Chapter 370: The Beginning is Always So Beautiful

Feeling that the place where he was lying was a bit hard, and there was a scorching heat baking his body, warm and sunny, making people not want to get up.

Wang Yan reacted for the first time, he was lying on a kang, the head of a hot fire kang.

Opening his eyes, what he saw was a dimness. The window in front of him had frost, and there were water droplets sliding down, condensing, and sliding down again due to the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor. Along the plastic cloth pasted on the window for winter warmth, a little white light could be vaguely seen outside in the haze. He was not unfamiliar with this scene, it was snowing outside.

Turning his gaze to the near place, what he was covered with was a soft big flower quilt printed with big peonies, and a cotton-padded coat was pressed on his feet. The wall skin on the wall was a bit peeling, not neat, and some places were pasted with waste newspapers. A cabinet about half a meter high, with a few quilts piled on it, and a small kang table placed next to it.

Turning his head to look at the ground paved with blue bricks, a row of large bookshelves leaned against the north-facing wall, piled with books. By the east wall, there were two chairs made of solid wood, and a small tea table. On it was a large enamel jar that had already fallen off the paint, printed with the portrait of the big brother of China, and written with serving the people. Beside the chair, two red thermos bottles were placed.

After confirming the environment, Wang Yan lay down again, kicked the cotton-padded coat on his feet to one side with force, it was uncomfortable to press things. Immediately communicated with the system to receive this identity information.

Wang Yan, 22 years old, five years ago, his biological father who worked in the tractor factory died in a fire, and his biological mother who worked in the sugar factory died of illness four years ago. Because he was only 17 years old at that time, he was between being able to stand on his own and not being able to stand on his own, so his neighbor and relative Zhou Zhigang discussed with the street leaders and took over the matter of taking care of him. Because of his father's dedication, the tractor factory cared, and gave a sum of condolence money when people died, and there was care on weekdays, giving some help. After his mother died, the sugar factory gave him a month's salary for an adult until he was 18.

Originally, when his father died, he could take over his father's shift and go directly to the factory to work as an apprentice. However, because he wanted to go to school, and the factory leaders arranged for others to take the top spot, and gave more money, he continued to go to school.

But the good times didn't last long, only a year apart, the countryside movement started, and there was no school to go to. Because he learned Chinese medicine from his grandfather since he was a child, and could treat common minor illnesses such as colds and fevers, he was assigned to work in the health center of Guangzipian. The monthly salary was 20 yuan, a doctor, although only a grassroots doctor, but because of the extreme shortage of medical personnel, the treatment was good, and there were other tickets and tickets. These were enough for his own life, so these years were still good.

And the relative relationship between their family and Zhou Zhigang's family was on the side of Li Suhua and his mother. It was said to be a relative, but it was basically equal to nothing after seven turns and eight turns. He called Li Suhua his aunt. As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, and he could climb up to the relative, so the relationship was very good. Otherwise, Zhou Zhigang and the others would not find trouble for themselves to take care of him.

Because of the countryside movement in 1969, Zhou Zhigang and his eldest son Zhou Bingyi and second daughter Zhou Rong left, and he basically lived there on weekdays. Together with Li Suhua and Zhou Bingkun's mother and son, sleeping on their big kang. It was mainly to save coal, burning two families' kangs was far less cost-effective than burning one family's kang, and it was much hotter.

Eating and so on, the non-staple food was in his own hands. According to the information, he gave it, but they didn't want it. However, he always bought a lot of grain, meat, and other messy things and sent them to the Zhou family, which was considered eating together. He was relatively ruthless, so the food was still good, and he could see some meat every three or five times.

The causes of the countryside movement are not much to say, materials are extremely scarce, the situation is difficult, and everyone is not living well. In such a great changing era, it can be said that his life is already the best.

The reason why he didn't sleep in the Zhou family today was because Zhou Bingkun found a group of his good friends, the first gathering. Although they were all in this area, he also knew Xiao Guo Cheng, Sun Ganchao, and Cao Debao, but that was it, and the relationship was not very good. As for Lu Chuan and Tang Xiangyang, there was no contact, so he just simply ate, said a few words to them, and returned home early to lie on the kang and sleep.

The time is February 5, 1973, the third day of the first lunar month.

