The scene in an interrogation room was in sharp contrast to the three people dining in the hotel.
The curtains were drawn in a room of 15 square meters. Two police comrades were sitting at the desk. One was holding a pen and taking notes, and the other was looking at Yan Bugui who was sitting on the chair.
Since there is no light in the room, the blue smoke emitted when the cigarette is burning has been rendered white by the dim light bulbs in the room.
"Hiss... Huh... I'm already 40 years old, and I'm still a teacher. You already know some of the truth in your heart, so I won't tell you any more. Just take the initiative yourself."
The young police officer in charge of recording saw Yan Bugui not saying anything for a long time, holding the pen cap in his hand and banging it on the table in annoyance.
"You have to think clearly. Now I want you to take the initiative to answer the question. If we ask you later, it will be of another nature. Don't get to the point where you want to say it but we don't want to hear it."
After he finished speaking, he picked up a match and lit a cigarette, showing a confident attitude.
"I...I confess. I didn't go to the street office to report for selling couplets this year..."
"Have I asked you? Am I talking about selling couplets? If you just insist on this matter and won't let go, then let's just let it go. If I don't have any evidence, why should I ask you this? Think about something else.
question."
Another middle-aged police officer stood up from his seat and walked out, picked up the kettle and a glass of water, and handed it to Yan Bugui's hand.
"I am 42 years old. You should be about the same age as me. Let's call you Lao Yan. We have already investigated your performance in school and the school leaders have a very high opinion of you!
Your students are also looking forward to you returning to class as soon as possible. There are some things that you need to say. Even if you take the initiative to explain the problem, it can be considered as actively cooperating. Do you understand? Drink some water to calm your nerves and don't think too much about us.
It’s scary. Remember the memories. Ah~”
"Eh…"
Yan Bugui trembled with his hands and touched the edge of the enamel jar with his lips.
"I really can't remember it. How about you two give me a heads up and remind me."
"Yes, yes, it seems that everything I told you was in vain. Come and ask."
The police officer in charge of recording opened the book and revealed the report letter tucked inside.
"Yan Bugui, in which year did the census in your hospital take place?"
"It must have been 1953. At that time, the street office also counted urban household registration. I remember..."
"That's enough. Just answer whatever I ask you."
"Hey, okay."
"I heard that you moved into this compound in 1950, right?"
"I can't remember exactly, it was around that time."
"During our visit, we heard from people in your courtyard that you had known Liu Haizhong and his wife before?"
"No! It's okay. I was assigned a house by the school, and Liu Haizhong's family was assigned a house by the steel rolling mill. Our two families have never had any contact before."
"Look, don't be so excited. He's just asking casually. Drink some water and moisten your throat before talking."
"We don't know which bastard gave us the false news. They also said that you and your lover got married because they met through the help of the deaf old lady in the backyard."
"Ouch~ This is an unjust accusation. Before I moved into this compound, I had never seen the deaf old lady in the backyard."
The middle-aged police officer nodded and put his hand on Yan Bugui's shoulder.
"As expected of a person who has read books, even so, he still respects the elderly in his words."
"People in the courtyard often say that the old lady in the backyard gave straw sandals to our army. I admire them from the bottom of my heart for those who support the army."
"Hmm~ Okay. Lao Yan, your consciousness is very high. It seems that you also tell children the same thing when it comes to educating children, right? For example, you must respect the martyrs."
"right!"
"It's also like respecting people who support the army, just like you would a deaf old lady."
"Ah, almost."
The two police officers looked at each other.
"Then tell me, how do you respect her?"
"I just asked my children to help sweep the floor and dry the quilt for the old lady. These are small things. Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a virtue. I can't even remember some things."
"Don't be in a hurry, think about it slowly."
"Hey."
"Dong...dong..."
The young police officer closed the record book, walked out of the interrogation room, and brought back two aluminum lunch boxes.
"Master, this is the rice left on the stove for the two of us. Each of us has a steamed bun with two-height noodles. We also scraped the bottom of the pot and made some cornmeal porridge."
"Leave it there."
"good."
"Lao Yan, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"I was caught by you two early in the morning. I didn't even have time to eat."
"Sigh... It's been really difficult this year. Even my family rode their bicycles to the Shibali Store."
"What are you doing there, Mistress?"
"In exchange for food, the six members of our family receive a total of 94 kilograms of food stamps every month. I also have to hand in 10 kilograms of food stamps to the kitchen every month in exchange for food stamps. On average, each person only gets half a kilogram of food per day every month.
, can I eat it? I can’t even think of other options. Who knows a few days ago she told me that the Shibali store can’t be replaced. I have to go to Zuojiazhuang to get food. I don’t even know where to open the door of Zuojiazhuang.
I don’t even know. I’m so worried!”
"Master, don't be anxious. Let's wait a little longer. Maybe things will get better in two months."
"hope so."
“Yanbugui!!!”
"ah?"
Yan Bugui was startled by the sudden shout. He had never been to a place like an interrogation room before, and he was frightened from beginning to end. He drank some water and just calmed down. As the police officers shouted, his soul almost flew away.
. The enamel jar in his hand almost fell to the ground.
"Where did you say Zuojiazhuang is?"
"Did I say it? I remember..."
"I'm sure you said it. You just told my master that Zuojiazhuang can exchange for coarse grains. How about a pound of grain stamps for..."
"Ahem, Lao Yan, you helped me. I appreciate your kindness."
"No, I really didn't say anything about Zuojiazhuang's exchange for sweet potatoes."
"Look. You should say it this time."
