"This is Jinling, brother Xiaoyu, do you still remember this place?"
After having breakfast at the hotel the next day, Gu Yu and the others took the Mazda 929 to Jinling County below Luzhou.
In the late 1970s, Japanese cars entered China, with their beautiful shapes, stylish interiors, rich configurations, fine workmanship, and comfortable feel.
Cars far surpassed those of the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, and completely subverted the Chinese people's traditional understanding and experience of cars at that time.
Toyota Crown, Nissan Maxima, Blue Bird, Duke, Mitsubishi, Mazda 929, etc.,
These models are very popular in party and government agencies at all levels, replacing the previous Shanghai sedans and Jeeps.
Of course, the Hongqi brand is irreplaceable, and this is not a car that local governments can use.
When they arrived at Jinling County, Yafei looked out the window and asked Gu Yu who was sitting in the passenger seat.
"I still have some vague impression, but I can't remember it clearly. I still have a deeper impression of the asphalt road full of sycamore trees in front of the county party committee compound.
Especially in early autumn, the sun shines through the leaves, and the mottled light and shadow dance.
Occasionally when my dad is not busy, he will hold my little hand and walk home. "
Gu Yu's voice was a little low as he recalled the scenes in his memory.
An Jie gently pulled Jiang Yafei's arm, frowned slightly and glared at her, then looked at Gu Yu through the rearview mirror, and felt relieved when he saw that his expression was calm.
An Jie insisted on following Gu Yu to Jinling this time because he was worried that Gu Yu would be sad. Although a long time had passed, he would still be sad.
Jiang Yafei was also a little apologetic, feeling that it brought back Gu Yu's sad memories.
There was a brief silence in the car, but it was quickly broken by Gu Yu.
"Yafei, you like sweets. I remember that there was a chef in the county party committee canteen who was very good at cooking.
Once when he was hosting foreign guests, he was able to cook a limited menu that felt like palace cuisine.
I don't know if he has retired. "Gu Yu said with a smile, his mouth squeaking uncontrollably.
"Writer Gu, are you talking about Master Xue? He has retired and seems to have returned to his hometown in Jiangsu Province.
However, his apprentice, Master He, has about 70% of his craftsmanship, and his cooking is also very delicious. "
The driver, Lao Zhang, added that as a driver for a municipal government agency, he traveled all over the country with the leader. He often traveled to the counties and villages below Luzhou, so he was naturally familiar with it.
"Then I can look forward to the taste of my childhood, Yafei, Huaiyang cuisine, fish with pine nuts, sweet and sour pork,
Sweet and sour, fragrant and crispy, you will definitely like it. "Gu Yu looked at Jiang Yafei in the back seat and saw that she was already swallowing her saliva, adding a bit of a smile to her face.
An Jie also shook his head helplessly. This girl of hers really didn't look like a lady.
The car quickly drove into the county party committee compound. As soon as Gu Yu got out of the car, he saw a familiar face among a group of people.
It's just that compared to seventeen years ago, my body is a little fatter and older, my temples are a little gray, and I wear a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
The moment he saw Gu Yu, his eyes instantly moistened, his lips trembled slightly, and he wanted to call him, but couldn't make a sound.
Gu Yu took two quick steps and came to the man.
"Uncle Liu, long time no see." Gu Yu bowed respectfully, then straightened up and said with a smile.
Liu Sheng hugged Gu Yu and slapped his back hard, tears streaming down his face involuntarily.
Compared with soldiers like Jiang Defu, he still can't make a man cry easily.
"Okay! Okay!" Liu Sheng was so excited that he couldn't say complete words for a while.
Although we have kept in touch with each other through letters for so many years, we have never been able to meet each other.
Gu Yu was fostered in Liu Sheng's home after his mother passed away. Gu Gang was Liu Sheng's old leader and the person he admired most.
That's why Gu Yu was so out of control when he saw her again, and it took a while to calm down.
In fact, not only Liu Sheng, but also many county government staff who came with him to greet Gu Yu could not help but shed tears.
Many people think of the then secretary Gu Gang, or have heard of the noble feelings displayed during those difficult years, or have experienced it themselves.
Or maybe the leader has heightened the atmosphere to this point. If you are still not sad, are you being too unreasonable?
"After seventeen years of separation, our Xiaoyu has grown into a handsome young man and a great writer,"
Liu Sheng held Gu Yu's arm tightly with both hands, looked at it carefully, and saw An Jie behind Gu Yu, stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work!"
"Get up quickly. This is what we should do. We treat Xiaoyu as our own child."
Anjie quickly called to Gu Yu and Jiang Yafei to help Liu Sheng up. In these years of correspondence, Liu Sheng always called Jiang Defu and Anjie "brother Jiang" and "sister-in-law".
After a long-awaited reunion, Liu Sheng welcomed Gu Yu and the others into the county committee building and took them into the office to sit down for a while.
"Uncle Liu, you have gray hair. You must pay attention to your health. Don't work too hard. Check your body regularly and exercise more.
I wish auntie is okay? How are Sister Xiao Min and Little Viagra doing? Are you all married? "
The secretary poured tea for several people and then went out. They sat down on the sofa, and Gu Yu chatted with Liu Sheng about home affairs.
"As you get older, it is inevitable. Don't worry, I will do it. Your aunt and the others are all fine. Xiao Min's child is three years old, and Xiao Wei got married last year." Liu Sheng replied with a smile,
Maybe in front of others he was the county magistrate and had his own power, but in front of Gu Yu, he was just a cordial uncle.
And the more he looked at Gu Yu, the more Liu Sheng felt like he saw the old leader. For so many years, he had always treated himself as Gu Gang.
"Sister-in-law, you and Brother Jiang have trained Xiaoyu very well. Secretary Gu's decision back then was correct.
I think Secretary Gu and Teacher Zhang will be very happy when they see Xiaoyu. Liu Sheng looked at An Jie with gratitude and said.
"You're just talking about it. We are here with Gu Yu to pay homage to Gu's eldest brother and sister-in-law Yanni.
It was difficult for Lao Jiang to come here because of his official duties. He also said that when he retires, the first thing he will do is come to Jinling to offer incense to Brother Gu and his wife. "Anjie replied softly.
Several people had a long chat in the county magistrate's office, talking about the past, Gu Yu's growth and so on.
The arrangements for the next few days in Jinling County were also confirmed, and it was soon noon.
"Xiaoyu, the chef in the cafeteria now is not Master Xue in the past. He has retired.
I still remember that you loved the pine nut fish he cooked the most at that time. At that time, food was so scarce that you could only eat it once or twice a year.
Today’s chef is Master Xue’s apprentice, but his skills are not much different.
I specifically told the kitchen that there must be pine nut fish today. Try it to see if it tastes like it did back then. Liu Sheng took Gu Yu and said with a smile while recalling.
"On the way here, I even talked about this with my mother and Yafei.
Uncle Liu, you don’t know that Yafei also likes sweets. Her mouth was watering just listening to me on the road. "Gu Yu replied with a smile.
"Haha, you two should eat more for lunch. If it's not enough, I'll ask the cafeteria to add more! There are as many items as you want!"
