[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-125":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294543,4489,"Chapter 125: Playing with Those People? It","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-125",125,"\u003Cp>“This is Jingcheng!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are so many trains, I can’t even count them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That building is really tall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look, Wen Leyu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the train pulled into the station, Li Dayong and the others, worn out from a night on the hard seats, perked up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Hu Man and the other three girls, who waved excitedly at Wen Leyu the moment they spotted her on the platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu waved back at Hu Man and the others; their months of close companionship had forged genuine sisterly bonds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then Wen Leyu heard Li Ye, beside her, say in surprise: “Why is she here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That female reporter from Dongshan Education Daily—she came to Qingshui County to interview me. I was too lazy to come back from the south, and later I never had time to cooperate with her, kept making excuses. I felt kind of guilty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu slowly turned her head, like a dozing cat who’d heard a mouse stir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young couple locked eyes, exchanging glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu: “Are you confessing to the organization?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye: “I stand with no man who’s a scumbag!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu lifted her pretty little nose, utterly unconcerned—like a kitten licking its sharp claws before lazily dozing off again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye, by contrast, was perfectly calm—he was naturally gifted and had always been popular with girls; he didn’t know how many love letters he’d get in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps only a girl of Wen Leyu’s caliber could spare Li Ye from such troubles and annoyances!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Brother Ye, Brother Peng, I’ve missed you so much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dayong led the way, pushing through the crowd of classmates to reach Li Ye; this burly guy spoke with a whine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He really did feel wronged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye went to Yangcheng without him, arrived in Jingcheng ahead of time without him, and gave the excuse of “entrusting him with important duties”—making him the second steward of the eight-member group, responsible for looking after Hu Man and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Li Ye and Jin Peng roam the world freely, how could Li Dayong’s youthful heart settle for mediocrity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Li Dayong only had these petty thoughts inside—he’d never stay in Qingshui County if he could help it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, first go register at your schools individually. Later, we’ll all get together for a meal at our new place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“New place? What new place? Like the Second Grain Store?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Grain Store was a memory the eight-member group would never forget; now that they heard Li Ye had prepared another new place, they were thrilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them had come to Jingcheng together—they’d live together for four years. Just thinking about it felt wonderful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng nudged Li Ye: “I’m going to pick up Old Song first. We’ll talk tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye spotted the limping man, shrinking and smirking at him, and nodded, letting Jin Peng leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Yue Mengmeng, who had been watching from outside, smiled and approached Wen Leyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, I’m Yue Mengmeng from Dongshan Education Daily. I’ve seen your name on the honor roll at Qingshui No.2 High School. I’m doing a follow-up report on Dongshan students coming to Jingcheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu listened quietly to Yue Mengmeng’s words, then said coolly: “I’m sorry, I’m not available for an interview.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think you should look outside the station—there are plenty more stories there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not available?” Yue Mengmeng kept smiling. “Just now I told some classmates I could take photos of them at Tiananmen Square and mail them to their families.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu opened her shoulder bag without expression and pulled out a camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll take photos of Tiananmen ourselves. Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Mengmeng studied the camera in Wen Leyu’s hands closely, reading the two characters on top: “Hongqi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Of course】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hongqi 20 camera was a fully domestic model developed by Shanghai Camera Factory No.2 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the nation. Its performance approached that of high-end overseas cameras and represented the pinnacle of 1980s Chinese camera production.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But production was extremely limited, reserved only for news organizations and related departments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a journalist, Yue Mengmeng knew full well what kind of person could own a Hongqi 20.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Mengmeng nodded and smiled: “I’m just capturing a few shots for background footage—I won’t disturb you. When the report comes out, it’ll benefit the students too, like helping with party membership.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu shrugged: “You can interview other students, but I don’t need it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Wen Leyu looked at Li Ye: “He doesn’t either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of students exited Jingcheng Station and were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the station, huge banners and signs covered a vast stretch of the square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All read: “XX University New Student Reception,” “Welcome 1982 Freshmen of XX University,” and similar slogans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good heavens, how many universities is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are all these universities in Jingcheng? There must be dozens!