Chapter 162 The Time Technique

After chatting for a while, Luo Yan took out the transportation planning book she would be taking the test tomorrow to look at.

Zhou Weifang was also well-prepared.

He carried a small abacus with him and started clicking away. When he realized he was making too much noise, he turned his head to look and found that the people around him were completely unaware.

In the beginning, he didn't really want to use this thing, afraid of disturbing her studies, even though Luo Yan kept saying it was okay.

But after just two times, he knew that they really didn't have any problems.

For some reason, Zhou Weifang wanted to sigh.

He knew that studying hard was good and that he shouldn't bother her, but he secretly hoped that he could get more of her attention.

As he pondered this, he fell silent.

Luo Yan noticed quickly and asked, seeing his dazed expression, "What's wrong? You look so worried."

She had barely uttered the second word when Zhou Weifang's expression lit up with joy, making her wonder if she had misread it. She scratched her face in confusion.

"How adorable!" Zhou Weifang pinched her cheek. "It's nothing, it's just that I feel a little heartache thinking about the taxes I have to pay."

Anyone would feel the pinch. Luo Yan originally thought that earning more than 800 yuan a month would be difficult, but he had already achieved it with just one store, and now with three stores combined, it's even easier. It adds up to several hundred yuan in taxes.

She said, "Look on the bright side, you earn a lot."

Zhou Weifang casually tossed his hair back and said, "This is probably the trouble of the rich."

Luo Yan nudged him: "Rich man, please order me a chocolate cake."

Zhou Weifang stood up and patted her head: "Okay, but you're not allowed to say 'please' and 'help' next time."

Luo Yan slapped his hand away and said imperiously, "Hurry up and go, don't dawdle."

Zhou Weifang liked her like this and said, "Yes, ma'am."

What's wrong with this person?

Luo Yan couldn't understand it either, so she shrugged, closed the book temporarily, and stood up to move her hands and feet.

Zhou Weifang peeked out to order from the waiter in the corridor, then closed the door and looked back: "It's time to take a break."

Sitting for a long time is indeed uncomfortable. Luo Yan stretched her neck and suddenly lifted her leg to kick forward, but she didn't find the right direction to exert force, and her whole body tilted forward.

Zhou Weifang, who had developed quick reflexes from years of fighting in groups, managed to grab her with lightning speed—but he couldn't, and only managed to become a scapegoat.

Luo Yan collapsed onto him, instinctively gasping for breath.

Zhou Weifang quickly asked, "Are you alright? Where does it hurt?"

Luo Yan felt as if she had been hit in the chest, and the strange sensation was very obvious—it wasn't pain, but just a feeling of unease.

But this is something that can't be easily explained. She used her hands to brace herself and quickly stood up: "It's okay, did you hurt yourself anywhere?"

Zhou Weifang jumped up: "No, let me see your hand."

He looked Luo Yan up and down and said, "Luckily, she was dressed warmly."

Luo Yan snorted: "Serves you right for always saying I dress like a bear."

This is a false accusation. Zhou Weifang said, "Your brother said that, I never said it."

Luo Yan looked up at him: "Don't you feel the same way?"

Zhou Weifang had to admit: "How do you know what I'm thinking, Yanyan? Do you think I was born to fall into your hands?"

If you're going to talk, just talk. Why are you standing so close?

Luo Yan nudged him: "Stand still."

Zhou Weifang stood at attention and said upon hearing the knock, "Come in."

The waiters at the Beijing Hotel are all highly trained, and the standards are said to be very high. They never chat with guests while serving food; they simply say "Please enjoy your meal" and leave.

But since he was an outsider, Luo Yan only spoke after he left, remembering to share with him: "Someone came for an interview today, and my brother said he'll be the one."

Zhou Weifang exclaimed, "His choice of men is like an emperor choosing his concubines."

Luo Yan spoke up for her brother: "It's because of me that we're so slow."

But it's strange: "There are actually more robbery cases in the city, but I don't see many cases of thuggery."

Because hooliganism is a more serious crime, some people who deliver love letters are reported and immediately shot, but robbery and assault are considered reformable crimes, and if the circumstances are not too serious, they can be released in three to five years.

