Chapter 22: Liangzi's Journey to Yangcheng

  The next few days were calm and sunny, the temperature slowly rose, and the snow began to melt. Four days later, Fang Mo Nan received a registered letter from Cheng Shi Gui, which was sent much faster than before. The letter contained detailed contract documents, and the goods were ready for her to pick up. In her reply, she signed the contract and attached new clothing design drawings, of course, using registered mail to ensure safety. She also told him that the person picking up the goods would be Liang Hong Lie (Liang Zi's full name, which she learned from her grandmother), and after Liang Zi boarded the train, Fang Mo Nan would call to notify them.

  Three days passed, Fang Mo Nan counted the days and Liang Zi's injury had almost healed. But he still didn't see him coming to find her, so she knew that he probably took her words as a joke. She wasn't going to let it go, so she blocked his way at the door of his house.

  "Liangzi followed me in." Fang Mosou said to him with a military backpack on his back, the room was as cold as outside, obviously without a fire.

  "My goodness, she really found it!" Liang Zi followed her into the house. Her medicine was actually effective, except for the first day when he was in so much pain that he almost died. Afterwards, he even took the medicine bottle to find an old barefoot doctor in the neighborhood, and asked him to take a look at his wound and the medicine. The result was that Liang Zi had good luck, if it hadn't been treated in time, no matter how precious the medicine was, his arm would have been crippled. After several days of changing the dressing, now as long as he doesn't use too much force, he can't even feel that his shoulder was injured.

  Liang Zi hastily said: "Nan Nan, thank you, otherwise this arm of mine would have been ruined." To sum it up, this arm was saved by someone else, so the thanks are deserved.

  Fang Mo Nan walked into the house, sat down on a small stool, and stared at him: "Have you gone to see Old Ke for an examination of your injuries?"

  "How did you know?" Liangzi sat across from her, slapping his own mouth in frustration.

  "I'm guessing." Fang Mo Nan didn't want to drag this topic on and said directly, "Then how do you plan to thank me?" He blinked his eyes and stared at him in response.

  "Ah, really have to thank you!" Liang Zi stared at her foolishly and thought for a moment before saying: "I'm penniless, all I can do is fight. Who offended you? I'll go beat him up."

  "You think, with me looking like this, who would dare to mess with me." Fang Mo Nan pointed at his own small stature, who would pick on a little kid.

  "This is indeed so." Liang Zi nodded and looked straight at the little person in front of him who was only a little over three years old.

  Before Liangzi could refine his words, Fang Mo said from the south, "You really want to thank me."

  "That's it, a gentleman's word is his bond. You speak, let me do what?" Liang Zi patted his chest with a loud thud and said heroically.

  "Alright, this afternoon there is a train from Beijing to Yangcheng. You take the train to Yangcheng and help me pick up some goods. The goods are probably electronic watches, small calculators, women's jewelry, and accessories. Someone will meet you at Yangcheng Station, and you'll know what to do then." Fang Mo Nan found this out from Old Man Lin's travel schedule, and now the only option is to go to Yangcheng. To get to S Special Zone, a permit from the Public Security Bureau is required, which would be too much trouble for Cheng Shui Gui, who would have to take a detour.

  "Ah, receiving goods, electronic table..." Liangzi Zhang opened his big mouth and repeated stupidly.

  "The person picking you up is named Cheng Shigui. If you don't meet, this is his contact number." Fang Monan handed over the written contact information to him, "This is 300 yuan, for transportation, accommodation and food. And this backpack, there are some snacks inside, take it with you on the road." She stuffed a military backpack into his hands.

  Liang Zi stared at the large bundle of cash in his hand, holding onto his backpack, and gazed blankly at her. He never even dreamed of having so much money. "I... I..."

  "Alright, goodbye. Gather your things and hurry up, the train will be here soon." Fang Mo'nan walked forward, patted his shoulder. "Don't tell others about my appearance. Remember this, remember." She reminded him carefully again.

  "Oh, I'll leave right away." Liang Zi said, collecting his thoughts. Going to Yang City was just to pick up the goods, this was too easy, he had to do a good job with this matter. He didn't even think about Fang Mo Nan's last sentence's deeper meaning. He simply packed his luggage, bid farewell to his mother and hastily left.

