novelnext Chapter 102 After many twists and turns
Chapter 102 After many twists and turns
Chapter 102 After many twists and turns
To make sure he wasn't mistaken, Zhang Beichuan cleared his throat awkwardly and asked him again.
How old are you this year?
Zhou Qiang was a little confused. He had come to the county town today because he hadn't had any meat for months and was eyeing the last piece of cured meat at home, hoping that his sixth brother would cook it for lunch.
But when Sixth Brother heard this, he cursed himself for being a reincarnated starving ghost and beat him up without saying a word.
Furious, he had no choice but to run to the county town to reason with his father and also to see if his father had made any money that day so he could buy meat.
Once I arrived in the county town, I told my dad, Zhou Quansheng, about the situation. My dad chuckled and continued weaving chicken coops while telling me to deliver them to Beichuan Department Store.
He said that as long as the chicken coop was returned, he would take him out to a restaurant for lunch.
This made Zhou Qiangmei's nose snot bubble, and she immediately ran to Beichuan Department Store, where she ran into this strange uncle.
But when facing Zhang Beichuan, his instinctive sense of closeness made him speak out.
"Twelve and a half years old."
Zhang Beichuan did the math; the age matched, the name matched, and the features were so similar that he was sure he hadn't made a mistake.
Is it appropriate for your own father to call you "uncle"?
Looking at his dark, thin, and ragged appearance, Zhang Beichuan felt a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.
He reached out to pat Zhou Qiang's head, but stopped halfway through and withdrew his hand.
"Have you... had lunch?"
Zhou Qiang shook his head, then quickly nodded.
"No... I'll eat with my dad later. He said he'd take me out to a restaurant for noodles."
The expectation shining in those eyes made Zhang Beichuan's heart ache.
In my memory, my father rarely mentioned his childhood. He only occasionally mentioned that his family was poor when he was young, and that his seven brothers relied on their grandfather to make bamboo products to support them. They often went hungry.
After returning to 1986, he considered whether he should secretly visit his father when he was a child, or help improve the Zhou family's living conditions.
But then I thought, what if I got involved? Would it change things? I haven't thought it through yet, and I've been too busy lately to find the time.
After going around in circles, he still ran into his father from his childhood. Zhang Beichuan wondered, could this be fate?
"Where is your dad now?" Zhang Beichuan asked.
Since he could remember, he had only seen his grandfather Zhou a handful of times, and his memory of him was very vague.
It wasn't that his grandparents forbade him to go to the Zhou family, but rather that having grown up in the Zhang family, the Zhou family was a very unfamiliar place to him.
In addition, I was young at the time, so naturally I was unwilling to go.
I did hear my grandparents say that when I was very young, he often came to visit me at the Zhang family home, but later he got older and his legs became weak, so he rarely came anymore.
Zhou Quansheng was much older than his grandparents; he passed away when Zhang Beichuan was about seven or eight years old.
Since he had run into them, he naturally wanted to meet them.
"They're making cages right below Jiefang Road, near the teahouse by the river," Zhou Qiang answered honestly. "Uncle, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now. My dad's waiting for me."
Zhang Beichuan quickly called out to him, "Wait, I'll go with you."
"You're coming with me?" Zhou Qiang looked at him with great confusion.
Unable to reveal his identity, Zhang Beichuan had no choice but to make up an excuse.
"I need chicken coops all year round, and I happen to have some free time now, so I'll go and discuss a business deal with your father in person."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiang immediately beamed with joy.
If this uncle has business for Dad, he can earn more money, and maybe he'll be able to eat meat again!
"Okay, I'll take you there."
Zhang Beichuan followed Zhou Qiang down Jiefang Road and arrived at the end of the street near the Jialing River.
Under a few old locust trees, there were several bamboo chairs. A man in his fifties was sitting on a low stool, his fingers flying as he wove bamboo strips.
Beside him were piles of unfinished chicken coops, vegetable baskets, and several newly made brooms.
"Dad!" Zhou Qiang ran over, his voice filled with excitement. "The chicken coops are all delivered. This uncle said he has some business to discuss with you."
Zhou Quansheng raised his head, revealing a face etched with the wrinkles of time. He squinted at Zhang Beichuan, but his hands didn't stop moving.
"Comrade, what kind of business do you want to discuss with me?"
Zhang Beichuan's throat tightened, and for a moment he didn't know how to speak.
The thin, middle-aged man in front of him was his grandfather, Zhou, a relative by blood, whose memory was almost blank.
He tried to calm himself down, squatted down on the small bamboo stool opposite Zhou Quansheng, and tried to make his tone natural.
"Uncle Zhou... my name is Zhang Beichuan. I'm the owner of Beichuan Department Store. I just saw that the chicken coop this child brought is very well woven, and I'd like to have a chat with you."
