Chapter Seventy-One: Silly Zhu Receives His Certificate

Silly Zhu stumbled out of the neighborhood committee office, his mind reeling, clutching a sheet of paper tightly in his hand—this piece of paper was now his lifeline.
“Siyuan, I... I... I feel like I’m dreaming. Could you pinch me?”
Who says Silly Zhu is actually silly? Look at how he coaxed Liu Siyuan into pinching him. After all, skin-to-skin contact is still contact, even if it stings a little!
“All right, it’s done—papers signed, everything settled. If you’ve nothing else to do, just get back to work,” Liu Siyuan said after giving him a quick pinch, then sent him off to work.
The truth was, Liu Siyuan had no real feelings for Silly Zhu. Her mind was already plotting how, after bearing him a son, she would let Chen Liang whisk her away to a better life.
As for Silly Zhu’s entanglements with the widows—Qin, Zhang, and Liu—well, Liu Siyuan almost wished for it. These were times when people still cared about appearances, and if her conscience could be eased just a little when Chen Liang took her away, all the better.
When a woman turns ruthless, men might as well step aside. Shameless woman!
Chen Liang had just dropped his wife off at work and returned to the Security Office at Red Star Steel Works when Zhang Cheng arrived, bringing Zhang Yi with him.
As soon as they met, Zhang Cheng grabbed Chen Liang’s hand. “Brother, I’m sorry. I was planning to treat you to lunch today, but you know how plans change. I didn’t expect we’d finish unloading half a day early!”
Chen Liang immediately protested, “Brother Cheng, you’re a guest in our city. If I let you treat me, wouldn’t that be an embarrassment to all the men of Beijing? Lunch is on me today, no arguments!”
But Zhang Cheng waved him off. “Brother, let’s put that meal on hold, all right? The workers at the lumber camp are itching to get home with all the supplies. We’re setting out soon. If I don’t ride back with the shipment, I won’t feel at ease. Next time you come to the Northeast, we’ll have a proper get-together!”
Chen Liang was caught off guard. “Brother Cheng, you’re leaving already?”
He’d looked for Zhang Cheng and Zhang Yi at the train station before, but both had been too busy overseeing the unloading for him to help, so he’d left them to it.
Now, after just two days, Zhang Cheng was heading back, and Chen Liang felt a pang of reluctance.

Zhang Cheng embodied all the virtues of people from the Northeast: open-hearted, loyal, and genuinely good to his friends.
When Chen Liang mentioned he wanted some tiger bones, Zhang Cheng sent a telegram home overnight and had them delivered—along with an extra tiger pelt as a bonus.
Now, out of the blue, Zhang Cheng was heading back north, and Chen Liang felt genuinely saddened. “All right, Brother Cheng, let’s put that meal on the books. Next time you’re here, I’ll take you to try the Russian place!”
Zhang Yi chimed in, laughing, “Little brother, you don’t know, do you? Up in Harbin, the Russians have opened all sorts of restaurants. When you visit the Northeast, I’ll take you!”
In those days, nowhere had more Russians than Harbin. As the firstborn of the Republic, the city had received over a hundred Soviet aid projects, the lion’s share in the whole Northeast.
That’s where you’d find the most authentic Western cuisine of the era.
“Deal! I’ll be counting on you, Brother Yi. I won’t stand on ceremony!”
After speaking, Chen Liang turned and fetched two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes. “Brother Cheng, Brother Yi, I don’t have much to offer, but these two packs are all I’ve got. I hope you’ll accept them.”
“Brother, before I came to Beijing, I could only afford Zhonghua by the stick. Now you’re giving me a whole pack? That’s a serious gift!”
They chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the train station. Looking at the train cars packed with supplies, Zhang Cheng called over a middle-aged man.
“Brother, let me introduce you: this is Zhou Peng, the militia platoon leader at the Forestry Bureau and the best hunter at the camp. When you come north, Zhou Peng will take you hunting!”
“I’m glad to meet you, big brother. To tell you the truth, I’ve never been hunting in my life!”
In his previous life, Chen Liang had worked undercover in tropical East Asia—he’d shot plenty of monkeys, but never wild boar, black bears, elk, or tigers!
The fact that Zhang Cheng had specially introduced Zhou Peng meant he was trustworthy, so Chen Liang spoke candidly.
“Brother Zhou, I’ll be counting on you next time,” he said, offering a Hongta Mountain cigarette. The four of them stood together, chatting and laughing.

It wasn’t until the train sounded its whistle that they finally parted ways. Watching the slow, majestic procession of the train as it rumbled forward, Chen Liang raised his hands to his cheeks, cupping them to shout like a megaphone, “Brother Cheng! Brother Yi! Until next time!”
Watching Zhang Yi wave back from the carriage, Zhou Peng couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “Section Chief Zhang, who is this young man? Why are you and Director Zhang treating him so well?”
Zhang Yi dropped his hand, glanced at Zhou Peng, then patted the car loaded with supplies. “That’s my little brother! Let me tell you, Zhou Peng, when he comes hunting at your place, you’d better treat him right. If it weren’t for his help, we’d be lucky to have brought back a tenth of these supplies.”
“Is that so? No wonder things are different this year. We’ve never brought home such a haul! Don’t worry, Section Chief Zhang, we mountain folk are the most hospitable—your brother will be well taken care of!” Zhou Peng promised, thumping his chest.
The Forestry Bureau in Harbin had bartered timber for supplies before, but never had they managed such a windfall—this was truly unprecedented!
After seeing off the Zhang brothers, Chen Liang returned to the Red Star Steel Works. His uncle, Lu Youwei, saw him bragging with the others and called him into the office.
Once inside, Chen Liang lit cigarettes for himself and his uncle. Amidst the swirling smoke, his uncle spoke.
“Liangzi, you did a great job with the timber deal—even your uncle benefited. This spring, the factory has given our department two job openings and one promotion slot.”
“I don’t want to hog everything for myself, so I’ve decided to give you the promotion. Go write your application to join the Party!”
Chen Liang was surprised. “Uncle, why not take one of the job openings? Aren’t two job slots better than the promotion?”
“Foolish boy! Don’t you know how valuable a promotion slot is? And you think you’re getting the short end? Go write your application, and don’t make me regret telling you anything!”
Just like that, the little boat of their uncle-nephew friendship nearly capsized in a blink.