  Liangzi sat on the train, feeling like he was sleepwalking. The farthest place he had ever been in his life was when he was sent to a labor camp outside the county town and arrived at the outskirts of the city, watching the big cities along the railway line and listening to the sound of the train "clattering" before realizing it wasn't just a dream.

  Liang Zi curiously looked at everything in the carriage, listening to the two people sitting opposite him chatting. One was a young man about his age, and the other was a middle-aged man. As night began to fall, the young man opposite him returned from the dining car with a boxed meal. One of the middle-aged men said: "Young fellow, it's getting dark, aren't you going to go buy some food to eat?"

  "Oh, buying food is not necessary, I have brought some from home." Liang Zi suddenly remembered the military backpack that Fang Mo Nan had given him before he left. He opened it and saw that it was filled with big meat buns, which smelled delicious. There were also oil paper wrapped sausages, cured meat, small dried fish, a ceramic tea flask for drinking water, and a towel. He stared at these items, his eyes gradually becoming moist. Except for his mother, no one had ever been so good to him, she was really thoughtful.

  "Wow, it's really abundant." said a young man on the hard seat.

  "Hehe... prepared at home." Liang Zidai smiled foolishly, the food was wrapped in cowhide paper, he put them on the small table, picked up and ate, the taste was really good, it had been a long time since he heard that Mo's mother's steamed buns were delicious, didn't expect the meat buns to be so tasty too. The crispy fish and sausage, cured meat, eating made his mouth flow with oil. He also didn't forget to invite the two people sitting opposite him, as a result, they joined in, and in two days, the three of them ate more than half of the food."

  "Sorry, I didn't think it would be so delicious." The young man said with a blush, looking at the messy table.

  "Hehe... it's okay." Liang Zixin said with a heartache, if only he hadn't pretended to be calm earlier.

  The rest of the way, Liangzi was on a hunger strike, although they also bought boxed meals for Liangzi to eat, as a gesture of apology. To be honest, the boxed meals were really unpalatable and Liangzi couldn't keep eating them anyway.

  So he drank hot water and ate cold buns, until finally he didn't eat for a whole day, just drinking water. He also wanted to eat the train's boxed meal, but when he asked the price was exorbitant, he'd rather starve than waste money. He was afraid of his money being stolen, so he hid it in different places, some close to his body, some in his shoes, and some in his socks.

  After four days, he finally arrived in Yangcheng. As he walked out of the station with the crowd, he saw a sea of people outside, some holding various signs to pick up passengers, while others were hotel staff trying to solicit customers. Before long, he spotted the person who had come to pick him up, holding a sign.

  Their brand was written the largest, Liang Zi looked at the opposite suit and tie, dressed in bright colors, with a clear temperament and some people who were not quite right next to him, hesitated to move forward. Was this the person who came to pick him up? He didn't dare confirm it, he stared blankly at the handsome Cheng Shi Gui in front of him.

  Cheng Shigui and Han Zhikui waited early at the station, but the train was delayed for an hour. Finally, they saw people from all over the country coming out of the station, and the two of them stood out from the crowd.

  Cheng Shigui exuded an aura of coldness and nobility, making no one dare to approach him. Passersby would unconsciously detour around him, so despite standing in front of the crowded train station, he seemed eerily isolated.

  Liang Zi swallowed his saliva, looking at the person in front of him with a clear and bright expression. He stuttered slightly as he said: "My name is Liang Honglie, others call me Liang Zi." As soon as Liang Zi started speaking, his tension dissipated. With a serious tone, he asked: "May I ask if you are Comrade Cheng Shigui?"

  Cheng Shigui looked at the tall man standing in front of him, wearing a patched and dusty cotton-padded jacket, with an olive green coat slung over his shoulder, and a pair of cloth shoes on his feet, looking tense. Could it be him? He was no different from most people who came out from inside, with eyes shining with curiosity and admiration for this place, everyone greedily gazing at everything here.

  "Comrade." Han Zhiqian lowered his head and chuckled, Cheng Shigui kicked him with his foot, and he immediately stood up straight. He suppressed his laughter, but the smile in his eyes was still evident.

