Life 1984

Chapter 7 Lin Zhi
The school requires students to leave school within a time limit.

Li Yunhai was studying in the provincial capital and had no relatives. Several classmates in the provincial capital did not have extra beds for him to sleep on.Every home was as crowded as Shen Xiulan's, and he was too embarrassed to cause trouble for them.

The next morning, Li Yunhai packed his luggage and left his alma mater.

Standing at the school gate, Li Yunhai was confused.

It's such a big provincial city, but there is no place for him to live.

Where are you going?

In 1984, my country had a population of 10 billion, of which 4 million were in rural areas.There are few residents, few workers, few civil servants, and few houses in the city.

Houses for urban workers are provided and allocated by the government and work units.The unit benefits are good, and the housing benefits are also good.In some units, two-employee workers can only be allocated a 16-square-meter bungalow with no kitchen, running water, or toilet. This is a treatment only available to dual-employee workers, while a single-employee worker can only be allocated an 8-square-meter house.

Many locals, generations of people, are crowded into a small bungalow.These old houses still exist 40 years later and have become historical witnesses of this era.

It has been several years since this year, but because farmers have just been allocated their fields, many people are unable to leave their hometowns, so there are not many people coming out to work.

Li Yunhai wanted to rent a house in the city. Even if he had money, it was not possible to rent one.

He had to pack his luggage and go to the hotel first.

In an era of illiquidity, hotels were a scarce luxury even in the most prosperous provincial cities.

Fortunately, Li Yunhai was very familiar with the provincial capital and knew where there were hotels.

He carried his luggage and walked for a long way until he came to a hotel.

There was a middle-aged woman at the front desk, and she asked for a letter of introduction.

Li Yunhai was mentally prepared and knew that a letter of introduction was required to stay in a hotel, but he had just graduated and had not yet reported to the unit. Where could he get a letter of introduction?
He said a lot of nice things, took out his graduation certificate and registration certificate to show her, and said, Sister, please be accommodating. I haven't reported to the unit yet, so I can't issue a letter of introduction.How about I give you a few more dollars and you let me stay for one night?

The woman said that there was nothing I could do. Without a letter of introduction, you couldn’t stay in the store. This was a rule. Even if I wanted to take you in, our store would be full now!

Seeing that Li Yunhai was out alone and really lonely, she kindly gave her some advice: "Young man, if you really have no place to go, go find a bathhouse to spend the night. It only costs a few cents and you can take a hot bath. Bathhouse Don’t read the letter of introduction.”

Li Yunhai thanked him and went looking for a bathhouse.

In this era, most people's homes did not have bathrooms, so the hot weather was easy to deal with. In winter, everyone had to go to the bathhouse to take a hot bath to celebrate the New Year.

He finally found a Xinshachi bathhouse, but he arrived too early and it was not open yet.

The staff told him that he could stay here overnight, but he had to stay there after 6 pm, the bathing fee was [-] cents per person, and he had to leave at [-] am the next morning.

Li Yunhai stored his bedding in the bathhouse and said he would come back at ten o'clock in the evening.

The staff kindly agreed.

Li Yunhai came to Wuyiwen with his schoolbag on his back.

With such a delay, half of the morning passed.

He still bought a few steamed buns to satisfy his hunger at noon.

The weather is extremely hot today and there is no wind.

Li Yunhai bought two bottles of ice-cold soda and drank it, but it was still hard to beat the heat.

The school was closed, and his novel was returned to the school library. He had no books to read, and these boring days were particularly difficult to endure.

At the end of the day, he didn't receive a single business order, and no one even asked.

When it gets dark, thousands of lights in the city shine brightly, and the tall buildings are suddenly covered with gem-encrusted clothes, and the streets become a shining galaxy.

There are many shops on both sides of the street, and the carefully arranged shop windows are like beautiful paintings displayed in front of people.

Li Yunhai found a restaurant, ordered fried pork with chili pepper, and ate three large bowls of rice.

Seeing the happy faces of the families nearby, the lonely Li Yunhai really wanted to have a family.A place of your own does not need to be too big. How comfortable it is to have a woman and have another child!
After dinner, he strolled to the riverside, sat on a stone, and stared at the mountains on the other side of the river in trance.

He missed the little bed at school so much, sleeping so comfortably!

In such a big city, with a population of millions, there is not even a bed that belongs to him.

Like a wandering soul, he walked slowly along May Day Avenue, wandering in this familiar yet unfamiliar city.

At ten o'clock in the evening, he dragged his tired body to the Xinshachi Bathhouse.

The person at the front desk didn't even mention a letter of introduction.

Li Yunhai paid 6 cents and went through the overnight stay procedures.

The waiter took him to the lounge, where the last bathers were leaving.

He was going to sleep on rows of lounge chairs for bathers to rest on. The chairs had slanted backs and were covered with blue striped towels.The floor is covered with colorful tiles, which are a bit slippery to step on.There was an old man lying on the couch next to him, smoking a cigarette comfortably and holding a small radio, showing no sign of leaving.

The waiter did not urge the old man to leave. He pointed to Li Yunhai's backpack, motioned for him to hand it over, and asked him to put the money in his pocket.

