Drunken Wine

  According to Baidu Encyclopedia, "top replacement" (also known as "name substitution") is a mode of job allocation during China's planned economy era. After a father or mother retires, one of their children can be recruited into the same work unit. This phenomenon was more common in the agricultural, forestry, water conservancy, and geological sectors. In fact, from the 1970s to the first half of the 1980s, this practice was widespread across various industries. If we delve deeper, the "top replacement" system is actually extremely unreasonable. During an era with a huge urban-rural divide, this system meant that not only could a city worker enjoy better welfare than peasants, but this status could also be passed down to their children and grandchildren, allowing them to continue enjoying these benefits.

  However, at that time, no one would have commented on the substitution system in this way. Everyone thought that this system was a matter of course, and for ordinary workers with no power or influence, it was the greatest legacy they could leave to their children.

  "Master Peng, you're still so young and your skills are so good, isn't it a waste to retire now?" Lin Zhenhua asked.

  "What can I do, I couldn't just watch my child not find a partner?" Peng Gang said. "My son Xiaojun is very sensible, he has never asked me and his mother to retire and let him take over. My wife and I are still young and haven't thought about this matter at all. Until this thing happened, I realized that Xiaojun had been hiding many things in his heart, and as parents, we were really derelict in our duties. I've come to a realization, sooner or later I would have to retire anyway, why not now? Let me give my child an opportunity. I've already asked someone to introduce Xiaojun to a new partner again, the girl's conditions are very good, her family said that as long as Xiaojun has a formal job, they can get married."

  Peng Gang said this with a hint of comfort on his face, a kind of comfort that comes from sacrificing oneself for the happiness of one's children.

  Lin Zhenhua felt a mix of emotions and didn't know what to say, so he hesitated for a moment before asking: "Master Peng, now that you're retired, do you have any plans?"

  "What plans can I have?" Peng Gang said, "Raise flowers, play chess, wait for Xiao Jun to get married and have children, and then I'll be at home taking care of my grandchildren."

  Such a rich and intelligent old craftsman, at the age of fifty, stayed at home to raise flowers and play chess, doting on his grandchildren, but Lin Zhenhua couldn't see any hint of happiness in him.

  "Workers retire at 60 for men and 55 for women, you're only 49 now, do you think the factory will agree to your retirement?" Lin Zhenhua continued to ask.

  "Normal retirement is out of the question, I'm applying for medical retirement."

  "Sick leave? What's wrong with you?"

  "I don't have any illness," said Peng Gang. "If we want to get a medical discharge, the only way is to ask a doctor from People's Hospital to write a fake certificate for us. I've already found someone who can do it, and he can write whatever illness we want."

  "...Did the factory agree?" Lin Zhenhua asked again, thinking that Zhu Tiejun had great hopes for Peng Gang, hoping that he would learn CNC well and become a technical backbone of the entire factory in the future. How would Zhu Tiejun think if Peng Gang suddenly proposed to resign due to illness?

  Peng Gang's eyes also dimmed a bit, and he replied: "As for Director Liang, there was no problem. Director Zhu was very angry at first and refused to agree. Later I told him about Xiao Jun's situation, and he agreed."

  "So it was like this." Lin Zhenhua said, he had nothing more to say.

  "Kobayashi, I'm sorry to have wasted so much of your time. Fortunately, Yang Xin has been learning with us and she's very good at operating CNC machines. If you teach her seriously for a while longer, I think she'll surpass me." Peng Gang said, pointing at Yang Xin, to Lin Zhenhua.

  "Master Peng, you're leaving, what am I going to do all alone?" Yang Xin said with a sob.

  "The factory should still arrange someone to replace me, right?" Peng Gang said.

  "Meat-eaters, let's go." Lin Zhenhua pulled out a sentence of rhetoric and said to Peng Gang: "Master Peng, you're leaving, but we haven't had a chance to gather together yet. If you think I'm worthy, little Lin will host tonight, and we'll go to the small restaurant at the entrance to have a few drinks. It's me and Yang Xin sending you off, how about it?"

  "Otherwise, I'll be the host." Peng Gang said hesitantly, "Xiao Lin, you taught me CNC machining, and I've never even returned the favor with a thank-you dinner."

  "Master Peng, don't argue about it. I'm aware of your family's financial situation. As a single man, my economic conditions are better than yours, so this meal should definitely be on me. The CNC machine thing is just something I learned from the Americans, it doesn't make me a master or anything. When we were in the moving team together, you always took care of me. Now that you're retiring and we won't be colleagues anymore, you're my elder, so it's only right for me to treat you to a meal." Lin Zhenhua said with a flourish.

  Peng Gang felt depressed in his heart, and when he heard Lin Zhenhua say this, he nodded in agreement. The three of them came to a small restaurant outside the factory, and Lin Zhenhua didn't say another word, directly slapping 20 yuan on the table for the boss to bring out wine and dishes.

  This round of drinks, two men finished off four bottles of 52-degree sorghum liquor in one breath. Yang Xin jumped up and down trying to stop them but couldn't. In the end, both men were dead drunk, Peng Gang was carried home by his wife and children who had heard the news, while Lin Zhenhua was almost carried back home by Yang Chunshan, Yang Xin, and Xiaofang.

