Chapter 27 Returning to the City
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Returning to the City
Back in the dorm, everyone was still excited, chatting about their plans and aspirations for the New Year as they went to bed.
Some said they had already contacted their families, who said they could support them in starting a small business once private business operations were gradually liberalized. Others said they wanted to go to university, while still others said they wanted to find a proper job after returning to the city...
Lin Su said, "That's great, everyone has a bright future."
Sun Xiaoqing said, "Susu, your future is the brightest."
Lin Su: "As long as you work hard, everything will be bright."
Sun Xiaoqing sighed, "I still find it unbelievable that we were able to return to the city."
Looking back now, it seems like things weren't this tough before.
"Yes, I really miss those days."
But some people said, "I don't miss it, it was too tiring."
Lin Su suddenly remembered that Zhou Yunqi had given her a red envelope earlier, saying it was for her New Year's money. She weighed it in her hand and it felt quite thick, but she was busy at the time, so after taking it back to her dormitory, she put it in her box without even checking how much money was inside.
Unable to contain himself any longer, he got up, flashlight in hand, and opened the box.
Someone asked, "Lin Su, are you going to the restroom?"
"No, I'm looking for a red envelope."
The other person thought it was a red envelope from the farm and said, "Keep the change, it's just one yuan, just a token."
Lin Su: "Oh, I still need to find it. I think it's in the box."
There were two red envelopes, one containing one yuan, and the other, which Lin Su recognized at a glance, contained sixty-six yuan.
It symbolizes good fortune and smooth sailing.
Lin Su locked the box and climbed back into bed, satisfied.
That man is always so unconventional.
He was heavily in debt, yet he was always so generous to her.
Aside from his kind heart, she didn't believe he didn't have other feelings for her, and she wanted to be sure of that.
If he were to return, even if it took three to five years, she thought she would be willing to wait.
But she can't take the initiative in this kind of thing. Would he like a girl who takes the initiative?
He doesn't seem to like being pursued. For example, when someone introduced him to a girl before, he refused and didn't want to meet her, but she still took the initiative to contact him. He definitely wouldn't be happy about that.
Besides, she had never pursued anyone before, so she wouldn't know how to pursue Zhou Yunqi.
The best way would be to give hints, whether overt or covert, but how should we do it?
Hmm, this is a bit annoying.
But no matter how annoying it may be, the first ray of sunshine of the new year will arrive.
Lin Su and several girls rode in Zhou Yunqi's car to the county town. Besides returning the clothes, they also bought some things at the department store and supply and marketing cooperative, which were open on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Then they happily took the car back to the farm.
After the car stopped, Lin Su woke up: "Have we arrived?"
The people in the back seat got out of the car one after another. The man driving glanced at the passenger seat and said, "You're sleeping quite soundly."
"I've been your personal driver all day, and I'm so tired I just want to fall asleep in my chair like you."
Lin Su smiled sheepishly, and after getting off the bus, she didn't go back to her dormitory, but followed him to his office.
He glanced back at her and asked, "With all these things you're carrying, could it be that you bought some for me?"
Lin Su smiled and said, "We have fresh flower cakes and some other things too. Feel free to eat if you want."
"You brought them all home?"
“There’s food for the road, and also gifts for people, like when we go to Grandpa Gu’s house.” At this point, she asked, “You also go to Grandpa Gu’s house, right?”
Zhou Yunqi smiled at her: "You want to come with me?"
Lin Su pursed her lips and nodded.
“Okay, let’s set a time to go to Grandpa Gu’s house together.”
Lin Su: "Okay."
The office door opened, and Lin Su walked in. She was feeling thirsty, and he had already poured her a glass of water.
Lin Su drank some water and asked curiously, "What's your relationship with Grandpa Gu?"
Zhou Yunqi sat at his desk and said, "The Gu family and my maternal grandfather's family are neighbors. Grandpa Gu and my maternal grandfather were childhood friends. My maternal grandfather has passed away. Last time I went home to visit relatives, I thought that every time I saw an elder I knew, it would be the last time, so I went to his house for a visit."
"Oh, I thought it was your relative."
Lin Su only heard Xu Yaodong occasionally mention Zhou Yunqi's family background. She only knew that his father met his mother in the early days of the People's Republic of China, and the two later got married, which led to his birth.
However, she did not know whether he had any other brothers or sisters, since many powerful figures at the time might have had other wives and children.
Now that they'd finally gotten to the topic of family, Lin Su asked, "Can I ask you a question?"
He looked over and suddenly laughed: "You have quite a few questions you want to ask, but don't fall asleep before I answer them."
He was referring to the incident on his back last time. Lin Su said dejectedly, "I didn't drink any alcohol."
"Oh, so you remember that question?"
Lin Su fell silent; she wasn't ready to hear this.
“Ask whatever you want this time,” he said.
Lin Su: "Are you an only child?"
Zhou Yunqi nodded: "Ah, he is an only child."
Lin Su couldn't help but say, "It seems that very few people have only one child."
Zhou Yunqi gave her a slightly deeper look and said, "My father is ten years older than my mother. He was already in his thirties when he got married. My mother was a junior high school Chinese teacher. She married him through an introduction."
Perhaps it was the mention of his parents that made the man feel heavy-hearted. He glanced at the cigarettes on his desk but ultimately didn't take them.
Lin Su sat in her usual spot, peeling an orange and tasting a segment. Now she looked at him and listened intently.
