C44 Returning to the 1960s: Starting with Digging for Fo-ti

He Yong took Du Jianguo straight home.

Liu Xiuyun was not there; she was most likely in the fields picking up potatoes.

After sitting down and drinking two cups of cold water, He Yong took his leave. There were still matters at the Public Security Bureau waiting for him. He told Du Jianguo to see each other again when spring arrives.

After seeing He Yong off, Du Jianguo finally let out a breath of relief.

He had to admit that dealing with the police every day always made him feel a bit nervous.

Du Jianguo first hid the grain in a cellar. The remaining small bills were tucked into the corner of the heated brick bed, following Liu Xiuyun’s habit.

After finishing this, Du Jianguo went into the yard and shouted loudly, “Big Yellow!”

Soon, an excited dog barked back from not far away.

A black dog rushed back home, spinning in circles around Du Jianguo.

Du Jianguo played with Big Huang for a while, then picked a piece of yellow corn bun from the small items he had bought and stuffed it into the dog’s mouth.

The dog was quite clever. Although it had previously been raised by the old village head, it was not at all standoffish. It was a typical case of being loyal to whoever fed it. Now, it got along with Du Jianguo better than a real family.

“This winter depends on you. Train your nose to be sharp and nimble. Whether you can put on weight depends on that.”

Du Jianguo patted Big Huang’s butt. The dog didn’t seem to understand, but it wagged its tail, picked up the corn bun, and went off to show it off to the other dogs in the village.

There was still some time before nightfall. Du Jianguo thought for a moment and decided to go to the village committee to find Old Sun Tou.

He was technically Old Sun Tou’s apprentice. He should have been guarding the livestock, but instead, he had been silently called away to the city for over ten days. Old Sun Tou was probably furious, feeding the herd of livestock all by himself.

Taking one jin of corn flour from home, he hummed a tune and arrived at the village committee.

He did not see Old Sun Tou inside the committee office. Instead, he saw the old village head sitting on the steps, silently smoking his pipe.

“Village Head, what are you doing here?”

The old village head looked up at Du Jianguo with extra surprise. “Oh, you kid are back from the Public Security Bureau.”

He hurriedly invited Du Jianguo to sit with him.

“Is the work in the city going smoothly?”

The old village head started a conversation with Du Jianguo. “You were working for the Public Security Bureau. You can’t lose face for our village.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Du Jianguo smiled. “The comrades at the Public Security Bureau are as close to me as family. Previously, even the captain of the bureau personally drove me back.”

“You’ve made it, you’ve made it.”

The old village head smoked his pipe and said with a chuckle, “Your father has been very proud in the village lately. He walks with his head held high whenever he meets people. You’ve brought him face.”

“Ah, that old man just loves to show off,” Du Jianguo shook his head. He then asked with confusion, “Village Head, you haven’t told me what you are doing here yet. Why is there such a loud noise inside? Is someone holding a meeting?”

The old village head snorted and nodded. “Zhang Desheng gathered a group of young men, saying he wanted to convey instructions from above. He called these people together to learn how to solve the problem of wild boars appearing near the village.”

The old village head expressed his displeasure, “Don’t you think this guy is making a fuss? What good does it do if he mumbles a few words inside? Will the wild boar understand and retreat on its own?”

“Wild boar?”

Du Jianguo was stunned. “When did wild boars arrive near our village?”

“Just a couple of days ago. You weren’t here; you happened to leave with the Public Security Bureau.”

The old village head stood up, opened a bag beside him, and took out a sheep head.

It was a lamb of about a hundred days old. Its body was gone, leaving a bloody neck, and its eyes were full of terror.

“Some villagers saw that wild boar, along with a few piglets, tearing this lamb apart and eating it. They only managed to keep the head.”

Du Jianguo took the sheep head from the old village head with a serious expression and examined it closely.

Suddenly, he remembered that a few days ago, when he checked his hunting traps, one trap had only an empty rabbit head left.

Du Jianguo felt suspicious. Could it be that the large wild boar in the village now was the same one that ate the rabbit before?

After looking at it for a while, Du Jianguo found no concrete evidence. He asked, “What does Old Sun Tou think about this?”

“Old Sun Tou is heartbroken,” the old village head sighed. “After learning that the lamb he worked so hard to raise ended up like this, Old Sun Tou has been cursing day and night, wanting to kill that wild boar. But with his frail body, if the boar just bumped into him, it could open up a huge wound. Hunting a wild boar? Isn’t that just a joke?”

The old village head spoke slowly, “I was originally thinking of organizing the young people in the village to go into the back mountains and try to hunt down that wild boar. We could split the meat equally among everyone. But Zhang Desheng stopped me. He insisted that I was sending these young people to their deaths, so he dragged these people to hold a meeting instead.”

The old village head spat on the ground. “I can still see through his little tricks. He just wants to undermine my authority in our Xiao An Village so that everyone will listen to him.”

Just as the old village head was complaining, the door to the village committee suddenly opened. The old village head immediately stopped talking.

Zhang Desheng walked out, coldly scanning the old village head and Du Jianguo. Behind him were his loyal lackey, Li Ergou.

Zhang Desheng squinted at Du Jianguo and sneered, “Oh, isn’t that the instructor from the Public Security Bureau? How come you are willing to come back from the Public Security Bureau now? If you stayed a few more days, I’m afraid our Xiao An Village wouldn’t be able to accommodate you.”

Du Jianguo frowned, looked at Zhang Desheng, and said, “Zhang Desheng, if you have something to say, just say it. If you have a fart to let out, let it out. Don’t beat around the bush. What do you want to do?”

“What do I want to do? I wouldn’t dare.”

Zhang Desheng said coldly, “It’s just that all the eligible young people in the village are strengthening their education and supporting the superior leaders. You alone refuse discipline and never come to the village committee for classes. Could it be that you want to take the road of capitalist restoration?”

Li Ergou behind him nodded humbly, supporting Zhang Desheng. “Exactly! Du Jianguo, do you still have any leaders in your eyes? Without the wise guidance of our stationed cadre leader, will your Du family starve to death this winter?”

“Whether I starve or not is none of your business, you two jerks,” Du Jianguo said calmly. “Previously, I made an agreement with the village. I will not participate in the potato-picking activity. My food and clothing are my own responsibility. I don’t need you cats crying over the mouse to worry about me. As for that lousy meeting you held, I have no interest in listening to it either.”

“Du Jianguo, are you challenging me?” Zhang Desheng’s eyes were ice cold, staring at Du Jianguo.

Several young men inside the house heard the commotion outside and came out one by one. They stood on both sides behind Zhang Desheng. They put on an arrogant stance, their eyes full of hostility, staring coldly at Du Jianguo.

Du Jianguo smiled faintly, his tone filled with contempt. “What? Do you want to lay a hand on me?”

Saying this, he took a piece of paper out of his pocket and slammed it onto the table next to him with a “bang.”

“Come on, just try it! This is my work certificate from the Public Security Bureau. Whoever wants to stay in jail for a few days, just try to touch me. Let’s see if the police will interfere!”