1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 107 Do you have ears? (He stole a kiss while taking the opportunity.)

Gu Bin and Wang Fan have different styles; in his narration, the heroes of the Southern Song Dynasty who resisted the Jin Dynasty are imbued with a tragic and heroic tone.

During a break in filming, Lin Xiyu handed him a bottle of mineral water to moisten his throat.

"That's right, that's exactly it."

Director Du nodded in satisfaction: "Film the last scene in one go, and our task for today will be complete."

"After we finish filming, let's find a restaurant and get together."

The assistant director smiled and chimed in, "Congratulations on the promotional video for 'Spring Water Village' being featured on CCTV's prime-time news broadcast at 7 PM."

"Great!"

The crew members were thrilled and cheered loudly.

"Xiao Bin, it's up to you now."

The cameraman rotated the lens and pointed it at Gu Bin again: "Whether you can leave work early for dinner depends on your performance."

"No problem, I'll pass it on the first try."

Gu Bin was confident and, without even looking, casually tossed the empty bottle behind him.

With good aim, the empty bottle clattered into the trash can.

His cool and stylish moves were a sight to behold.

"Hey kid, stop showing off, look at the camera."

Director Du laughed and waved his right hand, making a starting gesture.

Gu Bin smiled at the camera and immediately began speaking.

-

"Xin Qiji is a 'six-sided warrior' praised by CCTV. He was proficient in politics, military affairs, calligraphy, poetry, and painting. He is also the writer with the most surviving lyrics in the Song Dynasty, leaving behind more than 600 poems for posterity."

"His poems are characterized by their bold and unrestrained style, magnificent momentum, and strong patriotism and heroic spirit."

"His calligraphy is characterized by its running and cursive scripts, with vigorous and powerful brushstrokes and a lively spirit."

"His paintings mainly feature landscapes, flowers, and birds, with a fresh and natural style and profound artistic conception."

"He was a man of both literary and military talent, capable of fighting bandits on horseback and composing poetry on foot; a young general with both literary and military prowess."

"His bold and stubborn personality and his unwavering passion for the Northern Expedition made it difficult for him to gain a foothold in officialdom."

"To gallop across the battlefield and restore the Central Plains was his lifelong wish. How tragic it is that a great man's ambition could not be fulfilled."

When you think of Xin Qiji, do you first think of him as a young general full of ambition and passion, or as a literary giant whose ambitions were thwarted?

-

Gu Bin lived up to expectations, reciting his lines flawlessly without missing a single word.

After getting it right on the first take, Director Du excitedly slapped his thigh and jumped up from his stool.

"Ouch."

He got up a little too quickly, his movements were too abrupt, and he swayed and twisted his waist.

"Director Du, are you alright?"

Seeing that his expression was not right, Li Yan hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.

"hiss."

Director Du rubbed his aching lower back and took a deep breath.

"Back pain is no small matter. Quick, take Director Du to the hospital."

The production crew was in a state of chaos. The assistant director and park staff negotiated and brought in a minibus that was parked at the entrance.

Two male colleagues helped Director Du into the car, one on each side. Li Yan, worried, also went to the hospital.

"Well, the dinner party is off again."

The cameraman watched the minibus drive away, and gave a helpless smirk.

Wang Fan secretly inquired, "Director Du usually looks quite robust, why is his back hurting so badly?"

"It's an old problem."

The cameraman casually remarked, "I had a herniated disc last year when I was filming, and I had to stay home for a month."

"Hey"

Wang Fan continued gossiping: "If Director Du really ends up in the hospital, what will you do about the rest of the filming?"

"decide as things go."

The cameraman shrugged helplessly: "Perhaps after Director Du is discharged from the hospital, they might send another director over."

"With a new director, will the content be changed?"

Wang Fan rarely gets to appear on screen and doesn't want her scenes to be cut.

"Want to know?"

The cameraman saw through his little scheme, gave a sly smile, and beckoned to him with his finger.

"think."

Without thinking twice, Wang Fan shamelessly moved closer.

Tell me first.

The cameraman whispered in his ear, "Did you see under Li Yan's skirt just now?"

"Hehe, I didn't expect you to like this too."

Wang Fan chuckled and gave him a knowing, suggestive look.

He assumed the cameraman, like him, was interested in women's privacy, failing to notice the fleeting glint of coldness in the cameraman's eyes.

"What are you grinning about? Hurry up and tell me."

"Sister Yan looks quite proper, but I didn't expect her to be so flirtatious, dressed so sexily."

Before he could finish speaking, his neck was once again gripped tightly.

The cameraman successfully knocked the man down and then punched him in the right eye.

"puff."

Lin Xiyu looked at the pair of perfectly proportioned panda eyes and couldn't help but laugh, spitting out another mouthful of her drink.

