60s: I have a store

Chapter 569 Living Signboard

The sunlight slanted through the glass windows of the Cultural Palace, casting swaying spots of light under the feet of the four people.

Li Xiulan, a girl with pigtails, gently scratched the edge of the enamel pot with her fingernails. Her eyelashes trembled slightly like a frightened butterfly as she listened to Zhou Dazhong's slightly stuttering self-introduction.

Another girl, Chen Shumin, looked directly at Chow Tai Fook with a faint smile on her face. She tucked her falling hair behind her ears, revealing her slender white neck.

"My monthly salary is 36.5 yuan, plus food coupons and cloth coupons as subsidies." Zhou Dazhong hurriedly took out the wrinkled salary slip from his pocket and rubbed his fingers over the numbers repeatedly. "Where I live now can accommodate the two of us without any problem!"

When Li Xiulan heard Zhou Dazhong's self-introduction, she almost couldn't help laughing. She hadn't even agreed yet, but she was already fantasizing about her future life.

He caught a glimpse of Li Xiulan staring at the patch on the cuff of his work clothes, and his ears instantly turned red. "I sewed this patch myself. It doesn't look good, but it's strong! I can also repair bicycles and iron pots. I can do all the housework!"

Seeing this, Zhou Dafu straightened his back immediately, his canvas belt shining in the sun: "My master said that I will be able to drive independently by the end of the year. I can earn a lot of extra money by driving long distances. I will buy you a Shanghai watch and a Phoenix bicycle!"

He suddenly remembered something and took out an oil-paper bag from his canvas bag, which contained a few pieces of air-dried bacon. "This is from my hometown. My mother kept it specially for my future daughter-in-law to try."

Chen Shumin was amused by his honesty and straightforwardness and burst out laughing. She picked up the bacon and examined it carefully: "Your mother is really skillful. The smoking technique is obviously authentic."

Her praise made Zhou Dafu's chest stand taller and his speech became more fluent: "Yes, you will know in the future that my mother is very easy to get along with. Besides, I live in the city now, so I don't have to deal with any mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship."

Li Xiulan secretly looked at Zhou Dazhong's calloused hands, imagining these hands holding the steering wheel and repairing things, and her heart beat faster.

She asked softly, "Will you return to the village in the future?"

Li Xiulan doesn't really want to go back to the countryside, so she came to this blind date meeting.

Zhou Dazhong quickly replied: "I go back home less often now, maybe only during the holidays! After all, I have a job in the city, so I must give priority to work!"

Li Xiulan was quite satisfied with Zhou Dazhong's answer.

As the conversation deepened, the wariness in the two girls' eyes gradually turned into admiration.

Li Xiulan thought of the hardships she had endured on the road to escape. If she could marry a loving man, she would have hope for the future.

Chen Shumin longs for a life of traveling around the country with a truck driver and imagines leaving footprints in different cities.

They all know that young people like Chow Tai Fook and Chow Tai Fook who have stable jobs and are hard-working are real "hot commodities" in the blind date market.

Zhou Dazhong suddenly took out a tin box from his pocket, which contained a few fruit candies: "I asked someone to buy this from the supply and marketing cooperative. Try it."

The sweet scent of the candy spread in the air. Li Xiulan took it hesitantly, and her fingertips accidentally touched his palm. They both blushed at the same time.

Seeing this, Zhou Dafu quickly told the interesting story of learning to drive in the factory: "Once I was reversing and almost hit the factory director's bicycle. The driver grabbed my ear and scolded me for a long time..."

The vivid description made Chen Shumin laugh so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.

When the announcement "There is still half an hour left before the event ends" came over the radio, the four of them were stunned.

Li Xiulan and Chen Shumin looked at each other and saw the same excitement and hesitation in each other's eyes.

They know very well that if they miss this opportunity, they don’t know when the next blind date will be, and it will be even more difficult to meet someone who suits their taste.

"I...I think you're fine." Li Xiulan finally mustered up the courage, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

Zhou Dazhong held his breath instantly, his heart beating wildly in his chest: "Really? Then...then let's go register!"

Zhou Dafu also struck while the iron was hot and held Chen Shumin's hand: "Come with me, I promise to let you live a good life!"

The sunlight shines through the stained glass, casting a gorgeous halo on them.

As the two young couples walked towards the registration office hand in hand, they were met with envious glances from everyone around them.

When Zhou Dazhong and Zhou Dafu led Li Xiulan and Chen Shumin towards the registration office, the originally noisy venue suddenly fell into an eerie silence, with only the sound of opera playing on the radio in the corner still humming.

The eyes of the people around were focused on him like searchlights. Many people forgot to hold the enamel pots in their hands steadily, and the brown sugar water dripped slowly along the edges of the cups.

