At this time, Cheng Zheng knocked on the bedroom door: "Yaoyao, Dad bought soy milk and fried dumplings, get up and have breakfast."
"I don't want to eat breakfast!" Cheng Yaoyao deliberately said loudly.
Cheng Zheng said, "How can you not eat breakfast? Dad bought your favorite dish today, and it's hot."
"Okay." Cheng Yaoyao said, "Wait for me!"
Cheng Zheng is silent.
Cheng Yaoyao turned to look at Xie Zhao again and mouthed to him, "I want to have breakfast."
Xie Zhao smiled, leaned back against the wall, and looked at her patiently: "Wait for you."
Cheng Zheng, Wei Shuying and Cheng Nuonuo were all at the table when they saw Cheng Yaoyao rush out like a gust of wind. Everyone's eyes lit up. Cheng Yaoyao was usually beautiful, but today she was particularly radiant, with peach blossom eyes that were like water, rippling with light.
Cheng Nuonuo was wearing a casual yellow sweater, which made her face look even more sallow. She and Wei Shuying sat there in silence, as if they were afraid of making Cheng Zheng angry.
Cheng Yaoyao ignored them, sat at the table, drank a few mouthfuls of porridge in a hurry, and said to Cheng Zheng: "Dad, I won't come back for dinner."
"Okay." Cheng Zhengxi said as if it was normal, "Is the money enough?"
"That's enough." Cheng Yaoyao dropped the bowl, picked up his coat and ran away, "Goodbye, Dad!"
Cheng Zheng smiled and shook his head: "This child."
Wei Shuying glared at Cheng Nonuo angrily, and said sourly: "Oh, Yaoyao has only been back to Shanghai for a few days, and I don't know how much money he spent!"
"Shut up! Yaoyao has been wronged, can't you just pay her back?" Cheng Zheng slammed the table, "I'll settle accounts with you guys after I finish my work at the unit!"
Wei Shuying shrank her neck, thinking of last night's farce, and kept silent while holding the bowl of porridge. The Shen family refused to admit their mistakes, and she still expected Cheng Zheng to support her! Cheng Nuonuo, however, said nothing, and slowly picked up a chopstick of salty and sour radish shreds, with a haze in his eyes that no one could understand.
The sunshine in Shanghai in winter is thin, and the cold air is filled with the aroma of hot breakfast. The streets are full of familiar neighbors, wearing pajamas, holding breakfast and soy milk they bought back.
Cheng Yaoyao responded to the neighbors' greetings while looking at Xie Zhao. She walked in front, and Xie Zhao followed her at a distance as if nothing had happened. The two of them had a different kind of excitement of an underground love affair.
When they reached Huaihai Road, they walked side by side. When their shoulders brushed against each other, they felt sweet for a long time. I have walked this road many times before, but today my mood is very different from usual. The narrow sky in the alley, the old red brick walls, and the sycamore trees with only branches left on the roadside all became lovely and lively.
Cheng Yaoyao chatted with Xie Zhao about the delicious food and fun things to do in Shanghai: "The Free Market sells everything. The inspection team hasn't been arresting people lately, so it's really lively!"
"The pastries at Lao Dachang and Commander Kai are both very famous. Bring some back for Xiao Fei when you go back."
"You haven't eaten Western food before, have you? We went to the Red House for lunch. I just ate a few bites and I'm hungry."
Xie Zhao looked at her with a smile: "Eat more later."
"Of course!" Cheng Yaoyao listed the delicious dishes in the Red House. "Fried pork chops, potato salad, borscht, these are the most distinctive Western dishes in Shanghai. Have you ever tried them?"
Xie Zhao shook his head naturally: "I heard that we need to use a knife and fork."
Cheng Yaoyao said hurriedly: "It's okay, I'll teach you how to use a knife and fork later. It's not a very formal Western meal anyway."
