Chapter 30 Part 2: The Weight of a Secret (3)

After slowly finishing one bun, Song Wenbin asked him, “Want another one?”

Xiang Chen shook his head; he didn’t want to eat anymore. Song Wenbin then cleared the dishes and put the remaining buns from the pot into the cupboard.

Xiang Chen moved a small stool and sat near the doorway, fiddling with a small wooden toy car in his hand, playing intermittently.

When Xu Hengzhou was dragging a burlap sack up the stairs, Liangliang was pestering his father, wanting a toy car just like Xiang Chen’s. Seeing Xu Hengzhou laboriously dragging the sack, Liangliang immediately abandoned his father and followed behind Xu Hengzhou, helping to pull the bag.

Li’s father was both annoyed and amused. He walked over, took the burlap sack from Xu Hengzhou’s hand, and carried it directly into their home.

Xiang Chen sat by the door, waiting for his brother, but first, his friend’s father arrived. Li’s father placed the bag at their doorstep, and only then did Xu Hengzhou and Liangliang catch up.

Xu Hengzhou opened the burlap sack in front of them and pulled out two potatoes, handing them to Liangliang.

Li’s father quickly tried to refuse, but Xu Hengzhou smiled and said, “Take them, it’s just two. Let Liangliang eat them as a snack; he usually looks after our Chenchen quite well.”

Song Wenbin heard the commotion and emerged from the kitchen, also urging him to accept.

Only then did Li’s father pat Liangliang’s back, telling him to say thank you. Liangliang immediately said thank you, grinning as he held the two potatoes.

After Li’s father and son left, Song Wenbin opened the bag, looked inside, and asked, “Where did you get so many potatoes?”

Xu Hengzhou replied calmly, “I passed by the supply and marketing cooperative in the South City, saw some good potatoes, and bought a few.”

“Alright,” Song Wenbin picked up the bag, intending to pile the potatoes in the kitchen.

Xu Hengzhou stopped him, closed their door, then beckoned to Xiang Chen, who was watching him expectantly. “Come, see what Gege brought you.”

Xiang Chen immediately stuck to him, leaning against Xu Hengzhou as he watched him rummage through the pile of potatoes, pulling out an apple.

“Hey!” Song Wenbin realized what trick he was playing and, intrigued, reached his hand in, directly pulling out a large item.

He turned over the bare iron can. “What’s this?”

Xu Hengzhou: “Milk powder.”

Song Wenbin’s eyes immediately lit up. ‘Good stuff!’

“You and Chenchen should drink a cup every day,” Song Wenbin said. “I heard this stuff is very nutritious; children who drink it don’t get sick.”

Xu Hengzhou smiled, teasingly, “Uncle, aren’t you going to drink some?”

Song Wenbin laughed. “What would a grown man like me drink this for?”

“Then what about this?” Xu Hengzhou pulled the bottle of liquor from the bag. “Not drinking this either?”

Song Wenbin snatched the bottle, examined it carefully, then opened the cap and sniffed it. He exclaimed in surprise, “You clever boy, how did you get so many good things?”

The coupons he had given Xu Hengzhou were common ones, yet Xu Hengzhou had brought back rare items.

Xu Hengzhou smiled, then reorganized the contents of the bag. He sorted out the fruit and put it in the cupboard, piled the potatoes in the kitchen, and tucked the milk powder into the bedroom.

Song Wenbin helped him tidy up, while Xiang Chen clung to Xu Hengzhou’s back, following him everywhere.

After everything was done, Xu Hengzhou washed his hands, then washed an apple for Song Wenbin, peeled an orange, and broke off pieces to feed Xiang Chen.

The family of three settled down, happily eating fruit. As Xu Hengzhou fed Xiang Chen, he recounted his morning’s “experiences” to Song Wenbin.

Xu Hengzhou fabricated the source of the supplies: the black market.

When official circulation of goods was restricted, clandestine channels for goods often emerged. The black market was a product of the economic system at the time.

Every city had a black market, but due to its illegality and need for secrecy, it generally didn’t stay in one fixed location for long.

Regarding knowledge of the black market, the people usually most informed were not the city residents or the public security officers maintaining order, but the street children huddled in the city’s corners.

They were homeless, wandering through urban nooks and crannies, and their living environments often overlapped significantly with the chosen locations of black markets.

Xu Hengzhou used this narrative. His “several years of experience as a street child” provided him with great assistance, something he could pull out and use whenever needed. Furthermore, he explained it so logically that it sounded completely genuine. In any case, he had successfully convinced Song Wenbin.

Xu Hengzhou rummaged in his pocket, showing Song Wenbin. “All the money, grain coupons, and industrial coupons are gone. Only two egg coupons are left; everything else is used up.”

“It’s fine, it’s a minor matter, we didn’t lose out,” Song Wenbin waved his hand. “I’ll get you some more later.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “Uncle isn’t saying what you did was wrong, but this isn’t very safe. You…”

Xu Hengzhou smiled, reassuring him, “I know, Uncle, don’t worry. I won’t act recklessly. Today I only intended to look around, but I just happened to stumble upon these good things. If I missed them, they wouldn’t be easy to find again, so I exchanged for them directly.”

Song Wenbin nodded. “I know you’re a sensible child. I won’t say much else, except for one thing: safety is the most important.”

He knew Xu Hengzhou’s personality was somewhat stubborn. Even if he told him not to go in the future, Xu Hengzhou would sneak out anyway, and if something happened then, not telling him would be a huge problem. It was better to discuss it openly so he understood the situation and could handle any special circumstances in a timely manner.