-

Director Du sprained his back, and filming was suspended.

Having a rare half-day off, Gu Bin was in high spirits and accompanied Lin Xiyu shopping on Quancheng Road.

Quancheng Road is the most bustling commercial street in old Jinan. In the very center are two landmark buildings: the Department Store and Qilu Gold Shop.

The department store was crowded, even though it wasn't the weekend. It was packed with people and customers.

Lin Xiyu bought a delicate little pair of scissors at a counter on the first floor of the department store.

My grandmother's bound feet, euphemistically called "three-inch golden lotuses," were actually a cruel form of torture for women.

The broken toe had thick, hard dead skin that hurt the sole of my foot.

Grandma often uses scissors to cut dead skin, but the big scissors at home are too heavy and difficult to use, so she bought a new pair for Grandma so that she could use them more easily.

The small scissors cost 10 yuan. The sales clerk wrote out a receipt, but Gu Bin snatched it away, determined not to let her pay.

The same thing happened when the two had lunch. Lin Xiyu wanted to split the bill in half, but he wouldn't let her, as if it was a loss of face for his girlfriend to pay for it.

She remembered what her grandmother had said: the men of Shandong are inherently chauvinistic.

To win over a man like this, you need to learn to please him. If you please him, he will be obedient to you and give you his heart.

Lin Xiyu remained silent for a while, then felt relieved.

Let him spend it if he wants. Even smoothing things over takes effort. Consider it an equal exchange, the reward she receives for her physical labor.

-

After leaving the department store, Gu Bin pulled her into the Qilu Gold Shop.

Lin Xiyu had never visited Qilu Gold Shop before, and she was a little dazzled when she first entered the magnificent hall.

Qilu Gold Shop has a very high-end feel, with luxurious decorations. The dragon and phoenix reliefs on the pillars in the lobby are all golden, giving people a very high-class feeling.

There were relatively fewer people in the gold shop; some customers were buying gold jewelry, while others were buying jade and other precious stones.

Most people who buy gold jewelry do so for engagement purposes.

In Jinan, the local custom for engagement is to receive three pieces of gold.

Gold necklace, gold ring, gold bracelet.

The groom's family gave three gold pieces, and they invited relatives and friends to a banquet, which was considered an engagement.

Once engaged, they are considered a married couple and have a formal status.

Elders tacitly approve of being a family, and there are also couples who cohabit before the legal age. A marriage certificate is required to have a child, and without a marriage certificate, the child cannot be registered.

-

Gu Bin led her around the lobby and stopped in front of the jade bracelet counter.

The jade bracelets ranged in price from several hundred to over a thousand yuan. The sales staff greeted the couple very warmly as soon as they saw that they were a couple.

Lin Xiyu was a little intimidated, and avoided eye contact with him.

A jade bracelet costs over a thousand yuan; she doesn't have the money to buy one. "This, please take it."

Gu Bin lowered his eyes, scanned the glass display case, and pointed to one of the items.

"This one is nice, it looks very pretty on little girls."

The sales clerk's eyes lit up, and she took it out with a smile.

This is a white bracelet with floating floral patterns. The base is very clean, clear and transparent, without any impurities. The floral patterns look as if they were bleached, making it very lively and elegant.

"Try it on."

Gu Bin took the bracelet and put it on Lin Xiyu's wrist.

Lin Xiyu's fair skin made the bracelet even more eye-catching, giving people a feeling of instant attraction.

"Like it?"

Gu Bin looked at her with doting eyes, his gaze sparkling.

"like."

Lin Xiyu couldn't refuse him in front of outsiders, so she went along with his wishes and said she liked him, but in reality, she was extremely flustered.

A bracelet costing over a thousand yuan is too extravagant.

Their relationship wasn't close enough for them to accept such an expensive gift.

"how much is it?"

Seeing that she liked it, Gu Bin's smile deepened.

"The original price is 1600, but we can offer a 20% discount."

The sales clerk's calculator clicked away: "The total is 1280."

"Bought."

Gu Bin nodded generously.

Do you still want the jade pendant?

The sales clerk, seeing his extravagant spending without even blinking, assumed he was a big spender and was secretly delighted.

"No"

"want"

Lin Xiyu and Gu Bin spoke at the same time.

Lin Xiyu's eyes widened suddenly, and she tugged hard at his clothes.

Gu Bin ignored her hints and followed the saleswoman to the counter to continue picking out jade pendants.

"Men wear Guanyin pendants and women wear Buddha pendants."

The salesperson beamed and enthusiastically promoted the item: "This icy blue-flowered Maitreya Buddha bracelet is made from the same material as the bracelet you just wore. They'll be a perfect match."

"Is this the one?"

Gu Bin agreed without hesitation.

