On the first day of summer vacation, Wen Liang stayed at home, having nowhere to go. Qinghe had Li Shengli, Xinxing had Ji Zheng, Bencao had Fan Bo, Yishan had Zhong Congjiang, and the only immature Chuangtu had a genius Yin Yong. Everyone was doing their job well and did not need him to make any comments.
Xu Yao and Ji Su went to Guanshan, Ning Xiaoning took the first flight back to Beijing, Si Yajing was busy with work in Qinghe, Zuo Yuxi went to the countryside again, Ning Xi was far away in Shahe County, and Ye Yuting, who had the most free time, was said to have gone to Mount Tai to collect folk songs with a backpack and a SLR camera.
So Wen Liang could only lie on the sofa at home, boredly flipping through the boring and rare TV programs, with a pot of top-quality Biluochun tea brewing on the coffee table. If he hadn't yawned from time to time, he would have looked like a celebrity who had taken a half-day break from his busy life.
Even Ding Mei, who went home to get something at noon, was startled when she saw Wen Liang and asked, "Isn't it summer vacation? Why are you at home?"
"Mom, I don't like what you said. What's wrong with me staying at home for a while? He's not your son. This is not my home."
"Oh, it's my bad luck. I care about you and get blamed." Ding Mei sat next to him and said with a smile: "My dear son, tell me what's going on. Did you fall in love with a girl, but she doesn't like you, so you are sulking alone?"
Wen Liang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Don't make blind guesses. If I stand outside like this, the girls will definitely line up in a row!"
Ding Mei leaned back, looked at him carefully for a while, and said solemnly: "Son, I think you should get a full face lift. There are so many girls lining up here, maybe they are scared by you..."
In the end, it was Liu Tianlai's phone call that saved Wen Liang from Ding Mei's clutches. If it had been a little later, he might have been buried alive by her.
The two met outside. Liu Tianlai led Wen Liang mysteriously to a house facing south, surrounded by lush trees and green bamboos. A hundred meters ahead, the Qinghe River was flowing, rippling with blue waves and a long and lingering charm. Just like what Su Shunqin described in his poem, the autumn colors faded into the forest, and the sunlight shone through the green bamboos. Wen Liang fell in love with this place at first sight.
"One hundred thousand isn't enough?"
"How could it be possible? It only cost 80,000 yuan in total!" Liu Tianlai was afraid that Wen Liang would not believe him, so he explained, "The owner of this house does business in the south, and the whole family moved there a long time ago. The house has been empty for several years, and it is priced at 110,000 yuan, but it has never been sold. How should I put it? Although it looks very exquisite, people without money naturally cannot afford it, and those with money think the location is too remote, and they can't afford it at a high price or a low price. The owner is also stubborn and doesn't want to sell it at a low price, so it has been vacant. It just so happens that a friend of mine knows him, and he doesn't want to waste time, so he gave me a 20% discount as a friendly price."
In terms of the long-term value of this house, 110,000 yuan is not expensive, but no matter how good the things are, they need a market. This is the low tide of the real estate market, and in a third-tier city like Qingzhou, it is really not easy to find a suitable buyer. "I think this place has good air and is quiet enough, so I signed the contract on behalf of Young Master Wen," Liu Tianlai said with a shameless face, "Young Master Wen, whether you are satisfied or not, you can't get back the 80,000 yuan..."
Wen Liang smiled and said, "If I'm not satisfied, 80,000 yuan will be deducted from your salary!"
Liu Tianlai's face suddenly became long, and he begged for mercy: "Three years' salary, Mr. Wen, my Zhihe is still growing up..."
Wen Liang almost vomited blood. With your Liu Zhihe's body shape, people would believe that he has grown thirty times. I really don't dare to grow any bigger, brother!
Of course Liu Tianlai saw that Wen Liang was very satisfied, so he deliberately said some flattering words. Wen Liang finally made the decision, but he gave up the idea of Liu Tianlai volunteering to find a decorator. After all, this was his first home, so how to decorate it and what style to decorate it in required learning from others and listening to the opinions of several girls.
Qingzhou is full of weirdos, and whoever you mention will show up will show up. Wen Liang just broke up with Liu Tianlai when he got a call from Ning Xi: "It's summer vacation now, how about coming to Shahe?"
Wen Liang and Ning Xi hadn't seen each other for nearly three months. This was undoubtedly a cruel punishment for people who were in love. He coughed and said weakly, "No, I'm sick recently. A part of my body that only males of higher vertebrates have becomes swollen and congested from time to time, making me irritable and restless. I'm thinking about going to see a doctor."
Ning Xi's calm and composed laughter came from the other side of the microphone: "Actually, I have never told you a secret. When I was in Wharton, I also audited the medical school's classes. I am 100% sure that I can completely cure your disease."
"Really? Just wait, I'll be leaving soon!"
After hanging up the phone, Wen Liang got in the car. Chang Cheng asked, "Go home, or..."
"Go to Dongming City!"
Chang Cheng couldn't keep up with Wen Liang's thoughts, so he turned around and asked again, "Dongming from Huanghuai Province?"