  "Yes, I am Cheng Shigui. Was it Fang Monan who sent you?" Cheng Shigui then introduced him, "He is Han Zhikun."

  "Hello, I am Han Zhiqian."

  "Hello, hello!" Liang Zibow hastily bowed and said, "It was Fang Mennai who asked me to come." Fortunately, they were speaking Mandarin, although with some southern accent, so it could be understood, rather than bird language.

  "That's good, let's go and have dinner first," said Cheng Shigui. After squeezing through the crowd for a full five minutes, they finally left the square of the train station and arrived in front of the sedan.

  Liangzi sat in the car, not daring to move, putting his coat on his legs, afraid of dirtying the car. He can't think about it now, what's going on, how does Fang Mennai know them? They are obviously people from two different worlds. Since he has come, he should be calm, and focus on handling things. He calmed down and looked out at the high-rise buildings receding into the distance.

  Cheng Shigui drove, Han Zhikui twisted his body to introduce the high-rise buildings on both sides of the road to Liang Zi. Looking at Liang Zi from initial tension and anxiety to calmness, able to respond fluently with them. Such a quick adjustment of mood, although dressed plainly, should be said to be mediocre, but the inner quality is not bad.

  The car drove for half an hour and arrived at the Tianhe Hotel. "My goodness, this building is so tall, it must be dozens of floors high!" Liangzi exclaimed as soon as he got out of the car, craning his neck to look up at the main building of the hotel. The county government only had a few two-story small buildings, and the rest were all bungalows. Even in the provincial capital, the tallest building was only about six floors high, but that was just what he had heard from others - he had never seen a skyscraper before. This time, it could be considered as opening his eyes to the world, enough to show off in front of those "foxy friends" for a while.

  "Don't count anymore, there are ten floors in total." Han Zhiqian patted Liangzi's shoulder, "Let's go"

  Liang Zi followed them into the Tianhe Hotel, taking the elevator to the seventh floor. Liang Zi was nervous, tightly grasping his military coat, after all he had never been in such a high-end setting before.

  Han Zhiqian took the key from the service desk, opened the door to his room, and arranged for Liang Zi to stay there. He also took Liang Zi on a tour of the room, explaining in detail how to use various facilities. Then he let him take a bath first, while Cheng Shigui and the others waited for him in another room, planning to come back and pick him up for dinner about an hour later.

  Liangzi pinched his leg hard after they left, "Oh my god it hurts." He stood up and touched the TV, this is a rare thing. Sat on the soft bed, then suddenly got up and ran to the bathroom, according to Han Zhiqian's teachings, he took a hot shower with relish.

  In another suite, the level of the room is obviously higher than that of Liangzi. Cheng Shigui and Han Zhijian whispered: "Matthew, what do you think?" Han Zhijian nodded his head.

  "What's the point of looking, we'll know soon enough." Cheng Shigui said, leaning against the sofa. "Alright, let's get in touch with the personnel and send him off quickly, we still have a lot to do afterwards."

  "Ah ah", Han Zhiqian nodded and said.

  Liang Zi sat in the room waiting for Cheng Shi Gui and others to arrive after taking a bath. An hour later, they arrived on time. Cheng Shi Gui looked at Liang Zi's tattered cotton-padded jacket, frowned slightly, then relaxed again.

  In Fang Mo Nan's letter, it was written that the person who came to pick up the goods was from a small place and didn't know much, so please be more considerate. It was clear that Cheng either looked down on him or was unprepared, he didn't expect the person Fang Mo Nan sent to pick up the goods would be such a country bumpkin.

  "Comrade Han, how much does it cost to stay here per day?" Liangzi asked in a low voice, tugging on Han Zhiqian's sleeve. Liangzi was somewhat afraid of the person standing next to him, who was about the same height as him and had a handsome face, but had a cold expression - Cheng Shigui.

  "Ten yuan a day."

  "Ah, so expensive! My goodness!" Liang Zi exclaimed.

  "Don't worry, a guest from afar is precious, we'll treat you well." Han Zhiqian patted him and told him not to worry.

  Cheng Shigui led him to a Cantonese restaurant and sat in a small private room.

