The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 96 Dance and Lake Cruise (Seeking Follow-up Reading)
"Senior Liu Tao, it's you! When did you come back?!"

A boy exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, Tang Qiang, shouldn't you have graduated? Why are you still in college?" Liu Tao glanced at the boy and was quite surprised as related memories emerged in his mind.

Tang Qiang, majoring in firearms, is one year younger than him.

Like Liu Tao, Tang Qiang was also born in a big courtyard. His father worked in the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building, but he passed away due to illness two years ago.

"I'm staying in school!" Tang Qiang said, and then loudly introduced Liu Tao to everyone. Following Tang Qiang's introduction, everyone's eyes were focused on Liu Tao, and everyone felt incredible.

This is a legend of the college. He was awarded the title of National Advanced Science and Technology Worker just one year after graduation.

Everyone was even more excited. They didn't expect that even a big shot like Liu Tao would come to attend the college's weekend dance.

Soon, the music started.

"Beautiful Miss Zhu Lin, I invite you to dance with me!" Liu Tao smiled and extended his hand like a gentleman.

Zhu Lin handed his hand to Liu Tao, and the two walked to the center of the auditorium and danced gracefully.

Liu Tao held Zhu Lin's slender waist and felt that she was a little nervous. He tensed his body and asked, "Are you a little nervous?"

"No, no!" Zhu Lin said quickly in a low voice, but his ears were already red.

Liu Tao chuckled and said, "Don't be nervous, relax, you are my girlfriend and I am your boyfriend."

Zhu Lin's face turned even redder, which was very adorable.

Liu Tao smiled. During the dance, he was very honest and did not make any strange movements.

In order to avoid going too far, it would arouse Zhu Lin's rebellious spirit, which would be bad.

But just at this moment, when the dance was about to end, the lights in the auditorium suddenly went out.

The girl's scream rang out.

At the same time, Liu Tao felt Wen Yu in his arms.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here with you!" Liu Tao patted the beauty's back gently, showing his tenderness.

"Is there a power outage?" Zhu Lin asked fearfully.

A normal girl would scream and feel scared if she suddenly encountered this situation.

Zhu Lin is no exception.

Liu Tao could even feel that her body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Maybe, don't worry!" Liu Tao said softly.

With Liu Tao's comfort, Zhu Lin gradually relaxed. But at this time she realized that something was wrong with her. Liu Tao's strong heartbeat rang in her ears, and the man's breath made her a little upset.

Liu Tao has very good eyesight, and even at this moment, he can still see his surroundings clearly.

He discovered that some of the men and women who were dancing in the auditorium were actually kissing secretly.

Liu Tao protected Zhu Lin and kept moving forward, leaving the auditorium.

As for their coats, they were found in a place at the gate.

Although it was just a dance, the relationship between the two became much closer.

When they parted, the two made an appointment to visit Shichahai tomorrow.

The next morning, Liu Tao brushed his teeth, washed his face, and put on a set of clean clothes.

After making good preparations, he went out.

When we arrived at Shichahai Park, we saw Zhu Lin standing there. She was still wearing a simple skirt and an ordinary hairpin, but she always gave people a feeling of being untainted by the world.

When Zhu Lin saw Liu Tao, his heart beat faster for some reason.

She didn't sleep well last night. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that things had progressed too fast between the two of them. They had only known each other for a few hours, so how could they become a couple?

The two were walking and chatting.

After walking for a while, the two got on a small boat and sat on it, leisurely sailing on the lake.

"If I were to compare the West Lake to Xi Shi, she would look beautiful with either heavy or light makeup. It's a pity that this is not the West Lake. When we have a chance, we will go to the West Lake for some fun." Liu Tao said with a faint smile as he sat on the boat.

With the gentle breeze and his beautiful woman as his companion, he was in a very good mood.

Zhu Lin was also attracted by the scenery in front of him. "I have been here with my classmates before. I don't know why, but the scenery here today is more beautiful than every time I came here before!"

"The people around me are different, so the feelings are naturally different too!" Liu Tao said with a smile.

Zhu Lin's face turned slightly red, but she felt that what Liu Tao said made sense.

"It's not easy to go to West Lake for fun," said Zhu Lin.

Liu Tao said, "Next time I go back to Beijing, we'll take a plane there. It only takes two or three hours to get to Hangzhou!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? How can you just get on a plane whenever you want?" Zhu Lin rolled his eyes at Liu Tao.

It is so difficult to take a plane. Without a letter of introduction from your company, you cannot take a plane even if you have money.

She has never been on a plane in her life.

Liu Tao did not explain much. Facts speak louder than words and there is no point in saying more.

After the lake cruise, Liu Tao found a restaurant to have lunch together.

Although Shichahai today is not as lively as it was in later generations, there are still some people running small businesses. Luxury hotels are no longer possible, but there are still one or two small workshops.

The real luxury hotels are now concentrated in the foreign hotels where foreigners have money to spend.

They ordered three dishes and a soup and ate slowly.

The shop only serves home-cooked dishes, but they taste good and come in large portions.

Liu Tao eats as he pleases, while Zhu Lin eats elegantly.

They chatted while eating, either talking about Zhu Lin's work unit or Panshan Machinery Factory.

Liu Tao didn't talk much about military factories, but instead talked about hospitals, shopping malls and the like.

The two of them wrote down each other's work phone numbers and contact addresses.

After dinner, we went to the department store, which is located in Wangfujing. It was built in 1954 and opened the following year. It covers an area of ​​1.8 square meters. On the first day of its opening, the customer flow reached an astonishing 16.4 people. It is now the largest store in Beijing, able to accommodate tens of thousands of customers and one thousand sales staff at the same time.

The department store was packed with people, and the sales clerks all looked arrogant. At that time, being a sales clerk was a good job, with high income and various benefits, and was more popular than many government agencies.

Liu Tao bought two sweaters, two coats, and some spring clothes for Zhu Lin, which Zhu Lin didn't want at first.

"If you don't want, I'll kiss you here." Liu Tao whispered in Zhu Lin's ear.

Zhu Lin's ears turned red. She rolled her eyes at Liu Tao and had to accept Liu Tao's gift.

The two of them walked out of the department store carrying bags.

"You are such a spendthrift, how can you save money?" Zhu Lin whispered, "I know you have a high salary, but you have to save money even if you have a high salary. You can't spend as much as you earn. The great man said that if you have savings at home, you won't be worried."

Liu Tao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have enough savings to marry a wife. I have even prepared a wedding house. It's in Shichahai, so it will be convenient for you to go back to your parents' home in the future."

"Bah, who said I want to be your wife!" Zhu Lin blushed.

Liu Tao laughed and said, "Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I'll take you to see our wedding room. It's so beautiful there. It used to be a royal palace."

"You're talking nonsense again, how could it be the prince's palace!" Zhu Lin rolled his eyes at Liu Tao, not believing it at all.

Royal palaces occupy a large area and are either government offices or residences of celebrities. How could Liu Tao possibly live there?

(End of this chapter)