novelslam Chapter 20 Dongfeng Hotel
Chapter 20 Dongfeng Hotel
Chen Zheng closed the book, tucked it under his pillow, and blew out the kerosene lamp.
In the darkness, he heard Chen Feng turn over, mumble something, and then fall back into a deep sleep.
The crickets outside the window were chirping merrily, one long chirp followed by another short one.
Chen Zheng woke up before dawn the next day.
He was awakened by the rooster crowing.
The first rooster crows in Lutang Village around 4:30 a.m.
At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, and the mist on the lake had not yet dissipated.
Chen Zheng got up in the dark and put on his clothes.
He pulled the book "Freshwater Fish Farming Techniques" from under his pillow and tucked it into his pocket.
The courtyard was cool and damp with dew.
He squatted down next to the water vat and washed his face; the cold water invigorated him.
The kitchen was already lit, and the light shone through the paper windows, casting the shadow of his mother, Zhang Cuihua, as she moved about.
"Zhengwa? Are you up?" Zhang Cuihua's voice came from the kitchen.
"I'm up. Mother, why are you up so early?"
"I'll make you two pancakes to take on the road. Are you going to the county again today?"
"Go. The trade fair lasts for two more days. Let's sell as much as possible while the prices are high."
Zhang Cuihua took a bowl of hot porridge from the kitchen, placed it on the stone platform in the courtyard, and then turned back to get some flatbread.
The porridge was made from cornmeal, so thick that chopsticks could stand upright on it, with a few slices of dried sweet potato floating on top, giving it a sweet taste.
Chen Zheng finished his drink in a few gulps, then put the two flatbreads that Zhang Cuihua handed him into his pocket, patted them to keep them warm.
Chen Feng also ran out of the house at this moment.
His shoes weren't tied properly, the shoelaces were dragging on the ground, and his hair was sticking up like a bird's nest.
He ran while putting on his clothes, shouting, "Brother! Wait for me! I'm coming too!"
"Have you washed your face?"
"I'm washing!" Chen Feng ran to the water tank, scooped up a ladle of water, and splashed it on his face twice.
I wiped it with my sleeve, and that was it.
Water droplets still clung to her face, dripping down her chin.
Zhang Cuihua peeked out from the kitchen, saw Chen Feng's appearance, and laughed:
"You silly child, you wash your face like a cat. Come here, let me comb your hair."
Chen Feng walked over reluctantly.
Zhang Cuihua dipped a comb in water, pressed down his unruly hair, then smoothed it with her hand, nodding in satisfaction.
"Alright, go ahead. Go to the county with your brother, don't wander off, and listen to him."
"Okay, okay!"
Chen Feng dashed to the courtyard gate, squatted down to tie his shoelaces, and made a tight knot.
He couldn't untangle it for a long time and was so anxious that he kept groaning.
Chen Zheng walked over, squatted down, and helped him untie his shoelaces and re-tie them: "Are your feet not getting enough blood if you tie them so tight?"
Chen Feng chuckled, stood up, and stomped his foot. His shoelaces weren't loose, so he was satisfied.
Zhang Jianguo arrived pushing a cart.
Today he wore a clean white shirt, and his hair was rinsed with water and combed neatly.
The pair of liberation shoes on my feet had also been cleaned; although they were old, they looked neat.
He saw Chen Feng and smiled, "Oh, Xiao Feng's going too?"
"Okay! I'll go help my brother watch the stall!" Chen Feng puffed out his chest, looking like a grown-up.
"Okay, then you'll be in charge of watching the stall. If anyone steals fish, just shout."
"I shouted really loud! I have the loudest voice in the whole village!"
The three men pushed the two carts to the lakeside, scooped the fish out of the fish baskets, and divided them into wooden buckets on the carts.
There were more fish today than yesterday. Besides crucian carp, bream, and carp, there was also a mandarin fish weighing over six pounds.
This was caught yesterday evening by Chen Rong using a multi-hook rig in Nanwan.
The mandarin fish has a long, slender body and fine, dense scales, making it a delightful sight.
"Brother, how much can I sell this mandarin fish for?"
Chen Feng squatted beside the wooden tub, his chin resting on his hands, his eyes fixed on the mandarin fish.
"Two yuan and fifty cents a pound, six pounds and three ounces, that's fifteen yuan and seventy-five cents."
Chen Feng counted on his fingers for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so he simply gave up, stood up, and patted the dirt off his backside:
"Anyway, it's a lot of money!"
Zhang Jianguo laughed from the side, "Your brother is good at calculating, so don't bother thinking about it."
The three people pushed the cart out of the village.
As dawn broke, there were few people on the village road.
Only a few early-rising old men were squatting at the door smoking. Upon seeing them, they would shout at the top of their lungs:
"Zhengwa, going to the county again?"
"Hey! Sir, have you eaten yet?"
