Chapter 160 Educated Youth in the 1970s (Twenty-Four): I Want to Build! I Want…
The couple stayed at the Jian family's house for five or six days, and it was almost the tenth day of the lunar month.
As dawn broke, Song Ce and Jian Fangning bid farewell to their Jian family members and headed straight for the train station with their luggage and local specialties from Shanxian County.
With three days left before Jian Fangning was to register at Beijing Medical University, Song Ce thought that he should help her prepare everything she needed for university before the semester started, so that she wouldn't have to rush to prepare when she arrived at school, which would cause too much trouble.
After a bumpy journey, the couple arrived in Beijing around 2 p.m.
Seeing Jian Fangning reversing her car towards the bus station, Song Ce quickly reached out and grabbed her, saying gently, "Fangning, let's not go home yet."
"Not going home?" Jian Fangning was taken aback. "If we don't go home, where are we going?"
"Get your things ready! You forgot? You have to report to Beijing Medical University in three days. If you don't even have bedding and daily necessities, you'll be completely lost when you get to the dorm!"
Upon hearing this, Jian Fangning laughed and said, "Look at what you're saying, I'll just move my luggage from Xinhe Village over there! As for daily necessities, I still have toothpaste, so I'll just buy two toothbrushes."
"What about your clothes? You can't keep wearing those two outfits from when you went to the countryside, can you?"
Jian Fangning nodded, indicating that this was her initial plan.
Upon hearing this, Song Ce sighed and pulled her into his arms without further ado, threatening, "No way! You're going to university soon, why dress so plainly? I've heard that everyone at university is arrogant and haughty. What if they gang up on you and bully you because you're not dressed well?"
Upon hearing this, Jian Fangning was startled and hesitated, "No...no way?"
"Why not?" Song Ce shook his head and said helplessly, "Fang Ning, I told you when we got our marriage certificate that I would make sure you have enough to eat and wear for the rest of your life and would never let you suffer any grievances. So just relax and come with me to get things ready!"
"Isn't this outfit I'm wearing just made before the New Year? It's already very good for me..."
Jian Fangning looked down at her clothes, still feeling a little reluctant to let Song Ce spend money on her. Having lived in the countryside for so many years, she was used to being frugal, stretching every penny. For her, clothes were fine as long as they were wearable; there was no need to spend money on new ones.
Seeing his wife still hesitant, Song Ce gently squeezed her hand and said tenderly, "Fang Ning, our family isn't short of money. Forget about the long journey, our clothes are all wrinkled from the train ride. A new year calls for a new look; we need a new outfit to change into at school, right? Besides, your dorm is full of new classmates; we need to make a good impression, don't we?"
“But…” Jian Fangning was about to say something when Song Ce interrupted her.
"Alright, no buts. Don't worry about the money. The money I earn outside is all for dressing you up beautifully and spending on you, isn't it? I once read a quote in a book that said loving someone is like growing flowers; the more care you put in, the more beautiful the flowers will become." As Song Ce spoke, he casually put his arm around his wife's waist.
Jian Fangning blushed and said in a voice barely audible, "Hmm... you're the only one who's right. None of us are right."
Song Ce smiled gently and pulled her towards the Anjie Shopping Mall in Beijing. "That's right, trust me. We'll buy you some clothes and new shoes first. We'll replace all the bedding and household items with new ones! Today and tomorrow, our mission is to shop, shop, shop!"
Jian Fangning was taken aback, "Tomorrow?"
“Yeah! It’s getting late, let’s go check into a hotel first! Otherwise it’s inconvenient to go shopping with our luggage,” Song Ce said.
Jian Fangning opened her mouth, then whispered, "Is that enough for today? There's still half a day left!"
Song Ce glanced back at her and smiled faintly: "Silly girl, how can half a day be enough? Don't worry, I've got everything covered." As he spoke, he had already quickly chosen a high-end hotel and checked her in.
Jian Fangning was led by Song Ce to the door of room 302, still feeling somewhat hesitant and uneasy. She secretly calculated that buying these things would cost a lot of money! Although Song Ce worked at the Agricultural Machinery Institute, this money was all earned through his hard work. How could she spend it so extravagantly without any burden?
She secretly made up her mind that when she got to the mall and saw something expensive, she would say that she didn't like it and didn't care about it...
Okay, let's do it that way.
While Jian Fangning was pondering, she was vaguely pulled by Song Ce to the entrance of Anjie Shopping Mall. The mall was bustling with people coming and going, making it extremely lively.
This was her first time in such a large shopping mall. The dazzling array of goods almost made her dizzy. She held Song Ce's hand tightly, afraid that she would get lost in the crowd.
"Let's go take a look at the clothes first."
The mall had a wide variety of clothes, all sorts of styles. Jian Fangning's eyes sparkled as she looked at the beautiful clothes in the store. But as soon as she saw the prices on the tags, she quickly looked away.
A red plaid long-sleeved dress costs 28 yuan? This store might as well just rob us.
"Fangning, what do you think of this one, this one, and this one?" Song Ce picked up three dresses in a row and held them up against Jian Fangning, saying earnestly, "I think this color suits you quite well, but the style is a bit old-fashioned. Comrade, do you have any other styles?"
When the sales clerk saw a big customer enter the store, she nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes! Please wait a moment."
Soon, the saleswoman brought out several new outfits and smiled at Song Ce and Jian Fangning, saying, "Comrades, these are the store's newest styles. You can take a look; they all came from Hong Kong!"
Jian Fangning picked up the top beige shirt. It was indeed very pretty, but the price was shockingly high—35 yuan! She quickly waved her hand, "No...no need, I don't like it. Brother, let's not buy this."
