132 Chen Lizhong
When "Romance on Lushan Mountain" was released, Guan Yuehe heard her colleagues at work mention the movie quite often.
Before the filming began, Guan Yuehe mentioned to Lin Yiku that the purpose of making the film was not only to promote Mount Lu, but also to encourage overseas Chinese to return to China and make contributions.
She got the movie tickets from her workplace, but they had both been too busy for the first six months to go together.
Lin Yiku hadn't seen it either, but the opinions he heard from his comrades were different, and not very good ones at that.
The young man sitting behind them was watching the movie. At first, he felt a little awkward. He wanted to watch but was embarrassed because his partner was next to him. Both of them were fidgeting.
Suddenly, my gaze fell upon two comrades directly in front of me. They were sitting upright, staring intently at the screen, as if they were watching a revolutionary film.
Lin Yiku glanced at Guan Yuehe beside her and found that Guan Yuehe's eyes were wide open, watching with great interest.
As soon as they came out of the movie theater, they heard Guan Yuehe and him exclaim in a low voice, "We've lived a long and eventful life, they're really close!"
Lin Yi found it funny; she almost stared into the curtain with her eyes wide open.
Of course, the fact that the two protagonists, with such a large difference in family background, could still date is quite remarkable. If this had happened ten years ago... times have really changed.
The two exchanged a glance and tacitly avoided some sensitive topics. Guan Yuehe even steered the conversation to completely unrelated topics.
"Did Xu Cheng and Zi Lan have their new clothes made based on the movie? No wonder, I was wondering why the clothes they come up with these days are getting better and better."
She even clicked her tongue and laughed at others, saying, "Young people these days are so thin-skinned."
Lin Yi pinched her cheek and said in a serious tone, "Our Comrade Guan Yuehe is still the most shameless."
Guan Yuehe nodded in agreement, "I'm not shameless, how could you possibly date someone as good as me?"
If he were to pursue her on his own, it would take him eight or ten years to catch up.
"True." Lin Yi chuckled wryly, patting the bicycle saddle. "Let's go, I'm going home to cook dinner tonight. What does Thick-skinned want to eat?"
Guan Yuehe sat behind him, shielding him from the wind, and couldn't help but laugh when she thought of what he had just said.
The two took a detour to the meat station, but only managed to buy some lean meat.
Ten years ago, Guan Yuehe would never have wasted her meat coupons on a piece of lean meat. Now that she has plenty of oil, she finds lean meat delicious.
"Yuehe, Yiku, aren't you going back to your parents' house for the New Year?"
When Aunt Hu saw the two of them, one pouring water into the water tank and the other busy washing vegetables, she learned that they were preparing to cook in their own home.
"It's New Year's Day, not Chinese New Year. It's not Chinese New Year until next month when Chinese New Year arrives."
Why be so particular about dates? In the past, car factories even had to rush production on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and nobody thought that New Year's Eve dinner was a must.
However, in the last decade or so, life has gotten better and better, and people have received more gifts during the New Year and other holidays. In the last two years, the supply of goods available has become even more abundant, so the New Year and other holidays have gradually become more elaborate.
They didn't go to Courtyard No. 3 for dinner, but they invited Lin Sitian over.
As soon as Lin Sitian arrived, she complained, "Mom and Dad said they'd go out for lunch, but they didn't say they'd eat out for dinner too! I was thinking at home that if I were eating alone, I might as well just go to a state-run restaurant for a bowl of noodles. Thank goodness you guys came back..."
"Don't just sit around, get up and do some work," Lin Yiku told her to peel potatoes.
Lin Sitian rolled her eyes at him and deliberately said, "You find me annoying and an eyesore now, but after I get married, you won't even be able to find me to be an eyesore... Hey, Yuehe, you have to do something about him!"
These words were offensive, but Guan Yuehe pretended not to hear them, grabbed the cellar key, and ran away in a flash.
"..." Lin Sitian touched her ear that had been pinched, and was about to complain to her brother when she heard him ask her with a stern face, "You're not coming home anymore after you get married? Didn't you say before that you would live at home after getting married?"
She even gloated that he had finally been married off and that his room was now his.
