Return to the 1982 Staff Compound

Chapter 36 Treating guests to dinner

Ding Yu originally pretended to have an angry expression, but he couldn't hold it back while running. By the time he ran to their side, he had changed his look to one who was about to get angry but couldn't. He threw the umbrella back to Qiu Huoming.

"I thought you fell into the toilet."

Then he returned the schoolbags hanging around their necks to them both.

"Thank you, Fatty." Gu Xiaoran smiled sweetly, and Ding Yu's expression immediately became happy. "It's not heavy, let me carry it."

Qiu Huoming held a long-handled umbrella and walked straight down, "First go to Gu Xiaoran's house to serve the dishes, and then go to my house for dinner."

"You're such a jerk, are you treating me to a meal, or is it classmate Gu who's treating me to a meal?"

"We'll treat you to a meal, have fun."

"..."

Our group was delayed for a while and the teaching building was already deserted. Today was Saturday and there were no classes in the afternoon, so the students left faster than rabbits.

Gu Xiaoran pushed out his bicycle and said, "I'm going to go back first. Let's meet at a middle place."

"Cinema, I'm going to get the tape."

"Okay, I'll come out as soon as I get the food."

Ding Yu watched her riding away on her bike, "Are you really going to let her get the food?"

"What else? It would be such a shame to waste it." Qiu Huoming nimbly avoided the puddles on the ground and rushed several meters away in a few steps.

"You're such a stingy person!" Ding Yu chased after him.

-

The entrance of the cinema is very busy every weekend. It is noon now and the snack vendors are the most popular.

Qiu Huoming spent 2 cents to buy two bottles of soda at the door, stuffed them into his schoolbag, and followed Ding Yu into the hall. He greeted the middle-aged man checking tickets, "Comrade, I'm here to see Sister Li."

"What's your relationship?"

"We are her brothers."

"Only one person can go. You go, and he stays outside. No noise is allowed after you go in." The uncle let Qiu Huoming in and asked Ding Yu to wait outside.

Qiu Huoming handed the umbrella to Ding Yu before going in, "Fatty, why don't you go to the gate to see if Gu Xiaoran has arrived?"

"Okay." Ding Yu took the umbrella, turned around and walked out.

The movie "Camel Xiangzi" was playing in the screening room. More than 50% of the people watching this movie were couples. The cinema was dark, which was perfect for young people in love.

The sound of dialogue could be faintly heard from the external speakers, but it was not so clear through the thick door.

He walked along the corridor and saw a half-open door with a sign hanging on it: No Trespassing.

He walked over quickly. There was a staircase inside the door, which should be the screening room.

Before he could go upstairs, he heard a noise behind him and turned to look.

Two people walked in from the back of the aisle. It was Sister Li he was looking for. Next to them was a strange aunt. They were holding lunch boxes in their hands and talking and laughing as they walked.

"Sister Li!" Qiu Huoming immediately stopped and called out.

"Hey, Huo Ming." Sister Li greeted with a smile.

"Is he your relative? He's very handsome. You guys chat, I'll go back first." The aunt joked and walked forward.

"Let's go. I'll show you the screening room." Sister Li seemed to be in a good mood.

"okay!"

There was an elderly man in the screening room. Sister Li put down her lunch box and said to him with a smile, "Master, I'll bring my relatives to see it."

Qiu Huoming quickly followed and called out, "Hello, uncle."

"Just take a look and leave. You can't stay too long. It won't be good during working hours." The uncle glanced at Qiu Huoming, opened the door and left.

"My master is old-fashioned, but he has a good heart."

"Sister Li, I know. I'll leave after I get the tape and return it to you on Monday." Qiu Huoming could see the hall below through the projection window. The sound coming through the window was unusually clear.

The lumen light was very bright, and the film made a mechanical sound as it rolled.

Zhang Fengyi plays Xiangzi and Siqin Gaowa plays Huniu. In the film, Xiangzi is standing in the car dealership and talking to Huniu...

The old times come rushing back.

"Sister Li, you must have watched a lot of movies, right?"

