Back to 1978

Chapter 174: Mr. Li is here again

On his way back from the city, Xie Hushan discovered that Han Laoer was showing symptoms of mental retardation.

Yang Liming also felt that something was not right. Although he was not as close as Xie Hushan and Han Laoer, after spending so much time together, he already had a very good understanding of what kind of people they were and how they usually reacted.

In his eyes, Han Hongbing was basically Xie Hushan's stand-in. For example, at this moment, Xie Hushan was driving the car with him, and the person sitting in the sidecar like a warlord was Han Hongbing.

Ma Saner rode a sidecar motorcycle with Han Hongbing. Normally, Han Hongbing should have been like Xie Hushan on the way to Yaoshan, sitting in the sidecar and chatting with the cyclists behind him every once in a while, making fun of them and ensuring the morale of the team.

But on the way back, he found that Han Hongbing was in a daze most of the time.

"What's wrong with Chief of Staff Han? Is he worried? Did he get news from his brother?" Yang Liming did not go to the bookstore and did not know what had happened. He could only guess the worst possibility, which was that news came from the army that Brother Han Hongbing was injured.

Xie Hushan held a cigarette in his mouth, and with both hands on the steering wheel, he turned his head to look at Han Hongbing behind him: "I saw a beautiful girl, fell in love at first sight, and became crazy about her."

"I met her at Xinhua Bookstore?" Yang Limin was stunned, then he laughed: "She was very pretty, sitting behind the counter in a uniform, and she liked reading, right?"

Xie Hushan glanced at Yang Limin after hearing this, then looked away. After two seconds, he suddenly realized:

"You know her. I understand. You and Lu Yuan met in the bookstore. Don't ask. You must have pursued the prettier girl first, but failed, so you had to settle for the second best and approached Miss Lu."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Lü Yuan introduced him to me." Yang Limin said with a smile:

"That's Lu Yuan's aunt, the famous Yaoshan Xiaoqiao among the young men who like to read in Yaoshan City."

"This name is domineering, but our Zhongping is not bad either. We have Ma Mengqi, who has a more domineering name." Xie Hushan smiled casually and said, "There is also Xiao Qiao. Is there Da Qiao?"

Yang Limin introduced:
"It seems that there is, but I haven't seen her. In fact, I am not familiar with this aunt. We have only spoken a few words. I only know that she used to work in the office of Yaoshan Food Corporation. Later, she had to prepare for the college entrance examination, and her family arranged for her to work in the bookstore. It is quiet and does not interfere with her review. It is also convenient for her to look up information and read books."

"I saw her when I bought the book. She is indeed very beautiful. No wonder Chief of Staff Han was confused at first sight. The main reason is that besides being beautiful, she has a strong literary and artistic temperament. Han Lao Er can't stand this kind of thing now." Xie Hushan said:

"When she was helping me with the receipt, I saw that her handwriting was also very beautiful, but she was not very old. She should not be your mother-in-law's biological sister, right?"

Yang Limin said, "We have the same father but different mothers. My mother-in-law's biological mother died early, and her father was busy with work and didn't know how to take care of himself and the family. The organization also introduced him to a lesbian from the cultural field to marry and start a family, but my mother-in-law and her brother are only about ten years old and can remember things. They have an average relationship with their stepmother, so they don't have much contact now. Lv Yuan and I didn't even notify her when we were engaged, so we plan to notify her when we get married."

"It's not easy for Han Laoer to be a toad and eat the swan meat of this girl. This family background... sounds complicated." After listening to Yang Liming's introduction, Xie Hushan didn't even ask about the identity of Yang Liming's mother-in-law's father.

Because no matter what one's status is, it is unlikely that one would consider a young farmer like Han Hongbing as their son-in-law.

"No, she's very open-minded. I heard from Lu Yuan that my mother-in-law's stepmother has been persuading this aunt to marry a young comrade who works hard in the factory and not to consider intellectuals, who are too cunning."

"That's right, you are quite thoughtful." Xie Hushan said with a smile:

"Even if the girl's family doesn't object, it will be hard for Han Lao Er. Let me teach you how this guy would react when he sees your aunt."

"The girl saw him standing in front of her like a crooked tree, and asked him with a smile: Comrade, hello, what's up?"

"Guess what Han Lao Er's reaction was? He immediately shook his head and quickly walked five steps away from him: It's okay, I'm here to buy books with my friends."

"After that, he just continued to stand five meters away like a crooked tree, secretly looking at the girl from time to time. Is there any hope for this?"

After listening to Xie Hushan's description, Yang Limin smiled and nodded:
"It's really hopeless. I was reading a book when Lu Yuan took the initiative to talk to me. I guess Chief of Staff Han must be the same shy type as me, waiting for someone to take the initiative to talk to him."

