Wang An and Wang Li weren't riding horses, so after leaving the courtyard, they strolled leisurely toward the train station.
To get to the station, they not only had to pass through a small patch of woods but also cross a stretch of farmland.
This farmland was the closest to Kaoshan Village, making it the safest area—though "safe" in this context meant it was less likely to be ravaged by wild boars or black bears.
As Wang An and Wang Li passed through the fields, they saw Niu Daming's wife leading her two children in farming.
Normally, others would use a mule to pull a plow, followed by people sowing seeds, spreading manure, and rolling the soil, planting as they moved.
One pass created one ridge; turning around and coming back completed a strip of land, meaning two ridges.
Under normal circumstances, planting this way could cover eleven or twelve mu in a single day.
Niu Daming's wife, however, was using a hoe to dig holes, while her two children—one sowed the seeds and the other filled the holes with soil.
With this method of farming, they couldn't even finish half a mu in a day.
To be honest, seeing this widow and her orphans farming like this was actually quite pitiful.
Suddenly, Wang Li said to Wang An
"Fourth Brother, look at that woman. Seeing her in such a pathetic state now, why does it feel so satisfying?"
Wang An was stunned for a moment and instinctively asked
"What happened? How did she offend you?"
Wang Li spoke with a look of hatred on his face
"A couple of years ago, that wretched woman raised two damn pigs. Right before summer, she had those two bratty kids of hers drive the pigs into the small woods behind my house. The moment I wasn't looking, they ravaged the cabbages and potatoes in my back garden. Those little shits wouldn't listen to a word, and I couldn't even beat them. It was fucking disgusting."
Wang Li said he "couldn't beat them," but anyone with eyes could tell he actually meant he "didn't dare provoke them."
Exactly—he didn't dare!
In this era, the power of a deputy captain of a militia squad was not small. It was very easy for them to cause trouble for the villagers.
It was for this very reason that a "drifter" like Wang An, after beating Niu Daming in the grinding path, chose to simply "play dead."
There was no other way; if he had fought them openly, Wang An would have been the one to suffer.
People say a "tiny official is still an official," but frankly, could an ordinary farmer afford to offend one?
Forget officials; looking back at the "clerks" of ancient times, which ordinary farmer dared to go against them?
Of course, there is a saying: "The rage of a common man can splatter blood five paces!"
But after the blood splattered, then what? What do you do?
It's fine for a bachelor, because when one person is full, the whole family isn't hungry; he can do whatever the fuck he wants, and if he's not satisfied, he just fights.
But what about those with families—parents above, children below, and a wife in the middle?
Therefore, in many cases, retreating or enduring doesn't mean you are cowardly; in fact, doing so is the right thing.
Although Wang An understood what Wang Li meant, he certainly wouldn't expose him. After all, who doesn't want to save face?
Wang An said with a smile
"Now that Niu Daming is dead, you can get your revenge. You raise two pigs, and when you're bored, drive them into her backyard to eat some of her potatoes and cabbages."
As soon as Wang An finished speaking, Wang Li suddenly frowned and asked with a face full of confusion
"Fourth Brother, how do you know Niu Daming is dead?"
Wang An's expression didn't change, and he continued to smile
"I reckon he should be dead. Otherwise, it's been so long and there's still no sign of him."
Wang Li looked sideways at Wang An, blinked, and said
"Yeah, I reckon so too."
It was clear that although Wang Li said this, his eyes were full of suspicion.
Wang An continued smiling
"If I were you, if she dares to bring two pigs to ravage your vegetable garden again, just set the dogs on them and bite them to death. She's the one in the wrong anyway. But I reckon she definitely won't dare this year. The man is fucking dead, leaving just an old woman and two kids..."
Chatting as they walked, Wang An and Wang Li arrived at "Kaoshan Village Station."
At this time of year, waiting for a train at this station was actually quite comfortable.
Mainly, although the wind was still blowing at this windbreak and it wasn't a light breeze, it no longer felt cold.
After arriving at the station, the two brothers waited for less than twenty minutes before a small train consisting of one locomotive and two carriages arrived.
After boarding, they spent four cents to buy two tickets and found a random place to sit.
The so-called tickets were actually two pieces of stamped scrap paper, only about the size of a one-inch photo.
Supposedly, the tracks and the train on this line belonged to the forestry farm internally and had basically nothing to do with the Railway Bureau.
The two brothers each lit a cigarette. While smoking and chatting, they listened to the forestry employees talking nonsense and bragging as they headed toward the county seat.
It must be said that the official employees of the forestry farms in this era were truly enviable. Of course, it wasn't just the forestry farm; employees of other units were the same—all enviable.
Mainly because this was a genuine "iron rice bowl." Not only did they receive a fixed monthly salary, but they also had a monthly pension after retirement.
Furthermore, medical treatment cost nothing because the unit reimbursed everything. Besides that, there were many welfare distributions during various holidays.
And the most incredible part was that the profession could be inherited by the children!
In other words, if a father or mother retired normally, became unable to work due to injury, or died, one of their children could directly become an official employee and continue gnawing on that iron rice bowl.
Consequently, such people naturally developed a strong sense of superiority in front of ordinary farmers.
But it was indeed justifiable, because compared to ordinary farmers, the difference was like heaven and earth; there was simply no comparison.
Perhaps because Wang An and Wang Li were present, this group of employees bragged with extraordinary enthusiasm.
Things like: today the unit distributed this, tomorrow you'll be eating meat, I can't spend my salary fast enough, his son will be taking over the position soon...
In short, it was a medley of showing off strength, superiority, and happiness.
Listening to this, Wang An and Wang Li felt a sense of absurdity.
Basically: if you're great, you're great, but what the fuck does that have to do with me?
So, Wang An and Wang Li continued their own conversation, not even acknowledging a word the employees said.
When the train was about half a stretch away from the county seat, a young man couldn't take it anymore.
Mainly, because he had been bragging the whole way, he had run out of things to boast about and had lost his momentum.
Seeing that Wang An and Wang Li were still chatting and laughing animatedly, he shouted at them
"You two stop fucking blabbing! Aren't you disgusted with yourselves?"
(End of Chapter)