1987 My Era

Chapter 22: Pretentious Girl, Deep Brotherly Love
The twelfth day of the first lunar month, which is February 1987th in the Gregorian calendar, 2.

It seemed as if someone had stabbed a hole in the sky. It kept raining non-stop, with a northerly wind, and it was damn cold.

Before dawn, Li Heng was awakened from his sleep by Tian Run'e: "Manzai, the rooster has crowed for the third time. It's time to get up."

There was no watch or alarm clock at home. Previously, Li Jianguo's only mechanical watch was broken and he had no money to repair it. If he had to get up early to travel, he could only judge the approximate time by the crowing of the rooster and the weather outside.

Li Heng, who stayed up late writing last night, was still sleepy. His eyelids opened and closed limply, and his whole body seemed paralyzed. He had no strength at all and didn't want to move at all.

But he knew he had to get up. There was only one bus from the town to Shao City these days, and he had to catch it.

Otherwise, you will need to change buses three times, which is not only time-consuming and laborious, but you will also be more likely to encounter pickpockets and robbers, and accidents may occur easily.

There are even many old experiences that often go out and warn the villagers: some drivers have no conscience and collude with local thugs. After passing Qijiang Town, they will choose a sparsely populated hilly section of the road to release the thugs and rob everyone.

Therefore, even though Li Heng was a reborn person, he was powerless in the face of the big dye vat of the times and could only obediently catch the early bus.

It is said that the driver is a Vietnam War veteran, who is upright and has almost never had any accidents with his passengers. Gradually his reputation spread and he became well-known.

Just when he finished washing up, Zhang Zhiyong came over with a bag on his back. This saved him trouble. Otherwise, if he went to the door of Zhang's house to call for help, he might be chased by a dog.

Well..., you might even run into your foolish father dating a shady female ghost under a locust tree or in some bushes.

This is not just random talk.

When it comes to romantic affairs, there has always been a saying among the three great kings in several nearby villages, and Zhang Zhiyong's father is undoubtedly ranked first.

Even the cheating man named Liang didn't make the list.

After all, the three great kings are of genuine character and are truly romantic, never harming good families, and they dare to show off and tease openly. But the man surnamed Liang is having an affair with his daughter-in-law, which is pure despicable.

He took the various bottles and jars handed to him by Comrade Tian Run'e and put them in his schoolbag. They were all filled with vegetables, including his extremely rare bacon.

Of course, most of the dishes are jar dishes such as sour peppers, sour beans and sour radishes.

Li Heng asked Zhang Zhiyong: "You are alone, where is Yang Yingwen? Is she really not going with you?"

When this was mentioned, Zhang Zhiyong became angry and unhappy, almost jumping up and yelling at people: "Go away!
I just went to call her, and her mother said she left yesterday afternoon. This idiot left without informing us."

Li Heng thought about it and judged based on his experience in his previous life, "It is possible that she stayed at Xiao Han's house last night."

It's ironic that Yang Yingwen was a great scholar, but he was very timid and afraid of ghosts.

There are two large cemeteries on the road from Shangwan Village to the town.

One of them was a former execution ground, where people of all ages and various ways of death are buried.

For example, those who were hung on beams, those who were shot, those who were beheaded, women who had difficulty in childbirth, and children who died prematurely, etc.

It sounds scary. People without courage would not dare to pass by at night.

After carefully checking the bag, all the books and manuscripts were there. After seeing that nothing was left behind, Li Heng turned around and said goodbye to Li Jianguo and Tian Run'e:
"Dad, Mom, I'm leaving now. Please don't see me off. It's very cold outside. Especially since you're not feeling well, go in and get some rest."

"Hey! Walk slower and pay attention to the road. If you meet a stranger, avoid him from a distance." The couple agreed verbally, but still sent him to the village entrance.

As for their instructions, they were not groundless.

Nowadays, it is not popular to go out to do side jobs to earn money. During the slack season, families rarely leave the village after dinner. At most, they visit neighbors and chat.

There are probably two types of people who travel in the middle of the night: those who have urgent matters to attend to, or those who have bad intentions.

Zhang Zhiyong shook his thighs and shouted, "Uncle Li, Aunt Tian, ​​don't worry, I have a knife with me.

If any idiot dares to mess with us brothers, I will definitely poke a bloody hole in him and make him cry out for help."

Tian Run'e and Li Jianguo had long experienced this idiot's erratic temper and had become numb to it. They just smiled and gave up even the thought of comforting him.

About three miles away from Shangwan Village, the two arrived at Temple Street.

