HCB Chapter 90: Quitting Alcohol for Soup, the Iron Man Plays with His Young Grandson
Chapter 90: Quitting Alcohol for Soup, the Iron Man Plays with His Young Grandson
The north wind of December, carrying snowflakes, lashed against the blue brick walls of the Hongxing Courtyard, howling and howling. Warm yellow light shone through the window of Liu Haizhong's house in the backyard, casting a hunched figure on the window paper as he clumsily threaded a needle, the stitches crooked and uneven like a crawling snake.
"Dad, you should put it down. I can sew it myself when Mom wakes up." Liu Guangtian sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at his father's graying temples and furrowed brows, feeling a pang of sadness. Three days ago, Aunt Liu caught a cold after being caught in the snow and was bedridden, so all the housework fell on Liu Guangtian's shoulders, who had just finished get off work at the factory.
Liu Haizhong's hand trembled, and the needle pricked his finger, drawing a bead of blood. He hurriedly put his finger in his mouth, mumbling, "What are you yelling about? This little bit of work is no problem for me." Though his words were firm, he could no longer thread the needle. He put down the needle and thread, looking at his sleeping wife on the kang (a heated brick bed), his cloudy eyes filled with regret—if only he had drunk less alcohol and helped out more at home, his wife wouldn't have collapsed from exhaustion.
The enamel mug on the table still bore the stains of last night's drinking. It was bulk liquor he'd hidden under the bed, which he used to drink two ounces every day after get off work, and when he got drunk, he'd curse and swear at Liu Guangtian and his brother. But ever since Aunt Liu collapsed three days ago, and he'd watched his second son running between the factory and home every day, mending his younger brother Guangfu's clothes and brewing medicine for their mother, he'd lost weight, and he hadn't touched that mug since.
With a loud crash, Liu Haizhong grabbed the enamel mug and smashed it on the ground. The wine stains at the bottom of the mug splattered onto the blue bricks like an unsightly ink blot. Liu Guangtian was startled and looked up to see his father with red eyes: "I won't drink anymore! This rubbish is a hindrance!" His roar lacked its usual irritability and instead carried a sense of resolute determination.
Liu Guangfu came in from outside carrying a bowl of medicine. When he saw the broken jar on the ground, his hand trembled, and some of the medicine spilled onto his cotton-padded coat. In the past, he would have been greeted with a slap from his father, but today Liu Haizhong only frowned: "Be careful, did you get burned?" Liu Guangfu was stunned, hurriedly shook his head, and handed the bowl of medicine to the side of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Liu Haizhong clumsily helped his wife up, scooped up some medicine with a spoon, blew on it repeatedly, and held it to her lips. Liu's wife groggily opened her eyes, and seeing her husband like this, tears suddenly streamed down her face: "Old man, what's wrong with you?" "What's wrong? Drink your medicine!" Liu Haizhong said sternly, but his voice was as soft as cotton. "Drinking the medicine will help you get better faster. The family is waiting for you to take care of things."
This scene left Liu Guangtian and his brother speechless with shock. In their memory, their father only expressed concern through fists and scolding; such tenderness was something they had never seen before. Liu Guangfu quietly tugged at his brother's sleeve and whispered, "Brother, Dad seems to have changed."
The next morning, before dawn, Liu Guangtian was awakened by noises coming from the kitchen. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, and went to the kitchen door. He saw Liu Haizhong squatting in front of the stove, holding a chipped spatula and struggling to stir the millet porridge in the pot. The flames in the stove were leaping high, making his face red, and his forehead was covered with sweat.
"Dad, why are you up so early?" Liu Guangtian stepped forward and took the spatula from the pot. The porridge was a little burnt at the bottom, but it gave off a rich aroma of rice. "Your mother is sick, Guangfu has to go to school, and you're tired from work, so I thought I'd make breakfast as soon as possible." Liu Haizhong scratched his head, adding a piece of firewood to the stove somewhat embarrassedly. "It's just that I didn't control the fire well, so it's a little burnt."
Just then, footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate, and Lin Chen walked in carrying a cloth bag and a medicine packet. "Guangtian, I heard that Aunt Liu is sick, so I got some cold medicine from Tongrentang. It's working quite well." He was taken aback when he saw Liu Haizhong in the kitchen—at this time before, Liu Haizhong was either sleeping in or bragging to the neighbors about his "glorious deeds" from back in the day; he had never seen him in the kitchen before.
Liu Haizhong looked somewhat uneasy when he saw Lin Chen. He recalled how he had previously made things difficult for Lin Chen in the workshop, even demanding grain coupons as a gift to become his apprentice. Later, he had stolen scrap steel and received an indirect warning from Lin Chen. In the end, it was Lin Chen who recommended Guangtian to join the precision group. He rubbed the dust off his hands and said in a muffled voice, "Master Lin is here. Please come in and sit down."
Lin Chen handed the medicine packet to Liu Guangtian, his gaze falling on the porridge pot on the stove. He smiled and said, "Master Liu, are you cooking yourself? It seems Aunt Liu is lucky." Liu Haizhong's face flushed at these words, and he quickly changed the subject, "Master Lin, have you had breakfast yet? Let's have some porridge together."
