Chapter 104 Little Book
Such love moved Tao Nanfeng.
No regrets, persistent and brave... Although Li Shunmei looks ordinary, she has an extremely tenacious heart.
Jokingly speaking, if it weren't for her tenacity, she probably wouldn't have been able to win over Fan Zhicheng, the flower of the mountain.
However, just listening to her one-sided statement, I still have many doubts.
First, why did Fan Zhicheng offend the farm manager, and why was he not even granted a single home visit leave during his twelve years as an educated youth?
Second, Fan Zhicheng has insisted on not dating or getting married for so long. Since he has decided to be with Li Shunmei, why is he unwilling to get a marriage certificate or sleep in the same room?
Third, why did Fan Zhicheng quietly leave the farm without saying hello to Li Shunmei?
What kind of past is hidden behind that beautiful face that shines with its own light? Tao Nanfeng was full of curiosity.
Xiangbei continued to ask Li Shunmei: "What if you can't find Fan Zhicheng?"
Li Shunmei shook her head blankly: "I don't know either. I can only wait here for now. He will go home eventually, right? When he comes home, I will ask him about it and then we can talk about it."
Tao Nanfeng looked at her sympathetically and said, "Now you need a letter of introduction to visit relatives, stay at a hotel, and buy tickets. If you don't get one from the village, and someone calls the police, the police will send you back."
Li Shunmei's world was only in Quanshan Town, and she had no idea that she needed a letter of introduction to go out.
The old man who rented the comic books asked and acted as an interpreter. Hearing this, he couldn't help but say, "How did you get on the bus if you don't have a letter of introduction?"
Li Shunmei hugged the bag and said, "I took a tractor from the town to the county. I asked someone to buy the ticket for me. The long-distance bus did not check the letter of introduction. I was in a hurry to leave and did not bring much money. When I arrived in Jiangcheng, I could only beg for food and sleep under the bridge. Fortunately, the weather was hot and it was cool under the bridge at night."
"Oh..." Tao Nanfeng sighed softly.
Xiangbei asked her, "Are you still going to come to this alley and cry every day?"
Li Shunmei raised her hand and wiped the sweat off her face. "It is said that city people care about face. I am a country woman and I am not afraid of losing face. I come here every day to make trouble. They can't stand it anymore. Fan Zhicheng will definitely come to see me."
Hearing this, Tao Nanfeng pulled Xiangbei.
Xiangbei turned his head to look at her, and Tao Nanfeng used his eyes to stop him from continuing.
Xiangbei stood up and said to Li Shunmei, "We can't help you with anything right now. I'm sorry."
Li Shunmei listened to their questions for a long time and thought that they might get news about Fan Zhicheng. I was a little disappointed to hear Xiangbei say sorry. Her face was a little stiff, and she looked at Tao Nanfeng pleadingly for a long time: "If you see Fan Zhicheng, you must tell him that I am here to find him."
Tao Nanfeng nodded.
After Li Shunmei left, the old man who rented the comic books said to Xiangbei, "Why don't you just sit there and read the comic books? Why do you care about these trivial matters?"
Xiangbei glanced at the comic books on the bookshelf reluctantly: "Tomorrow, I'll come back tomorrow."
Just now, he was in a bad mood because of the matter between Fan Zhicheng and Li Shengmei. Now seeing Xiangbei's longing eyes, Tao Nanfeng's depression was swept away. He packed up the drawing folder and handed it to Xiangbei, saying, "Let's go buy some comic books."
Xiangbei put the painting folder behind his back and asked her, "Where can I buy it?"
Tao Nanfeng smiled slightly and took his hand and walked forward: "Go past this street corner, there is the largest Xinhua Bookstore in Jiangcheng, there are all kinds of books."
The old man rushed to Bei and waved: "It's so expensive to buy it yourself, you can rent it from me, you can read a book for only one cent."
Xiangbei found what the old man said interesting and smiled at him: "Okay, I'll come to your place to rent books when I have time."
After that, the two of them left the Minzhu Road intersection hand in hand.
The Xinhua Bookstore is filled with the scent of ink and books, and it feels very cool as soon as you enter. The floor is paved with green and white terrazzo, the walls are filled with bookcases, and the ceiling fan above your head is slowly turning.
Tao Nanfeng took his hand and walked to the comic book counter. He waved his right hand and said with a smile: "Look! So many——"
Going north is like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, dazzled and dazzled.
Colorful covers, all-encompassing content, from history to modern times, from biographies to folk tales, from classics to fairy tales and movies, in color, black and white, line drawing, ink painting, and color painting...
There are all kinds of comic strips!
Xiangbei picked up book after book, feeling that what he had been missing in his childhood had been fulfilled at this moment. He was so happy that he wanted to fly: "Buy this, this, this..."
The price of each comic book varies, ranging from approximately 10 cents to 30 cents. Xiangbei likes stories about battles, martial arts, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Water Margin, while Tao Nanfeng likes classical novels and opera stories. The two of them picked more than fifty books together.
The two of them walked up to the counter with the comic books in their arms. The clerk used an abacus quickly and calculated the price in one go: "Ten dollars and eighty cents."
Xiangbei paid the bill and the clerk helped them pack the food with oil paper.
Xiangbei carried a large bag of comic books on his shoulders. His posture was as heroic and confident as if he was carrying a bag of explosives to the battlefield.
As soon as I walked out of Xinhua Bookstore, I started whistling towards the north.
"We cross the Yalu River with high spirits and vigour; to safeguard peace and defend the motherland is to protect our hometown..." The cheerful tune makes people feel happy when listening to it.
Tao Nanfeng smiled with curved eyebrows and eyes: "Books are the heaviest, can you carry them? How about I do it?"