It is called a street, but this is not true for living people. There are mountains and ridges here, and there is no human habitation for 600 meters. There is only a small temple hidden under a huge rock. The rock is so big that it is as wide as a basketball court. The temple enshrines the Three Goddesses.

Behind the stone is a cemetery that stretches as far as the eye can see.

When they reached here, accompanied by the creepy crows' calls, Li Heng and Zhang Zhiyong, who were talking and laughing at the beginning, suddenly fell silent.

They looked at each other, and Li Heng took out a box of matches from his trouser pocket with familiarity. After a few nervous clicks, the match sticks finally caught fire.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiyong did not hesitate. He quickly put a bundle of straw he had carried under his armpit into the flame and lit it.

Li Heng put away the matchbox and asked as usual: "Are you ready?"

Zhang Zhiyong pulled the bag on his back and raised the straw with flames rising high, "Alright!"

Under the red light of the fire, Li Heng gave the order: "Run!"

As soon as the word "run" came out, the two of them took a step at the same time and ran forward with their heads covered.

Don’t look at the graves on both sides of the road!

Even if there is a sound behind me, I will never look back!
Gathering all my strength, I rushed through this gloomy valley in one breath.

In fact, the two of them dared to walk at night because they were forced to do so during the first period of junior high school.

At the beginning, Liu Shuiwen and his brothers often took away all our living expenses. We had no money to buy vegetables and we couldn’t even finish the food. What should we do?
I had to run home to get the food after evening self-study.

After a few visits, the two men gradually gained courage, and the two families got used to it, so they would not send them off even if they had to travel in the middle of the night.

To be frank, the elders of the two families are more afraid of this damn place than they are. It's not certain who will send whom off in the end.

Halfway through the run, Li Heng suddenly asked, "Lao Yong, are you afraid?"

Zhang Zhiyong bravely replied: "I'm not afraid of anything. I have a knife with me!"

Li Heng teased him: "Try to blow down the torch."

Zhang Zhiyong didn't understand: "What's wrong?"

Li Heng said, "Blow!"

Zhang Zhiyong blew the torch obediently.

Li Heng asked: "Did you see a lot of hairy mouths blowing together?"

"Your uncle!!!"

Zhang Zhiyong, whose heart had been tense, suddenly felt a chill on his forehead. He bit his cheek and sped up again, surpassing him. Li Heng laughed and sped up a bit, saying side by side: "Sing the national anthem."

"Sing!"

"Rise up, those who refuse to be slaves, and give our flesh and blood..."

This is their signature song, which has witnessed their brotherhood along the way. Whenever they are extremely scared, they will sing it together at the top of their lungs.

The singing is deafening!

It was particularly eye-catching in the darkness. I wonder if the kids on both sides of the road were scared to death?
Anyway, amidst the nostalgic scenes, Li Heng walked through the terrifying mountain road and arrived at the town.

At this time, the sky was still dark and the light was not very bright, casting shadows on the houses on both sides of the street.

The early vendors have already set up their stalls. The most popular items they sell are breakfast snacks such as steamed buns, steamed bread and siomai. When they see people passing by, they try to shout "Hey, do you want to have breakfast? It's freshly baked." Their slogan is neither new nor unique, and they try to cheat as many people as possible.

The bus station is located on the west side of the town. It is very small and rather dilapidated. There are slogans painted on the walls everywhere saying "Serve the People". There are only a few buses going in and out every day.

Its public toilets have been flowing with yellow water for years. People who want to use the toilet dare not go in unless they are determined to die, and can only go into the mountains behind.

"Where are you going, kid?"

Before we even reached the station gate, the bus conductor was already jogging over to solicit passengers. He was so enthusiastic that his saliva was almost spurting on my face.

Li Heng moved aside without leaving a trace and asked, "Are there any seats left for Shao City?"

"Yes! There are plenty, hurry up and get on." The conductor held his arm, as enthusiastic as ever.

Li Heng thought he had arrived very early, but after getting on the bus he found out that he was too naive. The conductor was obviously full of lies. He hadn't taken the bus for decades and had almost forgotten the routine.

A quick glance showed that there were no less than 30 people in the car, and all the good seats were occupied, leaving only three empty seats in the last row.

What was unexpected but not surprising was that I met several familiar faces, all of whom were classmates who were admitted to Shao No. 1 Middle School in the same batch of high school entrance examination.

For example, Xiao Feng, who was sitting in the second to last row at the back. Although her last name was Xiao, she had nothing to do with Xiao Han. She was thin and came from the Shiqiaopu gold mine.

