Chapter 3 Text: playing

There is a county of XX in XX province. On the West Street of ×× County, there is a famous restaurant called "Yetu Village".The store is famous because of a dish in the store called "cooked pork with bones". "Youyi Village" not only sells "cooked meat with bones", but also offal soup, sesame seed cakes, cold dishes, and various wines.Offal soup, sesame seed cakes, cold dishes, etc. are generally similar to others, but the "cooked meat with bones" is unique.The meat from other people's homes is boiled in a large pot until the meat is rotten, and the flesh and bones will usually be separated; the meat from "Yetyicun" is cooked thoroughly without leaving the bones.The taste penetrates not only into the flesh but also into the bones.After eating the meat, the bones are left over, and the taste is not diminished at all.In terms of taste alone, it is also different. It is salty and sweet, fragrant and sweet, sweet and spicy, and spicy and smooth.Anyone who goes to the county goes to the "Pacific Seafood City" for a big meal; for snacks, they go to "Youyi Village" on the West Street of the county seat to eat "cooked meat with bones".The authentic way of eating is to buy and eat now; the meat is just taken out of the pot, and the meat is hot to the hands; drinking with hot meat, you can drink two taels before, but now you can drink half a catty.

"Yetuyicun" cooks two pots of meat a day.Make one pot at noon and one pot in the evening.Everyone is thinking about this meat, and they have to line up in front of the store to eat.According to the rules of "Yetan Village", you can only buy meat if you eat in the store; if you don't eat, you can only buy meat, it depends on whether the eater has bought it and can keep it.Even if you buy meat for dinner, you may not be able to buy it. It depends on the number of customers today and whether you are at the front of the queue.People from outside often ask: shopkeeper, the meat is selling so well, why don't you cook more pots?The owner, Lao Shi, said, don't tire yourself out.

Lao Shi is sixty years old this year.Besides selling meat, he loves to play mahjong.The rice shop cooks two pots of meat a day, and also has time to play mahjong.But selling meat should not be tiring, nor should playing mahjong. Lao Shi only plays mahjong once a week.The time is fixed, on Thursday, starting at three o'clock in the afternoon, until eleven o'clock at night, eight hours.The poker friends are also fixed, Lao Bu who runs a winery, Lao Wang who wholesales tobacco and alcohol, and Lao Jie who runs a bathhouse.Years and months, time changes, heads don't change, in the end, the score is settled, the wins and losses are evened out, and the wins and losses of each are about the same; it's just spending time together.

Four people playing mahjong is in "Yetuyi Village".On Thursday afternoon, Lao Shi asked the restaurant to vacate a private room; in the afternoon, he asked the restaurant to stew an extra basin of "cooked meat with bones" for dinner for the four of them.Also drink with meals.The wine was brought by Lao Bu, who opened the winery, and it was called "Yimapingchuan".After eating "cooked meat with bones", drinking "Yimapingchuan", and then playing mahjong. On Friday, Lao Shi received a call. An aunt of his had passed away in Liaoyang, northeast China. The aunt's son was also Lao Shi's cousin, and he asked Lao Shi to go to the funeral.Old Shi asked his cousin, did my aunt leave any words before she left; my cousin said, in the middle of the night, he had a myocardial infarction, and he found out in the morning that his body was already cold, so he didn't leave a word.After lamenting, Lao Shi decided to go to Liaoyang in the northeast to attend the funeral.The decision to go to the funeral was not because my aunt didn't leave a word, and my aunt was leaving, so I gave her one last look. It was because Lao Shi remembered his childhood.When Lao Shi was young, his uncle served as a soldier in Liaoyang, Northeast China, and his aunt went to join the army and worked as a textile worker in Liaoyang. She didn't come back for five years.When Lao Shi was eight years old, his uncle and aunt came back to visit Lao Shi's parents at the old Shi's house.Old Shi's father saw that his uncle and aunt were working outside, so he opened his mouth to borrow money from them; before his uncle could say anything, his aunt refused straight away; Well, if I lend you a person, everyone will be offended; if I lend it to everyone, it’s time for me to sell my pants.”

