Literary Master 1983

Chapter 282 Two Pants Legs
Chen Xiaoxu thought to himself: Yu Qie has managed to coax Zhang Li with just a few words. Only heaven knows what he will do next.

At least until now, he can still directly promise Zhang Li that he will never be like Hu Shih, and that his feelings for Zhang Li are genuine, unlike Hu Shih's hypocrisy.

How could Chen Xiaoxu not be happy for Zhang Li?
Yu Qie and Zhang Li reconciled, and that night it was Chen Xiaoxu and Zhang Li's turn. The two slept in the same bed and suddenly couldn't help but start talking.

Zhang Li began by saying, "I really don't chat much with male actors on set, that's true, it's to avoid suspicion. Xiao Xu, you should also avoid suspicion in the future. You're not exactly young anymore."

"If other men find out you like to joke around with people, it won't be a good impression!"

Chen Xiaoxu was troubled by what she was being told: she was only 21 years old, but that was indeed not young anymore.

Moreover, she hasn't seen any other men in the past few years.

In the 1980s, despite policies such as "fewer births and better births" and "minimum marriage age," the age of first marriage for young people was still very low, less than 23 years old, and even lower for women alone.

Chen Xiaoxu is already of marriageable age.

Zhang Li added, "You used to play around with other people in the crew and 'bully' them, but now you don't cause much trouble. You usually sit down and read books, becoming more and more like Lin Daiyu. Today, I can see that your personality has become much more mature."

“You’re praising me again. I’m definitely not as good as you,” Chen Xiaoxu said.

Chen Xiaoxu suddenly realized that she rarely played around with people anymore compared to the past.

When she was filming before, she would prank Ouyang Fenqiang every now and then, but that's not the case now.

Zhang Li is dignified and poised, and comes from a family within the system. Everyone thinks she is naturally very similar to Xue Baochai, and she doesn't like to talk to people. Chen Xiaoxu, on the other hand, is the leader of the pranks in the crew and is one of the most mischievous people.

Chen Xiaoxu sighed inwardly: Zhang Li doesn't like to joke around with people, but there's another reason: that's her personality, and she has a boyfriend—so why am I?

Am I also because of Yu Qie?
She was already aware of her feelings, but this shocking idea... she certainly couldn't explain it to Zhang Li.

Chen Xiaoxu instead advised Zhang Li: "Yu Qie is so famous, there will be plenty of jealousy incidents like this in the future, you should be mentally prepared..."

"Don't just listen to what Yu Qie says; you must always be on guard."

Zhang Li, who still harbored resentment towards Chen Xiaoxu, laughed and said, "You cared about Yu Qie before and cooperated with him, so I thought you 'betrayed' me. Now you're on my side again, making me wary. Whose side are you really on?"

He does not mean that.

Chen Xiaoxu really weighed the options in her mind: should she choose between Yu Qie and Zhang Li?
She gritted her teeth and said, "I only met Yu Qie because of you. I spoke up for him before because you were angry and I was afraid you would do something to damage the relationship. That's why I spoke up for Yu Qie, but it was ultimately for your sake!"

Chen Xiaoxu almost wanted to swear like Yu Qie to Zhang Li, saying, "If he ever treats you badly, I will never be able to forgive him."

"If he's not good to you, he certainly won't be good to anyone. I'm cutting ties with Yu Qie!"

Chen Xiaoxu couldn't help but get up, sit cross-legged on the bed, and look at Zhang Li as she made a vow.

Zhang Li was immediately moved and burst into tears. She hugged Chen Xiaoxu and said, "Men are all big pigs. I never imagined there was such a deep layer to them. You and I are the best. We've been through so much together. No matter what happens in the future, we'll always be sisters. We're closer than blood sisters!"

"They're even closer than sisters!" Chen Xiaoxu exclaimed excitedly.

Now, the two of them are back together.

Later that time.

“Chen Xiaoxu…” Zhang Li suddenly asked.

"I'm listening."

“Yu Qie told me a story, so why don’t you tell one too? You both love reading, so you must know a lot.”

