Chapter 413: The Hip Youngster's Dad

Lu Cheng's heart was hit several times in a row today.

But when he saw dad walk in fully dressed, his heart almost stopped on the spot.

Lu Beitang was wearing sunglasses on his face, and his shirt was tucked into his pants.

The main thing was the pants, which were the Bell-bottom Pants that had just become popular from the coastal regions.

They were just emerging now; occasionally a young person on the street wore them, and by the early 1980s they would reach their peak and sweep the nation.

It must be said, dad's outfit was right at the fashion forefront, turning him into a hip youngster.

Lu Ying, who was eating, had her brain crash at that moment and took a long time to process it.

After regaining her composure, she asked in disbelief, "Is... this our dad?"

Lu Cheng shook his head, then nodded, "Seems like it."

"What kind of thing 'seems like it'? I'm your dad,"

Lu Beitang spread his arms and spun around, "How about it? You youngsters love a certain word nowadays, right? Yeah, cool. Is dad's outfit cool enough?"

Lu Cheng involuntarily straightened up and gave a thumbs‑up, "Cool, dad, super fashionable, downright killer cool."

Lu Beitang pointed, "Hey, right, those two words: fashionable, killer cool."

Lu Ying immediately covered her eyes; dad's build was already solid, and the Bell-bottom Pants were tight on his legs, especially his butt, which looked like two cloves of garlic squeezed tight.

It was too eye‑gouging; Lu Ying really couldn't bear to look.

At that moment, "Snap!" Chen Xianglan slapped the chopsticks on the bowl.

"What act are you putting on? Do you know how ugly that is! Those things are only worn by little thugs, totally out of place. How old are you, with no self‑awareness?"

If the evening argument was just a vent for mom, now she was truly angry.

That's how it was: mom angry, dad actually pleased.

Lu Beitang first adjusted his sunglasses, then tightened the Bell-bottom Pants around his butt.

"What the heck do you know? I learned this from you—pursuing the right to freedom. Ah, you allow yourself freedom but not me? One can't be so overbearing, practicing hegemony; that gets knocked down."

Lu Cheng and his sister exchanged a glance, both silently shaking their heads.

Since mom's curly hair had become a settled fact, Lu Beitang knew getting angrier was useless; if you can't change others, change yourself.

It must be said, dad's move was especially effective; mom Chen Xianglan was truly furious.

He took a deep breath and shouted, "I think you're doing this on purpose to annoy me. Change back right now, you indecent fool."

Lu Beitang twisted his neck, "No change! I told you, not only will I not change, tomorrow I'll go to your Factory Area gate and pick you up after work."

Chen Xianglan's chest rose and fell with anger, "What, you expect me to go with you in that outfit? You're deliberately making a fool of me."

"That's because you made me look bad first."

"Fine, you Lu Beitang, don't even think about coming inside today."

Lu Beitang wasn't scared at all, given that Lu Cheng had many houses.

"Lu Cheng, I allow you to stay at that Siheyuan tonight, and then I'll sleep in your room."

The two of them argued like children.

Lu Cheng didn't dare to reply; at this moment, staying neutral was the wisest choice.

Anyway dad's meaning was clear: if mom didn't fix that instant‑noodle hairstyle, he'd keep wearing these clothes, a mutual self‑destruction.

Lu Ying and Lu Cheng, as siblings accustomed to it, simply kept their heads down and ate, letting the two argue.

Dad and mom's outfits became a striking scene in Hu Tong Li, making anyone who saw them laugh twice and then point and comment.

Because she couldn't embarrass this person, Chen Xianglan even put on a mask, while Lu Beitang wore those Bell‑bottom Pants, a recorder slung over his shoulder, wandering behind.

They argued like that for two days, and finally Chen Xianglan yielded first, straightening her hair back.

She couldn't stand it; once in the Factory Area, people said she had a street‑slicker husband, which was mortifying.

The battle ended with Lu Beitang having a slight edge.

Lu Beitang whistled happily while pulling down his pants, "See? Your mom has to be treated like this, and she still wants to argue with me. She can't beat me. Now obediently fix your hair back, okay?"

Lu Cheng was speechless; dad won, but it was a case of hurting the enemy a thousand and self‑damaging eight hundred.

"Dad, give me those Bell‑bottom Pants you took off."

Lu Beitang became alert; his wearing them these past two days was entirely to force his spouse to straighten her hair.

Inside, he felt deep contempt for this attire.

Now the goal had been achieved, so the pants should be thrown away.

Indeed it was hurting the enemy a thousand and self‑damaging eight hundred; wearing these pants for two days almost broke him, he gritted his teeth to endure.

To avoid being embarrassed at the Steel Factory, he took leave for two days.

"What do you want these pants for? Let me tell you, I wear them for a reason, but if you dare wear them like that, I'll streak naked to your station. If you don't believe it, we can try!"

After this dad‑mom showdown, Lu Cheng was completely convinced.

So when dad said that, Lu Cheng absolutely believed dad could pull it off.

If dad really streaked at the station, all the staff would know that Lu Jingzhang has a butt‑exposed streaking dad, and Lu Cheng's career would be over; no one could afford that embarrassment.

"Don't worry, dad. I can't stand seeing you wear it, so even if you let me wear it, I couldn't either."

Lu Beitang, holding the pants with doubt, wondered when his son would become more sensible than him.

Lu Cheng truly had no intention to wear them; having been reborn, how could he possibly...

He was about to join a department and could not let such a black mark appear on his résumé.

The reason he wanted the pants was to show his sister.

When he tossed the pants onto his sister's desk, Lu Ying flipped her eyes in fury, "What are you doing with them here? Take them away immediately; just seeing those pants makes me uncomfortable."

These two days, because of the talk in Hu Tong Li, Lu Ying had no face to see anyone.

Lu Cheng laughed, "It's not that, sis. It's normal for others to find it unacceptable, but..."

Lu Ying didn't understand at first, so Lu Cheng gestured at the pants, letting her take a good look.

Seeing her brother unusually serious, Lu Ying picked up the pants and examined them carefully.

Lu Cheng, prompting from beside, said: "Sis, what you're seeing now is not just a pair of pants; you must look through these pants to see the direction of the future, the people's needs, societal changes, policy shifts, and even the scale of ideological liberation…"

"The scale of ideological liberation?"

Lu Ying muttered, feeling that everything seemed unchanged, yet everything also seemed to be changing quietly.

Take, for example, the revival of Social Dance, the chaotic demon-dance disco, or these Bell-bottom Pants that spread from the coastal regions; all attest to a shift from collectivism to personal expression.

This idea of personal expression seems to be slowly pooling, trending toward a wave.

In Lu Ying's mind, it was as if a nerve had been triggered; she suddenly understood her brother's words.