But at dinner time, my aunt took Lao Shi by her side, secretly handed Lao Shi two dollars behind his parents' back.Aunt: "When you were born, I was the first person to hug you with these hands." Two yuan at that time was equivalent to one hundred yuan now; people's wages at that time were only a few tens of yuan.Lao Shi never spent these two yuan, from the second grade to the sixth grade.From the second grade of elementary school to the sixth grade of elementary school, Lao Shi lived a particularly solid life.When he was in the sixth grade of primary school, Lao Shi fell in love with a female classmate, so he gave her 20 cents out of the 2 yuan and bought a flower handkerchief for her.Old Shi still remembers that there were two butterflies printed on the handkerchief, flying over the flowers.

It is more than 2,000 kilometers from ×× County to Liaoyang in the northeast.Lao Shi moved from his hometown to Liaoyang, and his cousin went on to mourn his aunt and tell the past.After the funeral was over, he came back from Liaoyang and changed trains in Beijing. Old Shi found out that before he knew it, it was the end of the new year.Because the Beijing Railway Station is crowded with people, people from all over the world have to go home for the New Year.If you don't pay attention, it's normal. If you don't pay attention, another year has passed.Lao Shi waited in line for four hours, but failed to buy a train ticket back to his hometown.Not only are there no tickets for this day, but there are no tickets for the next three days.Because this day is the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, everyone is eager to go back to celebrate the New Year; the closer it is to the New Year, the more anxious everyone is to go back.At this moment, Lao Shi lamented that his aunt died at the wrong time.Then I wanted to find a small hotel near the station to stay, so I just waited until the Chinese New Year, and went back again on the first day of the new year. I thought, I am not in a hurry at home on weekdays, so why worry about it alone in Beijing?Why bother to be stuck by a new year?So he left the train station, walked south, and found that there were several hotels in an alley on the east side of the road; I went up to ask the price of the hotel, and the phone rang.Lao Shi picked it up. It was Lao Bu who owned a winery in his hometown.Lao Bu said on the phone that tonight, he wanted to take a pot of "boiled cooked meat" from "Yetyicun"; Meat".Lao Shi looked at his watch, and it was already six o'clock in the afternoon; if it was anything else, even if it was borrowing money, Lao Shi would readily agree, but he didn't dare to make decisions about "cooked flesh"; According to the rules of Another Village, there are customers queuing up in front of the door, and you cannot serve meat from the back door privately; it is six o'clock in the afternoon, and it is time to line up.While Lao Shi hesitated, Lao Bu said, "My in-laws are no better than others, I will go to 'Yetu ​​Village' to find you right now."

Old Shi: "You come to 'Yetu ​​Village' now, but you can't find me." Old Bu: "Why?" Old Shi: "I'm in Beijing." As soon as he heard that Lao Shi was in Beijing, Lao Bu immediately became anxious: "This is a serious matter." Old Shi: "Isn't it just a bite of meat? If you don't eat it, your in-laws will die?" Old Bu: "I'm not talking about meat. Today is Wednesday, and tomorrow is the day of our poker game." Lao Shi also suddenly realized that today is Wednesday; Thursday is three o'clock in the afternoon, which is the regular time for four friends in his hometown to play mahjong.Old Shi: "I can't buy a ticket, and I can't go back. Let's go back this week."

Old Bu: "There is no space. If it is empty, the matter is even bigger." Old Shi: "Why don't you just play mahjong? If you don't play mahjong, you will die?" Lao Bu: "I will not die, Lao Jie will die." Old Shi: "What do you mean?" Old Bu: "Lao Jie has been suffering from brain pains for the past month. I went to the hospital for an examination the day before yesterday and found out that I had a brain tumor. I will have surgery after the new year. I don't know if it is benign or malignant. It will be troublesome to solve it. I'm afraid, this is the last time I will play mahjong before I solve the big problem."