"Jade Buddhas are not normally discounted."

The sales clerk smiled and said, "If you buy one more item, we'll give you a 20% discount on all three."

"Don't buy it."

Lin Xiyu spoke before Gu Bin could.

"Do you have pierced ears?"

Gu Bin seemed not to hear her, leaned forward, and looked down at her earlobe.

"Ah."

Lin Xiyu glared at him resentfully: "Grandma used to braid my hair when I was little."

"Then let's buy some earrings."

Gu Bin smiled teasingly and reached out to pinch her earlobe.

The earlobes are plump and feel great to pinch.

He couldn't resist and pinched it a few more times.

Lin Xiyu's breath hitched, her ear burning hot from his touch.

"The earrings are also made of the same material."

The sales clerk quickly took the earrings, fearing he might change his mind.

Lin Xiyu glanced at the price and felt a pang of heartache.

Let's calculate it all together.

Gu Bin bought the whole set, just as the salesperson had hoped.

"Bracelet 1600, jade Buddha 580, earrings 220, 20% off, total 2356."

When the sales clerk was issuing the invoice, Lin Xiyu was sweating nervously. Just as she was wondering how he would pay since he didn't seem to have much money on him, she saw him take out a check from his wallet.

Lin Xiyu: "."

She's being superficial.

They forgot that he's a pampered young master, the kind who owns his own company.
-

The jade Buddha needed to be strung with a rope, and while waiting, Gu Bin, having nothing else to do, pinched and played with her earlobe.

Lin Xiyu glared at him, but he didn't mind. Instead, he took advantage of the situation and pulled her into his arms when no one was paying attention, kissing her earlobe.

"Stop messing around, or I'm ignoring you."

Lin Xiyu's earlobes were burning hot, and she was so nervous she felt like she was suffocating, afraid that someone would see her.

"Come with me to Beijing tomorrow."

Seeing that she was really angry, Gu Bin licked his lips reluctantly and then let her go.

"Tomorrow?"

Lin Xiyu paused, her breath catching in her throat: "So fast?"

"I was originally planning to go in a few days, after the company opens."

Gu Bin had his own plans: "Since Director Du twisted his back, filming will definitely be delayed, so let's not wait any longer. Let's go to Beijing first, resolve the matter, and avoid any unforeseen complications."

What are you going to Beijing for?

Lin Xiyu sensed something unusual in the conversation.

"I'll take you to see Sixth Grandfather."

Gu Bin thought it over carefully: "I always feel that Grandpa agreed too easily. I'm afraid he has a backup plan. Grandpa and Grandma are very open-minded and won't have any prejudice against each other based on social status. The only variable is Sixth Grandpa. Grandpa probably wants Sixth Grandpa to step forward and be the villain who breaks up the couple. I have to be careful and not let him succeed."

Lin Xiyu panicked a little: "What if your sixth grandfather doesn't like me?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Gu Bin was confident: "When we meet, listen to me. Do whatever I tell you to do. I understand Sixth Grandfather's worries better than anyone else."

"Knot?"

Lin Xiyu's eyes widened suddenly: "What's bothering him?"

"It's a long story."

Gu Bin smiled jokingly, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense: "I'll tell you when I have the chance."

"Okay."

In front of outsiders, Lin Xiyu couldn't press the matter further and could only suppress her doubts.

-

No. 9 Donghua Street.

"You have to pay today, or get out."

Yan Hao, the brother-in-law of Grandpa Huang's son, brought people to cause trouble again at his son's behest. The two thugs carried sticks and smashed things in the yard, acting extremely arrogantly.

Even the pomegranate trees weren't spared, as they broke several branches.

“There are so many people who want my brother-in-law’s courtyard. These days, everyone loves resettlement housing. Everyone prefers to live in new buildings. Yesterday, a rich guy offered 300,000 yuan right off the bat. If it weren’t for Director Huang speaking up for you, you would have been kicked out long ago.”

"You've only paid 200,000, and you're still acting like bastards, dragging your feet and refusing to pay. What gives you the right? Do you even know how much interest 200,000 earns per day?"

"If this drags on, the interest will be charged at usurious rates. If you don't pay me, we'll send the lenders to collect it from you. If you still can't come up with the money by then, it won't be as simple as just a few curses; chopping off a few fingers would be quite normal."

-

"Aunt Jing, how about we pay?"

Grandpa Wang and his son went out to look for a shop, but Zhang Dashan and his sister were not home either. Dashan's wife was so frightened that she timidly hid behind her grandmother.

"Has your family raised enough money?"

Grandma straightened her back and used her frail body to shield her from the lewd gazes of the two thugs.

"The money is enough."

The woman from the mountain said tremblingly, "The key to the cabinet is in Dashan's hands, and I can't get it out."

(End of this chapter)