As she spoke, she secretly hooked her little finger at Xie Zhao, feeling a little distressed. Xie Zhao had many delicious things he had never tasted before, and she would take him to try them one by one.
Cheng Yaoyao's little finger was about to touch her, but Xie Zhao used the cover of his coat sleeve to gently pinch Cheng Yaoyao's soft and boneless hand. His palm was rough, and it seemed to create sparks when it rubbed against her skin.
Cheng Yaoyao shuddered, stared at him with confused eyes, took two quick steps forward to distance himself from Xie Zhao, "Do you want to be arrested as a gangster?"
Xie Zhao followed behind slowly with his long legs, staring at Cheng Yaoyao's slender back without blinking. People on the streets of Shanghai came and went, and when they passed by, they would cast surprised glances at Cheng Yaoyao, and more often they would smile kindly.
This is a vast world, completely different from Tianshui Village.
Cheng Yaoyao turned back and nudged him with his elbow: "What are you daydreaming about! Hurry up!"
Cheng Yaoyao acted like a tour guide, taking Xie Zhao to visit the free market. In fact, it was Cheng Yaoyao's first time here, and the free market was full of all kinds of people, with goods from all over the world making Cheng Yaoyao dazzled.
Someone was selling candied haws, big red hawthorns stuffed with glutinous rice, the candy shells gleaming in the sun. A bunch of kids were drooling around a straw basket filled with candied haws, rolling around and asking their parents to buy them.
Cheng Yaoyao couldn't help but take another look. Xie Zhao looked at Jiaojiao beside him and said, "Do you want it?"
Cheng Yaoyao nodded, and Xie Zhao took out the money and handed it to the stall owner. Cheng Yaoyao picked the most beautiful one and took it in his hand. He took a bite and found the candy shell was crispy, and the sweet and sour taste of the hawthorn made his mouth water. Inside was the fragrant and sticky glutinous rice filling, which was so delicious.
People passing by smiled at Cheng Yaoyao, a delicate beauty holding a candied haws. The children looked at Cheng Yaoyao with envy, wishing they could trade their parents for Xie Zhao.
Cheng Yaoyao maliciously waved the candied haws at the child, his intention to show off was obvious.
Xie Zhao held her hand and said, "Watch the road. Don't get lost."
The free market was bustling with people, good and bad, and Xie Zhao would not let Cheng Yaoyao leave his side. In such a place, the two of them could relax a little, without having to keep a distance all the time and be wary of other people's eyes.
Cheng Yaoyao was often attracted by the novel gadgets on the stalls. After a while, Xie Zhao came with a bag of gadgets that Cheng Yaoyao liked. Xie Zhao didn't buy anything himself, but occasionally asked about the price of the goods.
Xie Zhao was interested in things like cassettes and tape recorders. Cheng Yaoyao asked, "Do you want to listen to some music?"
Xie Zhao shook his head and put the box of tapes back: "These goods are very popular recently."
There was a concentration and seriousness in his eyes, like the curious but calm look of Jianjian when facing unfamiliar food. Cheng Yaoyao smiled, and slid his slender fingers across a row of magnetic tapes and picked one out. This kind of magnetic tape was not the pirated magnetic tape that was popular later, but the genuine one, which was secretly smuggled from Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
In a year or two, there will be a large number of young people wearing flowered shirts and bell-bottom pants on the streets. They will wear frog-eye glasses and carry tape recorders playing Cantonese pop songs, and they will think they are the most fashionable people on the street.
Nowadays, this kind of tape is still rare. Cheng Yaoyao explained to Xie Zhao: "These tapes are from Hong Kong, and those fashionable young people like to buy them the most. As for tape recorders, there are Japanese products and parallel imports from Shenzhen. The former are more expensive and of better quality, while the latter are cheaper and have a larger market."
Although Xie Zhao later became a big businessman, he is still a country boy who has never seen new technology. Cheng Yaoyao wanted to rub Xie Zhao's head for some reason, so he pulled Xie Zhao and said, "Let's go to the Overseas Chinese Store some other day. In addition to tape recorders, there are also color TVs. Let's buy a Japanese product and bring it back for grandma and Xiao Fei to watch."