During the meal, Liu Haizhong noticed that Liu Guangtian's bowl only contained porridge and no pickled vegetables, so he took the pickled vegetables from his own bowl and said, "Eat more, the work in the workshop is heavy." Liu Guangtian hesitated for a moment, then took the pickled vegetables back, saying, "Dad, you eat too, I'm not hungry." The father and son kept arguing, while Liu Guangfu secretly laughed to himself. He was glared at by Liu Haizhong and quickly lowered his head to drink his porridge.
Lin Chen watched this scene and nodded inwardly. Since Liu Guangtian became a key technical worker in the workshop, Liu Haizhong's temper had mellowed considerably, especially after Liu Guangtian got married last year and had a son this year; Liu Haizhong doted on his grandson even more. However, he still couldn't shake his drinking habit, and when drunk, he would forget all about his child.
"Master Liu, is Guangtian's wife about to give birth? You must invite us to the wedding feast!" Lin Chen deliberately mentioned his grandson, and sure enough, Liu Haizhong's eyes lit up. "Soon, her due date is in a month. I'll definitely invite Master Lin for a drink then!" As soon as he finished speaking, he remembered that he had just decided to quit drinking, and quickly added, "I won't drink, I'll pour you some wine."
Lin Chen smiled and said, "Actually, it's good not to drink. The money saved can be used to buy some nutritional supplements for the child, which is better than anything else. Besides, taking care of a grandson is physically demanding. If you drink, you won't be as agile, and it would be bad if you dropped the child." These words struck a chord with Liu Haizhong. Looking at Liu Guangtian's outstanding apprentice certificate hanging on the wall, and thinking of his unborn grandson, he felt even more strongly that quitting drinking was the right thing to do.
Upon arriving at the workshop, Lin Chen had just placed the new forging blueprints on the table when Liu Haizhong approached with a thermos. Previously, Liu Haizhong's thermos was filled with bulk liquor, but today it emitted a faint aroma of chrysanthemum tea. "Master Lin, could you take a look at this blueprint? Guangtian said there's a problem with the forging angle of this gear," Liu Haizhong said, placing a blueprint covered in annotations in front of Lin Chen, his tone full of inquiry.
Lin Chen took the blueprints and examined them carefully. The annotations on the blueprints were very detailed, clearly drawn by Liu Guangtian who stayed up all night, but there was indeed a small error in the calculation of the gear angles. "The angle here should be 30 degrees, not 25 degrees, otherwise the transmission efficiency will be reduced considerably," Lin Chen pointed out the error on the blueprints and patiently explained.
Liu Haizhong listened attentively, took out a small notebook to write it down, and kept muttering, "I remember, 30 degrees, transmission efficiency." In the past, he always thought he was a level six forging worker in the workshop, better than anyone else, and never listened to other people's opinions. Now, in order to help his son, he was willing to lower himself and ask Lin Chen, who was younger than him, for advice.
During the lunch break, while the workers in the workshop were eating, Liu Haizhong carried a cloth bag containing steamed buns and pickled vegetables that Aunt Liu had prepared for him that morning. He used to always complain that the food at home wasn't good enough, either buying food from the canteen or eating with his coworkers. Now, however, he treasured the food from home and even saved a steamed bun, saying he would take it home for Liu Guangtian to eat that evening.
"Old Liu, why aren't you drinking? You used to be drinking with us by now at this time," an old coworker asked with a smile. Liu Haizhong put down his steamed bun and said seriously, "I'm not drinking anymore. My wife is sick at home, and my son is about to become a father. I have to work hard to help out at home." His words surprised the surrounding coworkers, who all praised him for being sensible.
After get off work in the afternoon, Liu Haizhong didn't go to the tavern with his coworkers as usual, but went straight home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Lin Chen standing in the middle yard, holding a small cradle and talking to Qin Huairu. "Master Lin, what's this?" Liu Haizhong walked over and saw that the cradle was lined with soft cotton and was very well made.
"This is a cradle I had someone make for Guangtian's wife. It'll be perfect for the baby after he's born." Lin Chen handed him the cradle. "Master Liu, I offended you a lot in the workshop before, please don't take it to heart. Seeing how much you love your child makes me so happy for you." Liu Haizhong took the cradle, his hands trembling slightly. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to be so thoughtful. Remembering how he had made things difficult for Lin Chen in the past, his face was full of guilt: "Master Lin, I was wrong before, please don't take it to heart. I'll remember this kindness."
Back home, Liu Guangtian was wiping his mother's body when he saw the cradle in his father's hand and asked in surprise, "Dad, what's this?" "It's a gift from Master Lin, prepared for your wife." Liu Haizhong placed the cradle on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and carefully adjusted the cotton inside. "From now on, I'll come home earlier after get off work to help you take care of your mother. After the baby is born, I'll take care of it."
