Chapter 557: Chance Encounter

Another day of waking up early, full of energy. Wang Yan tidied up, stepped into a pair of Warrior sneakers, and accompanied by the morning breeze and facing the rising sun, he went out for a light jog to exercise his body. He didn't run far before running onto Changanjie.

It was just past five o'clock, but Changanjie was already very lively. Although there weren't many cars, there were quite a few people riding bicycles. Nowadays, there weren't many tall buildings on both sides of the road, and coupled with the fact that Changanjie was already wide, and there was no filter like in old photos decades later, the feeling was very good.

Amidst the looks of people looking at a fool, Wang Yan moved his long legs, passed through Dongdan, Tiananmen, and reached Xidan, running the entire Changanjie. Then he ran back—one round trip, plus one extra leg. The one-way distance was less than four kilometers, totaling less than twelve kilometers.

Afterward, he didn't go home, but went to Beihai Park, found an open space, and did his daily stretching, rotating, jumping, and moving. Fighting against his imagined self, his only opponent was himself.

After tossing and turning like this for half a day, he finally returned home at a normal speed, unhurriedly.

By the time he arrived home, it was already past seven o'clock. This was the lively time in the courtyard; a group of people had long since gotten up, eaten, tidied up, and gone out to work, starting a new day of work and life.

"Yo, Xiao Yan, out running again? You kid, aren't you tired day after day?" It was Grandpa Guo pushing his bicycle out again, greeting Wang Yan as he entered the courtyard.

"Exercising the body, everything tastes good, the body is super strong." Wang Yan smiled and patted the tendons on his arms.

"Young people have spirit." Grandpa Guo clicked his tongue, didn't say anything more, stepped on the pedal with his left foot and swung the bike forward. After the bike could slide stably, he moved his right leg up. Because Grandpa Guo was short and had short legs, he couldn't handle a 28-inch bicycle, and it was inevitably a bit funny to watch from behind, but no one laughed, after all, many families didn't even have one.

Watching the back of the person pedaling the bicycle with a twisting butt, Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, then turned and entered the courtyard.

"Xiao Yan, out so early? I thought you hadn't gotten up, and was just about to call you to go to work." Han Chunming's mother, Li Ping, was combing her hair in the courtyard.

"Went out for two laps, Chunming hasn't gotten up yet?"

"Still early, besides, there's nothing to do even if he gets up so early. Oh my, you say our family's Wuzi has been back for more than a month, and seeing more and more sent-down youth returning to the city, the street office can't arrange it at all. Xiao Yan, you know many people, is there any way? Why don't you ask the leaders in your factory when you go to work?"

"Chunming told me last night, Auntie, I'm really at my wit's end. Otherwise, with you taking such good care of me all these years, you wouldn't even need to speak, I would have thought of a way for Chunming myself."

Chunming's mother sighed: "This is really worrying..."

Thinking of her sister who had just left not long ago, and her two nieces who had come over to scrape another layer, it was even more worrying.

This era was just like this; the material conditions in the city were much better, and life in the village was bitter and difficult. Having a relative in the city, if you could take advantage, you definitely had to. Even if you knew people didn't welcome you, you had to go with a thick skin; there was no other way.

"Don't worry, Auntie, if he really can't find a job after a while, I can take Chunming to do some other things. He definitely won't starve, it's just that there's no establishment, and he can't hold the rice bowl given by the country."

"Then let's wait a bit longer, he has to find something to do, he can't just stay like this day after day."

Wang Yan smiled, washed his hands with tap water, rubbed his face, then opened the door and entered the room. He rinsed the remaining sorghum rice from last night twice more, ate it clean with salty dried radish, and diligently washed the bowls and chopsticks. Only then did he go out to wash up, change into the blue work clothes issued by the factory, lock the door, and ride his bicycle to work.

This was the proper time to rush to work, and Changanjie was truly incredibly lively. Looking around, except for a few cars and jeeps, basically everyone was riding bicycles.

He was a worker in this era—no, he should say he was a worker. The status of workers in this era was high and decent, unlike later generations where they were leeks.

