A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1434 This kid has such a sharp tongue! (Please subscribe!)
Hua Shier drove his Crown sedan smoothly out of Suzhou and turned onto the Huqingping Highway, which leads to Shanghai and is the starting section of National Highway 318.

The national highways of the 1980s were far less wide and flat than those of later times, but the fields, villages and waterways outside the car window had a unique sense of openness and spaciousness under the clear autumn sky.

The Crown carriage was already filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Lin Dongzhe, true to his nickname "Mischievous Monkey," was never still for a moment. He was incredibly excited in the carriage, becoming the atmosphere maker. One moment he was pointing out the window and shouting at the tractors passing by in the opposite direction, and the next he was encouraging everyone to sing.

Someone started playing, and one classic melody after another, from this era, drifted out of the car window, mingling with the carefree laughter and singing of teenagers, spreading across the winding road.

Wu Shanshan smiled and occasionally hummed along softly. Zhuang Xiaoting's eyes sparkled as she watched the scenery receding outside the window, filled with anticipation for her upcoming trip to Shanghai.

Hua Shier held the steering wheel steadily, a slight smile on his lips, savoring this pure joy. His only regret was that he couldn't take out a cigar and have a couple of puffs at this moment.

The journey was smoother than expected, and before noon, the car entered the city center of Shanghai.

Following the address mentioned in Zhuang Tunan's letter, after many twists and turns, we finally found the rather old-fashioned gate of Tongji University.

When Zhuang Tunan was called out of the dormitory by his classmates, he was so shocked when he saw his familiar yet unfamiliar younger brother and sister and that eye-catching Crown sedan that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"Why are you here?!"

He strode forward and asked in surprise, "Where did this car come from? Did you tell your family before you came?"

"Brother Tunan, are you surprised?!"

Lin Dongzhe was the first to jump out of the car, looking smug.

"Brother Pengfei drove us here! As for how to tell our families, hehe, I have a clever plan!"

Zhuang Xiaoting got out of the car and called out "Brother," and Wu Shanshan greeted her in a natural and generous manner. They had grown up together and were not strangers.

Hua Shier finally turned off the engine and got out of the car, laughing:

"Dongzhe insisted on coming to see you, and I was afraid he might sneak out one day, so I borrowed Xiangyang's car to bring them over to experience university life. We'll drive back this afternoon and be home tonight, so your family won't worry!"

Zhuang Tunan pointed at Lin Dongzhe, amused and annoyed, while the latter chuckled.

Turning back to Zhuang Tu Nanchao Hua's Twelve Questions:

"When did you learn to drive? And at your age, do you even have a driver's license?"

Hua Shier asked seriously, "What is a driver's license?"

Zhuang Tunan: "."

Seeing his speechless expression, Hua Shier burst into laughter, patting the hood of the car:
"Don't worry, these days people who drive Crowns are either driving for leaders or for foreign dignitaries. As long as I don't run red lights in front of Uncle Hat, no one will stop me!"

Zhuang Tunan thought about it and agreed, and immediately said:
"Alright, since we're already here, let's go! I'll show you around our school! Let you get a feel for what university life is like!"

The suggestion was immediately approved by everyone, so Zhuang Tunan became a temporary tour guide and led the group of young men and women on a tour of Tongji University's campus.

University campuses in the 1980s possessed a simple yet vibrant beauty.

Tall plane trees line both sides of the road, their leaves beginning to turn yellow, casting dappled sunlight and shadows.

Posters were plastered everywhere, displaying notices for various lectures, club recruitments, and cultural performances, prompting Lin Dongzhe to crane his neck and peer curiously.

Students carrying backpacks and dressed simply walked briskly or sat in twos and threes on the stone benches on the lawn, discussing something. The air seemed to be filled with a sense of freedom and focus.

Zhuang Tunan led them on a tour of the teaching building where he had classes; the red brick exterior walls of the building were covered with ivy.

I went to the library again, and through the glass windows I could see people inside engrossed in their studies.