Li Yunhai's money was put in his schoolbag and wrapped in a cloth.There was only a few dollars in change in my pocket, so I took it out immediately and put it all into my schoolbag.

The waiter used a fork shaped like Poseidon's Trident to hang the schoolbag to the high roof with a swish.There is a row of hooks there, which serve as storage boxes and cloakrooms for bathers.Lying on the recliner, Li Yunhai felt that the whole world was wet.Guests continued to join in, and backpacks continued to rise into the air and fly to the roof.

Listening to the gradually quieting sounds of cars and people outside, Li Yunhai began his first sleepless night in the provincial capital.

The bathers came from all over the country and were unfamiliar with each other. Some snored loudly, some coughed loudly as if no one was around, some farted loudly and unscrupulously, and some kept picking at the pain with a look of enjoyment. If you have stinky feet with athlete's foot, you have to put them under your nose and smell them after picking them.

Li Yunhai smelled all kinds of weird and unpleasant smells and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

He began to miss the broken home with only a few adobe houses in the countryside, his grandparents and younger brothers and sisters. Of course, he also missed Shen Xiulan's soft and gentle hands and her fragrant and soft body.

Thinking of the promise he made to the Shen family that he would settle down in the provincial capital within three years, how high-spirited was he at that time?At this moment, he is in such a miserable state!

Provincial capital, provincial capital!
It is not that easy for Li Yunhai to settle down here!
I don't know when he fell asleep.

The next day, Li Yunhai and other people who stayed overnight were driven up very early and began to go their separate ways and wander around the big city.

The days without books were too painful for Li Yunhai.

He had no fixed residence in the provincial capital and didn't want to buy books, so he found a book rental shop.

The book rental business was started two years ago. When Li Yunhai was in school, there was a book rental shop nearby.

He rented a novel at a book rental store and then came to May Day.

Li Yunhai leaned the billboard made of corrugated paper against the root of the tree, picked up two stones to hold it down, and then sat down to read a book.

The days with books go by so fast, and I don’t even feel hot under the sun anymore.

The whole morning slipped away again, and Li Yunhai didn't receive a single business order.

He looked at his billboard and wondered if he should also add advertisements for repairing household appliances?

It’s true that repairing printers is very profitable, but it doesn’t happen every day!

He took out his pen and added a sentence after the "professional repair" advertisement on the corrugated paper: "TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, radio cassette players and other household appliances."

Then, he straightened out the advertisement.

"Young man, can you repair the pressure cooker?" An old woman stopped and held a deflated Double Happiness pressure cooker in her hand and stretched it out in front of Li Yunhai.

"I don't repair the pressure cooker." Li Yunhai waved his hand.

The old lady may be a little deaf, but after hearing only the last four words, she put down the pressure cooker and asked, "My pressure cooker exploded, can it be repaired? How much does it cost to repair it?"

Li Yunhai waved his hands repeatedly: "No repair! No repair! Grandma, I don't want to repair the pressure cooker!"

The old lady heard clearly this time, bent down to lift the pressure cooker, and shook her head: "I don't even know how to repair a pressure cooker! Why are you repairing it!"

Li Yunhai couldn't laugh or cry.

At this time, a clear voice from the side came over: "Hey, it's you!"

What a pretty city girl!

She is about 1.7 meters tall, wearing the most popular red skirt and white short-sleeved top with the hem tied into the skirt. She has a slender waist, a pair of high-heeled sandals on her feet, and a pair of white pants on her legs. sock.The figure is exquisite and convex, the figure is slim, the smile is charming, and it is extremely charming.

Li Yunhai looked at her curiously: "Are you talking to me?"

The woman smiled slightly playfully: "Yes! You don't recognize me?"

Li Yunhai shook his head and said seriously: "I am not a god in the sky, how can I know a fairy?"

The woman chuckled and said, "Why are you here?"

She then saw Li Yunhai's billboard: "Oh, are you doing repairs?"

Li Yunhai searched his mind, but still didn't have any impression of her, so he asked: "Who are you?"

The woman said: "At the graduation party, you helped us repair the cassette player. Do you still remember?"

Li Yunhai had a flash of inspiration and said, "You are the classmate who danced solo! You changed into casual clothes and looked even more youthful and beautiful. I didn't recognize you."

The woman smiled sweetly and asked: "Which class are you in? Why haven't I seen you before? Which unit will you be assigned to after graduation?"

Li Yunhai replied: "I'm not from an art school. I'm from the industrial technical school next door to you. After I graduated, I was assigned to the Meishan County Machinery Factory. I haven't reported yet! What about you?"

The woman said: "I'm assigned to the workers' art troupe in the province, and I won't report until next week. Hey, what's your name?"

"Li Yunhai!"

"My name is Lin Zhi, nice to meet you."

She extended her right hand generously.

Li Yunhai stood up quickly, wiped his hands on his trouser legs, and then shook hands with her.

Her fingers are long and thin, like the tips of new bamboo shoots after the rain, and her skin is as white as condensed jade fat. She is spiritual, tall and slender, with graceful curves, and is filled with the gentle and sweet scent of a woman. It meets all the fantasies a man has about a beautiful woman.

(End of this chapter)