for a long time, he turned to An Yi: "These shoes are rubber-soled moccasins made in the United States. They cost at least twenty oceans. Tell me, where did you get so much money?"
An Yi saw the reproachful look in Mr. Lao's eyes and immediately explained: "I repaired more than 20 sewing machines that could not be repaired by the company, which reduced the company's losses by more than 6,000 yuan. Our shopkeeper was happy and rewarded me with 30 yuan.
, I spent most of the day shopping today just to spend this money. I thought that the weather is getting colder and it rains a lot in the winter in Guangzhou. The pair of paper bottoms you have now will freeze your feet. I know you are reluctant to buy new ones.
Shoes, now that I can support myself, I don’t have any gifts for you. Just buy a pair of shoes. Don’t fool your guests, thinking that this is asking you to leave or that I am leaving or something. There is no relationship between the two of us.
It’s not that particular.”
Mr. Lao felt hot in his heart, but had a cold look on his face: "Take it and return it to the store immediately. I am not lucky enough to enjoy such expensive shoes."
An Yi smiled with half-closed eyes: "Don't do this with me. Do you still want me to say a word of thanks for saving my life? Mr. Lao, you have taken care of me for so long, leaving me alone."
I feel that there are still people who care about me, and I feel at ease. To be honest, even though I usually joke around with you, in my heart you are like my elder. Now I have something to do and an income. If I don’t respect you, let me respect you.
Who is it? Accept it. If you don’t accept it, I will really go crazy."
Mr. Lao couldn't help laughing when he heard the word "runaway" again: "Okay, I'll accept it, but it's just this one time and it won't be the same next time."
"This is more or less the same, a bit like an elder." An Yi joked again, put away his shoes and took out a beautiful new pen for Mr. Lao to admire: "This is the Parker pen I gave Dongzi. He writes with it every day.
Yes, I even bought him two sets of autumn clothes. The weather is going to change when we go down there. It gets very cold here near the sea, and even the slightest breeze makes it wet and biting."
Mr. Lao nodded frequently: "Xiaoyi, don't call me sir anymore, sir!"
"Then I'll call you uncle, Uncle Lao!" An Yi thought for a while and asked: "Uncle Lao, I don't know your name yet, can you tell me?"
"Why not? My name is Shoudao, the one who sticks to the road... Wait, why did it sound so awkward when you called me 'Uncle Lao' just now? Uncle Lao... Mouse... No, you can't call me that, Four Pillars.
Go ahead! Get another one." Mr. Lao shook his head while stroking his long beard.
An Yi smiled: "It does have the same sound as mouse, but it's unlucky to call him Uncle Shou. I don't understand that a man is going to have an operation. Let me think about it again, Uncle Dao? That's not right... Oops! Why are you getting up, uncle?"
This name?"
Mr. Lao laughed and said, "Everything tastes bad when it comes to your mouth. How many messy things do you have in your head? It's up to you. You can call it whatever you like. I'm a very open-minded old man!"
"Hey...are you trying to make me angry? Okay, I won't call you uncle or grandpa. I'll just call you Lao Dao. Anyway, you are also a member of the Tao family, so calling me Lao Tao is a warm and appropriate name." After An Yi said this, he was stunned.
I laughed and saw that Mr. Lao was not angry but seemed very happy. I felt angry and made up my mind to call him like this. Who knew that it was a joke, but he called me like this for a lifetime.
The uncle and nephew were joking with each other affectionately. When the old man saw a few young men in military uniforms approaching from a distance, he quickly dropped the topic and told An Yi in a low voice: "Look to the west, there are several soldiers walking over with extraordinary grace.
Such images are rare, and your future prospects are limitless!"
An Yi looked up, looked for a while and said in surprise: "I have met some of them before. The tall man is from Hunan, his name is Chen Mingren. It's strange, how come he got so familiar with Jiang Xianyun and He Zhonghan who often come out to give speeches?
"
"Do you know him?" The old Taoist also felt strange.
An Yi saw a few people approaching and said hurriedly: "They are coming. I will tell you slowly after they pass."
Jiang Xianyun and He Zhonghan, who were wearing military uniforms and walking steadily, were walking in front. Behind them were Chen Mingren and a few people whom An Yi didn't know. When the group walked past the fortune-telling stall, they looked at it with interest. Chen Mingren, who was sharp-eyed, recognized them.
An Yi quickly stopped and greeted warmly: "Brother An, I didn't expect to see you here. What's wrong? You do this?"
An Yi stood up and laughed: "This is my uncle's stall. I have nothing to do today so I came here to sit."
