Chapter 278: Prison Release Benefit Exchange Hua Lao Passed Away
Chapter 278: Prison Release Benefit Exchange Hua Lao Passed Away (Subscription Request)
It’s a new week again.
In the suburbs, at the gate of a prison.
"Squeak--" The heavy iron door slowly opened and two people walked out.
"Be a good person and do good things when you get out. Don't get involved in gambling again. It's not a good thing." The prison guard kindly advised.
The other person lowered his head, hunched his body slightly, listened to the prison guard speaking, nodded from time to time, his eyes full of fear, panic, and caution.
"Okay, I got it, I got it." He lowered his head and replied in a low voice.
The prison guard patted him on the shoulder and said, "Be a good person!"
After saying that, the prison guard turned and left.
The person who came out was none other than Mr. Hua’s son, Hua Yaoqian.
He was sent to prison by Mr. Hua years ago, and now it's time for him to be released.
Hua Yaoqian raised his head little by little, looked at the tall, gray iron gate with fear, then slowly turned around and saw someone.
Old Hua stared blankly at his child in front of him, his eyes moistened. He leaned on his crutches and walked towards Hua Yaoqian little by little.
"Kid, you've lost weight!"
After saying this, Mr. Hua's mouth twitched but he couldn't utter a word.
Hua Yaoqian looked at the father in front of him with resentment, gratitude, and happiness.
He resented him for sending himself to prison and making him suffer so much in there.
He was grateful that he sent him to prison, which helped him completely quit his gambling habit. He saw many people in prison whose families were ruined because of gambling, which made him determined to stay away from gambling completely.
Fortunately, my father remembered the time when he was released from prison and came to pick me up.
Various emotions emerged in Hua Yaoqian's heart.
The two looked at each other but couldn't say a word.
"Go home!" Old Hua said softly, and the two of them walked back.
The two of them didn't say anything along the way and returned to Mr. Hua's courtyard.
"Now that you're back, have a good rest and don't rush to work. I'll ask for leave for you from the winery." said Mr. Hua.
"Brewery?" Hua Yaoqian laughed. "I've been working there for three months. There's no job for me anymore. How can I still work there?"
After saying that, Hua Yaoqian slumped to the ground, lowered his head, and his mouth twitched so much that he couldn't utter anything.
Hua Yaoqian's talents are all in the wine business. Since he cannot work in the winery, he can only do odd jobs in the street office.
Mr. Hua said firmly: "Don't worry about this. Just take a good rest. I will help you with the work."
Hua Yaoqian looked up at his father and was deeply moved, but he was already in prison, so how could he get his job back?
"Forget it, don't bother, just do odd jobs honestly."
"No!" Old Hua banged his cane and said angrily, "I am old, not dead. I have been brewing wine for decades, and the winery still can't give me a little face."
"Just stay at home and rest. When you're well, go back to work whenever you want."
After Mr. Hua gave a stern reprimand, he went into the kitchen to cook for Hua Yaoqian.
I've been in there for three months, so I must not have eaten well. I need to make up for it quickly.
Hua Yaoqian just stared at him blankly. It had been a long time since he saw his old father showing such concern for him.
It seems like I haven’t seen it since I got involved in gambling.
If you don't help your own child, who else can you ask for help?
Old Hua sighed. Even at his old age, his children were still so worrying.
Because of gambling, his wife and children were separated, and now he is out, how can he still be so dejected?
After Hua Yaoqian finished his meal, he fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing that Hua Yaoqian was sleeping so soundly, Mr. Hua walked out and headed towards the winery.
Hua Yaoqian's specialty is drinking, and so is he.
He is old, and he makes wine just to make a living so as not to affect Hua Yaoqian's life or cause trouble for him.
He deeply understood that brewing wine at home could only make a living, but that was in the past. Now it is no longer possible, even making a living is a big problem.
If it weren't for Li Kailang's support, he might have gone out to do odd jobs long ago, but Hua Yaoqian is still young, only in his thirties, and has a future, he can't continue to be decadent like this.
The current market conditions are not good, and he cannot tie Hua Yaoqian to the family workshop. Only the winery can help Hua Yaoqian, and only the winery's wages can support Hua Yaoqian.
He also wanted Hua Yaoqian to bring his wife and children back and get back on track in life.
As Hua Laoxing walked towards the winery, he had a lot of thoughts in his mind.
Finally, we arrived at the winery entrance.
The winery is not large, with only a few hundred people, most of whom are workers, and only a few are leaders.
"Comrade, please tell your factory director and I'll come find him." Mr. Hua said to the security guard.
