Back to my 1980s

"It's still drizzling, where are those people going?"

"Who knows?"

After chatting casually for a few minutes, Zhao Hua pushed his bicycle and said goodbye. It was only right to show his family his new bike first, and no one stopped him.

Zhao Hua pushed the bicycle into the courtyard. Zhao Ting and Zhao Xiaoran were sitting in the main room. Zhao Hua was a little curious, so he parked the bicycle in the alley between the kitchen and the main room. Although there was no roof to block the wind, at least there were walls on both sides to keep out the wind.

After he parked his bicycle, he went inside. Both girls turned their attention to him, and Zhao Ru also looked at him, but she didn't ask about the bicycle.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Zhao Hua stood in the main room and asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with you all? Why aren't you saying anything?"

A moment of silence fell over the room. After a while, Zhao Ru spoke up, her voice low: "Xiao Ting and Xiao Ran just came over. They said their families also need to catch fish to sell at the market. I don't want them to come with me anymore. We won't be together anymore."

Zhao Hua was speechless after hearing this. So that's what it was about. The family had started catching and selling fish and asked experienced people like them to help at the market. Wasn't that normal?

He smiled at Zhao Ru and said, "Isn't that perfect? ​​They're going to sell fish with their families, and you're going too. So you and Qinghe can go with them and come back together, right?"

The three girls were suddenly stunned and looked up.

Zhao Hua pursed his lips, took off his raincoat, and went straight to the east wing.

Zhao Ruteng stood up and said, "Brother! You bought a bicycle?"

"Hmm, didn't you see it just now?" He walked into the house, closed the door, threw the remaining money from the car purchase into the drawer, lay on the bed looking at the ceiling, and heard the girl's chattering exclamations coming from outside.

A moment later, Zhao Ru finished looking at the bicycle and walked into the main room. Standing at the door, she called out, "Brother, why are you closing the door?"

He had been walking back and forth for so long without resting all day, and was a little tired now. He lay sprawled on the bed and casually replied, "Nothing much, just doing it on the spur of the moment."

"May I come in?"

"what ever."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru pushed open the door, peeked in, and saw him lying on the bed. She walked over, and the two girls peered into the room from the door frame. Seeing that Zhao Hua's room wasn't leaking, they looked on with envy.

After entering the house, Zhao Ru casually pulled up a stool and sat down at the front, asking, "Brother, how much did you spend on that bicycle?"

"More than two hundred."

"So expensive!" Zhao Ru exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. Seeing that Zhao Hua had no reaction, she lowered her hands and said, "Actually, I guessed it when I saw that it was a Phoenix brand."

Zhao Hua closed his eyes and casually responded.

"Isn't it okay to just leave your bicycle there? Won't it rust from being in the rain all the time?"

"Then push the door open," Zhao Hua's muffled voice came through.

Seeing that Zhao Hua didn't want to talk to her, Zhao Ru pouted. She had originally wanted to ask when she could be taught to ride, but it seemed that there was no hope for the time being. She turned around and left the house, and then started discussing with the two girls waiting at the door.

The sound gradually faded away, and after a while, Zhao Hua heard two clanging sounds. It must have been Zhao Ru pushing the car into the house. A moment later, he fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but in a daze, he seemed to hear Song Xueping's voice, and he followed the sound.

As he walked further, his surroundings became clearer until he saw a hospital bed with a person lying on it. He became increasingly panicked and reluctant to get closer, but he found that he could not control his body and could only watch helplessly as he got closer and closer to the hospital bed.

He began to struggle and resist getting close to the hospital bed, but it was all in vain. In the end, he went to the bedside and saw his wife lying in the hospital bed, looking at him for the last time.

"Brother! Dinner's ready!"

He suddenly opened his eyes and found that his shoes had been taken off and he had been covered with a blanket. Zhao Ru was pinching his nose and only let go when she saw that he was awake.

He felt a wave of fear wash over him and lay quietly on the bed without making a sound.

"Brother, why are you so sweaty?"

Zhao Hua snapped out of his daze, touched the blanket covering him, and said irritably, "I'm letting you sleep under such a thick blanket. I wonder if you'll sweat. Who was the kind person who put this on me?"

Zhao Ru shrank back and mumbled, "When I came in, you were asleep. I was afraid you'd catch a cold, so Zhao Ting and the others covered you up."

Before Zhao Hua could even begin to criticize, she interrupted, "You didn't even take your shoes off; I had to help you. As soon as I took them off, Xiao Ran vomited from the smell of your feet."

Zhao Hua's face darkened upon hearing this. After his sweat had mostly dried, he threw back the covers and said, "I should thank you, you did a pretty big job, didn't you?"

Zhao Ru chuckled twice, and Zhao Hua didn't argue with her anymore, asking, "Is dinner ready?"

Seeing Zhao Ru nodding frantically, he got out of bed, put on his shoes, and asked, "Was the car pushed in?"

"Yes, it's so high, I don't think I can ride it."

Zhao Hua glanced at her. Nowadays, bicycles are all made to the same mold, 28-inch men's bicycles. Only a person who is 1.8 meters tall can put both feet on the ground when sitting on the seat. Zhao Ru is about 165 cm tall, so it is a bit difficult for her to ride.

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll lower the seat so you can learn to ride a bike sometime. You can ride it normally, but wait until you're a bit taller."

Zhao Ru was overjoyed. It would be great if he could learn it. She quickly moved the stool blocking Zhao Hua's way and fawned over him, leading him out to eat.

At the dinner table, Zhao's parents had had their fill of novelty. They only asked Zhao Hua a few questions about the price of the car, and then asked if the documents were complete. After learning that everything was in order, they didn't ask any more questions.

After dinner, Zhao Hua went outside. The rain that had lasted for several days had stopped, but a layer of dark clouds still hung in the sky. He thought for a moment, then looked at Zhao Ru, who was washing dishes, and said, "Shall we get some fish?"

Zhao Ru paused in washing the dishes, then asked, "Now?"

"Well, it's still early before dark, so let's catch them as much as we can while we can. Otherwise, what will we sell tomorrow morning?"

"Okay, I originally thought you were going this afternoon, but since you fell asleep, I thought you weren't going today."

Zhao Hua stretched and said, "I originally planned to rest for half a day, but it seems there's nothing to do while resting. Why don't we go catch some fish?"

He slept all afternoon and is now full of energy. He even dreamed about Song Xueping today, and he is eager to see her.

Zhao Ru nodded and said, "I also suddenly felt a bit empty. I didn't even want to go out and meet anyone. I took a nap at home this afternoon."

"Then hurry up and wash, I'll go pack my things. Remember to wear rain boots and wear more clothes, there are a lot of snakes at night."

Zhao Ru got goosebumps when she heard this, but the thought of making money by catching fish made her swallow hard and speed up her dishwashing.

Zhao's mother overheard their conversation from inside the house. She went out and found Zhao Hua, who was rummaging through his tools, and told him, "Be careful. It's okay if you catch fewer fish. Remember to come back early."

Mr. Zhao, who was sitting in the main room smoking, glanced at the mother and son but did not say anything.