After receiving the information, Wang Yan knew it. This year, it was Zhou Zhigang running to Guizhou to find Zhou Rong, and Zhou Bingyi marrying Hao Dongmei in the Corps, neither of them came back for the New Year, and Li Suhua was empty-handed. However, knowing that Zhou Zhigang went to find Zhou Rong, he knew that he was going to forgive this unfilial daughter who ran to the Guizhou mountains secretly and married a man ten years older, and the family harmony could make everything prosperous, so he was still relieved.

As for this first gathering of Zhou Bingkun and his friends today, he also knew about it, after all, he had just watched the TV series, and the impression was deep. If nothing unexpected happened, tomorrow there would be a small commotion because of the matter between Qiao Chunyan and Cao Debao.

As for Zheng Juan, the timing of her arrival wasn't very convenient; at this point, the child was probably already four or five months along. But it was also fine, because if Zheng Juan hadn't been assaulted, would he still let Zhou Bingkun be with her? If he did, it might involve the issue of "giving away a woman." If he didn't, the affection between Zhou Bingkun and Zheng Juan was truly very moving; how could he bear to break them up?

At the same time, there was another key issue: it was precisely because of Zheng Juan's ordeal that the preciousness of the affection between Zhou Bingkun and Zheng Juan was highlighted, showing Zhou Bingkun's masculine side.

It's not to say that Zheng Juan deserved such an ordeal, but it cannot be denied that for a man, the significance of this is indeed different. If Zhou Bingkun wasn't truly in love and was only after Zheng Juan's beauty, he wouldn't have needed to marry her. Zheng Juan herself had said she wouldn't bother him, that finding a wife was enough, and she was willing.

And Zhou Bingkun really did it; he loved the person, which is very important.

Of course, there was also the factor of Zheng Juan working tirelessly, taking care of Li Suhua by cleaning up her waste, but that was after both sides had already committed to each other. It had an impact, but not as great as one might imagine.

After all, before that, Zhou Bingkun knew the child was Luo Shibin's and knew of Zheng Juan's ordeal, yet he didn't change his original intention. It was just that when he tried to confess to Zhou Zhigang, he was kicked back, which delayed things for several more years. It wasn't until Li Suhua was paralyzed and Zheng Juan took care of her that Zhou Zhigang finally relented.

Of course, to be honest, even if Zhou Zhigang relented, he wasn't willing in his heart. It was just that Zheng Juan's tireless dedication had been a huge help to the Zhou family; human hearts are made of flesh, and Zheng Juan was perfect in every way except for having someone else's child. She was a good wife, and coupled with Zhou Bingkun's clear attitude, things just settled that way.

It's useless to talk about those things now; he was just habitually analyzing, after all, he had arrived at this time, and he couldn't control what happened before.

Without thinking more, Wang Yan lifted the quilt and sat up. He planned to stroll around and see this home for this time. Besides, it was still early, only a little past nine. The main thing was that in this era, there were no entertainment activities or products, the winter nights were long, and turning on the lights wasted electricity, so there was nothing to do but sleep.

Although his body was excellent and his adaptability was strong, and it happened to be night without jet lag, being in the south at the start of summer and suddenly arriving in the northeast where snow was flying still affected his sleep somewhat, so he would stroll around to relax.

His physique was solid; although he could feel the cold air in the room, he didn't care, especially since he was still wearing his autumn underwear inside the quilt. He threw on the cotton-padded jacket he had kicked to the side, got out of bed, slipped into the handmade cotton slippers, picked up a box of Hongmei cigarettes from beside his bedding, pulled one out, put it in his mouth, lit it with a match, took a puff, and couldn't help but shake his head—it was lacking something.

With the cigarette hanging from his mouth, he swayed over to the bookshelf to look through the books. Many were medical texts, some were books on traditional Chinese studies, others were foreign classics, and of course, there were many essential "red" readings.

Many of these books should have been burned. However, there was a cellar in his courtyard with a mezzanine; after hiding them for a few years, he had gradually put them back. The main reason was that he was the resident physician at the health clinic, he was quite skilled at treating minor ailments, and his background was very "correct," so no one bothered him, and things just stayed that way. It is worth mentioning that the box of books Zhou Bingyi gave Zhou Bingkun to keep at the beginning of the drama was all kept here with him.