Chen Xiaoxu was emotionally charged that night, and her mind was a bit muddled. She also told a story about "judging by actions, not by intentions".

"Yu Qie told me about Hu Shi and his first wife, which reminded me of another matter: the love triangle between Lin Huiyin, Liang Sicheng, and Jin Yuelin..."

The matter is roughly as follows:

Lin Huiyin was a talented woman during the Republic of China era. She was very beautiful and had considerable academic achievements, and was pursued by many people throughout her life. After she married Liang Sicheng, most of them gave up, but one man named Jin Yuelin was particularly persistent.

Jin Yuelin moved to the vicinity of Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng's home and became their neighbor, a relationship that remained unchanged for decades.

In the 1940s, Lin Huiyin was a teacher at Southwest Associated University. Because she was not paid and had no money for food, coupled with overwork, she became emaciated and frankly, she was no longer very beautiful. Jin Yuelin was still able to praise Lin Huiyin's beauty and even tried to help her family.

Jin Yuelin even became friends with Liang Sicheng, and Liang Sicheng expressed his understanding of Jin Yuelin.

Jin Yuelin never married.

After Lin Huiyin passed away and Liang Sicheng remarried, Jin Yuelin was furious upon hearing the news and broke off all ties with Liang Sicheng.

Why did Chen Xiaoxu tell this story?
Isn't this a love triangle?

—After telling the story, Zhang Li stated her opinion: "Jin Yuelin shouldn't have interfered in other people's relationships. Although he claimed that he hadn't done anything, how could Liang Sicheng not mind?"

"This story is written in the book, even you know about it, and everyone back then must have known! What grown man could stand it?"

Chen Xiaoxu sighed, "You're right, no one can accept this kind of relationship. But Jin Yuelin really did nothing wrong, judging by his actions rather than his intentions."

"Do you sympathize with Jin Yuelin?" Zhang Li asked.

"I don't sympathize, I just feel it's a pity."

Zhang Li suddenly remembered the scene she witnessed earlier that day when Chen Xiaoxu and Yu Qie were arguing—this kind of thing had happened more than once, so it was impossible for her to be completely oblivious.

If Gong Xue's incident happened suddenly, Chen Xiaoxu witnessed it happening right under her nose.

Chen Xiaoxu definitely likes Yu Qie.

Zhang Li couldn't help but sigh!
With wolves in front and tigers behind, Gong Xue was relatively easy to deal with, but Chen Xiaoxu was truly putting him in a difficult position. Did she mean anything by saying those things to me?
She helped me before, and it seemed like she respected me more than she respected Yu Qie. Could I possibly give up my relationship with Chen Xiaoxu for the rest of my life?

Then we'd be like strangers.

Or like Liang Sicheng, live a muddled life, pretending to know nothing? And then, the book praises Jin Yuelin for his loyalty and righteousness, but doesn't mention Liang Sicheng's magnanimity?
The story Yu Qie told about Hu Shi's marriage of convenience, in which he actually had no feelings for his original wife, kept replaying in Zhang Li's mind.

Ugh!
This is too difficult!
Chen Xiaoxu asked, "Why are you sighing? Shouldn't you be happy today?"

Zhang Li pulled up the blanket: "It's nothing, just sighing casually!"
-
There was another thing that moved Zhang Li deeply.

The two of them took a week off in total, which, including the two days for the train journey, meant they could spend five days at home.

They were together every day, and after a few days, on the surface, their relationship was even better than before.

In reality, there are undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.

Yu Qie is not home during the day and only comes back at night. During the day, Chen Xiaoxu and Zhang Li go out and about.

Chen Xiaoxu was quite daring. He secretly took Zhang Li out for a ride on his motorcycle. One day, they had only gone a short distance from Gulou Street when they encountered traffic police, which gave Zhang Li a fright!
It's worth noting that neither of them had a driver's license.

To their surprise, the traffic police were even more astonished than the women when they saw their motorcycle: "Why isn't this Yuqie's motorcycle? This is Yuqie's motorcycle!"

"How did you know this was Yu Qie's car?" Chen Xiaoxu asked.