After finishing speaking, Lao Bu hung up the phone, and even forgot about the "bone-cooked meat" that he said at the beginning.Lao Shi hung up the phone and felt that the matter was serious.The "Lao Jie" that Lao Bu mentioned was also one of Lao Shi's four permanent poker friends. He opened a bathhouse on South Street in the county seat.Playing cards on weekdays, Laojie brand is the worst.When you win a card, you get carried away, whistling and singing in your mouth;But one day last winter, Lao Shi got to know Lao Jie thoroughly.That evening, Lao Shi and his wife got angry and drank a few more sips of wine during dinner; who knew that the more they drank, the more angry they became, and the more angry they became, the more they drank;After getting drunk, he didn't want to stay at home, so he staggered and walked out of the house.His wife was angry with him and didn't stop him.When I got out of the house, I realized that it was snowing heavily.Looking at the heavy snow all over the sky, Lao Shi didn't know where to go.Staggering, walking from West Street to South Street in the county seat, I saw Lao Jie's bathing hall.When I entered the bathing hall and stuck my head to the ground, I didn't know anything.When I woke up early the next morning, I saw myself lying on the head of the bathhouse, with Lao Jie sitting next to him; in front of the bed, there were two bathers rubbing their backs, with towels on their shoulders.Then I found that I had a needle pierced in my arm and a medicine bottle hanging above my head.Old Shi pointed at the medicine bottle with his other finger: "What do you mean?"

A man rubbing his back in front of the shop said, "I saw that you were not awake yesterday. Our boss was afraid that something might happen to you, so he quickly called the doctor." Old Shi: "Have a sip of wine, what can happen?" Another one who rubbed his back said, "The doctor said, thanks for calling him here, your heartbeat was more than 100 at the time, and if it was a little later, it might have passed." Old Shi was still stubborn: "The past is the past. No one has died in life since ancient times." Old Jie shook his head beside him: "That won't work, you're going to die, where should we play mahjong?"