After a rough look, he lifted the door curtain and went into the kitchen, commonly known in the northeast as the "outer room." The fire in the stove was still banked, with sporadic sparks visible—this was to keep the room warm through the second half of the night. In the large pot covered with a lid on the stove, a little steam was surging; it was water left to prevent the pot from burning dry.

A small window was opened on the north side, and below it was a brick-built counter with a sink for washing vegetables and dishes, with some ladles and such placed on one side. A cabinet stood in the corner, containing pots, bowls, and ladles that had already gathered a layer of dust. In the middle of the floor, there was a urine bucket, because there was only a public toilet here, which was some distance away, and it was cold outside, so everyone took care of business in this room.

Further on, there was a west room, also with a heated brick bed (kang). However, the fire was fueled by the stove in the outer room. The cabinet on the floor contained his clothes for all four seasons. According to the information given by the system, this house was built before he was born, over twenty years ago, and it was an old house.

Pushing open the door of the outer room and coming into the courtyard, goose-feather snow was falling, and the snow, deep enough to cover his insteps, heralded a bountiful year. Even though he had an urban household registration, he had no land.

The courtyard was neither big nor small. On the west side, there was a small side room containing some tools and sundries. On the east side was a small plot of land that had been cleared, where his biological mother used to grow some vegetables while she was alive; later, he had planted some flower seeds that bloomed once a year. From the doorway to the courtyard, there were two steps down, showing that the foundation of his old house was quite solid. The main entrance consisted of two low wooden boards made into a door. It could be said that this door was just a door.

It was also at this time that there hadn't been the chaotic building and construction mentioned in the drama as the population increased, which eventually turned streets into alleys. Public security was still good, and the folk customs were still simple, so there were no incidents of people picking locks or breaking in. Of course, it was also due to the environment—everyone was poor, and there was nothing to covet.

The old Zhou family next door was brightly lit, and one could hear the laughter of a group of young people inside; it was Zhou Bingkun and his good friends having a great time drinking.

Truly speaking, this was likely the happiest time they had ever spent drinking together, without exception. They didn't care about fame or fortune now; they were all thinking about how good the future would be, and they were still very young.

Words shouldn't be spoken absolutely, but it is certain that most beginnings are always so beautiful, and people always can't help but sigh, "How did it end up like this?"...

Wang Yan looked up at the snowflakes falling from the sky, listened to their bold words after drinking while leaning against the wall, shook his head and smiled, flicked the cigarette butt into the snow, turned around, entered the house, closed the door, and burrowed into the warm quilt, brewing sleepiness.

He hadn't slept on this heated brick bed for many years; the last time was during the *Brotherhood of Blades* era, which was almost two hundred years ago. It was an even more distant memory from his childhood in his former village. If he hadn't been desperately clinging to his spirit, he would have forgotten it all long ago and thoroughly become a person without a past...

Zhou Bingkun and the others were quite energetic, not dispersing until past twelve. Before leaving, they made a scene for a while and were scolded by the neighbors nearby before they finally broke up...

The next day, Wang Yan, who had slept soundly all night, opened his eyes. It was only five-thirty, and the sky outside hadn't brightened yet. The fire in the stove outside that had been banked all night had long since gone out, and while the quilt was still passable, a chill was beginning to invade. His body was healthy, so this bit of cold was naturally nothing.

He didn't get up to exercise; the road outside was covered in heavy snow, and he was past the age of playing in the snow. He didn't go back to sleep either, because he had slept well. He just lay in the dim room, staring fixedly at the outer window, listening to the occasional rustle of the north wind blowing against the plastic, and he couldn't help but think of his past.

In his memory, when he was still in the village, it was also winter, and around this time, his biological mother Zhang Xia or his biological father Wang Dong would always get up to light the fire, boil water in the pot, and then come back to tuck in the quilt for him when he was sleeping restlessly, before going back to sleep. Although he only clearly felt it two or three times, his parents must have tucked him in like that from childhood...

After recalling the mischief of his childhood from over four hundred years ago and once again feeling fortunate for the favor of his "living father," the time had reached seven o'clock. The long night faded, the sky was bright, smoke from cooking fires had already risen outside, people in every household had started preparing breakfast, and the day had begun.

