Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 4 Station Master Wang

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A young man in his early twenties ran over upon hearing the noise and asked, "What's wrong, sir? Is something the matter?"

The old man pointed at Xiao Wei with his fan and said, "This is from Honeybee Lazi. His uncle lives around here; his surname is Wang, you know?"

Xiao Li thought for a moment and asked Xiao Wei, "Is your uncle also from Honeybee?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Yeah, he's from the army. My sister Yan's husband is also from here, his name is Xiao Feng."

Xiao Li paused for a moment, then asked, "Your brother-in-law? What's your sister Yan's name?"

Xiao Wei said, "Her name is Wang Yan. I came on the same bus as my fourth uncle. Oh, my fourth uncle is Yan's father."

Xiao Li, with a wry smile, said to the old man, "Grandpa, you don't need to worry about him anymore. Just leave him to me, and I'll take him to Station Chief Wang."

The old man paused for a moment, then asked, "You know him? Don't get it wrong."

Xiao Li said, "He said that fourth uncle is my father-in-law. He just arrived at my house. I just came from home. I am his brother-in-law, and my nickname is Xiao Feng."

The old man scratched his back with his fan and asked curiously, "Weren't you called Li Wenhua? Why are you called Xiao Feng now?"

Xiao Li pulled Xiao Wei into the yard and said, "Xiaoming, Xiaofeng is Xiaoming. Okay, grandpa, you can go back inside."

The old man frowned, shook his head, and went back to the guardhouse. Meanwhile, Xiao Li led Xiao Wei into the Agricultural Machinery Bureau building and went straight to the second floor.

"What's your name? Are you here to see Station Master Wang?" Xiao Li asked Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei said, "My name is Xiao Wei, Zhang Wei. You can just call me Xiao Wei, Brother-in-law Yan. Brother-in-law Yan, what kind of station chief is my uncle? Is he a high-ranking official? What kind of official are you?"

The head of the county agricultural machinery station is just a section-level cadre, but in rural areas, a section-level cadre is still a cadre, and a well-known figure.

Xiao Li glanced at Xiao Wei, looking into Xiao Wei's curious and sincere eyes, and felt both amused and exasperated. If a section-level station chief could be considered a big shot in the county, then he, a lowly soldier who had just been discharged from the army and assigned to the agricultural machinery station, could only be called an "official" in front of the farmers. He was a complete nobody at the bottom of society.

Leading Xiaowei to the door of the second office on the second floor, Xiao Li knocked on the old wooden door, and someone inside called out, "Come in." Xiao Li pushed open the door and led Xiaowei inside.

"Stationmaster, someone from your hometown is looking for you." As Li entered the room, he spoke to the middle-aged man sitting behind an old-fashioned desk looking at documents, while turning his body to reveal Xiao Wei following behind him.

Station Master Wang looked up, saw Xiao Wei, and smiled. He put down his documents, stood up, and said, "Oh, you've come pretty quickly. Did you just send the message back the day before yesterday? When did you arrive? Come and sit down, would you like some water?"

Xiao Wei was a little reserved, smiled shyly, and said, "I just arrived. I happened to run into Brother-in-law Yan at the door, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find him."

Station Master Wang glanced at Xiao Li and said, "You two know each other?"

Xiao Li said, "We just met. He was talking to the gatekeeper, Uncle Liu, and I happened to be there."

Station Chief Wang laughed and said, "It's quite a coincidence. This kid is a relative of my wife's, and he's also quite close to your wife's family. Now that you've met, you can help him out if he needs anything in the future. He comes from the mountains, and it's not easy for him."

Xiao Li agreed and said, "Then, Station Master, I'll head over now. You guys chat." Station Master Wang nodded, Xiao Li smiled at Xiao Wei, turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

After Xiao Li went out and closed the door, Station Chief Wang sat down next to Xiao Wei and asked, "Have you ever been to the county town before?"

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "It's so big and beautiful, much better than the village. It's all buildings, I'm completely overwhelmed."

