Chapter 9: After Dinner Conversation About Future Prospects

  "Third Brother, what are you busy with? I could hear the clanging sounds from far away and thought you were making atomic bombs at home!" Li Hongjun shouted from a distance.

  "Third Brother, I heard that this morning, Kang Xiaobao and his gang 'crossed paths' with you. Luckily for him, it was early when I, Ma Lei Zi, returned home; otherwise, I would have broken his bones." Lei Xiao Tian chimed in, his facial muscles twitching to reveal a few scattered pockmarks.

  "Alright, alright, those people still dare to play tricks in front of Third Brother, they must have borrowed some guts, it's definitely because Third Brother is bored and looking for someone to play with." The speaker was Sun Qianjin.

  Several people started talking as soon as they entered the door. Li Hongjun was holding a large red box, which was probably the Chen Mao mentioned earlier. Lei Xiaotian was holding a large red rooster, with bright red comb and a plump body, weighing about 4-5 catties. The big rooster was pinched in the throat and couldn't make a sound. The other six people didn't come empty-handed either, some brought wine, others brought peanuts and other snacks to accompany the wine, which were all reserve materials before the banquet.

  Xue Xiang hadn't even had time to respond when several people saw his work and burst out laughing. After all, Third Brother had never been so embarrassed before. Lei Xiaotian laughed the most gleefully, pounding Sun Qianjin's shoulder as he did so. In his excitement, he lost control and let go of the rooster, which ran away.

  The big rooster escaped from the devil's palm, and it was a desperate run for its life. Its bloated body was now incredibly light, and to everyone's surprise, it transformed into a bird, spreading its wings and flying up onto the roof. Seeing that the big rooster still refused to surrender, several people became unhappy and tried to catch it with all their might, as it was supposed to be the main course for lunch. Unfortunately for the big rooster, it had run into this group of desperate fugitives who would stop at nothing for food. The men set up ladders, climbed onto the roof, spread out in all directions, and laid a trap, finally capturing the rooster again. Back in the devil's clutches, the big rooster seemed to have given up, hanging its head in resignation, waiting for death.

  "Third brother, how did you end up making a table yourself?" Kang Tong asked, among the few people, his personality was the most wooden and taciturn.

  "Our home lacks a dining table, so I decided to make one myself. Who knew it would be so difficult? I'm all sweaty and exhausted, and this is the mediocre result." Xue said with a smile.

  "Third brother, you really like to make trouble. If you want a table, just ask me. My second uncle is the director of Hua Lian Wood Factory. These tables and chairs, if I just give them a call, they'll deliver them directly to your doorstep. They can't sell these things in their factory, they're all over the place." Sun Qianjin added.

  "Cheng, you little rascal, go get me two tables right now. One is a square table and the other is a hollow hot pot table. We'll have hot pot for lunch." Xue ordered.

  Sun Qianjin took the task and called Liu Yuanchao to go together. After arranging their tasks, Xue Xiangfeng brought out an iron stove from a pile of miscellaneous goods, let Li Hongjun be in charge of lighting the fire, and pulled out a large pile of vegetables for the two people to pick, Lei Xiaotian saw the opportunity quickly, took the big rooster and went to the washing pool edge, preparing to kill the chicken. Kang Tong and Zhu Shijun immediately looked bitter, and their hearts echoed in unison: those who take action first will be strong, and those who take action later will suffer, let him seize the initiative.

  It was almost noon, and after a flurry of activity, the kitchen of Xue's home finally emitted waves of savory meat aroma. Nine big and one small, ten chairs were arranged around the table, on which a net bag full of vegetables, a large pot of rice, and several bowls and chopsticks were placed. In the center of the table was a round hole, under which a coal stove was placed, with a large wok on top, filled to the brim with potatoes and pork trotters, the soup almost overflowing. The air vent of the coal stove was wide open, the fire burning fiercely, stewing the potatoes and pork trotters until they were simmering. The color of the soup was murky and dark red, obviously with a lot of chili peppers added, cooked to perfection, with oil droplets rising to the surface. Not far from the stove, the fire had not been extinguished, and at this time, the open flame had burned out, but the residual heat continued to cook the chicken in the pot.

  Xue Xiang was afraid of trouble, so he didn't stir-fry any dishes. He just boiled potatoes and radishes, each paired with a pig's leg and a rooster to make two pots of meat stew. The washed vegetables were placed on the side of the pot, and when it was time to eat, they would be added directly into the pot, and after simmering for a while, they could be eaten.

  Xue Xiang and his gang surrounded the small round table, densely packed. Xiao Xi squeezed in between Xiao Wan and Xue Xiang, holding a small flower bowl with both hands, leaning against the edge of the table, her big eyes staring straight at the pot.

  Xue said "start", no one responded, and ten pairs of chopsticks almost instantly inserted into the pot. Xiao Di was not to be outdone, had already aimed at the largest piece of lean meat, Xue's voice had just fallen when the little guy grabbed that piece of meat, didn't wait to put it in a small flower bowl to cool for a while, blew a few mouthfuls of air, and then placed it on his lips to tear and chew.

  The little ones were like this, and the big ones were even more unceremonious. Everyone's hands moved at an extremely fast frequency, one chopstick chasing another into their mouths, without even going over the bowl. It was a scene of everyone scrambling to be first, each person afraid of falling behind. For a time, the dinner table was like a battlefield, with rolling war clouds and "gun smoke" filling the air.