Jiang Xianyun and others saw that An Yi had a cheerful personality, was tall and handsome, and had a good impression of him. Chen Mingren immediately introduced An Yi to his companions: "Everyone, this is the brother An Yi that Zuo Quan and I mentioned. We are preparing for that day."
It was he who reminded us to look for brothers Wushan (Jiang Xianyun) and Junshan (He Zhonghan) in front of Chumen. Everyone knows what happened next, and I haven't had a chance to thank Brother An yet."
Jiang Xianyun happily extended his hand to An Yi: "Brother An is a very talented person. Everyone has mentioned you several times. Now that we have met, I feel that Brother An is very cheerful and easy-going. I wonder where Brother An is employed now?"
"What's the point of high school? I've been looking for a job since we broke up after that meeting. I was lucky enough to be taken in by 'Taichang' trading company half a month ago, and now I'm working as a mechanic repairing machines there." An Yi is a very down-to-earth person.
He Zhonghan said in surprise: "It's not easy to get into 'Taichang'! This is a big trading firm. 'Taichang', 'Hongchang' and other more than a dozen firms are owned by 'Taichang', and the shops they operate include imported machinery."
, Western medicine, cloth, jewelry, etc. The 10,000 yuan in emergency medicine we received last time was donated by Mr. Ou Yaoting, the owner of 'Taichang'. I heard that Mr. Ou has a good relationship with several elders in the base camp and is an enlightened wealthy businessman.
, Brother An is a rare thing to have working under him.”
An Yi shook his head and smiled bitterly: "To tell you the truth, I still don't know what my boss looks like. I squat in the warehouse in the backyard all day long repairing those sewing machines, grinders, etc. I just got my first rest today.
Haha! Where are you guys going?"
Chen Mingren replied: "Many of our fellow villagers came to take the Huangpu Phase III exam. We came out together after getting permission to leave. We helped the fellow villagers complete the procedures and settle down and prepare to find a place to satisfy their hunger. We have been busy since the morning and have not eaten lunch until now. An hour later
We have to catch the steamboat to return to school to end our vacation, but the restaurants in this area are too expensive for us. We are planning to go to the stall next to Tianzi Pier in front of us to have a bowl of rice noodles to kill ourselves. Has Brother An had lunch? If not, just
How about we go together? I’m treating you, but I haven’t thanked you yet.”
Several people heard An Yi speak sincerely and kindly and had a good impression of him. After hearing what Chen Mingren said, they all invited him to go with them. Seeing everyone's enthusiastic eyes, the cheerful An Yi agreed, said hello to the old man and followed him.
Everyone left talking and laughing. In fact, An Yi had already had lunch. He wanted to find out how these people of the same age lived in the army. After all, the Huangpu brand was so famous that it was a good idea to learn more about it.
Fun and comfort.
A few steps down the embankment, there is a rice-sharing stall. The stall has four small square tables and a dozen low stools. There are not many customers but it is clean and tidy.
After sitting down one after another, Chen Mingren introduced his companions to An Yi one by one: "This is Du Guangting and Du Yuming from Shaanxi; this is the famous Chen Geng, the pillar of our school's Blood Flower Drama Club; this is the talented Zeng Muyi, Zeng Kuanqing,
By the way, it’s you fellow Sichuan folks…Brother An, what’s wrong with you?”
The stunned An Yi woke up and thought to himself, they are all great people, why am I not surprised? He smiled and said casually: "Nothing, nothing, I am really lucky to know so many heroes! I am so lucky! Everyone,
Don’t call me Brother An either. I’m under nineteen this year and I’m younger than all the brothers. If you don’t mind, just call me Xiao Yi.”
"Okay! I'll call you Xiaoyi from now on." Jiang Xianyun smiled cheerfully: "I saw you greeting the boss and his wife here when you came in just now. Do you know them well?"
An Yi smiled and said: "I come here from time to time for lunch. By the way, the beef stew here tastes good."
"The taste is very tempting, but it's a pity that if we let it go, we might end up wearing our pants." Zeng Kuanqing's words caused a burst of laughter.
An Yi thought about it and turned to the landlady happily: "Aunt Fang, is there any beef stew?"
"Yes, there's still half a basin left. I'll send you as much as you want." The deft boss lady smiled at An Yi.
An Yi nodded: "Let's bring it together. Yesterday I made a fortune. Today I happened to meet my fellow villagers and friends. It's rare to be happy together. I'm sorry for bothering Aunt Fang."
"It's okay. Once the rice noodles are boiled, I'll send them to you."
Jiang Xianyun and others looked at An Yi in surprise. Chen Mingren, who was about to treat the guests, said in a low voice: "Xiao Yi, this half pot of beef stew costs at least three yuan. We don't want you to spend money, so we can just order it... Boss
…”
"Old Chen, don't be so polite!" An Yi brushed off the raised hand of Chen Mingren beside him.
