Chapter 325: Fire and Snow Night

The end of 1994 was a very cold year.

The snow had never melted, and the streets and lanes of Jiangchuan looked like they were painted with lime, dazzlingly white. Black charcoal smoke and white wood smoke were floating in the sky above the city and nearby villages. People were wearing bulky cotton-padded clothes and trousers, and pedestrians on the road were curling their hands and puffing white mist from their mouths...

The clear sky has not been seen for many days.

In such a cold and freezing season, most families closed their doors and sat around the stove, eating melon seeds, playing cards and watching TV. This was probably the best way for ordinary people in that era to pass the time. This may not be quite accurate. No matter which era, ordinary people have to make a living. The battlefield of life can be seen everywhere, whether it is the emerging white-collar class hunched over in office buildings, or the working class facing the "breaking of the three irons" and losing their former glory, or the farmers who work hard under the urban-rural dual structure and continuously transfuse blood into the city, or the street vendors who found a new way to make a living by taking advantage of the tide of reform and opening up. The severe cold not only makes their journey more difficult, but also does not allow these ordinary people who silently create and dominate the historical progress of the Chinese nation to enjoy much joy.

However, the humble and submissive appearance of the small vendors hawking their wares in the cold and freezing weather in the streets and alleys of No. 1 Middle School always makes some students wonder in their hearts, how can a person live like this?

Because human joys and sorrows are not shared.

Only "capitalists" like Zhang Yunqi are leisurely.

Recently he often went to Ximen Street alone, ordered a bottle of Erguotou and a plate of peanuts from the stall of brother and sister Yang Jin and Yang Wei, sat around the stove, looked at the surging crowds on the street, and sat there until late at night.

Yang Wei felt that Zhang Yunqi was a little abnormal recently.

In the past, Zhang Yunqi was a very open-minded person, always calm in the face of everything, and no one had ever seen him troubled by anything. Now, Zhang Yunqi often stares at pedestrians on the street in a daze. Under his expressionless appearance, there seems to be a huge contradiction in his inner world.

He seemed to need some time alone to sober himself up.

Yang Wei couldn't help but think of that day in the hospital when his mother sent him and his sister Yang Jin away and talked to Zhang Yunqi alone. He was a simple-minded person and thought that Zhang Yunqi was like that because of what his mother said, and he felt very uncomfortable.

On this day, there was no one at the night snack stand. Yang Wei and Zhang Yunqi gathered around the stove. Yang Wei asked Zhang Yunqi what his mother had said to him in the hospital that day. Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "Don't think too much. What your mother told me has nothing to do with you and your sister."

"Zhang Yunqi?"

At this time, a voice came from a distance. Zhang Yunqi turned his head and saw Gao Ming standing alone on the side of the road not far away, looking towards him. He was stunned and said casually, "Come over for a drink?"

Gao Ming hesitated for a moment, but finally walked over. He was a little surprised to see Zhang Yunqi on the road, so he called out to him. He didn't expect Zhang Yunqi to call him over.

Gao Ming was actually a little uncomfortable. After all, the two of them had a deep grudge. Even though it was all in the past, the grudge still existed in his heart. It was not easy for young people with hot blood to forget their grudges by laughing when they met. But since Zhang Yunqi called him, he didn't want to seem stingy.

Zhang Yunqi smiled: "White?"

Gao Ming, who had just sat down, hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Yang Wei saw Gao Ming coming over and got up to get food. Zhang Yunqi opened a bottle of Erguotou and filled Gao Ming's glass: "It's so cold in the evening, why are you walking on the street alone?"

Gao Ming drank a sip of wine in silence. He had probably never drunk such a spicy and throat-piercing low-grade liquor before. He choked and coughed several times before saying, "I made an appointment with Li Yufei before."

Zhang Yunqi was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, he felt it made sense: "Why didn't she come?"

Gao Ming said: "If you don't want to come, then don't come."

Zhang Yunqi felt that there was a hint of anger in these words. He smiled and changed the subject: "Your father asked me to meet him some time ago."

Gao Ming was stunned: "What did you talk about?"

Zhang Yunqi said: "It doesn't matter what we talk about, but your father and I have a deep conflict."

Gao Ming was stunned again: "Why are you telling me this?"

