Exciting 1979!

Chapter 417 The situation is dire; they go underground.

Wei Ming had known about the population census for a long time. At the beginning of the year, the "Third Population Census Method" document was issued, and Peking University also set up a special population census work leading group, in which Feng Ge was one of them.

Moreover, Wei Ming also knew that this would be the first time in China that all the data and information from the population census would be processed using computers.

Wei Ming already knew about this news, which is why he slowed down his search for his aunt. He was thinking that he could go to Sichuan to see if he could use his reputation to help the locals find out how many "Xu Shujie"s met the criteria.

Let's see if we can use big data to screen out my aunt.

At this moment, Wei Ming and his two companions heard the voice of the neighborhood committee auntie, and it seemed that there was more than one person, and there might also be people from the nearby police station. Wei Ming couldn't help but think of the Thunder Operation next year.

Sister Xue and Sister Lin were even more nervous; the situation they were in was hard to explain!

Wei Ming was the first to calm down. He picked up his luggage and said, "I'll hide it for a bit, you guys deal with it."

Zhu Lin shouted, "They're here, they're here!"

Then she slowly walked out, trying to stall for time, while Gong Xue quickly tidied up the house, erasing all traces of Wei Ming's existence. Fortunately, there were no photos or anything of Wei Ming hanging there.

Zhu Lin opened the door, and sure enough, there were not only middle-aged women outside, but also police officers from the police station. They all recognized Zhu Lin, and one shy young police officer even called out, "Du Shiniang!"

He just watched the movie yesterday, and he was very excited, as if to say: "I've finally seen it live today!"
Zhu Lin smiled and said, "I'm actor Zhu Lin. Are you conducting a population census?"

"Hmm," the middle-aged woman holding the notebook looked inside suspiciously and asked, "You live in such a big house all by yourself?"

Facing this seemingly unfriendly middle-aged woman, Zhu Lin said gently, "Oh, I don't live here. This is my friend's house."

As they were talking, Gong Xue came out from inside, drying her hair with a towel, creating the impression that she was washing her hair.

"Hello, ma'am, this house is mine. Please come in and talk," Gong Xue said.

The group walked in without any ceremony, but Gong Xue had no intention of inviting them in and they talked in the outer courtyard.

The older woman was a little annoyed; she still wanted to go inside and take a look. She asked, "How many people live here?"

Gong Xue: "Currently, I am all alone, but Comrade Zhu Lin often comes to keep me company, and friends from the arts and literature circles also come to visit from time to time."

"Did this house belong to your ancestors?" the old woman asked again. It was originally for the census, but now she had found something suspicious and had to find out the truth, regardless of whether you were a big star or not.

Zhu Lin and Gong Xue both felt that this person was difficult to deal with.

Gong Xue said, "No, I bought it."

"You bought it? You can afford it? This is a large house with two courtyards!" The neighborhood auntie got excited; there must be something fishy about it.

They had already thought of the answer to this question: "I can't afford it, but I have a relative in the United States, my great-aunt in San Francisco. She is quite wealthy there, so she gave me some money to settle down in the city where I work."

Upon hearing that Gong Xue had overseas connections, the others who came with him were a little envious. Now that reform and opening up have been going on for so many years, overseas connections are no longer something to be ashamed of. On the contrary, being able to obtain foreign exchange would make people look at you with more respect.

The police officer said, "Aunt Tong, aren't we here for the population census? Why don't we hurry up? There are still so many households behind us."

"Okay, okay, I have to ask," Aunt Tong retorted, then asked, "Is your household registration here?"

Gong Xue: "No, I left it at my workplace, Beijing Film Studio."

Aunt Tong closed her notebook unhappily: "All that work for nothing, let's go."

The young police officer said, "Comrade Gong Xue, your unit will do the statistics later. Just fill in whatever they tell you to fill in."

"Oh, okay, thank you." Gong Xue dried his hair, which surprised the police officer. He looked at Zhu Lin again and suddenly felt that it was a difficult choice.

After seeing these people off, Gong Xue and Zhu Lin exchanged a glance, and only dared to speak after entering the inner courtyard.

Gong Xue: "I was really scared to death. I was afraid that someone would see Xiao Wei come here, and then it would be hard to explain."

Zhu Lin: "Didn't you say that friends from the arts and culture world often come to visit? With that in mind, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Gong Xue sighed, "The census is really annoying. No one has noticed me in the month or so I've been living here, but now I suddenly feel like I'm exposed to everyone."