"I didn't say that! You have to leave me half of the house!" Lin Sitian snorted twice. "Don't think I don't know you're annoyed that I come to see Yuehe and it's getting in the way of your sweethearts."
"Then go home and watch TV tonight, don't get in my way here."
"See, see, I told you you'd find me annoying!"
Guan Yuehe went to the cellar to get a large cabbage, and waited outside until the two inside stopped arguing before going inside.
During dinner that evening, she impartially placed a piece of meat on both her son and daughter's plates. She remembered what Aunt Fang had said about them: when they weren't together, they missed each other, but when they were together, they were like cats and dogs who couldn't get along.
She laughed for no apparent reason, and Lin Yiku and Lin Sitian immediately looked over, their eyes asking her what she was laughing about.
"Grandpa Li's cat and dog often fight. I suddenly remembered it and found it funny." He just made up a lie on the spot.
But Lin Yiku and Lin Sitian seemed to see through her true thoughts, their eyes filled with: I don't believe it!
Before going to bed that night, Guan Yuehe sighed to Lin Yiku, "I really want to put a sack over Chen Lizhong's head!"
Lin Yiku was silent for a few seconds, "When we were dating, Lin Sitian thought the same thing."
Guan Yuehe laughed so hard that the blanket shook.
She and Sitian have been best friends for nearly thirty years!
—
It doesn't have a spin-drying function, so it makes a loud clanging noise when washing clothes, and you have to wring them out yourself after washing.
The city is experiencing power rationing, with power only available for a few hours at night. We can only use the washing machine after work. There's even a possibility of power outages and strikes.
Every time her family and the family across the street use their washing machines together, the noise is unbearable. The two families even discussed using the washing machines every other day to reduce the noise.
This was the first time she regretted buying a large item.
"How about we sell it and get a dehydrated one instead?"
Guan Yuehe answered herself: "Okay! I'll sell it off tomorrow!"
The next day, Guan Yuehe put up a "Washing Machine for Sale" notice at the entrance of Courtyard No. 1. She sold the washing machine, which she had bought for 200 yuan, for 20 yuan less. That same evening, she moved the washing machine to someone else's house.
Another week later, Guan Yuehe's family got a new twin-tub washing machine. Although she still had to do it herself halfway through, this new washing machine could spin-dry!
Guan Yuehe laughed and said, "Isn't our family achieving our goal of getting a new big item for the New Year ahead of schedule?"
This new big item costs nearly 700 yuan, and the amount in my savings account has suddenly decreased by 500 yuan!
Considering that this big item will last for ten or eight years, although it is expensive, it is acceptable when spread over each year.
Lin Yiku was also very satisfied with the new washing machine.
The first time they used the washing machine to wash their blankets, they squeezed together in the bathroom to wring out the water, the dripping sound filling the air, and they both fell silent. After they finished, they looked at each other and both felt they had wasted money on trouble.
The new washing machine was much quieter. Jin Junwei came over to check it out, and his family quietly replaced their washing machine with a new one.
Yuanbao sighed and shook her head, mimicking her father: "I learned a lesson that cost me twenty yuan."
Some people in the alley were sarcastic about their families' extravagant spending, but no one dared to say anything to their faces.
Zhang Ersao said a few sarcastic remarks at home, but Zhang Desheng glared at her and shut her down.
"You're worrying too much about other people's business! Zhou Hongqi is a level seven welder, and his monthly salary plus bonuses is over a hundred yuan. Guan Yuehe and her husband earn at least more, so they can afford it."
"Okay, I won't talk about other people's families. Have you decided on your assigned workplace yet? I think you should just come back to work at our car factory. The factory is doing well right now. Look at Xie Zhenhua, he came back to the factory after graduation, and his salary has increased by a lot!"
"Don't ask anymore, I know what I'm doing. We'll talk about it once it's decided." As for going back to the car factory? He's not a technician, and if he went back to the factory, he might be assigned to a high school or technical school for employees' children. He still wants to try his best to get in through the Education Bureau.
—
After New Year's Day, Guan Yuehe gained two new colleagues: Zhu Huacai, a graduate of Beijing Foreign Trade College, and Xiang Xiaodong, a graduate of Beijing Foreign Studies University.
