Chapter 374: Big Sister

"Mom, I'm back!"

No one answered; Wei Ming pulled out his keys and opened the door.

No one was home, but there were candies and sunflower seeds on the table, plus two water glasses.

Considering the time, yeah, the old couple must've gone to work—forty is still the age to push hard.

So Wei Ming neatly organized the things he bought in Japan, then searched for his motorcycle keys to head to Tuanjiehu—but couldn't find them. When he went downstairs, his Harley was gone too.

Probably borrowed by Biaozi or Xiao Mei? They had their own bikes, but none as cool as his.

The permanent-brand 28-inch bicycle he'd left for his dad was still there. Haven't ridden a bike in ages—might as well use it for exercise.

Wei Ming clipped his bag onto the rear rack and wobbled off toward Tuanjiehu.

He'd barely arrived when he saw Biaozi and Xiao Mei riding up on their motorcycles.

"Big Brother Ming, you're finally back!"

Wei Ming looked at their bikes: "You didn't take my Harley, did you?"

"Nope."

"What were you two up to?"

Xiao Mei said: "Your folks back home came to deliver goose and duck feathers—we went to inspect them."

"This is the third batch," Biaozi chuckled. "The villagers are thrilled—they've made good money, not just raising their own, but buying from neighboring villages too."

"Oh, alright. I'll go up and sit a bit." Wei Ming tossed his bag to them.

Yunyun and her son were napping; Yanzi had taken her daughter out for a walk; the three men gathered at Biaozi's place.

Biaozi and Xiao Mei stared in awe as Wei Ming pulled out his Walkman and Game & Watch.

Biaozi sighed: "These Japanese sure know how to enjoy life!"

Xiao Mei said: "I see the technological gap now."

Japanese electronics were sweeping mainland China at the time—synonymous with high quality—and nearly every household among Wei Ming's circle was stocked with Japanese appliances.

Xiao Mei hesitated: "Big Brother, I've got a childhood friend whose family lives in the diplomatic compound. His dad went to Japan and said Japanese society is super open—they even film couples doing it. Is that true?"

"True. They openly sell video tapes too."

"Then you?" Four eyes locked onto him.

Wei Ming: "I'd have to get it past customs—you want me to get socially dead?"

"What's 'socially dead'?"

"It means your reputation's ruined," Wei Ming explained simply.

Xiao Mei: "I didn't say buy it—I just asked if you've seen it."

"Never seen it. Don't really need that kind of sensory stimulation," Wei Ming smiled at Xiao Mei. "You wanna watch? I'll talk to Yunyun later."

"No way! Absolutely not!" Xiao Mei denied it outright—he was sexually repressed, hadn't touched Yunyun in months, and had just asked Biaozi if women were ready after childbirth.

Just as they were discussing taboo topics, the door opened—Yanzi returned with Little Phoenix. Biaozi and Xiao Mei immediately grabbed the game console and started praising it.

"Oh! Big Brother Ming's back!"

"Yeah, let Uncle hold this little chubby girl." Wei Ming teased Zhao Zifeng; Yanzi watched him, lips parted but silent.

After much hesitation, she pulled Wei Ming into the kitchen: "Big Brother, come here—I need to tell you something."

Biaozi stretched his neck; Xiao Mei worried Yanzi had overheard their dirty talk.

In the kitchen, Yanzi told Wei Ming: "Zhu Lin came back the other day."

"Oh." Wei Ming's face showed no reaction, but inside he was ecstatic—this was unexpected good news.

"But," Yanzi lowered her voice, "pay attention to her belly."

"Huh?" Wei Ming blinked, uncertain.

Yanzi nodded: "I can't be sure, but she kept touching her stomach."

Wei Ming did the math—about three months since the last time. No way… no way!

If she really was pregnant, he'd turn twenty-two tomorrow.

But what about Xuejie and Amin?

Wei Ming didn't linger—he rushed next door, but Linjie wasn't home, no luggage either. Probably staying with her parents.

He was debating whether to visit the Zhu household when he heard the familiar motorcycle sound outside. He leaned out—there she was: a female rider parking below, elegant and fierce—Linjie!

Zhu Lin had learned to ride from Wei Ming—she had the advantage of long legs.

Wei Ming thought of surprising her, then reconsidered—if she really was pregnant, scaring her might cause a miscarriage. So he sat quietly on the sofa waiting.

"Click." The door opened.

"Oh! You're back!" Zhu Lin was surprised, took off her helmet, and beamed with delight.

Wei Ming stood and hugged her, then wrinkled his nose: "What's that smell on you?"

Zhu Lin: "Your brother-in-law's scent."

"What?"

Zhu Lin burst out laughing.

"I just went to Beidong with Uncle and Auntie. We met Gangdan's wife. They even took me to Lao Mo for dinner."

"What?! Gangdan has a wife?!" Wei Ming was thrilled—this meant Gangdan and Lao Wei would be going to Hong Kong.

