Chapter 89: The Downstairs is Mine Too (, Please Subscribe)

After finishing the meal, Ning Weidong tried on the leather shoes.

Wang Yuzhen found him a new white Dacron shirt as well.

Although Ning Weidong had a sturdy build and was over twenty pounds heavier than Ning Weiguo, the two were about the same height.

Ning Weiguo was one meter eighty-two, and Ning Weidong was one meter eighty-five; their clothing and shoe sizes were roughly the same.

Taking the leather shoes and shirt back to the earthquake shelter, Ning Weidong checked his watch; it wasn't seven o'clock yet.

He said goodbye to Wang Yuzhen, pushed his bicycle out, and headed straight for the Tongzi Building to find An Ning.

Last time, An Ning had asked him to help deal with Xu Jinshan, and now this matter could be considered resolved.

Although Xu Jinshan was not dealt with by Ning Weidong personally, there was an indirect connection.

A moment later, he arrived below the Tongzi Building and looked up.

The lights were on in An Ning's room on the third floor.

Ning Weidong entered the building and went up the stairs.

Just as he reached the door, before he could even knock, he heard melodious singing coming from inside.

It was a song by Deng Lijun.

Starting this year, her love songs had rapidly become all the rage; although there was no shortage of people denouncing them as "decadent music," that could not stop people's enthusiastic love for them.

Ning Weidong knocked and called out, "Open the door."

To his surprise, the sound of high heels clicking against the floor came from inside, followed by a "click" as the door was opened.

Ning Weidong looked at An Ning inside the door and couldn't help but feel a bit strange, blinking his eyes: "Did you have someone else over tonight?"

He saw that An Ning, late at night, was actually wearing a brightly colored cheongsam, with a pair of high-angled white high heels on her feet; no matter how one looked at it, it didn't look like normal loungewear.

An Ning rolled her eyes and reached out to pull Ning Weidong in: "Come on in~"

Once inside, following the sound, he saw a dual-speaker tape recorder next to the television.

It was a Sanyo brand from Japan, and it was still playing music.

When Ning Weidong came last time, this tape recorder wasn't there.

An Ning walked over and pressed the stop button, and the singing came to an abrupt halt.

She turned back and said: "A friend helped me bring it; I'm testing to see if it works well."

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "Brought from Japan?"

An Ning didn't hide it: "From Hong Kong."

Last time An Ning mentioned that Xu Jinshan asked her to help him go to Hong Kong, and An Ning said her connections there were all severed; now it seemed that wasn't entirely the case.

But that didn't matter; it was clear that An Ning putting this imported tape recorder out in the open meant she didn't intend to hide her connections in Hong Kong.

It was just that she didn't want to use those connections to help Xu Jinshan.

Ning Weidong curled his lip, walked over to pick up the few cassette tapes nearby, and while flipping through them, said: "Do you have to wear a cheongsam and high heels just to test a tape recorder?"

An Ning's cheeks flushed slightly as she explained: "I was just practicing dancing to the music; I haven't danced in a long time."

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow and looked at the high heels on An Ning's feet: "You dance in these? With all that commotion, won't the people downstairs come up to yell at you?"

"That~" An Ning said sheepishly: "The downstairs is also mine."

This time it was Ning Weidong's turn to be stunned.

Good heavens, is this how inhumanly rich you are just because you're a wealthy woman?

But he couldn't really say anything, so he just happened to flip to a cassette tape and picked it up.

With a "click," he pressed the second cassette compartment of the recorder and shoved the tape in.

An Ning had assumed Ning Weidong wouldn't know how to use it and had wanted to come over to help.

After all, this kind of tape recorder was not yet common in the country.

Who knew Ning Weidong was quite familiar with it; after all, before he transmigrated, he had caught the tail end of the cassette Walkman era, and the operation buttons were similar to these large tape recorders.

Immediately, the melodious music began to play.

