40 Lingling came out with a pout and poured a glass of water for Liu Dashan. Through tears, she said: “Uncle Liu, my mother was persecuted to death during the ten-year catastrophe, now with you doing this to my dad, if he dies, I…”
41 Liu Dashan gently caressed Lingling’s head, his heart stirring, and said: “Your father won’t die. If he really dies, I’ll act as your old man.” The last sentence made Lingling laugh.
42 Liu Dashan pulled his chair closer toward Bai Fan’s bed while saying: “Damn it, you’re in pain and I’m all comfortable? What are we supposed to do when the pain’s unbearable? Do we just abandon our beliefs? Quit the Party? Come on… I think I need a drink.”
43 Bai Fan turned over and asked: “A drink to what? To friendship? To the two years in the cowshed? Or to the serious mistake?” Liu Dashan didn’t answer. He opened the cabinet, grabbed a bottle of Erguotou and filled half an enamel mug.
44 Liu Dashan said: “To friendship, ganbei!” He took a sip, offered it to Bai Fan, but Bai Fan didn’t move; “To eliminating steam locomotives, and to no longer needing humans to manually pull the railroad switch, ganbei!” He took another sip, offered it to Bai Fan, but Bai Fan still didn’t move.
45 Liu Dashan raised the mug for the third time: “To us both being Communists, and to the time I sponsored your Party membership without a recommendation letter, ganbei.” He took another big sip and offered the mug to Bai Fan. This time, Bai Fan…