At that time, Lao Shi's heart became hot.The heat in my heart didn't mean that I rescued him, but that I saw a person's quality at a critical moment.Now I heard that Lao Jie had a brain tumor, and his life and death were uncertain. This mahjong game might be the last mahjong game before Lao Jie’s disaster.Moreover, he must rush back before three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, so as not to delay the normal game.But the ticket is gone, how can I get on the train?Lao Shi went back to the station from the alley, and went to the ticket refund office to wait for the refund.But everyone has to go home at the end of the year, and tickets are still unavailable, so how can there be refunds?Lao Shi asked the supervisor on duty at the station, saying that he had a seriously ill patient at home, to see if he could take care of a ticket.The supervisor on duty looked at Lao Shi sympathetically, and said that he had encountered more than 30 cases like Lao Shi today; but there are only so many seats on the train, and the tickets have already been sold, so where can I find another seat?No vote is no vote.Lao Shi wanted to find scalpers in the station square to buy high-priced tickets, but at the beginning of the year, there were policemen inside and outside the station, and he couldn't find a single scalper.In a hurry, the station square was lit up with colorful lights, and another day passed.It was also a matter of quick wit, and Lao Shi suddenly came up with a solution.He took out a piece of paper from his bag, took out a pen, and drew a few words on the paper: I want to seek justice He then held the piece of paper above his head. Without waiting for a minute, four policemen rushed up and pinned Lao Shi to the ground as a petitioner. In charge of deporting the petitioner Lao Shi back to his hometown are two police assistants in Beijing, one named Lao Dong and the other named Lao Xue.The so-called co-police is the helper of the police; it is not the police, but doing the work of the police.There are so many people on the train that there are no seats left; but sending petitioners back to their hometowns is not limited by the crowds.The closer the year is, the less people can petition.The train conductor vacated two berths for Lao Shi, Lao Dong and Lao Xue in the conductor's rest compartment.Petitioning is not against the law, and Lao Dong and Lao Xue did not make things difficult for Lao Shi; not only did they not make things difficult for Lao Shi, but they took care of Lao Shi everywhere because they were afraid that Lao Shi would change along the way.The train conductor vacated two berths, and they let Lao Shi live in one berth by himself, while Lao Dong and Lao Xue were squeezed upside down on the same berth.When the train left, Lao Shi breathed a sigh of relief, as did Dong and Lao Xue.Old Dong and Lao Xue stared at Lao Shi, and Lao Shi stared out the window.The train passed Fengtai, and the old director asked Lao Shi: "Brother, what's the matter, it's the New Year's Eve, and you went to Beijing to appeal?" Old Shi looked out the window: "It's useless to tell you, tell you, can you solve it?" Old Dong and Lao Xue looked at each other, and the two non-staff policemen really couldn't solve anything; since they couldn't solve anything, the two began to persuade Lao Shi.Old Dong: "No matter what happens, if it happens locally, it should be resolved locally." Old Xue: "Don't worry, there is no conflict in the world that cannot be resolved." While talking, when it was time to eat, Old Dong bought three lunch boxes.Old Dong: "A petition is a petition, but you still have to eat." Old Shi picked up his boxed lunch and ate it too.Old Dong breathed a sigh of relief: "That's right." After eating, Lao Xue poured a cup of tea into a paper cup and handed it to Lao Shi: "Brother, drink some tea." Old Shi picked up the paper cup and drank too. After eating and drinking, Lao Shi fell asleep on the bed.Watching Lao Shi sleep, Lao Dong and Lao Xue began to arrange shifts, and each of them took turns watching Lao Shi for three hours.Three hours of tossing, three hours of tossing, from tossing in the evening to the next morning, it is Lao Xue who is on duty; Lao Xue looks at the sleeping Lao Shi, stumbles a few times, and falls asleep with Lao Dong on the head of the shop .When I woke up suddenly, the sun outside the car window had already risen high.Lao Xue was sweating from shock, and hurriedly looked at the opposite bunk, and saw that Lao Shi was still lying on the bunk, his eyes open thinking about something, and he did not run away.Old Xue breathed a sigh of relief, raised his thumb and said to Old Shi: "Brother, benevolence and righteousness." I got off the train from ×× City, and took a two-hour long-distance bus. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Lao Dong and Lao Xue escorted Lao Shi, and finally arrived at ×× County, and handed over to the County Public Security Bureau.People from the County Public Security Bureau often go to "Yieyi Village" on the West Street of the county seat to eat "cooked meat with bones", and they know Lao Shi well.The policeman on duty that day was called Lao Liu.When Lao Liu saw that Lao Shi was being escorted, he didn't understand what he meant; he also read the letter of introduction from Beijing's old Dong and Lao Xue, and he was even more puzzled; he touched his head and asked Lao Shi: "Old Shi, what song are you singing?" Did you come out? Why did you go to Beijing to file a complaint? Why did you send someone back from Beijing?" At this time, Lao Shi said truthfully: "No complaint, no complaint." He also said: "Transferring in Beijing, I couldn't buy a train ticket, and I was in a hurry to come back to play mahjong, so I had to use this trick." He added, "Just playing." Turned around and left.Old Liu was stunned.Old Dong and Lao Xue were also stunned there.Old Dong started to stutter: "What is this called? Is there such a thing?" Old Xue patted the table: "You are so courageous." Pointing to the door and asking: "Who is this?" Lao Liu gave a concise introduction to Lao Dong and Lao Xue: This man is called Shi Weimin. It may be due to malpractice for personal gain, or it may be due to corruption, and he was dismissed; when the county magistrate can be corrupt, but if he is not the county magistrate, he will have a dry salary and cannot support