The security guard looked left and right, up and down, at the old man in front of him, who was wearing patched clothes. How could he be so arrogant as to ask the factory director for help as soon as he opened his mouth?
Although the winery is not large in scale, it is not open to everyone.
The security guard said rudely: "Who are you? What do you want from our factory director? If you don't explain clearly, I can't report it!"
Mr. Hua looked at the security guard in front of him who was showing off his power. He was not angry and said calmly:
"Just say that Hua Yaoqian's father, Hua Linde, came to discuss the wine recipe with him."
"That's all?" the security guard said contemptuously. He didn't know whose father he was, but he was so shameless as to talk about discussing the wine recipe.
Mr. Hua said calmly, "That's it. Don't worry about it. Just report it. Your factory director will come to see me."
Seeing how calm and confident Mr. Hua was, the security guard was puzzled. He thought that maybe the person coming was someone important, so he was skeptical.
"Okay, old man, then you wait a minute, I'll go now." said the security guard, and immediately went to find the factory director.
"What? You said Hua Yaoqian's father, Mr. Hua, Hua Linde came to me to discuss the recipe for the wine?" Zhu Changyou, the director of the winery, stood up in shock.
"Yes, yes." The security guard responded repeatedly. Fortunately, he did not offend the old man.
Even though Mr. Hua is now just a small family-run wine shop, he used to be a big shop and a lot of the wine in the city came from him.
If it weren't for the wine tickets, company joint ventures, grain rationing, etc., the winery might not be able to beat him.
Even when the winery was first established, many wine recipes were modified by him, and none of them could compare to his, and they were much better than those on the market.
It was for this reason that Hua Yaoqian was arranged by Mr. Hua to work there, and with his abilities, he became the team leader.
"Where is the person now? Take me there quickly!" Zhu Changyou said immediately.
"He's at the door, I'll take you there now." the security guard said hurriedly.
"How can we let him stand at the door? We have to invite him in. Forget it, I'll go find him now."
Zhu Changyou left the security guard behind and immediately ran to the door to find Mr. Hua.
"Mr. Hua, why are you here? I'm really sorry, the security guard didn't know you and made you stand outside for so long." Zhu Changyou said apologetically.
"It's okay. I'm old and unknown. It's normal that no one knows me." Old Hua said calmly.
"Sorry, sorry, please come in!" Zhu Changyou hurriedly invited him in, gesturing with his hand.
Zhu Changyou invited Mr. Hua to the conference room.
Mr. Hua took a sip of water and got straight to the point: "I'm here for one thing, which is to help my son get back into the winery."
"This matter? It's a bit difficult to handle." Zhu Changyou showed an embarrassment, "You also know that your son Hua Yaoqian has been to prison. If he was in prison for two or three days, the factory would turn a blind eye."
"But he's only been in there for three months, and the factory has already fired him. Please forgive me, please forgive me."
Zhu Changyou forced a smile. He knew why Hua Yaoqian went in. It was the old father in front of him who sent him in.
But he was afraid that Hua Yaoqian would not quit gambling and would drag other workers into it, which would be troublesome.
Even though Hua Yaoqian lost his family in gambling, he did not drag other people to gamble, but borrowed money from others, but just in case.
Mr. Hua looked at Zhu Changyou and was not surprised by what he said.
Zhu Changyou continued, "Mr. Hua, how about we talk about the wine recipe?"
Mr. Hua said, "No, I came here today for this one thing, to let my son work in the winery again. As long as I can let him work in the winery, I can exchange it for the wine recipe."
"Want to change jobs?" Zhu Changyou asked tentatively.
Mr. Hua nodded heavily.
"This... this is a bit difficult!" Zhu Changyou looked embarrassed and looked at Mr. Hua secretly.
Mr. Hua glanced at him and said calmly, "I heard that wineries are not allowed to use staple grains to make wine now. I wonder if it's true?"
Zhu Changyou nodded, the news had already spread.
Mr. Hua continued, "The winery now relies on staple food to make wine. If we don't allow grain to make wine, the winery will go bankrupt. Director Zhu, you'll be in trouble."
Hearing this, Zhu Changyou's face turned even darker. This was now worrying him. If he was not allowed to use staple grain to make wine, the winery would have no wine to produce.
In less than two months, the winery will be closed down and everyone will go their separate ways to find jobs.
Workers are fine as they can do any job, but they are leaders. If they go to other factories, they will just take up other people's positions, which will naturally make people unhappy and make things more troublesome.
