1987 My Era

Chapter 604, White, Red, Beer

Back in Lushan Village, the two went into the kitchen.

Zhou Shihe was in charge of cooking, while Li Heng washed and chopped the vegetables. The two worked together seamlessly, and neither of them mentioned Huang Ziyue from earlier.

After he finished chopping the ginger, garlic and other side dishes, she said gently, "Why don't you go and rest for a while? The food will be ready soon."

Li Heng washed his hands, wiped the water droplets off, and said, "It's alright. I'm not in the mood to read right now. I'll just keep you company."

Upon hearing "keep with me," Zhou Shihe paused, looked at the food in the pot, and then focused on cooking.

When the braised fish was almost cooked, she glanced back at him, then turned to the side and waited quietly.

Li Heng understood, picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a piece of fish from the pot, put it in his mouth and tasted it. "It tastes really good, the saltiness is just right, it can be taken out of the pot now."

After plating the fish, she suddenly said, "I plan to go home tomorrow and come back on the tenth."

Li Heng was not surprised by this. He had guessed this outcome when the woman in front of him called Mai Sui last night. "Okay, contact your family later and have them come pick you up."

"Mmm," Zhou Shihe hummed softly.

The two remained silent for a long time afterward, and the kitchen was very quiet. Only when a dish was almost ready would she give up her seat so he could taste it.

Three meat dishes and one vegetable dish—four dishes in total—were prepared faster than I expected.

After serving all the dishes, Li Heng asked, "The food is so good, how about we have some wine?"

Zhou Shihe initially wanted to refuse, but after receiving his expectant look, she remained silent for a moment and then agreed.

The two of them were drinking beer.

But Zhou Shihe only ordered one cup, took a couple of small sips, and then sat peacefully on the stool watching him eat.

Li Heng downed his glass in one gulp, then buried himself in his food until he'd finished half a bowl. Only then did he look up and ask, "Aren't you eating any vegetables?"

Zhou Shihe said, "I'm not very hungry."

Li Heng asked, "Then why are you still making arrangements to cook?"

Zhou Shihe gently swirled the wine glass in her hand, took a small sip before speaking after a moment's thought: "Sui Sui was worried you were working too hard, so she asked me to cook you a meal to reward you."

Li Heng asked in surprise, "Is it really the wheat's message?"

Zhou Shihe said yes.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Heng finally spoke: "If you have something to say, just say it. We've known each other for a while now, there's no need to beat around the bush."

Zhou Shihe changed the subject, saying, "I've noticed you don't seem to like drinking baijiu (Chinese liquor) very much."

Li Heng said, "That's right. The alcohol content of baijiu is too high. I'm not used to drinking it. Every time I drink one cup, I get drunk and pass out. Afterwards, I also have a headache."

Zhou Shihe said, "But you rarely refuse when someone with strong connections invites you to drink."

Li Heng said, "You said it yourself, it's because of our strong relationship that it's hard to refuse."

Zhou Shihe smiled cleverly and asked, "Where's the red wine?"

Li Heng said, "I especially like it."

Zhou Shihe said, "It's not easy to get drunk, tastes good, and looks nice too."

Li Heng smiled and said, "That makes sense."

Zhou Shihe said, "But it seems like you drink mostly beer."

Li Heng nodded: "Yes, at least 8 out of 10 times I drink alcohol, it's beer."

Zhou Shihe concluded: "Beer is delicious, cheap, easy to get, and you can have as much as you want, right?"

Li Heng gave her a thumbs up, agreeing with her: "Come on, let's have a drink."

Zhou Shihe was very polite, clinking her wine glass with his but not drinking it; instead, she watched him drink.

Li Heng tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then asked, "Why aren't you drinking?"

Zhou Shihe said, "Seeing you drinking reminded me of something."

"Oh."

Li Heng responded with an "oh," and then asked, "What is it?"

Zhou Shihe picked up her chopsticks and, unusually, placed a piece of mutton and some winter bamboo shoots on his plate. Then she picked up two pieces of winter bamboo shoots for herself, took a small bite, and said, "I have a younger uncle who also loves to drink, but my aunt is quite sensitive to the taste of alcohol..."

She stopped there, not continuing.

Li Heng pricked up his ears and waited, but after waiting for a long time, he found nothing. So he asked, "What happened next?"

Zhou Shihe said, "The two always argued about this. Later, my aunt threatened to divorce him and demanded that my uncle quit drinking."

"what?"

Li Heng exclaimed in surprise, this was the first time he had ever heard of someone arguing about drinking and wanting to get a divorce. He asked, "Is your uncle in poor health? Can't he drink?"

Zhou Shihe said, "I am currently in relatively good health and have regular check-ups."

Li Heng asked curiously, "And then what happened?"

Zhou Shihe changed the subject and asked him, "If one day someone asked you to give up drinking—red wine, white wine, and beer—would you do it?"

Li Heng instinctively shook his head and blurted out without thinking, "Drinking too much is bad for your health, but a little wine is good for your mood. As long as you don't become addicted to alcohol, why should you give it up completely?"