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Li Dayong’s impression, universities in Shenzhou were extremely rare, incredibly hard to get into, and students were precious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this scene made them feel like these universities were as common as cabbages sold by the pound on the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Mengmeng raised her camera from the side, locking onto the students’ stunned expressions, successfully capturing a meaningful image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a poor small town to the nation’s capital—what kind of transformation would these future pillars of the country undergo?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few more such photos, and a solid article would gradually take shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we register first, or take photos first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Man spotted the sign for Jingcheng Aviation College and hesitated—should she do the official business first or have fun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye said: “Ask them. Don’t be shy. From now on, you have to learn to live independently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Man and Jiang Xiaoyan smiled shyly, walked over together, asked a few questions, then ran back happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They said it’s fine—they’ll be here today and tomorrow, you can register anytime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-member group walked off together, but Yue Mengmeng didn’t follow. Instead, she squinted at Wen Leyu’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, she looked down at her chest, then turned to look behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Mengmeng turned and walked straight to Jingcheng University’s new student reception desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, I’m Yue Mengmeng, a reporter for Dongshan Education Daily stationed in Jingcheng. Are there any students from Dongshan here? May I conduct a survey interview?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure sure, sister, come on over!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m from Dongshan. What’s this ‘survey’ thing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye and Wen Leyu took several newly arrived classmates to Tiananmen Square, shot two rolls of film, had a hearty meal, then saw each one off onto their respective university shuttles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the advantage of the eight-member group’s joint application became clear: each school had two students, watching out for each other, never lonely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, remember to come find us next Sunday!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t forget. If anything urgent happens, call Brother Peng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Ye had settled on a new base, they couldn’t cancel their room at Kemei Hotel—at least the front desk had a phone, the fastest way to stay in contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing off Li Dayong and the others, Li Ye and Wen Leyu didn’t go register at Jingcheng University—registration wasn’t limited to one day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people rushed to get it done early; today would be packed. No need to queue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two watched a movie and enjoyed a delicious dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye found it strange: just now, Hu Man and the others had whispered quietly to Wen Leyu, yet Wen Leyu hadn’t asked a single word about Yue Mengmeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye didn’t know—in Wen Leyu’s eyes, lions and elephants were rivals; everyone else was trash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Ye returned to Kemei Hotel, Jin Peng, Wang Qiang, and Old Song had already eaten and were sitting in the room smoking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you’re finally back!” Wang Qiang immediately complained: “This Old Song’s a scoundrel—he spent the whole afternoon wandering around and didn’t see anything useful. When we asked him to refund the money, he refused.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Scoundrel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye sat down on the bed, watching Old Song squatting in the corner, puffing on his pipe. He found it interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That morning, when Old Song got off the train, Li Ye had glanced at him twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the old man wasn’t shy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Jingcheng platform, he showed no trace of “unfamiliarity with the world”—his eyes darted around, sharp with cunning, yet also open-minded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give him a chair. Why squat on the floor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need, no need. Squatting’s fine. My legs aren’t very flexible—I’m used to it, hehe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song glanced at Li Ye, grinned with his yellow teeth, his wrinkled face oozing flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Jin Peng spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Ye, I messed up. This afternoon I took him to the courtyard at Zaojunmiao, told him I was a carpenter from home, here to fix doors and windows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he walked around the room, looked everywhere, and couldn’t tell a thing. Asked him anything, he didn’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye said calmly: “What did you ask him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, we asked if the furniture was good quality—he couldn’t say. We asked if it was worth two thousand yuan—he said he needed a few more days to decide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Qiang couldn’t hold back: “He’s just after our food! You didn’t see him at lunch today—he was like a monkey, ate more than me, devoured three bowls of braised pork offal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song lowered his head, embarrassed: “Hehe, I won’t... I’ll eat just two buns from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think you got off easy? You ate plenty tonight—if it weren’t for my brother’s kindness and his order to treat you well, you wouldn’t have gotten a single bite tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye found it amusing; Wang Qiang wasn’t the impatient type—this old Song must have truly pissed him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, whether it’s worth it depends on who you ask. If you two young masters think it’s not worth it, Master Li might not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, no—just call me Brother Li Ye,” Li Ye said. “Just tell me: are those pieces of furniture good or not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song hunched his shoulders, darting suspicious glances at Jin Peng and Wang Qiang, opening his mouth but holding back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng saw right through it: this old bastard had something to say but was waiting for the real boss—Li Ye—to show up before revealing his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course—he’d only say it to Li Ye. If he told Jin Peng, it wouldn’t be worth anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe~ You really are a sly devil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng smiled but said nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t outwit Old Song in trickery, but if it came to brute force, eight Old Songs couldn’t match him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he pushed Jin Peng too far, he’d go back and dig up Old Song’s ancestral graves!