Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Making Friends
Han Yu didn't return to the station but headed straight for the shipyard.
Xiao Jiang lived far away, ate, and stayed at the shipyard's work shed, and Huang Jiangsheng would also settle down here usually.
After waiting for more than ten minutes under the awning, Xiao Jiang and Huang Jiangsheng returned, one nibbling on an ice brick, the other carrying pork strung with grass rope, looking to be about two catties.
Xiao Jiang was taken aback and ca forward to ask: "Salted Fish, aren't you police? Why did you go sell Luji at Bailong Port just now!"
Huang Jiangsheng walked over to check the Luji tied on the cart and the scale, and laughed: "Just now I was selling Luji in front of the ticket office, and in the blink of an eye, I am here. Comrade police, how co you're just like when we were farming in North Border, swarming out to work, then returning as quickly as the wind?"
"I ca looking for you guys."
"What do you need us for?"
"Not many people at Bailong Port recognize , I was on a task at the ticket office entrance just now, and couldn't let others know I am police."
Xiao Jiang quickly finished the remaining ice brick, not even bothering to wipe his mouth, and asked curiously: "What task were you executing?"
Han Yu shook his head: "Confidential, can't say."
Huang Jiangsheng handed the at to his cousin and sat down: "Don't worry, we won't blab. Actually, I had guessed as much, otherwise I wouldn't have pretended not to recognize you at the ticket office entrance."
"Thanks."
"What's there to thank for, have you eaten lunch? If not, eat with us."
"I'll eat back at the station, but don't take what I just said lightly, our leaders instructed
to inform you that if this leaks out, there will be accountability."
"I understand."
"What about you, Xiao Jiang?"
"I know, I'm not soone who likes to blabber."
Xiao Jiang says he's a welder, but actually, he's an apprentice, and about the sa age as Han Yu. Since Han Yu is police, he'd really like to make friends with him.
"Don't go back, eat with us, we've weighed so at, and my cousin also caught a few fish in the morning!"
"Yeah, don't go back."
When Huang Jiangsheng was running a small business in East Sea, he was always checked by the police and the Cooperative Defense Team.
Now, trading eggs and rice, spending more than half of the year in Bailong Port, he felt that "a strong dragon can't suppress the local tyrant," needing a "backer," even if the backer in front of him seed sowhat insignificant.
"Then I won't be polite with you guys."
Han Yu was not pretentious, and happily agreed.
If he insisted on returning, it would be a slight to them. Moreover, the tug was moored here and needed several months to repair; there would be plenty of opportunities to return favors.
"That's right, you're not an outsider."
Huang Jiangsheng gestured for his cousin to cook quickly, taking out a cigarette and smiling: "I've already cooked the fish, and the rice is steaming, just need to make a braised pork dish, it will be quick."
"Fish and at? Have you struck it rich and improved your als?"
"Just earning so hard-earned money, what fortune?"
"All the eggs you collected last ti have been shipped?"
"Shipped out, pretty much all sold by now."
"So fast, when did you go back? How co I didn't know."
"I didn't go back."
"How did you sell without going back?" Han Yu asked, puzzled.
Huang Jiangshan flicked the ash, explaining: "It's not just
who returned from North Border, there are many other brothers and sisters. Just like , they are all 'Pocket Household,' with no jobs. I collect the eggs and rice here, they sell them there. Five or six hundred catties of eggs, sold out in two or three days."
"So, you're a wholesaler Boss!"
"What Boss? Everyone has it tough; we can only help each other. Actually, the capital I used to start this business was all gathered with their help."
"How tough is it?"
"No household registration, no job, no place to stay, sotis without even a al to eat next, we can only each use our own ans to survive."
Huang Jiangsheng took several puffs of his cigarette, and said bitterly: "Surviving on our own is one thing, but in the eyes of others, we are people from North Border, not East Sea people! Walking on the street, if soone knows you're from North Border, their look is the sa as if you just ca out of reformation through labor."
Han Yu asked quietly: "Looking down upon?"
"Yeah, once people know you're from North Border, there is always a sense of disdain. But when we went there, it was very glorious, we all went wearing big red flowers. Now it's different, as if we're returnees from reformation through labor."
"In Linghai, no one looks down on you."
"There are those who do, they treat
like a vagrant."
"How could that be, besides, your business is doing quite well now."
"It's alright now, but when I first returned to East Sea it was tough. To get back to East Sea, I sold everything I could in North Border, and that little money was quickly spent. I had to find a fish cart, taking passengers at the pier at night. From Sixteen Piers to Zhongshan North Road, so far away, and just for two dollars."
Huang Jiangsheng took a deep breath and continued, "Riding a yellowfish tricycle in the dead of winter, you'd be drenched in stinky sweat. By the ti you delivered the goods, the sweat was still soaked into your clothes. It was unbearably cold.
In the dead of night, police and Cooperative Defense Team would co to inspect you, stopping to ask where the yellowfish tricycle ca from, if all the permits were in order, and then they'd confiscate the tricycle."
Han Yu didn't expect he had endured so much hardship and couldn't help asking, "What happened after that?"
"I had to find other ways. Those with guts would set up pinball gas, and as long as there were players, you could earn a hundred bucks just by setting up two pinball tables for day and night. Do you realize what that ant when others' monthly salary was only so much? I had no capital and was too timid, so I could only sell fruit.