"Eat up, eat up! Keep up the good work, young man!"
The cart wheels left two deep ruts on the dirt road.
The wheels were oiled, so they turned smoothly and no longer made a creaking sound.
Chen Feng sat on the cart, his legs dangling and swinging back and forth, humming a song.
This time he hummed "The Newspaper Boy's Song," and the tune was a bit more accurate than yesterday, but he was still wildly flirting with being off-key.
After walking for about half an hour, we arrived in the town.
It was already broad daylight, and the shops on the street gradually opened their doors.
The breakfast stalls were steaming, and the fried dough sticks were sizzling in the pan.
The aroma of soy milk wafted over, making one's stomach rumble.
Chen Feng swallowed hard and stared at the fried dough stick stall by the roadside for several seconds.
Then turn your head away and pretend to look at the utility poles on the side of the road.
Chen Zheng took out two cents from his pocket and handed them to the old man selling fried dough sticks: "Give me three fried dough sticks."
The old man scooped three golden-brown fried dough sticks out of the oil, wrapped them in straw paper, and handed them over.
Chen Zheng gave one fried dough stick to Zhang Jianguo, one to Chen Feng, and kept one for himself.
Chen Feng took the fried dough stick, took a big bite, and the crispy sound exploded in his mouth.
He mumbled, "Brother, you're so kind!"
"Eat your food and don't talk, or you'll choke."
The three of them ate their fried dough sticks with cold water and continued on their way.
By the time we arrived in the county town, the sun had already risen, shining brightly and making our foreheads feel hot.
The entrance to the farmers' market was even more bustling than yesterday, with a cacophony of voices and the constant haggling.
Chen Zheng found yesterday's stall, took down the fish basket, and arranged the fish one by one.
There were more fish today than yesterday, arranged in two neat rows, their scales shimmering in the sunlight.
Chen Feng squatted beside the fish basket, his hands supporting his cheeks, his eyes darting around as he watched the spectacle.
It was his first time in the county town, and everything was new and exciting to him.
The department store sign, the balloon vendors on the roadside, the women riding bicycles—he could stare at any of them for ages.
"Brother, that woman's bicycle is really pretty, it's red!"
"That's a women's bicycle, a Forever brand, it costs a little over a hundred yuan."
"Over a hundred yuan!" Chen Feng's eyes widened. "When can our family buy one?"
"Once we get the fishpond up and running and make some money, I'll buy you a car."
Chen Feng grinned from ear to ear, unable to stop smiling, and squatted there admiring himself for a long time.
Just then, Chef Qian from the Dongfeng Restaurant arrived.
He was still dressed the same way: white shirt, gold chain, briefcase, and a black leather bag tucked under his arm.
He walked up to Chen Zheng's stall, squatted down, picked up the six-pound mandarin fish, and looked at it.
I turned it over to look at the scales, pried open the gill covers to take a look, and pressed the fish's belly.
"Young man, this mandarin fish looks quite good, even better than the one yesterday. How much?"
"Two yuan and fifty cents a pound, six pounds and three ounces, fifteen yuan and seventy-five cents."
"Master Qian, you're a regular customer, so fifteen yuan and fifty cents will do."
Master Qian smiled and said, "You've got a good business sense, young man. Okay, I'll take it."
He took out some money from his purse, counted it, and handed it over, saying, "Fifteen dollars and fifty cents, you count it."
Chen Zheng took the money, counted it, and put it in his pocket:
"Thank you, Master Qian. We have another grass carp tomorrow, weighing over eight pounds. Would you like it?"
"Yes. Keep it for me, I'll come earlier tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll keep it for you."
Master Qian carried the mandarin fish away, but after taking a couple of steps, he turned back and asked, "Young man, what's your name?"
"Chen Zheng".
"Chen Zheng, okay, got it. From now on, if you have any good fish, just bring it to Dongfeng Restaurant and look for me."
The address is No. 28, East Street, in the county town.
"Okay, Master Qian."
Zhang Jianguo, watching from the side, stared wide-eyed: "Ah Zheng, is Master Qian going to buy all our fish?"
"Yes, restaurants use a lot of fish, and they only want the best ones. If we get in touch with them, we won't have to worry about selling our fish anymore."
Chen Feng chimed in from the side, "Brother, shall we come to the county to sell fish every day from now on?"
"You can't come every day. The trade fair only lasts three days. After those three days, the prices will come down."
However, we can't let Master Qian's supply chain break. From now on, if we have good fish, we'll deliver them directly to restaurants; it's better than selling them to a fish-collecting station.
As the three people were talking, a middle-aged woman came to the stall, wearing a gray jacket and carrying a bamboo basket.
The basket was already quite full of vegetables.
She squatted down, looked at the crucian carp in the basket, reached out and pinched the fish's body, then pried open the gill covers to take a look.