Wang Yan put on his thick cotton-padded jacket and trousers, put on his clothes, folded the quilt, stacked it neatly on the small cabinet at the end of the bed, and covered it with a sheet to prevent dust.

He put on the leather cotton-padded shoes he had managed to get his hands on—after all, he hadn't worn such bulky things for many years—stretched his arms and legs, performed a few simple martial arts movements, and although it was a bit restrictive, it didn't fall apart, so he nodded with satisfaction. He went to the outer room, lifted the lid of the large pot, tested the temperature of the remaining water, and feeling it still had some warmth, he used a gourd ladle to scoop the water into a basin, took out a toothbrush and soap, washed up, opened the door, and walked out.

The snow last night was heavy, reaching almost to his ankles; it crunched when stepped on, which is what children love most. However, the little brats in the Guangzipian area hadn't woken up yet; when they did, they would go crazy.

Outside, there was the sound of shovels hitting the ground; it was everyone sweeping the snow in front of their doors.

Wang Yan walked in a few steps to the small side room on the west side, took out a large iron shovel and a large broom, swung his arms, and started working, piling the snow in the courtyard onto the small flower plot on the east side, and the snow on the street outside the door to the back of the house opposite. There was still no movement from the old Zhou family; they had drunk too much yesterday and hadn't woken up yet. After he shoveled all the snow in the old Zhou family's courtyard and outside their main gate, he used the large broom to sweep a wide path.

"Ah... Zhou Bingkun..."

Just after sweeping for a while, he heard Qiao Chunyan's scream coming from the old Zhou family's house, followed immediately by the sound of Zhou Bingkun's loud defense. He knew what had happened, but he ignored it and kept his head down, sweeping the snow.

"Little Yan, sweeping the snow?"

Hearing the movement, Wang Yan looked up at the speaker and saw her wearing equally bulky clothes, wrapped in a red scarf, taking small steps to avoid slipping, greeting him with a smile.

"Ah, Auntie, why are you back so early? Didn't Chunyan's family provide a meal?"

"Oh, this child, you don't even think about it, could they not keep me? Even if it's just polite, they have to say a few words." Li Suhua walked up with a smile, took Wang Yan's arm, and whispered: "It's because Chunyan stayed here yesterday. Before, Chunyan's mother and I were thinking about setting them up, so I've been keeping it in mind. You ate with them yesterday, was there any progress?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "I'm not close to them either, I just went home to sleep after I was full. Auntie, you burned that bed so hot yesterday, I couldn't waste it, I slept until dawn."

"You child really knows how to talk."

Wang Yan chuckled: "But Auntie, I seemed to hear Qiao Chunyan screaming just now, and Bingkun was explaining there, maybe it really happened."

"Really?" Li Suhua was stunned for a moment, thinking of the good news, and slapped Wang Yan on the back: "Then I'll go see what's going on quickly. I'll cook for you in a bit, you keep sweeping."

"Alright."

Wang Yan watched Li Suhua enter the house with a smile and continued to lower his head to sweep the snow. Although he knew it was impossible, he had said what Li Suhua wanted to hear, it didn't matter...

Li Suhua looked at Zhou Bingkun, who had a wronged expression, with a sense of disappointment: "Bingkun, it's not that Mom is scolding you, but such a good opportunity and you didn't grasp it, and now Cao Debao has taken advantage of it. What are you going to do? Mom is really worried."

"Oh, Mom, don't worry about me. I never liked Chunyan in the first place. I've always treated her like a younger sister. It's all your fault for meddling, look at this mess now."

Li Suhua sighed: "How am I going to talk to Chunyan's parents in a bit? It's worrying me to death."

"What's the big deal? It's fine, Mom. I'll go find Cao Debao in a bit. Chunyan is someone he has to marry, whether he wants to or not. Can he dare to do it but not take responsibility? He must give Chunyan an explanation."

Wang Yan was on the side, drinking the porridge made from yesterday's leftovers mixed with water, eating cornmeal pancakes with salted vegetables, and watching Zhou Bingkun with a smile.