So he mixed in with these workers rushing to work, rode his bike along Changanjie to Xidan, then walked south past Xuanwumen, and in a short while, he arrived at his workplace, Yili Food Factory.

Entering from the main gate, he pushed his bicycle to the parking shed, locked it, bypassed the production workshop, arrived at a three-story office building in the back, and entered the room at the very end.

What met his eyes were just tools like boards and screwdrivers, and two tables. On the desktops, a pile of tools was also placed in a mess. Two middle-aged men were sitting at the table, each holding a large enamel mug, inside which was some chrysanthemum tea, plus some high-grade jasmine tea. They drank a sip and spat a sip, and were also holding newspapers to read.

"You two came really early." Wang Yan greeted with a smile, skillfully taking out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket to distribute to the two.

"Xiao Yan, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you say you're twenty-three this year, right? Twenty-six yuan a month, not earning little. But you can't just smoke and drink all day. At this age, you should find a wife. You being a 'monthly light' (spending all your money) won't do; no good girl would be willing to be with you."

"Isn't that so? Xiao Yan, you have to put your heart into it. You say you're not young anymore, and you're the only one in your family. Your family relies on you to carry on the family line. How about this, we'll ask around for you later to see if there are any good girls to introduce to you."

Wang Yan took the matches to light cigarettes for the two, lit one for himself, shook his head and said: "I'm not in a hurry. Hearing you two nagging every day about how this day is and how that day is, I don't want to get married and have children, and I don't want to eat poorly and drink poorly like you two. It's so good for me now, eating and drinking whatever I want every day without treating myself poorly, and there's nothing to worry about. This life is comfortable."

"You, you're still young, don't you need someone to care for you?"

"If I know two more widows, am I afraid of having no one to care for me?"

"Go, you brat, thinking quite fancy."

Wang Yan laughed, didn't take the bait, also took his own large mug to soak some chrysanthemum tea, sat at the table and pulled a newspaper, flipped through it twice, then boredly folded it to pad the table, and took another mechanical professional book that was turned over to read.

Yili Food Factory was very awesome. It was built in Shanghai in 1906 and moved to its current location in Beijing in the early 1950s—a genuine old brand. This factory had thousands of workers and several workshops, producing several different types of bread such as fruit, toast, and vitamins, which were welcomed by the broad masses of the people and were very popular.

However, the three of them were responsible for equipment maintenance. Originally there were five; before, one was Wang Yan's master, who retired when he reached the age, and no one else was hired, so there were four. One didn't come because he worked a night shift last night. After all, bread equipment doesn't stop, and in case of an accident, it's good to have emergency maintenance so as not to delay production.

They were responsible for maintaining all the equipment in the factory, including those produced domestically and those imported from abroad. Proofing boxes, dough mixers, egg beaters, ovens, etc. —these were all things they had to repair.

To be honest, the three of them were more like decorations. Of course, it wasn't that they couldn't do anything at all. They could solve conventional problems, and for some problems they couldn't solve, they needed to find people from the equipment manufacturer to come over, and they were also responsible for coordinating these issues. However, those various machines couldn't break down for no reason. Having two or three problems a month was the limit. At other times, they were just sitting there drinking tea and reading newspapers. Otherwise, they would go to the activity room to play table tennis; it was really very leisurely.

Without accident, today was also a leisurely day. They only repaired a conveyor belt and applied some lubricant. Except for going to the cafeteria for cabbage and potatoes at noon and going to the toilet a few times in between, he basically didn't move from his place all day, just smoking and drinking tea; it was really too idle.

Once it hit five o'clock in the evening, Wang Yan, who had been drinking tea all day, stood up, didn't stay even a minute longer, and went directly to the parking shed to ride his bike away. He was on night shift the day before yesterday, and it wasn't his turn yet.

Returning along the original path, pedaling his bicycle, it was the same tide of people getting off work. Wang Yan swayed leisurely on the side of the road, trying not to block others from racing.

There are always many coincidences in life. Wang Yan had experienced many of these and would continue to experience them.

