Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3178 The Night Soil Carrier of Yesteryear

Chapter 3178 The Night Soil Carrier of Yesteryear

It was in the early hours of the morning.

In the eastern part of Beijing, in a large courtyard.

吸…

Whew…~

A puff of smoke was blown into the cool breeze, followed by two sizzling sounds.

The smoker tightened his cotton-padded coat, took two deep drags through the cigarette, and exhaled forcefully only after his mouth was full of smoke.

He took puff after puff until he felt he could barely smoke anymore, then he stopped.

Then he tapped it hard under his feet to make sure the sparks were gone before tucking it into his waistband.

After a long while, he finally let out a long breath.

Back inside, looking at his sleeping wife and daughter, a tear suddenly rolled down the corner of the middle-aged man's eye, fell to the ground, and shattered into pieces.

His cloudy eyes gradually closed, then opened again, a hint of helplessness flashing in them, mixed with pain.

In the end, it all turned into a long sigh.

A moment later, the man left the room, picked up his pipe, walked out the door, and then pulled the manure cart away from the yard.

The night was hazy, and there were no streetlights in the alley. The man's steps were not firm, but he still walked out.

Gradually, I arrived at a place I was familiar with.

The man put the manure cart aside, then took out his pipe, pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, stuffed a pinch of tobacco leaves into it, and lit a match.

After a long while, he finally started smoking.

Perhaps it was because there was too much tobacco dust, or perhaps the tobacco was a bit pungent today, or perhaps it was just his mood, but the man felt a tickle in his throat and wanted to cough a couple of times.

But in the end, he couldn't cough it up; he just choked and tears streamed down his face. In a daze, he saw his past.

His name is Ding Zhaodong. He is a farmer from a village around Beijing and also a manure carrier at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

Don't be fooled by the poor working conditions of a night soil collector; their status in the village is so high that they wouldn't trade it for a village cadre position.

Back then, becoming a manure carrier not only allowed one to obtain fertilizer but also contributed to the village's production.

They can also have a meal at the steel rolling mill.

This is the kind of food only workers get to eat.

Those steamed buns weighed two ounces each, and the children in the family loved them.

And then there's the oil and grease; they save the leftovers from their meals and take them home. Their wives put some in a pot with a little water, and it tastes better than what they make at home.

It was through this job that he found a wife and started a family.

He thought he would continue doing this glorious job, but unexpectedly, he met someone at the steel rolling mill who made him want to strangle him.

During that period, the steel rolling mill punished a person who made a mistake, Sha Zhu.

He and his cousin Ding Zhaohua were responsible for instructing him on how to carry manure, cleaning the toilets, and transporting organic fertilizer.

Everything was fine at first, but who knew that this silly Zhu, who made a mistake, would bribe the two of them with steamed buns.

At that time, a new member had joined the family, and there wasn't enough food for them. He wanted to bring some white flour steamed buns for his family, so he accepted Sha Zhu's steamed buns, covered for Sha Zhu, relayed messages, and even helped with chores.

Then the steel mill's security department found out about it, and Sha Zhu was severely punished, and the two brothers were also dealt with seriously because of this.

He lost his job carrying manure for the steel mill, and when the village officials heard about it, they held a meeting to criticize him. His family members were even more ashamed to face the villagers.

Both families were having a very difficult time.

It was at this moment that someone found them.

It was said that Beijing needed a lot of night soil collectors, and since the two of them were experienced and not opposed to it, they were hired to work.

The two brothers, who were desperate, put their heads together and ended up becoming sanitation workers in Beijing.

I've been doing this ever since.

Little did they know, this was just the beginning.

By the time they both realized what was happening, they were already deeply entangled in it.

In the time it takes to smoke a pipe, the man had gone through the whole story, then glanced at the alley entrance, but still saw no one.

He sighed, banged his pipe against the stone he was sitting on twice, then pulled the manure cart and prepared to leave.

"elder brother!"

Just as Ding Zhaodong was about to walk out of the alley, he heard a voice from the side and immediately stopped.

Looking back, she saw a man who resembled her somewhat pulling a manure cart, and her eyes showed a mixture of relief and reluctance.

"Brother."

Ding Zhaodong called out with a smile, and Ding Zhaohua simply nodded.

Gradually, the two came together.

The two then returned to their previous spot, took out their two pipes, and lit them together.

"How many years?"

Ding Zhaodong suddenly spoke, his words seemingly out of nowhere, leaving everyone speechless.

But Ding Zhaohua knew perfectly well that the question was about how many years he had been in the industry.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I can't remember exactly. It must have been about thirty years since before Liberation."

"It's been thirty-one years."

Ding Zhaodong, however, said with certainty, "I started doing this job when I was sixteen."

"A year earlier than you, I'm thirty-two."

After Ding Zhaodong finished speaking, the room fell silent.

After a long silence, Ding Zhaohua finally spoke, "If I had known that life would turn out like this, I would truly regret it."

Hearing his cousin's words, Ding Zhaodong lowered his head, at a loss for what to do.

After a long silence, he finally managed a bitter smile. "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Ding Zhaohua also gave a wry smile, "What's the use of saying all this now? Do we even have a way out?"

"Yes, what's the use now? There's no way out."

"Let's go!"

After saying that, Ding Zhaodong got up, tapped his pipe on a stone next to him, blew on it twice to make sure there was no ash, and then pulled the manure cart out.

A sigh came from behind, and Ding Zhaohua then tapped the stone with his pipe before they walked out together.