Wen Liang nodded, lay down in the back seat with his clothes on, and said, "Let's go, have lunch on the way, and try to arrive in the evening!"
Huanghuai Province is located in the hinterland of the Republic. It has a large population and a backward economy. When Wen Liang woke up, he saw yellow sand rising outside through the window and low bungalows everywhere. After asking, he found out that he had just entered the provincial boundary and was still more than a hundred miles away from Dongming City.
At that time, the Lianhuo Expressway had not yet been opened. Chang Cheng took the national highway, which had no special service stations or rest stops. The most common sights along the way were three: first, large trucks such as Jiefang and Dongfeng that roared by with full loads of goods. In an era of supply difficulties and strong demand, a large part of the flow of materials depended on these vehicles for transportation, and their number and scale on the road were the highest among all vehicles; second, people standing on the roadside waving for hitchhikers. In general, single or traveling women were more likely to hail large trucks, and some would inevitably be touched a few times to take advantage of them, and some would simply become lovers out of wedlock.
It may be hard for many otakus to imagine in the future, but at that time, the social status of truck drivers was much higher than that of many people, and there were very few means of transportation. If you couldn't get on this truck, you might be homeless for the whole night, and if it rained or snowed, you really had no choice but to give in. So these scenes that seemed to appear only in small literary films in Japanese countries had already been staged in full swing in that seemingly closed and conservative era.
Third, every few miles, or even hundreds of miles, you will find small restaurants and hotels densely built on both sides of the road. The blindingly bright signs can be seen from thousands of meters away. There is always a broken TV or loud speaker at the door of the store, accompanied by the rough songs of Thirteen Unfriendly and Love of the Boat Tracker, and the MV of the revealing girls in swimsuits posing. When the menu is displayed, all you can see are the most popular dishes at the moment, such as big plate chicken, braised lamb, and all kinds of food from all over the world. No matter you have heard of it or not, you can eat it anyway.
The hotels have dormitories and single rooms. Some bold ones even provide some special services. The charges are terribly low, but the quality is also terrible. Occasionally, young girls and wives from nearby villages come here to earn some extra money. They cannot be said to be very good-looking, but they are clean, pretty, tight and tender. Compared with those professional practitioners who stretch their legs and make noises, they are like fairies from heaven.
This is the most realistic public ecology on the highway arteries that run through the east, west, south and north in the 1980s and 1990s. Some are proud, some are humble, but without exception, they all yearn for a better life and try their best to realize this beautiful yearning through legal or illegal means.
There is no need to question right or wrong. Only by understanding these can we understand what people really need and the true meaning of the famous Southern Tour Speech in 1999: Without reform and opening up, without economic development, and without improving people's lives, there is only one way to go, and that is a dead end.
Wen Liang looked at his watch. It was already past five in the afternoon. His last meal was when he just left Qingzhou. He found a place to eat and rested. He said, "Let's find a place to eat in front. You can take a rest too."
"There's a newly established development zone beyond this mountain. There are restaurants all along the road. How about going there to eat something?"
Wen Liang asked curiously, "Are you familiar with this place?"
"Last year when I was on a mission..."
Chang Cheng hesitated for a moment and said, "We followed Captain Xu along this path and had our meal there as well."
Wen Liang smiled and said, "You don't have to be shy. Captain Xu and I are not enemies. It's hard to say whether we can become friends in the future, but at least I won't put you in the middle."
Chang Cheng didn't say anything, but he was very grateful for Wen Liang's generosity in his heart. He cheered up and drove the car more smoothly and comfortably. Driving is not just a skill, but an art. The same car in different people's hands can give completely different feelings and experiences. When Zuo Yuxi drove this graphite pearl Lexus, it was only slightly better than the Peugeot. When driving the Viper, it felt a bit like a luxury car. But when it came to Chang Cheng's hands, he didn't feel too much bumps and fatigue after driving thousands of miles. It was really amazing.
The roads on both sides of the development zone were brightly lit, and there were dozens of restaurants all filled with vehicles, most of which were large trucks for long or short distances. Truck drivers were considered knowledgeable people these days, so the appearance of the Lexus immediately attracted a lot of onlookers, and some people who knew what was going on even whistled exaggeratedly.
The women standing on the roadside soliciting business didn't care what car you were driving. They rushed forward and almost blocked the road. Chang Cheng honked the horn several times but it was useless. Pairs of hands kept banging on the car windows, and two of them were almost climbing onto the hood of the car.
Chang Cheng was very annoyed and was about to open the car window to yell at them. Wen Liang laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's business, isn't it better to be more enthusiastic? Pull over and go to the nearest house to eat."
Wen Liang got out of the car, and without waiting for the women to pull him away, he pointed at the sign in front of him and said, "Huanghuai Hotel, I like this name, who owns it?"
A young woman who had been squeezed out the most raised her white and tender hand and said crisply, "It's mine!"
Wen Liang looked over and saw that the young woman was about 30 years old. Apart from being a little dark-skinned, she was actually not bad looking. There was a hint of shyness on her face as she came out to solicit customers. She was not as ferocious as the others. He smiled and said, "Madam boss, are there any seats left?" (To be continued)