1983, Northeast China

Chapter 49: Inconsistent Duty Logs

The old house was much bigger than the previous house, with more kang (heated brick beds), and the stove had to keep burning. If the firewood in the house were to be lit, it really wouldn't last more than a few days.

Chen Shi thought to himself that if he secretly went to the mountainside to pick them up, it would only be a temporary solution.

With elderly people and young children at home, we can't afford to argue with people every day over a bundle of firewood. If we want to properly manage some firewood, we still need to go to the forestry station and get a proper permit.

By the time breakfast was served, he had already made up his mind.

"Hey bro, come with me to get a ticket today, we need to gather some firewood."

Li Cheng almost choked on his porridge.

He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, looked up at Chen Shi, and said, "Are you possessed today, kid?"

Chen Shi, without batting an eye, replied: "Brother."

"Don't give me that crap," Li Cheng said, slamming the bowl on the table. "First, tell me what you want. Calling me that so affectionately, you're definitely up to something."

That's what he said, but after taking a bite of the cornbread, he lowered his head and continued drinking his porridge, though the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

After a while, he added in a pretentious tone, "From now on, just call me that if you need anything. Don't keep calling me 'Li Cheng,' it's disrespectful."

Chen Shi nodded, "Yes, yes, he's the eldest son and farmhand in the family. Shall we go to the forest farm later and get a note?"

In short, everyone in the room except Li Chengdu laughed.

After the laughter subsided, Chen Xiulan became worried.

She knew that Tian Youshan was an unavoidable figure at the forest farm, and because of Tian Guiying, her impression of Tian Youshan was not good.

She was afraid that Chen Shi, being young and impulsive, might cause trouble again.

After thinking for a moment and carefully considering his words, he instructed Chen Shi, "Be careful, don't argue with anyone."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Sis, I'm going to get a ticket normally, not to fight."

Hearing this, Ya Ya tilted her head and looked at Chen Shi, "Uncle, when are you coming back?"

"Before noon, I guess."

She counted on her fingers for a moment, but in the end, she wasn't sure if she understood. She just said earnestly, "Chen Ting is waiting for you."

Chen Shi nodded. "Okay, Chen Ting will listen to her mother at home."

After finishing their meal, Chen Shi and Li Cheng went to the brigade.

To get firewood from the forest farm, they can't just go on their own; they need a letter from the brigade explaining the process.

Zhao Defa was warming himself by the fire in the brigade when he heard that they were going to the forest farm. He looked at the two children and said, "I'll go with you."

Li Cheng was taken aback. "Does this really require you to come all this way?"

"We're afraid someone might pretend to be confused, and then you won't be able to issue a permit."

Li Cheng, who was always quick to speak, couldn't help but ask after walking a short distance, "Do you think Tian Youshan might deny it?"

"He has no choice but to admit it," Zhao Defa said. "He wrote it himself and put his fingerprint on it."

Chen Shi didn't speak; he didn't think Tian Youshan would be that stupid.

The most infuriating thing about those with little power is never that they openly make things difficult for you, but that they make you run around repeatedly without ever finding out what's wrong.

The forest farm's duty room was reached quickly.

The stove inside was burning brightly, and as soon as you opened the door, the heat and the smell of smoke rushed in.

The person on duty was Liu Erhe, a tall and thin man, who was sitting behind the table flipping through an old record.

"Erhe, open for business gathering firewood. He's from Kaoshantun, and Tian Youshan left a message for him." Zhao Defa was quite familiar with the people at the forest farm, so he didn't beat around the bush when he entered the door.

Liu Erhe picked up the guarantee and looked at it. His expression was somewhat subtle. He didn't say whether it was okay or not, and slowly put the guarantee back on the table.

"Captain Zhao, this is not a matter that can be addressed directly."

Li Cheng immediately asked, "Why can't we drive? It's written in black and white, it's not like we're going to cut down trees."

Liu Erhe was usually a quiet and honest man with no guile, but when Li Chengyi pressed him for answers, he shrank back.