"I'm about to throw up because I've been playing it over and over again. No matter how much I liked it, I've lost interest in it." Sister Li took out a box of cassettes without covers from the cabinet next to her. "Here, this is the only one. There are other songs in it. You don't have to come back to return it. You can give it to Brother Yougen later."

Qiu Huoming took out the soda from his schoolbag and said, "Sister Li, I'll treat you to a soda."

"Oh, little guy, you know how to behave. I won't be polite then."

"How can you be so polite to me, Sister Li, do you have any pictures of Shaolin Temple here?"

Qiu Huoming put away the tape and asked at the same time.

"Yes, but there are only three left. This movie is very popular. If I hadn't hidden a few of them, they would have been divided up long ago."

She half-knelt down, opened the door under the cabinet, and took out a rolled-up picture magazine.

"take it."

"Thank you, Sister Li. I'll be leaving now."

"Go."

Qiu Huoming walked out in a hurry, having made a good harvest today.

When passing through the ticket gate, he specially thanked the ticket inspector.

The more courtesy, the less blame. He glanced at the ticket window. There was almost no one at the moment. He walked over quickly and saw Sister Xiaoyun, whom he had met once, sitting inside and flipping through a magazine.

"Sister Xiaoyun, you're here. I'll buy some tickets."

"It's you. Which show do you want to buy? Shaolin Temple?"

"Well, give me four tickets for three o'clock in the afternoon." Qiu Huoming took out fifty cents and then stuffed the bottle of soda in his bag into the window, "Sister Xiaoyun, I'll treat you to a soda."

Sister Xiaoyun showed a smile on her peaceful face, "Thank you very much."

We chose a seat in the middle for him, with a good view.

When we arrived at the gate, Gu Xiaoran was already there. There were two lunch boxes in the basket, tied up with a net bag.

Ding Yu was chatting with her with a smile on his face.

Qiu Huoming walked over quickly and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's go."

"I'll push the cart." He grabbed the handlebars from her and walked forward.

Gu Xiaoran didn't bother to be polite with him. He put his hands in the pockets of his vest, looking particularly relaxed.

When passing by the vegetable market, Qiu Huoming spent 3 cents to buy 5 sesame cakes, all filled with brown sugar. The sesame side was baked crispy and fragrant.

The compound was very lively on Saturday noon. The little yellow dog at the gate once again became the center of attention for the children in the compound. The children were screaming and running around near the iron gate. Some residents living on the first floor even moved the stove outside the unit door to make a fire. The smoke from the coal, conversations between neighbors, and the voices of adults scolding their children all intertwined with each other.

Qiu Huoming pushed the cart and explained, "It's not usually this noisy."

When he looked again, he found that his little sister was among the many children surrounding the little yellow dog. When his little sister saw him, she immediately ran over and said, "Let's go home for dinner!"

Then he reached out to touch the bicycle, "Brother, where did you get the bicycle?"

"It's my classmate's car. The two of them are having dinner at my house today. Run back and tell mom."

"Okay." The little sister didn't even bother to wipe the sweat from her forehead, she just started running towards home with her short legs.

"Your younger sister?" Gu Xiaoran asked. She had seen the older sister before, but this was the first time she saw the younger sister.

"Her name is Hongshuang, and she's very naughty." Qiu Huoming explained.

There were a few nosy neighbors standing at the gate of the first floor of the building, looking at them, and one auntie shouted directly, "Qiu family boy, is he your friend?"

Qiu Huoming frowned, and Ding Yu responded in a hoarse voice, "We are his classmates who came here to do homework."

The aunt then withdrew her gaze.

Upon learning that guests were coming, Chen Suniang returned to the kitchen to prepare another dish. Just as she took out three eggs, she saw her younger sister at the door shouting, "Brother, I've told mom."

Qiu Huoming set up his bicycle and said to the kitchen, "Mom, no need to add more food. My classmates brought some food, and I also bought some sesame cakes."

Chen Suniang leaned out of the kitchen and looked over. She knew Ding Yu, but this pretty girl was the first time she had seen her. Thinking of her son's transformation in the recent period, her heart skipped a beat.