He even went out of his way to the dormitory area and pointed to the building where he lived, telling some interesting stories about the boys' dormitory.

Zhuang Tunan talked about his professional courses, interesting professors, and the poetry he heard during his literary society activities.

Zhuang Xiaoting listened intently, as if imagining how exciting her brother's daily life must be, while Lin Dongzhe was more interested in the playground and basketball hoops.

Wu Shanshan and Hua Shier walked side by side, feeling the free atmosphere that was so different from that of middle school.

"How's university life going? You all need to study hard now and try your best to get into university so you can experience it for yourself. It's completely different from high school life!"

Zhuang Tunan said proudly, speaking from experience.

Apart from Hua Shier, everyone else looked longing and nodded in agreement.

After touring the campus, Lin Dongzhe suggested that Tu Nan take them around Shanghai to see what the Bund and the Bund were all about. He added that it was his first time in Shanghai and he wanted to explore it properly.

Zhuang Tunan usually spends his studies and life on campus and hasn't gone out much. He's also not familiar with Shanghai. After thinking for a moment, he asked the others to wait for him and said he was going to find a classmate for help.

A little while later, he returned with a girl and borrowed a camera from his roommate.

The girl was tall and slender, wearing a simple plaid shirt and dark blue trousers. She had soft features and fair, translucent skin typical of southern girls. She exuded a clean and refreshing scholarly air, and her smile was friendly. She was the kind of beautiful girl next door.

Hua Shier recognized that this was Li Jia from the original story, who was also Zhuang Tunan's official partner. She didn't expect the two of them to be so familiar with each other now.

Zhuang Tunan introduced the two parties as follows:

"This is our class monitor, Li Jia. Squad monitor, thank you for your help. These are my younger brother and sister. They've come all this way, and I'd like to show them around, but I don't know where to go."

Li Jia was poised and greeted everyone with a smile. When she heard Zhuang Tunan introduce her as "Brother Pengfei," a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes, but she didn't ask any further questions.

"No trouble at all. Tu Nan's family are my friends. Welcome to Shanghai! I know a few places. You should definitely visit the Bund. The snacks at the City God Temple are also very famous. If you have enough time, you can also stroll around People's Square."

She had a clear mind and outlined the itinerary in just a few words, thoughtfully considering both time and enjoyment.

So, with Li Jia as their guide, the group began their half-day tour of Shanghai.

Around noon, Zhuang Tunan said to the group:
"Let's just grab something quick for lunch, find a small restaurant nearby."

Hua Shier smiled and said, "I know a place where the food is both delicious and cheap. Just come with me."

He led everyone directly to the famous Peace Hotel on the Bund.

When they arrived at the gate, apart from Hua Shier, the other children, along with Zhuang Tunan and Li Jia, felt a little uncomfortable. They all looked at Hua Shier, as if to say, "Is this the place you're talking about, 'delicious and cheap'?"
Hua Shier, holding Zhuang Tunan's hand in one hand and Lin Dongzhe's hand in the other, strode into the elegantly decorated Chinese restaurant, which was full of old Shanghai style.

Li Jia, Zhuang Xiaoting, and Wu Shanshan had no choice but to follow behind.

After finding a seat, a waiter in a crisp uniform handed me the menu.

Zhuang Tunan glanced at the price and felt his palms sweating. He quickly whispered:
"Brother Pengfei, this is too expensive! Shall we go somewhere else?"

Hua Shier calmly took the menu, skillfully ordered several classic dishes, and also asked for drinks. Looking at the affordable prices on the menu, he thought to himself that the prices of goods in this era were truly good value for money.

Of course, this is only from his perspective. In reality, compared to the average wage of this era, Zhuang Tunan and his colleagues have a more normal mindset.

After closing the menu, Hua Shier smiled and explained:

"Don't worry, we don't need to pay. Brother Yiming knew we were coming to Shanghai and specifically asked him to treat us to lunch. As you all know, he's a big boss now. Isn't it normal for him to show some respect to Brother Pengfei?"