"I really didn't say."
"Okay, since you don't want to cooperate, then we won't ask. You can reminisce carefully, and we will go out to have a meal. You should think carefully about it."
The young police officer opened the drawer, took out a pair of brass thumb cuffs, and walked behind Yan Bugui.
"Master, help me."
"I won't hesitate to talk about you."
The two of them worked together to clasp the thumbs of Yan Bugui's hands behind his back, and then straightened Yan Bugui's arms on the back of the chair.
"It hurts... I can't do it anymore, I can't do it anymore..."
"Hold on, hold on. We will be back after dinner in a while. Just stay in this room and think about your problem. Turn off the lights by the way. Don't waste electricity. Let's go."
"Okay! Let me cuff his feet to the ground first."
"Don't... my arms are sore, my shoulders and my head hurt! You two wait first..."
"Bang!"
The young police officer dragged the lunch box with his left hand and hung the iron lock on the door with his right hand.
"Master, I don't think he has messed around with the relationship between men and women. With Liu Haizhong's 180 kilograms of flesh, a palm can probably blow his brains out. But he can't get away with this because of speculation."
"Then who knows, let him think about it first."
"Hmm. Master, tell me who wrote the report letter?"
"I don't know. Anyway, that's all these liaison officers do. It's impossible for a bowl of water to be balanced in the yard. I guess someone was offended, and a reporting letter brought all four of them."
"Isn't it 3?"
"Think carefully about how many people there are."
The time came to 1:30 in the afternoon. The two of them, who were full of wine and food, and Zhou Wenzhong, who had eaten a belly of peanuts, walked out of the hotel and went to the tram stop sign to shake hands and say goodbye.
"Let's go, Erbao, don't forget about tomorrow!"
"Don't worry, I'm all hiccuping... I've recorded it in my mind. Tomorrow morning my brother and I will go help you move things, and you're hiccuping too... I won't talk about it anymore. If I drink the cool breeze, I'll have a stomachache again."
"Haha ~ Comrade Zhang Xiufang, during my absence, you must also read more books, read more newspapers, listen to the radio more and sleep less. Don't slack off in your studies."
"Are you bothered? Let's go quickly when the tram comes."
"Okay, goodbye."
Zhang Xiufang waved her hand impatiently, and Ma Erbao covered his mouth for fear of spitting out this good thing again.
Twenty-five minutes later, Zhou Wenzhong put his hands into his sleeves and walked home in the alley.
"Brother Damao gave me a piece of advice."
Xu Damao, who was still riding a bicycle in front, stopped the car and turned around with one foot on the ground.
"I can't carry it. I bumped into someone just now. The faucet's head is crooked."
"What did you say? Did you hit someone? Is the bike okay?"
"The bicycles made in Germany are strong! Don't look at them. They are made by German Diamond brand! Yan Jiecheng's legs were almost lame just now. If you look at my bike again, the spigot is just a little loose.
There’s nothing wrong with me! Just find someone to catch up with me soon.”
"Fortunately, fortunately. Is there any need to go to a car repair shop? There are so many workers in your factory, and it would be a waste to just leave them alone. Just find a worker who can play with pliers. I say, Brother Damao, your outfit is fine.
, this black leather bun, these vermicelli and dried shiitake mushrooms, and dried day lily."
"That's right! I haven't been back to the hospital since the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. I have been leading the mission of the propaganda team, running from village to village. Didn't I just come back today? What happened to Yan Jiecheng? He ran away in a panic.
In the past, he didn't even look at the road. Is his father dying?"
"Um."
"Huh? Yan Laoxi is really in trouble? You have to talk to your brother."
Zhou Wenzhong took the cigarette from Xu Damao, struck a match, and the two of them lit the cigarette.
"I was arrested by the police early in the morning. I heard that I was selling couplets and didn't go to the street to report."
"You said this is causing trouble! What a pity, I haven't bought the couplets yet. Isn't this Yan Laoxi delaying my business? I guess Yan Jiecheng went to move reinforcements."
"Then I don't know. Brother Damao, your black leather bag is quite interesting. Why does it have the railway department's logo printed on it?"
"This is my father's. Did you know that there used to be a train station in the mountains? It was where the little devils transported coal. After liberation, my father carried a projector weighing 100 kilograms and went to the valley to show movies for two months.
Their work unit only gave me this leather bag."
"Uncle Xu is really energetic. I thought I wouldn't see Brother Damao before the Chinese New Year."
"Hey, if it weren't for the social activities we had with the female workers from the quilt factory and the second textile factory when we were in the second grade of junior high school in our steel rolling mill, I wouldn't have had time to come back. I had no choice but to call my name in the factory and ask me to come back first. You said this?
My son did it, so I had to put down the work at hand and rush back."
"My dear, my Damao brother is so awesome. If you don't come back, we probably won't be able to open any seats in the factory!"
"Who says it isn't?"
"I'm going to the toilet first, see you later."
"go Go."
Xu Damao lifted his bicycle and crossed the threshold, then slammed the back seat of the bicycle hard.
"What on earth are you doing! Every time you make trouble when I'm not at home, Zhou Wenzhong split up his family, and Yan Laoxi was arrested. I never caught up with him. What the hell."
When I pushed my bicycle into the front yard, there was no longer the lively scene of women sitting in groups and chatting together in the past.
At this time, the third aunt was sitting on a small bench in front of her house, with a white towel wrapped around her head, holding 3 or 4-year-old Yan Jiedi in her left hand, and kicking the ground in front of her with her eyes blankly.