Chapter 168 - 167: Making the Relationship Even Closer

Chapter 168: Chapter 167: Making the Relationship Even Closer

Jiang Weimin cleared his throat, his heart stirring with emotion as he looked out at the more than four hundred people of Dragon King Pond.

"Comrade members, we are currently experiencing a year of disaster. This isn’t just a problem for our production team, our commune, our county, or our region!"

"In the face of such great hardship, the Dragon King Pond team committee and Comrade Zhao Wendong have earned my deepest admiration. They aren’t waiting for handouts or relying on others. They’ve taken the initiative to find their own solutions, wresting a living from the mountains and carving a path to survival from the sea. This is a spirit that everyone should learn from!"

"On behalf of the county, I wish everyone in Dragon King Pond an ever-improving life. I will also visit often. I hope you can be the first to forge a wide, open road to prosperity for all the people of our county!"

"Yeah!"

"Brother Dong is awesome!"

The crowd erupted. Zhao Wendong once again heard his second brother’s booming voice and could only roll his eyes in resignation. The bonfires inside the building blazed brightly. Having eaten and drunk their fill, the people listened to Jiang Weimin’s words, their faces beginning to glow with hope. The yearning for a better life is humanity’s most primal desire and pursuit, one that no one can deny.

After Jiang Weimin sat down, it seemed the meeting was about to abruptly end. A sense of reluctance stirred in many hearts; it felt like the night wasn’t quite over. At that moment, Zhao Wenwu remembered the bonfire party he and his brothers had on the day they went fishing. He immediately jumped up and shouted.

"Sing! Third Brother, sing!"

Jin Xiuying was right beside him, a smile on her face, letting Zhao Wenwu jump around as he pleased. When she saw Zhao Wendong look over, she even laughed and joined in the chant.

"Third Brother, sing!"

Spurred on by them, the crowd began to chant for Zhao Wendong to sing. Unable to refuse, Zhao Wendong stood up with a smile.

"Alright, I’ll get us started. Come on, everyone sing with me!"

"Unity is strength! This strength is iron, this strength is steel...!"

Everyone knew this song; they often sang it during collective labor in the summer. The crowd quickly joined in, and the rousing chorus nearly blew the roof off the public canteen. The song left everyone’s hearts surging with passion, their blood boiling with excitement.

After that, Zhao Wendong didn’t need to lead anymore. Liu Xiufen led everyone in one song after another. When they had finally sung their fill, Zhao Wendong pulled out his pocket watch and saw that it was nearly midnight. It was getting late, and many of the elderly and children needed to get to sleep. Zhao Wendong stood up one last time and waved his hands.

"Alright, let’s end our meeting tonight with one last song. ’Ode to the Motherland,’ ready, sing!"

"The five-star red flag flutters in the wind, how loud the songs of victory ring! We sing of our beloved motherland, from now on heading towards prosperity and strength..."

The resounding song lingered long in the air, and everyone wore an expression of complete satisfaction.

WOOF WOOF WOOF!

The three dogs, as if infected by the atmosphere, began to join in the final chorus.

Jiang Weimin and his group declined Zhao Wendong’s offer to have them stay the night. The group climbed into Niu Yuesheng’s truck—all five of them squeezing into the cab. Sent off by the folks of Dragon King Pond, they drove back to the commune and the county under the cover of night. Yang Wenxue and Li Dawei had managed to hitch a ride, so they didn’t have to walk back like they did on the way there, and they were feeling pretty pleased with themselves.

After getting out of the truck and bidding farewell to Jiang Weimin and the others, Yang Wenxue watched the large truck drive away, then looked at Li Dawei with a strange expression.

"Comrade Dawei, you’re a bit quiet today. You’re usually not this reserved."

Li Dawei forced a smile. He was still quite confident in his own judgment; Zhao Wendong was definitely involved in the Li Guangming affair, perhaps even the one pulling the strings.

But between Li Guangming, a bully who threw his weight around, and Zhao Wendong, an outstanding Civilian Militia Captain and a good comrade who was helping families like Zhao Lao Nian’s survive—who truly deserved to die? Li Dawei actually had an answer in his heart. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be so conflicted. It was precisely because his answer clashed with the principles he held dear that he felt so troubled.

In the truck heading back to the county, the remaining three men were each lost in their own thoughts. Wang Defa was mostly just happy—happy for Zhao Wendong.

Jiang Weimin, on the other hand, felt a deep sense of gratification. He was invigorated by Zhao Wendong’s performance and the self-reliant spirit Dragon King Pond had displayed today. Zhao Wendong had been particularly impressive, and some of the things he said had a farsighted, constructive quality. ’It seems I’ll need to communicate more with Zhao Wendong in the future.’