Xie Hushan drove the car directly to Zhongping Commune. From a distance he saw his master Lao Zhang standing at the gate of the commune like a wife-waiting rock, looking around. When he saw the jeep appear in his sight, he waved excitedly, then turned around and walked back to the commune quickly, probably to notify other people in the commune to come out and see the car.

When Xie Hushan parked the car in the compound, people came out from every room of the commune, from Secretary Yin to the auntie in the cafeteria, all of them came up and surrounded the 212 jeep to see its novelty.

Zhang Cheng opened the roof of the jeep with familiarity, making the jeep convertible, and then called Secretary Yin, Lao Feng and others to sit on it to experience what it felt like to own the first jeep in Zhongping Commune.

As for Xie Hushan, who drove the car back, no one paid any attention to him.

Xie Hushan stepped out of the crowd and looked at Han Hongbing who was still in a daze sitting on the sidecar motorcycle:

"Even if you fell in love with the girl at first sight, you shouldn't become mute just by looking at her, right? Besides, if the girl asks you if there's anything wrong, don't say nothing! How can you start a conversation if there's nothing wrong?"

Han Hongbing turned his head away a little embarrassedly: "But I'm really fine, and I don't know what to say to the girl."

Xie Hushan said to Han Hongbing with a look of disdain: "Not all pretty girls are like Lin the Translator who will throw themselves into your arms. Lin the Translator will only take the initiative when he has no other choice. Under normal circumstances, it is the men who take the initiative. You are fine, but you are in big trouble. Even a blind person can see it."

Han Hongbing said stubbornly: "It's nothing. I just think that girl looks really cultured and elegant."

"Are you really okay? Han Lao Er, my Chief of Staff Han, I'm giving you a multiple-choice question. This girl is just like Lin the translator. She and Er Xi both threw themselves at you on the train. Who would you choose? You hugged Er Xi last time. Will you hug Er Xi again this time?" Xie Hushan asked Han Hongbing. Han Hongbing looked back at Xie Hushan and said, "I'm not a hooligan. I'm not going to hug a girl casually."

"You're not a gangster, you're fucking mentally ill. You were asked to choose between two beautiful girls. Any normal person would know how to choose, but you chose to hug the dog. What else can I say? Tell your father to take you to a big hospital as soon as possible." Xie Hushan took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, groping in his pocket speechlessly, and whispered to Han Hongbing.

After a while, Han Hongbing turned his head and took out his lighter to help Xie Hushan light the cigarette. He lowered his voice and asked:

"If I want to tell a lesbian that I have something to say, what should I say?"

Xie Hushan leaned over to light the cigarette and took a puff:
"If you go to a bookstore, you are definitely going to buy books. You can just say to the female comrade, 'Hello, comrade, I want to buy a book. Can you please help me find it?' She will definitely ask you what book you want to buy. Wouldn't that be a good opportunity to start a conversation?"

Han Hongbing nodded in understanding, and then asked:
"Then what book should I buy? Are books like "Crossing the River Reconnaissance" or "Fierce Battle on the Nameless River" okay?"

"It's a novel about heroic battles. Do you think that even if the girl is willing to talk to you, she knows how to talk? Can she discuss with you what tactics to use to command the troops to capture the enemy's position?" Xie Hushan glanced at Han Hongbing with disgust on his face.

Han Hongbing hesitated for a moment, then mentioned a book he liked to read: "What about 'The Vast World Refines the Red Heart'?"

"Isn't that a comic book? The girl is reading the Romanian Poetry Collection. Don't ask, she has at least a high school education, and maybe there is an intellectual with a college degree in her family! Because she loves reading, she is specially arranged to work in a place like this. You tell this well-read girl to get you a set of Little Soldier Zhang Ga comic books, then you must forget about her for the rest of your life." Xie Hushan was so angry that he covered his chest.

Han Hongbing urged Xie Hushan, "Stop talking nonsense and tell me quickly, what book should I buy?"

"The worst would have to be something like 'Song of Youth', but I guess the girl is so pretty that there must be a lot of guys who want to talk to her. Most of those who want to talk to her will definitely choose this book. If you also mention this book, I guess it won't be a good idea. The city guys can't pick you, so how can they fall for a country bumpkin like you?" Xie Hushan blew out a smoke ring and said to Han Hongbing.

The "Song of Youth" mentioned by Xie Hushan can be said to be the most common excuse for young people in the city who have a little culture to find a partner, because it tells the story of like-minded revolutionary young men and women getting to know each other and falling in love. By using this book to borrow and return books, and writing letters to exchange reading impressions, they can express their feelings to each other in an implicit way.