The new colleagues are all from the first batch of college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination. They all had excellent academic performance in school, otherwise they wouldn't have been assigned to the foreign trade department.
When Gao Zhiyuan came over to deliver the documents to Guan Yuehe, he said with a mix of admiration and envy, "Our new colleague is so young."
They were all young people in their late twenties, looking very energetic.
"Young people are great, they have so much energy to work."
Gao Zhiyuan blinked, looked at his leader, and thought to himself: When it comes to energy, it's really hard to say who's number one.
With two new colleagues arriving at once, Guan Yuehe had to delegate some of her work. Although she still had to guide them on how to do it, she would be much more relaxed once they got the hang of it!
Zhu Huacai and Xiang Xiaodong, who had only been with the company for a few days, had already figured out Guan Yuehe's work style: get things done immediately, no procrastination, and never leave anything for tomorrow if it can be done today; finish and leave work...
Before coming here, I imagined what would happen if the leader was difficult to deal with, but after arriving, I realized that I had been worrying too much.
There's so much to do, nobody has time to deal with all this complicated stuff.
Their department head would often remind them to come downstairs for lunch on time, which was quite kind of him.
But after working at the company for a while, they realized that when their department head invited them to lunch, it was just something that happened on the way, mainly because they had to pass by their office to get downstairs.
Comrade Gao Zhiyuan, who arrived earlier than them, said: "If you're not enthusiastic about eating, you'll have problems working. If you get enough oil and water, your mind will be sharp."
After saying that, he added, "That's what our department head said."
Zhu Huacai and Xiang Xiaodong: "...That makes sense."
Guan had no idea what they were thinking. Half a month after the new colleague arrived, her get off work hours became normal again.
Like Li Xuelian, a new colleague also came to her office, who took on a lot of work for her.
The two of them would agree to leave work together whenever their schedules were roughly the same.
Guan Yuehe asked her what her company usually gave out for the Spring Festival, and then revised the list of New Year's goods, preparing to add them gradually in the two weeks before the New Year.
This year, she still received local specialties from Northeast China and Hunan Province. As for the remaining odds and ends, Guan Yuehe gave the money to her two mothers to help her buy them.
Last year, Beijing opened a special market for the Spring Festival, which offered a wide variety of goods in large quantities. Elderly people from the hutongs would go to the market together to buy things.
Guan Yuehe went there once, and was still squeezed so tightly that she couldn't move, and her strength was mostly useless.
Even before the Spring Festival arrives, Aunt Fang is already preparing to host a feast at home.
One evening in mid-January, Lin Sitian had just put down her chopsticks after dinner when she suddenly dropped a bombshell on her family: "Mom and Dad, will you be home this Sunday? Chen Lizhong said he's coming over for dinner."
Grandpa Lin and Grandma Fang exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves: The legendary pig-raising expert, Comrade Chen Lizhong, is finally coming to their house for dinner!
They didn't even need to ask Chen Lizhong which unit he worked for or what his family situation was; they had already learned all that from her. For the past year or two, they've been waiting for her to say that she'd bring people back to visit.
So, Grandpa Lin and Grandma Fang have been preparing for this for the past few days. Even Jiang Guiying has come to help.
“He and Ding Laosi spent ten years in the countryside in Northeast China. They were classmates before, so they know each other well. Yuehe and Yiku also know each other. If he were a bad person, they would have persuaded Sitian long ago. I have nothing to worry about.”
Aunt Fang went to Guan Yuehe's house to look for photos taken during the wedding banquet. Chen Lizhong was also there at the time and took photos.
"The young man is good-looking and pleasing to the eye."
As she spoke, Aunt Fang couldn't help but sigh, "Sitian said Chen Lizhong bought a small courtyard house outside, which he plans to live in after they get married. I used to think, 'Wouldn't it be nice if Sitian lived at home after she got married...'"
Jiang Guiying could completely understand her thoughts. Living nearby meant she could see her often and help her out if anything happened.
However, even if Lin Sitian moves out, it's not that far.
Jiang Guiying comforted her, saying, "Didn't you say the small courtyard you bought is close to the car factory? Old Lin can ride his bike there in just a few minutes after work. Besides, Sitian works at the factory's hospital. She's not married and living in another city. If she misses her daughter, it's just a matter of taking the bus."