To be honest, Wang Yan felt that Zhou Bingkun's feelings for Qiao Chunyan were actually quite complicated. As the saying goes, "A woman chasing a man is separated by a thin veil." Given Qiao Chunyan's reputation as the second most beautiful girl in the Guangzipian area, and her being so forward in expressing her feelings, who wouldn't be confused? It was just that when Zhou Bingkun went to find Zheng Juan at that time, he was dazzled by those big white legs, and Qiao Chunyan's forwardness suddenly became uninteresting.

After all, Zhou Bingkun was a year younger than him, twenty-one this year, and twenty when he met Zheng Juan. He was a young man whose heart was just beginning to stir, and those big white legs at the beginning were bound to be unforgettable. He kept thinking about them, kept thinking about them, and thus became infatuated with Zheng Juan. To say it was a single glance, so-called love at first sight, that made Zhou Bingkun fall directly into it, that was impossible.

But Qiao Chunyan had always been pursuing him, and then she turned around and slept with Cao Debao, whom she had just met, which was somewhat uncomfortable.

"Auntie, Bingkun, I don't think you need to worry."

Li Suhua sighed again: "How can I not worry? Chunyan was invited by me, I have no way to explain it."

"Yeah, what if Cao Debao refuses to admit it?" Zhou Bingkun was already thinking about how to deal with Cao Debao...

"You don't know." Wang Yan shook his head: "When Qiao Chunyan came yesterday, I saw Cao Debao's eyes lighting up. Later, when we were eating, Cao Debao played a tune on the harmonica, and Qiao Chunyan's eyes were also sparkling when she looked at him. So I think it's possible that Qiao Chunyan took the initiative to send signals. After all, you know her personality, maybe she could do something like this.

Also, I know Bingkun's drinking capacity; ordinary people can't outdrink him, and Cao Debao's physique looks a bit lacking. Cao Debao doesn't look like someone who would have the strength to force himself on someone after drinking too much. If there was a big commotion, Bingkun should have felt something, it's impossible he wouldn't have heard anything. So, Auntie, Bingkun, you two think about it, right..."

He raised his eyebrows and gave an expression that said, "You know what I mean."

Li Suhua was an experienced person; she understood instantly and frowned, pondering this possibility.

Zhou Bingkun hadn't "fired his gun" yet, but after reacting, he had a look of sudden realization: "Brother Yan, you mean Chunyan didn't resist?"

"Hmm, pretty much. And after drinking so much alcohol, whether Cao Debao could even perform is a question."

"Alright, look at what you two are saying." Li Suhua rolled her eyes at Wang Yan and glared at her foolish son: "But I still can't tell Chunyan's parents about this matter..."

Chinese people have always been reserved about talking about sex, even though it doesn't stop them from messing around... Wang Yan said: "Then what else is there to say? Auntie, Qiao Chunyan clearly has feelings for Cao Debao, otherwise, she would have shouted a couple of times and none of this would have happened. You just go over and say a few words, and Qiao Chunyan will handle the rest herself.

And you, Bingkun, anyway, Cao Debao was drunk, he probably won't remember anything. Besides, he was flirting with Qiao Chunyan yesterday, I think it's quite good. Qiao Chunyan is a woman; if she spreads the word herself, no matter what, Cao Debao will have to marry her. Otherwise, how will the Cao family get by in the future? Isn't that the logic? It's not like you're going to marry her, right?"

"Don't talk nonsense, Bingkun can't marry her, that wouldn't sound good." Before Zhou Bingkun could speak, Li Suhua made the decision: "Just do as you say. I'll go to the Qiao family to talk after I finish eating. Bingkun, you really worry Mom to death, you're over twenty, why aren't you in a hurry? And you, Little Yan, you should also pay attention. Your family is the only one left, and we're counting on you to carry on the family line."

Wang Yan responded with a smile, listening half-heartedly as Li Suhua rambled from his and Zhou Bingkun's marriage to Zhou Zhigang, then to Zhou Bingyi and Hao Dongmei, and finally to Zhou Rong and Feng Huacheng. She was just worried...

After breakfast, he didn't need to clean up. He greeted Li Suhua and swayed over to the health clinic located at the center of the Guangzipian area, where five streets intersected, to go to work. Human life is the top priority; although they were only a grassroots medical organization, they still had to have someone on duty, and today was his shift...