Ning Weidong turned the volume down, sat down on the sofa, and ordered: "Brew me a pot of tea."

An Ning agreed, knowing Ning Weidong didn't come to chat with her for no reason.

She went to the cabinet to get the tea leaves, and as she crouched down slightly, the cheongsam outlined an even more graceful curve of her waist and hips.

Ning Weidong also noticed that this woman was actually wearing silk stockings! Although they were the thicker, flesh-colored kind, they were quite rare in this era.

An Ning efficiently brewed the tea, poured a cup for Ning Weidong, and then sat down.

Ning Weidong didn't beat around the bush anymore, took a sip of the hot tea, and said: "I came over today to tell you one thing: Xu Jinshan is dead."

An Ning had also picked up her teacup to drink, but she paused abruptly, her teacup wobbling, and the hot water almost spilled out.

Fortunately, An Ning's reaction wasn't slow; she immediately steadied her wrist and didn't get scalded.

She looked at Ning Weidong, her face full of disbelief: "Dead?"

The news of Xu Jinshan's death had not spread; even at the Red Star Factory, only a few people knew, let alone An Ning.

The only clue she could think of was that Xu Jinshan indeed hadn't looked for her in the past two days.

After a two-second pause, An Ning swallowed and asked in a low voice: "Did you kill him?"

Ning Weidong glanced at her as if looking at a fool: "Do you think you're worth me killing someone for you?"

An Ning let out a sigh of relief.

Ning Weidong said: "He drank too much and froze to death sleeping outside."

An Ning nodded and didn't ask for more details; as for why Xu Jinshan got drunk or why he slept outside, she didn't care at all.

It was enough to know that Xu Jinshan was dead and her trouble was resolved.

Thinking that the scoundrel who knew her background was dead, An Ning suddenly felt much more relaxed and said "thank you" to Ning Weidong.

Compared to before, she had thanked Ning Weidong before, but this time there was a bit more sincerity.

Ning Weidong waved his hand; he hadn't come to see An Ning late at night just to hear her say thank you.

Regarding the issue with Xu Jinshan last time, An Ning had already paid in advance, so there was no need for Ning Weidong to make a special trip.

In reality, Ning Weidong was more concerned about what An Ning had mentioned last time: her family's connections Overseas.

Although, because of Xu Jinshan, An Ning had strongly emphasized that she was not familiar with the situation in Hong Kong.

But such words were just for listening; if one believed them, one would be a fool.

Ning Weidong didn't have an immediate use for this line, but by placing his pieces early and going through An Ning, he could pre-bury a channel.

Once there was a need in the future, he could bring it out immediately.

This matter could not be rushed; getting to know each other and building trust required a lot of time.

If he waited until something actually happened, it would be too hasty to try and embrace the Buddha's feet at the last minute.

Ning Weidong didn't stay long with An Ning; after about half an hour, having listened to one side of a cassette tape, he got up and left.

Throughout the whole time, neither of them mentioned how Wang Jingsheng was doing.

……

Past seven o'clock, Ning Weidong returned to the courtyard.

Ning Weiguo had also just entered the room and was soaking his feet while listening to the news; seeing Ning Weidong, he asked, "Where have you been?"

Ning Weidong said, "A friend asked me to handle something a while ago."

Ning Weiguo didn't ask for details and instead said, "By the way, we're going to your sister-in-law's house the day after tomorrow. I heard that girl has a bit of a temper, so be prepared."

Ning Weidong blinked, thinking to himself that if Ning Weiguo specifically mentioned this, just how big of a temper must Zhao Ruyi have?

At this moment, Wang Yuzhen came out from the inner room and, having heard this, interjected, "It's not as exaggerated as you say. Ruyi just has a bit of a tomboyish nature; she grew up by her grandfather's side and was raised like a boy. It was only after the old man passed away a few years ago that she returned to her parents..."

