May 1950, Chunfeng Tea House, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
"Teacher Chen, you said that the troops on the border have been increasing recently, so there won't be a war, right?"
On the second floor, by the window, there are several exquisite melon and fruit snacks and several large teacups on a square table.
On the long bench beside the square table, a middle-aged man wearing an undershirt said with a slightly worried face to a middle-aged man on the other side of the square table wearing black-rimmed glasses, a gentle look and wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
After hearing the words of the man in an undershirt, the middle-aged man, known as Teacher Chen, picked up the tea cup on the table and took a sip. Then he grabbed a handful of peanuts from the table, peeled a peanut and stuffed it in his mouth, while slowly Slowly he said:
"It's really hard to say. The news these days has been saying that Argentina next door is very restless and will cause some friction at the border from time to time.
The Ministry of National Defense had to send troops to guard the border. I heard that there will be a military exercise at the border in the next two days! "
As soon as he finished speaking, someone from another table next to him answered:
"Yes! Yes! I also heard that the Navy also sent a warship across Uruguay to the South Atlantic to warn Argentina!"
When the man in the sweatshirt heard this, he said with a depressed expression:
"After a few days of hard work, we have been living a stable life. Seeing that life is getting more and more promising, the situation in Brazil has also begun to become tense. I just hope that everyone can exercise restraint and not really start fighting."
"Yes! We came here just to avoid the war in our hometown. If a fight breaks out here, we will die."
A middle-aged man with a Jinmen accent not far away answered.
Seeing that everyone seemed a little pessimistic, the middle-aged man called Teacher Chen couldn't help but stand up and said:
"You don't need to worry too much. As far as I know, Argentina's strength is still incomparable to Brazil's. Not only are they incomparable in terms of the number of troops, but in terms of actual combat experience, our Brazilian army is also far superior to the other side. of.
After all, Brazil fought the Germans together with the Americans. "
"I've also heard about this. Argentina's navy doesn't even have an aircraft carrier. If a war breaks out, they may not be able to defeat Brazil."
"Whether we can survive the war or not, it's better not to fight. Everyone has experienced war and has deep personal pain about this kind of thing. Once a war breaks out, everyone will start to be displaced again."
The middle-aged man in a sweatshirt who spoke first saw that everyone was feeling depressed because of his words, and felt a little embarrassed, so he quickly changed the subject and said:
"Okay, okay, this kind of thing is not something we can worry about now. I heard that Mr. Fang is now the deputy minister of the Brazilian Navy. Is it true?
Lao Liu, didn’t your second son join the army last year? Is there any news coming back? "
The man called Lao Liu was a short, stocky, middle-aged man. After hearing what the man in the sweatshirt said, he couldn't help but glare at him and said:
"Second Cao, what are you talking about? My second son is a big-time soldier. Is he allowed to discuss Mr. Fang's affairs? Even if he knows something, he can't tell it to me, a common man!"
When the man in a sweatshirt who was called Cao Erluzi heard this, he could only smile and was not angry.
On the other hand, Teacher Chen, who was wearing a shirt and a gentle face, took the initiative to answer:
"Actually, this is not a secret. Mr. Fang is indeed the Deputy Minister of the Navy now, and his office has been moved from Natal to Rio de Janeiro.
This matter has been reported in detail in Chinese newspapers a few days ago. "
When everyone around heard this, they all started talking.
Cao Erluzi couldn't help but spoke first again:
"Teacher Chen, you are the most educated among us. You are also a Chinese teacher in a community primary school. You can learn the latest news from newspapers. Please tell us how big a person this deputy minister of the Navy is." Officer!"
Hearing Cao Erluzi's praise of him, Teacher Chen was slightly proud of himself. Most of the people drinking tea in the Chunfeng Tea House were ordinary workers who came from their hometown through labor dispatch, and some were simply coolies.
It is true that many of them are uneducated, but after two years in Brazil, they have a lot of money. During this break time, everyone does not have much to do, so they like to drink tea and chat in this tea house. They sit there all day and spend a lot of time. Not a few big boys.