  Cheng Shigui asked during the interval between dishes: "You came with Fang Mo'nan Miss, is there anything you want to entrust?"

  "Interim" Liang Zi was looking around the room, and when he heard the question, he immediately became serious and said: "I and Miss Fang Mo Nan are neighbors. It's really awkward to say this, 'She came and directly told me that I came to Yangcheng to pick up goods, gave me 300 yuan, except for the 12 yuan spent on the ticket, I didn't spend a single cent of the remaining amount, she didn't say anything else.'"

  Cheng Shigui nodded, and just then the dishes arrived. Let's eat first and talk later. The meal was sumptuous, with not only Cantonese seafood but also some northern dishes to cater to Liang Zi's origins from the north. The food was a feast for the eyes, nose, and taste buds, but Liang Zi didn't dare move until Han Zhiqian said "go ahead and eat".

  Liangzi devoured his food with gusto, he was starving and couldn't bear it anymore. He ate the northern dishes with rice, but barely touched the seafood.

  Cheng Shigui and Han Zhikui were stunned, holding their chopsticks still. They hadn't even started eating yet, but in a short while, they saw that he had already devoured more than half of the food, displaying an unprecedentedly bold and unrestrained table manner.

  "Didn't you eat on the train?" Han Zhiqian looked at him with a hungry ghost-like expression and asked curiously. "Didn't Fang Monan give you 300 yuan?"

  Liang Zi finally looked up at them, hastily swallowing the food in his mouth. "Oh, when I came, Nan Nan brought me some dry rations because they were delicious and shared with my deskmate... As for the train's boxed meal, it was unpalatable and expensive, so I didn't buy any."

  "How many days haven't you eaten?" asked Cheng Shigui.

  "One more day is just drinking water. That's why I'm so hungry." Liangzi looked at the two of them not moving their chopsticks, and his face suddenly turned bright red.

  "Hehe... you," Han Zhiqian said with a smile, "Don't you think Fang Mennai gave you so much money just to spend it?"

  "That's not right, money can't be spent recklessly." Liangzi shook his head and waved his hand.

  Cheng Shigui smiled and looked at this simple-minded man who was a bit silly and lovely, "Why don't you eat seafood?"

  "Hmm, I don't know what to eat." Liangzi said with his head lowered in embarrassment.

  Cheng Shigui looked at his embarrassed appearance, and frankly said, "Hehe... it's okay, I'll teach you." Then he enthusiastically said, "Waiter, bring two more large bowls of rice."

  After a meal, Liangzi not only tasted the authentic Cantonese cuisine but also learned how to eat seafood. At that time, the price of seafood was not as exorbitant as it is in later generations; three people together spent less than 50 yuan.

  After dinner, Han Zhiqian asked: "Liangzi, when are you planning to go back?"

  "The goods are ready. If possible, I'd like to take the train back this afternoon." A meal costs over 50 yuan and a night's stay is 10 yuan. It's better to leave early.

  "So anxious, don't rush. It's rare to come out once." Cheng Gu said.

  "No, no." Liang Zi shook his head in refusal. He had already enjoyed more than twenty years of unprecedented pleasure, and that was enough; it was better to hurry back.

  Cheng Shigui got on the car, "Alright, I'll take you to pick up goods tomorrow morning and catch the noon train. First go back to the hotel, rest well in the afternoon or go out for a walk, we'll come find you tonight."

  "Alright...alright...I'll listen to you all." Liang Zi nodded in agreement.

  In the afternoon, Shi Gui and others went out to handle affairs. Liang Zi did not choose to go out. He took a hard seat and didn't rest well. He fell asleep in the room.

  At night, Cheng Shigui and others took Liangzi to dinner after finishing eating, and then took him to visit the night scene of Yangcheng. They also bought a whole set of travel clothes for him from inside to outside, including leather shoes.

  Liang Zi refused to accept it no matter what, so Cheng Shigui had no choice but to say that if he didn't accept it, then don't take the goods either, and just leave.

  Cheng Shigui's cold words and tone forced him to take the clothes. Han Zhijian teased him, saying: "Giving someone clothes doesn't have to be done with such a cold face."

  "Hmm, would he accept it if it weren't like this?"

  "Yes," Han Zhiqian nodded.