Not long after pedaling past Tiananmen, he saw a girl with two large braids wearing a dress walking on the road. Her steps were hurried, and her occasional landing steps were heavy, as if she were a bit angry. The breeze blew, causing wrinkles on her dress, which was quite beautiful.

Wang Yan changed from sitting to standing, pedals horizontal, knees bent, waist and abdomen exerting force, arms following the momentum—only to see the 28-inch bicycle leave the ground and jump onto the higher sidewalk. The people riding behind were dumbfounded. Really fresh, it was the first time seeing someone ride a bike like this.

Ignoring how others looked, Wang Yan pedaled hard to the girl's side, slowed down, and whistled flirtatiously.

"Wang Yan?" Su Meng, who was originally a bit impatient, turned her head and saw it was Wang Yan, and immediately changed to a smiling face: "Are you just getting off work and going home?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Isn't that obvious? Where are you going?"

"Where else can I go? Of course, home. I was going to take the bus back, but when I was waiting for the bus, I found my bag was lost. There was no other way, I had to walk back."

"That's still three miles away. By the time you get home, it'll be dark. Get on the bike, I'll take you back." Wang Yan rode the bike onto the road again and waved at Su Meng.

"Hey, thanks." Su Meng didn't refuse. She was sweating all over her forehead from walking, and she felt like dying. She lost her bag and had to walk so far home; anyone would feel uncomfortable. If it were next month, she would instantly feel like she had been abandoned by the world.

She walked over and jumped lightly onto the back seat, reaching out to grab a corner of Wang Yan's clothes at the waist: "Sit tight, let's go."

Wang Yan didn't speak, just gave a hum, pedaled hard to start. Caught off guard by the inertia, Su Meng was about to fall backward. In a panic, she reached out and hugged Wang Yan's waist, her face turning red. After the ride became steady, she let go. However, she didn't grab the corner of his clothes like before, but held his waist with both hands. Feeling the rhythm of the muscles at his waist, her face turned even redder.

"Where did you walk from?" Wang Yan's tone was very normal, as if nothing had happened, as if he didn't know anything.

Mentioning this, Su Meng couldn't care about being embarrassed. She had been holding a belly full of anger from walking this whole way. She said: "From Houhai."

"Ho, then you must have walked for an hour, right?"

"It's been two hours. It's good that I met you, otherwise, I guess I would have been exhausted by the time I got home."

Wang Yan smiled: "What did you go to Houhai for?"

"I made an appointment with my classmate to go there and play. Who would have thought that while playing, my bag would be lost? Really unlucky." Su Meng began to complain about her feelings of losing the bag, chirping for a long while.

Wang Yan asked with a smile: "How is the job situation?"

"I want to go to the Children's Palace, my dad is looking for someone. It's been so long, I don't know if there's any hope." Su Meng didn't say much about the job: "I find that you are different from what I imagined."

"You say that, but we've lived in the same courtyard since we were young. This relationship can be called childhood sweethearts, right? Why are you imagining things?"

"Don't say childhood sweethearts, your description is problematic. Although we lived in the same courtyard and grew up together, we just greeted each other for so many years. You are like a dragon that sees its head but not its tail; maybe the time wasn't right, and I couldn't see you for months at a time. I was just thinking yesterday that we've lived in the same courtyard for so many years, but it's only in the last month or so that we've seen each other so often."

Wang Yan nodded: "Then tell me how you imagined it, and how it's different."

"I know everyone calls you Wang Ye. Han Chunming has always called you that. When I was in school, those male classmates all said you were particularly powerful, knew many people, and often fought, so I was always afraid of you. But seeing you more often recently, I find that you aren't like what they said. You are smiling at everyone, particularly kind, and particularly easy to get along with."

"You were looking at people with colored glasses, only hearing about me doing bad things, not hearing about me being good at studying? Since elementary school, I've always been the first in the whole school. Everyone has a head on two shoulders and two arms and two legs; what's there to be afraid of? This is good, we can be considered to have re-known each other. There's a pit ahead, hold on tight. If you fall and ruin your face, I won't be able to explain it to Teacher Su later."

