Back to my 1980s

What kind of lock are you planning to buy?

The two left the field ridge, and Song Zhiqiang sat in the back seat, following Zhao Hua back to the village.

"Take a look around, where do you sell locks around here?"

"They have them at the convenience store," Song Zhiqiang said casually.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hua's heart skipped a beat. He abruptly turned his head and asked, "The convenience store? The village's general store?"

Song Zhiqiang was somewhat suspicious of why Zhao Hua was making such a big fuss, and asked in bewilderment, "Yeah, we all buy locks at the village store, haven't you been there before?"

Zhao Hua silently turned his head away without saying a word. This idiot probably thinks that the car lock and the door lock are the same thing.

A moment later, the two arrived at the dealership. Zhao Hua parked the car at the entrance and went inside with Song Zhiqiang.

Zhao Hua glanced at the locks on the shelf and, sure enough, there were only door locks. He chuckled to himself, but still took one; such a small lock would be just right for the boat at home.

After buying the lock and leaving the store, Song Zhiqiang followed behind, chattering incessantly, "Brother, weren't you going to buy two locks? Why did you only take one and leave?"

Zhao Hua tossed the lock into the bicycle basket, smiled, and said, "Hmm, this lock is for the small boat at home, not for a bicycle. Does your village have anyone who repairs bicycles?"

Song Zhiqiang scratched his head and said, "Yes, there is, but I don't know if he's home right now. Sometimes when there's no work at home, he goes to set up a stall at the intersection."

"Let's go, let's take a look. You give me directions." Zhao Hua got into the car.

The two headed straight for the village mechanic's house, but found no one there. They only found him on the road. Zhao Hua had planned to buy the lock from the repair shop from the beginning, and the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town did sell car locks.

But for people who can afford a car, it's very convenient to buy a lock in the county town. Locks from repair shops always have an advantage over locks from the county town if they want to sell their products.

For example, the lock cylinder is reinforced, thickened, and improved, with the main feature being that it is more robust and burglarproof than the original products from the public supply and marketing cooperatives...

After spending 7 yuan to buy a chain lock, he swung the newly purchased iron chain lock to the front of his car, threw the chain lock into the basket, and called to Song Zhiqiang, who was still examining the various tools in the repair shop, to go home.

Zhao Hua carried Song Zhiqiang halfway there, and Song Zhiqiang clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "Seven yuan for a lock? That's really expensive!"

"How can something made of iron be cheap?"

"That's true. Even small iron locks are expensive. There are still many families in our village who don't use locks at all. They just twist a wire together, or they use strips of cloth."

"No one's going far away, and there's someone at home watching over the house while you're working in the fields. What do you need a lock for? When will you finish working in the fields?"

"I don't know, but it'll be done soon. It's just a drainage ditch. It was dug when we planted the beans. Now we just need to clear the silt and repair the ditch that got washed away by the rain."

The two chatted along the way and soon arrived at the Song family home. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Song's mother and Song Xueping cleaning fish in the yard, and the drainage ditch at the gate was covered in blood.

Seeing Zhao Hua push the cart into the yard, Song's mother, washing fish in her hands, smiled and asked, "You bought the lock? Where did you buy it?"

Zhao Hua parked the car and said with a smile, "Yeah, we bought it. We went to the repair shop at the village entrance to buy the lock. We went on a long trip."

Upon hearing this, Song's mother glanced at her hands covered in blood and smiled, "Then hurry up and sit down to rest for a while. Qiangzi, I just bought some candy and put it in the room. Give it to Xiao Zhao."

Having just experienced the exhilarating speed of riding a bicycle and the astonished gazes of the villagers, Song Zhiqiang was unwilling to move. His eyes were glued to the bike, and he casually said, "Little sister, go get it. I don't have time."

Seeing this, Song's mother had no choice but to look at Song Xueping. Song Xueping glanced at Song's mother and Song Zhiqiang, paused in her hand as she helped Song's mother scoop water to rinse the fish, pursed her thin lips, seemingly lost in thought, and then put the ladle back into the bucket and turned back into the house to get some candy.

Zhao Hua found it amusing. Seeing that Song Xueping had already gone inside to get candy, he narrowed his eyes, turned back to Song Zhiqiang, and smiled, "Want to learn to ride a bike?"

Song Zhiqiang was taken aback, then his hands tightened, and he stammered, "I...you...I...how do I learn?"

"I'll teach you, there's no bicycle here." Zhao Hua casually gestured with his chin toward the bicycle.

"Are you really going to teach me? Is this easy to learn?" Song Zhiqiang rubbed his trouser legs back and forth with both hands, looking nervously at Zhao Hua.

Upon hearing this, Song's mother stood to the side, her face full of conflict, unsure of what to say. She was worried that her son would bump or scratch the bike, yet she also hoped that he could truly learn to ride. Having multiple skills and abilities would never be a bad thing.