She was the person closest to Yang Yingwen. During a midterm exam at her peak, she was only one point behind Yang Yingwen, almost cutting off Yang Yingwen's dragon vein and becoming the number one in the whole school.

But she had always been a top student. Even after entering Shao City No. 1 Middle School, she was still a well-known figure. If memory served me correctly, this girl should have been admitted to Tsinghua University. He didn't know what happened later, and the two didn't have much contact.

Seeing Li Heng getting on the car, Xiao Feng, who had always been taciturn, quickly glanced at him. It was obvious that she had also heard about someone's romantic deeds during the winter vacation.

Receiving the girl's gaze, Li Heng greeted her generously:

"Good morning, Comrade Xiao Feng."

Xiao Feng was very frugal with words and said nothing, but still looked at him.

"Hey, Li Heng, you're so handsome. Your legend can be included in the top 100 cases of the century."

The person who took over the conversation on behalf of Xiao Feng was another familiar face, Yang Cheng, who was sitting next to Xiao Feng.

This is a short, fat boy. He had excellent grades in junior high school and was always among the top five in the school. But somehow he fell behind in high school, and getting into the top 100 in the school became his goal.

Li Heng stopped in front of him, lowered his head and raised his fist, asking: "Are you really praising me, or do you want to be beaten?"

Yang Cheng shrank his neck and said, "God of Heaven and Earth, I praise you wholeheartedly!"

Li Heng retracted his fist and nodded happily in agreement: "As expected, excellent people all have the same vision."

Just as he expected, Yang Yingwen really did not leave yesterday. Now he and Xiao Han were sitting in the last row, occasionally chatting with the two people in the front row.

Of course, I won’t waste words on how unkind this Yang guy was, as he didn’t even call them when he left.

Xiao Han was wearing a red coat today. Her eyes were bright and deep. Her long, soft, straight hair was gathered on her white neck. With the pink hairpin and earrings, she was still as beautiful as ever.

Or maybe it could be said that this girl is too eye-catching and is born to look good in clothes. She looks beautiful in anything she wears.

Seeing Li Heng coming towards her, Xiao Han suddenly gathered up her courage, raised her right hand slightly, smiled and greeted: "Hi! Li Heng..."

Just at this moment, the conductor in front shouted loudly: "The train is about to leave. Please prepare your change. Tickets will be collected."

This is the kindness of the conductor and the driver. They try not to collect tickets midway, for fear that thieves who get on the bus midway may have their eyes on where the passengers' wallets are placed.

Because of the conductor's interruption, Li Heng didn't notice Xiao Han's little action, nor did he hear her greeting.

I saw him take a big stride over, then slump down in the back seat by the window, then he took a long breath and relaxed his body. He must be so damn tired after walking such a long distance on the mountain road!

Xiao Han was stunned for a while, then raised his left hand and pulled his right arm calmly. Then he felt that he was too disappointing, so he pinched the back of his right hand with his left hand.

She comforted herself in her heart: No one noticed, right? It's okay, I'm still that calm and pretentious girl.

Zhang Zhiyong has always been afraid of beautiful women. When he saw his good friend took the window seat, he stood in the aisle and didn't dare to sit next to Xiao Han.

The fool winked at Li Heng, but he pretended not to notice and closed his eyes to rest.

Instead of retreating, Zhang Zhiyong used his trump card, "a small stir-fry."

Li Heng remained unmoved and continued to tease him.

Zhang Zhiyong raised the stakes, "Two meals, don't go too far."

Li Heng opened his eyes and said leisurely, "Plus a pound of spicy seafood."

In Shao City, if you can eat spicy seafood these days, you are definitely a rich person. It costs one yuan per pound.

It’s so expensive!
I don’t know why those unscrupulous vendors mark the prices so high?
Is it because of the difficulty in transportation?

Zhang Zhiyong's heart was bleeding, but he still endured it: "Deal!"

I witnessed the fake brotherhood between the two throughout the whole process. After they changed positions, Yang Yingwen spoke:

"Li Heng, Zhang Zhiyong, why are you two here just now? The car is about to start."

Li Heng and Zhang Zhiyong, who had been at odds with each other just now, suddenly became brothers and turned their heads to look out the window without paying any attention.

ps: This chapter has more than 4000 words. I’ll post them both together as I’m too lazy to separate them into chapters.

Now, we can only post so many every day in order to get the recommended position, and the release will explode after it is put on the shelves.

(End of this chapter)