"I was in a meeting and it got late." Tang Cuiju greeted Zhou Yue, "Xiao Yue, when did you get here?"
"Around three or four in the afternoon," Xiao Jiu said to Ye Zhen beside him as soon as Zhou Yue finished speaking.
"Sister Zhen, this is my brother Yue. He is a college student at Harbin Military Engineering Institute and is nineteen years old this year."
Ye Zhen was initially amazed by Zhou Yue's height and appearance, but she didn't expect that he was a military academy student at Harbin Military Engineering Institute, which made him even more remarkable.
"My name is Ye Zhen, hello Comrade Zhou."
"Hello, Comrade Ye."
After exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Jiu suggested, "Sister Zhen, are you free? Come to my house for dinner!"
Ye Zhen sighed and shook her head: "No, my mom has arranged an event for me, and I have to go."
However, I can come to your house to get acquainted with it. We can arrange another time later; there's plenty of time.
Xiao Jiu raised the corner of her lips. "A blind date?"
Ye Zhen slumped her shoulders: "It's the same old thing, they keep bringing it up over and over again every day. They haven't let me have a good New Year. I'm fed up with it."
"Is it because you have high standards, Zhenzhen?"
Tang Cuiju's words prompted Ye Zhen to subconsciously refute them.
"No, Sister Ju, I don't have high standards. But some people, you can guess what kind of family they come from just by looking at them. Marriage is a lifelong commitment. I'd rather stay single than settle."
Tang Cuiju thought there was nothing wrong with what was said, especially after coming to this workplace and hearing all sorts of complaints from married women, she even developed a fear of marriage at one point.
It's not that no one has introduced her to potential partners, but she's not interested in dating right now. She feels that she needs to get her diploma first, and she'll leave the rest to fate.
Ye Zhen went with them to Liuxiang, recognized the Weng family's gate, stood in front of the rented house for a while, said a few words, and then went home.
"I ate a big meal this afternoon, so I won't eat with you guys tonight. It's getting late, so take your time eating. I'm going out for a walk. See you tomorrow."
It was getting late, so Zhou Yue simply said goodbye and left.
While her second sister was cooking, Xiao Jiu went to visit the Weng family elders. In the afternoon, she received a jade bracelet and a small yellow croaker.
On the morning of the seventh day of the first lunar month, a thick fog rolled in, and Xiao Jiu got up early to cook.
She got tired of eating steamed buns and mantou for two days in a row.
I got up early this morning to chop some meat, roll out wonton wrappers, prepare a pork and scallion filling, and garnish with seaweed, dried shrimp, and cilantro.
The smooth and fresh taste made Tang Cuiju praise it highly. Especially on a cold day, a hot bowl of wontons was incredibly comforting.
Zhou Yue didn't arrive until seven or eight o'clock, and he was even carrying a bag of fresh tofu that he had bought from queuing at the state-run restaurant.
"Wow, these buns have big wrappers and lots of filling. If it weren't for these difficult times, we could still get big pork buns. But the tofu buns are also good, spicy and fragrant, just to my liking. I also made wontons today, you should try them."
The water in the pot had been boiling for a while. Now, she pulled off the stove lid and waited for the flames to come up. She picked up a big steamed bun and started eating it. You know, the steamed buns at state-run restaurants are really good value. This one was huge, filled with tofu, and decorated with chili threads. The red chili oil made her sweat profusely as she ate it.
When a large bowl of wontons is served, the seaweed, cilantro, and dried shrimp make the white, plump wontons look especially tempting. In particular, there is a layer of sesame oil floating on top. Just smelling the aroma is intoxicating. You can eat one after another and become more and more addicted.
"Come on, I'll take you to see a movie. Which one do you want to see: 'Tracks in the Snowy Forest,' 'The Surprise Attack,' or 'On the 38th Parallel'?"
These are all movies released in the 1960s. Although the cinema wasn't far from her home and a movie ticket cost only a dime, she had never been to the cinema, mainly because the picture quality of these old movies really affected the viewing experience.
But since Zhou Yue had brought it up, she felt too embarrassed to refuse, so she went to the movie theater with him.
They bought two tickets to "Tracks in the Snowy Forest," each costing 15 cents. With half an hour to go before the movie started, the two of them stood at the small shop outside the cinema and looked around. There wasn't much to buy. Unlike later generations with so many food and drinks, the most popular item in this era was cigarettes.
Compared to the high-end and sophisticated cinemas of later generations, the cinema's decor, which was sixty years behind, could only be described in one word.
dark.
It is indeed quite large, but shouldn't there be sufficient lighting facilities before the movie starts?
It was pitch black. If Zhou Yue hadn't been holding her, she would have tripped on the steps.
Moreover, it has a dark and damp smell inside; although it's called a movie theater, it's actually more of a multi-purpose venue.
Besides showing movies, sometimes large-scale events are held, with speeches and performances taking place on a large stage below.
The rows of tiered red seats were also covered in stains and holes due to poor maintenance.
This classic film has been remade many times, and there is even a TV series version.
I wouldn't say I know the details by heart, but I certainly do. The movie theater is big, but there aren't many people here at this time. There are only about twenty or thirty people, and they are all sitting in different seats. Some come alone, some come in pairs, some in groups of three or four, and some in large groups of six or more.
This group of six, halfway through the movie, the two men sitting on the far side started muttering quietly, then their argument grew louder and louder, and eventually they even started insulting each other's families.
One of them went up and said, "Fuck your mother!" The other couldn't hold back and jumped up and punched him. The two of them started fighting in the middle of the not-so-spacious seats.
The two girls in the middle were so frightened that they panicked and cried out in trembling voices.
"Stop hitting him! Let go! Qin Yang, did you hear me? I told you to let go!"
The remaining two men also joined the two girls in trying to break up the fight and mediate, but the two men, blinded by rage, paid no heed to such attempts and grew increasingly ferocious as they grew older.
Upon hearing the commotion, two burly men in charge of security at the cinema rushed over and roared in anger upon seeing the situation.
"What are you doing? This is a public place. If you don't want to watch, then come out. How dare you fight?"
Using their height advantage, the two men quickly pulled the two men apart. The boy named Qin Yang had his clothes torn, blood trickling from his mouth, and bruises on his face. After being pulled apart, he turned and spat out a mouthful of blood, forcefully shaking off the people holding him, and left without looking back.
Everyone thought the matter was over, but no one expected that another boy, who was supposed to be Qin Yang's friend, would suddenly break free from everyone's grasp, pull out a folding knife from his pocket, and stab the boy in front of him in the neck...
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