  The little one's mouth was small, her hands were short, and her lips and skin were thin and delicate. With the hot meat, she was especially afraid of getting burned. Although she ate hastily, it wasn't enjoyable. The little one gnawed on a bone while staring at the pot, giving anyone who ate too quickly a glance, as if to say "you're eating too messily, learn from me and eat slowly." But everyone was busy fighting with their bones, no one paid attention to her, and watching the meat disappear block by block at high speed made the little one anxious. She threw down her chopsticks, hugged Xue Yang's leg, and shook it, as if to say "you're not even managing them, they're eating so messily." Xue Yang looked at Xiao Shi's pouted mouth and scrunched up eyebrows, understanding what she was probably complaining about. He got up, took an empty bowl, picked out a few large pieces of meat for her, piled them into the bowl, and let her eat slowly while it cooled down. In an instant, the little one was delighted, her eyebrows relaxed, and she stopped shaking Xue Yang. She turned around, pulled the bowl with meat in front of her, didn't want the small flower-shaped bowl or chopsticks anymore, and directly used her hands to pick up the meat and gnaw on it, not caring if she looked messier than others while eating.

  They ate a meal that was so good it blew away the clouds, and two large pots of delicious meat soup were also used to cook rice. The group was really hungry, and this time they caught the opportunity, as if they wanted to eat the pot too. Xiao Yi ate until he took off his clothes, and his original two rows of ribs were pushed out into a small belly. The battle was fierce, and the results were unprecedented, truly achieving the goal of "no leftovers", with the rice, soup, and even the pots being completely cleaned out, like they had just been washed.

  After lunch, Xiao Wan and Xiao Yi returned to their room for a nap, preparing for the afternoon's homework. Xiao Shuai refused to leave, hugging Xue Yang's thigh, patting his belly with his hand like a drum, and soon fell asleep in Xue Yang's arms. Everyone looked at Xue Yang holding Xiao Shuai, momentarily stunned. Xue Yang was not close to his younger siblings, they all knew this and often complained: Third Brother is great in every way, but he's too distant from his younger siblings, not like a big brother should be. However, these were Xue Yang's family matters, and they didn't dare ask more questions. Usually, they treated Xiao Wan and the others more like their own siblings than Xue Yang did as the eldest brother. Seeing the siblings being affectionate now, they were happy for Xue Yang.

  After sending away a few small ones, several people put up wine cups and appetizers, and it was time to drink. There were not many dishes, a plate of salted peanuts, a plate of old broad beans, a plate of fried potato chips, just enough for three small plates, they had always liked drinking poor wine like this. It's said that they liked it, but actually, it was forced out, in this month, someone's one catty of fragrant oil at the beginning of the year, after eating for a year, at the end of the year, still one catty. You wonder how this is possible, originally every time when eating, using chopsticks to point at the fragrant oil and then finishing the meal.

  Several people drank and chatted, Xue Xiang asked first: "Brothers graduated for half a year, can't drift all day, say what plans do you have?"

  The topic was a bit heavy, and for a while no one responded. It wasn't until some time had passed that someone finally broke the silence.

  "I was going to join the army with Hong Jun, originally I didn't have a chance, my dad had been released but the issue wasn't settled yet, and the political review wouldn't pass. Coincidentally, the person in charge of the recruitment office was an old comrade of my dad's from the Fourth Field Army, after having a drink with my dad, he took me away. Third brother, I didn't dare tell you all...” Liu Yuan Chao's voice got lower and lower until he stopped talking, feeling a bit guilty towards everyone.

  Liu Yuan Chao's father was the chief of staff of the C Military B Division, had just been released from isolation and review, but hadn't resumed his duties yet, idle at home. Everyone knew that Li Hong Jun was going to join the army, after all, his dad was still in office, it was almost a necessary choice for him to go.

  Originally Liu Yuan Chao didn't have a clear direction like everyone else, now suddenly saying he wanted to join the army made him feel a bit guilty towards Xue and the others, feeling that he had lost some integrity.

  At that time, the way out for high school graduates was very narrow. Going to college was basically limited to children of workers, peasants and soldiers, and it relied on organizational recommendations. In addition, many colleges and universities were suspended due to a shortage of teachers (you can guess the reason for the shortage), so being able to attend university was extremely rare. Apart from this, joining the army, becoming a worker, or going down to the countryside to join a production team were the mainstream ways out for graduates at that time.

  First, let's talk about being a soldier. At that time, soldiers were indeed the most lovable people, just as Wei Wei had praised them. Wearing military uniforms, holding steel guns, and guarding the borders was almost every young person's simplest and most beautiful wish in their childhood. Apart from this, there is another reason that cannot be expressed in words: at that time, the road to becoming an official was very narrow, and now almost all party and government officials are former soldiers. Being an official, no matter what era or dynasty, has always been the most important way to bring glory to one's family and ancestors, and it is also the highest pursuit of ordinary people. Therefore, being a soldier was the most promising and ideal career at that time.

  Apart from being a soldier, working in a factory was also a coveted profession among young people. After all, workers at that time were honored with titles such as "leading class" and "masters of the country". As soon as they entered the factory, they got an "iron rice bowl", which guaranteed them a secure income for life. However, the number of workers was also very limited, and the replacement of workers, apart from those allocated by the organization, often adopted a kind of hereditary system, where if a son wanted to work, his father had to retire.

  In the end, they went to the countryside to be re-educated by poor and lower-middle-class peasants. If nothing unexpected happens, going to the countryside will be the fate of this group of people led by Xue.

  "It's okay, you'll find a good way out, the brothers are happy and haven't even had time to blame you. How could they blame you? You quietly got things done without showing off, well done." Xue smiled and patted Liu Yuan's shoulder, comforting him.

  "Aiding the Chao, you're not doing a bad job, to be honest, how long have you been deceiving the organization? Brothers, let's discuss, what should we do with someone who conceals intelligence from the organization, makes small calculations, and has an unsteady stance as a GM?" Lei Xiaotian said with a smile, taking a sip of wine.