Chapter 321: I Want You to Remember Me Forever

It's the twenty‑sixth day of the twelfth lunar month; in a few more days we'll be entering the lunar year 1977.

The year 1977!

This year the college entrance exam will be reinstated, and many students' fates will change because of it; even the poor have a chance for a carp to jump the dragon gate.

In the Capital City, every street and alley is filled with the New Year atmosphere.

The twenty‑sixth day of the twelfth month is also Zhao Bin's joyous wedding day.

As a good buddy, Lu Cheng of course had to attend; before dawn he rode his bicycle to Zhao Bin's house.

Zhao Bin's house was bustling with people coming and going, so Lu Cheng didn't push his bike inside; he locked it to a tree stump at the Hu Tong Entrance, then entered the house.

After greeting Zhao Bin's family, a few young men played Fight the Landlord in the newly arranged bridal room.

It's still not time to fetch the bride, and Zhao Bin is tying his tie in front of the mirror on the wardrobe.

Lu Cheng tossed out a pair of Kings: "Binzi, on such a cold day, what suit are you wearing? Aren't you afraid it'll freeze and snap halfway."

Zhao Bin, still clumsily tying his tie, said: "Sigh, there's no choice. Jiao Jiao told me in advance that I have to wear a suit to pick her up. It's a once‑in‑a‑lifetime thing, you see my collar—it's all a fake collar."

Lu Cheng glanced and couldn't hold back a laugh: "So what, later I'll be your best man and we'll go together to fetch Jiao Jiao."

Zhao Bin turned around and immediately cursed: "To hell with you, you just got divorced and you want to be my best man! What are you thinking! No, no, that's too unlucky!"

"Damn!"

Lu Cheng, irritated, threw four spades: "Bang!"

The guy on the left was stunned: "I the hell just played a 3, why are you bombing?"

Lu Cheng retorted without backing down: "Then I'll bomb too; what you need in a card game is momentum!"

The left‑handed player was even more confused: "You have the momentum to attack the landlord, we're a team, you have a hand of cards—if you bomb, can you get away?"

"We're a team?"

Lu Cheng inhaled, realizing he'd bombed the wrong person; looking at his hand, only single cards remained.

But he couldn't lose the momentum: "Don't worry, I'll definitely get away—just a 4."

"……"

The landlord on the right: "2."

"Can't beat that."

"Pass."

The right landlord: "Plane… straight… three with a pair, two cards to announce."

"……"

The right landlord threw the last two cards: "Joker Bomb! Base stake two mao, bomb multiplier, total two bombs, each loser pays eight mao, pay up, pay up!"

The left player looked over, and Lu Cheng answered: "What are you looking at? If I hadn't bombed just now, we'd still have lost."

The left player was on the verge of tears: "At least we can lose one bomb less!"

"……"

They played two more rounds and still lost; angry, Lu Cheng quit the game.

Zhao Bin saw this, smiled and said: "All lost, huh? Don't lose the wedding cash too!"

"Who do you think you're looking down on!" Lu Cheng immediately produced a bundle of Great Unity, three thousand yuan in total, and Zhao Bin's eyes widened.

"You must have robbed someone, right? Where did you get that much money?"

"It's breakup money from Qing Yan's mother."

After divorcing Qing Yan, his house was once again cleaned up by his mother, fearing the money would be discovered and his father would scold him; Lu Cheng didn't dare to keep it at home.

Zhao Bin widened his eyes: "So meticulous? Giving breakup money after a divorce! I the hell have never heard of that, it's unheard of."

Lu Cheng laughed, counting the money while muttering: "Ah, tell me how much wedding gift I should give you."

"Between us buddies, what gift is needed? Just having you here makes me happy… Hey, that's enough, enough…"

Lu Cheng kept counting: "Thirteen, fourteen… eighteen…"

As he was about to count to twenty bills, Zhao Bin's mouth almost couldn't stay shut from excitement.

"That's enough, that's enough, ow, that's too much…"

When he reached fifty bills, Zhao Bin smiled and stretched out both hands to take them, but Lu Cheng only pulled out a single bill and handed it over.

"What does that mean?"

"It's the wedding money."

"Your damn—, you've been counting here for ages and you only give me one?"

"Huh? That's not little!"

Ten yuan isn't a small amount; that's how it is with Zhao Bin—if it were someone else, Lu Cheng would only give at most two yuan.