"Young man, how much are these crucian carp per pound?"
"Nine cents."
"How about a discount, 85 cents?"
"Auntie, look at this fish. It was just caught this morning. It's still lively and jumping around, and not a single scale is missing."
Nine cents a pound, it's worth the price.
The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment, then picked out three crucian carp of uniform size, each weighing a little over a pound.
Chen Zheng weighed it on a scale; it weighed three jin and two liang, and cost two yuan and eighty-eight cents.
The middle-aged woman took out three yuan from her pocket and handed it to him. Chen Zheng gave her 12 cents in change.
Wrap the fish in lotus leaves, tie it with straw rope, and hand it over.
The stall was constantly crowded with people all morning.
Chen Zheng was busy greeting customers, weighing fish, and collecting money, while Zhang Jianguo helped hand over the fish and tie them with straw rope.
Chen Feng squatted down beside the stall, watching over the fish. He would glare at anyone who tried to steal the fish.
His little face was tense, like a little door god.
By noon, most of the fish in the basket had been sold.
Chen Zheng counted his earnings for the day, which totaled fifty-eight yuan and fifty cents.
Chen Zheng put the money into his inner pocket, patted it, and felt reassured.
He looked up at the sky; the sun was high in the sky, making him sweat profusely.
The awnings in the market couldn't block out the sun, and heat rose from the ground, making it feel like a steamer.
"Jianguo, go buy some steamed buns, let's have something to eat."
"I'll keep an eye on it a little longer this afternoon and see if I can sell the rest of the fish."
Zhang Jianguo responded and ran to the steamed bun stall at the market entrance, where he bought six large steamed buns wrapped in straw paper, still steaming hot.
Three people squatted behind the stall, eating steamed buns with cold water.
The steamed buns are made of white flour, soft, fluffy, and sweet, much tastier than cornbread.
Chen Feng's mouth was full of food, his cheeks bulging out, and he mumbled:
"Brother, these steamed buns are so delicious! Can we eat white flour steamed buns every day from now on?"
"Okay. Once we make money, we'll eat it every day."
Chen Feng chuckled, broke the steamed bun in his hand in half, and stuffed one half into his mouth.
Wrap the other half in straw paper and put it in your pocket.
"What are you going to do with it?" Chen Zheng asked.
"Take this back for Mother. She's never had a steamed bun made with wheat flour from the county before."
Chen Zheng was stunned for a moment, looked at Chen Feng, and felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
This guy is usually carefree and doesn't take anything to heart.
But when it really matters, he still cares about others.
"No need to keep them. Buy a few more when you go back and take them back for Mother and Rongzi."
Chen Feng's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"real."
Chen Feng then took the half-eaten steamed bun out of his pocket, ate it in a few bites, and choked on it.
Zhang Jianguo quickly handed him the water bottle, and he took two sips and felt better.
Business was slower in the afternoon; I only sold a few fish here and there.
By the time the sun was setting, there were only three or four small crucian carp left in the basket. They were rather small and not very popular.
Chen Zheng wrapped the remaining fish in lotus leaves, stacked them in a basket, covered them with burlap, and tied them with rope.
"Closing up for business. Come back tomorrow."
Three people pushed a cart out of the market.
As Chen Zheng approached the market entrance, he saw an old man selling candied hawthorns, carrying a straw target.
The top was covered with candied hawthorns, bright red and glistening in the sunlight.
"Fengzi, want some candied hawthorn?"
Chen Feng swallowed hard and shook his head: "Brother, I'm not eating. Let's save the money for Mom's medical treatment."
Chen Zheng took out two cents from his pocket and bought two strings of candied hawthorns, one for Chen Feng and one for Zhang Jianguo.
Chen Feng took the candied hawthorn, took a bite, and the sourness of the hawthorn and the sweetness of the sugar melted in his mouth.
He squinted his eyes, looking as satisfied as a cat that had just stolen some fish.
"Brother, have a bite too." He held the candied hawthorn to Chen Zheng's mouth.
Chen Zheng took a bite, and the sourness made him frown. After chewing it a couple of times, the sweet and sour flavor spread in his mouth, and it tasted pretty good.
The three people pushed the cart toward the bus station.
Halfway there, Chen Zheng saw a supply and marketing cooperative by the roadside, with a counter at the entrance and various items inside.
He stopped, asked Zhang Jianguo to watch the cart, and went inside himself.
The supply and marketing cooperative was small, with shelves stocked with oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, towels, soap, needles and thread, and a few bolts of cloth.
Chen Zheng walked to the fabric counter, looked at the colors, picked out a piece of blue cotton fabric with white flowers, and bought six feet of it.
He then picked out a gray piece of Dacron and bought four feet of it.
"Comrade, how much?"
The saleswoman was a young woman with two braids, powder on her face, and a sweet, coquettish voice.