Zhuang Tunan knew that Li Yiming had made a fortune, and that Hua Shier had introduced him to the business. Hearing that Li Yiming was treating him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Dongzhe exclaimed, "Brother Yiming is so kind! Then I won't be polite!"

Without the pressure of price, the atmosphere at the table became more relaxed.

One after another, exquisite and authentic local dishes were served by the waiters, and everyone ate with great relish, praising them repeatedly.

Li Jia gradually relaxed and asked Zhuang Tunan curiously:
"Tu Nan, Pengfei looks younger than you, so why do you all call him 'brother'?"

She'd been wondering about this all day.

Zhuang Tunan smiled a little embarrassedly:

"Well, at first it was because I lost a bet, but then I got used to it. Pengfei can win at everything he plays, and he knows a lot, so without realizing it, everyone started calling him that."

Lin Dongzhe got excited and started to explain to Li Jia the great achievements of Huashier in the textile street.

"Win at everything?"

Li Jia became interested. She noticed that although Hua Shier was composed, his face was indeed more youthful than Zhuang Tunan's. She found it hard to believe that a middle school student could surpass a college student in the breadth of knowledge.

Her eyes darted around, and with a playful, challenging tone, she said to Hua Twelve:
“Pengfei, Tu Nan praised you so much, I don’t really believe it. Do you know about ‘Flying Flower Order’? Many people in college like to play this now. It’s about choosing a word and taking turns saying a poem containing that word. If you can’t finish the poem or repeat the same word, you lose.”

"Dare to have a match with me? If you win, I'll call you 'Brother Pengfei'. If you lose, I'll consider it standing up for Zhuang Tunan, and you can just call him 'brother'!"

Before Hua Shier could speak, Zhuang Tunan became anxious:

"Squad leader, calm down."

Although he had never seen Hua Shier play the Flying Flower Order game, this guy's past record was too amazing. No matter what he played, he had never lost. He didn't believe that Li Jia could beat Hua Shier.

Lin Dongzhe laughed and said, "Sister Li Jia, you haven't even had any alcohol, how come you've had too much?"

Zhuang Xiaoting and Wu Shanshan, standing nearby, both shook their heads at Li Jia, advising her not to make things difficult for herself. Seeing that no one believed in her, Li Jia's competitive spirit was ignited, and she addressed Hua Twelve:

"If you don't dare, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Hua Shier smiled and put down his chopsticks: "Alright, let's just play around then. As for whether you call me 'brother' or not, it doesn't matter. You decide on the name!"

"Since we're eating, let's name it 'food'!"

After explaining the rules, Li Jia confidently began: "After a full meal, I lay down, brush off my pillow, and after a good sleep, I rise and idly recite poetry."

Hua Shier calmly replied, "After the meal, there's no need for a deep cup of tea; a gentle breeze and a comfortable bed are worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Li Jia: "Food virtue is seen in action, and family virtue is a wonderful thing."

Hua Shier responded almost without hesitation: "That gentleman does not eat without working."

The two of them took turns reciting poems, some of which even Zhuang Tunan had never heard of before. He was curious when his cousin had memorized so many poems.

Li Jia gradually felt the pressure, and some common lines of poetry were quickly recited.

Hua Shier, however, spoke fluently and effortlessly, from the Book of Songs to Tang and Song poetry, his speech steady and without any hesitation.

After a few more rounds, Li Jia started racking her brains, her face turning red, and finally she got stuck and couldn't continue.

She sighed in defeat, a blush rising to her face, which only added to her charm.

He picked up his drink, faced Hua Shier, and said softly, somewhat embarrassed but also willing to accept his loss:
"Brother Pengfei, I lost!"

"Hahaha!" Lin Dongzhe was the first to burst out laughing. "Sister Li Jia, we told you long ago that Brother Pengfei has never lost a game!"

Zhuang Xiaoting and Wu Shanshan also smiled.

Zhuang Tunan shrugged helplessly at his class monitor: "I warned you before, but you insisted on competing with him!"