Station Master Wang smiled and said, "Is everything alright at home? How's your dad? Is his back still hurting?" He poured Xiaowei a glass of water from the thermos and placed it on the coffee table.

Xiao Wei shyly touched the enamel mug with his hand, then quickly withdrew it, saying, "Thank you, Uncle. Well, my dad is still the same. He has a lot of work to do, but he still has to do it. As soon as he gets home at night and lies down on the kang (heated brick bed), he's completely exhausted. It's hard for him to even turn over. My mom wanted him to come to the county to see me, but he refused, saying he'd wait until after the autumn harvest. I guess after the harvest, he'll lie at home for a couple of days and then be like that again, so he can't come."

Station Chief Wang lit a cigarette, tossed the cigarette and matches to Xiao Wei, and said, "Have a smoke. Try to smoke less dry tobacco in the future. If you need more, just ask me. It's free. I'll come to your house during the winter camp. Your dad's back needs to be checked out, otherwise who knows what might happen to him. If he collapses, your family will be finished."

Xiao Wei clumsily pulled a cigarette from the pack, lit it with a match, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "Cigarettes are still the best, so refreshing."

Station Master Wang said, "Do you know what I asked you to do here?"

Xiao Wei shook his head and looked at Station Chief Wang.

Station Master Wang said, "The autumn harvest is almost over, and I think it's not good for you to stay at home. Since you're not going to school anymore, I'll find you a job in the county town. It's easier than farming, and you'll get a monthly salary. Do you want to do it?"

Xiao Wei looked up at Station Master Wang in surprise and said, "Really, Uncle? I can work too? What's going on?"

Station Chief Wang said, "The county town is expanding now, and they're going to build a lot of buildings. Old Xia, who's contracted the work, is my comrade-in-arms. I'm telling you, go work for him. Do whatever he asks, you won't be shortchanged. Be careful, stay alert, and come find me if anything happens. Got it?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, Uncle, just you wait and see. I'm sure I can do a good job and won't let you down."

Station Master Wang glanced at his Shanghai watch and said, "That's all for today, it's a bit late. Come on, let's go to my place, I'll have your aunt prepare some good food for you, and I'll take you there first thing tomorrow morning. Want a drink? Want to have some with me?"

Xiao Wei blushed and said, "I haven't drunk much. My dad doesn't drink either, and we don't have any at home."

Station Master Wang laughed heartily, patted Xiao Wei on the shoulder, and said, "How can a grown man not drink? It's alright, I have plenty. Let's go home." He stood up, grabbed his bag, and led Xiao Wei out of the office and downstairs. Along the way, people kept greeting them, but Station Master Wang kept a straight face and nodded slightly in response, looking nothing like the cheerful person he was in the office.

After going downstairs, Station Master Wang told Xiaowei to wait at the door while he went to the backyard. A little while later, he drove out in a Beijing Jeep, called Xiaowei to get in, turned the steering wheel, drove out of the yard, turned left, and sped off along the road.

Xiao Wei sat in the car, touching and looking at everything, and said, "Uncle, is this your car? It's much better than those big buses, and it runs faster too."

Station Master Wang laughed and said, "It's from the company, how could I afford this thing? I can't even afford the gas. You haven't seen good cars. Compared to them, this Jeep is nothing. Work hard, and when you make it big, you'll buy a nice car and let your uncle benefit from it."

Xiao Wei was quite excited upon hearing this, and nodded emphatically in agreement. The jeep kicked up a trail of dust in the setting sun.

Despite Xiaowei's constant calling of Station Master Wang "Uncle" and Station Master Wang's genuine care for Xiaowei, they are not actually related. The claim that Xiaowei is related to his wife's family is just a pretext.

If I had to describe the relationship, we'd only be considered neighbors, and neighbors from over a decade ago. Station Chief Wang lived in Xiaowei's front yard before he retired from the army. Xiaowei and Sister Yan's family, on the other hand, were somewhat related—not far, but not exactly close either, they were related by blood. In the countryside, everyone seems to have some kind of connection, even though the law stipulates that those within five generations are blood relatives; in reality, from three generations onward, it's pretty much the same thing.