The traffic police pointed to the motorcycle's license plate and said, "We can tell from this license plate that it belongs to Yu Qie. It has a foreign license plate, a black plate, and it's one of the earliest motorcycles in Beijing. The motorcycle model is also easy to identify; it's a Japanese heavy motorcycle!"

"After that, all the motorcycles had license plates starting with either 31 or 61! Starting from the 2nd Ring Road, the license plates were limited to those with the original purchase invoice. Motorcycles from earlier times could have plates starting with 31, but those from later times could only have plates starting with 61. All the unsold Eastern European and domestic motorcycles sold out overnight!"

“The moment Yu Qie drove out, we knew it was him! A Japanese car, black license plates, the number started with 01… Of course we knew! Who exactly are you?”

No wonder Yu Qie was only worried about his motorcycle helmet being stolen, and not at all about his motorcycle being stolen.

So that's how it is! Even his car was recognized!
Zhang Li panicked and said, "We are... I am Yu Qie's boyfriend!"

The traffic police officer couldn't help but laugh: "You and you, who exactly is Yu Qie's partner?"

"Me!" Zhang Li and Chen Xiaoxu said at the same time. They pulled off their helmets, revealing their two small faces. They looked harmless and even had a certain charm.

The traffic policeman immediately believed him to be 40-50% of the time and didn't bother to argue anymore, saying, "No matter who among you is, how can you prove it?"

Zhang Li introduced herself: "We live at xxx on Gulou Street..."

Chen Xiaoxu said, "Helmet! We wear helmets every time we go out!"

After hearing their answers, the traffic police let them off the hook: "Okay, this is the last time, but this car is not suitable for women. Only someone with a physique like Yu Qie can handle it!"

How can you trust us?

The traffic policeman said, "We often see Yu Qie carrying two women, especially wearing helmets, coming out of Gulou Street! Now that you've told me, I believe you."

The two of them immediately wished they could disappear into the ground! They rushed home!

Zhang Li then asked Chen Xiaoxu, "Why did you just say that you were Yu Qie's boyfriend?"

Chen Xiaoxu honestly said, "I thought they were going to arrest someone. I thought to myself, if you're going to arrest someone, arrest me. I was the one who came to ride the bike! If you get arrested, it will affect both you and Yuqie."

Zhang Li was silent for a moment, then suddenly stomped her foot and said angrily, "None of us should be arrested. Yu Qie should be the one arrested!"
-
This was the last day before Yuqie set off.

That evening, Chen Xiaoxu suggested, "You should sleep at Yu Qie's place tonight; he's leaving soon!"

“I’m not going anywhere, I’ll stay here with you,” Zhang Li said.

Chen Xiaoxu pulled the blanket up: "Go ahead, do you think I can't sleep? Your house is just like mine, I've slept in this bed so many times, and I've worn your clothes too..."

As Chen Xiaoxu said this, she suddenly felt something was off, but she forced herself to say, "Anyway, you'll have to sleep with Yu Qie tonight. You two are husband and wife."

Her face flushed red as she said, "If others find out, they'll think Yu Qie and I are fighting over you. It's ridiculous for a woman to fight with a man over another woman! People will laugh at us!"

After being persuaded by Chen Xiaoxu, Zhang Li gave Chen Xiaoxu a deep look.

She really did go to Yuqie's place.

Soon, the voices of Zhang Li and Yu Qie could be heard—they seemed particularly excited. Zhang Li was saying something, while Yu Qie spoke slowly and deliberately. Zhang Li's voice gradually lowered... Zhang Li's voice was especially sweet.

Chen Xiaoxu couldn't help but wonder: Is this the end of the communication?

What should he and his wife do now?

That's not right...

Thinking about it, Chen Xiaoxu felt that every part of her skin was hot, and her ears became particularly sharp, as if she could hear even the slightest sound.

The Gulou Street where Yuqie's courtyard is located is now very quiet, but in later years it became a famous pedestrian street in Yanjing. Many locust trees were planted outside, and Chinese locust trees often peeked out from the wall, rustling in the wind!

There are also white magnolias. March is the time when white magnolias bloom. Sometimes the ground is covered with fallen white magnolias. Chen Xiaoxu felt that he could even hear the sound of these flowers falling!

