Chapter 192: Visiting Captain Lei

Lu Cheng took the bus and arrived at the Railway Grand Courtyard in Haidian District.

He had taken Da Kui and the others back before, so Lu Cheng had been here a few times, but only as far as the main gate.

Going to Lei Zhan Ge's home today was also his first time, so of course he didn't want to come empty‑handed.

The Railway Grand Courtyard covers a vast area, with complete Supporting Facilities; its living amenities include a Cooperative, a Bathhouse, a grain shop, a side‑food shop, and a public Cafeteria for single workers or small families who don't want to cook.

Educational facilities range from kindergarten to middle school, and there are also entertainment clubs, a cinema, and an auditorium.

Lu Cheng went to the side‑food shop, bought cigarettes, alcohol and fruit, put them in his net bag, and then set out to find Lei Zhan Ge's apartment unit.

Ordinary workers live in red‑brick Soviet‑style tube buildings, about ten‑something square meters, with communal kitchens and bathrooms.

Leaders like Lei Zhan Ge live in apartment buildings of 50 to 70 square meters, with private kitchens and bathrooms.

Ministerial‑level leaders reside in detached small western‑style houses, which are very rare.

Further ahead, there are tube buildings under construction; Lu Cheng knows one of the units will be his, now that he's been regularized, just waiting for the building to finish so the rooms can be allocated.

He found the apartment building, three stories high, with Lei Zhan Ge on the second floor; when he knocked, a silver‑haired elderly lady opened the door, seeing a stranger with gifts and thinking he'd knocked on the wrong door.

"Young comrade, which family are you looking for?"

"You're Lei Nainai, right? I'm here to visit Captain Lei."

At that moment, Lei Zhan Ge, who was eating in the small hall, heard the voice, turned his head and said, "Oh, that's the Xiao Lu I often mention to you."

Lei Nainai then greeted him with a smile, "So you're Xiao Lu. Hey, I've heard of you—come in, come in. Look, you even brought something; it's not easy for you young folks to earn a bit of money."

"It's fine, Lei Nainai. I've wanted to see you since early morning, and I didn't bring much."

Lu Cheng looked around as he entered: three rooms and a hall, small in size and rather cramped; although primitive compared with later eras, for this time it was top‑of‑the‑line.

Lei Zhan Ge has a son and a daughter, both already married with their own units from the workplace, so this vacant house is spacious enough for Da Kui and his group.

"Xiao Lu, have you eaten? Come sit with me and have a bite," Lei Zhan Ge called.

"I've already eaten, Captain Lei…" Lu Cheng began, then hurriedly took the tea, "Thank you, Lei Nainai, you don't need to trouble yourself."

Lei Nainai looked not old at all; she walked briskly, and her demeanor was that of a kindly person.

In fact, if she weren't kind, Lei Zhan Ge couldn't have taken Da Kui's three children to live together.

Three people mean three mouths, and the monthly grain has to be stretched thin.

"Xiao Lu, don't stand—sit there and talk," Lei Nainai pulled two chairs over and invited Lu Cheng to sit.

"Thank you, Lei Nainai. I'm not very good at staying, but this time I'm here for two reasons: first to visit you, second to take Da Kui and the others ice‑skating at Shichahai, where there are many young girls—maybe we can meet some."

Lei Nainai understood his purpose—taking Da Kui and the others to look for wives—and immediately said happily, "Oh dear, you as a team leader are even more attentive than I am."

Honestly, both I and your Captain Lei are old now, with only a few years left; before I close my eyes I want to see these three children get married.

Lu Cheng smiled, "We'll just go there to have some fun and try to meet people, but whether anything works out is hard to say right now."

"I understand, but just having that intention makes me very happy, Grandma."

Talking about this, Lei Nainai's face clearly filled with worry: "Your Captain Lei is busy and can't attend to this. I've been trying to find a few candidates; at first it sounded good, but once they meet the person, they're not satisfied. Sigh, I could die of worry."

