Back to my 1980s

"Grandpa, our village looks really big!"

"Yes, our village is close to the county seat. In the past, when people in the county were struggling, they would come here, and people from the countryside who wanted to make a living would also come here. As more people came, the village grew bigger."

"How should I address you, sir? If it weren't for you, I would be completely clueless. Thank you so much."

The old man smiled and waved his hand: "My surname is Zhou, and they all call me Old Zhou."

When the young man offered him a cigarette, the old man gave him a smile.

"Zhou must be a common surname around here. I've met quite a few people with the surname Zhou."

Old Zhou smiled proudly: "Not bad, there are quite a few people with the surname Zhou in our village, but there are also quite a few with the surname Chen." Since he needed a favor, Zhao Hua had no choice but to flatter him.

"Young man, you're from Shuanghuai Village, right? Where did you move from?"

"Yes, sir, I'm from Shuanghuai Village. You know that place?"

"Of course I know. There's no place in this surrounding area that I don't know well."

"Oh my! You even know about such a far place? I've lived this long, and if my classmates hadn't told me, I wouldn't even know about our village."

Old Zhou was beaming with pride; there aren't many young people these days willing to listen to an old man brag.

"Thank goodness you brought me in, sir. If I had been left to find it on my own, I might have gotten completely lost."

"It's just a favor. Come with me, we'll be there soon. What's your last name?"

"My surname is Zhao, and my name is Zhao Hua."

"Zhao is also the most common surname in the Hundred Family Surnames."

"Yes, but there are too few people with the surname Zhao in our area. We're really troubling Uncle Zhou!"

"It's nothing, it was just a coincidence. Whether I can find the person or not is another matter."

Zhao Hua and the old man chatted as they walked into the village. Before long, they arrived at an old tree in the village. A group of elderly people had gathered under the tree, and several low tables were set up on the ground, where several groups of people were playing cards.

I don't quite understand. They're playing a kind of long, rectangular deck of cards, which is different from playing cards. I don't know how to play it.

Seeing that Zhao Hua was an unfamiliar face, everyone turned to Old Zhou: "Old Zhou, who is this young man? Is he a relative of yours?"

"No, this young man is looking for a classmate. He only knows that he lives in our village and his name is Liu Dezhu. I saw him standing at the village entrance for a long time without coming in, so I brought him over to ask him."

"Liu Dezhu? Whose child is that? Whose family in our village is surnamed Liu?"

Old Zhou shook his head and said, "I've never heard of anyone's child named Liu Dezhu, that's why I came to ask."

After everyone understood the cause and effect, they all shook their heads.

Zhao Hua secretly rejoiced. It was normal that no one knew; it would be a real mess if someone did find out.

Seeing that he had become a familiar face, Zhao Hua said, "I'll look for it myself. If I really can't find it, I'll go back. You guys keep going." As he spoke, he offered cigarettes to everyone.

Seeing that no one knew the answer, Lao Zhou said to Zhao Hua, "Then you go look for it yourself first. I'll watch the cards here for a while. If you really can't find it, then ask around."

Zhao Hua nodded, waved to everyone, said goodbye, and left the group.

Although things had changed a lot, Zhao Hua was quite familiar with the place and headed straight for the home of his daughter-in-law, Song Xueping, which he remembered.

Halfway there, I realized that going there with my hands bare would arouse suspicion, so I went to a convenience store and bought two cans of orange juice and two packs of peony juice. It was a little more expensive without coupons, but I spent a total of three yuan and fifty cents.

The closer he got, the more uneasy he became. When his wife's house came into view, Zhao Hua felt his heart was about to jump out of his chest and his mind went blank.

Even his hands and feet were a bit uncoordinated, and he almost forgot how to walk. The familiar house was right in front of him, but he didn't dare to go forward, so he simply squatted down by the roadside and smoked.

After an unknown amount of time, a circle of cigarette butts had accumulated on the ground. Suddenly, he saw the sound of the courtyard gate opening. Zhao Hua's heart tightened. He looked up and vaguely saw the figure of a girl. The girl closed the gate and walked over.

Zhao Hua quickly gathered the cigarette butts around him and stomped them under his feet.

Song Xueping saw a person she had never seen before squatting by the roadside. She paused as she walked over, then noticed the canned fruit next to the person's feet.

He wondered who this man was looking for with the can of food, but he didn't meddle and walked straight past Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua pretended to look up casually, then looked down again. He smelled the faint fragrance wafting from his wife as she passed by, and tears welled up in his eyes. But he couldn't show it too obviously. He didn't look up again until Song Xueping left.

Looking at his wife's thin face, frail body, and clothes with several patches, Zhao Hua's heart broke.

Zhao Hua watched her figure gradually disappear into the distance until she was completely out of sight, without daring to go up and say hello.

You can't just rashly run up to someone and say, "I'm your future husband. I'm reborn and know what will happen in the future. I've come to take you to live a good life!"

He cursed himself a few times for being so useless before slowly standing up and using his foot to sweep the cigarette butts aside and hide them.

I pondered what to say when she came back, but then I thought that since I had already seen her today, I should just go back like this. However, I was reluctant to just go back like this.

A short while later, Song Xueping returned with a box of matches in her hand. Zhao Hua straightened his clothes and stood by the roadside, trying to stay alert.

Song Xueping walked past again, and Zhao Hua stepped forward to look directly at her, completely flustered.

The courage he had finally mustered to strike up a conversation vanished under her curious gaze. His legs went weak, and he almost couldn't stand up, staring blankly at Song Xueping's face.

Perhaps it was in their own village, where everyone passing by was an acquaintance, and a simple shout would attract a large group of people; or perhaps it was very close to home, where their mother and brother were both at home, and they would hear any noise; or perhaps they had already passed by once and did not notice any danger.

In short, Song Xueping wasn't too scared. She just stood there curiously watching what this person was going to do and why he suddenly stood in front of her. She didn't know how long she waited, but in the end, she only saw Zhao Hua's panicked eyes.

Song Xueping shook her head and moved. Zhao Hua quickly moved aside and watched Song Xueping leave. He wanted to chase after her, but he didn't know what to say. He watched Song Xueping step into the courtyard. Before closing the gate, Song Xueping looked at Zhao Hua curiously one last time until she closed the gate.

Zhao Hua's body suddenly went limp, losing all his strength and feeling as if he had lost consciousness. His mind was hazy, and he suddenly felt regretful and lost, feeling that he had lived so long in vain. He slowly squatted down again, not wanting to move anymore, and suddenly felt very tired.

He haphazardly pulled out the cigarettes from his pocket—the unopened pack—and shakily tore it open and lit it. The cigarette entered his mouth, and he felt as if he had regained some strength.

He squatted there, burying his head between his legs, numbly puffing on his cigarette, feeling a near-desperate pain. Their first encounter had ended so abruptly; her first impression of him must have been terrible, and it would be hard for her to develop any feelings for him again.

Zhao Hua slumped to the ground, unsure of what to do next.