It was like the whispers between a married couple!
However, not long after, "Bang! Bang!"

"Bang! Bang!"

Zhang Li is back!

Chen Xiaoxu was taken aback: "What are you doing back here?"

Zhang Li said, "Yu Qie asked me to come back. He was worried that we wouldn't get along well and that I might neglect you, so he asked me to come and keep you company tonight."

This Yu Qie has really thought of everything!
Chen Xiaoxu felt a warmth in her heart.

Seeing Chen Xiaoxu's expression, Zhang Li sighed inwardly again.

A moment later, she suddenly got out of bed and came over with the suit pants that Yu Qie had bought.

"What's wrong with you?" Chen Xiaoxu asked.

“Cut the pants!” Zhang Li said.

“Colombia is a tropical country, and Yuqie said it’s especially hot there. The tailor didn’t want to cut his trouser legs, so I’ll do it for him! I’m his girlfriend, of course I should do these things for him!”

"You really should have done it!" Chen Xiaoxu nodded, still looking a bit naive.

Zhang Li chuckled inwardly, yet also felt a pang of bitterness.

After saying that, Zhang Li quickly cut the trousers shorter. Then she rolled up the edges and threaded them together with a needle and thread. This step was a little troublesome, as it required creating a "binding" effect.

All I could see was Zhang Li slowly threading the needle through the needle.

Chen Xiaoxu immediately asked, "Why did you do this?"

Zhang Li looked up and said, "You've never done needlework before?"

"I don't understand it because I've done it before."

That's really weird.

Zhang Li's eyes lit up, and she suddenly remembered: "Oh right, you're from Northeast China, so it's not very hot there. Many people there buy pants that are shorter or shorter because it's too hot in the summer."

Zhang Li showed Chen Xiaoxu the needlework she was doing, and while threading the needle, she said, "Suit fabrics are usually quite stiff, and once they are cut open, they rub against the skin and feel very uncomfortable... That's when you need to do an edging to prevent the calves from directly contacting the cut edges."

This was basic common sense for women in Southwest China in the 1980s.

Back then, women in Sichuan Province weren't as fierce and renowned online as they are today. They were the epitome of hard work, capable of managing both domestic and external affairs. In the 1990s, newspapers discussed why people from Sichuan Province, including women, went to work in various places, carrying cement, tying steel bars, and so on—there was no hardship they couldn't endure.

Chen Xiaoxu was born in Northeast China, a region that was very developed at the time. Ancheng had many large state-owned factories, so she rarely saw such things.

Zhang Li immediately said, "Xiao Xu, although you can read books, there is still a lot you need to learn."

Chen Xiaoxu nodded blankly, watching carefully how Zhang Li cut the pants. The pants were already cut in half; there was still one leg left.

Suddenly, Zhang Li softly exclaimed, "Ah!"

"what happened to you?"

All that could be seen was blood oozing from Zhang Li's finger!

Chen Xiaoxu immediately found some alcohol to disinfect Zhang Li's pants, and then said, "Put your pants there, and I'll help you with the other half. I just learned how to do it, and I already know how!"

“You’re a guest, what are you doing? These are Yu Qie’s pants!” Zhang Li said.

Chen Xiaoxu was stunned and said, "But your finger is bleeding."

"If you're worried about Yu Qie scolding you, I'll cut up the rest, and you can just say you made them all yourself, okay? Your fingers are bleeding!"

Chen Xiaoxu couldn't help but repeat it again.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li suddenly made a decision.

She looked up and said, "You can do it."

Zhang Li gave up Yu Qie's pair of pants and instead instructed Chen Xiaoxu on how to cut them. Chen Xiaoxu was clumsy at first, but quickly became proficient. Together, the two of them cut up Yu Qie's "Columbia Limited Edition Suit Shorts." Zhang Li held up the pants and said, "We each took half of these pants!"

“But Yuqie only has two legs, so there can’t be anyone else,” Zhang Li said.

Chen Xiaoxu suddenly understood what Zhang Li meant! She was perceptive and quick to grasp things.

(End of this chapter)