"Are these two guys really successful?" The first person in the crowd to exclaim was a young man with a buzz cut. He nudged his companion next to him with his elbow, his eyes full of disbelief.

Earlier, when Zhou Dazhong and Zhou Dafu approached Li Xiulan and Chen Shumin with red faces, this man even winked at others: "Just the two of them? Why don't you look in the mirror? How can the girls like you?"

At this moment, his chin almost dropped to his chest. Looking at the two pairs of beautiful people smiling at each other, he felt as if his soul had been sucked out of him.

Several girls who were waiting to see the joke were also stunned.

There were gasps from the crowd, and a girl with a bow tie couldn't help but mutter, "This is too fast..."

In front of the registration office, Director Li pushed up his glasses that had slipped to the tip of his nose, glanced at the marriage certificate registration form, and suddenly laughed out loud: "Great! Great! If Yimin knew, he would definitely be happy for you."

She deliberately put down her pen, walked around the desk and patted Zhou Dazhong on the shoulder, "You kid, you are indeed taught by Yimin, you are so efficient!"

Then he turned to Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dazhong and warned them, "You must treat Xiulan and Shumin well. If I find out, I will punish you two."

Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dazhong quickly expressed their attitude: "Director Li, don't worry, we will definitely treat our wives well."

After hearing the guarantee, Director Li felt relieved. She believed that there would be no problems with the people Zhou Yimin taught.

These words made the people around them completely explode.

Some people slapped their thighs in frustration: "If I had known, I would have taken the initiative!" Others muttered sourly: "It must be a stroke of luck!"

But there were more envious glances. The eyes of the few young men who were still watching lit up, as if they were suddenly enlightened, and immediately turned around to look for their favorite objects. The girls quietly tidied their hair and clothes, with a little more expectation in their eyes.

When Chow Tai Chung and Chow Tai Fook walked back to the crowd holding their marriage certificate high, the venue erupted in thunderous applause.

Colored paper fluttered down like snowflakes, landing on their shoulders and hair.

Li Xiulan shyly buried her face in Zhou Dazhong's back, while Chen Shumin waved generously to everyone, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

Zhou Dafu suddenly shouted at the top of his voice: "Wait for the wedding banquet, come and have some wedding candy!"

This remark caused another round of cheers, startling the sparrows under the eaves and causing them to flutter in panic. This unexpected victory not only brought Zhou Dazhong and Zhou Dafu love, but also ignited the enthusiasm of the entire venue like a spark.

The people who were originally waiting and watching no longer hesitated, and they all mustered up the courage to walk towards their favorite objects, and the line in front of the registration office suddenly became very long.

Director Li looked at the fiery scene and said to the staff beside him with a smile: "These two guys have become ready-made living advertisements!"

Zhou Dafu took advantage of the moment when Li Xiulan and Chen Shumin were sorting their handkerchiefs, grabbed Zhou Dazhong's sleeve, and pulled him into the shadow behind the columns of the Cultural Palace.

The ivy climbing up the blue brick wall rustled, as if accompanying this secret conversation.

"Dazhong, do you have any extra bills?" Zhou Dafu lowered his voice, his eyes occasionally glancing at the girls not far away, his Adam's apple rolling up and down restlessly, "I usually bring cigarettes and wine to my master, and the remaining bills are not enough to eat at the restaurant."

Zhou Dazhong was stunned at first, then he laughed heartily and patted his chest: "I don't think it's a big deal! I helped the factory purchase last month and I have a lot of non-staple food coupons and meat coupons left. Just tell me what you want!"

He leaned in closer and lowered his voice: "I have all the tickets for the new White Rabbit candies that arrived at the department store!"

Zhou Dafu's eyes lit up instantly, and he rubbed his hands and said, "Brother, how about we go to Quanjude for a meal? Just to celebrate being single! I pay for it, you pay for the tickets, we'd be a great combination!"

The two were talking animatedly when they suddenly heard a chuckle behind them.

Chen Shumin had walked over at some point, holding a piece of fruit candy she had just received from the venue. The candy wrapper glowed with colorful light in the sunset. "Eavesdropping is not a good habit."

She blinked, and a sly smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "But Quanjude's roast duck... I've never tried it."

Li Xiulan walked closer, her pigtails swaying slightly with her steps, but there was a hint of hesitation in her eyes: "Such an expensive restaurant, isn't it too expensive? I'm pretty good at making pancakes at home, how about..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Dazhong had already taken out his crumpled ticket folder and flipped it open for them to see: "Look! Plenty of meat and grain coupons! Let's be extravagant today!"

Chow Tai Fook also nodded vigorously. Although there were not many bills left, he could save a lot of money from his monthly salary. After all, he still owed money for the famine.

Since there was only one bicycle and it couldn't carry so many people, Zhou Dazhong had to push the bicycle through the busy streets. The sunset glow in the sky was burning brightly.