Zhu Lin: "The main problem is that Aunt Tong is a bit difficult to deal with because she keeps asking questions."

The two went inside while talking, and Gong Xue called out, "Xiao Wei, come out now."

There was no response. After searching for a while, the two found that the bookshelf in the study had been moved. They then opened the secret room and found Wei Ming lying on the safe, fast asleep.

Zhu Lin chuckled and nudged him, asking, "Are you tired?"

Wei Ming opened his eyes and stretched his arms and legs: "On the train, especially in a hard seat, how could I possibly sleep well? I simply didn't sleep at all and spent the whole night reading magazines."

This whole ordeal left him feeling very wronged, and it also broke Gong Xue and Zhu Lin's hearts. They quickly helped him out and put him to bed, where the two kind older sisters helped him lie down.

After lying down, Wei Ming asked, "What did you ask?"

Gong Xue: "It's nothing. We'll count me when the company does the statistics later. You should catch up on your sleep. I'll make you something delicious tonight."

Wei Ming said coquettishly, "How can I sleep alone?"

Gong Xue rolled her eyes at him: "You can't sleep if there are too many people around."

Zhu Lin laughed and said, "Why don't you lie down with him, and I'll go to the kitchen to get something to eat."

Gong Xue nodded: "Then I'll stay with you for a while, and I'll leave after you fall asleep."

Holding someone in his arms, Wei Ming finally slept soundly and soon drifted off to sleep.

After sleeping for about three or four hours, before it got dark, Wei Ming woke up on his own, and there was no one around him.

He went outside and saw Gong Xue and Zhu Lin lying together in another bedroom. Neither of them was asleep, and they were talking about their worries. Wei Ming happened to overhear their concerns.

The relationship was already illegitimate, and it involved three complicated individuals. If the neighborhood committee caught them in the act, all three of them would be finished and would never be able to face anyone again.

Wei Ming jumped onto the bed and squeezed between his two older sisters: "So that's what you're afraid of. Looks like the people from the neighborhood committee are a bit too curious." Gong Xue: "Aren't you afraid?"

Wei Ming: "First of all, we haven't done anything outrageous outside. We usually live our own quiet lives behind closed doors, so it's impossible for us to be caught red-handed. At most, people might see the three of us at home exchanging ideas about art. Even if people find out about our affair, we can just move to Hong Kong or even the United States. We're not without options. We can live our lives wherever we are."

Of course, Wei Ming didn't want to leave his hometown unless absolutely necessary; there's no place like home.

Of course, he could only say such things this year. Next year, it wouldn't just be a matter of reputation being damaged. Although he was confident that his current invincible status wouldn't lead to him being shot for having sex with someone who didn't cross any lines, he still couldn't afford to be arrested. So he still had to lay low for a while.

I wonder how serious a sin it would be for one man and two women to spend the night in a courtyard house.

Zhu Lin and Gong Xue were indeed comforted. Their past relationships had toughened them up, and they didn't know about what happened in 83. They thought, just like Xiao Wei said, what's the big deal? They could just move to a different place and start a new life.

Anyway, Xiao Wei is already able to earn money by writing English novels, and they are all working hard to learn English, especially Gong Xue, who can already have simple conversations.

After a nap, Xiao Wei was wide awake again. Seeing that he was being naughty, Gong Xue got up and said, "It's getting late, I'm going to make dinner."

Wei Ming: "Why bother cooking? I've been holding back from watching 'Du Shiniang' for so long. How about we go see a movie today?"

Although Zhu Lin had seen it more than once, he was still quite tempted. However, having just experienced being interrogated, Gong Xue was a little afraid of the three of them acting together, but in the end, he didn't say anything to spoil the mood.

Wei Ming noticed Xue Jie's worries and thought to himself that when Lin Jie renovates her three-courtyard house in the future, he must build a small movie theater in the house.

After watching the movie, Wei Ming ate Peking duck at Quanjude, just like in Shanghai. He pretended to bump into two women and then shared a table with them. However, this tactic can only be used once at most in the same restaurant.

The three of them went home together that night, but their moods were completely different. Gong Xue and Zhu Lin both felt guilty, and they told Wei Ming not to walk with them. They also told him not to ride a motorcycle when he came here in the future, as it was too conspicuous.

Wei Ming agreed: "That's easy. From now on, I'll park the motorcycle at Sister Lin's house and also put a bicycle there."

Riding a bicycle would make it less likely to attract attention, and both women agreed that it was a good idea, especially since the two houses weren't far apart.