Li Jia shook her head and smiled wryly: "Seeing is believing. Pengfei's knowledge of poetry is even better than mine as a college student. I have to admit it!"

The lunch ended with a pleasant interlude, and in the afternoon, Li Jia took them sightseeing again, taking many photos.

Considering the return trip, Hua Shier suggested turning back around 2 PM.

When saying goodbye, everyone took a group photo at the entrance of Tongji University. Originally, Li Jia was going to take the photo for everyone, but Hua Shier asked a passing student to take the photo for him, and then asked Zhuang Tunan to pull Li Jia over to take a group photo as well.

With a soft 'click', the bright smiles of the young people in front of Tongji University, bathed in sunlight, were permanently captured on that small film, preserved in the autumn of 1983.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and a lot has happened in those two years.

Firstly, in 1984, the spring breeze of reform and opening up swept across the land. At the beginning of the year, Hua12 seized the opportunity to detach its sales department from the shell of 'Pengcheng Electronics Factory' and transform it into a joint venture that absorbed Hong Kong capital.

At the same time, a factory was built in Suzhou to start producing its own electronic products.

In addition, after Hua Shi No. 12's high school entrance exam, Coach Wu came to talk to Hua Shi No. 12 several times, hoping that he would develop in the field of sports. In particular, he promised that he could recommend him to the national training team. If he could run under 10 seconds during the training period, he could participate in the Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in the summer of 1984.

Hua Shier refused several times, finally saying that he hadn't trained for a long time in order to focus on his studies and could no longer achieve his previous results.

Seeing that Coach Wu didn't believe him, Hua Shier ran the track twice more, but his results were mediocre, and he faded into obscurity.

Coach Wu left disappointed, feeling that Hua Shier was just another example of a prodigy failing to live up to his potential.

In the summer of 84, the Los Angeles Olympics opened, and Chinese athlete Xu Haifeng won China's first-ever Olympic gold medal in the men's 60-shot slow-fire pistol event, achieving a breakthrough in winning a gold medal. When the news reached China, the whole country rejoiced.

In 85, following the reform and opening up, the planned economy transitioned to a market economy. During this transition, market competition intensified, and some state-owned enterprises suffered losses due to outdated equipment and products that did not meet market demands.

State-owned and collective enterprises are generally facing a silent growing pain.

In Suzhou, many factories, represented by cotton mills, which had operated stably for many years under the planned economy, suddenly experienced a decline in profits and fell into the predicament of being unable to pay wages.

In order to maintain operations and appease employees, the factory had no choice but to use unsold inventory of fabric to offset wages for the workers.

This is not an isolated case. From textiles to machinery and hardware, a series of industries that were once pillars of the local economy have been impacted to varying degrees.

Recently, Huang Ling and Song Ying used the fabric provided by the factory to make several outfits for Hua Shier, Zhuang Xiaoting, and Lin Dongzhe. To be honest, they were incredibly tacky, but none of them could resist wearing them.

After school that day, Hua Shier and Zhuang Xiaoting entered the house and saw Grandpa Zhuang and Grandma Zhuang sitting inside, talking to Zhuang Chaoying.

Seeing the two return, Grandma Zhuang gave an unnatural smile:

"Xiaoting and Pengfei are back. You've been studying hard, so take a break. Dinner will be served soon!"

Grandpa Zhuang simply said, "Xiaoting is a good student!"

And that was it; they didn't even mention China at all.

However, Zhuang Chaoying still gave the two elderly people a way out, and Chaohua Twelve gave them a wink: "Pengfei, why don't you greet your maternal grandparents!"

Hua Shier readily agreed: "Well... okay!"

While the three adults were completely bewildered, Hua Shier had already put down his schoolbag and run to the kitchen to help Huang Ling.

Once inside the kitchen, Hua Twelve whispered, "Aunt, I have a feeling they're up to no good."

Huang Ling chuckled and said, "You silly child, who are they? They don't even call you grandpa and grandma, and they seem to have ill intentions. When have they ever been friendly here?"