"Yeah, just flown in from Sichuan. They're getting along well. Uncle even took a photo of us with them—get it developed for me later."

"No problem." Then Wei Ming's gaze settled on Zhu Lin's belly.

Zhu Lin thought he was looking lower down; she lightly pushed him: "Don't even think about doing anything naughty."

Wei Ming's heart jumped: "Is it… inconvenient?"

Zhu Lin blushed: "At least wait till I shower—smells like a zoo."

Hearing that, Wei Ming asked bluntly: "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Zhu Lin snapped: "Who would I get pregnant by?!"

"Me."

"You're not either," Zhu Lin's tone softened. "But why'd you suddenly ask that?"

Wei Ming told her about Yanzi's suspicion.

Zhu Lin laughed uncontrollably, too embarrassed to admit she'd been hoping for a child.

She leaned close, her face nearly touching his: "So… do you want to give me a baby today? I'll let you skip the condom. And today's my fertile day."

Wei Ming swallowed hard, scooped up his queen, and carried her into the bedroom—shower later.

But at the last moment, he hesitated—finally left Linjie staring at him in disbelief.

He was afraid—the balance between Linjie and Xuejie might shatter over a child, and there was still Amin.

His emotional world was already walking on thin ice—he didn't know if he'd ever reach the other side.

But this behavior enraged Zhu Lin—how could he treat her like this?!

Zhu Lin stormed into the bathroom, on the verge of tears.

Wei Ming rushed after her: "This is just a kind of foreplay—I saw it in Japanese films."

"What?! Japanese films have this too?!"

Wei Ming hugged her: "Too bad I can't bring any back to study with you."

Zhu Lin writhed in his arms, yelling: "Pervert!"

That night, they returned to their own homes. Wei Ming gave Zhu Lin a Walkman—she was overjoyed; being able to listen to music anytime was, in her eyes, a miraculous invention.

When Wei Ming got home, his main goal was to ask about Gangdan's wife.

"Funny thing," Lao Wei beamed, "this giant panda's half a year younger than Gangdan, also from Baoxing County—maybe they even saw each other before."

Xu Shufen chimed in: "Impossible. It was found in Basgou—way far from our place."

"Basgou?"

"Yeah, a tiny place in Baoxing County. So they named the panda 'Bas'—sounds like 'bashi,' which is nice."

It was called "Bas"?

Wei Ming froze—he remembered from his past life: a famously famous giant panda named Bas, discovered by villagers during bamboo flowering when it was starving and injured, then rescued and sent to Fuzhou Zoo.

That Bas, a female born in 1980, became internationally famous—touring the world performing tricks to earn foreign exchange, appearing on the Spring Festival Gala, and inspiring the mascot "Panpan" for the Asian Games.

Officially, her tricks were voluntary; Wei Ming didn't believe it. Even with Lao Wei and Gangdan so close, she wasn't fully obedient—this was a panda, famously lazy.

Though Bas lived to 37—equivalent to a human centenarian—behind her longevity lay a tragedy in panda history.

Because Bas's fame brought honor and money, even when she was critically ill, the zoo refused to let her die—they kept her alive by transfusing blood from other pandas. One panda named Longfei became her living blood bank and died young.

Wei Ming hoped this Bas was the same one—then her fate might be happier.

In his past life, that Bas spent her whole life touring to earn money—possibly more than Wei Ming earned in foreign exchange—but never had love, never bore offspring, and spent her final decade in pain and surgery.

"Dad, do they say when the two pandas will be sent to Hong Kong?"

"No notice yet. Bas just came back, still thin—I'll nurse her back to health first."

Wei Ming: "Alright, I'll drop by and see my sister-in-law when I get a chance."

Then Wei Ming handed out the gifts he'd bought in Japan—high-tech electronics and cosmetics left his parents dazzled.

Xu Shufen scolded him: "Oh, why buy me cosmetics? You should've bought them for… younger people."

She meant Gong Ying and Zhu Lin—they were the ones who needed it, not her.

Wei Ming smiled: "Mom, you're going to Hong Kong too. My grandpa's little wife is two years older than you, but she looks like she's barely thirty."

Hearing that, Xu Shufen accepted without hesitation—if she looked too much older, her husband would lose face.

The next day, Wei Ming returned to school. In the morning, he worked on writing: his Japan trip—women's volleyball, Japan's electronics boom, the bullet train's speed, the bar streets filled with unwilling male salarymen—all worth writing about.

At noon, Wei Ming went to the No. 1 Dining Hall, where Xiao Hong often ate, to give her the Walkman, but couldn't find her; he met a girl from her dorm, who told him: "Today, the middle school students are visiting the Rubik's Cube Club, and she's hosting them."

Then Wei Ming went to the club activity room to find Wei Hong, and saw her and her club members teaching a group of high school students how to solve the Rubik's Cube.

Now she was getting better and better at solving the cube, almost like magic, leaving the children stunned, with cheers and exclamations rising and falling continuously.