They went home first, and Wei Ming waited for a while to make sure no one was around before strolling in and locking the door behind him.

Damn, I suddenly feel like I'm having an affair, and it's kind of exciting.

Before dawn the next day, Wei Ming was kicked out by two women who had taken advantage of him and then turned their backs on him, telling him to hurry home before anyone else was around.

Furthermore, the three-person activities have been temporarily cancelled, and Zhu Lin will meet him at her house in Tuanjiehu later.

Wei Ming, carrying his luggage, caught the earliest bus, intending to return to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

Now he even wants to take the two women to Hong Kong, then let's see who dares to control him.

When he got home, no one was home, so Wei Ming put down his things and went to work at the school.

After looking around the Triangle Area, it became clear that the most pressing international issue for Peking University students right now is the "Falklands War".

After a long day at work, Wei Ming left early and took salted duck eggs to visit Mr. Wang Zengqi.

Mr. Wang lives in Ganjiakou, near Yuyuantan Park and Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. The surrounding environment is nice, but the house is not big. It is a two-bedroom apartment in a five-story building where he, his wife, and their three children live.

Wei Ming knocked on the door. Mr. Wang was home; it was just the two of them.

"Little Wei is back! Please come in quickly." After letting him in, Wang Zengqi introduced Wei Ming to his wife, Shi Songqing. Everyone knew Wei Ming's name.

Shi Songqing is over sixty years old, but you can tell she was a beauty in her youth. She is actually an overseas Chinese, born in Malaysia, and completed her studies mainly in Malaysia and Hong Kong. Later, she met Wang Zengqi at Southwest Associated University. They were truly an enviable couple.

Wang Zengqi said to his wife, "I owe him a meal, so let me use the kitchen today."

Shi Songqing smiled and said, "Perfect, you cook, and I'll chat with Xiao Wei."

Shi Songqing is a reporter for Xinhua News Agency. Although he has retired, his work style remains unchanged. When he meets Wei Ming, a cultural celebrity with great international influence, he can't help but adopt the demeanor of a reporter. Perhaps this is an occupational hazard.

Shi Songqing was eager to know Wei Ming's views on foreign countries after he went abroad.

Wei Ming asked, "Aunt Shi, will these conversations be published in the newspaper?"

Shi Songqing smiled and said, "No, but it might be included in my memoirs in the future."

"Alright then." While ensuring political correctness, Wei Ming spoke some truths, mainly focusing on cultural industries such as film, literature, and music, while avoiding any discussion of the merits or demerits of the political system.

Shi Songqing realized that this person was just like his old man—greedy, playful, and fond of enjoying life.

Then Shi Songqing asked Wei Ming about his latest creative plans.

“It may seem like I don’t have any new works, but actually I write several thousand words every day. I’m very diligent. It’s just that I publish them under different pen names, so it doesn’t seem like I have that many. I recently finished an English novella and now I’m busy writing the script for ‘The Shepherd’s Spring’.”

Shi Songqing was very interested in the English novel: "Could you tell me more about this new novel?"

At this moment, Wang Zengqi came out of the cramped kitchen: "Could you two stop and try my dish?"

This is a dish that Wei Ming has never seen before. On the surface, it looks like pieces of fried dough sticks, but fried dough sticks are not simple.

Wang Zengqi laughed and said, "I'll make you some stuffed fried dough sticks with the leftovers from this morning."

Then he proudly introduced how to make the dish: cut the fried dough sticks into small pieces about an inch and a half long, use your fingers to hollow out the inner layer, stuff them with minced meat, chopped green onions, and chopped pickled mustard greens, and then deep-fry them again.

"The fried dough sticks contain alum, which gives them a unique flavor compared to spring rolls. These twice-cooked fried dough sticks are extremely crispy; the sound of chewing them can be heard for miles!"

He finished blowing the brochure first, and then Wei Ming ate it. It was indeed not bad. It wasn't amazing, but the way it was made was interesting and very down-to-earth. Wei Ming remembered it and thought he could show it off to his sisters later.

Then Wang Zengqi went to prepare other dishes, while Wei Ming and Shi Songqing continued their conversation.

Wang Zengqi enjoyed wine, and even had a couple of drinks with Wei Ming during the formal meal. He continued the conversation between his wife and Wei Ming, saying, "You can write a novella in English. I feel like you could be a professor at Peking University!"

Wei Ming laughed and said, "I'll mention this to the principal, but let's get the correspondence certificate first."

He will graduate at the end of this year, and then he can consider pursuing a master's degree.
……

(End of this chapter)