Zhang Yunqi didn't explain. He picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth and said, "Your father is a man with very firm ideas. It's not without reason that he can achieve such great success. However, some of our ideas are a little different. He wants to correct my ideas. I think his approach is a little wrong. In fact, many things should not be like this."

Gao Ming was confused by what he heard. His brain, which was in a mess due to the stimulation of strong alcohol, only understood one thing: there was a deep rift between Zhang Yunqi and his father Gao Shan. He didn't know what to say, and Zhang Yunqi's frankness also left him speechless.

At this moment, the childish grudges in the past seemed to be irrelevant. He couldn't help but think of his former good friend Lin Zihao and the consequences of his father's conflict with Zhang Yunqi. His heart couldn't help but tremble, and he subconsciously said something very childish: "I don't understand the grudges of adults, but is this a life-and-death struggle?" Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "When are you going back to the United States?"

Gao Ming said: "After the New Year."

Zhang Yunqi held up a bottle of 3 liang 3 liang Erguotou and said: "I don't know when we will meet next time. I wish you a safe journey in advance."

Gao Ming was full of thoughts, so he hailed a taxi and left.

Zhang Yunqi asked the boss to settle the bill.

The Yang family’s night snack stall is also preparing to close.

They were traveling along the same route, with brother and sister Zhang Yunqi and Yang Jin pulling a cart together.

On such a snowy day, the ground was covered with snow, the roads were slippery, the sky was dark and dim, and it was really difficult to move with a cart full of things. Zhang Yunqi found it hard to imagine how Yang Jin managed to hold on, having to go to work during the day and stay up late at night to sell supper until two or three in the morning. This reminded him of the days when he resold flue-cured tobacco in Yunxi Village a few years ago. But perhaps because he was there, the brother and sister were in a good mood, calculating today's income.

As the three of them were chatting and laughing, when they walked not far from the Red Star Electronics Factory, Zhang Yunqi unexpectedly saw the sky in the distance illuminated by fire, with thick smoke billowing up into the sky. Many pedestrians on the road ran over to watch the excitement, and some shouted that a fire had broken out in the Red Star Electronics Factory.

Zhang Yunqi was stunned for a moment, and looked at Yang Wei. The two of them abandoned the cart and ran towards the fire. Yang Jin followed behind with a look of astonishment on his face.

When Zhang Yunqi and the other two arrived, the fire at No. 24 Xiangshan Road had reached the point where it was out of control. No one knew where the fire started, but flames were raging in many areas of the Red Star Electronics Factory. Pillars of thick smoke rose into the sky, making the entire snowy night as bright as day.

Zhang Yunqi saw that the workers of Red Star had spontaneously participated in the fire fighting. Shouts, cries, footsteps and car horns were intertwined, and the Red Star Factory had become a mess.

Yang Wei's eyes were red. Without thinking, he rushed into the Red Star Electronics Factory and joined the fire rescue team.

Yang Jin was already squatting on the ground.

On a snowy night, tears flowed down my cheeks.

This fire seemed to ignite the despair buried deep in her heart. The factory closed down, her mother was terminally ill, and her family was heavily in debt. She could no longer see the future. However, for her brother who was about to take the college entrance examination and her mother who was tortured by illness, she could only face the hardships in life with a smile. But God seemed to think that it was not enough, and burned down her house and destroyed everything she had.

Zhang Yunqi took out a tissue and handed it to her: "This is not the time to be sad, go to the hospital quickly and calm your mother."

A word of advice woke her up. She didn't have the courage to imagine the consequences if her mother knew about this. Yang Jin wiped away her tears, choked up and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhang." Then she forced herself to cheer up, hailed a taxi on the roadside and rushed directly to the No. 1 Municipal Hospital.

Zhang Yunqi watched the poor girl leave, turned around and walked to the telephone booth next to him, took out an ink-colored business card, and dialed a phone number.

It rang about three times before the call was connected.

The person on the other end of the phone was clearly still awake, and spoke in a deep and powerful voice: "Who?"

"Zhang Yunqi."

"It's so late, Mr. Zhang hasn't rested yet?"

"Luckily I didn't sleep, otherwise how could I have watched this wonderful show directed by you, Mr. Gao?"

"You're a little angry."

"Are you really determined to get this piece of land called Red Star?"

"Why, does Mr. Zhang have any other opinions?"

"I have no opinion, but I can guarantee that you won't get this land."

******
(End of this chapter)