As the two left, six circles appeared on the stone, looking strange yet resembling some kind of pattern.

As the two walked away, more people pulling manure carts soon appeared in the night.

The crowd moved quickly through the streets, then hauled truckloads of excrement out of the city. (Ninth People's Hospital)

"Old Ding, it's you two again."

The security officer on duty saw the two and came forward to greet them.

Ding Zhaodong smiled and said, "Officer Wang, there's no other way."

"It's not that everyone is unwilling to come out because of the cold weather, but my brother and I are still able to work, so we were arranged to come here."

After hearing this, Officer Wang sighed, "You guys are just too honest."

"Here, have a smoke. You won't have time once we get to work."

Officer Wang seemed to feel indignant on behalf of the two men.

Moreover, in Wang's eyes, the two of them were also contributing to the revolutionary construction. No job is noble or lowly; both are serving the people.

"Good."

"I must try Officer Wang's cigarettes."

Ding Zhaohua chuckled as he spoke, and Officer Wang took out a match to light the two of them before finally saying, "I'm telling you, you're not young anymore. Will you still be able to work?"

Ding Zhaodong smiled and said, "Revolution and construction know no age limit."

Officer Wang gave a thumbs up, "Great job, the old comrade is really conscientious."

"By the way, our performing arts troupe will be back at the hospital to perform in a couple of days. If you'd like to come, I can get two tickets."

Officer Wang said with a smile that he had consulted with the head of the security department about this matter, and that it was also to strengthen the relationship with the public.

“Okay, I’ll have my family bring the kids then.”

Ding Zhaohua readily agreed, and Ding Zhaodong smiled as well.

The two quickly finished their cigarettes, and then, under the arrangement of Officer Wang, two security personnel followed them in through the back door. They soon arrived at their destination and began their work.

It's cold, windy, and smelly.

Both of them had been doing manual labor for years, so their sense of smell had become accustomed to it and they didn't find it smelly.

But the security personnel on duty couldn't resist and moved away to smoke in the shade.

The two worked as usual and soon filled the truck.

Just as he was loading the car, Ding Zhaodong said goodbye to the two security guards, clutched his stomach, and ran towards the hospital toilet.

The two guards weren't surprised; such things had happened before, and they knew each other well, so they didn't pay any attention.

Just after Ding Zhaodong entered the toilet, there was nothing inside except a foul smell.

After entering, Ding Zhaodong first looked around at the cesspools, as if he were counting, before squatting down at the third cesspool.

After squatting down, Ding Zhaodong looked around and finally noticed that the bricks under his feet were a bit loose.

After looking around and listening to the surroundings to make sure no one was there, he moved the brick aside and reached inside to take out a cloth bag.

Holding the cloth bag, I felt a strange sense of tension.

This was the first time he had ever done something like this.

Moreover, after this is done, no one will bother them anymore.

It only needs to be successful on the first try.

Stuffing the cloth bag into his arms, Ding Zhaodong squatted on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while. Realizing he was too nervous to catch it, he reluctantly got up.

Back on the manure cart, Ding Zhaohua cast an inquiring glance at him, and Ding Zhaodong nodded slightly. Then the two of them buried themselves in their work.

"Officer Wang, you're leaving."

As they passed the gate, Ding Zhaodong took the initiative to greet them, while Ding Zhaohua behind him seemed a little nervous. However, his face was not clearly visible in the darkness, and Wang, the clerk, did not notice anything unusual.

"Okay, go slowly."

Officer Wang waved, and the two quickly left.

It's still the same alley, still the same stone.

After cleaning the manure cart, the two men arrived at this location.

At this point, the marks on the stone had disappeared, and seeing this, Ding Zhaodong felt relieved.

Then the two of them lifted the stone together, revealing a hollow section inside.

Seeing this, Ding Zhaodong quickly put the small cloth bag inside, then put it away, and the two quickly left.

Night fell heavily, and lights twinkled throughout the city.

A figure appeared at the entrance of the alley. After confirming that no one was around, the person quickly walked to the stone and took the contents inside.

Internal Affairs Department.

Yu Zecheng didn't go to work at the Ninth Department today. Instead, he took a detour to his old employer early in the morning.

When Wang Lei saw Yu Zecheng return, he quickly set out cups to pour tea.

"How was it? Things went fairly smoothly in the Ninth Division, right?"

"What's bothering you?"

"If you don't want to stay there, just tell me."

Wang Lei expressed his concern, while Yu Zecheng smiled and said, "Everything is fine. The environment there is nice, the food is good, and we don't have to endure the elements or work overtime at night."

Wang Lei paused while pouring water. Yu Zecheng, seeing this, realized he might have said too much and quickly explained, "Old Wang, that's not what I meant."

Wang Lei shook his head. "Old Yu, I understand."

"But you're really living a good life, you've gained weight."

Yu Zecheng smiled awkwardly. He had been indulging himself a bit lately, or maybe it was because his cooking skills had improved.

Then he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Yang Xiaotao said last night that he would go."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but then his heart jumped again.

"Old Yu, I won't go into how important this operation is, but you must ensure his safety."

"This is our top priority."

Yu Zecheng nodded. "Don't worry, I'm prepared."

Wang Lei nodded and reminded him again, "Also, you need to be careful."

Yu Zecheng smiled but did not say anything.

After finishing his business, Yu Zecheng left the Internal Affairs Department and headed to the Ninth Ministry.