Aunt Fang's sadness came and went quickly. She joked, "I was worried a few years ago, thinking that her brother would finally stop being a bachelor, and now it's her turn. Why is she so worrisome? Hey! She's quietly finding a partner on her own, without letting us interfere at all."
Lin Sitian, who had just returned from outside, heard her words and said as soon as she entered the house, "Didn't you and Aunt Jiang say that Bangchui's ideas are hard to understand? What are you still worried about?"
The "clubs" in this context refer to Lin Yiku and Guan Yuehe. When these two "clubs" first got married, Aunt Fang and Jiang Guiying often complained in private, saying they couldn't understand the thoughts of these "clubs".
Aunt Fang laughed and scolded, "You talk too much! You're a blockhead too!"
"Who else is a blockhead?" Guan Yuehe brought over a bag of dried goods and cured meat. "Mom, is there anything else I need to do?"
"That's all, you can just sit here."
"Then I'll come over earlier tomorrow to help," Guan Yuehe said, leaning over to look at the dumplings they were making. They were quite small, just the right size for one bite. Unlike her and Lin Yiku, who both preferred to make big dumplings, they both felt that big dumplings had more filling.
The next morning, Grandpa Lin boiled water to kill a chicken, and there was a basin of pre-cleaned fish at his feet.
On Sundays, the workers who didn't have to go to work got up later than usual. The neighbors in the front yard heard that Grandpa Lin was plucking chicken feathers in front of his house and found it strange, so they ran to the back yard to see.
"Uncle Lin, there are still two weeks until the New Year, and you've already prepared all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat?"
Some people asked if relatives were coming to visit.
Aunt Fang brought out hot water, smiling, "Sitian's boyfriend will be coming over for dinner later."
Inside the house, Guan Yuehe was asking loudly, "Mom, we're out of candy?"
A short while later, Lin Sitian, who had been given the task of buying candy, put on her coat and walked out, saying, "I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy candy."
To avoid the neighbors' questions.
When the neighbors saw that the whole family had come out, it was clear how much they valued Si Tian's boyfriend. Once the first person spoke up, the others followed suit, eager to find out everything about Si Tian's boyfriend's ancestors.
"A gay man working in a TV factory? Ridiculous! How did they meet? Was it through a friend or a social gathering?"
They hadn't forgotten that Sitian and Yuehe had also attended the factory's social dance during the National Day holiday. Could it be that they met then?
At this point, some people started criticizing the factory leaders. They said the social dance party was only held once, and it was a great success; all the young colleagues loved it. But not long after, the factory issued a document saying that it was no longer allowed to hold such parties, claiming that many people outside were using the guise of dance parties to incite disturbances and create a bad influence, so social dance parties were no longer permitted.
TV factory is great! Once the TVs are produced, there's no worry about them not selling, so the profits are sure to be good.
"Old Lin, Old Fang, if you know any reliable young men, please introduce them to my Xiaomei."
Aunt Fang repeatedly explained that the young people met through free love and that no one introduced them, but the neighbors did not believe her.
The neighbors who originally planned to go out even changed their minds, wanting to see what kind of gay man Lin Sitian had found.
The No. 3 courtyard was bustling with activity. Chen Lizhong, carrying large and small bags in both hands, hitched a ride with a relative. He got off at the entrance of the alley and headed straight for the No. 3 courtyard without even asking for directions.
When he entered the No. 3 courtyard, some neighbors asked him whose relatives he was visiting.
Lin Sitian had just returned with the candy and was a little surprised to see him. She was planning to wait for him at the alley entrance after buying the candy, so that he wouldn't get lost.
The neighbors realized that this man was Lin Sitian's boyfriend, and they all looked him up and down.
No wonder the neighbors and factory leaders failed to introduce Lin Sitian to any suitable partners; it turns out she found someone with a good physique and a good job on her own.
Guan Yuehe peeked out and saw that they had arrived very early. She then reminded the people inside, "Dad, Mom, Chen Lizhong is here."
"Come in and sit down, Xiao Chen."