She laughed after she finished speaking, and then added:
"I'm not afraid. I'll deal with whatever comes my way. I've thought it all through. I won't agree to anything they say!"

While helping out, Hua Shier said, "Auntie, don't worry, with me here, I definitely won't let anyone bully you!"

Huang Ling smiled happily: "Good boy, your aunt didn't spoil you for nothing!"

During the meal, everyone sat at one table, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

After the elderly couple finished eating, they began to talk about their purpose.

Grandpa Zhuang spoke first: "Chaoying, the machinery factory isn't doing well right now. They can't even pay wages to catch up with the US, and the family is having a hard time. As the eldest brother, you can't just stand by and watch. You have to think more about your younger brother. It's only truly good when everyone is doing well!"

Grandma Zhuang continued, "Your father and I have discussed it. From now on, you will give 30 yuan to the family every month to help your younger brother."

Zhuang Chaoying looked troubled, unsure how to respond.

Huang Ling, however, did not indulge him:

“Mom, it’s not just the machine factory that’s not doing well. Our cotton mill can’t pay wages right now, so we’re paying with cloth instead. Our whole family is living off Chaoying’s seventy yuan. If we take out thirty yuan to help catch up with America, we’ll only have forty yuan left. How are we supposed to survive?”

Grandma Zhuang sneered:
“Eldest daughter-in-law, your family ordered two bottles of milk, one for Xiaoting and one for Pengfei. Your father and I don’t even know what milk tastes like. Zhendong and Zhenbei are growing up, and we haven’t been able to let them drink milk every day. Your family drinks milk every day, and you’re telling us we can’t live like this? Is that reasonable?”

Huang Ling said coldly, "Pengfei's living expenses were given to him in advance by Hualin. As for Xiaoting's milk, it was money that Chaoying and I saved up."

Hua Shier felt that her aunt's words lacked force, so she immediately added:
"What does Zhendong and Zhenbei's physical development have to do with their maternal uncle's family?"

“Raise your own child. If you can’t afford it, don’t have one. If you can’t earn money, it’s because your second uncle is incompetent. If you two want to help, don’t be generous with other people’s money. Instead, take out my grandfather’s retirement pension. That’s your own grandson!”

Hua Shier calculated the accounts for the old man:

"Grandpa, your salary used to be around forty yuan, right? It increased by twelve yuan in May this year. Sixty yuan is more than you two can spend. Why not use it to supplement Zhendong and Zhenbei's nutrition?"

Grandpa Zhuang had long disliked Hua Twelve, and now, after being spoken to like this, his face turned red, and he slammed his hand on the table:
"Shut up! You have no right to speak here!"

Hua Shier completely ignored him and continued with a smile:

"Tu Nan needs living expenses to go to university, Xiao Ting needs nutritional supplements, your aunt doesn't pay, and your uncle's money is just enough to support the family. What, are Zhen Dong and Zhen Bei your own grandsons, but Tu Nan and Xiao Ting aren't?"

He turned to Zhuang Chaoying and said, "Uncle, I think you should find out if you were adopted by my grandparents. Otherwise, why would they always treat you like a beast of burden?"

Huang Ling felt so relieved, she could hardly contain her smile.

On the contrary, the old couple were trembling with anger. Grandpa Zhuang pointed at Hua Twelve and shouted, "You, you, you little beast!"

He said this while clutching his heart with his hand.

Hua Shier's face turned cold: "You must hold on, otherwise losing your sixty yuan pension will make your already meager life even worse!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the old man's body went limp and he slid to the ground. Zhuang Chaoying quickly caught him, anxiously calling out, "Dad, Dad!"

Grandma Zhuang was also anxious, calling out repeatedly, "Old man, old man!"

Hua Shier said to Huang Ling, "Auntie, you have to be my witness. If he passes away, it has nothing to do with me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Grandpa Zhuang straightened up and began to foam at the mouth.

Huang Ling: This child has such a sharp tongue!
　Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!

　　(End of this chapter)