"The owner of Beichuan Department Store?" Zhou Quansheng paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "I heard you sell rare items and your business is booming."
"Not bad." Zhang Beichuan picked up a vegetable basket; the bamboo strips were even, showing solid craftsmanship. "Uncle Zhou, how many of these can you sell a day at the teahouse entrance?"
Zhou Quansheng smiled wryly, "These days, almost every household knows how to knit something simple themselves; not many people buy ready-made ones. If you're lucky, you can sell two or three pieces a day and earn a dollar or two."
Zhou Qiang squatted to one side, his eyes fixed on the ants crawling on the ground, his fingers unconsciously picking at the holes in his straw sandals.
"Uncle Zhou, I have an idea. If you'd like, you could move your stall to the entrance of Beichuan Department Store. There are more people there, and the customers are more financially comfortable. If they see your solid bamboo products, they might just buy some on the spot."
Zhou Quansheng was stunned, then said with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
"Comrade Zhang, I... I'm fine here... I'm fine."
Zhang Beichuan was surprised that he would refuse, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Uncle Zhou, isn't my place in a better location than this one?"
""
"Of course your place is better, but... but I don't have that much money to give you."
Although business at the teahouse entrance was a bit slow, I only paid five yuan a month for occupying their space.
But if he were to move to Beichuan Department Store, the location would be better and the money would be more, and he was afraid that if business didn't go well, he would end up working for nothing.
Zhang Beichuan slapped his thigh. "Uncle Zhou, you've misunderstood. I won't charge you. Feel free to use my space outside."
"No money required?" Now it was Zhou Quansheng's turn to be dumbfounded. "Comrade Zhang, why...why are you helping me? We're not even related."
Zhang Beichuan opened his mouth, but the words "I am your future grandson" stuck in his throat. He just smiled.
"Uncle Zhou, firstly, I don't really need those cages outside, and secondly, I need quite a few chicken cages anyway, so it'll save the shop assistants from having to come to you every few days. It'll be convenient for everyone this way."
Zhou Quansheng remained silent for a long time, then lowered his head and began to fabricate his smears.
"Comrade Zhang, I appreciate your kindness. But I'm shy and don't want to cause trouble for others."
"It's no trouble at all, what's the trouble?" Zhang Beichuan said impatiently. "Besides, your skills displayed at the entrance of my shop will add a touch of vibrancy and attract customers, which is a good thing for me too."
"Dad, go... there are so many people there, it'll definitely sell well." Zhou Qiang tugged at his father's sleeve.
Looking at his son's expectant eyes and then at Zhang Beichuan's sincere face, Zhou Quansheng was somewhat moved.
"Comrade Zhang, how about this? I'll still give you five yuan a month for the stall, so it won't be free. If it affects your business, just let me know and I'll move out immediately."
Zhang Beichuan had no choice but to agree.
"Okay, it's settled then. You can move in this afternoon."
Zhou Quansheng looked at him gratefully, "Okay, okay, thank you. Comrade Zhang, you're such a good person."
Zhang Beichuan scratched his head awkwardly, then looked at his father with bright, sparkling eyes, feeling incredibly pleased with himself.
Considering that they hadn't eaten lunch yet, he knew it wouldn't be right to give them money or treat them to a meal directly, so he made an excuse and left first.
After walking a few steps back, Zhang Beichuan went straight to the noodle shop next door and pointed to the father and son under the big locust tree.
"Boss, make me two servings of 3-ounce wontons..." Zhang Beichuan thought for a moment, realizing that teenagers are at the age where they need to eat, and quickly changed his mind, "No... send four servings."
After finishing all this, he returned to Beichuan Department Store, gave Baoquan and the others a few words of advice, and asked them to take care of Zhou Quansheng in the future.
I cook lunch every day, and I make extra.
Lan Baojun didn't understand, but he did as instructed anyway.
"Okay, I understand."
"I've been running around all morning, so don't call me for lunch. I'm going to take a nap."
Lan Baojun nodded. "Okay, then I'll save some food for you."
Zhang Beichuan then ran back to his room, and with a thought, he returned to 2026. As soon as he got back to his rented room, he heard his mother's voice outside the door.
"Xiao Chuan? Xiao Chuan?" Zhang Xiaoli muttered, "This child... how can he sleep so soundly?"
"Mom, what's wrong?" Zhang Beichuan replied, feigning a yawn.
"Your phone has been ringing for a while, but I can't wake you up."
"Okay, I understand."
Zhang Beichuan responded, and only after listening to his mother's footsteps as she left did he pick up his phone and glance at the dozen or so missed calls, all from Jiang Xia.