Chapter 10: A Frenzy of Friends
The person who came was Wang Xiujuan.
Liu Yinfeng thought she had come to listen to the Li family arguing, and thought to herself that she had never seen her so fond of joining in the fun, but she still turned aside and welcomed her in.
As soon as the door closed, Wang Xiujuan said in a low voice, "Why is it noisy in your courtyard too?"
She came here seeking peace and quiet, but in the end, she still couldn't escape it.
"Oh?" Liu Yinfeng knew about the situation in their department: "Didn't you say that Erping wasn't unhappy about work when the three parties came back?"
Wang Xiujuan: "Yes, Shuilan was relieved, afraid that her two sons would start fighting again, and that one problem would lead to another in the family. I didn't expect her to cause such a big problem. Do you know what she's up to?"
Originally, Luo Yan planned to take advantage of the guests' arrival to go to her parents' room and find her textbooks.
But she became curious upon hearing this, and lowered her head, pretending to study the paper-cut window decorations, while actually listening intently.
Liu Yinfeng ignored her, poured tea for the guests, and asked in a humorous tone, "What do you need?"
Wang Xiujuan didn't keep people in suspense: "I said I wanted to open a bicycle repair shop."
Opening a shop? Although Liu Yinfeng didn't read books or newspapers and knew nothing about policies, she knew a lot of inside information. She said, "How is that possible? Would the Industry and Commerce Bureau agree to it?"
Wang Xiujuan: "They said they agreed, but we have to rent a place first before we can get the license."
Her house and the Zhou family's house were connected by a wall; to exaggerate a bit, you could hear a sneeze from the neighbor right away.
Liu Yinfeng: "That's even more uncertain. Where is he going to rent it?"
Under the current policy, even private houses can only be reserved for the owner's own living space. The rest are rented by the housing management office and then allocated to various work units. The work units then rent the houses to their employees based on factors such as age, length of service, and family size.
In Zhou Weifang's case, it's simply impossible to find a house.
Wang Xiujuan: "We had to ask from house to house, otherwise how could we let his mother know?"
There are no secrets in the world.
Liu Yinfeng clicked her tongue: "Shui Lan must be furious, right?"
How many people in the city are still labeled as "capitalists"? Who wouldn't be terrified at the mere mention of it? Parents only want their children to be safe and sound, so how could they bear to hear such a thing?
She was more than just furious. Wang Xiujuan said, "She heard about it when she went to buy groceries this morning, and started cursing as soon as she came back. None of the three argued back much. Yuyao and Yuying were the first to object, saying that if they weren't unemployed, who would have come up with such a solution? The mother and daughter are still arguing now."
At this point, she sighed, "Everyone says daughters are considerate, but I don't think that's entirely true."
Luo Yan couldn't help but ask, "Does being unwilling to suffer a loss mean being inconsiderate?"
She doesn't actually like arguing with people, always feeling that arguing is a very annoying thing, but last night Jianhong cried so much that she felt a tightness in her chest if she didn't say a word.
Even Liu Yinfeng hadn't expected her daughter to interrupt, and she scolded her first, "The adults are talking."
Her words were meant to protect the child, which Wang Xiujuan understood, so she smiled and said she wouldn't argue with the child. Instead, she asked, "Old Li's job was settled, so why are you arguing again?"
This tolerant attitude actually made Luo Yan even more uncomfortable, as if she had said something ridiculous. But the elder had already subtly backed down by changing the subject, and if she were to start another argument, she would seem too insensible. So she could only stand up and say, "Mom, I'm going to Yingying's house to play with her."
Go ahead, Liu Yinfeng: "You need to be back for dinner at twelve o'clock."
Luo Yan nodded, picked up the scarf hanging behind the door, walked around it in circles, pushed the bicycle parked at the door, and set off.
She had only ridden a few steps when she saw Zhou Weifang squatting at the entrance of courtyard number 21. She hadn't planned to greet him, but their eyes met, so she had no choice but to stop.
Zhou Weifang was actually thinking about something. Hearing the sound of brakes brought him back to his senses, and the moment he saw her, he subconsciously poked his cigarette on the ground.
Luo Yan was still fuming a moment ago, but now she felt like laughing.
Zhou Weifang laughed, "In the past, as soon as your brother and I lit a cigarette, you would always show up. It's become a habit for me."
The thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy couldn't wait to do the things that adults do, but now he thinks that growing up isn't so interesting.
Luo Yan: "Then why didn't you develop the good habit of not smoking?"
Zhou Weifang: "It's been several years, and this is the only one I've had today."
He's been looking for a place to live these past few days, and he always needs something in his pocket when asking for favors. He was feeling really annoyed just now, so he thought he'd smoke a cigarette to calm down.
Luo Yan was skeptical, but felt that whether her brother smoked or not was none of her business, as long as he didn't smoke, so she said, "It's fine, it's good for your health."
He's so old-fashioned, like he's lecturing someone.
However, Zhou Weifang treated her like a younger sister and asked, "Going to the bookstore again?"
Luo Yan: "I went to a classmate's house to play."
It's rare to see someone like that. My childhood friend has said several times that my sister is like a young lady from an old-fashioned household, and she doesn't go anywhere except school.
Zhou Weifang: "Go ahead, drive carefully."
Luo Yan politely said "goodbye" and rode her bicycle to Chen Yingying's house.
Chen Yingying was engrossed in watching TV at home alone and didn't hear anyone call her name.
She only responded after being knocked on the door several times: "Coming!"