Zhou Weifang actually knew why, but they tacitly agreed not to mention it—mentioning it would seem to be an invisible harm to the female classmate who was… after being sent to the countryside.

He said, "The security situation is indeed bad. I heard it's even worse in the south, with quite a few major cases."

Beijing is, after all, the capital city. There are patrols along Chang'an Avenue day and night, and even the neighborhood committees keep a close watch on things. People wearing red armbands are also constantly on the move.

But the south is different, especially Guangzhou, which was at the forefront of reform and opening up. It is said that everyone there was rolling in money, and naturally there were more desperate criminals, even those who robbed banks with guns.

Luo Yan had only seen the newspaper two days ago, so she naturally remembered it. It said, "Robbing 15 million? When will they ever finish spending that?"

Zhou Weifang laughed: "If you eat two cakes a day, you could probably live to be a hundred years old."

Spending money in the south is much easier than in Beijing. There's no shortage of bright lights and all sorts of entertainment. Dance halls are everywhere, so they're nothing new. People who are willing to take risks are either involved in prostitution or gambling.

He felt it would be too much of a nuisance for his partner to hear this, so he simply said, "The chocolate is melting."

"Oh dear," Luo Yan quickly sat down, exclaiming, "It's so nice to have heating!"

She started worrying again: "It's gotten even colder these past few days, will you be able to sleep in the attic?"

Zhou Weifang: "Yes, the blanket my aunt gave me is so warm."

This year, Raschel blankets are all the rage in Beijing. The Eighth State-owned Cotton Mill gave out these as New Year's bonuses, one for each person. Liu Yinfeng thought it would be a waste to leave the quilts at home unused. She also received some fruit that day, so she asked her daughter to take some to her boyfriend. It was one thing for the boy to be so attentive, but she couldn't just take without giving back.

Luo Yan touched it and said, "I heard people say it's warmer than a cotton quilt."

I don't know why it has such a foreign name, but the patterns on it are all bright red peonies and the like.

Despite the warmth, Zhou Weifang whispered, "It's so bright red, when I lay on top of it I thought I was getting married."

Luo Yan found it hilarious to imagine him covered in a red peony quilt, and almost choked with a slurp. She patted her chest, shoved the cake down, and said, "You know what, everyone's buying this for weddings this year, it's really in high demand."

When the topic of marriage came up, Zhou Weifang remembered: "Hongyang is probably getting married around the first month of the lunar calendar."

Her brother rarely visited others, so he knew little about his childhood friends' affairs, and Luo Yan, of course, had no way of knowing anything about them.

She asked, "Will the wedding be held at their restaurant?"

People are concerned about which family she's from and how they met, but when it comes to her, there's only one thing—where is the wedding banquet?

Zhou Weifang rubbed her face: "I can't control others, but when we get married, I'll definitely make sure you eat well."

Luo Yan mumbled, "I've never seen a bride eat well."

Listen, she's implicitly acknowledging that she'll marry him in the future.

Zhou Weifang: "They are other people, we don't care about that, just let you eat well."

Luo Yan realized that his tone was a bit off, and patted him on the shoulder: "We're dating now, that's fine, as long as I'm happy. But marriage is none of my business."

Marriage is a very big deal in one's life, and she knew that there were many aspects she couldn't consider, so she needed her family's approval.

Zhou Weifang remained confident: "The hardest thing for me is you. As long as you like me and are willing, I can do anything else."

Luo Yan nudged him: "You mean I have the most problems?"

Zhou Weifang held her fingers: "You mean our Yanyan is as beautiful as a fairy, and I, a mere mortal, am truly blessed. The Zhou family's ancestral graves..."

Stop, stop, stop! Luo Yan said to him, "You're so glib! I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to read!"

She flipped through the pages one by one, having dinner there before going home.

Huang Laishun's dog nose could smell that there was good food, and he immediately wagged his tail and rushed over.

The roast duck I ordered for dinner had a duck butt.

Luo Yan brought it specially for it, squatted down and patted its head: "It's really clever."

Liu Yinfeng joked, "Every dog ​​looks just like its owner. Shun'er is just like you when you were a kid."

With me? Luo Yan blinked.