Seeing everyone around him looking at him, Teacher Chen stopped being polite and coughed twice and said:
"Let's talk about the Deputy Minister of the Navy! He is a great official, let's put it this way! In the entire Brazilian Navy, apart from the Minister of Navy, he is the biggest."
"Oh my god! Isn't that one person is inferior to ten thousand people? Is Mr. Fang already so powerful at such a young age? Isn't he going to be the president in a few years?
It would be great if he really became the president, then life for us Chinese might be even better. "
"What's so good about the president? Don't you know how powerful the Fang family is now? That's someone even the president wants to fawn over."
Suddenly everyone started talking again, and the topic went further and further, and they began to discuss how powerful the Fang family was.
Regarding this, Teacher Chen, as a primary school teacher, also felt pain for a while. These guys are good at everything, but they often go off topic when talking. They were originally talking about one thing, but they said it well, and they were ready to express their own opinions and reflect Check your own level.
But these guys can often take the topic very far with just one word or another, without even giving themselves a chance to express themselves.
But he couldn't say much about this topic today. After all, the Fang family's strength in Brazil was too strong. If he accidentally said the wrong thing and offended the Fang family, he would no longer have a place in Brazil. .
Especially when he saw that everyone's topics were getting more and more crooked, and when he saw that the private life of the Fang family was about to start, he couldn't help but glared at the stupid Cao Er who was standing aside. He blamed this guy for bringing up the Fang family's affairs. ?
I got involved myself, so I had to find a way to change the topic, otherwise it would be bad if I offended the Fang family.
Soon, he thought of something, coughed twice and interrupted everyone's discussion:
"Ahem, okay, okay, the Fang family is the owner of most of the people here. We owe our life today to them! You don't want to discuss it anymore.
During this period, in addition to talking about things in Argentina, newspapers also reported on one thing continuously for a long time. I don’t know if you have heard of it. "
As soon as Teacher Chen said this, everyone stopped talking.
"I know, Teacher Chen is talking about the dangers of smoking that are mentioned every day in the newspapers!"
Hearing someone answer the call, Teacher Chen quickly said:
"Yes! This brother is right. To be precise, it should be the harm of drugs."
Before Teacher Chen could continue, someone started to answer:
"Does this need to be said? There was a neighbor in my hometown who smoked cigarettes and his family was ruined. He sold his wife and children to exchange for cigarettes.
Finally, when there was nothing left to sell, this guy lay down at the door of the opium shop, asking for cigarettes from people coming in and out. Later, he was beaten to death by the people in the opium shop. "
"What the hell! There was a big landowner in our hometown. Just because the man smoked, he bought all the land in less than five years. Later, when the family saw that they couldn't stop it, they simply divided the family. All his belongings were gone.
This guy was later thrown out of his ancestral home by debt collectors. In the middle of winter, he froze to death at the door of his ancestral home. "
"What you're talking about doesn't mean anything. Have you ever seen someone die from smoking a cigarette? I've seen it before. It was really scary. All that was left was skin and bones. At that time, their family asked us to kill him. The bones of the body are restrained.
That weight can lift him up with just a hug. He is about the same weight as a six or seven-year-old child. "
As Chinese compatriots who have been deeply poisoned by smoke, everyone is naturally very clear about the harm of smoke, so everyone can tell many tragic cases that happened around them.
Teacher Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief when everyone started discussing the dangers of smoking.
When Cao Erluzi saw Teacher Chen mentioning this topic, he couldn't help but said:
"Teacher Chen, why did the newspaper suddenly start reporting on the dangers of drugs!"
Hearing Cao Erluozi's question, everyone's chatter gradually became quieter, and they all looked at Teacher Chen. Everyone was very aware of the dangers of this drug.
But at the same time, everyone has become accustomed to the existence of this thing. Now that they suddenly heard Teacher Chen mention this topic, they were naturally a little curious.
One of them even said:
"I remember saying this when we were recruiting workers! We don't want people who smoke heavy cigarettes. There are no opium dens in Porto Alegre now! Why did the newspaper suddenly mention this?"
In order to prevent the topic from getting distorted again, Teacher Chen also quickly said:
"We are used to newspapers reporting on the dangers of drugs. When I was in my hometown, newspapers also reported on them. So, I didn't pay much attention to it at first.