“Okay,” Xu Hengzhou, knowing Song Wenbin was thinking of him, readily agreed. “I’ll protect myself, and I’ll definitely tell you if anything happens.”

Song Wenbin nodded in satisfaction. He turned his head and saw Xiang Chen sitting on the small stool, listening to them talk obediently, neither fussing nor making noise. When he looked over, Xiang Chen offered a sweet smile, utterly endearing.

“Make some milk for our Chenchen!” Song Wenbin, charmed, waved his hand and instructed Xu Hengzhou, “You go; our Chenchen has been waiting for you all morning.”

Xu Hengzhou subconsciously looked down at Xiang Chen. Xiang Chen hadn’t expected Song Wenbin to suddenly say that, and a blush spread across his pale, soft dumpling face. He stammered, “N-no, I wasn’t waiting all morning. I was playing downstairs…”

He didn’t want his brother to think he was too clingy, fearing his brother might not like that.

Xu Hengzhou’s eyes curved into a smile, his mood exceptionally good. He reached out and pinched Xiang Chen’s cheek, then went to make him milk.

Xu Hengzhou opened the milk powder can. There were only three enamel mugs for drinking at home. Xiang Chen’s was comparatively smaller, but its capacity was still considerable. Xu Hengzhou used this mug to make Xiang Chen more than half a cup of milk.

The hot milk, freshly mixed, filled the air with a sweet aroma.

Xu Hengzhou let the milk cool for a while. Once it wasn’t too hot to touch, he brought the cup to Xiang Chen’s lips, admonishing, “It’s a little hot. I’ll hold it for you; blow on it before you drink.”

Xiang Chen puffed out his cheeks and blew, then tentatively tasted a little. It was fragrant and sweet, delicious!

“Gege, you drink too,” Xiang Chen pushed Xu Hengzhou’s hand holding the cup.

Xu Hengzhou frowned, took a sip, then brought the cup back to Xiang Chen’s lips. Xiang Chen grabbed his hand and guzzled down most of the milk in one go, then let out a long sigh and a small milk burp.

Xu Hengzhou wiped the milk mustache from his face, told him to sit and play for a while, then went to wash his cup.

Song Wenbin had just reorganized everything in the kitchen. Seeing Xu Hengzhou enter, he said, “I have some errands to run this afternoon. You look after your brother. Later, make him take a nap; he hasn’t rested all day.”

Xu Hengzhou replied, “Okay.”

Song Wenbin finished tidying up, washed his hands, and left.

Xu Hengzhou played with Xiang Chen for a while, then took him for a nap. He hadn’t intended to sleep himself, but after lying down with Xiang Chen for a bit, he also drifted off.

They slept until mid-afternoon. After getting up and tidying themselves, Song Wenbin returned. He had contacted an old comrade of his who had also been assigned to Qingjiang City and was working in the city’s armed forces department.

That evening, they reheated some of the corn buns steamed at noon. Xiang Chen had a hearty appetite, eating one and a half himself! He also drank half a bowl of potato soup.

Xu Hengzhou looked at Xiang Chen’s swollen little belly and couldn’t help but smile. He found Xiang Chen to be a rather peculiar child. According to the information he had gathered, Xiang Chen’s personal assets were not small; just living off rental income would allow him to live very lavishly.

Yet, he managed to live well in this rather uncomfortable environment. Even foods that Xu Hengzhou found somewhat unappetizing, Xiang Chen ate with gusto. It wasn’t forced; it seemed he had a very high acceptance of these foods and adapted quickly to his surroundings.

Xu Hengzhou pondered for a moment, then abandoned the idea of further investigation. In any case, he couldn’t find more detailed information now. If Xiang Chen wanted to talk, he would tell him eventually.

After dinner, Song Wenbin went to wash dishes, and Xu Hengzhou was assigned to check Xiang Chen’s homework. Both felt a little awkward.

Just as Xu Hengzhou took the notebook, someone suddenly knocked on the door. He opened it to find Auntie Wu from the same floor, followed by many neighbors, seemingly including people from other residential buildings.

Auntie Wu saw Xu Hengzhou and asked, “Is Factory Director Song here? We have something to discuss with him.”

Just then, Song Wenbin heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen. Seeing they were looking for him, he invited them in.

Auntie Wu quickly waved her hands. “No, no need. We just have a question. I’ll say it here.”

Song Wenbin had no choice but to follow them outside. There were too many people; they wouldn’t all fit in his living room, and there weren’t enough chairs.

Once outside, Auntie Wu explained, “Factory Director Song, it’s like this. Didn’t they say a while ago that our factory would be getting a batch of meat? As you know, in these times, families barely get any meat all year, and the children at home can’t even go to the toilet properly. So when we heard our factory was getting meat, we were all overjoyed. Every family exchanged some meat coupons, but then suddenly, why is it that there’s suddenly no meat?”

“Wait a moment,” Song Wenbin said, waving his hand, trying to process her words. He knew the meat processing plant was supposed to deliver meat, and the factory had only released the news after it was confirmed.

Don’t think this was a small matter. Resources were scarce then, especially in the last two years. As Auntie Wu said, families might only get a few ounces of meat once a year, perhaps during the New Year, not even enough for dumpling filling.

During ordinary festivals, if anything extra was distributed, it was newsworthy. So, the machinery factory distributing meat as a welfare benefit was a huge deal for families at that time.

Now, hearing that the meat was gone, not being distributed, people grew anxious. They gathered to inquire, but without any results.

Finally, someone suggested, ‘Why not ask a leader?’ There was more than one leader in the residential building, but the residents all felt he was the most approachable (taking the children from the residential building for bike rides), so they gathered and sought him out.

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