  Looking at Lin Zhenhua lying on the bed muttering to himself, Xiaofang's tears fell down, she had never seen her brother in such a state before, didn't know what happened, and worried that this drunkenness would affect his health.

  "Xiao Fang, don't cry, don't cry." Yang Xin desperately consoled Lin Fanghua, her own eyes also reddening a bit.

  "This kid, how could he have drunk so much wine?" Yang Chunshan sighed.

  "Master Peng said he was going to retire due to illness, and Xiao Hua Ge felt sorry for him, so he drank a bit more," Yang Xin explained.

  "Alas, Old Peng is also helpless. If there was a way, who would be willing to stay at home idle before the age of 50? This Xiao Hua is also not related to his business, what's he sad about?" Yang Chunshan muttered.

  Yang Xin was too lazy to listen to his nagging and pushed him out: "Dad, go back."

  "What's wrong, aren't you going back?"

  "Xiao Hua is like this, how can Xiao Fang cope alone? I'll stay here with Xiao Fang," said Yang Xin.

  "Alright, if there's anything, come back and call me." Yang Chunshan shook his head and walked away alone. However, he muttered to himself: A woman is not to be trusted after marriage, now you know the pain of being a man.

  Yang Xin went to boil some hot water, soaked a hot towel, and asked Xiaofang to help Lin Zhenhua wipe his face. She herself didn't dare do such a thing, although she wanted to.

  "Xiao Fang, why don't you go to sleep? I'll stay here and keep an eye on Xiao Hua Ge." Yang Xin said to Lin Fanghua.

  "You go to sleep, I'll watch over my brother."

  "Do you have class tomorrow?"

  "Aren't you supposed to go to work tomorrow?"

  "Otherwise, I'll take the first half of the night. He's probably sober by the second half, and then I can go to sleep. If not, I'll get up with you." Yang Xin arranged.

  "Alright." Lin Fanghua agreed, she now considered Yang Xin as her future sister-in-law. This kind of thing was originally supposed to be done by a sister-in-law anyway, and since Yang Xin wanted to do it, then let her do it.

  Lin Zhenhua woke up in the middle of the night after drinking, he opened his eyes and felt someone beside him, thinking it was his sister Xiaofang, so he said: "Xiaofang, pour me some water."

  "Okay." Yang Xin replied, quickly pouring a glass of water and bringing it to Lin Zhenhua's mouth, feeding him big gulps.

  "What's with you?" Lin Zhenhua finished drinking water and his mind cleared up a bit, only to find that the person sitting by the bed was Yang Xin, and he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

  Yang Xinyu said softly: "You got drunk, it was my dad and me and Xiaofang who sent you back. I took turns with Xiaofang to take care of you, I kept watch for the first half of the night."

  "Oh, thank you," Lin Zhenhua said, "What time is it now?"

  Yang Xin turned her head to look at the clock on the table, but the room was dark and she couldn't see clearly. She raised her wrist and pressed a button on her electronic watch with her other hand, and a small light-emitting diode lit up inside the watch, illuminating the time displayed on the LCD screen.

  "It's half past." Yang Xin said, and she was very heartbroken about her previous action. She had heard that the light in the electronic watch was very power-hungry, and pressing it once would use up as much electricity as walking for a month.

  "Is this watch a gift from Xiaofang?" Lin Zhenhua asked casually.

  "Uh-huh, it's multi-functional. I saw it at Xinxin store for over 30 bucks."

  "Don't listen to his nonsense, this watch costs only 8 yuan in Guangzhou."

  "Isn't the profit so high?"

  "Isn't it true that doing business makes more money than running a factory?"

  The two people chatted aimlessly for a few sentences, and Yang Xin couldn't help but advise: "Little Hua brother, you shouldn't drink so much in the future, it scared both me and Xiaofang."

  Lin Zhenhua nodded and said, "I'll be careful. Actually, I didn't drink that much today. In the army, I used to drink more than this. It's just that today I drank baijiu and didn't realize how much I had."

  "Xiao Hua Ge, Master Peng's matter has nothing to do with you, don't be so sad," Yang Xin said.

  "Alas, I'm just feeling sorry for Master Peng," said Lin Zhenhua. "Yang Xin, do you know that workers like Master Peng are the wealth of our entire nation? During World War II, Japan was bombed into ruins and all its factories were destroyed. But in just over 20 years after the war, Japan rose again. Do you know why?"

  "Why?"

  "Because it has tens of millions of skilled workers, who are more precious than the factories that were bombed. Workers like Master Peng are priceless."

  "But Master Peng wants to retire, it's an unavoidable thing." Yang Xin said, "If he doesn't retire, Peng Jun can't take his place as a formal worker. Now the recruitment indicators are so few, people like Master Peng who don't have any background can only do this."

  Lin Zhenhua said: "Actually, things shouldn't have been like this. I should be able to do something, but I'm too lazy."

  "Who?" Yang Xin asked in surprise, "What can you do?"

  "I don't know yet, but through this matter, I feel that I should do something. Even if I can't change the whole history, at least I want to try my best to change things around me."