Aunt Fang invited the people into the house, and told the neighbors who were watching the commotion to go about their own business, as she didn't have time to entertain them today.
Turning around, he saw the refined and gentle-looking Chen Lizhong still standing there. He quietly observed him for a while, becoming more and more satisfied with his appearance.
When Chen Lizhong came to her house for her wedding, she didn't look closely. She only heard Yuehe mention that he was a friend who had gone to the countryside with Ding Xuewen for ten years.
The photos weren't very clear, but now that I've finally met him in person, I realize he's nothing like a "pig-raising expert"!
"Oh, don't stand, sit down. Would you like something to drink?"
Guan Yuehe laughed and went into the kitchen to call Grandpa Lin to come out and take a look. "Mom's smile is so wide it's practically reaching her ears. You should go and see if your future son-in-law is to your liking."
Grandpa Lin chuckled at her words, "If someone doesn't suit my taste, am I supposed to just throw them out?"
But his legs were honest; he wiped his hands and got up to go to the living room.
He shared the same thought as his wife: "What kind of expert pig farmer is this?"
Chen Lizhong hasn't been making money for nothing over the past three years. He's eloquent and can talk a good game about everything from raising pigs and studying to making money and developing technology. As a result, Grandpa Lin and Grandma Fang have changed their way of addressing him from "Little Chen" to "Lizhong".
Unable to get a word in edgewise, Lin Sitian ran to the kitchen and whispered to Guan Yuehe, "Look how happy my parents are."
"Isn't this good? You'd be happy if your parents threw him out?"
"......Too."
Laughter and chatter filled the Lin family's house. Guan Aiguo listened for a while at his door, then turned to his parents and said, "Uncle Lin and Aunt Fang must be very satisfied."
"Satisfied with what?"
Guan Yuehua, who had finally returned home for the holidays, brought Gu Mannian and Gu Yu over and casually pointed to the neighbor's house, "Aunt Fang's family has some relatives visiting?"
“Sitian’s boyfriend is here to visit.” Jiang Guiying didn’t keep them in suspense and said directly, “Xiao Chen is friends with Yuehe and the others. They all know each other well.”
"Oh, that's great." Guan Yuehua immediately guessed who Lin Sitian's boyfriend was. When she came to the wedding, she felt that the friend Ding Xuewen brought was particularly enthusiastic towards Lin Sitian. When the other four childhood friends were taking pictures, he also had to join in and stand next to Lin Sitian.
Thinking about this, she began to wonder what kind of partner Ding Xuewen would find in the future. The four of them all found partners who were either childhood friends or younger siblings, and even after getting married, they still hung out together.
The other neighbors in the courtyard, however, thought about it more deeply.
"Yuehe and that guy seem quite familiar with each other. Could it be that Yuehe introduced them?"
"What's so strange about that? Yuehe and Sitian are close, so if she meets a good guy, she'll definitely think of Sitian first."
Guan Yuehe, who was helping to entertain Chen Lizhong, was unaware that someone was already considering asking her to act as a matchmaker.
—
Gu Yu ran back and forth between her maternal grandmother's house and her maternal grandmother's house, like a little messenger.
"Mom, that uncle is handsome!"
"Uncle Chen gave me this Qiaoqiao Li... Ugh! It's bitter! Ugh, ugh, ugh!" Undeterred, she took another bite, grimaced, and swallowed it, then suddenly found it delicious.
Guan Yuehua tried to correct her, saying that what she was holding was "chocolate" instead of "Qiaoqiaoli," but Gu Yu had her own ideas and insisted on calling it "Qiaoqiaoli," even influencing Tingting next door to go astray as well.
"Mom, Uncle Chen is so amazing! He can raise pigs! He can even make TVs! He's even more amazing than the most upright official, Mom!"
Gu Yu was so shocked that her eyes widened. How could someone be so amazing?!
Guan Yuehua took a deep breath and turned her head away from her troublesome daughter.
Gu Mannian suppressed a laugh. His daughter loved eating meat and watching TV. Uncle Chen, who could raise pigs and make TVs, was the most amazing person in the world.
But she still insisted on comparing herself to the upright and just official, which made her mother so angry that her head was practically steaming.
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