Niu Yuesheng’s thoughts were much simpler. He just felt that with Zhao Wendong around, Dragon King Pond was guaranteed to have a bright future. Therefore, he had to think of a way to make their families even closer.

It wasn’t just because Zhao Wendong had saved his life. Through his interactions with him, Niu Yuesheng could deeply sense that Zhao Wendong was different from anyone else. As a driver for the transport team, he’d traveled all over the country these past few years and considered himself worldly and experienced, but no one had ever made such a strong impression on him as Zhao Wendong had.

It was a feeling that he could see through everything, that he had everything under control. It was as if no difficulty could ever stump him.

Finally, a look of delight crossed Niu Yuesheng’s face. He’d actually thought of an opportunity. The youngest of Zhao Wendong’s brothers, Zhao Ergou, should be turning seventeen or eighteen by the New Year. Although his family seemed poor and his life difficult—otherwise he wouldn’t be so small and thin...

...but Niu Yuesheng had seen how much Zhao Wendong valued this young brother. From their few interactions, Zhao Ergou struck him as a clever and skillful kid. He was perceptive, quick to help, and didn’t talk much. And wasn’t his own little sister turning 18 this New Year?

His parents had just been talking about finding a match for her. An idea suddenly struck Niu Yuesheng. ’I could marry my sister to Zhao Ergou! Wouldn’t that make our families even closer, and find a good home for my little sister at the same time?’

Back in the county, after dropping off Wang Defa and Jiang Weimin, Niu Yuesheng returned home. His wife heard the sound of the truck and rushed out at once, throwing her arms around him.

"SOB... You scared me to death!"

"It’s okay, honey. I’m fine, see? Don’t worry. It’s alright now, everything’s in the past!"

In the cold wind, under the light of a waxing moon, the two of them held each other tightly, sharing their warmth.

Tonight was destined to be a lively one in Dragon King Pond. Walking down the paths, you could hear the sounds of children getting spanked in many homes. The kids were too full and too excited to sleep, and their parents, also full from the meal, had plenty of energy. The two sides were a perfect match, staging scenes of "parental love and filial piety."

Ye Qingmei’s reading glasses and Granny Liu’s dentures had made them the most celebrated old ladies in the village today. They were both overjoyed, waving off Zhao Wendong’s offer to escort them and walking away with brisk steps. Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenwu were thus left to walk their two "wives" back to the sent-down youth quarters. On the way, Zhao Wenwu asked Zhao Wendong a question.

"Third Brother, are we going into the mountains tomorrow?"

"We are!"

’Since Jiang Weimin has agreed to help me arrange for the bricks and has also shown a supportive stance on the matter of building houses, what do I have to worry about? The plan now is to go all-out hunting in the mountains, turn all those little mountain creatures into bricks and tiles, and build a spacious, bright house for my family. If one year isn’t enough, then it will be two, or even three. In any case, the sooner the better.’

"That’s great! I haven’t seen Xiaobai in days!"

Zhao Wenwu was thrilled to hear they were going into the mountains tomorrow, and Lin Zhiyin’s eyes lit up.

"Zhao Wendong, I want to go too."

"No way, it’s too dangerous!"

"I heard there’s a hot spring where you can bathe. I haven’t had a proper bath in so long... Please take me with you, okay?"

Lin Zhiyin directly employed her ultimate wheedling technique. Zhao Wendong tried to stand firm, but he didn’t even last three seconds before surrendering completely. He was no match for her at all.

"Alright, alright, I’ll take you. Stop shaking me, you’re making me dizzy."

Nearby, Zhao Wenwu turned to look at Jin Xiuying.

"Honey, you should shake me too."

"Heh."

"Honey, are your hands cold? Put them in my pockets, I’ll warm them up for you."

"Zhao Wenwu!"

When he got back that night, Zhao Wendong looked all over but couldn’t find the Little Bastard’s maternal grandfather. Zhao Wenjun explained that there wasn’t enough room at home, so he had taken him over to Third Master’s house. He added that the two of them knew each other, which put Zhao Wendong’s mind at ease.

It was too late tonight; the old man was probably already asleep. He decided he would go see the Little Bastard’s grandfather the next morning. After all, the Little Bastard had helped him out in a huge way this time.

Meanwhile, a train pulled slowly into Mantun Station, just as it always did. A figure suddenly appeared on the empty platform, used the moonlight to vault swiftly onto the train, and vanished aboard without anyone noticing an extra person had boarded.