When I first came to work in the town compound, I was a young man. One day, a colleague told me a gossip in private, saying that Master Wang in the cafeteria was deceived when he married his daughter-in-law. It turned out that when Master Wang was in the army, a girl heard that he was an officer, so she reluctantly married him. It wasn't until later that I found out that Master Wang was not an officer at all, just an ordinary cook. The girl was furious when she found out the truth, and wrote to ask Master Wang if he had deceived her.
1. The old king of the canteen in the town compound
I had just turned 20 years old that year, and I came from my hometown to work in the town compound. There is a small canteen in the compound of the town government, which provides meals for the employees of the unit. There are two masters in the canteen, one is in charge of steaming steamed buns, and the other is Lao Wang, who is in charge of the spatula and is responsible for stir-frying.
Lao Wang is over sixty years old, slightly chubby, and his face is full of wrinkles. He dropped out of school at an early age, went out to work as a teenager, and later enlisted in the army for five years, and after leaving the army, he worked as a chef in a small restaurant in his hometown for a while. I heard that it was because of his good craftsmanship, and he was later hired by the town government compound and worked as a stir-fry chef here for decades.
At first, I didn't know much about Lao Wang, and I only met him occasionally when I was eating in the cafeteria. It wasn't until later that we gradually got acquainted, and Lao Wang took special care of me, and whenever he served me vegetables, he would put more meat dishes. I began to wonder if I was receiving this special care because I was the youngest.
Colleagues told me that Lao Wang treats everyone equally, never favoritism, but treats me differently. Some people joked that maybe Lao Wang thought of me as his son. Later, I learned that Lao Wang's only son died at an early age, and he and his wife depended on each other, and I, a young man, may have made him feel the warmth of home.
However, colleagues also revealed an interesting anecdote about Lao Wang's wife. It is said that Lao Wang's wife was "deceived" by him, and the marriage between the two was a huge misunderstanding at first. This made me have a strong interest in Lao Wang, a seemingly ordinary person.
Second, the girl's misunderstanding of Lao Wang
At that time, Lao Wang was over the age of six, and his wife was more than ten years younger than him. According to colleagues, Wang's experience of marrying a wife is quite legendary.
It turned out that Lao Wang's wife was a girl from a poor family, and her family was poor, and there were not many opportunities to get married. One year, Lao Wang's unit began a six-month vacation to visit relatives. Lao Wang's fellow villager, an old woman who was in the matchmaking business, saw this opportunity and planned to match up a family affair for the girl.
At that time, the soldiers of the army were very face-saving in the eyes of the villagers, and the old woman hyped that Lao Wang was an officer with extraordinary status. When the girl heard of such a good fate, she was very moved, and she confirmed to the old woman again and again: "Is he really an officer?
The old woman was vague, only saying that she was an officer, and she didn't know exactly what rank it was. The girl did not give up, she hoped to marry a prominent officer and live a life without food and clothing. So she asked the old woman again and again, hoping to get a definite answer.
The old woman was cunning, and when she saw that the girl was so attentive, she made up a false rank to deceive her. She said to the girl, "Don't worry, he's a big official, at least a battalion commander!"
When the girl heard that he was a battalion commander, she danced with joy, and she gladly agreed to this family affair without thinking too much. For a poor woman, being able to marry a battalion commander as an officer's wife is simply a beautiful thing that cannot be desired.
3. Lao Wang's self-justification
Just when the girl was elated about marrying Lao Wang, the "battalion commander" officer, Lao Wang's army family visit holiday would also end. When he returned to the barracks, he soon received a letter from the girl, in which he was full of praise for him as a heroic officer.
Lao Wang couldn't cry or laugh when he saw it, he was never an officer in the army, just an ordinary cook. He immediately sent a letter of explanation to the girl, hoping to clarify the misunderstanding.
In the letter, Lao Wang first sincerely apologized to the girl, saying that he had never deceived her. He explained that when the matchmaker asked him what he was doing in the army, he was only afraid that the girl would not understand the position of "cook", so he replied vaguely "Dada".
Lao Wang then confessed his identity, saying that he was just a small man in the army, responsible for cooking for the soldiers. Although his military rank is not high, he is also wholeheartedly engaged in this profession. He hoped that the girl would forgive him and not blame him as a liar for this little misunderstanding.
When the girl received Wang's letter of explanation, she was furious. She thinks that Lao Wang is indeed deceiving her and making her expect too much from a young man. So she wrote a reply letter fiercely, asking Lao Wang if he was really lying to her, and said that she had completely lost trust in him.
When Lao Wang saw it, he couldn't cry or laugh, and he decided to write another letter to the girl, explaining in detail what he had said at the beginning. He wrote: "When the matchmaker asked me what I was doing in the army, I said, 'Big Big'. I thought you could understand what I meant, but I didn't expect you to understand it as a high-ranking officer like a 'battalion commander'. I'm just a little guy and never thought to lie to you. ＂
Fourth, my skepticism about this episode
After my colleagues told me about this anecdote about Lao Wang's wife, I couldn't help but doubt its authenticity. Because in my hometown, there is a similar story.
It is said that once upon a time there was a girl from a poor family who wanted to marry a family with status. A matchmaker boasted to her that there was a young man who was a well-known local "catcher", and his identity was not ordinary. When the girl heard that it was a "fast catcher", she was very happy, thinking that she could marry into a powerful family.
When the groom arrived, the girl realized that he was just an ordinary bird catcher, who made a living by catching wild birds. The girl was furious and asked if the matchmaker was lying to her. The matchmaker defended that he never said what the young man was "catching fast", but only that he was a "catcher", and he did not lie to anyone.
After listening to the story of this hometown, I became suspicious of the episode that my colleagues were telling. So I took the initiative to find Lao Wang, hoping to get a truth from him.
After listening to my question, Lao Wang burst out laughing. He said that he was indeed only a small man in the army, and he had never been an officer. As for whether the matchmaker ever boasted about his military rank, he did not know. However, he admitted that he did use some vague wording back then, which may have caused some misunderstandings among the girl.
Fifth, friendship lasts forever
Although there was an episode between Wang and the girl, it did not affect the friendship between me and Wang. On the contrary, after this incident, I have more admiration for Lao Wang, a seemingly ordinary person.
During the years when I worked in the town compound, Lao Wang and I became friends who talked about everything. Occasionally, during meals, we would make small talk about family matters, and the topic would also be about his experience in the army. Lao Wang was always humble and polite, and never exaggerated his status in the army.
Once, I joked about the misunderstanding between him and the girl. Unexpectedly, Lao Wang did not hide anything, but generously told the story of the year again. He said that he did use some vague wording at the time, which may have caused some misunderstandings among the girl, but he never subjectively deceived her.
Years later, when I left the town compound, my friendship with Lao Wang was not broken. We kept in touch and occasionally greeted each other. Not long ago, Lao Wang had entered the age of antiquity, but he was still healthy. During a video call, he happily told me that although his only son passed away at an early age, he now has a pair of lovely grandchildren, so that he will not be lonely in his old age.
In retrospect, the friendship between me and Lao Wang has lasted for decades. The reason why this friendship can last forever is precisely because of Lao Wang's sincerity and kindness. Although his identity is ordinary, he has always been sincere to people and things, and never deceives. It is this simple character that allows our friendship to continue to this day.