"Tell me something that makes me feel interesting."

"To be honest, you have no chance in any of them." Xie Hushan didn't want to tell the truth to hurt his brother, so he walked to the back of the jeep and found a book published in 1962, "Poems of Ishikawa Takuboku", and then walked over and handed the book to Han Hongbing:
"No one would buy this book unless they really like literature."

Han Hongbing took it and flipped through it in confusion: "You like literature? Otherwise, why would you buy it?"

"I like girls. This book was translated by Comrade Lu Xun's brother. Although he is a jerk, he has good translation skills. The book is full of good words and sentences. Read a few pages and memorize them. If you have the chance to meet a city girl, just find an opportunity to tell her about it and use it to stun her." Xie Hushan said confidently.

Han Hongbing nodded in understanding: "So I told the girl that I wanted to buy this book?"

"Will that work? You have to memorize the book first, and then when you go, you have to bring someone you trust, such as Ma Saner, Daxi and others, and let them go in first and buy all the stock of the bookstore. Then you can go on stage and ask her to buy the book. She will definitely tell you that it is out of stock and has just been sold out. What will you do then?" Xie Hushan asked Han Hongbing in a guiding tone.

Han Hongbing looked at Xie Hushan's eyes, which indicated that he should be bolder, and slowly said:
"I said... I like literature and poetry. Can you recommend some other books to me, lesbian?"

Xie Hushan nodded with satisfaction:
"Oh, right, now we can start a conversation. You have to say that you've read this book and really liked it, but you didn't have the money to buy it before, but now you have the money and want to buy it. This will make people think you're a book lover, and then they can talk to you about poetry. Remember, you must be able to recite a few lines of classic poetry so that the girl will be impressed by you. If you can't, you'll be exposed after just a few lines."

"Memorize it. Memorize it when you get back." Han Hongbing said affirmatively while holding the poetry collection.

Xie Hushan continued:
"If the conversation goes well, even if the girl is not interested in you, but is interested in the poetry you talked about, you can also say that you and the lesbian have exchanged mailing addresses. Don't say that you want to be pen pals, that's not enough and will scare her. You can just say that you enjoyed the conversation and hope that the lesbian can do you a favor. If the book you want to buy is available, she can write to let you know and you can buy it then. That's how the story begins."

"How did Lao Yang and his wife hook up? Didn't they hook up while reading books in a bookstore? He was reading "Water Margin" and his wife was reading "Jin Ping Mei". They were a match made in heaven."

Yang Limin happened to be walking over to stretch his back, and when he heard Xie Hushan teasing him and his girlfriend again, he started to curse:
"Get lost! You are talking nonsense! I will deal with you sooner or later!"

Han Hongbing was holding the book "Poetry Collection of Ishikawa Takuboku" next to him and nodded in understanding.

Over there, Zhang Cheng had already swiftly driven the car out, made a circle, and then came back. Secretary Yin, who had stepped out from the passenger seat, had an old face that was almost glowing with joy.

It's not easy. I have been the secretary of Zhongping Commune for so many years, and finally there was an experience where I took a car out without the car stalling on the road.

Xie Hushan didn't know much about this old jeep, but Zhang Cheng was different. He was a retired soldier and had played with this kind of car a lot in the army. He got off the car and walked over to Xie Hushan excitedly and said:

"Secretary Xiao Yang's mother-in-law's words are true. This is definitely a special car for the leader."

Xie Hushan looked at his master's smug expression and asked in confusion, "How did you know that? I think this car is no different from the jeep I took to the steel plant last time I went to the county town in the middle of the night."

"What can you see? Do you think you know cars just because you can drive?" Zhang Cheng curled his lips, watching others climb onto the jeep to experience it, and said to Xie Hushan:
"This is a genuine foreign trade model that was manufactured in 1974. It was originally shipped to Hong Kong Island as a semi-finished product, and then assembled into complete vehicles for sale. The shock absorbers, generators, windshields, and instruments are all imported. The engine is not domestically produced either. I took a look and it's the Japanese SD220 diesel engine. This kind of foreign trade model can only be seen in the army, above the regiment level, and it's well maintained. I think if you don't give Secretary Yang and his wife a few rings, you'd be sorry for helping him buy this car for you. Let alone yuan, even if you add another yuan, you won't have trouble finding a buyer for this car."

A group of people were chatting around the car. Ma Saner, who had just returned to the steel mill, rode his bicycle back and shouted to Xie Hushan in the commune courtyard:

"That guy surnamed Li is here again!"

(End of this chapter)