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly froze, his chopsticks hanging in mid-air, staring blankly into her eyes.

Zhou Shihe didn't avoid him at first, but quietly looked at him across the table.

After a while, she subtly shifted her gaze, lowered her head to drink and eat, and ate slowly and deliberately.

This time it was Li Heng's turn to watch her eat. After watching her eat four pieces of fish in small bites, he put down his chopsticks and tentatively asked, "The baijiu represents Teacher Yu, the red wine represents Maisui, and the beer represents Xiao Han?"

Zhou Shihe smiled knowingly, continued eating without replying or paying attention to the gazes directed at her.

As she ate, although her expression remained as composed as ever, a faint blush appeared on her face.

Fortunately, it's dark now, and the electric lights are dim, so the faint red glow is not noticeable.

The air suddenly became quiet.

After a standoff of half a day, Li Heng asked, "Has your uncle quit drinking?"

“No, I drink even more every day now,” Zhou Shihe said.

Li Heng asked, "What about your aunt? Did she divorce him?"

Zhou Shihe did not answer the question, and continued to eat politely until she was about 70% full before stopping.

Then, she gracefully brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with her right hand and said apologetically, "I'm a little sleepy, I'll go back and wash up first."

Li Heng remained silent, staring intently at her as she stood up, left, and disappeared through the door.

Leaving Building 26, Zhou Shihe lowered her head and took a deep breath, then unconsciously patted her burning cheeks with both hands.

Then, worried about something, she glanced back at the door of number 26. Seeing that he hadn't followed her out, her anxiety finally subsided.

She took out her key, opened the door to Building 27, and the moment she stepped into her own space, her expression returned to calm. She then closed the door behind her, changed into slippers, and sat on the sofa in the darkness.

The lights weren't on, and he just sat there dignifiedly, like a sculpture that had lost its memory.

He guessed right, but she didn't hear the answer she wanted.

After a long, long time, she went upstairs with a mix of doubt and relief.

This time, she still didn't turn on the light. She groped her way to the coffee table in the dark, picked up the receiver in the dark, and dialed the number in the dark.

However, the call wasn't sent to the Zhou family, but rather to Shaodong.

"Ring ring..."

"Ring ring..."

The phone rang for the fifth time before it was answered, and Mai's voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"

“Auntie, I’m Zhou Shihe. I’m looking for Mai Sui.” Zhou Shihe said.

"Okay, Suibao just finished taking a shower and is in the bedroom. Wait a moment," Mai's mother said warmly.

Zhou Shihe said, "Okay, thank you, Auntie."

A moment later, the receiver was in Mai Sui's hand. "Shi He, have you returned to school?"

“Yes, I’m in building number 27,” Zhou Shihe said.

Mai asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

Zhou Shihe said, "I just ate."

Mai Sui asked, "Today is the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. The restaurants near the school should be gradually reopening, right?"

Zhou Shihe replied, "It's alright, only a small number of shops are open for business, most are still closed."

Mai asked, "Where did you eat?"

Zhou Shihe said, "I'll make it myself." Mai Sui looked on with envy: "You cooked again? I'm so envious of him and Teacher Yu, they're so lucky to have such delicious food."

Zhou Shihe said, "Teacher Yu is not here."

Mai Sui paused for a moment, thinking to herself: Such a good opportunity, but Teacher Yu isn't here?

Even over the phone, Zhou Shihe seemed to be able to guess her best friend's thoughts: "Teacher Yu went to Japan, and Sister Chen Siya is sick."

Mai Sui asked with concern, "What illness?"

Zhou Shihe recounted Chen Siya's condition in its entirety, without adding or omitting a single word, maintaining a highly objective approach.

Upon hearing this, the kind-hearted Mai Sui was very sad and said sadly, "Sister Chen was such a good person, how could this happen? God is so unfair."

Zhou Shihe empathized deeply: "Heaven has never been fair. The rich feast while the poor freeze to death on the streets—this has always been a true reflection of human life."

Mai Sui said, "I can understand when others say this. But it feels strange when you say it, Shi He."

Zhou Shihe understood what she meant, "It's not like I lack nothing either."

Mai Suirou asked with a smile, "You're the epitome of 'perfection' in the eyes of both male and female students at Fudan University. What are you lacking?"

This question stumped Zhou Shihe; she didn't know how to answer it.
After a while, Mai Sui asked, "Shi He, are you still there?"

Zhou Shihe said, "Yes."

Mai Sui switched the receiver from her left hand to her right: "If you don't say anything, I'll think the call has been disconnected."

Zhou Shihe said, "I'm thinking about your question from earlier."

Mai Sui became interested: "Have you figured out the answer yet?"

Zhou Shihe frankly said, "No."

Wheat Ear asked, "Random thoughts?"

Zhou Shihe smiled and said yes.

Mai Sui wasn't easily fooled. She plopped down on the sofa and asked, "Tell me, why are you calling me so late? Is there something you need?"

"No, I was just bored and wanted to talk to you," Zhou Shihe said.

Mai asked, "Where is he?"

Zhou Shihe said, "They should be eating."

