1994: From a young man from a small town to a second-generation resident of Shanghai

Sunday.

Chen Yong invited Zhang Xiting and Ye Linghuan to his home to listen to music.

Although it might sound a bit far-fetched to people thirty years from now, having to invite someone to your home to listen to music?

But in late 94, as 95 approached, the conditions were still so rudimentary.

If you want to listen to high-quality music, you can't rely on a radio alone; the sound is often mixed and severely distorted.

He has a record player, which is really cool, and he takes this opportunity to invite a girl to his home alone.

If it's a man and a woman alone together, it would be easy for something to happen.

The Walkman can be traced back to Sony's Discman, which Sony developed in 84.

One advantage is that it is indeed portable, but the disadvantages cannot be ignored. It is expensive, and music playback is choppy when moving. In addition, it is not small, so you need to carry a bag or hang it around your neck when carrying it.

MP3 players, on the other hand, were not introduced until 1998 by the South Korean company Sehan. This was absolutely the god of portable music players, and it became a global sensation as soon as it came out.

Almost every college student had one, and back then, the most common way to download pirated music was to go to internet cafes, which also gave rise to a number of internet companies that provided music downloads.

Chen Yong slept in his school dormitory on Saturday night, and on Sunday morning, he drove over to pick them up.

"I never expected that you, class monitor, would own a Mercedes! I thought the Mercedes that was driven at the beginning of the semester belonged to Sister Chen Fang." Ye Linghuan sat in the passenger seat, while Zhang Xiting was squeezed into the back seat.

Zhang Xiting has a gentle exterior but a strong interior, and I disdain arguing with her over such trivial matters.

"You're only a freshman and you're already driving a Mercedes? Your Shanghai dad must be really good to you."

Chen Yong was driving, wearing sunglasses, the winter sun a bit harsh. "I haven't recognized him yet. This car was probably bought for me by them together. Of course, even if they hadn't contributed, I could afford it myself now."

Zhang Xiting's eyes flickered slightly. It was normal for the class monitor's excellence to attract Ye Linghuan.

However, the class monitor kissed me last time, so he must like me.

Moreover, I was the one who invited them first; Ye Linghuan insisted on coming later.

After analyzing the situation, Zhang Xiting realized that the advantage lay with her, so she stopped bothering to compete with Ye Linghuan.

We arrived at Zhoujiapai Road, at Chen Yong's house.

"Squad leader, you drive a Mercedes, but you don't live in a big house in Shanghai?"

"It's definitely not as good as yours, but it's still considered pretty good in Shanghai."

Ye Linghuan admitted that her house was not only large, but also had guards.

Her home could be described as an estate or a garden.

Zhang Xiting said coldly, "Shanghai's housing conditions are probably among the most strained in the country. Many families have seven or eight people, or even more than ten people, crammed into a small home. They have absolutely no privacy. The fact that our squad leader can live in this new building with an elevator is equivalent to having a house allocated to a department-level cadre."

Zhang Xiting has a lot to say about this, because her family also lives in a house allocated by their work unit, which isn't much bigger than this one.

Ye Linghuan always mocked her for being the young lady of a bureaucratic family, but her family's house, if placed in ancient times, would be the mansion of a landlord or a local tyrant.

"Class monitor, do you usually live with Sister Chen Fang?"

"Sometimes she stays in the school dormitory and doesn't come back often. So do I.

When he arrived at his doorstep, Chen Yong took out his key and opened the door.

"There are shoes by the door; feel free to change or not."

Both of them changed their shoes, knowing that people don't come home often and they couldn't afford to get them dirty.

Once inside, Zhang Xiting felt a sense of homecoming; the school dormitory was so small, yet it housed six people.

It's also inconvenient to take a shower or do laundry now.

Chen Yong's home felt welcoming to her.

Ye Linghuan felt somewhat uncomfortable, always feeling that living in such a house was a bit cramped.

How can one move around freely in such a small space? One cannot run and jump around aimlessly.

Her lively personality was nurtured by the spacious environment she grew up in.

"Is Sister Chen Fang not home?"

She went out on something.

Chen Fang went to Chen Yun's house today. It was better for her to go there on her own initiative than for Jiang Qiao to come looking for her.

…………

"Not bad, they've cleared out a room to store musical instruments, a Kodak record player, and film."

In this era, Kodak products were highly sought-after commodities, difficult to buy in China, and extremely expensive.

Typically, the company buys their film and records domestic music onto it.

Some foreign records have also entered the domestic market, but the number is relatively small.

Chen Yong took out his "1994" record, "Now there are more CDs on the market, I feel that film will be phased out in the future."

