1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

"Okay, how much? I'll give you the rest."

"No need, it's exactly one hundred and sixty, that's enough for you."

Xie Lu glanced at her.

He knew all too well that sleeper tickets were hard to come by, especially in early September. Many students who had passed the college entrance exam and whose families could afford it were scrambling to buy them; it was a miracle if you could get one at all.

Zhao Wanwan's father must have used connections, and maybe even spent money, but Zhao Wanwan didn't say anything, and he didn't point it out either.

Some favors are best kept in your heart.

Thanks.

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Zhao Wanwan muttered softly, looking down at the canvas shoes she was wearing.

The sunlight shone on the two of them, casting long shadows behind them.

As the wheels rolled over the road, the shops along the street opened one after another, and the loudspeakers of the state-run department store began to broadcast "Ode to the Motherland".

The two rode their bikes to Liu Zhenyu's house.

Liu Zhenyu's home is located in the central part of the county town, not far from Zhao Wanwan's home.

It took about ten minutes to get there. It was the same familiar courtyard, with a cement floor, coal piled up in the corner, and a few flowers blooming on the windowsill.

Liu Zhenyu was washing clothes in the yard, several shirts soaking in a large basin. Seeing Xie Lu and Zhao Wanwan, he stood up, shaking the water off his hands, and said, "You're here?"

"Here we are." Xie Lu stopped the car and began to untie the ropes tied to the back seat.

Liu Zhenyu walked over: "What's this? It's so heavy."

"Here you go." Xie Lu handed over two bundles of books. "Textbooks, study materials, and my class notes. You're planning to take the exam again next year, right? Take a look at these; they might be helpful."

Liu Zhenyu took it, lifted it, and found it was indeed heavy.

He untied the hemp rope and turned it over.

At the top is the math textbook; when you open the first page, it's filled with notes.

Formula derivation, example analysis, summary of common mistakes, all presented in a clear and organized manner.

He then opened a Chinese language notebook, filled with excerpted paragraphs, annotations of analyses, and organized writing materials. The handwriting was neat and tidy, clearly showing that he had put in a lot of effort.

"This," Liu Zhenyu looked up at Xie Lu, "is all of this for me?"

"Well, I don't need it anymore. You can keep it and take a good look at it. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll explain it to you in detail when I come back from my vacation."

Liu Zhenyu's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't say anything.

Just then, a person came out of the house.

It was Liu Zhenyu's father, Liu Jianguo. He was in his forties, of medium height, wearing blue overalls, and was getting ready to go to work. When he saw the scene in the yard, he walked over.

"Zhenyu, what's this?" He looked at the book in his son's hand.

"Dad, this is what Xie Lu gave me. It's the materials and notes he used for the college entrance exam."

Liu Jianguo took the book and flipped through it. He was also an educated person, although he only graduated from primary school and worked as a technician in a steel factory. He could tell the value of these notes at a glance. These were not just simple copies; they were genuine understanding and organization.

He looked up at Xie Lu.

"Ritsuko, you gave all of these to Zhenyu?"

"Yes, Uncle Liu, Zhenyu wants to take the exam again next year, so this will be helpful to him."

Liu Jianguo looked at Xie Lu for a long time, then nodded vigorously and patted Xie Lu on the shoulder.

"Good boy, Zhenyu made the right choice in making you his friend."

When Liu Jianguo said this, he was genuinely moved. Having lived half his life, he knew all too well how worthwhile a friend like Xie Lu was.

He then looked at his son: "Zhenyu, do you see? This is what friends are like. They gave you something so good, you have to study hard and not let them down."

Liu Zhenyu nodded vigorously: "Dad, I know."

Liu Jianguo gave a few more instructions, glanced at the clock hanging in the room, and knew it was time to go to work.

He pushed his cart out the door, and before leaving, he looked back at Xie Lu one last time, his eyes full of gratitude.

After his father left, Liu Zhenyu moved the books into the house.

When he came out, his eyes were a little red, but he had a smile on his face.

"Come on, you've touched me so much, let's go eat. I'm going to make you pay dearly today."

"Kill them as you please," Xie Lu laughed.

The three of them got on their bikes and left the yard.

It's still early, only a little past ten o'clock, more than an hour before lunch.

"It's still early before lunch, where shall we go for a stroll?"

Let's just wander around.

"Um."

The three of them rode slowly along the street. The county town was not big, with only a few main streets. They rode to the vicinity of the county department store, parked their bikes in the shed at the entrance, and locked them.

The department store is a three-story cement building with whitewashed exterior walls, some of which have peeled off. Above the entrance hangs a sign with red background and white lettering: Liaobei County Department Store.

There are two steps at the entrance, worn smooth and shiny.

It's cooler inside than outside.

The first floor sells daily necessities, such as enamel basins, thermos flasks, soap, and towels, all neatly arranged.

The second floor sells fabrics and ready-made clothing, while the third floor sells hardware and stationery.

The sales clerks were all wearing white coats and standing behind the counter. Some were chatting, some were knitting, and some were eating sunflower seeds. When they saw a customer come in, they would look up, then lower their heads and continue doing what they were doing.

That's how state-run stores were back then. They only had a limited selection of goods, so they never had to worry about selling them. Salespeople had secure jobs, and their wages weren't affected by their attitude, so most of them were indifferent to customers.

The three of them strolled around casually.

Zhao Wanwan stopped in front of the stationery counter on the first floor and looked at the pens and notebooks.

She picked up a Hero brand fountain pen, priced at two yuan and fifty cents, and looked at it. But after seeing the price, she quickly put it down again, afraid of breaking it.

Liu Zhenyu looked at the radios at the hardware counter. They were from the Hongdeng brand and priced at forty-eight yuan. He touched them but didn't dare to ask.

Xie Lu followed behind them, watching all of this.

He recalled his past life, how state-run stores like these gradually declined in the late 1990s.

There are more and more individual businesses, the variety of goods is increasing, and the service attitude is getting better and better.

By the 21st century, most of these old department stores had closed down or been converted into supermarkets.

Times are changing.

However, back in 1985, state-owned stores still dominated the market.

"There's not much to buy, things are expensive, and there's not much to choose from."

"Mm." Zhao Wanwan nodded in agreement.

Xie Lu nodded, "Then let's go eat."

The three of them left the department store and got their car.

The restaurant was located in the south of the county town, near the bus station. It was a small, privately owned restaurant with only two rooms. A wooden sign hung at the entrance with the words "Old Zhang's Restaurant" painted in red.

Xie Lu remembers this shop.

In his past life, he would come here to eat every time he returned to the county town. The owner's surname was Zhang, he was over fifty years old, and he used to be a chef in a state-run restaurant before he started his own business.

He has excellent skills and is a very honest person.

Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and passed away within a few months. The shop was then transferred to someone else, and the taste changed.

But right now, the boss is still healthy.

The three parked their car at the entrance and went inside.

The room was very clean, with four square tables and four long benches next to each table. There were several paintings on the wall, including landscapes and New Year pictures. There was a glass cabinet against the wall with several bottles of liquor inside.

The boss was busy in the kitchen when he heard the noise and came out.