a large family. I opened a restaurant; the name of the restaurant is "Yieyicun"; "Yieyicun" is very famous for its "cooked meat with bones"; because Shi Weimin's grandfather worked as a cook in Taiyuan Prefecture in his early years, he left behind such a unique skill; "Bone-cooked meat" is easy to sell, but Lao Shi cooks two pots of meat a day; his only hobby is: playing mahjong; every Thursday afternoon, nothing can be shaken. After hearing the introduction from Lao Liu of the County Public Security Bureau, Lao Dong and Lao Xue couldn't laugh or cry.One is because he is angry and funny, and wants to see Lao Shi again; second, after hearing about the origin of "Bone Cooked Meat" and Lao Shi's history, he is also a little curious about the "Yetuyicun" restaurant. In ×× County, I also wanted to eat "cooked meat with bones"; the two walked out of the police station and came to the street; after inquiring, they came to "Yetuyi Village".I heard that I was looking for Lao Shi, and a waitress took the two of them to a private room.There are four people in the private room, playing mahjong in full swing.Old Shi sat in the middle.Old Dong yelled, "Old Shi, it's too much to deceive the party and the government just to play mahjong." Old Xue also shouted: "Not only did he deceive the party and the government, but he also deceived us brothers all the way." Old Shi played a card and said: "Brother, the words are wrong. The party and the government, as well as you, should thank mahjong." Old Xue: "What do you mean?" Old Shi: "Originally I wanted to petition, but when I thought about playing mahjong, I changed my mind. Otherwise, I would have run away while you were falling asleep on the train?" Then he said, "I'm going to run away, how much responsibility will you two bear?" Old Dong and Lao Xue were stunned there.Old Dong: "Don't lie, you have to have a reason to petition." Old Shi stopped the cards in his hand: "I was a county magistrate more than 20 years ago, do you know that?" Old Xue: "I just heard about it." Old Shi: "Removing me back then was the biggest unjust case in the world; for more than 20 years, I should have petitioned every year; but for the sake of the party and the government, I was wronged and cooked meat at home; in the end, I did not follow you Think about it, you are serious." Old Dong and Lao Xue were stunned there.Old Bu, who runs the winery, waved impatiently at old Dong and Lao Xue: "Let's gossip, we're busy with business here." Impatiently, he urged Lao Wang, who wholesales cigarettes and alcohol: "Why are you so meaty, play cards, hurry up." After hesitating, Lao Wang played a card: "Two cakes." The old Xie who opened the bathhouse was overjoyed and hurriedly pushed down the card: "It's made." Then he sang a play.Lao Bu began to complain about Lao Wang, and the two quarreled violently.Old Shi blushed with excitement: "Happy." Old Dong and Lao Xue exited the mahjong playing room and came to the lobby of "Youyicun" to buy "cooked meat with bones".I didn't pay attention when I first entered the door, but now I know how powerful "bone cooked meat" is.Then I looked at the stove, and there was a pot of meat stewed on the stove. If I go to queue at this time, where can I buy it?Old Dong went up to the butcher and said to the butcher, the two of them came from Beijing admiringly, could they take care of them and sell them four taels of meat so that they could have a taste.The butcher shook his head, not to mention four taels, he would not dare to sell them for a penny; if he was sold for a penny to jump in the queue, the people in the queue would beat him to death.Old Dong Laoxue shook his head, went out, and wanted to find another restaurant to eat; at this time, the waitress who took Old Dong Laoxue to Lao Shi caught up and called them: "You two uncles stay." Old Dong and Lao Xue stopped.Old Dong: "What do you mean?" Waitress: "My boss said that you treated him to dinner on the train, and now he treats you to dinner." Old Dong and Lao Xue looked at each other, and then returned to "Yetuyi Village" with the waitress.Following the waitress into a private room, I saw a steaming basin of "cooked meat with bones" on the table.Next to a basin of cooked meat, there are two bottles of "Yimapingchuan" liquor.The two were overjoyed.Old Xue: "Old Shi was a corrupt official in his early years, and now he has changed his ways." The two sat down at the table, stretched out their hands, and began to tear the "cooked meat with bones" to eat.As soon as you take a bite of the meat, you will immediately know the benefits of this "bone-cooked meat".It is salty and fragrant, fragrant and sweet, sweet and spicy, and spicy and smooth; the taste not only enters the meat, but also enters the bones; after eating the meat, the taste is not lost at all.Old Dong and Lao Xue don't drink much on weekdays, and they can drink slickly with hot meat.At three quarters, a bottle of wine met the bottom of the bottle.After drinking one bottle, Old Dong opened the second bottle. At this time, Old Dong asked Lao Xue: "Old Xue, how will you report to the leader when you go back for this deportation?" Old Xue: "I'm afraid I can't tell the truth. If I tell the truth, wouldn't it be a joke if I sent him away?" Old Dong: "If it becomes a joke, it also makes us look stupid. Why didn't we find it on the road after more than two thousand miles? Maybe we will lose our jobs." Old Xue: "In a word, normal deportation." He pondered again: "After being educated on the way, the person concerned said that he will not appeal again in the future. If the case does not recur, we can still receive a bonus." Old Dong: "Since we have made him repent and rehabilitate, we also need to know the reason for the appeal; what can we say about the reason for the old history's appeal?" Old Xue: "To tell you the truth, I want to overturn the county magistrate's case. This matter seems big and serious." Old Dong: "That is, a serious matter cannot be turned into a joke." Raise your glass: "Dry it." Lao Xue also raised his wine glass, and the two touched each other crisply, and they finished. By this time it was completely dark.When the new year is over, some people start to set off cannons outside the restaurant, and some people are setting off fireworks.It can be seen through the window that the fireworks exploded in the air, colorful and radiant.