Listening to this, Ning Weidong felt that while Wang Yuzhen's words seemed like an explanation, the effect actually confirmed that Zhao Ruyi indeed had a bad temper, because from beginning to end, Wang Yuzhen never said anything to refute it.

Ning Weidong didn't take it to heart; what "bad temper"—it was nothing more than being spoiled.

If she had a bad temper, would she dare to lose it at her father? Would she dare to lose it at the leaders of her work unit?

If she dared, then that would be a real bad temper. If she didn't dare, then that was just picking and choosing who to treat poorly; she was only bad-tempered toward certain people.

However, Ning Weidong didn't argue; he agreed verbally, but in his heart, he was even more curious: what exactly was Zhao Ruyi like? ……

The next day, Saturday.

With the weekend off tomorrow, even the heavens joined in the excitement; the weather, like people's moods, was exceptionally bright.

Ning Weidong arrived at the Office; because the Factory Protection Team had an activity, Feng Wen had been called over to help, and he hadn't been seen all morning.

Wen Aiying had been called by the Union to help make a blackboard newspaper.

In the Office, only Ning Weidong and Chen were left to hold the fort.

Past nine o'clock, Ning Weidong got up, reached over to Wen Aiying's desk to grab the phone, and said with a grin to Chen, "Leader, I'm going to use the phone."

Chen was reading a newspaper; he looked up and pushed up his glasses: "You kid, how many times have I told you, call me Old Chen! Don't 'leader' this and 'leader' that. There are plenty of Division Chiefs and Section Chiefs in this Office Building; what kind of leader is a small Section Chief like me?"

"I don't care about others, but you are my leader." Ning Weidong said as he dialed the switchboard to transfer to the Suifu Border Police Station.

A moment later, it connected.

"Hello, could you please find Zhang Dajun? My name is Ning Weidong." Ning Weidong waited a while, and Zhang Dajun's voice came through the phone.

Ning Weidong said with a smile, "Brother Zhang, I hope I'm not disturbing your work..."

After some pleasantries, Ning Weidong proposed inviting Zhang Dajun to Donglaishun after work today.

Zhang Dajun didn't decline, and they agreed to meet after work without fail.

Ning Weidong hung up the phone, feeling a sense of relief in his heart.

If Zhang Dajun agreed to come out, then it was as good as done.

The fear was that Zhang Dajun wouldn't budge from the start, making it clear he didn't want to deepen the relationship.

If one encountered that situation, there was no point in thinking about how to break the deadlock, because it would be useless.

The probability was that the other party looked down on you, or had some concerns in their heart.

The root of the former lay in one's own lack of value, while the latter was due to force majeure.

Neither factor could be changed in a short time or easily.

Therefore, when encountering such a situation, don't waste time; think of another way or change to another person.

Chen was listening from the side.

When Ning Weidong hung up the phone, he took off his glasses and said half-jokingly, "Ho, so you even know people at the Police Station~"

Ning Weidong knew that Chen was one of Li Peihang's people, so he was more casual: "Someone from near my home. There's a good neighbor in our courtyard who wants to ask someone to help find a job, so I'm asking him about it."

Chen said in surprise, "Find a job! That's not very easy."

Ning Weidong explained, "Hey, it's not a formal one, just a Temporary Worker position will do. If it were a real formal job, they wouldn't be asking me~"

Chen realized, knowing how hard it was to find a job in Beijing now.

He said with a smile, "Since you have something on tonight, leave a little early; don't be late."

Ning Weidong thanked him: "Then please keep an eye on things for me."

……

By the afternoon, just past four, Ning Weidong said goodbye to Chen and left early.

The distance from the Red Star Factory to Donglaishun was not short; if he left at the regular time and rode his bike over, it would be at least six o'clock.

Leaving an hour early was just about right to match Zhang Dajun.

Arriving at the old Donglaishun shop, he parked his bicycle and looked up.