But recently, as more and more news has been reported, it may have attracted the attention of big shots. A few days ago, some congressmen proposed legislation to ban drugs.
Moreover, the intensity of drug control and the severity of punishment proposed this time are unprecedented. It is said that it is clear that the death penalty must be introduced. "
In fact, the Chinese people have long been accustomed to the death penalty and did not feel anything unusual. Therefore, when Teacher Chen announced the introduction of the death penalty, he originally thought that everyone would be surprised.
Unexpectedly, everyone was surprisingly calm. Even Cao Erluzi said directly:
"For these people who have been killed by a thousand cuts, the death penalty is easier for them. I think they should be cut into pieces by a thousand cuts."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone else answered:
“That’s right, the Brazilian law is weird. It doesn’t even impose the death penalty. Instead, it directly imposes a sentence of hundreds of years in prison. As a result, people who have money can get a reduced sentence after being imprisoned. After being imprisoned for more than ten years, they are actually sentenced to prison again. It was let out. It was a joke."
"Alas! There's no way. This just tells you that it doesn't matter what you do. What's important is that you don't have money. If you have money, the judge will be bribed by you."
In Teacher Chen's opinion, this result was completely unexploding and did not achieve the effect he wanted. He couldn't help but shook his head helplessly.
Just when everyone was supporting the death penalty, a voice suddenly came from a corner of the tea house:
"I heard that some Chinese people are smoking cigarettes now. Will these people who smoke cigarettes be sentenced to death?"
As soon as these words came out, the entire teahouse fell into silence. Everyone looked at the man who made the noise. They saw a tall and thin man wearing a silk robe, who was looking a little panicked by everyone's eyes.
In fact, after the years of the Republic of China, the habit of wearing long robes and mandarin jackets has slowly disappeared from my hometown. What's more, with the temperature in Brazil at this time of year, many ordinary people just wear an undershirt. Judging from the clothes and thin figure of this person, he should be a poor old man.
Moreover, the old man's sallow complexion allowed many people to tell at a glance that he was 80% a heavy smoker. No wonder he would ask such a question.
Seeing this unfamiliar person asking questions, many people didn't want to pay attention to it, but after Teacher Chen took a deep look at the other person, he slowly said:
"What the newspapers said was mostly about the crimes of planting and selling drugs. It seems that those who take drugs will also be jailed, but I have no idea how long they will be jailed.
However, I remember that if you are already a drug addict, you can surrender to the police station. If you surrender and apply for active drug rehabilitation, you will be exempted from criminal liability.
If you have meritorious service, you can also be exempted from drug treatment costs. "
After finishing speaking, he did not forget to give the other party an encouraging look.
After hearing what Teacher Chen said, the man in robes looked panicked, like a wounded rabbit. He stood up in panic, bowed his hands to Teacher Chen and said:
"Thank you sir for the tip, and then I ran out without looking back."
Seeing this situation, everyone in the teahouse immediately exploded.
"This guy is obviously a heavy smoker! Didn't he go through the screening process when he got on the ship from his hometown? How did this guy get here?"
"Looking at this guy's clothes, he probably didn't come here through labor dispatch. Maybe he didn't come through the same channel as us."
"You look so panicked. Could it be that you smoked in Brazil? I haven't seen any opium dens nearby?"
"You don't understand this! Cats have cat lanes, rats have rat lanes. Since these guys are addicted, they will definitely find a place to smoke."
"Do you think we should report him to the police station?"
"Li Datou, didn't your son work in the police station? Why don't you catch this guy and give it to him as a reward!"
"Does anyone know this person?"
"It seems like you haven't seen it before?"
"This kid must run fast, otherwise we will take him to the police station and exchange him for some tea money."
Everyone was discussing the identity of the man in robes, but the protagonist of their words had already hurriedly ran across two street intersections.
He was leaning against a corner, panting heavily, and from time to time he carefully stretched his head to look behind him, for fear of someone chasing him. When he saw that there was nothing unusual behind him, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Then, remembering what everyone was talking about just now, he couldn't help but shiver all over. Everyone saw it right, he was indeed a heavy smoker. And he is also a chain smoker for many years.
(End of chapter)
