Chapter 114: The Man on the Bicycle Seat

Li Ye held up a book to shield his face—and the girl on the middle bunk from his view.

But then she softly asked, “Excuse me, are you Li Ye?”

“.”

Li Ye lowered the book and sat up.

He studied her face carefully, three times over, and confirmed he didn’t know her.

“Sorry, I don’t recall knowing you.”

“Oh, I was too impulsive.”

The girl smiled, turned, rummaged for a moment, then pulled out a newspaper and handed it to Li Ye.

Li Ye looked—and it was the Dongshan Education Daily.

On page two was a photo of Li Ye and an article titled “Never Give Up, Focus on One Thing.”

This was Yue Mengmeng’s work—she’d even gone back to Qingshui County just days ago to brag about it to him!

But Li Ye, staring at the blurry photo of himself, chuckled and asked, “You recognized me from this?”

Newspaper photos back then had terrible resolution—even if Li Ye looked stunning, the blur filter made him far from unrecognizable.

The girl smiled. “Half guess, half hope. I wasn’t sure myself just now.”

Li Ye smiled, then asked, “Your accent isn’t from Dongshan. How’d you end up with this paper?”

The girl smiled openly. “I’m not from Dongshan, but my father read about you and discussed you with friends in Dongshan Province—so one of them sent him this paper.”

Li Ye nodded slightly. “That’s quite a coincidence. If I get the chance, I’d love to hear your father’s advice.”

The girl smiled again and extended her hand. “Jingwai, Liu Muhan. Pleased to meet a talent from Jingda.”

“What talent?”

Li Ye shook her hand lightly, then handed the newspaper back to her.

Liu Muhan was puzzled—Li Ye wasn’t cold or distant, but his reserve was unmistakable.

【Could he know I’m Lu Jingyao’s roommate? Or just because I’m from Jingwai?】

Liu Muhan had slipped in a subtle hint earlier.

My father read about you and was fascinated, and my Dongshan friends—could you at least ask if my dad’s in the Writers’ Association?

But Li Ye acted as if he had zero interest—after returning the paper, he picked up his other book again.

Liu Muhan noticed he’d brought two books. “Li Ye, are you reading the other one? Could I take a look?”

Li Ye handed her the spare book without looking up, silent and unresponsive, leaving Liu Muhan utterly deflated.

【No wonder Jingyao doesn’t like him—he’s kind of clueless. But damn, he’s so handsome!】

Liu Muhan was proud by nature. If Li Ye wouldn’t engage, she wouldn’t force it—she lay down and opened her book.

“Woo~~”

As the train whistled to depart, the last passenger rushed aboard.

He was a short, stout middle-aged man, drenched in sweat from running, yet his white shirt buttons were perfectly fastened, and two pens stood neatly in his pocket.

Clearly, a “rigid type.”

But when he tried climbing into his bunk, he couldn’t stay rigid anymore.

His bunk was the top tier on the right—extremely cramped, hard to climb, and once up, he couldn’t even sit upright.

That’s why lower berths were hardest to get.

Train berths got progressively tighter from bottom to top: lower berths let you sit with headroom, middle berths only worked for short girls, upper berths—

The man climbed down and smiled at Li Ye. “Kid, I’m too old to climb up. You’re young, strong, agile—let’s swap, okay?”

Li Ye didn’t even lift his eyes. “No.”

Refusing people was a skill—he’d learned it years after his first job. Now he refused cleanly, no room for negotiation.

The man hadn’t expected such a blunt rejection after flattering him so nicely.

Helplessly, he winced. “Kid, I’m not asking for free. Upper and lower berths cost different prices—I’ll give you two yuan extra.”

Li Ye cut him off. “Sorry, sir, I’m tall. Upper bunk’s too cramped. Find someone else.”

The one-meter-six man stared at one-meter-eight Li Ye, panting heavily.

But what could he do? This was a civilized age. A few years ago, he could’ve beaten Li Ye into tears.

He turned to Liu Muhan—but the girl who’d been reading was now fast asleep under her blanket.

【It’s sweltering out—how’s she not suffocating under that?】

The man sighed and turned back to climb his bunk.

He’d scanned the whole carriage—only these two kids were greenhorns; everyone else were seasoned travelers, not worth bothering.

But he was annoyed, so he muttered under his breath.