The original Donglaishun plaque had been taken down a few years ago, and the shop entrance now bore the sign of the National Hotel.

In the last two years, many old brands in Beijing had changed back to their original names; Donglaishun hadn't changed yet, but it wouldn't be long.

Ning Weidong went inside to claim a table and set the copper pot to boil.

There aren't many people who can eat mutton hot pot at Donglaishun at this time, so even on a Saturday night, there is no need to worry about not having a seat.

Once finished, Ning Weidong went to the entrance to wait again.

Since he specifically invited Zhang Dajun today, he still had to provide the proper etiquette and attitude.

Fortunately, it wasn't particularly cold tonight, and Zhang Dajun didn't keep him waiting long.

Ning Weidong stood at the entrance for about the time it takes to smoke two cigarettes when Zhang Dajun rode over on his bicycle; seeing Ning Weidong on the steps from afar, he pedaled hard a few times, arrived in front of him, and with a screech, clamped the brakes shut.

"Brother Zhang~" Ning Weidong walked down the steps before he even reached him.

Zhang Dajun jumped off the bicycle and complained, "Weidong, why are you standing outside? It's freezing, and we aren't strangers."

Ning Weidong chuckled without explaining, simply admitting it: "Fine, Brother Zhang, it's my lack of manners; I'll punish myself with a drink later."

Zhang Dajun laughed heartily, raised his hand to point vaguely at Ning Weidong, parked his bicycle, and the two went in together.

Several hot pots were burning in the room, and as they stepped inside, a wave of heat rushed toward them.

Ning Weidong chose a seat against the wall, and the hot pot on the table was already boiling.

Hanging his overcoat on the wall, Ning Weidong busied himself with ordering the dishes.

He had already ordered earlier; there aren't many tricks to eating mutton hot pot, as the main character is the mutton, and everything else is just an accompaniment.

Ning Weidong was not short on money and had a large appetite, so he ordered four jin of mutton in various categories and cuts.

Then there were the standard napa cabbage, frozen tofu, and thin vermicelli.

Seeing plate after plate of mutton being set down, even Zhang Dajun was taken aback.

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, I have a big appetite, and besides, it's not easy to get a meal at Donglaishun, so we have to eat our fill! By the way, I didn't order alcohol; I don't know what you prefer?"

Zhang Dajun hurriedly stopped him: "No need, no need, I brought some."

As he spoke, he pulled a bottle of Moutai out of the bag he had carried in: "It's from '74; I specifically went home to get it at noon today."

Ning Weidong reached out to take it and examine it, not mentioning that he was the one treating or that he had let Zhang Dajun bring the alcohol.

In reality, it would have been strange if Zhang Dajun hadn't brought something today.

It was the same old saying: the previous help was for the sake of Chu Zhongxin, and had nothing to do with Ning Weidong.

When it came down to it, Ning Weidong did not owe Zhang Dajun any favors.

If Zhang Dajun had really come empty-handed, that would be the end of it for the future.

A person who isn't clear-headed can't have much of a future anyway.

"Brother Zhang, this is five-year-old Moutai; I'm borrowing your light today." Ning Weidong twisted off the cap, and a burst of wine fragrance immediately wafted out: "Let me fill your glass first..."

After pouring the wine, Ning Weidong picked up a plate of meat first, used his chopsticks to slide it directly in, and the whole plate went down at once.

All that talk about "seven up, eight down" and swishing it piece by piece—that didn't exist here.

Eating hot pot requires eating big mouthfuls of meat, especially the first bite.

With the wine flowing and the meat being eaten, the two chatted about everything under the sun and soon became increasingly warm and familiar.

Until three rounds of drinks had passed, Ning Weidong found an opening and said with a slightly serious expression: "Brother Zhang, there's another matter today..."

Zhang Dajun had drunk nearly half a jin of wine and had been feeling a bit muddled, but the moment he heard this, he suddenly sobered up.

——

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(End of this chapter)