Xie Zhao was unwavering in his decision: "I won't buy Japanese products!"
"Okay, okay." Cheng Yaoyao changed his tone, "Then let's buy domestically produced ones and support domestic products!"
The quality of domestically produced electrical appliances is so good these days that an electric fan can last for decades without rusting or breaking down, and the price is one-third lower than imported goods. People are patriotic and are happy to support domestic products.
Cheng Yaoyao saw that Xie Zhao was interested in these things, so he took him to see a few more stalls. They were all tape recorders and electronic watches from Shenzhen, which were rare items in that era, and were both expensive and in great demand.
Cheng Yaoyao looked down on the electronic watch. This kind of thing is just new, but it will break quickly and is not worth the money. She said to Xie Zhao: "Magnetic tape electronic watches are small items. If you have the right connections, you can get a TV."
Xie Zhao listened carefully and said, "Sister, you really know a lot."
Cheng Yaoyao's little tail immediately flew up to the sky: "Of course!" She learned all these knowledge points from the original book!
Xie Zhao added: "If we can get some smuggled TVs and refrigerators..."
Cheng Yaoyao was enlightened by Xie Zhao's words. How much money can you make from magnetic tapes and electronic watches? The big profits are from big items like TVs and refrigerators. They are cheaper in Hong Kong, and you can make a few hundred yuan by shipping one item over.
The price of TV sets in overseas Chinese stores ranged from 750 to 2000 to 3000, depending on the place of production and whether they were in color or black and white. The price on the black market was even higher. Moreover, not everyone could buy TV sets in shopping malls. You had to have a ticket. The ticket was the hardest to get. If anyone had a TV ticket, it was like holding a handful of RMB. If you could get a parallel-imported TV set, wouldn't it be a lot of money?
"Hey, smuggling is a serious crime, don't even think about it." Cheng Yaoyao said nervously, looking at Xie Zhao's thoughtful expression, and shook his hand vigorously: "Did you hear me?"
Xie Zhao came back to his senses, looked at Cheng Yaoyao whose face had turned red with nervousness, and pulled the corners of his lips: "But..."
"No buts!" Cheng Yaoyao lowered his voice, "If you get caught, it will be more serious than reselling gold! You have to promise me, promise me now!"
Xie Zhao remained silent until the second before Cheng Yaoyao was about to get angry, then he said: "Promise you can--"
He lowered his head and approached, speaking a few words into Cheng Yaoyao's ear in a voice that only the two of them could hear. Cheng Yaoyao's white and tender ears immediately turned red, and he glared at him angrily. His eyes were like water, and his little hooks made people's hearts itch.
A smile flashed across Xie Zhao's eyes: "Agree?"
"..." Cheng Yaoyao's rosy lips moved but remained tightly closed.
Xie Zhaoxian held her hand and walked away from the stall: "If you don't say anything, it means you agree."
"I didn't..." Cheng Yaoyao swallowed her words. What she feared most was that something would happen to Xie Zhao. As long as Xie Zhao didn't touch gold or smuggling, everything else would be fine.
Xie Zhao and Cheng Yaoyao stopped in front of a stall selling second-hand goods. The stall owner was an old man who was taking a nap with his hands folded. His stall was just a piece of rag, on which were placed a lot of second-hand goods. A small brass incense burner, a box of colorful jade rings and buttons, a few thread-bound books, a mother-of-pearl jewelry box, and two porcelain bottles.
The old man opened his eyes a little and saw a pair of beautiful people standing in front of the stall. They looked like fat sheep from their clothes. The old man became excited: "What are you looking at? This is a Ru kiln porcelain vase from the Ming Dynasty, this is a mother-of-pearl box from the Tang Dynasty, and this is the best mutton-fat jade."
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