So of the brothers who returned with
sold screws, fabrics, made small oil lamps, and turnip cakes. Later, when there were too many selling fruits, they started street vending, selling underwear. We'd set up stalls at 5 AM in the small vegetable market on Zhongshan Road. Those who set up stalls with
were all educated youths.
So returned from Xijiang, so from Nanyun, and most of them, like , ca back from North Border. Six or seven people setting up stalls, at least two or three were from North Border. We were all in the sa boat and helped each other out."
Huang Jiangshan tossed away his cigarette butt and laughed, "One ti I was vending alone and ran into a few ruffians who wanted to snatch underwear without paying. It's not easy for
to make a little money, and they wanted to take it for free. I was so angry that I picked up the steelyard weight, ready to fight them.
The people nearby were scared and pulled the ruffians aside, saying, 'Little brother, don't you see who he is? He's from North Border. Don't think he's just here alone setting up a stall today. If you lay a finger on him, a whole gang of North Border folks will co and flatten you.' The ruffians were terrified and ran off."
Han Yu didn't expect his experiences to be so full of ups and downs and asked subconsciously, "What about after that?"
"Then more and more educated youths started coming back from all over, and small businesses beca increasingly difficult. I thought of trading eggs and fresh rice. Actually, the main thing was fresh rice. As long as you had so capital and could transport the fresh rice there, you could definitely sell it."
Han Yu asked with a smile, "Is fresh rice in high demand in East Sea?"
"Of course, the East Sea people have been eating year-old rice for over a decade."
"Doesn't East Sea have fresh rice?"
"They do, but the Grain Bureau stores it. Every year, they collect fresh rice and sell the old rice. It's planned distribution; if you don't want to eat, you go hungry. East Sea people who want to eat fresh rice and non-glutinous rice can only buy it on the black market."
Seeing Han Yu's incredulous expression, Huang Jiangsheng laughed again, "In East Sea, the Grain Bureau is more fearso than the Police Bureau because people need to eat. Who lives where, how many people in the family, how much grain and oil they should get every month—all that is on the Grain Bureau's records. The Police Bureau might not always be able to find soone, but the Grain Bureau definitely can."
Han Yu joked, "So you're like the unofficial head of the Grain Bureau, helping to improve the lives of the East Sea people."
"Salted Fish, I'm not bragging, but I haven't only improved the lives of many people in East Sea, but I have also found jobs for more than a dozen educated youths. Over there, there are more than a dozen brothers and sisters who rely entirely on the rice and eggs I ship to provide for their families."
"Have you settled down?"
"I got married last year."
"Where does your wife work?"
"She works at Hai Feng Farm. It's kind of aningless working at the farm. I'm looking for a house right now, and once I rent one, I'll have her move over."
"Where is Hai Feng Farm?"
"It's in your Jiangnan Province. You should know Salt Sea, right? There's a reform-through-labor farm managed by East Sea there. The governnt arranged for the educated youths without placents to go there."
"So East Sea has its places in our Jiangnan too!"
"Not only in your Jiangnan, but there are also enclaves in Hui'an."
...
As they talked, the braised pork was ready.
Xiao Jiang brought the food to the table and invited them to wash their hands and eat.
With two at dishes and one soup, Huang Jiangsheng ate his al but never touched the soup.
Han Yu found it odd, "How can you swallow your rice without drinking soup?"
After swallowing the at in his mouth, Huang Jiangsheng laughed and said, "North Border doesn't grow rice, so we couldn't eat it. Every al was stead buns, cornbreads, or corn cakes.
In winter, without green vegetables, all we had was cabbage and radishes. During the season when green and yellow vegetables didn't overlap, we didn't even have buns or cornbread—just radish soup every al."
"Sick of it?"
"Soup in the morning to welco the sunrise, soup at noon warm and cozy, soup at night with tears soggy. I'm really scared of soup now; I will never drink it again in this lifeti."
He had struggled a lot; the hardships he endured are unimaginable. If there's a way to help, one should lend a hand.
Moreover, at Bailong Port, I don't have many friends. The Director is forty-two, the political instructor is fifty-seven, Old Zhang is fifty-four. Apart from work, I don't have much to talk about with them.
Han Yu was indeed a bit lonely and needed friends, so he looked up and said, "Brother Huang, my family was initially involved with the shipping company, and actually, we're still affiliated with them. I'll ask my friends at the shipping company and see which ships travel to East Sea."
"Your family runs a shipping business?"
"Uh-huh, my dad and my brother are all shipn on the river."
Transportation was the most troubleso...
Learning that Han Yu had connections with the shipping company, Huang Jiangsheng happily said, "I'd appreciate that. The eggs and fresh rice don't necessarily have to be loaded here. If there are ships on the river going to East Sea, I could transport the eggs and fresh rice to the riverside."
"It's the least I can do, no trouble at all."
Thinking about how the Police Station had to issue IDs not only for shipn but also for the few other Yanjiang and riverside unit outsiders, Han Yu said,
"Brother Huang, your mainstay is at the shipyard in Linghai, which falls under the jurisdiction of Yanjiang Police Station. When it's not too busy at the station in a few days, bring your 'Pocket Household' registration and co to our station to get a temporary residence permit."
"Sure."
"Salted Fish, should I get one too?" Xiao Jiang asked, raising her head.
Han Yu laughed and replied, "You're not from out of town, you don't need one."
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