It's evident that Lei Nainai treats those three children as if they were her own.

But Da Kui and his group have very poor conditions, and Lei Nainai hopes the bride will be someone who receives commodity grain, so that after marriage they won't be too impoverished.

She thought that if they truly can't find a suitable match in the city, they'll have to ask someone in the countryside.

It's not that Lei Nainai discriminates against countryside people; it's that if a man marries a woman with an agricultural household registration and can't get a job arranged, it means Da Kui would have to support an entire family on his own.

Their future children would also inherit the agricultural household registration from the mother and would not have access to commodity grain.

"Lei Nainai, these matters depend on fate; you can't rush them. Please don't worry and take care of your health."

Lei Nainai smiled, "You're such a pleasant speaker, unlike your Captain Lei, whose words can always sting to death…"

Lei Zhan Ge cleared his throat and interrupted, "Talk is talk; why drag it onto me!"

"Look," Lei Nainai spread her hands, and Lu Cheng laughed.

Lei Zhan Ge added, "I know the Shichahai Ice Rink; it's full of riff‑raff, so going there for some excitement."

Lei Nainai immediately retorted with displeasure, "Xiao Lu's intentions are good; maybe he'll meet a suitable match. You're worrying so much it becomes a problem. If you have the ability, go find a wife for them yourself."

Lei Zhan Ge had nowhere to look; how could a top leader's daughter possibly marry Da Kui's people? He said nothing, kept his mouth shut, and continued eating with his head down.

"Captain Lei, don't worry, we're just going to have fun, not cause any trouble," Lu Cheng said.

Lei Zhan Ge set down his chopsticks and reluctantly agreed, "Alright then, go early and return early. My car is parked downstairs; you can take it."

"Is this appropriate?"

Lei Zhan Ge nodded, "Hmm, that's indeed not very appropriate; it's my dedicated car, you'd better not drive it."

"No offense, I'm just being polite…"

Lu Cheng, regretting his remark, pulled a stool and sat opposite, "Captain Lei, it's not that I'm being presumptuous; going by car versus not is completely different. Think about which household could afford such a display—just parking there would attract young girls."

Lei Zhan Ge shook his head, "Alright, alright, stop babbling and drive off quickly."

Fearing Lei Zhan Ge might change his mind again, Lu Cheng hurriedly grabbed the keys, called Da Kui and the others, and also invited Liu Jian'an, though his sister had gone to work.

At the entrance of the Shichahai Ice Rink, there were two rows of small sheds made of bamboo mats—one row for masters to sharpen ice blades, the other for parking bicycles.

Lu Cheng parked the jeep on the open space, honked a few times, and immediately drew a crowd.

Especially the young girls, three or five of them gathered, chattering and then giggling "hee‑hee".

These days, being able to drive a jeep is like driving a sports car in later times; a Pick‑up Artist finds it especially easy.

An acquaintance called out, "Lu San'er, you've upgraded from a rifle to a cannon, even driving a small car now—whose is it?"

Lu Cheng patted the hood, "It's a dedicated car, assigned by the team."

"Wow, now everything's booming, everyone gets a dedicated car. Alright, I'll go ice‑skate first and wait for you."

The people he was talking to were acquaintances—idle street drifters he used to hang out with.

He had his sister drop the ice blade at Old Sun's place for sharpening beforehand; they all knew each other, so when Lu Cheng arrived, Old Sun took out the blade.

Lu Cheng took it and ran his finger over the blade twice.

Lao Sun Tou continued sharpening ice blades for others while saying, "Rest assured, they're absolutely sharp and won't pull the ice."

"Alright, with your skill I'm definitely at ease, so you go ahead and get busy."

Lu Cheng, with Da Kui and the others, was about to turn and enter the ice rink when a jingling bell sound came from behind.

Just by the distinctive Military Coat, it was clear they were children from the Grand Courtyard.

But one of them made Lu Cheng squint; among the group that came from the Grand Courtyard, there was a person named Qin Shou.