Liu Yinfeng sighed with emotion, gesturing with her hands: "You're about this tall, right? Sometimes when your dad comes home from get off work, he brings home something delicious, and you know it right away, and Dada runs right into his arms."

Back then, my husband was young and worked the night shift. The canteen would provide an extra meal at night, and for those few years, the pay was good—one braised pig's trotter per person. He certainly wouldn't eat it himself, but he would bring it home, add some water, boil it with noodles, and the whole family could have some oil and fat.

When the topic came up, Luo Yan vaguely remembered: "They even brought us candied hawthorns from Qianmen."

There are five on a string. Her parents and brother each eat one, and she can eat two.

Liu Yinfeng remembered better than the girl: "If your brother bites half, he can give half back to the three parties and still have half left."

Back then, she kept saying that she hoped her good buddy wouldn't grow distant as they grew up, but now it seems they can't become estranged.

Luo Yan just clicked her tongue: "Their saliva is all mixed together."

Liu Yinfeng suddenly looked at her daughter with an indescribable expression and teased, "Sometimes I mess around with you too."

"Oh dear!" Luo Yan covered her ears, "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

She ran back to her room, burying her head in the sand, and before closing the door, she said, "I forgot to ask, where's my dad?"

Liu Yinfeng: "I'm going to play chess at your Uncle Cui's house."

"Okay, okay," Luo Yan said to herself, keeping Huang Laishun outside. "Only two subjects left."

After finishing her exams for two consecutive days, she breathed a sigh of relief as she left the exam hall, skipping and hopping all the way to the car dealership, stopping just before reaching the entrance.

The newcomer, Zhang Jun, glanced up at her as a greeting, then lowered his head and continued working silently.

Luo Yan asked him first, "Xiao Jun, where's my brother?"

Zhang Jun raised his shoulder and wiped his sweat: "He went to collect the vehicles without saying a word."

Luo Yan said, "I have something to tell him. Could you please tell him that I'm going home for lunch?"

She had planned everything perfectly, but when she got to her door, it was locked tight. When she opened the door, even Huang Laishun wasn't there.

Luo Yan only discovered that the leash she used to take the dog out was missing; otherwise, she would have been searching the whole world for the dog.

She guessed that her mother had taken Huang Laishun somewhere to play, so she sat in the living room watching TV. However, when it was almost lunchtime and Huang Laishun was still nowhere to be seen, she knew that she would have to rely on herself for lunch.

She can cook.

But the thought of washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen made me close the refrigerator door again and go outside to find something to eat.

It's not good outside either; the wind is howling.

Luo Yan walked with her neck hunched and head down, when suddenly she felt her scarf being pulled and instinctively wanted to scream.

Zhou Weifang quickly said, "What are you thinking about? I called you and you didn't hear me."

Luo Yan sniffed: "Sweet and sour pork ribs or stir-fried pork slices?"

Even if the sky were to fall, these were the things on her mind. Zhou Weifang smiled and said, "We'll eat both. Wait for me at the small restaurant. I'll bring you something and then come find you."

The small restaurant is located at the entrance of the alley, surrounded by neighbors.

Luo Yan watched him ride his bike and said, "I'm going to Jiazi Hutong. You can catch up with me when you're done."

"Okay," Zhou Weifang said. "Walk slowly, I can give you a ride later."

A childhood friend of mine suffered a work injury and has been staying home with his leg in a sling. I brought him some nutritional supplements to visit him, and after chatting for a while, I said goodbye.

But now that we're in the alley, there's no reason not to go home.

He gave his mother ten yuan and left after saying only a few words.

Yu Shuilang muttered, "He's always so busy and never home."

But she didn't realize that there was no place for her youngest son in the house.

But Zhou Weifang, now 24, is no longer troubled by these things.

He wasted a lot of time doing these two things, and he didn't catch up with the person until he reached Jiazi Hutong.

Luo Yan was almost there when she said, "Go check if we need to wait for a seat, I'm so hungry."

Zhou Weifang agreed and rode forward. Just as she sat down, the sweet and sour pork ribs and stir-fried pork slices were served.

While eating, Luo Yan asked, "Where did you just go?"

Zhou Weifang: "Didn't Erzi injure his leg? I'll go take a look."