Wheat asked, "Should?"

Zhou Shihe said, "He drinks rather slowly."

"Is he alone? Still eating?" asked Mai Sui.

"Yeah, I'm a little tired, so I came back right after I finished eating," Zhou Shihe said.

After thinking for a moment, Mai Sui cautiously asked, "You two didn't have a fight, did you?"

Zhou Shihe said, "No."

Mai Sui asked, "So you're avoiding suspicion?"

Zhou Shihe guessed correctly on the first try and acquiesced.

Mai Sui fell silent, feeling very sorry for him. After a long while, she said, "Shi He, see if you can help me buy a plane ticket for tomorrow. I'll come early to be with you."

Zhou Shihe didn't ask why, and gently agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Shihe called her aunt and told her about buying plane tickets.

After her aunt checked with someone, she was told, "There are only tickets available for tomorrow evening; all the others are sold out. Do you want to buy one?"

Zhou Shihe said, "Buy it."

After discussing the plane tickets, my aunt asked, "Do you want your aunt to come over and keep you company tonight?"

Zhou Shihe said, "No need, Teacher Yu is here, I'll share a room with her."

On the night of her third year of junior high, she also used Teacher Yu as an excuse to get rid of her aunt.

Considering that Yu Shuheng and her eldest niece were musical partners and also had a real teacher-student relationship, the aunt had no doubts and immediately instructed, "That's fine. If Teacher Yu isn't here, don't sleep alone at night. You can call your aunt anytime."

My aunt didn't mention Li Heng.

Because she knew that Li Heng was having affairs with three women, she dared not entrust her beautiful niece to him alone.

Of course, like Zhou's mother, she had absolute confidence in her eldest niece.

Zhou Shihe said, "Okay."

After ending her call with her aunt, Zhou Shihe made her third call home to tell them about the situation.

Upon hearing that her daughter had returned to China, Zhou's mother said, "Mom will come to pick you up tomorrow."

Zhou Shihe said, "Mom, Maisui will come over tomorrow night."

Upon hearing this, Zhou's mother changed her mind and said, "Then I'll come over tomorrow afternoon and drive with you to the airport to pick up Mai Sui in the evening."

Zhou Shihe did not refuse again and agreed.

The third phone call took a long time, and with the added time spent showering and talking to Mai Sui, by the time she finished everything, it was already 7:30.

Just then, there was a knock on the door downstairs, accompanied by shouts.

Zhou Shihe stepped out of the shower room, casually put on a jacket, and went downstairs to open the door.

Li Heng asked with concern, "What happened? Why didn't you turn on the lights when you were home? I thought something had happened to you, it scared me to death."

Zhou Shihe said, "The bathroom light is on."

Li Heng looked up, but it was still pitch black: "Is that so?"

"Maybe the bathroom is in the last house, you can't see it from the front," she explained.

Li Heng, leaning on his umbrella, jokingly asked, "What? The door's only a crack open, are you not letting me in for a bit?"

Zhou Shihe gave an encouraging smile and opened all the doors.

Unexpectedly, Li Heng had no intention of going in. "I'm going to the idiot's house. What about you? Want to come with me?"

Zhou Shihe thought for a moment and then politely declined, saying, "I haven't done my laundry yet."

Li Heng said, "Okay, then close the door and lock it properly. I'll be back in half an hour at most."

Zhou Shihe nodded slightly.

Li Heng left, walking away into the alley under his black umbrella.

Zhou Shihe watched him from the doorway until he was almost out of sight before she snapped out of her daze, closed the door, and secured it with the bolt.

As Li Heng approached the school gate, he suddenly thought of Da Qingyi, so he crossed the road to the general store and made a phone call.

He could have gone to the small building across the street at number 25 to make the call, but thinking of how kind Teacher Yu had been to him, he didn't do so.

The grocery store owner already knew him. Every time he called, the owner would go chat with the female owner next door, as she was giving him some space.

It is really rare.

"Jingle Bell…"

Press the number and wait patiently.

A moment later, a bright voice came from the other end: "Hello?"

“It’s me,” he said.

Huang Zhaoyi said happily, "You're back? The newspapers are all reporting on your successful performance in Singapore today."

Li Heng was in a good mood and asked, "So, how many newspapers did you read?"

Huang Zhaoyi did not exaggerate, but truthfully said, "More than ten or twenty portions."

Li Heng asked, "How did you feel after watching it?"

Huang Zhaoyi hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice: "I want you to come to me."

This was the boldest thing she had ever said since they met, and the first time she had so openly expressed her love.

After saying that, she felt uneasy and embarrassed, her face burning with embarrassment and anxiety.

As soon as she said that, she regretted it, afraid that the man would look down on her and think she was frivolous.

She switched the receiver from her left hand to her right hand, and then from her right hand to her left hand, repeating this several times. Finally, the anxious Huang Zhaoyi heard the voice from the other end.

P.S.: I updated 176,000 words this month, which is pretty average.

Please urge me on, everyone. It's currently at 285 million words in March, and I expect to reach 316 million words by August.

(There was more in the early morning)
(End of this chapter)