1986: Old Stories in Northeast China

"Everyone, make way, make way, don't get all greasy, let me watch the fun." Chen Tiezhu shouted, stretched out his arms, and squeezed through the crowd. "What are you doing?" "Look, there are still people." "Why are you like this..." ... He was so strong that the crowd in front of him almost flipped over, and people naturally complained. But seeing Chen Tiezhu's tall stature and the glances he gave, they just complained. When Chen Tiezhu squeezed into the middle, he saw the village blacksmith Qiao Shulin surrounded by three young men, making anxious excuses. As the only blacksmith in the village, his life was not very satisfactory. His daughter married far away and was not around, so he usually repaired plows and hoes for the village. Another thing was to collect some scrap iron, re-smelt it and make hoes to sell. Moreover, there are some stories that his predecessor Chen Tiezhu and the old Qiao family have to tell.

"Tiezhu, Tiezhu, you came just in time, please judge the case." Seeing Chen Tiezhu coming in, Qiao Shulin saw hope.

"What's the matter, is this an acquaintance? That will make it easier." The middle-aged man holding his shoulders spoke.

"Brother, look at my cotton-padded jacket, it's all scratched. Look at the bottle on the ground, someone said it was from the Song Dynasty, and I didn't sell it even if they offered me 130 yuan."

"Don't worry, I'll take a look, it's not a big deal." Chen Tiezhu said with a smile, glanced at his cotton-padded jacket, and squatted down to pick up a piece of broken porcelain.

"Hey..., this vase looks really good. It's from the Song Dynasty? Why are you running around in the market with such a precious thing?"

"Brother, life at home is getting tough. We still haven't found a wife yet, so we decided to sell this. We have to pass on the family line when the time comes." The middle-aged man squatted on the ground with his hands in his sleeves.

"My mother is over 80 years old and her body is not good. She can't get off the kang. I have to let her watch me get married. If she is in better condition, she can also see the next generation, so that she can feel at ease when she passes away."

After saying this, the middle-aged man started to cry.

The people watching on the side also felt a little uncomfortable, and his words also touched the pain points of many people.

It is indeed not that easy to get a wife.

"Brother, you really don't blame others. You are a reasonable person. No one cares if you sell hoes. Don't push them forward." A young man next to him spoke up.

"Tiezhu, I really didn't push them forward. How could I push them forward with just two hoes?" Qiao Shulin was a little anxious.

"Uncle Shulin, don't be anxious. Let's talk about it. If it's really our fault, we have to admit it." Chen Tiezhu said earnestly.

Qiao Shulin was dumbfounded.

What does it mean?

Why is Tiezhu still speaking for outsiders?

"Brother, you see, the matter has happened. We can't just listen to you saying it's worth 130 yuan. You name a price." Chen Tiezhu said.

The middle-aged man wiped his tears again, stood up with red eyes, "I'm not the kind of person who won't give up. This uncle seems to have a hard time, I'll just admit my bad luck, just give me 70 yuan."

"At least I can give 50 yuan as a betrothal gift, and the remaining 20 yuan can be used to prepare a banquet. My cotton-padded jacket can still be worn after sewing."

"You know what, this brother is quite kind."

"Yes, you only want half of the person, just give it to him."

"It's not easy for anyone, and he didn't ask for much."

...

Listening to the price quoted by the middle-aged man, the people around him also agreed.

"Tiezhu, uncle doesn't have that much money. You are the young leader of our village, you can't make such a decision." Qiao Shulin was anxious, and tears began to flow out.

70 yuan, how many hoes would he have to sell and how many horseshoes would he have to nail to make it?

But his words made people look at Chen Tiezhu more, the three words "young leader" still have a lot of weight.

Chen Tiezhu waved his hand, "Big brother, can we negotiate? Seventy yuan is indeed a bit too much."

"Big brother, what else do you want from me? I didn't even ask for the original price, you are a reasonable person." The middle-aged man said.

"Okay, take the money." Chen Tiezhu nodded.

The middle-aged man looked happy and looked at Qiao Shulin eagerly.

Qiao Shulin looked ashen, seventy yuan was really a big blow to him.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and give the money to Uncle Shulin."

At this time, Chen Tiezhu added another sentence.

Everyone's head was full of question marks.

Did you hear it right?

Shouldn't the hoe seller pay the money? Why is it that the hoe seller should pay the money?The family should compensate the hoe seller?

Even Qiao Shulin was confused by what he heard. He really couldn't understand what was happening.

It was Han Xiuying who was watching the fun with Doudou in her arms. She glanced at Chen Tiezhu with amusement.

This guy is full of tricks. These people are also unlucky.

"Brother, you are a reasonable person. Why..."

"Pa..."

Before the middle-aged man finished speaking, Chen Tiezhu slapped him in the face.

The sound was very crisp and also confused the middle-aged man.

"Why are you still hitting people..."

"I'm hitting you."

The young man next to him just opened his mouth, and Chen Tiezhu was not biased and slapped him again.

Seeing that the situation was not good, another young man wanted to slip away, but Chen Tiezhu grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

"Pa" sounded, and another slap.

"Hit, hit, the people of Erdaoling Village are being arrogant..."

The young man who was hit first shouted.

Chen Tiezhu didn't care, he lifted his collar and slapped him again.

This was quite serious, the other two wanted to shout, but they didn't dare to say anything.

"Young man, why did you hit someone?"

"That's right, you don't have to pay, but you can't hit someone."

"You said he was the young leader, is this what the young leader does?"

...

The people watching the excitement around also accused him.

"What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied?" Chen Tiezhu glanced at these people.

They were so scared that they didn't dare to say anything. They were too arrogant and not easy to mess with.

"I am the young leader of Erdaoling Village, Chen Tiezhu. When I see people in our village being bullied, I have to intervene." Chen Tiezhu said loudly.

"Your kindness is used on bad guys, what else can you say? Do you know what they do? They are just scammers, shut up."

After saying that, he lifted the middle-aged man's collar and slapped him again.

"What's going on? What's going on here?" At this time, Wang Lifeng squeezed in from outside.

"Comrade from the police, comrade from the police, help me, he is bullying people." The beaten young man finally saw his savior.

"Hey, Tiezhu, what's going on?" Wang Lifeng asked in surprise.

People knew what was going on in their hearts. No wonder he was so arrogant, he has a backer.