"Film will be phased out? Then Kodak will be finished. They are a super giant in this industry." Ye Linghuan was a little skeptical. Could such a huge giant collapse?

"That's possible. The biggest advantage of CDs is that they can store more songs. Currently, they are only limited by playback devices. In the future, they will definitely have a brighter future than film," Zhang Xiting said, sharing her opinion.

Chen Yong placed the recorded music onto the record player and set the hands.

As the film rotates, the pointer will transcribe the music recorded on it.

A single film can only record one song and cannot be reused.

Whether it was during the era when film was popular or later, it was only people with relatively abundant finances who played with it.

"This song sounds a little different from the one you sang on National Day. The lyrics have been changed, and the melody has also been slightly adjusted." Both of them could hear the difference. Although they had only heard "1994" once, it did not affect their ability to remember the lyrics and melody of a song.

"Of course the chorus needs some adjustments. Doesn't it sound better? We've made targeted optimizations to both the male and female parts. I think you should sing a song together for New Year's Day this year; I'll provide the copyright for free, no money required from you."

"We'll sing together?" Zhang Xiting and Ye Linghuan asked Chen Yong in surprise at the same time.

Ye Linghuan rejected the proposal first, "No, no. I can't sing with Zhang Xiting, you're more suitable to sing a duet with me."

"You wish! I'm not participating in this New Year's Eve gala. I'll leave the opportunity to you guys. If I were on stage, I'd definitely steal the spotlight. You guys are enough. When you sing my songs, I get a share of the credit too. Even though I'm leaving the stage, my legend will live on forever."

Hearing his narcissistic words, Ye Linghuan stuck out her tongue, which was rare for her. "Class monitor, please stop talking. The smell is too strong, I can't stand it anymore."

"What about you, Youth League Secretary?"

"I...I'm fine with anything."

If Zhang Xiting has compromised, then things will be much easier.

All we need to do is get Ye Linghuan on board.

Ye Linghuan never expected Zhang Xiting to agree!

Moreover, she agreed first, and then, seeing Chen Yong's expression, she thought, "Oh no! Zhang Xiting acted so magnanimously; if I refuse now, I'll look like a petty person in the class monitor's eyes. I'll be looked down upon. Zhang Xiting, you really have no sportsmanship!"

"Ye Linghuan, what about you? Why can't you sing a duet with the class monitor? I can personally guide you."

Ye Linghuan blinked and said ingratiatingly, "The class monitor is personally instructing me, so I couldn't refuse."

With Ye Linghuan dealt with, things went much more smoothly from there.

Chen Yong and the two of them revised the lyrics together, and also made appropriate modifications to the melody.

Everyone has a different voice, which is suitable for singing different lyrics and matching different melodies.

Chen Yong forced the two of them to work together this time, which temporarily eased the tension between Ye Linghuan and Zhang Xiting.

"It should last until after New Year's Day," Chen Yong murmured to himself, looking at the two beautiful girls he was having a rare chance to work and chat with.

Zhang Xiting is gentle and refined, with a dignified temperament. She possesses both the purity of a student and the scholarly air of a bureaucratic family, like a rare orchid in a secluded valley. Ye Linghuan, on the other hand, represents youth and vivacity, with beautiful short hair that reaches just to her chin, perfectly neat.

Each time she turned her head, strands of her beautiful hair released a refreshing fragrance.

Both girls came from well-off families and were 1.7 meters tall, making them truly exceptional individuals.

After finishing the lyrics and song in one morning, they also recorded the music with a tape recorder. After returning to school, the two of them would find time to rehearse on their own.

When it was lunchtime, Chen Yong asked, "Who among you can cook? If none of you can, let's eat out."

Ye Linghuan shook her head immediately, "I don't know how. I always eat the food my aunt cooks at home."

Zhang Xiting said, "I'll do it. I've learned to cook before. But it'll be a little spicy, I don't know if you can handle it."

"I'm fine." Chen Yong can eat spicy food, but Ye Linghuan can't eat even a little bit of spice. However, she was too embarrassed to tell Zhang Xiting that, as it would make her seem weak.

Chen Yong pointed to the refrigerator and said, "Is there any food in the refrigerator? If not, I'll go to the supermarket to buy some."

Zhang Xiting glanced at it and said, "There are also potatoes, cabbage, is this beef? Oh, it's beef brisket, green peppers, eggplant, and pickled vegetables. We can make three dishes."

Zhang Xiting is also a very good cook; whoever marries her will have a good life ahead of them.

In the 1990s, the majority of female college students knew how to cook.

This is an era where everyone can feel happy.

Whether it's hardship or exhaustion, poverty or wealth, everyone is full of hope for the future.