Luo Yan asked in surprise, "Huh? I haven't heard of that."

Zhou Weifang surmised, "You've been eating with a book in your hand every day lately, how can you listen to me?"

Now the family only gets together for meals, and Luo Yan thinks that's true. She chats with him casually.

Zhou Weifang suddenly brought up the topic: "I remember Auntie was quite good at needlework?"

Luo Yan was very proud when she talked about this: "Look at my outfit, even my coat was made by my mother."

Although she doesn't dress up much, she always looks smart and stylish no matter what she picks out of her closet.

Zhou Weifang recalled: "When you were little, the collars of your clothes were all embroidered with different flowers."

Back then, everyone wore new clothes for three years and old clothes for three years, but Luo Yan rarely wore old clothes—not because her parents were willing to spend money, but because her brother always wore the same clothes in a terrible state, so they were never good enough for her.

She asked, "Are you making clothes?"

Zhou Weifang: "I didn't know this custom before. When I brought fruit to my older sister this morning, her mother-in-law mentioned it, saying that when a baby is far along in the pregnancy, the maternal family usually prepares a few sets of clothes for the baby to ensure safety."

They said things like, "Those are old customs, we don't really follow those things in our family," but it was clearly a name-calling.

Luo Yan didn't really understand these things either, but she said, "The things for children are definitely the best if they're made by ourselves."

Zhou Weifang thought so too. He was originally planning to find a tailor shop, but then he said, "Didn't you say that your aunt is also willing to find something to do?"

Luo Yan: "We're either at work or in school. You hear her urging my brother to get married every day, but actually, she's quite bored at home. She was really energetic during the renovation, always bustling around. She's always the most proactive when there's something to do at the neighborhood committee."

Zhou Weifang: "So I thought I'd trouble her to do it for me."

Luo Yan thought it wasn't a big problem, but still said, "I have to ask her."

Zhou Weifang thanked her, but was glared at and changed his tune to: "How about tomorrow starts the holiday? We agreed on this..."

"I know, I know," Luo Yan said. "We'll go see a movie tomorrow."

Zhou Weifang said regretfully, "If I had known we would have lunch together, I wouldn't have made any plans for the afternoon."

Luo Yan was quite cheerful; after finishing her meal, she waved goodbye to him.

She didn't ride her bike; it wasn't appropriate to have a man take her home in the middle of the day, especially since this area was still near a hutong (alleyway).

Zhou Weifang didn't see her off and went to attend to his own business.

Luo Yan strolled home slowly, basking in the sun, when she noticed her mother had returned and asked, "Where did you take Shun for a stroll at noon?"

Liu Yinfeng: "A new shop has opened that sells soup dumplings. I'll go with your Aunt Xiujuan to try it."

Then he said, "Oh, you're back at noon?"

Luo Yan nodded and told her about meeting Zhou Weifang, and casually mentioned making clothes.

Liu Yinfeng agreed quickly, muttering, "Sending two sets would be too meager. Logically, all the uncles should receive one, but I doubt we can count on Yiping and Erliang. Four sets don't sound good either. I think six sets would be best."

Six sets of clothes? Luo Yan: "It's just one child, why does he need so many clothes? He grows so fast, it's all a waste."

What a waste! Liu Yinfeng: "A baby who drinks milk will pee five times a day, and changing eight sets of diapers is the least we need."

"So many," Luo Yan said. "How long will it take you to finish? If you're tired, then forget it."

Liu Yinfeng is over forty and now she doesn't have to worry much about her children. Her day is just about taking care of a few things: "I'm just killing time anyway."

Luo Yan: "How can you call that being idle? We do a small cleaning every three days and a big cleaning every five days. It's all work."

These words gave Liu Yinfeng a burst of energy.

She clapped her hands and rummaged through the cabinet: "I remember there were still a few pieces of blue cloth in the house."

Luo Yan: "There's some powder in the inner room. It's leftover from when you made clothes for me last time. It's okay, I'll have Zhou Weifang reimburse me later."

Blue cloth was the cheapest option these days, but Liu Yinfeng wasn't trying to save money.