Grandma Liu lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), watching her husband's busy figure, and tears fell again, this time tears of happiness. Liu Guangtian walked to his father's side and patted him on the shoulder: "Dad, thank you." Liu Haizhong turned his head, patted his son's back hard, and said nothing, but his eyes were full of relief.
In the days that followed, Liu Haizhong completely changed. Every morning he would get up before dawn to cook, then take Liu Guangfu to school. After returning home, he would brew medicine for Liu's mother and bathe her. In the afternoon, after get off work, he would go to the market to buy fresh vegetables and make chicken soup for his pregnant daughter-in-law. The former irritable, easily angered, and alcoholic "patriarch" had now become the most diligent person in the family.
One evening, Lin Chen came home from get off work and saw Liu Haizhong wandering around the yard holding a rag doll, humming an off-key lullaby. The setting sun shone on him, casting a long shadow, and his originally hunched back straightened considerably. "Master Liu, practicing taking care of your grandson in advance?" Lin Chen said with a smile as he walked over.
When Liu Haizhong saw Lin Chen, he hid the rag doll behind his back somewhat embarrassedly: "Practice a bit, so you won't be flustered later." He paused, then took out a paper package from his pocket and handed it over: "This is some tea I asked someone to buy, have it and try it." Lin Chen took the package, smelled the faint aroma of tea inside, and felt a warmth in his heart.
Just then, Yan Bugui's voice came from the Intermediate Court: "Old Liu, want to do some accounting? I have a new bookkeeping method that can save a lot of grain coupons." Liu Haizhong used to hate Yan Bugui's scheming, but today he smiled and said, "No, I have to go home to brew medicine for my wife." After saying that, he took his rag doll and went home, leaving Yan Bugui standing there, muttering to himself, "That Old Liu, he's really changed."
Half a month later, Liu Guangtian's wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy. That day, Liu Haizhong went to the market early to buy fresh pork and crucian carp, and busied himself in the kitchen, preparing a large feast. The neighbors in the courtyard were all invited to the wedding banquet. Sha Zhu even brought steamed buns and braised pork from the canteen, and Qin Huairu also made several little clothes for the baby.
At the banquet, Liu Haizhong held his grandson, beaming from ear to ear. He poured wine for everyone, but placed a glass of plain water in front of himself. "I'm so happy today that my grandson was born! I used to be a heavy drinker, which wasn't good for my child. Thanks to Master Lin and all the neighbors for their help, I've finally come to my senses." He raised his glass of water to Lin Chen, "Master Lin, I'd like to toast you. Thank you for helping my son, Guangtian, and thank you for enlightening me."
Lin Chen also raised his glass and said with a smile, "Master Liu, you've figured this out yourself. From now on, take good care of your grandson and enjoy family life." The neighbors around also raised their glasses, and the courtyard was filled with laughter. Even Aunt Yi, who was usually frowning, showed a rare smile.
That evening, after the guests had left, Liu Haizhong sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) holding his grandson, carefully tucking the child in. His wife, Aunt Liu, leaned against him and whispered, "Old man, do you think our lives will get better and better?" Looking at his sleeping grandson's face, Liu Haizhong said firmly, "Yes, definitely. Guangtian has the skills, Guangfu is reliable, and we have this big, healthy grandson. Our lives will only get better and better."
The north wind was still howling outside, but inside Liu Haizhong's house it was warm and cozy. Under the lamplight, the figures of three generations of the family were reflected on the window paper, creating a heartwarming scene. Liu Haizhong looked down at his grandson's rosy cheeks, recalling his past actions, and felt a deep sense of relief—thankfully, he had woken up in time and hadn't missed out on this hard-won happiness.
The next morning, Liu Haizhong took his grandson for a walk in the yard, showing off to everyone he met: "Look at my grandson, how energetic he is!" The Liu Haizhong who used to act like a "patriarch" in the yard was gone, replaced by a smiling, warm-hearted grandfather. Lin Chen watched this scene and thought to himself: Human nature is inherently good; given the opportunity, even the hardest stone can be melted by warmth.
In the workshop, Liu Haizhong became the most popular person. He taught his young apprentices his decades of forging experience without reservation and often helped Lin Chen solve technical problems. Once, when the forging press malfunctioned, Lin Chen couldn't find the cause at first, but Liu Haizhong, based on his experience, pointed out that it was caused by bearing wear, saving the workshop a lot of repair time.
As the days went by, Liu Haizhong's grandson grew up. Every day after get off work, Liu Haizhong could be seen playing with his grandson in the yard, either teaching him to read or telling him stories. The once short-tempered father who would beat and scold his child at the drop of a hat has now become a well-known good grandfather and husband in the neighborhood.
One day, Lin Chen passed by the Intermediate People's Court and saw Liu Haizhong telling his grandson stories about his past work at the docks. This time, however, he didn't boast about managing dozens of people. Instead, he honestly said, "Back then, I was ignorant and always tried to put on airs. But that was all just talk. The truly capable ones are like your Uncle Lin, who earn their living through skills and win people over with their character."
Lin Chen felt gratified upon hearing this.