Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 32 Starting the Fire in the New House

Li Na patted the bed frame and said, "Get down when I tell you to. What are you nagging about? Get down. I have things to do."

Xiao Wei jumped down from the top bunk, put on his shoes, and said, "I'm down, what's up?"

Li Na turned and walked out, waving her hand and saying, "Come on."

Xiao Wei followed them out, bewildered. Xia Maosheng sat up on the top bunk and laughed, "You guys are moving way too fast! Li Na, Xiao Wei has a family, and I'm the single one. We're a perfect match!" A group of teenagers in the dormitory burst into laughter. Li Na blushed and turned to spit at Xia Maosheng.

The two went downstairs and entered the hotel lobby through the back door. Li Na opened the small storage room and said, "There are a few beds left. You can take them upstairs and use them."

Xiao Wei said, "I don't live here either."

Li Na said, "Anyway, there are leftovers. You're the dormitory head, so make a spot for yourself and you can lie down for a while at noon. Hurry up and take it, I have things to do."

Xiao Wei licked his lips, thought for a moment, went inside and grabbed a set of luggage. Li Na said, "It's a bit thin, take another set."

Xiao Wei then took another set, carrying one in each hand as he came out. Li Na locked the door and said, "Alright, you can go up now. People are coming in here, and I have to get busy." The hotel staff were already lining up in the open space in the middle of the hotel. This was the twice-daily reception, and Li Na, as the supervisor, was to give a speech.

Xiao Wei nodded, carried the two sets of luggage upstairs, threw them at Xia Maosheng, and said, "You use one set, and I'll use the other. Just make it here below you. I have to go back now. I won't come tomorrow; I'll come back the day after tomorrow when classes start. If you're free tomorrow, come find me over at Nanhu, in Building *, Room 301, Dianli Residential Area."

Xia Maosheng took the luggage and put it aside, laughing as he said, "Great job, you're awesome, getting two sets at once, must have been free. Okay, I'll help you set it up, *Building 301, right? Got it, I'll come visit you tomorrow."

Xiao Wei greeted Li Guangzhao and Yang Tiebin again, then went downstairs to get his bicycle and rode towards Nanhu.

When I got to Nanhu, I asked an old man who was strolling by the roadside for directions. I went straight to the vegetable market, bought a bunch of rice, flour, oil, salt and other things. I asked the rice vendor for an old bag, packed all the things I bought, put them on the back rack of my bicycle, and then went home.

When he got home, Xiao Hong hadn't returned yet.

After carrying the things into the kitchen, I sat alone in the dining room for a while. With nothing to do, I got up and went to the kitchen. I took out the things I bought one by one and arranged them, then found the pots and pans and washed them thoroughly. When Xiaohong came into the house with her schoolbag, the kitchen was spotless, and everything was neatly arranged.

"Oh, so learning to be a chef has this effect? ​​Wow, not bad, not bad at all. Hmm, it's pretty good. It's a pity, it would be even better if you could cook all the dishes properly, haha." Xiao Hong stood at the kitchen door with her schoolbag on her back and sighed.

Xiao Wei scratched his head, looked around, and said, "No, I haven't learned it yet. Once I've learned it, I'll make it for you every day. How was today? Class started? How are your classmates?"

Xiaohong put her schoolbag on the chair, rolled up her sleeves, and walked into the kitchen, saying, "Class is starting. University is different from high school; I'm still getting used to it. Here, the teachers just lecture, and nobody supervises us. Several classes are held together, which is quite fun. There are only about twenty students in my class, and I haven't even met them all yet. How about you? How's it going on your end?"

Xiao Wei stepped aside, looked down and pulled something out of his pocket, saying, "Classes don't start until the day after tomorrow. Today is for registration and dormitory assignments. Let me tell you, the dorms are just two-story communal rooms. You can just find a spot, lay your luggage down, and nobody will bother you. Here, see that pink one by the stairwell downstairs? That's for you. You can ride it to school from now on."

Xiaohong took the keys, looked at them, thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Yes, I saw it. It's easy to recognize. I was thinking that this bicycle is quite nice. How much did it cost? Where did you buy it? What's the brand? I've never seen it before."

Xiao Wei frowned and thought for a long time before hesitatingly saying, "Diamond, I think? It's called Diamond. It's supposed to be a German bike, made of some kind of aluminum, and lightweight. It didn't cost much; I bought it used. The two bikes together only cost 450. Yours has a light on the top and a knob on the left handlebar. At night, you flick it to turn on the light when you ride, and during the day, you flick it back."

Little Red pouted and said, "You're just wasting money! Why did you buy me such an expensive car? It's made of aluminum, it'll crumble at the slightest touch!"

Xiao Wei scratched his head and said, "It's not the aluminum from the rice box. Anyway, I can't really explain it. Besides, 450 for two bikes isn't expensive. Just the Forever brand new one I'm riding would cost over 300. Let's hurry up and cook, I'm hungry."

In those days, so-called second-hand bicycles were basically stolen and sold. Everyone rode their own bicycle for ten or twenty years, repairing and mending it constantly, so no one wanted to get rid of it; it was a real, valuable item. These stolen bikes were sold to repair shops or other scrap yards for ten or twenty yuan, and then resold for fifty or sixty yuan. Although you had to get a license from the traffic management department to buy a bicycle back then, nobody actually checked.

Although Xiaohong said no, she was actually quite happy. She happily put the bicycle keys in her pocket, washed the rice and cooked. Xiaowei, because he was about to become a glorious chef, did not go into the house, but stood to the side watching, occasionally lending a hand and asking a question.

The two of them chatted as they cooked. They made two simple dishes and ate as soon as the rice was cooked. This was the first time they had cooked together in their new home in the provincial capital after leaving the county. They ate with great relish and felt that their lives had changed from this day forward.

Xiao Hong said regretfully, "It's our first day of firing, just the two of us."

Xiao Wei said, "It's okay. Once we have our own house, we'll invite more people and make it lively."

After finishing her meal, Xiao Hong shooed Xiao Wei into the house, then tidied the table, washed and put away the dishes before wiping her hands and walking out of the kitchen, saying, "Brother Guizi, come downstairs for a bit."

Xiao Wei was about to turn on the TV when he heard this and turned around to ask, "What? It's already dark." He then realized what was happening, nodded quickly, and walked outside, saying, "Oh, okay, let's go."

Xiao Hong gave Xiao Wei a smug look, put on her shoes, and followed him downstairs.

When we got downstairs, the streetlights were already on, so it wasn't dark at all. Many of the neighbors upstairs and downstairs had finished eating and were out for a walk, chatting with each other. The children were chasing and playing around the adults.

Xiaowei and Xiaohong walked over to the pink bicycle. Xiaohong looked at Xiaowei, took out her keys, unlocked the bike, pushed it out from between a row of bicycles, and said, "Hey, it's really light, not bad."

Then he looked around on the handlebars, found the wrench Xiaowei had mentioned, turned it, looked at it, and asked, "Why isn't it working?"

Xiao Wei said, "That's an electric one. You have to ride it and it will light up after a few steps."

Xiao Hong looked around and saw that there weren't many people or children, so she hopped on the bike. This bike was a rare sight in China at that time, with a curved beam, making it quite convenient for girls to ride.

With a push of her feet, the bike started moving. After going about a meter ahead, the headlights came on, and Xiao Hong shouted, "It's on! It's on! It really is!" She rode around the track with great enthusiasm. You see, in the county town, bicycles were considered high-end household items, and children rarely had the chance to ride them. Xiao Hong only learned to ride one after Xiao Wei became a skilled worker and bought an old bike.