"Captain Tian did mention that there were some green scorpions in the Houhegou area a few days ago. The patrol records haven't been fully checked yet, so if Kaoshantun wants to collect firewood, they'll have to wait a couple of days."

Zhao Defa's face was grim. "The forest farm just says they'll give us two days off, but the elderly and children can't take it anymore, so they give us two days off too?"

Liu Erhe stood up and pulled a thick notebook from the desk drawer.

"Captain Zhao, it's not that I'm stopping you. Look at the records, it says that we can't just drive through until the matter of the thugs entering the village is clarified. If someone gets bitten or something, who's responsible?"

Li Cheng's temper flared up instantly. "Stop talking nonsense! Don't you know how the thugs got their name?"

"Brother," Chen Shi called out to him.

Li Cheng's chest heaved, but he managed to hold it in.

Chen Shi didn't argue, but looked down at the notebook that Liu Erhe had pulled out.

"My brother has a quick temper, please don't mind him." He smiled. "We have no choice. The kang (heated brick bed) at home can't be left unheated, the elderly and children can't afford to get cold."

Upon hearing this, Liu Erhe's expression softened a bit. "Everyone has to go through this."

"That makes sense," Chen Shi agreed. "How many days a shift does it take here at your forest farm?"

"It depends on the time. When it's busy, it takes three to five days; when it's slow, it takes seven to eight days."

"That must be tough," Chen Shi said. "In this freezing weather, guarding the mountain every day, you can't even take care of your family."

When asked about his family, Liu Erhe sighed, "I can't take care of them, and there's nothing I can do but make a living this way."

"Is your home far from here?"

"It's not close, it's over in Liujiagou."

"It's not easy to go back there," Chen Shi replied naturally. "There are many things to do at home in the twelfth lunar month, and there are not many markets left in the commune before the New Year. If we miss it, when was the last market? I heard there were quite a few people at the market."

Liu Erhe didn't think much of it and casually said, "It's the twelfth of the twelfth lunar month. If I miss the market, I'll switch shifts. It's almost Chinese New Year, so the regulations aren't as strict. I went back on the twelfth of the twelfth lunar month and got almost everything I needed to buy."

Chen Shi seemed oblivious to anything amiss, still looking down at his notebook. "The twelfth of the twelfth lunar month?"

"Hmm." Liu Erhe coughed.

Li Cheng was still confused and stared blankly as Chen Shi chatted with someone.

Zhao Defa understood what Chen Shi meant, and his expression improved.

This kid is good; he has a methodical approach to things.

Chen Shi turned his gaze back to the notebook.

The records on the first few pages are very regular, with different people every day and a different handwriting every five days. The handwriting is all very messy, and it's obvious that the person on duty is in a bad mood.

However, the two pages from the twelfth and thirteenth of the twelfth lunar month are written neatly with similar ink color, in the handwriting of the same person, as if they were added in one go afterward.

"December 12th: Sunny, light northerly wind. Tian Youshan and Liu Erhe patrolled the northern section of the timber road and the outer edge of the Houhe Ditch and found traces of fishy substances, suspected to be left by people from Kaoshantun. Passage of firewood along the outer edge is temporarily suspended."

"Are all these records written on the same day? Are there any requirements?" Chen Shi suddenly asked.

This was clearly a provocative remark, and Liu Erhe's face darkened again. "What do you mean?"

"Ask. I don't know the rules of the forest farm."

Liu Erhe put the pencil on the table. "According to the rules, it should be written on the same day."

"You didn't just write that, did you? I remember there was a really strong wind in the village that day, and it was snowing too. But our log says it was a sunny day with little wind."

"The weather here in the forest farm is not necessarily the same as in the village. Whether the wind is strong or weak is all based on human perception, not weather forecasts," Liu Erhe replied nonchalantly.

Li Cheng couldn't help but ask, "It's just a short distance away, does your forest farm have some kind of divine protection?"

"Brother Liu," Chen Shi looked up, "you just said you went back to Liujiagou on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month?"

Chen Shi gently pushed the notebook forward: "So, this note says you and Tian Youshan patrolled the timber route. Did you sign it after you came back, or did Team Leader Tian write it for you?"