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To these old-school types, their ancestral graves mattered more than their own lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how he played, he couldn’t escape Jin Peng’s palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye said: “Everyone here’s family—just tell me straight: are those pieces of furniture good or not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song chuckled awkwardly, thinking for a moment. “A couple of pieces are decent. The rest are average.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All that furniture, and only a few were real? The rest were fakes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye wasn’t upset about the two thousand yuan—he was worried his image of competence in front of Jin Peng and Wang Qiang was about to collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【See? See? I told you it wasn’t worth two grand. Got fooled, didn’t you?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye, still unwilling to give up, asked: “So these ‘average’ pieces—were they old elm, prickly ash, or what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nope,” Old Song said firmly. “Mostly rosewood. Two pieces were huanghuali, and some others were random chicken-wing wood and junk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Slap!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye slammed the table, glaring at Old Song for a long moment before saying: “Tell me about those two decent pieces—what makes them decent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song swallowed hard. “That bed frame, and a few pieces in the study—fine material, even better craftsmanship. Not the work of an ordinary hand. Even decades ago, they were valuable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re saying you’ll wait a few days to check the market prices in Beijing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song’s eyes lit up. He gave a thumbs-up. “A top scholar is sharp indeed. Antique prices fluctuate. I don’t know Beijing’s market—I can’t say if two thousand’s fair or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, alright, stop flattering me. I’ve got a job for you—will you take it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye wasn’t going to dance around with this old fox. The man’s fox fur was nearly worn off—hiding things only made him look foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My legs aren’t good. Can’t do some jobs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s your old trade—check the antique market in Beijing. I’ll pay you a salary. But if your legs are truly bad—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can do it! I can do it! Look, look!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song squatted on the ground and kicked his lame leg—thump, thump, thump—surprisingly strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright then—how much salary do you think’s fair?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song grinned. “That depends on how big your operation is, and who you’re dealing with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not big,” Li Ye said. “We’re late to the game. Beijing’s waters are already muddy. Let’s start with a few ten thousand yuan, test the waters, see how things go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song muttered a few times, thought hard, then held up three fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thirty’s too low. You’re a talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not thirty,” Old Song grinned, showing his teeth. “I want three hundred.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Qiang shot to his feet, roaring: “You old bastard, how dare you ask for that? Do you think I won’t smash your skull with a stool?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehehe~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song crouched in the corner, silent, only chuckling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled. “If you want three hundred, you’ve got to explain the details.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song lit a new pouch of tobacco, puffing as he spoke. “Antiques are murky waters—too many dangerous players. You might even run into foreigners. That’s even more perilous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve got a grandson at home. An old man like me has to sell his skills for a good price, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my god,” Jin Peng laughed. “Old Song, you know what foreigners are? Do you even know what a US dollar or a Hong Kong dollar is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only know silver dollars,” Old Song said proudly. “Back in my youth, I dealt with the Japanese a few times—conned them out of thousands of silver dollars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye and his two brothers stared, stunned, at the frail old man in the corner—hard to believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How the hell did you not get stabbed to death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye asked sternly: “How did you dare cheat those people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That money felt good to spend!” Old Song swayed his head. “Drinking, chasing girls—everything costs. Spending other people’s money feels wrong. But cheating those bastards? Hehehe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye fell silent for a long while, then said solemnly: “If you’re dealing in antiques in Beijing, you might run into people from that side too. Many fine pieces end up sold overseas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song said nothing. After finishing his tobacco pouch, he grinned crookedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two hundred. Two hundred a month. No lower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why’d you lower it yourself?” Jin Peng asked, half-angry, half-laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song’s sly eyes gleamed. In Dongshan dialect, he said: “Because playing with them? It’s thrilling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you to reader “Live Freely” for the tip, and to reader “july-27th” for the tip—thank you both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2551,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f7b41c8b5ef2a9f9a0a8c208b890644b9969ad0de1ba4fdcb865b344f3234987","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-126","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-124",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]