She patted the sofa to let her daughter sit down: "In our family, we treat you and your brother the same, but other families don't. Mom is going to teach you something today. I know you won't be happy, but you have to listen to me. When you go to work, if a colleague is pregnant and they guess the gender, you should say it's definitely a boy. When you give gifts, pick some colors that represent boys."

Luo Yan was indeed unhappy: "What's wrong with having a girl? These people are really annoying."

Such is the state of the world. Liu Yinfeng patted her daughter's hand and said, "Yanyan, now that we have the one-child policy, you'll definitely be working in a company in the future. I don't care what others think, but Zhou Weifang needs to straighten out his thinking."

Luo Yan: "We haven't talked about this."

Liu Yinfeng: "What do you talk about? When a man is trying to coax someone, he'll say he'll pluck the stars and the moon. You have to look at his attitude to know."

Attitude? Luo Yan's eyes flickered slightly: "I don't see anything wrong with it right now."

Time will tell. Liu Yinfeng said, "No rush, let's talk about it after you graduate."

And it'll be two or three years; we can't keep up the act for that long.

"That's true," Luo Yan said, twirling her hair in her hand. "Anyway, I like girls."

She whispered to her mother, "If it's a boy, I'm pretty sure it's Zhou Weifang. If that happens, my world will collapse."

"I think you've got this guy figured out after all," Liu Yinfeng teased. "I think you're pretty good at handling him."

But not all manipulation is the same. Luo Yan: "Wouldn't it be shameful to cry in front of your son in the future?"

Liu Yinfeng threatened her, "Then your daughter will hug you and cry."

Luo Yan remained optimistic: "If we both lose face, it's the same as neither of us losing face."

Liu Yinfeng really couldn't imagine what her daughter would be like as a mother in the future: "Time really flies by in the blink of an eye."

As she said, time really flies by in the blink of an eye.

The Spring Festival of 1981 was the winter vacation in which Luo Yan went out the most since she grew up. She went on dates every few days and did not slack off in her studies, especially in English, where she set high standards for herself.

Her efforts paid off, and she was first on the list of students admitted to the oral English class in the new semester.

In fact, she had always been among the top students, but winning first place was completely unexpected. It greatly encouraged her, and she did not slack off at all for the next two years.

She achieved success in both her studies and love life, while Zhou Weifang made progress in both love and career.

In 1981, the fruit shop business didn't change much because the number of employees was still clearly regulated. But after the policy was fully liberalized in 1982, he began to expand aggressively, and in just over a year, the number of fruit shops increased from 3 to 9.

Luo Hong's progress was the same as his, multiplied by 3, but their base numbers were different. He realized that the students' business was easy to do, so the other two branches were located near the university gates.

With more shops and more staff, his life became much more leisurely, and he could enjoy playing cards and drinking with his childhood friends.

The family paid off the debt incurred when they bought a new house thanks to their son. Unlike other parents who are easily angered, his parents are quite happy with him, so they don't want to keep pressuring him to get married. However, they still bring it up from time to time: "While we are still young."

May Day in 1983 was the day I said those words.

--

It was a public holiday, so Luo Yan didn't have to go to class. However, she got up early as usual, played with Huang Laishun in the yard, and chatted with her father who was weeding the vegetable garden.

Luo Xinmin: Where are you planning to go today?

"Huifang and I are going to the Grand Theater to see a play."

"I thought you were going out with Sanfang?"

"He has a wedding today. It's the wedding of the uncle who supplies him with fruit. He lives in Tongzhou, so he's probably on his way now."

"Will he be able to come back tonight? This kid shouldn't be drinking and riding a motorcycle."

As soon as the motorcycle was mentioned, Luo Yan laughed: "That motorcycle is his treasure. He wouldn't even want to hurt it if it got bumped or scratched. Why would he ride so far through wind and snow, especially since the roads in the village are so bad? He hitchhiked there."

"These are things we should treasure," Luo Xinmin said. "Things worth six or seven thousand yuan."

He lowered his voice again: "How much more is your brother lacking?"

Luo Yan sometimes helps her brother with the accounts, and she knows his income and expenses very well. She knows that the money he has earned in the past two years has been used to pay off the family's debts, apart from the money tied up in goods. Recently, he has saved up some money to buy a big item for the family - a fully automatic washing machine that costs more than 1,300 yuan.