Su Meng obediently tightened her hands, bumped over the pit, relaxed a bit, and asked: "Hey, Wang Yan, tell me about the past?"

"What past? Who I beat up, or who beat me up? You're a big girl in your twenties, listening to kids fighting? Is it interesting?"

Curling her lips, Su Meng didn't speak again.

Wang Yan, of course, couldn't be idle, finding topics to chat with Su Meng, chatting about insights from reading books, and so on.

The Su family only had Su Meng as a girl, and Su Meng's parents were both teachers. Although their salary wasn't high, it definitely wasn't low. Su Meng's grandmother was also an old teacher, and she had security after retirement. In this situation, Su Meng was naturally pampered. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her not to go to work and just stay at home, and she didn't eat, drink, or wear poorly. Every day she just stayed at home reading books, occasionally going out to play with classmates, living quite comfortably.

Such a girl, without thinking, was a bit of a literary young woman, and had to have a bit of a petty-bourgeois feeling. And in fact, in the early stages of the drama, she was indeed such a person. It was just that in the later stages, because of the reform and opening up, under the great vitality shown by this country and this nation, she participated in the vigorous tide of "going to the sea," became obsessed with money, and no longer had the appearance she had at the beginning.

So the current Su Meng liked this literary feeling. Catering to her preferences would definitely not be wrong.

The two chatted all the way, talking about the tragic or heroic stories in the books, and soon arrived at the non-staple food store on their street.

"Why did you stop? We'll be home in a while."

"No one cooks for me at home. If I don't buy some vegetables, I won't even have the northwest wind to drink at this time."

Su Meng was amused and giggled, getting off the bike and standing on the side. But after laughing twice, looking at Wang Yan parking the bike and entering the non-staple food store, her smile disappeared. Because she just remembered that Wang Yan had no relatives, and had lived by himself for so many years...

The non-staple food store was a treasure land. In this era, staple food and non-staple food were distinguished. It specialized in selling cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, tea, drinks, biscuits, canned goods, etc., and also required coupons.

Wang Yan bought a sausage, half a pig's head, and two bottles of Arctic Ocean soda.

"Come, let me treat you to a drink."

"Don't, it's quite expensive, save a little where you can."

"Didn't you see the cap is already open?" Wang Yan handed the drink over, then tied the pig's head to the handlebar, turned around and went to the supply and marketing cooperative next door to buy two cucumbers and six steamed buns, only then standing at the door with Su Meng drinking soda, because the bottle had to be returned.

Su Meng drank the Arctic Ocean, looking at the food tied to the handlebar: "You must have spent more than a yuan on these things, right?"

"Eat well and drink well, anyway, it's just me, whatever is comfortable is fine."

After a long silence, Su Meng asked: "It hasn't been easy for you all these years, right?"

Originally, it was a behavior of not living a good life, but because Su Meng thought before that Wang Yan was alone and had no one to rely on, she naturally classified such behavior as having no reliance, no sense of belonging, just being numb, living one day at a time.

So the voice she spoke with was slightly trembling. Just in the time it took to say this sentence, her brain had already used the books she had read and the things she had heard to supplement the image of an orphan without relatives, and how difficult it was to live, including materially and spiritually.

"Is this pitying me?" Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "Actually, it's not difficult. At the beginning, I was indeed not used to it, but people always have to look forward. You said it yourself, everyone calls me Wang Ye; is this 'Ye' called for nothing? Don't think too much, I just eat and drink like this because I'm alone and don't need so many concerns. And it's just these two days, I just got paid yesterday. There are thirty days in a month; eating better now and eating worse later is all living."

Su Meng, of course, wouldn't think it was true. She only felt that what she thought was correct. She believed that Wang Yan saying this was just to comfort her. With her self-centeredness, even if she put herself in his shoes, she used her own thoughts to substitute and feel. So the more she felt, the more she felt Wang Yan was miserable.

However, she didn't say anything more, not wanting to uncover Wang Yan's scars. She looked up and drank the soda, handing the bottle to Wang Yan: "Alright, let's return the bottle and go back quickly. You've worked for a day, and I've walked for an afternoon; I'm starving. It's not far, let's go home and eat quickly."