As soon as Luo Yan saw someone, she said, "I thought you weren't home."
She was rubbing her hands together, her face red from the cold. Just one glance inside told me: "Did you come to my house yesterday to tell me you bought a TV?"
“You’re the smartest one,” Chen Yingying said, pulling her inside and enthusiastically introducing, “A nine-inch black and white TV from Guangzhou, isn’t that amazing?”
Luo Yan: "Wow, it's really hard to buy a TV these days. A few days ago, Xidan Department Store had some in stock, and my mom said there were at least a hundred or two people queuing up."
Chen Yingying: "I bought it in Xidan. My second brother went to queue up before dawn and almost didn't manage to get one."
Luo Yan: "It's not easy in this cold weather."
Chen Yingying: "He's thick-skinned and tough, it's alright."
He added, "Which channel do you want to watch? I'll adjust it for you."
It doesn't matter what TV show I watch, Luo Yan has something to say: "When I was at home just now..."
She was going to talk about what had just happened, and inevitably she would also mention other people's affairs. After talking for a long time, her mouth became dry.
Chen Yingying shared the same view and retorted, "These people are sexist and won't admit it."
Luo Yan: "They admit it and then say that everyone does it, as if it's something that's perfectly natural."
The two girls were indignant and argued back and forth.
They weren't talking about the same thing, since they hadn't seen each other for a while, and they could chatter on and on about anything.
As lunchtime approached, Luo Yan said, "I have to go home for lunch."
Chen Yingying, still wanting more, said, "We can eat at my house, since it's just me here anyway."
Everyone's food supply is based on rations. Luo Yan: "My mom is definitely cooking."
Chen Yingying said regretfully, "I'll let you try my cooking next time; it's really good."
Luo Yan: "I definitely will if I have the chance."
It sounds like anything is possible, but in reality, nobody knows exactly when.
Many things in this world, if pushed along, may simply disappear.
The sentence popped into Luo Yan's mind. She felt it had a certain literary quality and decided to write it down in her notebook when she got home, so that she might be able to use it in her essays in the future.
But as she kept muttering to herself, she couldn't remember it when she got home, and she was eating with a furrowed brow.
Liu Yinfeng: "Anyone who didn't know better would think you disliked my cooking."
Luo Yan: "How could your cooking not taste good? I'm thinking about something."
Liu Yinfeng figured it was probably all about studying, so she stopped talking to her and continued eating.
Luo Yan said, "I just came back and saw Jianjun and his wife holding their child buying candy at the supply and marketing cooperative."
Liu Yinfeng: "After all, they are our own flesh and blood. If there were no other way, who would be willing to leave them? The couple had a good relationship. Jianjun originally said that he would find a way to bring the mother and daughter to the city in three to five years, but now it is really difficult."
When educated youth return to their hometowns, they have to wait in line. During peak seasons like the Lunar New Year, they have to wait for several months. If they don't meet the requirements in the slightest, they are refused admission, let alone people from other places.
Everyone has their difficulties, Luo Yan asked, "So, are they going back?"
Liu Yinfeng: "Let's talk about it after the New Year. Anyway, the police station isn't really involved lately."
Normally, the rules are strict. When relatives from any family come to visit, they have to register. Unless there are special circumstances, they can only stay for a maximum of five days before they have to leave.
The Lunar New Year is like a dam; even if there is a raging flood, it can temporarily hold it back.
Luo Yan had no reason to worry about other people's problems, so she asked, "Will Sister Jianhong still sleep with me tonight?"
Liu Yinfeng: "Probably not, I think your Aunt Li is already moving to a different place."
Luo Yan: "That's good."
After she finished speaking, she felt that she was disliking others, so she added, "I haven't slept in the same bed with anyone for many years, so I'm not used to it."
Her husband's family has no relatives, and her own family's relatives live far away. For more than 20 years, this house has been almost exclusively inhabited by her family of four.
Liu Yinfeng: "You refused to share a bed with your brother when you were three years old. I was worried yesterday that you wouldn't want to."
Luo Yan: "Our family sees Aunt Li all the time. Although I'm not familiar with Sister Jianhong, I'll help her if I can."
That makes sense, Liu Yinfeng said: "You're so sensible, unlike your brother."
Luo Yan: "What did he do to upset you again?"
Liu Yinfeng: "After your Aunt Xiujuan left, I went to buy groceries, and someone told me that he and the other party went to look for a house together."
Luo Yan guessed it must have been yesterday, and couldn't help but frown: "If the factory finds out, will it affect my chances of getting a permanent position?"
To put it more broadly, this is participating in capitalist activities. While it's not acceptable to label people now, the events of those years are still fresh in our minds.
This is what worries Liu Yinfeng. After all, she and her husband have worked hard for this job, and she said, "I'm going to teach him a lesson tonight."
Luo Yan: "You know my brother's temper. He'll listen if you talk to him nicely, but if you push him too far, he'll climb on the roof and tear off the tiles."
Liu Yinfeng has a long history of struggle with her son. When he was a child, she would beat him three times a day, but he never learned his lesson.
She said, "I thought he would be more mature after coming back from the countryside, but he still caused me trouble."
It wasn't about composure; it was simply that Zhuge Liang lacked a capable strategist, and couldn't accomplish anything on his own.
Luo Yan thought to herself: Sure enough, they always want to cause trouble when they get together with Zhou Weifang. What a pair of bad friends.
A note from the author:
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I don't know why, but the name Jianguo is okay, but the whole name is too long, so I changed it to Jianjun.
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