People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

"Six hundred and fifty thousand!" Zhuang Tunan's hand trembled slightly as he gripped the passbook. He looked at the Shanghai Securities News posted on the wall, with the headline "Shanghai Stock Exchange Breaks Through 2,000-Point Mark" on the front page.

He suddenly hugged Pengfei. "When are you coming in next time?"

Pengfei looked at the long queue outside the glass door for people buying subscription certificates.

He put his arm around his brother's shoulder. "The market's burning hot, let's cash out first. Just buy some subscription certificates to test the waters—remember, the risks always come at the most frenzied times."

"Listen to you."

The two walked out of the stock exchange side by side.

Pengfei walked to the convenience store, picked up the phone, and sent a text message to Xiaoting's pager: "Same place tonight, surprise awaits."

........

Pengfei originally planned to pay off the mortgage on the house in one lump sum once he had enough money.

He told his eldest uncle his idea, but his eldest uncle waved his hand.

"Just leave it there. It's less than 800 yuan a month anyway, so it won't be a burden for you."

After hearing his uncle's words, Pengfei gave up the idea of ​​paying off the loan immediately.

Now that he has money, Pengfei has been thinking about how to repay his uncle and aunt.

During his break, he couldn't wait to return to Suzhou.

Once he made up his mind, he went straight to the car dealership and bought a Santana for his uncle and aunt without hesitation, spending 195,000 yuan.

In Pengfei's heart, his uncle and aunt had been incredibly kind to him.

Pengfei found it hard to believe that his uncle, a well-known writer, and his aunt, who also held a significant number of shares, didn't even own a car.

Moreover, having a car makes it easier for them to go out, and they can enjoy going for a drive wherever they want.

Pengfei drove his brand-new car, the trunk of which was filled with gifts for his maternal grandparents, his maternal uncle, his maternal aunt, and Yuyao.

The car drove into the familiar alley and stopped at the entrance.

He gently pressed the horn.

The elementary school students who came over for lunch heard the horn and curiously peered into the car.

One of the children, with a round face, exclaimed in surprise.

"Teacher Xiang! You're back, and you even have a car! Do you remember me?"

Xiang Pengfei recognized him at a glance. "I remember, you're the chubby boy in the back row, the chubby boy that Aunt Huang wanted."

Little Fatty's eyes lit up with excitement, and he grinned from ear to ear. "Yes, yes, it's me!"

Pengfei got out of the car, carefully locked it, and then followed Xiaopang into the yard.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard my aunt and Aunt Song serving food to the children. "Does anyone else want some salted fish?"

Pengfei laughed and shouted back, "Aunt Huang, I want it!"

Hearing the voice, Huang Ling looked up and saw Pengfei. A smile immediately appeared on her face, and she pointed to the bench. "Pengfei, please have a seat."

Song Ying handed over a plate. "Pengfei, have some with us. We have some salted fish and stir-fried bok choy today."

After everyone had eaten and seen the children off, Pengfei led his uncle and aunt to the alley entrance.

He took the car keys out of his pocket and gently placed them in his aunt's hand.

Huang Ling looked at the key in her hand with a puzzled expression. "Pengfei, what's this?"

Pengfei smiled and pointed to the car parked on the side of the street. "Uncle, Aunt, I made some money in the stock market, so I was thinking of buying you something. But you don't need anything, so I thought I'd buy you a car, so that Uncle can take Aunt for a drive when we go out."

Huang Ling covered her mouth in disbelief, quickly walked to the car, and tried to open the door with the key. To her surprise, it opened.

She was both surprised and distressed, and quickly locked the car again.

She turned around and walked back, gently tapping Pengfei's arm.

"You silly child, a Santana costs nearly 200,000 yuan, and you just waste money. It would be so much better if you saved that money yourself... You..."

Factory director An only drives one car; he didn't even buy one for his own son, but his nephew bought one for him first.

Huang Ling felt both sorry for Pengfei's wasteful spending and touched that the boy truly treated them like his own parents.

Pengfei smiled and touched his arm, which was a little itchy from being hit by his aunt.

“Auntie, I just want to buy it for you. If I don’t spend the money I make from stock trading on you, where else can I spend it? I’ve already sent money back to my parents. When I have money in the future, I’ll buy you an airplane.”

He suddenly remembered that when he first came to Suzhou and went back, his aunt had secretly stuffed a lot of money into his underwear pocket. He also remembered that when he started his business, his aunt had given him 10,000 yuan directly. He also remembered that his aunt had heated milk for him every day, washed his dirty clothes, and so on. His throat suddenly tightened.

"I'm going to buy them for both of you!"

Zhuang Chaoying laughed so hard she almost fell over, her glasses slipping down to the tip of her nose without her even bothering to push them up.

"Buy a plane? Why don't you just pluck a star and use it as headlights!"

He suddenly stopped smiling and reached out to pat him on the back of the head. "Don't forget, your uncle can't drive!"

Pengfei slapped his forehead hard, making a "smack" sound. Oh no, he forgot the most important thing.

"Uncle!" He leaned over and hooked his arm around the other's shoulder.

"Uncle Qian's driving school's top instructor guarantees you'll be able to take your aunt for a drive in just half a month! You're so smart, learning to drive will be a piece of cake!"

Huang Ling touched the car keys with a pained expression; it was Pengfei's gift, and she accepted it.

“Pengfei, your money didn’t grow on trees. Your aunt is giving you money.”

"Auntie! If you give me some money, I'll buy my little sister an apartment in Shanghai tomorrow!"

He stuck out his neck. "Back when I first came to Suzhou and had a fever, who stayed by my side in the hospital for a whole day and night? It was your aunt and uncle. Who picked me up from my maternal grandmother's house? It was your aunt and uncle. And now, when we buy a car, you're still trying to haggle with me over the money?"

Looking at his nephew's reddened eyes, Zhuang Chaoying understood. Pengfei was a poor man who had suddenly become rich and didn't know where to spend his money, so he wanted to buy things for them. He couldn't stop him. This kid was thoughtful, buying such expensive things.

“Take it.” He pressed Ah Ling’s hand. “This child’s filial piety is more valuable than two hundred thousand for a Santana.”

"You brat!" Huang Ling wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I'll have your uncle write a book for you later, called 'The Prodigal Son'!"

She turned and walked towards the car, her back view carrying an undisguised smile.

"I'll make you braised pork tonight, so you'll be so full you can't walk!"

Pengfei seized the opportunity to slip to the alley entrance. "Uncle, you're never too old to learn! I have high hopes for you!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhuang Chaoying kicked him.

........

In September 1992, Lin Dongzhe successfully completed his internship in Guangzhou and returned to work at the Shanghai branch, thus ending his long-distance relationship with Xiaoting.

The lovers finally ended their longing and separation.

At the same time, Zhuang Chaoying's "Difficult Steps" became a hit in the domestic market, thanks to its profound themes, delicate descriptions, and tragic plot.

Along with Yu Hua's "To Live" published this year, it is referred to by the literary world as a "brother in arms" of tragic literature.

Both works, with their unique charm, touched the hearts of countless readers and sparked widespread discussion and resonance.

1994 was a glorious year for the bookmakers, with four auspicious events.