In the end, you might even be fired. It's not as comfortable as staying in your own factory.
"Mr. Hua, you came here not to laugh at me or make fun of me, right?" Zhu Changyou said unhappily.
Seeing this, Mr. Hua also got to the point: "Of course not, you arrange for my son to come in, and I'll give you the wine recipe, and everyone will make money."
"Jiu Fang wants to change jobs? Are you sure, Mr. Hua?" Zhu Changyou asked again.
Mr. Hua nodded heavily, as if he was afraid that Zhu Changyou would not believe him, and dropped a bombshell: "I'll use the wine recipe in the wine book to exchange for a job."
Zhu Changyou stood up in shock, unable to believe it: "Are you really going to use the wine recipe in the wine book?"
Mr. Hua nodded heavily and remained silent.
Zhu Changyou knew how precious the wine book was to Mr. Hua. He heard that Mr. Hua would rather have his son's hand chopped off than hand over the wine book.
From this we can see how valuable wine books are, and wine recipes are naturally not bad either.
Compared to the winery's revival, bringing in a criminal is not a difficult task.
Zhu Changyou lowered his head and thought about the current situation of the winery. Since Mr. Hua dared to take out the wine recipe, it seemed that he would definitely force Hua Yaoqian to return to the winery.
That would require careful consideration, after all, this was the first time Mr. Hua had sold wine in more than a decade.
Zhu Changyou sat down again, thought for a while, and decisively stretched out two fingers.
"Mr. Hua, Hua Yaoqian can return to the winery, but I want two wine recipes, two wine recipes that don't use staple food."
"Okay!" Mr. Hua agreed immediately.
Seeing that Mr. Hua agreed so quickly, Zhu Changyou thought to himself, "What a loss! It's too little. I should have asked for 2 more."
Old Hua also felt relieved. He thought Zhu Changyou was asking for too much, wanting four or five.
Even if Zhu Changyou asked for it, he would agree immediately. Compared with his son, the wine recipe seemed insignificant.
Old Hua couldn't help but look up at the ceiling, the sky, and his ancestors, feeling very guilty.
"My ancestors, I'm sorry. I feel guilty towards you, but for the sake of my child, I can only do this. I hope the ancestors will not blame my son."
Since he had agreed, Zhu Changyou could only say: "Although Hua Yaoqian gambled, he did not lead other workers astray, he only gambled himself."
"I believe that after three months of transformation, he will make great progress and will definitely get rid of his bad habits."
"After all, Hua Yaoqian worked in the winery for a while. We have a relationship with him. We should tolerate his mistakes and give him a chance to reform."
Hearing Zhu Changyou's praise, Mr. Hua laughed heartily, and was very happy. Zhu Changyou looked at him and couldn't help laughing too.
With Mr. Hua’s wine recipe, the winery is saved and there is no need to go to other factories.
After laughing for a while, Zhu Changyou said seriously, "Mr. Hua, when will this wine recipe be available? As you know, the factory is not doing well right now, so it's better to prepare it early."
Mr. Hua nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll bring it to you later."
"Do you know what the wine recipe is?" Zhu Changyou asked.
"Sweet potato wine and corn wine." said Mr. Hua.
Sweet potato wine is a kind of wine made from sweet potatoes.
Corn wine is wine made from corn.
Compared with wine made from staple grains such as wheat and sorghum, the quality of wine brewed from these two raw materials is not as good.
But the high output brought long-term benefits to the winery.
There are also these two kinds of wine on the market, but Mr. Hua’s wine is definitely not that bad.
"Okay, these two are fine." Zhu Changyou agreed happily.
"I've given you the wine recipe. It's about my son." said Old Hua.
Zhu Changyou said: "Don't worry, I will help you in person and make sure Hua Yaoqian can go to work when he returns."
Mr. Hua said, "That's good, but my son just got out and needs to rest for a few days. He may not be able to go back to work so soon."
Zhu Changyou waved his hand nonchalantly: "It's okay, I've opened the certificate for you, he can come whenever he wants, even next month."
Mr. Hua nodded with satisfaction.
At this time, Zhu Changyou poured cold water on him: "However, there is one thing we must make clear in advance. If Hua Yaoqian gambles again, borrows money from workers, and commits a crime, don't blame our factory for firing him."
Mr. Hua couldn't help but bow his head in frustration, but Zhu Changyou was telling the truth, "I know that if he did something wrong, he should be fired."
"Okay, okay!" Zhu Changyou smiled happily.
After the matter was settled, Zhu Changyou saw Mr. Hua off.
