Chapter 764. Enamel Tank

We drove for a day and stayed in Enshi for one night.

The next morning, we drove more than 80 kilometers again and arrived in Laifeng County.

Mr. Zhang’s home is in a dormitory building in the county town.

Very ordinary, even a little old.

According to Secretary Cao, this house was allocated to Mr. Zhang when he was working, and the old man has been living here ever since.

It's been decades.

Secretary Cao led the way, and the three of them went up the stairs carrying their gifts.

Arrived at the door of a house.

The front door is also very ordinary, not even as fancy as the neighbor's door.

However, the two brand new plaques on the door lintel made Luo Yihang unable to calm down for a long time.

"House of Glory" and "House of First-Class Meritorious Service"

The three of them stopped in front of the door, looked at the honor on the lintel, and subconsciously held their breath.

a long time.

Secretary Cao introduced: "These two plaques were hung up in 19 on the th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, after Mr. Zhang's deeds became widely known. Before that, Mr. Zhang had never mentioned his deeds."

After saying that, Secretary Cao gently knocked on the door.

Not long after.

An old woman with plain clothes and gray hair opened the door.

Secretary Cao introduced that this person is Mr. Zhang’s youngest daughter, Zhang Jianrong.

Judging from his appearance, he should be in his sixties or seventies.

Luo Yihang called out very obediently: "Grandma Zhang."

Grandma Zhang smiled, greeted Secretary Cao and Master Wang, and led everyone into the room.

Mr. Zhang’s house looks like it has not been renovated much and still maintains the appearance of a dormitory building from the 1980s.

Luo Yihang had seen a similar style at Lao Jiang and Sui Wa's homes when he was in school. The old dormitory buildings of the third-line factories back then were similar to this one.

I remember it was called the Khrushchev Building at that time.

However, the dormitory buildings of the Third Line Factory are old and look like this. The newly built dormitory buildings in the factory in the late 1990s are already of the standards of modern new residential areas.

Mr. Zhang’s house is the old one, with terrazzo floor, which was very popular in the 1980s but was later eliminated when ceramic tiles came into being.

Half of the wall was painted yellow, and most of it was mottled.

The furniture is all made of wood, very much in the 1980s style, big, rough and black, just for the sake of being sturdy.

There is little furniture, but there are tables, chairs, a TV cabinet, and a small TV on the TV cabinet.

There is also a set of artificial leather double sofas.

Sitting on the sofa was a very old man with a smiling face and a kind face.

Grandma Zhang took two quick steps and leaned close to the old man's ear and said, "Dad, someone from your hometown is here to see you."

This old man is the old hero Zhang Fuqing.

The old hero supported himself on the table and tried to stand up.

Secretary Cao and Luo Yihang hurried forward and helped him sit down.

Don't let the old man stand up.

The old hero had surgery on his leg and has difficulty walking.

While supporting him, Luo Yihang gently called out: "tǎi tai"

It's Tianhan dialect, meaning great-grandfather.

Old Zhang looked at Luo Yihang and praised him, "Good boy."

The accent remains unchanged.

Luo Yihang's trip was not in vain after receiving the compliment from the old hero. After Zhang Luo sat down.

Mr. Zhang started making tea again.

Just as Grandma Zhang was about to go, Luo Yihang snatched the job away from her.

He is the youngest here, so how can he wait to be served by the elderly?

While taking the cups, tea leaves and hot water, Luo Yihang stared at an enamel pot on the TV cabinet for a while.

A very, very worn enamel pot, which had peeled off in many places and had a broken piece that had been patched with something unknown.

There are three lines of words written on the enamel pot.

"Dedicated to the heroic Chinese People's Liberation Army"

"Defend the motherland and defend peace"

"Gift from the National People's Condolences to the People's Liberation Army Delegation"

Some words are missing.

And the mottled color.

We should all have witnessed the heroes leaving the battlefield and returning to ordinary life.

Old Zhang noticed Luo Yihang's gaze and said with a smile, "I'm afraid the kid doesn't even recognize this thing."

Luo Yihang came back with the thermos, made some tea, and smiled, "You're wrong. I recognize it. My grandfather also has one. But the words printed on it are different from yours. My grandfather's cup says "Support the Third Front, Labor is Glorious". It was a souvenir issued by the First Metallurgical Bureau when the Third Front Factory was built in the 1960s. It is my grandfather's treasure and no one is allowed to touch it."

Bring this up.

Zhang Lao laughed and said, "This is also a treasure of mine. I won't let anyone else touch it. Are you still a third-tier kid?"

Luo Yihang shook his head and introduced himself: "My name is Luo Yihang. I am a farmer and I farm. I am still farming now. Our village is a support village for the third-line factory, providing agricultural and sideline products and food security to the factory."

Mr. Zhang nodded with satisfaction, "Okay, okay, working and farming are both contributions to the country. There are not many young people willing to farm nowadays."

"I'm a new farmer. I'm very good at farming. You'll be invited to taste the vegetables I grow later." Luo Yihang was very proud.

Mr. Zhang readily agreed.

Luo Yihang began by introducing himself.

Secretary Cao had come several times and Mr. Zhang recognized him.

The remaining one is naturally Master Wang.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang, my name is Wang Dahai, and I'm a cook." Master Wang did not dare to be arrogant in front of Mr. Zhang.

Following Luo Yihang's example, he just said that he was a cook and didn't say anything else.

Luo Yihang just said that he was a farmer's kid and he was a farmer.

There is no need to mention those other identities in front of Mr. Zhang, as they cannot be shown off.

When Mr. Zhang heard this, he smiled and looked normal, but he glanced at Grandma Zhang.

Someone from his hometown came, bringing agricultural products and a cook. How could he not understand what it meant? Grandma Zhang must have told his hometown what he had been talking about in recent days, and the people in his hometown took it seriously.

It was inconvenient for him to say anything in front of the guests. This glance was actually directed at his family members. He felt that it was inappropriate to mention it and would cause trouble for others.

Master Wang is very smart. He understood what Mr. Zhang meant as soon as he saw the slightest hint of his expression.

He smiled and said, "You may not know this, but I'm not an ordinary cook. I'm the school cook, and I cook for the students every day."

Secretary Cao immediately chimed in, "Master Wang is the head of the cafeteria at our city's No. 3 Middle School. He has been here since the school was founded. For more than a decade, class after class of middle school students have eaten the meals he cooked while studying, going on to higher education, taking the college entrance exam, and entering college."

It feels different when you put it that way.

Master Wang also took over the conversation, and continued with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, you are from Yang County, right? The kids from Yang County are the naughtiest."

This topic really attracted Mr. Zhang, who asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"I remember that in 14, there were two kids from Longting, one named Xie Xiaolin and the other named Xie Zibo, who were admitted to No. Middle School together. When they were in their second year of high school, they used a Coke bottle and a water pipe to build a rocket. A rocket that sprays water doesn't even need to be ignited. The two kids ran to the playground to set it off."

"Wow, it actually flew up, and it flew so high that it reached the fifth floor and broke all the classroom windows."

This turn of events made Old Zhang burst into laughter, "What a pair of naughty kids..."

(End of this chapter)