Zhao Hua smiled but didn't say anything. He slowly turned the bicycle around, keeping an eye on the main room out of the corner of his eye. When Song Xueping's figure came into view, he slowly pushed the bicycle out the door.

Song Xueping held the candy in both hands. Seeing that they were about to leave, she quickened her pace to hand the candy to Zhao Hua. She had only taken a few steps when Zhao Hua also suddenly quickened his pace and walked out of the yard.

She chased after them to the courtyard gate and saw that Zhao Hua and Song Zhiqiang had already pushed the cart a distance away. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she was too embarrassed to call out. She held the candy in her hands and looked at Song's mother.

Song's mother urged anxiously, "Hurry up and send it over! They kindly went to teach your brother how to drive, how can you not even send him something to eat? Go quickly!"

Upon hearing her mother's words, Song Xueping glanced resentfully at Zhao Hua's retreating figure, gritted her teeth, and quickly chased after him.

Although Zhao Hua chatted and laughed with Song Zhiqiang the whole way, he kept an eye on the movements behind him. He faintly heard hurried footsteps. He smiled slightly and hurriedly called to Song Zhiqiang, "Get on the bike, I'll give you a ride. Walking is too slow."

Song Zhiqiang was now completely focused on learning to ride a bike, so he didn't notice what was behind him. Hearing this, he yelled and straddled the back seat. Then Zhao Hua slowly rode the bike towards the wheat field.

Song Xueping, who was chasing the two people, paused, gritted her teeth, glanced at their backs, and then looked back at her own courtyard gate. She had vaguely felt something was strange in the courtyard, and now she was even more certain. She stomped her foot lightly and chased after them angrily.

Zhao Hua and Song Zhiqiang arrived at the commune's barley field. It had just rained, and the ground in front of Song's courtyard was full of potholes. The barley field had been hardened with a mixture of lime, sand, and clay, so they pushed their cart there.

"Brother, how do I learn?" As soon as he stopped the car, Song Zhi couldn't wait to look at Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua lowered the back leg of the bike, propped up the entire rear wheel, sat on the back seat to stabilize the bike, and said, "Put your feet on it first, pedal for a while to get a feel for it."

Song Zhiqiang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, steadied himself on the handlebars with one hand, and carefully stepped onto the bike. As soon as he stepped on, he panicked and bumped his head on the handlebars, causing the bike to wobble. Fortunately, Zhao Hua, sitting behind him, kept the bike firmly in control.

After Song Zhiqiang came to his senses, he took control of the handlebars and glanced back at Zhao Hua uneasily. When Zhao Hua gestured for him to continue with his chin, he breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, slowly straightened the handlebars, placed his feet on the pedals, and tentatively began to pedal half a circle at a time.

Feeling the wheels start moving, Song Zhiqiang chuckled foolishly. Just as he was about to speak, he glanced at Song Xueping walking slowly towards him, slightly out of breath. He exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaoping? What brings you here? Look, look! The wheels are moving!"

Song Xueping rolled her eyes at Song Zhiqiang, ignored him, and walked over to Zhao Hua, who was sitting upright in the back seat like a well-behaved child. She held out her hand and said irritably, "Here's some candy! Mom asked me to bring it over!"

Zhao Hua paid no attention to her tone, remaining focused on his act, and said, "Oh? Auntie, you're too kind. Why don't I eat when I get back?"

Song Xueping pursed her lips, ignoring the shameless man, but she didn't take back the hand holding the candy.

Seeing this, Zhao Hua smiled and took a fruit candy from her palm, peeled off the coating, and put it in his mouth.

Seeing that he treated her palm like a tray, Song Xueping took a deep breath, took two steps forward, and stuffed the candy into Zhao Hua's pocket. After stuffing the candy, she didn't rush back. She had come all this way. She took a few steps back and stood aside, watching Song Zhiqiang learn to drive with curiosity.

Zhao Hua was secretly pleased, but didn't dare to be too presumptuous. He happily chewed on the fruit candy, his eyes occasionally glancing at Song Xueping's delicate face.

A moment later, seeing that Song Zhiqiang was already able to complete the full circle, he laughed and said, "Come on down, just remember what it feels like to complete the full circle."

Song Zhiqiang carefully got out of the car as instructed, and asked nervously, "Brother, is this all there is to it?"

Zhao Hua put down the support frame, glanced at him, and laughed, "Of course it's not good enough yet. Next, you push the bike around the threshing ground, find your balance, gradually increase the speed, keep the bike upright, and keep the handlebars steady."

As if receiving a royal decree, Song Zhiqiang stepped forward, took the cart, and carefully pushed it around the wheat field.