He doesn't spend much money when he hangs out with his friends. They all have families and can only hang out with him for a few days a month. There were a couple of times when he really had nothing to do, but he still squeezed in a day between his sister and his childhood friend.

The two of them didn't mind him being a third wheel and insisted on taking him around the streets. But he found it boring and later preferred to stay home and watch TV.

Luo Yan thought long and slowed down before answering her father's question: "His shop is doing quite well. Buying a domestic one wouldn't cost that much; it'll only take two months."

Well, now that she says it like that, a few thousand dollars doesn't seem like a big deal anymore.

Luo Xinmin sighed, "Society is changing so fast. It seems like my salary of a little over one hundred yuan can't do much anymore."

Luo Yan, about to be assigned a job, launched into a long explanation: "I'm not even as well off as you. Beijing is only a sixth-tier city, so salaries aren't high to begin with. A bachelor's degree graduate only gets fifty yuan a year, and even with subsidies, it's not much. I heard the locomotive depot in the railway system pays the highest, but those are all mechanical positions, and they don't really want girls. I have a senior who joined the Transportation Department last year; she has to work night shifts, but she said the food in the canteen is good. And..."

When it comes to work, Luo Xinmin could at least offer some help to his daughter.

Although he retired from the army early due to his disability, he still had several old comrades-in-arms on duty; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to arrange for his son to return to the city back then.

He said, "I also asked your Uncle He, and he said that although the current assignment is based on the major, there is room for transfer if the assignment is not good."

Luo Yan also wanted to prioritize job placement, saying, "It depends on which unit wants my file. The results will be announced next month. Recently, a lot of people in our class have been visiting each other, but favors are fleeting. It would be best if I could get a suitable job."

His daughter can pronounce the four characters "一用一薄" (yī yòng yī bó), which can earn her a few words of praise from Luo Xinmin.

He said, "I'm a little worried about you going to work. The workplace is different from school. If you have good grades, the teachers will value you, but in the workplace, doing well and doing a lot of work doesn't necessarily guarantee a reward."

Luo Yan: "I only ask that I have a clear conscience."

She had barely finished speaking when she heard her mother call for dinner.

Luo Hong took this sound as his wake-up call, rubbed his face as he came out of the room, stretched, and said, "Good morning."

As I passed by, I patted my sister's head.

Why is this so annoying so early in the morning?

Luo Yan patted him on the shoulder: "You're thirty years old! Still not mature enough."

When asked who was thirty, Luo Hong replied, "I'm only twenty-seven."

Judging from his tone, he seems quite young.

Liu Yinfeng: "Round it up to thirty. At your age, who in our alley is still unmarried? Don't mention three parties to me."

Luo Hongyi shrugged: "Then who else can I mention? Mom, I just woke up on this holiday."

He's a boss now, but managing three stores isn't easy. He has to handle all the money himself, and being "idle" just means he doesn't have to work all day.

Liu Yinfeng only mentioned it briefly.

The couple had their own ideas and hoped their children would get married, but the children also had their own opinions, and while they respected those opinions, they couldn't help but nag a bit.

She said, "I know, I know, it's precisely because it's a holiday that I have to say it. Now that I've finished speaking, you can go wash up."

Luo Hong sometimes felt that his parents' urging was just going through the motions. He scratched his head and went to brush his teeth and wash his face, looking rather disappointed that he hadn't received much advice.

Luo Yan smiled at her brother, but still tried to distract their parents: "Are you going to the park to watch a singing performance later?"

There will be a singing event this May Day, in the park near my home.

Liu Yinfeng nodded: "We'll eat out for lunch. Lai Shun will come with us."

It looks like Huang Laishun is going to have some special treatment today. Luo Yan kept the filling for herself, finished eating, wiped her mouth, and said, "I'm leaving now."

She left, and it was almost time for the couple to leave as well. Everyone just packed up and left, leaving Luo Hong to clean up the table in the end.

He had no objection, and even swept the living room floor before going out to meet his friends.

The family of four each went to their own places.

-----------------------

Author's Note: This morning, I thought: I don't believe humans can't write 20,000 words a day.

Me at night: Even writing 10,000 words is a struggle

good evening!