When Mr. Hua returned home, he looked at the sleeping Yanshuo Quan but did not wake him up.
He took out the wine book from a secret place, stroked it guiltily, and carefully flipped through the wine recipes inside.
"All our ancestors have kept this book and never made any mistakes. I never thought that I would have to give away the wine recipe. I really feel ashamed of my ancestors!"
Mr. Hua couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the two wine recipes he was about to hand over.
Old Hua carefully copied down two wine recipes, which were the result of painstaking research by his ancestors, and he wanted to sell them.
Mr. Hua was about to go out with the two wine recipes in his hand, when he turned back to look at the house. It was as if he saw his son sleeping in the house, and his heart suddenly hardened.
"Since I've already taken it out, just take a better one."
Mr. Hua hardened his heart and carefully tore off the two wine recipes copied from the wine book.
Giving this original wine recipe to Zhu Changyou will definitely allow him to see his attitude and allow Hua Yaoqian to return to the winery safely.
As expected, when Zhu Changyou looked at the yellowed wine recipe, he instantly understood that Mr. Hua had torn up the wine recipe from the wine book and understood Mr. Hua's determination.
Zhu Changyou took out the certificate that had been issued and gave it to Mr. Hua: "Mr. Hua, the certificate has been issued. Your son can come anytime. There is no rush."
"Thank you for your help." Mr. Hua said gratefully.
"No trouble, no trouble." Zhu Changyou said.
After the exchange of interests was completed, Mr. Hua went home and prepared dinner.
During dinner, Mr. Hua put the certificate on the table and said, "You can continue to work at the winery whenever you want. There is no rush."
Hua Yaoqian looked up at the certificate on the table, and stood there in a daze, not knowing what to say.
Mr. Hua picked up a piece of meat for his son and said, "Now that you are out, live a good life and be a good person. The past is in the past. You should look forward."
"When life gets better, I will bring my daughter-in-law and children back to live with us."
"Okay, got it!" Hua Yaoqian pretended to be calm while eating his food.
I closed my eyes tightly to stop the tears from flowing out.
After Hua Yaoqian got the certificate, he planned to rest for a few days before going to work at the winery.
Just when Hua Yaoqian thought that his life would go on like this, a piece of bad news hit him like a bolt from the blue.
He had just managed to calm down and adjust his mind, but he was shocked again.
Mr. Hua passed away peacefully.
Just like what is said in "A Farewell to Cambridge":
I left quietly,
As I came quietly:
I waved my sleeves,
Do not take away a cloud.
After Qiao Lao passed away, Hua Yaoqian took on the responsibility of arranging his father's funeral.
In accordance with his father's request, Hua Yaoqian's funeral was very low-key, and only the surrounding neighbors were informed of the news.
If they are willing to come and see me off, then I will come and take a look. If they are not willing, I will not force them.
As for relatives, Mr. Hua no longer has any of them.
When Li Kailang came to visit Mr. Hua with some food, he found that many people had gathered outside the courtyard gate.
They were either standing or sitting, all with sad expressions on their faces.
Funeral items were pasted on the door, and the sound of suona coming from the yard made the whole atmosphere even more solemn.
Li Kailang rushed into the yard and saw that it was crowded with people, all of whom were Mr. Hua's neighbors.
Everyone's pitiful eyes were focused on the coffin. Next to the coffin were photos of Mr. Hua and some of his favorite items.
"The dead are gone, and the living are like this." The voice of the funeral master (mcee) echoed in the yard.
Everyone bowed to the coffin to express their condolences.
"How could he be gone? He seemed fine a few days ago, how could he be gone?" Li Kailang muttered to himself as he looked at the coffin.
I remember that the last time I saw Mr. Hua, he was still in good spirits. How come he is gone in the blink of an eye?
The last time Li Kailang saw Mr. Hua was before Mr. Hua met Hua Yaoqian.
These few days, when Mr. Hua saw Hua Yaoqian again and arranged a job for him, he felt no regrets. The breath he had been holding in his heart let out and he didn't hold on any longer.
Before leaving, Mr. Hua said a few words to Hua Yaoqian and then left peacefully.
Mr. Hua has been toiling all his life. He is not young anymore and his body is no longer as strong as when he was young.
During these six months, he experienced great ups and downs in his life.
First, he "traded" with Li Kailang, allowing his skills to be passed on.
He then witnessed his son Hua Yaoqian's imprisonment and release from prison, and used wine and books to exchange for his son's life and future job.