Zhou Yunqi continued, "Before giving birth to me, my mother was pregnant twice, but unfortunately, she lost both pregnancies. After giving birth to me, her body was severely damaged, and it took two years of recuperation to recover. She became pregnant again, but lost that pregnancy as well. My father was worried that her body couldn't handle it, so he said that one child would be enough."
Lin Su said softly, "So that's how it is."
Mentioning these things inevitably makes the atmosphere somber.
Lin Su regretted bringing this up. She took a deep breath and said to him, "Didn't you just say that you drove us all day and it was tiring?"
"Is there some kind of reward?" he asked.
Lin Su nodded: "Yes."
"Is it going to be sour oranges for me?"
This person remembers her trick once, but Lin Su denied it: "No, and this orange is quite sweet, I won't lie to you this time."
She stood up and handed it over: "Try it, I'll be a dog if I lied to you."
He took a slice, tasted it, and without commenting on whether it was sweet or sour, he simply asked, "What kind of reward is that?"
Lin Su stood beside him, mustered her courage, and said, "I can give you a shoulder massage."
The man couldn't catch his breath and coughed twice.
Seeing his reaction, Lin Su felt that he seemed to be easily teased, and suppressed a laugh.
But this doesn't really count as flirting.
Zhou Yunqi looked at her, as if unwilling, and asked, "Do you reward everyone like this?"
Lin Su was very frank: "No, I only told you that."
Looking into her eyes, they were truly crystal clear, without a trace of impure thought.
But does she even know what she's doing?
Seeing that he neither agreed nor disagreed, Lin Su took the initiative to go around behind the chair and said, "A squeeze should make it feel much better."
At first, she grabbed his shoulders and squeezed them hard, then she clenched her fists and punched him repeatedly.
"A fist made of cotton? Where's your strength?" he said. "All the food I've fed you has been wasted."
But Lin Su felt that she had already tried her best.
As soon as Xu Yaodong entered, he saw Lin Su massaging Zhou Yunqi's shoulders behind the chair, while the man leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed, looking completely relaxed.
He arrived at the wrong time once again.
Fortunately, he didn't call him "boss" this time.
Just as he was about to leave, Lin Su saw him, stopped what she was doing, and called out with a smile, "Brother Dong."
A sharp gaze still fell upon Xu Yaodong. Xu Yaodong felt utterly wronged; it was she who had called out first.
Lin Su smiled and said, "I bought some flower cakes, would you like some?"
Zhou Yunqi almost rolled her eyes; she really was very enthusiastic towards boys she knew and was close to.
Xu Yaodong dared not eat, saying, "I'm not eating. I saw the boss's car come back, so I came to check."
Lin Su said, "We're leaving tomorrow night. Didn't you ask me to bring cigarettes? Have you prepared yours?"
Xu Yaodong said, "It's ready. I've prepared five. When you get to Xiangchun Hutong, my brother will take them out."
Lin Su nodded: "No problem."
...
The next day, after dinner, we prepared to set off.
In the darkness, Lin Su hugged several female educated youths goodbye. Wang Ping said reluctantly, "Su Su, we've all left our home addresses. Remember to write to us."
Lin Su nodded repeatedly in agreement.
It takes about seven or eight hours to get from here to the airport. Xu Yaodong will drive the first half of the journey and will rest for a few hours at a gas station along the national highway.
After a bumpy ride, we finally arrived at the airport.
The plane took off on time at 10:30 a.m.
They were on an old-fashioned small passenger plane with forty seats. Lin Su looked down at the low buildings and wide fields below and patted her chest.
"I never imagined I'd actually be going back to Beijing."
Zhou Yunqi asked, "Are you very excited?"
Lin Su: "A little."
"Does your stepmother know you're going back to Beijing?"
"have no idea."
"Didn't you tell your family?"
“No,” Lin Su said. “I lost contact with them after I was transferred to the Seventh Division. Maybe they all thought I was dead.”
Zhou Yunqi frowned and covered her face with his large hand.
"It's the Lunar New Year, can't you say something auspicious?"
Lin Su's mouth and nose were tightly covered, leaving only her beautiful eyes visible as she looked at him and blinked.
He then released his hand and said helplessly, "After we land, I'll accompany you to your family compound first."
Lin Su nodded: "Okay."
Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "So where do you live?"
Zhou Yunqi said, "Let's see."
"You have nowhere to stay?" Lin Su's eyes widened.
He pondered for a moment before saying, "It's not that I have nowhere to stay, I'm just wondering whether I should move back to the compound."
“After they left, the house was taken back. Last year, when I went back to visit my relatives, there happened to be a spare house, so they arranged one for me. But I never stayed there, so I don’t know if it has been taken back.”
Lin Su listened, her nose tingling with tears.
This man doesn't even have a home.
Lin Su sniffed, her eyes slightly moist.
He had the energy to joke: "Look, I had everything on the farm, but when I returned to Beijing, I had nothing. Isn't that terrible?"
Lin Su sat sideways, unable to bear the emotional turmoil any longer. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest and sobbing, "There will be, there will be a house, there will be a home... everything will be there."
He gently stroked her head, his voice extremely low:
"Then I'll wait for that day."
After finally managing to hold her, Lin Su buried her face in his chest, acting like a spoiled child, unwilling to leave.
The man had no choice but to let her have her way and gently coax her.
Gradually, the person in my arms fell silent and drifted off to sleep...
At 5:30 p.m. on the third day of the first lunar month in 1979, a military jeep stopped outside the gate of the Dongfeng Machinery Factory's residential compound in Beijing.
Lin Su got out of the car, and a tall, handsome man stood beside her.
Her stepmother, stepsister, and others will meet them in one minute.
...
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