Chapter 594: Hello 1980

After the New Year in the Jingcheng Hu Tong, it was still steeped in the Spring Festival atmosphere.

Lu Cheng snatched his bicycle from beside the Car Shed and patted the layer of snow that had settled on the seat.

These evenings he kept coming home late; when he finally returned, the space under the Car Shed was already full, so he could only park it aside.

Hearing the commotion at the Car Shed, the West Wing Room door swung open, and Lu Ying, wearing only a cotton-padded jacket, stuck her head out through the crack.

"Lu Cheng, where are you going?"

"I have something to take care of," Lu Cheng said, preparing to look for Yang Yin; the two had arranged to go to Beihai Park.

"Push the matter back a bit; I want to take advantage of today's free time to go to the Military District Compound and check on Ning Ning."

He had wanted to go before the New Year, but this period had been too busy.

In roughly a month before the New Year, three thousand electric heating blankets were sold out.

Lu Ying roughly calculated: fewer than five hundred units were bought by individual customers at the train station, most were hospital orders attracted by reputation, and the rest were purchased by various state‑owned stores.

There are still two thousand orders pending; the Factory Area is speeding up production.

Selling only to individual customers yields few sales and slow turnover, so the Factory Area now targets the major state‑owned stores; profit is halved, but volume is high.

Hearing his sister's words, Lu Cheng was reluctant: "You've been pretty busy lately; I could go later. I have an appointment today."

"Enough nonsense, if you want to go, go. I have time this morning; after I finish at Wu Family this morning, I have to meet the director of a large department store this afternoon to discuss orders."

Originally that large department store sold imported goods, but since domestic production of electric heating blankets began—affordable and good quality—there's no need to import them.

The major department stores are also helpless; imported goods have high profit, but now that the domestic Jinghai Brand exists, those imports are completely unsellable.

Seeing Lu Cheng still trying to talk, Lu Ying added, "I'll give you twenty bucks in a moment," then slammed the door shut.

"Then hurry up…"

For the sake of the twenty bucks, Lu Cheng took his gloves and gave the rear seat a pat.

I have to admit, his sister's pocket money has become increasingly generous; before she gave five or ten cents, now she gives straight twenty.

Half an hour later, Lu Ying finally dressed neatly and left the house; Lu Cheng sat on the rear seat, discarding his cigarette butt.

"You're so slow; it takes you half an hour just to step out. Look at that face—who are you trying to impress with that pretty look…"

Lu Ying snatched the gloves and slapped her brother: "Enough chatter, enough chatter!"

Lu Cheng dodged the gloves while reaching out his hand.

"What for?"

"Give the money, the promised twenty. If you don't, don't even think about getting on my bike."

Lu Ying rolled her eyes, started pulling money from her pocket, and muttered disdainfully, "Being your sister must be eight lifetimes of bad luck."

Lu Cheng happily took the money and slipped it into his pocket: "Don't say that; at least ten lifetimes. In the next life, I'll be reborn as your brother again."

Lu Ying laughed in irritation, grabbed the gift, and urged Lu Cheng to hurry over.

The cold wind blew all the way, but the brother's broad shoulders provided shelter, and Lu Ying hid on the back seat.

"By the way, Lu Cheng, where were you planning to go just now?"

"Not going anywhere, just meeting a friend."

Lu Ying roughly guessed: "Did you start seeing someone?"

There's no need to hide anything from his sister, so Lu Cheng gave a hum.

"The Xiao Yang who came to our house?"

"Yes, her. What's your impression?"

Lu Ying recalled vaguely, thinking she was very pretty and cheerful.

"Hmm, pretty good… but you and Qing Yan…"

Lu Ying swallowed the words about to slip out; she wanted to ask if there was no longer any possibility with Qing Yan.

Then she thought, Qing Yan already has a child; pondering it further would be unrealistic.

Lu Cheng pedaled ahead: "Sis, I know you and Qing Yan are good friends, and I also hope my relationship with Qing Yan can continue…"

"But setting aside that she's been married, even if not, given our families' circumstances, the status gap is too great for any chance; otherwise there wouldn't have been a divorce."

Listening to her brother's calm words, Lu Ying didn't know what to say; after all, it's still about the disparity in social status.

"Since you chose Xiao Yang, treat her well and don't be fickle day after day."

"I know…" Fearing more nagging, Lu Cheng pedaled hard.

When they arrived at the Military District Compound, a guard at the gate gave a call, and only then were they allowed in.

"I wonder if Lao Wu is home?" Lu Cheng asked.

"He's not home; after the New Year he'll rush back to the military academy."

Lu Cheng parked the bike at the Wu Family entrance and glanced at his sister: "You two keep in touch a lot; I didn't even know whether he's home or not."

Lu Ying was stunned: "Well… he wrote a letter before the New Year saying he'd leave after the holidays. He hoped that while he was home I could visit Ning Ning before the New Year, but I was busy then."

Lu Cheng smiled; he always felt his sister was deliberately avoiding Wu Zhekun.

Before anyone could speak, a patrolling guard shouted: "Hello Comrade, please park the bike in the Car Shed; a vehicle is passing this way."

The Military District Compound's New Year atmosphere can't match that of the Hu Tong, but it's clear that many Jeeps come here for business.

"Sis, you go in first; I'll park the bike."

Lu Ying nodded, took the gift, and entered the house.

Inside was a reception room with a plain sofa; none of the Wu family members were seen, nor Ning Ning.

However, on the sofa sat a woman dressed in a female Navy uniform.

She appeared about thirty, without a Navy cap, which lay on the nearby coffee table; her short hair was neatly tied behind her ears.

Lu Ying didn't realize that the woman before her was Wu Yalan, Wu Zhekun's elder sister.

Assuming the Navy comrade was a guest, Lu Ying merely gave a symbolic polite nod when her eyes met Wu Yalan's.

But Wu Yalan, seeing her come in carrying gifts, couldn't help but frown slightly.

After standing up, a sentence from Wu Yalan made Lu Ying involuntarily frown.

Wu Yalan's face was stern; she gestured with her eyes toward the side and said, "Put the items there first; my father is not here today."

Following her gaze, Lu Ying glanced and saw, on the other side of the sofa, beneath the wine cabinet, a pile of various gifts in exquisitely packaged boxes.

She then looked at the gifts she was carrying, which could hardly be called gifts: apples in a net bag, pastries wrapped in kraft paper, and White Rabbit milk candies, all for Ning Ning.

The reason Lu Ying frowned was that the Navy Comrade in front of her seemed to treat her as someone who came to handle business.

Hearing this female Comrade's words, it was clear she was from the Wu Family; Wu Zhekun had mentioned that he has two sisters.

"Oh, you're Wu Zhekun's sister, right? Hello, I'm Lu Ying; I'm not here today to look for Uncle Wu…"

Wu Yalan still wore that stern expression, and was even a bit impatient with Lu Ying's persistence.

"My mother is also not here; please go back."