Siheyuan: Sending my younger brother to the countryside to raise pigs

Yan Jiecheng walked into the yard and began to look around him at the familiar yet unfamiliar environment.

The ground is paved with slate, the house has gray and black tiles, the doors and windows are mottled with colors, and the walls are covered with lush green ivy. It looks old and dated.

The yard is very quiet, the air is fresh and cool, and there is no noise or bustle of a modern city at all.

According to his memory, Yan Jiecheng came to the public toilet in the yard.

There were no toilets those days, and the toilets were squat type, which was a bit disgusting.

After satisfying his physiological needs, Yan Jiecheng felt like going out to see what was happening on the street, so as to find a way to make a living in the future.

Go through the doorway and onto the street.

It was still early and the streets were deserted with almost no one to be seen.

We are now in the era of planned economy, materials are in short supply, and all daily necessities are supplied by the government, and there are fixed quotas and quantities.

The current economic policy does not support the private economy, and can even be said to be a severe crackdown. It is unrealistic to want to escape the current predicament by setting up stalls.

While thinking about how to live, Yan Jiecheng walked slowly along East Street, looking up at his surroundings from time to time.

He felt like a traveler traveling through the long river of history.

A hungry traveler looking for a living.

After a walk around, Yan Jiecheng discovered that the most numerous and bustling places on the street were grain stores and vegetable markets.

There were actually four or five grain stores on one street, and in front of each store there was a long queue of people queuing up to buy grain.

Without exception, these grain stores are state-owned. Being able to work in one can be considered very respectable, and it is difficult for ordinary people to get in.

If this were to happen in modern society, a grain store would be equivalent to a shopping mall. Anyone with a bit of ability would not want to work there, as the hours would be long and the pay would not be high.

Now it has become a popular commodity.

Yan Jiecheng found a step opposite a grain store and sat down, staring at the crowd pushing and shoving each other, thinking about how to find a living here.

You can't always stay at home and rely on your parents for support. Not only do you not eat well, but you also have to be scolded by them every day. Your life is really miserable.

My major is car repair.

But these days, not to mention cars, even bicycles are rare and are completely useless.

Running errands and delivering goods is even more impossible.

Every household is short of money and food, who would pay you to deliver the food?

Yan Jiecheng thought about it, but he really had no idea at all. It was true that in this era, almost all the ways of survival for ordinary people were blocked.

Life in the countryside is not bad. We are self-sufficient and don’t have to worry about food and clothing.

But the only way to make a living in the city is to work in a factory, and not everyone can do that.

Yan Jiecheng looked up at the sky and sighed dejectedly.

The sun jumped out of the horizon, and its golden light pierced through the clouds and fell on his face, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.

Just then, the roar of a car was heard.

On this familiar yet unfamiliar street, the roar of cars suddenly woke Yan Jiecheng up, as if an old friend had come riding on the sunshine, making the blood in his body excited.

Yan Jiecheng stood up suddenly and looked in the direction of the sound.

After seeing the true face of my old friend, my excitement instantly cooled down.

My old friend is really old.

A large green truck drove up from the end of the street, just like the trucks used to transport soldiers in anti-Japanese TV dramas.

Through the car window glass, you can vaguely see two people sitting inside. The truck bed is full of tall cargo, covered with a tarpaulin so you can't see what's underneath.

The truck stopped at the back door of the grain store, the door opened and two people jumped out.

Two people also came out of the grain store and greeted each other.

The tarpaulin was lifted, revealing a mountain of flour piled up in the truck bed.

People began to carry bags of flour towards the store.

Yan Jiecheng thought, if he went to the store manager and asked him to help them move the flour without asking for any salary, but only giving him some flour as a reward, would the store manager agree?

He quickly dismissed the idea.

The flour is public and rationed, and everyone has to buy it with a ticket. How could the store manager have the courage to give himself flour?

If people knew about this, wouldn't they accuse him of stealing state property?

Yan Jiecheng's newly ignited hope was shattered again. He sighed helplessly, but his stomach started to growl.

Look at the time, it's almost time for breakfast.

He is already a parasite, so it would be a bit unreasonable if he were to be called for meals again.

Yan Jiecheng walked back with heavy steps, constantly thinking about how to survive here.

There are not many options open to ordinary people. Doing business is not allowed by policy, working in a factory is not allowed due to connections, and the conditions do not allow for skills.

After thinking about it, it seems that the only way out is to rely on parents for support.

As Yan Jiecheng stepped into the courtyard, neighbors kept greeting him on the way.

"Jie Cheng, you're fine. Is your head okay?"

"Jiecheng, why are you up so early? Have you eaten?"

"..."

The concern of his neighbors made Yan Jiecheng feel much better, and he felt that life here seemed not bad.

Yan Jiecheng did not go home, but went directly to his parents' house based on his memory.

Yan Jiekuang's childish laughter could be heard from the room.

Before entering the door, the scene of being despised and scolded by Yan Fugui popped up in my mind, and my scalp couldn't help but tighten.

The situation was beyond my control, so I finally walked into the room.

As soon as he stepped into the room, several pairs of eyes fell on him.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar family in front of him, Yan Jiecheng was embarrassed and didn't know what to do, so he gritted his teeth and looked at them one by one.

how to say.

He thought this family was really interesting.

Dad Yan Fugui had an undisguised look of disdain in his eyes.

His second brother Yan Jiefang was a little flustered and didn't dare to look at him. He knew the reason.

My younger sister Yan Jiedi had a blank expression on her face. She just glanced at me and then looked away, looking at me coldly as if she was a stranger.

Only the third brother Yan Jiekuang.

Seeing him happily get up from the ground, he even threw away his precious marbles and rushed to him like an enthusiastic pug.

"Brother, hello!"

Yan Jiecheng smiled and nodded; the embarrassment in his heart was also healed by the child's smile.

"All right."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and touched his head.

Yan Jiekuang didn't expect that his elder brother would actually touch his head. He was stunned for a moment, and then he felt better.

He always felt that his elder brother was different from before, but he couldn't tell what was different.

It seemed gentler and more kind than before.

"That's great! I knew you wouldn't die. You've recovered in just one day, and I was thinking of bringing you breakfast and checking on you. I didn't expect you to come by yourself. Come and sit down!"

Yan Jiekuang pulled Yan Jiecheng to sit on the stool.

Yan Jiecheng looked at Yan Fugui, whose face was very long. Although it was awkward, he had to bite the bullet and say hello since he was supporting the other man's son and was relying on him for his old age.

"Dad, I'm reading the newspaper."

Yan Fugui raised his eyebrows, looked at him through the gap in the frame, snorted and said: "It's nothing, just eat actively."

Even though he had been mentally prepared before coming in, Yan Jiecheng still blushed at these words and wished he could run out immediately.

But reason told him that he couldn't.

Because if he doesn't eat this meal, there will always be another meal. Unless he chooses to starve to death, this will happen again in the future.

It is said that a man cannot stand up straight if he has no money. Today he truly felt it.