It's important to understand that 35 yuan is no small amount; it's equivalent to more than a month's wages for an average worker.
Song Ce smiled slightly and gestured for the sales clerk to bring some more. He picked and chose for a while before finally coming up with four outfits. Jian Fangning couldn't refuse him, so she took the clothes to the fitting room and tried them on repeatedly.
It has to be said that Song Ce's aesthetic sense is still on point. The clothes he chose may not be the most expensive in the store, but they are definitely the best-looking when put together.
He gazed intently at his newly transformed wife, smiled gently, and then handed all the clothes to the sales clerk, displaying a touch of the dashing and generous style of Emperor Yong'an: "We'll take all of these."
As her refined and handsome husband walked towards her carrying a large bag of clothes, Jian Fangning's heart pounded, and her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the hem of the clothes.
"Let's go, Fangning!"
"Huh? Oh, oh... okay."
Next, Jian Fangning witnessed firsthand Song Ce's spending habits. He was incredibly generous when buying things for himself, always picking the best items in the store. Watching him, she felt both touched and heartbroken.
She knew Song Ce meant well, but she also knew how hard it had been for him to achieve all of this.
By the time the couple finished buying everything they needed for school, the sun was already setting. Song Ce, carrying large bags, reached out and took Jian Fangning's hand, leading her out of the mall.
"Fangning, you must be exhausted today. Here, have some water." Song Ce patted Jian Fangning's shoulder as she sat down and asked with a smile.
Jian Fangning shook her head. "I'm not tired, it's just... you must have spent a lot of money today, right?"
Song Ce smiled gently and said earnestly, "Money can be earned back, I just want you to be happy." As he spoke, he took out a wooden box from his bag and casually handed it to Jian Fangning.
"Take this, you can keep it for me from now on."
When Jian Fangning opened the box, she found it contained a series of fixed-term bank deposit certificates. The total amount on all these certificates was a staggering 15,840 yuan.
"Brother, this...this is too much money, I can't accept it, I can't accept it!"
Jian Fangning's hands trembled as she gritted her teeth, trying to stuff the box into Song Ce's arms. Unexpectedly, he was prepared and stepped forward with a smile, pulling her into his embrace.
"I originally wanted to give it to you before the New Year, but then I got busy with family matters and forgot... Fangning, how about we buy a house in Beijing and live there by ourselves?"
Jian Fangning buried her face in her lover's chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat, and tears welled up uncontrollably. This 15,000 yuan was the result of countless days and nights of hard work at the agricultural research institute!
Song Ce hugged Jian Fangning tighter. “These past few years, I haven’t been idle at the Agricultural Research Institute. Part of this money is the organization’s reward to me; part is the in-depth technical analysis tutorials I wrote for various machines, with each tutorial costing around a hundred yuan in royalties; there are also some practical maintenance techniques and basic science popularization materials… Once these books are published, I’ll also receive some royalties, probably around five or six hundred yuan a month…”
Five or six hundred... You know, even a senior worker's monthly salary is only seventy or eighty! This man of mine is truly remarkable!
The next day, Song Ce took Jian Fangning to see the movie "The Swordsman," which was popular throughout China. After the movie, the couple went to eat authentic Beijing-style roast duck.
This roast duck restaurant is a long-established brand in Beijing. Luckily, a table of customers paid their bill and left as soon as they arrived. Song Ce flipped through the menu and ordered several of their signature dishes in one go.
At this time, the price of Peking duck was very affordable in Song Ce's eyes, only ten yuan a set. But in the eyes of others, Peking duck was a luxury, something that the host would only afford to eat on important occasions such as weddings, Chinese New Year, and when entertaining distinguished guests.
After the couple finished their meal, they strolled around hand in hand all day. When they returned to the hotel, they naturally indulged in some silly and unrestrained behavior.
The couple didn't arrive at Beijing Medical University until 1 p.m. the next day, carrying their luggage and documents.
"Name?" "Jian Fangning."
"Age?" "20 this year."
"Ethnicity?" "Zhuang."
"Okay, let me see... Jian Fangning, right? Your dormitory is on the third floor, the first room on the left of the stairs."
Song Ce carried Jian Fangning's luggage all the way to the girls' dormitory, only to find a wooden sign at the main entrance that read: Girls' Dormitory, Men Not Allowed.
Such were the rules of the girls' dormitory, so Song Ce had no choice but to stop.
Seeing the man's helpless expression, Jian Fangning couldn't help but chuckle. She took her luggage, waved to the man, and turned to go into the dormitory with a smile.
When she reached the third floor, she couldn't help but look out the window at the familiar figure below. She saw him suddenly look up at her with a tender expression.
Jian Fangning: "..." For some reason, I suddenly feel my face getting really hot!
Gazing intently at her lover's refined and handsome face, Jian Fangning's heart pounded faster and faster. In the end, she gave in, blushing as she turned her head away, opened the dormitory door on the left side of the stairs, and went inside.
In the dormitory, the beds near the door and the windows were made up, but no one was there. Jian Fangning looked at the note pasted next to the bunk bed; her bed was in another spot near the window.
After she tidied up her bed, the dormitory door was pushed open, and two girls entered one after the other, chatting and laughing.
"Hello, my name is Jian Fangning."
One of the girls with short hair smiled kindly and introduced herself: "Hello, my name is Chen Lianxin."
The girl with pigtails next to Shen Lianxin glanced at Jian Fangning curiously and then said, "Hello, my name is Du Zhizhi."
The three girls, who were about the same age, chatted about a few topics that interested them and quickly became acquainted.
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Author's Note: Okay (smoothly kneels down) (pounds the ground in repentance)
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