After seeing Song Zhiqiang off, Zhao Hua smiled slightly, took a few steps back, and landed beside Song Xueping, neither too far nor too close, so as not to attract gossip and to ensure that she was always in his sight.

After regaining his footing, he looked at Song Zhiqiang, who was focused on pushing his bicycle. He smiled and, trying to make conversation, asked, "Want some candy?"

Song Xueping glanced at him sideways, shook her head, and said, "I won't eat." Then she looked at Song Zhiqiang, who was circling around.

A moment later, Zhao Hua's voice came from beside him again: "Why aren't you eating? Don't you like it?"

Song Xueping was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, she smiled and looked at him, saying, "That's because you've graced us with your presence, my mother specially bought this for you."

Zhao Hua shrugged, lowered his voice, and subtly inquired, "Hey! You're so grown up now, hasn't your aunt tried to find you a partner?"

Song Xueping turned her head and glared at him, but didn't ignore him, saying, "My brother won't allow it. He wants me to marry into the city."

Zhao Hua was stunned. No wonder Song Zhiqiang disliked him so much in his past life; there was such a reason behind it all. He sniffed and said, "Hey! Do you think it's too late for me to take the car back now? I'm not going to teach him anymore."

Song Xueping chuckled and was about to speak when she suddenly heard a group of children shouting. She turned her head and saw a group of children running towards her from the village, with many villagers standing at the village entrance watching from a distance. She quickly took a few steps to the side, keeping a distance from Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua looked annoyed. He had finally managed to lure the person away from Song's mother, hoping to have more time alone with her, but a bunch of kids ruined everything.

He turned to look at the children running towards him, but didn't force his way closer to Song Xueping. Without prior arrangement, he still had to be careful about the separation of men and women. Gossip can be deadly, and there are those who can talk but not listen. He had to be mindful of that.

Soon, the group of children, around eight or nine years old, gathered around. Seeing that Zhao Hua was a stranger, they all ran to Song Xueping, shouting and asking her what they were doing.

The few little girls who were lagging behind glanced at Zhao Hua and quietly moved closer to him.

Zhao Hua glanced at the children around him, a dozen or so in total, with many more staying with their parents. He couldn't help but sigh, "People these days really know how to have a lot of children."

With nothing else to do, he squatted down, looked at the little girls standing beside him, and asked with a smile, "Are you all from Hongguang Village?"

Upon hearing his question, the little girls stared at Zhao Hua's face, their fingers fidgeting on the rough clothes in front of their stomachs, and nodded hesitantly.

Zhao Hua glanced at the few little girls in front of him. Their gray, faded shirts were torn and unrepaired, and their obviously baggy pants hung on their bodies, simply tied around their waists with a rope. They carried black cloth shoes in their hands, and their bare little feet blinked at him.

He thought for a moment, then took out the cellophane-wrapped fruit candies that Song's mother had bought for him from his pocket, handed them to the girl who was closest to him, and said, "Call me brother, and I'll give you candy if you call me brother."

The children nearby immediately fixed their eyes on the candy in Zhao Hua's hand, crowding around and clamoring, "Call him! Call him brother and you'll get candy!"

"Yes! Yes! Shout it out! Let's see if he's just bragging!"

Zhao Hua glanced indifferently at the child who had accused him of bragging, pretending not to hear, and looked back at the little girl in front of him. She was dizzy from the noise and commotion around her and whispered, "Brother."

When Zhao Hua saw her calling him "brother" in a daze, his heart melted. He took out a piece of candy and put it in her hand, then said to the little boy next to him, "Call him 'brother'."

The boys were much more straightforward. One of them shouted, "Brother!" A moment later, Zhao Hua had gained a bunch of younger brothers and sisters. After everyone had received their candy, he chased all the children away. Song Zhiqiang only glanced over before immersing himself in his world of bicycles.

Zhao Hua continued to maintain a respectful distance from Song Xueping, chuckling, "Luckily, Auntie bought ordinary fruit candies, otherwise people would have thought they were our wedding candies."

Upon hearing this, Song Xueping, who was still feeling the pinch from him giving away the fruit candies, immediately felt a surge of bitterness and stopped caring about the candies, keeping her distance from him.

Zhao Hua quickly laughed and said, "It's alright. Didn't I tell them to call me 'brother'? Besides, everyone knows I'm your brother's friend, so why are you panicking?"

Song Xueping ignored him and kept putting distance. Seeing this, Zhao Hua stopped following and quietly squatted by the edge of the threshing floor, watching Song Zhiqiang walk around it.

Seeing that they had built up a considerable distance and that he wasn't chasing after them, Song Xueping quietly stopped and looked at Song Zhiqiang.

After things quieted down, the children took the letter they had received from Song Xueping back to the villagers of Hongguang Village who were watching. Before long, they learned that Song Zhiqiang's friend was teaching him to ride a bicycle over at the wheat field.