“Times are falling apart. What kind of teachers are raising kids these days? No respect for elders, no love for the young—plus, they cut corners, chase comfort—”

“How’s a kid even qualified to ride a berth? Where’d he get the ticket? Where’d he get the money? Where’d he—”

“Huh~”

Li Ye suddenly sat up on his bunk.

The fat man reacted instantly—upon hearing the noise, he kicked hard and rolled into his upper bunk, eyes locked on Li Ye with alarm.

If Li Ye moved, he’d scream for help.

Li Ye didn’t move. A man worth hundreds of thousands wouldn’t hit a guy who winced at two yuan.

Ma Ali had fought with officials when he was young selling goods—but had he ever fought since?

Li Ye glanced at the fat man, pulled out his bag, and dug out a net full of walnuts.

The fat man stared, confused. To eat these, you need a hammer—or a brick, a rock. Did trains carry those?

But the next moment, he froze.

Li Ye simply clenched his fingers—and “crack” split the walnut open.

“Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.”

Six quick snaps. The fat man’s eyelids twitched six times.

【This guy’s a young master! Why me?】

But then the “young master” held up a broken walnut and said, “Want a taste?”

Taste? What?

Taste the walnut? Or your eagle-claw grip?

Those fingers didn’t look thick—but if they clamped down on me—

“No thanks, young master, haha~~”

The fat man turned inward and pretended to sleep.

Li Ye smiled, popped the walnut meat into his mouth.

He wasn’t showing off—he just didn’t want to deal with annoying chatter for another ten hours. Why ruin his mood?

“Can I try some?”

A voice came from behind his head. Li Ye turned—Liu Muhan, who’d been pretending to sleep, now stared at him with wide, bright eyes.

Li Ye nodded, cleaned the walnut shells from his palm, and offered the nutmeat to her.

Liu Muhan took it, stunned.

She’d always prided herself on reading people’s thoughts and actions—but Li Ye kept surprising her.

She’d assumed he’d offer her a walnut—but never imagined he’d clean the shells first.

【If he gave someone watermelon, would he seed it for them too?】

“I’ll trade!”

Liu Muhan pulled a pack of snacks from her bag and handed it to Li Ye.

Li Ye looked—it was saqima.

In 1980s Shenzhou, food was scarce; oil, sugar, rice, flour were rationed. Baked goods were rare—many pastries only appeared in luxury hotels or a few Western restaurants.

Saqima with raisins and nuts was a rare treat.

“Thanks.”

Li Ye took it, ate while lying down, and went back to reading.

Liu Muhan lay down too, savoring the nut’s rich aroma, shaking her head with a wry smile.

She suddenly understood—Li Ye wasn’t clueless at all. He was clever, in a way she couldn’t quite grasp.

【Ah, Jingyao, you missed out on someone special.】

At Beijing Station, Liu Muhan struggled to drag her suitcase, frowning.

Her mom had packed too much—afraid her daughter would eat poorly, get cold, or tan—stuffing in dozens of pounds of random stuff without a thought for exhaustion.

Luckily, the imported suitcase had wheels—on flat ground, she could pull it. But the few steps out of the carriage were a nightmare.

Just as she hesitated, Li Ye lifted her suitcase with one hand and placed it on the platform.

“Thanks! Where are you going? Do you know the bus routes?”

Liu Muhan thanked him, about to say more—when she saw Li Ye sprinting ahead without looking back.

Carrying two large bags, he was actually running.

Far ahead, a tall girl was also running toward him.

She was an unusual girl—her face was small, her eyes large, oddly out of step with the era’s beauty standards,

But Liu Muhan merely glanced twice, then couldn’t help but praise, “Truly beautiful.”

Especially the girl’s smile—reserved, elegant, gentle and refined, carrying a quiet, fragrant charm.

Wen Leyu skipped up to Li Ye with a smile and reached out to take the large tote bag from his hands.

Li Ye quickly stopped her: “Don’t mention that—just help me carry my backpack.”

But Wen Leyu snatched one of the large tote bags, swung it over her shoulders with both hands, and nearly toppled from the weight.

Yet she still laughed lightly: “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

Li Ye took the bag back, unloaded his small backpack, and slung it over Wen Leyu’s shoulder.

“The things in this bag are valuable—keep a close eye on them!”

“Oh oh oh, alright alright alright.”