When it was time to set off for the wedding procession, the divorced Lu Cheng could only stay here as a busybody.

Zhao Bin's wedding was lively and bustling, which made Lu Cheng feel a bit conflicted; had there been no obstacles before, he and Lin Qingyan would also have held a wedding, probably just as lively as today.

But in the end the two had no fate; just like in the previous life, he lost Lin Qingyan again.

As a busybody, Lu Cheng and a few plate‑carriers kept drinking until night.

The group, flushed and ears red, were playing finger‑guessing and bragging.

Finally Zhao Bin's mother could no longer stand it: "Binzi, it's almost ten o'clock, why don't you send them away?"

"Mom, they're all my buddies; they came for my wedding today, everyone's happy, how could I send them away?"

"If it were any other day, you'd drink all night and I wouldn't send you off; today's a special occasion, after all."

Zhao Bin thought that was true; if they kept drinking, his bridal chamber might never be entered.

There was no choice—a moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold—so Zhao Bin could only pick up the person who lived closest to home and get them home first.

Just as he stepped out, he suddenly saw someone standing at the Hu Tong Entrance.

Qing Yanjie?

Lin Qingyan stepped forward, smiled, and said, "Zhao Bin, happy wedding!"

Thank you, Qing Yanjie, why did you come?

Lin Qingyan had worked at the Big Bowl Tea Stall for a while; Zhao Bin should have invited her to the wedding, but because of Lu Cheng, he didn't manage to invite her, otherwise the two would have been very awkward.

Not knowing how long she had waited, Lin Qingyan was clearly frozen solid, and her words came out with white breath.

I—I am here to say goodbye to you.

Goodbye? Qing Yanjie, where are you going?

Lin Qingyan pressed her lips together: "Before the year ends I have to leave the Capital City."

"Oh." Zhao Bin suddenly remembered something; Lin Qingyan had come specially, surely not just to say goodbye to him.

It is likely that the person Lin Qingyan most wants to say goodbye to is Lu Cheng.

At that thought, Zhao Bin promptly said considerately, "That's perfect, Lu Cheng is also here, but he's drunk; would you help me carry him home?"

Lu Cheng completely blacked out from drinking; given Lu Cheng's tolerance, that wouldn't happen, and this was the first time Zhao Bin saw Lu Cheng drunk.

Why did he drink so much? As a good buddy, Zhao Bin probably knows.

He knows Lu Cheng agreed to the divorce because of pressure from both families, but Lu Cheng should still care a lot about Lin Qingyan.

All the way, swaying, Lin Qingyan strained to support Lu Cheng's body, carrying him toward home.

The main street was empty, and snowflakes fell from the sky; in Lu Cheng's clouded eyes, all he saw was Lin Qingyan's figure, just like the Beidahuang of his previous life, where White-Furred Wind blew and a blizzard raged.

"Qing Yan, is that you? Why did you come? Didn't we get divorced…"

"Don't speak, we're almost home."

Carrying him back to the courtyard, it was already very late, the night cold; the people of Da Za Yuan had gone to sleep early, and the courtyard was pitch black.

While opening the West Wing Room door, she carried the utterly drunk Lu Cheng and dragged him inside.

As soon as they reached the bedside, Lu Cheng fell onto the bed, and Lin Qingyan, as if she had lost strength, was also carried and ended up lying on top of Lu Cheng.

With a sort of lingering attachment, Lin Qingyan stayed put for a long time, quietly listening to Lu Cheng's heartbeat.

The room was ultimately too cold, the coal stove seemed out, so Lin Qingyan got up, took out a teapot to pour hot water, first gave Lu Cheng some water, then wiped his face.

At that moment, Lu Cheng, as if unconscious, mumbled, "Qing Yan, Qing Yan, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

On the bedside, Lin Qingyan just quietly watched him, tears involuntarily streaming down.

Today she came to say farewell to Lu Cheng; after waiting too long, she went to Zhao Bin's place.

And this parting today, she doesn't know when she'll see him again, or perhaps never.

Looking at the familiar room, that curtain still hung at the base of the wall, scenes of their time together floated in her mind.

Lin Qingyan stroked that cheek, her heart full of reluctance.

The coal stove was out, the room especially cold; seeing Lu Cheng shivering from the cold, finally Lin Qingyan made a bold decision.

"Lu Cheng, I will make you remember me forever."

As the room fell into darkness, Lin Qingyan slowly removed her clothes…