Wang Yan took the bottle, drank his own soda, turned and went in to return the bottle, then came out, got on the bike, and set off again with Su Meng. After only a few hundred meters, they arrived at the small shop at the gate of their home.

Just seeing Cheng Army Supervisor coming out of the small shop with wine: "Wang Yan, off work? Yo, the food is good, pig's head meat and white flour buns. Su Meng? Why did you come back on his bike?"

Wang Yan narrowed his eyes, looking at Cheng Army Supervisor with a face full of small pits, and picked his ears: "What did you call me?"

Cheng Army Supervisor shivered, quickly smiling: "Wang Ye, I didn't pay attention just now, didn't pay attention. That, I bought wine for my dad, I'm going to eat, I'll go back first."

After saying that, he didn't care about losing face in front of Su Meng and quickly turned and left.

He was a classmate with Han Chunming, and naturally a classmate with Wang Yan, classmates from childhood to adulthood. He knew how powerful Wang Yan was. It was just that he hadn't seen him for several years, and just now it was in front of Su Meng, so his mouth was faster than his brain. He knew Wang Yan could fight, and he had no family, so he wasn't afraid of anything; even if he beat him up, it wouldn't be a big deal. Compared to that, running away in a panic now was clearly a good choice, much better than being slapped in the face in front of Su Meng.

Su Meng got off the bike and walked back beside Wang Yan: "This shows your prestige as Wang Ye, scaring Cheng Army Supervisor away with one look."

Wang Yan gave a light laugh and didn't pay attention. What ability was there in scaring a Cheng Army Supervisor?

He greeted: "Provincial Military Commander Ye is playing chess again, have you eaten?"

Grandpa Guan stood up with a "yo," slapped open the folding fan in his hand, and with his neatly combed white hair, don't say, he really looked like a master. He said: "Provincial Military Commander Ye doesn't take advantage of you young kid, I've prepared wine and food, just waiting for you to come back. Ho, is this pig's head meat with cucumber? Good little thief, knowing I like this."

"Good guy, Provincial Military Commander Ye invites me to drink, and I, the junior, have to bring the food myself?"

"Hey, respecting the old and loving the young, that's the logic. Are you sitting or not?"

"I see, Provincial Military Commander Ye is worried that the fan will be hard to return in the future, so he came to block my mouth today." Wang Yan smiled: "Fine, a bastard doesn't take advantage if he doesn't take it, I have to eat and drink well today."

Grandpa Guan laughed: "Come, put that pig's head meat on my side, I like to eat it."

Wang Yan handed the pig's head meat over, rearranged the plates, and then sat down: "Did you make these dishes, old man?"

"If you have a disciple, why not use him?"

Han Chunming, who was pouring wine with a wine pot, smiled: "How is it, Wang Ye, is it okay?"

"It has some appearance, I don't know what it tastes like."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Grandpa Guan picked up the small wine cup: "Waiting for me to toast you? Then drink."

"Come, drinking with Provincial Military Commander Ye for the first time, I'll toast you three first." Wang Yan drank three small cups in a row, which was less than two liang of wine, like celebrating a birthday, a mess of auspicious words.

"Painful, come, disciple, let's go together." Grandpa Guan smiled and accepted the three cups of wine; his age was here, he could accept it. Of course, this was on the surface. After all, Wang Yan was striving for a thousand years, and Grandpa Guan wouldn't even be in line to kowtow to him...

The three of them drank a cup of wine together, and only then did they start to use chopsticks to eat.

Han Chunming looked expectantly at Wang Yan, who had just picked up a piece of fish: "Wang Ye, tell me?"

"It's okay, it has some flavor."

In the original drama, Han Chunming opened a restaurant, and plus learning from Grandpa Guan since childhood, he was also very particular about food. Now it seemed that Han Chunming had some talent in the kitchen.

"Alright, with your words, Wang Ye, I'll open a restaurant in the future, and you have to support me then."