Xiangbei's whistle stopped immediately. He glared at Tao Nanfeng and said, "Although you are strong, you can't show it outside, otherwise others will laugh at your man."
When Tao Nanfeng saw Xiang Bei for the first time, he was as happy as a little kid: "Didn't you read comic books when you were a kid?"
Xiangbei grinned and said, "When I was a kid, my family couldn't even get enough food to eat, so how could I have the spare money to buy comic books to read?"
He glanced at Tao Nanfeng and asked, "Why don't I usually see you reading comic books?"
Tao Nanfeng replied: "Those were for children. When I grew up, I didn't feel comfortable watching them anymore, so I put them away at the bottom of the cabinet."
The two looked at each other and understood what the other wanted to say.
——He is so pitiful, he has never even read a picture book.
——She is so pitiful. As she grows up, she reads more and more books, but she no longer has the time to read picture books.
Tao Nanfeng tilted his head and leaned on Xiangbei's shoulder: "It's okay, we'll buy more after we finish reading and fill up the bookcase at home."
"Let's watch it together! Don't worry, you'll feel comfortable watching it with me accompanying you." Xiangbei laughed, and his laughter could be heard from far away.
Two adults in their twenties, carrying a large bag of picture books, were laughing happily as if they had bought precious treasures.
After returning home, Xiangbei carried the comic book into the study.
Because there were no children, the two rooms on the east side, the easternmost one was the master bedroom, which was fully equipped with a huanghuali step-out bed, a dressing table, a large wardrobe, and a brocade stool.
The room closer to the main room was arranged as Tao Nanfeng's study. There is a whole row of huanghuali bookcases, desks, armchairs, beds and rocking chairs. The windows at the back face the bamboo forest, with swaying green shadows, which is quiet and dynamic.
Tao Nanfeng opened a bookcase and put the books away one by one. Then the two of them each took a book, sat shoulder to shoulder beside the Arhat bed, and slowly began to read.
Without anyone to disturb us, time flies by quickly and the years are peaceful and beautiful.
Wait until someone outside the window calls out, "Nanfeng, are you looking for me?"
Tao Nanfeng then came to her senses: "Ah, Dad, you're back!" She put down the book in her hand and walked out of the house. Tao Shouxin was standing in the corridor.
"I was in a meeting at the department this morning. When I got back, I heard from your mother-in-law that you and Xiangbei were back. As soon as she got home, she came to look for me."
Tao Nanfeng nodded quickly: "Yes, I have something to talk to you about. It's about Fan Zhicheng."
After hearing what Tao Nanfeng said, Tao Shouxin's face turned a little ugly.
"Fan Zhicheng was editing a book in my office this morning and didn't leave. I asked him to pack lunch in the cafeteria and gave him some meal tickets. If he really abandoned Li Shunmei, we must deal with it before the matter is exposed, otherwise... it is very likely that he will be disqualified from admission."
Tao Nanfeng asked: "What do you mean by dealing with it before it's exposed?"
Tao Shouxin said: "If he admits his mistakes and reconciles with Comrade Fan Shunmei, nothing will happen. If he insists on doing it, then our school will not admit students with flawed character."
Tao Nanfeng nodded. Although Li Shunmei didn't want to ruin Fan Zhicheng, if Fan Zhicheng kept hiding like this, something would happen sooner or later.
"I will go see Director Huang first, and then talk to Fan Zhicheng." After saying that, Tao Shouxin didn't even bother to eat and hurried to school.
It was not until the evening that Tao Shouxin returned home.
Tao Nanfeng brought food and tea to his father, and waited until he finished his meal and took a deep breath before asking, "How is it?"
Tao Shouxin explained the whole story one by one.
Everyone present sighed after hearing this.
It turned out that Fan Zhicheng was assigned to Quanshan Farm at the age of fifteen. Because she was too pretty, she was noticed by the homosexual director and harassed several times. He had no choice but to agree to Li Shunmei's pursuit. Li Shunmei had five brothers and was quite influential in the village, so she managed to protect Fan Zhicheng.
Fan Zhicheng had no romantic feelings for Li Shunmei, and the reason he agreed to hold a wedding banquet and become a couple in name only was just a temporary measure. He was the eldest in the family and had a good relationship with his parents and sister. He wanted to go back to the city, but the manager kept a close eye on him and he was unable to visit his family for twelve years.
The Fan family was affected during the movement. His parents were ordered to suspend their work and reflect on their actions. His sister married a worker but was not happy and did not have the extra energy to take care of Fan Zhicheng. This time he finally returned to Jiangcheng, and he just wanted to draw a clear line with the past. How could he be willing to see Li Shunmei again?
Tao Shouxin instructed: "Fan Zhicheng said that the harassment by the director was too humiliating and he never told anyone about it. You must remember not to spread it."
Tao Nanfeng nodded heavily.
Xiangbei asked: "Dad, how did you deal with Fan Zhicheng?"
Tao Shouxin said: "I have discussed with his mentor Huang Jiafa and asked Fan Zhicheng to go home and make things clear with Li Shunmei. This woman and her family have protected him for so many years. Even if there is no love, there is gratitude. People should have a sense of responsibility and see things through. He promised us that he will definitely communicate face to face with Li Shunmei tomorrow and handle the matter properly."
Having said that, Tao Shouxin sighed.
"One should be true to his conscience. This incident made me very disappointed in him. He knew that Li Shunmei cried and made a scene outside his parents' house every day, but he kept hiding in his sister's house and refused to meet her. He probably thought that this country woman couldn't speak the language, and would go back if she was turned away here."
Tao Nanfeng added: "But he never thought about how a country woman would live in this strange big city!"
Yes, Fan Zhicheng has a problem with his character as he is so cruel to the person next to him.
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