Li Xiulan quietly tugged at the corner of Zhou Dazhong's clothes: "Actually... I have only seen pictures of Quanjude in textbooks since I was a child."

Her voice was as light as a feather, but it caused ripples in Zhou Dazhong's heart.

He quickened his pace and took the lead in opening the sunshade behind the car seat for her: "Today I will let you taste the authentic hanging oven roast duck!"

Quanjude’s golden signboard gleamed brightly in the twilight, and diners lined up in front of the door stood on tiptoe to look in from time to time.

The moment you push open the carved wooden door of Quanjude, the rich and mellow aroma of roast duck and the lively voices of people hit you.

The palace lanterns hung on the red-painted pillars emitted a warm yellow glow, illuminating the clinking of glasses and laughter that came from the hall.

Zhou Dazhong took the brass number tag handed to him by the waiter first, and the sweat from his palms almost caused the tag to slip off - this was his first time stepping into such a grand restaurant.

The four were led to the round table by the window on the second floor. The ebony tabletop was polished to a shine by time.

Li Xiulan touched the blue printed cloth cushion, her fingers trembling slightly. She stole a glance at the diners in suits at the next table and whispered to Chen Shumin, "This tablecloth is more exquisite than the new dresses made for brides in my village."

Zhou Dafu casually unfolded the menu. The gold-plated names of the dishes dazzled him, but he still stood up straight and said, "Two roast ducks and a braised lion's head!"

"You have finally come at the right time!" With a loud shout, the duck chef came over pushing a mahogany dining cart.

The master wore a white hat and a blue cloth apron embroidered with gold edges. The shiny scimitar in his hand gleamed coldly under the lamp.

He turned his wrist slightly, and the blade moved along the skin of the roast duck. The amber duck skin, including the skin and meat, was cut into cicada-wing thin slices and neatly arranged on a blue and white porcelain plate. The oil slowly flowed along the edge of the plate.

Chen Shumin was so engrossed in watching that her chopsticks almost slipped from her fingers: "This knife skill is better than the knife skill of the master chef in my village!"

Seeing this, Zhou Dazhong hurriedly picked up the sliced ​​duck with his serving chopsticks, but almost knocked over the plate of sweet noodle sauce because of his nervousness.

He hurriedly handed the duck pancake wrapped with scallion and cucumber to Li Xiulan. The sauce on the pancake skin spread dark marks: "Try it quickly, I heard that this duck is roasted nine times!"

Li Xiulan took a bite, the crispy duck skin burst with hot fat between her teeth, and the salty fragrance of the sweet noodle sauce mixed with the spicy chopped green onion spread on the tip of her tongue.

Her eyes lit up instantly, but she put down her chopsticks as if she remembered something: "This will cost a lot of money, right? How about we..."

"What are you talking about!"

Zhou Dafu had already added a piece of steaming duck liver to her bowl, "You are the bride today, you must eat to your heart's content!"

After all, it is his wedding day, and he doesn't want to wait until he is old and his wife looks back on it with no good memories at all.

The hot dishes were served one after another. The braised lion's head in the celadon bowl was glowing bright red, and the white sesame seeds sprinkled on the four-happiness meatballs were fragrant.

Zhou Dazhong imitated the waiter and wrapped the barbecued meat with alternating fat and lean meat in a lotus leaf pancake. When he fed it to Li Xiulan's mouth, both of them blushed at the same time.

The diners at the next table laughed in good faith, and someone said, "Happy wedding, young man!"

Chen Shumin quietly tugged at Zhou Dafu's sleeve and pointed at the half-eaten dish left by the guests at the next table: "How about we take some home?"

Zhou Dafu scratched his head and immediately asked the waiter to bring oil paper: "You're right! It will be delicious if you eat it with steamed buns tomorrow morning!"

He wrapped the leftovers deftly, and the oil stains left round marks on the paper, just like the sweet feeling in the hearts of the four people at that moment.

When the moonlight outside the window climbed up the glazed tiles, the four of them walked out of the restaurant, stepping on the moonlight that looked like broken silver all over the ground.

Li Xiulan was holding the oil-paper bag, the aroma of duck oil mixed with the faint scent of soapberry on her body. Chen Shumin's hair tips were stained with the aroma of roast duck and swayed gently in the evening breeze.

Zhou Dazhong was pushing a bicycle with unfinished Erguotou in the basket. The glass bottles made a crisp sound when they collided, which scared away a night owl perched on a locust tree.

Since Li Xiulan and Chen Shumin had not packed their things yet, they had to go back to the shelter tonight to pack them up.

Wait until tomorrow and let Chow Tai Fook and Chow Da Zhong go and pick them up.

Zhou Dazhong and his companions safely sent Chen Shumin and Li Xiulan back to the shelter. Then they looked back every few steps, as if they were reluctant to let their wives leave their sight.

(End of this chapter)