Chen Geng laughed: "Old Chen? This is an interesting name, it sounds quite pleasant, haha! Xiaoyi, as long as friends are happy together, there is no need to spend too much money."
An Yi realized his recklessness, and after thinking about it, he simply made up his mind: "I'm different from you guys. Although I'm younger, I'm a working class person now. My monthly minimum income is sixteen yuan, which is more than the average salary."
There are a lot of government employees, and during this period I repaired a lot of machines in the business. The shopkeeper’s reward gave me a sum of money that was more than my monthly salary, so don’t argue, just make do with it if you respect your brothers. I just listen.
As I said, Mr. Liao, the party representative of your military academy, went to Commander Yang’s residence of the Yunnan Army three times to ask for help in order to provide his students with a meal of meat, but failed to do so. It’s hard on you! As a friend, I’d like to treat you to a few meals.
What does a piece of beef mean? Even if I am an ordinary citizen, I still know the principle of supporting the army and supporting the government and loving the people."
Jiang Xianyun loudly praised: "This is well said! Support the army, support the government, and love the people. Eight words can explain the military-civilian relationship thoroughly! Xiaoyi, you are amazing, you have a high consciousness, and you have the progressive ideas of a revolutionary youth! By the way, are you interested in testing us?
Huangpu? It’s rare that you have such a good physique and are good at mechanical repair. What if you would like me to recommend you? You are just in time for the third period of the exam."
An Yi was stunned again. He saw everyone talking about encouragement. Chen Geng and Zeng Kuanqing were particularly enthusiastic. Chen Mingren also stared at him with hope. An Yi complained in his heart, thinking that I can talk about my level.
I'd probably make a fool of myself if I really took the exam.
At this time, the little boss and his wife came one after another to deliver bowls of steaming rice noodles, and half a pot of fragrant beef stew attracted the attention of many people. An Yi took the opportunity to laugh, grabbed a big spoon and divided the meat with everyone: "I just now
I had just entered the trading company, and it would be really wrong for Mr. Buou to leave like this. At that time, he recruited me regardless of my lack of diploma, so I had to ask for his permission, haha... Come on! Eat more, I'm here to work.
'Taichang' is not far from the embankment, just a few steps away. It's easy to come here when you want to eat, haha!"
Seeing that An Yi was so enthusiastic and heroic, everyone stopped mentioning the matter of letting him take the Whampoa exam. Only the shrewd He Zhonghan and Jiang Xianyun seemed to see that An Yi had other ideas, and they both kept their heads down and ate hard. Everyone said
There was laughter but also intimacy. A Sichuan fellow once told a joke that made everyone very happy.
An Yi saw everyone so happy and relaxed, thinking that the Huangpu Army would soon march eastward, and the Nationalist Government had already begun to accuse Chen Jiongming of his sinister intentions in newspapers. An Yi also told a joke when he was interested, thinking
Winning everyone happiness is not worth getting together once.
An Yi wiped his mouth and said with a smile: "Old Zeng's joke just now was interesting. I also have a joke, maybe a little rude. If you are willing to listen, I will tell you."
"Tell me, are you excited?" Chen Mingren, who is usually cautious and taciturn, obviously regards An Yi as a friend.
An Yi didn't want to think so much, so he opened his mouth: "I heard that when Commander Chen Jiongming came to Beijing for the first time, he walked to a dumpling shop and was attracted by the smell. It was cold at that time and the steaming dumplings were very tempting, so Commander Chen sat down and ordered some.
For dumplings, the waiter was a pretty Beijing girl who couldn’t understand Cantonese. Our Commander Chen also spoke a few words in Mandarin, so he asked: ‘Girl, how much does a bowl of dumplings cost?’ Maybe it’s because our Commander Chen’s accent is too strong.
The Beijing girl thought it was "How much does it cost for a girl to sleep a night?" The girl was a decent person but she didn't want to. She got angry and cursed. Unexpectedly, our Commander Chen was not an economical person. He stood up angrily and yelled: "You
You're not young, so why don't I just ask you how much it costs to sleep for a night? If you don't want to sleep with me, forget it, I'm going to find sleep at another house, how can I be so uncultured?' As a result, the misunderstanding became even bigger..."
An Yi learned the last sentence perfectly and made everyone laugh out loud.
He Zhonghan, who had just put a handful of rice noodles into his mouth, burst out laughing. One of the rice noodles actually came out of his nostrils. There was a piece of green spring onion hanging on his chin, and everyone saw it.
She was so happy that she almost collapsed on the ground...