These experiences made Mr. Hua feel gratified and happy, but they also made him feel ashamed of his ancestors because the secret recipe of the wine book that had been kept for hundreds of years was leaked by him.
Perhaps it was the various things that happened in the past six months that greatly consumed Mr. Hua's energy, but when he saw his family getting back on track, he left peacefully.
Looking at it from another perspective, this was a happy funeral for Mr. Hua. At the end of his life, his child was released from prison, he has a future, and his skills will be passed on.
For Mr. Hua, the two most important things have been accomplished, so what is there to regret?
"The ceremony is over!" With the shout of the funeral director, the funeral ceremony officially ended.
Everyone bowed three times in the end, and then someone lifted the coffin and walked out of the courtyard.
Hua Yaoqian knelt in front of the coffin, his eyes following the movement of the coffin.
He noticed Li Kailang standing aside, so he said something to the funeral director, walked towards Li Kailang and motioned him to talk aside.
Seeing this, the others quickened their pace and left the yard, waiting outside.
"Thank you, Master Li."
Hua Yaoqian looked at Li Kailang with tears in his eyes. Suddenly, his legs went weak and he knelt in front of him.
Seeing this, Li Kailang hurried forward and helped Hua Yaoqian up with both hands, "No need to do this, no need to do this."
After being helped up by Li Kailang, Hua Yaoqian's eyes turned red, and he said with a choked voice:
"Master Li, I really don't know how to thank you. My father was in poor health during the time I was in prison. If you hadn't been taking care of him, he might have passed away a long time ago."
"If it weren't for you, the wine book inherited by my father would have been lost. Thank you!"
After saying that, Hua Yaoqian knelt down again and kowtowed deeply to Li Kailang.
This bow may be an expression of gratitude to Li Kailang, or a remembrance of his father, or an expression of helplessness towards his own fate.
In short, this worship contains too much emotion.
Being pulled up by Li Kailang again, Hua Yaoqian said gratefully: "Father passed away peacefully. Before he left, he thanked you very much for taking care of him during this time."
"My father has lived a frugal life. I don't have anything valuable to give you. I don't know how to repay your kindness. I am also penniless now and cannot repay your kindness."
"But if you need my help, just let me know and I will never refuse."
Li Kailang felt unhappy after listening to Hua Yaoqian's words and patted Hua Yaoqian on the shoulder.
"I understand. I appreciate your kindness. I will do it again in the future."
"Condolences."
"No need to send."
Hua Yaoqian bowed deeply to Li Kailang in gratitude, then left the yard, pushing his father's coffin away.
The male neighbors nearby followed Hua Yaoqian out of the city to help bury him.
Li Kailang looked at their receding figures, feeling mixed emotions.
Until he disappeared, he turned around and entered the yard again.
Looking at all the funeral items placed in the yard, they were made very roughly and were obviously placed temporarily.
Hua Yaoqian left in such a hurry, it was obviously arranged by Old Hua to bury him as soon as possible because they didn't want to trouble Hua Yaoqian.
When Hua Yaoqian comes back, these things will be removed and returned to where they came from.
Li Kailang took out about a hundred pounds of food from the ring and placed it in the kitchen.
He took out ten big black tens and put them in the cabinet.
Finally, leave a letter.
The content of the letter was very simple. He had left food and money and would not send any more wine.
If the people introduced by Mr. Hua need wine, they don’t have to look for him anymore.
Li Kailang stood in front of Mr. Hua's portrait and murmured to himself:
"It's good to leave, it's good to leave, I won't have to suffer anymore, it's a good thing, it's a good thing~"
It is a good thing to go away happily without having to endure hunger or experience the sufferings of the world.
With the passing of Mr. Hua, Li Kailang’s only connection with the Hua family was severed, and they had no further contact from then on.
Li Kailang and Hua Yaoqian are not familiar with each other. They have only met twice, the first time and once now.
After this worship, the two sides became strangers.
Li Kailang didn't need Hua Yaoqian to repay his favor. Perhaps if it weren't for him, Li Kailang would not have learned how to make wine.
Every peck and every sip is a fixed number.
The connections that Mr. Hua introduced to him were also cut off, which was a good thing. He no longer had to send wine to him, which was one less trouble.
"Rest in peace, Mr. Hua. May you no longer suffer from the pain of the world."
Finally, after bowing and paying homage to Mr. Hua's black and white portrait, Li Kailang turned around and left cruelly.
From then on, the Hua family had nothing to do with Li Kailang anymore, and Li Kailang had one less person to worry about.
The days he spent with Mr. Hua will always remain in his memory.
(End of this chapter)