"Six feet of blue floral fabric, 50 cents a foot, three dollars. Four feet of Dacron fabric, 90 cents a foot, three dollars and sixty cents. That's six dollars and sixty cents in total."
Chen Zheng took out some money from his pocket, counted out six yuan and sixty cents, and handed it over.
The salesperson collected the money, folded the cloth, wrapped it in paper, and handed it over.
Chen Zheng tucked the cloth into his pocket and left the supply and marketing cooperative.
Zhang Jianguo saw the cloth in his arms and asked, "Azheng, what are you buying cloth for?"
"Make a dress for my mother. She's been wearing the same one for three years, and the collar is all worn out."
Zhang Jianguo nodded and said nothing more.
The three men pushed the cart back to the village.
Chen Zheng went to Zhang Jian's house first and helped him push the cart into the yard.
Zhang Jianguo's mother, Li Guixiang, came out of the house, carrying a bowl of water, and handed it to Chen Zheng:
"Zhengwa, are you tired? Have some water."
"Thank you, Auntie." Chen Zheng took the bowl, took a sip, and the water was freshly drawn from the well, cool and refreshing.
"Zhengwa, how much did you sell today?" Li Guixiang asked.
"Fifty-eight yuan and fifty cents. I gave Jianguo his share."
Li Guixiang nodded, looked at Zhang Jianguo, and smiled: "I trust Jianguo to work for you."
He used to be good at nothing, only working sporadically.
Now that I'm with you, I work from dawn till dusk every day, and I don't complain about being tired anymore.
"Auntie, Jianguo is a hard worker and has been a great help to me."
Zhang Jianguo scratched his head, blushing, and said, "Mom, why are you saying all this?"
Li Guixiang smiled, turned around and went inside.
When Chen Zheng and his companion returned home, the yard was completely dark.
Zhang Cuihua was cooking in the kitchen, Chen Rong was chopping firewood in the yard, and Chen Laosan was squatting on the threshold smoking.
"Father, I'm back."
Old Chen stubbed out his cigarette and stood up: "You're back? How much did you sell?"
"Fifty-eight yuan and fifty cents. Adding yesterday's, it's over a hundred yuan now."
Chen Laosan nodded, said nothing, and turned to go into the kitchen.
Chen Feng, clutching the bundle of cloth, ran into the kitchen: "Mom! Mom! Brother bought you cloth! I'll make you new clothes!"
Zhang Cuihua turned around from the stove, her hands still covered in flour, and took the bundle of cloth.
Upon opening it, I found a piece of blue cotton fabric with white flowers and a piece of gray polyester fabric.
Her hand trembled slightly.
"Zhengwa, why...why did you buy this? It must have cost a lot of money, right?"
"Mom, you've been wearing that jacket for three years now, and the collar is all worn out. Make a new one for you to wear for the New Year."
Zhang Cuihua turned her head away, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, folded the cloth, and put it in the cabinet.
"Okay, Mother will keep it. We'll make it for the New Year."
"Mom, you do it now. It's hot, wear something cool and comfortable."
Zhang Cuihua didn't reply, but turned around and continued cooking. Her lips were upturned, and the wrinkles around her eyes were gathered together, making her look beautiful.
After chopping firewood, Chen Rong walked over and squatted down next to Chen Zheng: "Brother, how did the fish sell today?"
"Okay. There's one more day until the trade fair ends tomorrow."
"Come with me tomorrow, and I'll teach you how to identify buyers. That way, you can sell on your own even when I'm not around."
Chen Rong nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.
During the meal, Chen Zheng took out the book "Freshwater Fish Farming Technology".
Turn to Chapter 4 and read while eating.
Zhang Cuihua picked up a piece of fish and put it in his bowl: "Just eat, why are you reading?"
"Mom, Teacher Zhao said we need to master the theory before we start doing anything. We can't just act recklessly."
Chen Laosan picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with his chopsticks, chewed it twice, and said, "Zhengwa is right."
You have to learn everything before you do anything. Don't listen to your mother; she doesn't understand these things.
Zhang Cuihua glared at Chen Laosan: "You think you know everything? If you know so much, why don't you raise fish?"
Chen Laosan stopped talking and buried his head in his food.
Chen Zheng smiled, closed the book, put it aside, and focused on eating.
Today's dish is braised crucian carp, which are the few small ones left over from yesterday.
Zhang Cuihua sautéed scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then simmered the fish for about half an hour until it was flavorful, savory, and delicious.
The cornbread was freshly steamed, with a little wheat flour mixed in with the cornmeal. It was softer than yesterday's, and tasted sweet when you took a bite.
After dinner, Chen Zheng helped Zhang Cuihua clear the dishes and then swept the yard.
Chen Feng was hunched over the table doing his homework, the pencil stub making a scratching sound on the paper, his brows furrowed, and he was muttering to himself.