Wen Leyu immediately agreed, determined to protect Li Ye’s “valuable items.”

Watching from a distance, Liu Muhan sighed again.

【He truly cares about how girls feel.】

Liu Muhan had seen Li Ye’s backpack on the middle bunk—it was full of snacks and books, nothing but a decoy for thieves, with nothing valuable inside.

Now giving the backpack to Wen Leyu was simply to make her feel “very capable.”

Watching the pair laugh and chatter as they walked away, Liu Muhan couldn’t help but sigh.

【Not everyone can eat the peaches in the Peach Garden of Immortality! Heh~】

After leaving Beijing Railway Station, Wen Leyu was stumped.

Because Li Ye’s luggage was too much for her bicycle to carry.

With two large bags strapped to the rear rack, how could they ride together?

Li Ye didn’t hesitate: “Sit on the crossbar—I’ll carry you.”

Wen Leyu stared at Li Ye: “.”

In the 1980s, many children had ridden on the front crossbar of their parents’ bikes—but those were children.

In a later-era movie called Nine Layers of Demon Tower, the male lead had ridden on the front crossbar—it looked authentically vintage, yet utterly incongruous.

Wen Leyu was already 1.7 meters tall—she felt it would be inappropriate if she sat on the crossbar, with Li Ye’s arms wrapped around her sides.

Not suitable.

Li Ye noticed Wen Leyu’s shyness and quickly corrected himself: “Then I’ll sit up front—you carry me.”

Wen Leyu puffed out her cheeks, then after a long pause said: “With the luggage, I can’t carry you.”

“Then wait for me.”

Li Ye, belatedly realizing, unloaded the two large tote bags from the rear rack and sprinted off to the station’s baggage storage, checked them in, then dashed back without stopping.

“Can we go now?”

Wen Leyu squinted, nodded vigorously, and mounted the bicycle, pedaling hard.

“Go!”

Li Ye moved at once, leaping lightly onto the rear seat.

Wen Leyu had chosen a 28-inch bike specifically to carry him easily, but Li Ye had just been thinking—admiring the bike’s front crossbar.

【Ah, girls in 1982 really are pure! In the future, with my looks and build...】

“Li Ye, what do you want to eat today?”

“Whatever—you’re from Beijing, you decide.”

“I’ll treat you to roast duck—Quanjude or Yibi Fang?”

“Oh? Little Yu, you’ve got money now? You can treat me to roast duck?”

“Of course,” Wen Leyu said proudly. “I get pocket money every month—pick anything you want.”

Li Ye smirked teasingly: “Aren’t your royalties stored with me? Why spend someone else’s money?”

“.”

“I’m not talking to you,” Wen Leyu blushed and scolded. “Today I’m taking you for roast duck, tomorrow for braised offal, the day after for pea cake...”

Li Ye felt his ears buzzing, his head slightly dizzy.

He’d come to Beijing a week early for some business—but now it seemed his schedule was already fully taken care of.

Happiness, too, was full.

“Ding ding ding~ ding ding ding~”

Wen Leyu’s cycling skills were average, so whenever she saw someone ahead, she rang the bell from far away.

Naturally, this startled countless passersby.

A young, beautiful girl, pedaling with long, straight legs, carrying a man down the street.

Is that proper?

In the 1980s, when women carried men on bikes, it was either a daughter carrying her father, or a good Samaritan carrying someone disabled.

These two? The man behind didn’t look disabled at all! How could he let a girl pant like this?

And that guy was even closing his eyes, looking as if he’d just smoked opium?

Fuck, he deserves a beating.

As they passed a group of troublemaking kids, Li Ye even heard someone shout, “Hey, get off, let me have a turn...”

【Hmph, today I’m in a good mood—I won’t bother with you. Don’t go looking for trouble.】

Sitting on the swaying bicycle, Li Ye looked up at the clear blue sky, then at the era’s buildings flashing past—his mood was utterly delightful.

The gentle breeze carried the girl’s scent into his nose, filling him with deep contentment.

This... was the taste of pure love!

In a few decades, it would be a rare treasure.

The holiday’s over—Old Feng, quickly adjust and start repaying debts: three chapters owed to the patron, two to the brothers who’ve supported me, at least five total... and more to come, later.

Thank you to reader “” for the reward—thanks, brother. thanks(w)

(End of Chapter)