[{"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-135":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},2294553,4489,"Chapter 135: You Think It","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-135",135,"\u003Cp>Brother Li Ye, I’m suffering day and night—the monthly issue’s deadline is almost here. If you don’t send me the manuscript soon, I’ll quit and come beg food from you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye read Dong Yuejin’s telegram in his dormitory and nearly laughed out loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after the semester began, Dong Yuejin suddenly sent Li Ye an urgent letter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In it, he said he had been urgently appointed as chief editor by Lanhai Publishing House, tasked specifically with assembling and issuing the monthly magazine “Xinfeng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early eighties, as the spring breeze arrived, many publishers tried launching periodicals, but very few survived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye had never heard of \"Xinfeng\" and assumed it was one of those publications that withered away during the Hundred Flowers Campaign due to inherent weaknesses and inability to sustain itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Dong Yuejin’s letter, it seemed clear—“Xinfeng” was barely clinging to life; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been “urgently appointed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This job was no easy task: succeed, and Dong Yuejin gains status and salary; fail, and he’s left disgraced and bearing the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking office, Dong Yuejin immediately contacted Li Ye for a manuscript, asking him to send the first part of his new book to be serialized under the banner “Qichun Dao Feng’s New Work,” to revive “Xinfeng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he hoped to build “Xinfeng”’s own literary style around the theme “We Were Once Mighty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they first met, the two had passionately discussed the Battle of Talas, the long historical legacy of Shenzhou, and its millennia-long dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Yuejin couldn’t forget it. After returning to Daocheng, he spoke with several veteran authors he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few of them were deeply interested in historical themes and had already submitted partial manuscripts—now they only awaited the major work from Qichun Dao Feng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If this works, I might even earn the title of Founding Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye organized the first part of “Shuofeng Feiyang” and planned to mail it to Dong Yuejin the next day, easing his urgent need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, someone shouted from the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, someone’s looking for you downstairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, thanks!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye leaned out the window and saw Jin Peng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurried downstairs, remembering he’d told Jin Peng to come to Jingda if there was an emergency—he assumed something urgent had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Jin Peng’s cheerful face, he realized it wasn’t an emergency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s up, Brother Peng? Something happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something happened,” Jin Peng grabbed Li Ye and pulled him along. “Hao Jian bought a car—we finally have a car. You’re a major shareholder, you’ve got to see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bought a car? Already?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s eyes lit up with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, buying a car required a unit’s approval and a long waiting list—especially a sedan, which was extremely scarce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll tell you, this car’s great—has heating, a radio, can hit a hundred kph. The Yuejin Clothing Factory didn’t want to sell it to us, but Hao Jian just threw down the price of a whole new car.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, Hao Jian’s got real initiative—only a few days, and he’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye followed Jin Peng excitedly out the school gate and saw Hao Jian, Wang Qiang, and the others—and the “great car.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sky-blue body, four round headlights, high chassis, and… a three-meter-long cargo bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a truck! Hao Jian, you bought a truck?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a utility vehicle—authentic Beijing 130. Can carry people, can carry cargo, runs fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Ye’s disappointment, Hao Jian quickly opened the door and launched into a detailed pitch, as enthusiastic as a modern 4S salesgirl in black stockings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright then! I’ll try it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Hao Jian was being so generous, Li Ye couldn’t complain further—he opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat, starting the engine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car was well-maintained—at least better than the old Jiefang Li Ye had driven recently—but shifting gears took some getting used to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beijing 130 had a “column shifter”—the gear lever was under the steering wheel, like a luxury Mercedes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But while the Mercedes’ column shifter was automatic, the 130’s was manual: 1–2–3–4–reverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from that, the car had no real flaws—the steering was light, and acceleration was “damn fast” compared to the old Jiefang. Though it couldn’t reach the hundred kph Jin Peng claimed, ninety was no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye drove two laps, burning a liter of gasoline, and his disappointment faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car wasn’t perfect, but it solved the problem of having or not having—when real emergencies arose, it would be far more convenient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, decades later, most Chinese households didn’t necessarily need private cars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might drive less than five thousand kilometers a year; between fuel, depreciation, and insurance, it was genuinely wasteful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But whenever “something came up,” people suddenly craved a private car, leading to impulsive purchases of ten-thousand-yuan toys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Driving out for fun felt great—but later, when calculating the cost, it made your teeth ache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye parked the car and said to Hao Jian: “The car’s good, and you handled this well. But you still need to get a sedan soon—better face when you’re out on business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know, I know—I’ve already asked around. But sedans are just hard to get.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian nodded eagerly—he spent his days on business trips and knew a sedan’s “credibility boost” was invaluable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you guys go ahead. On Sunday, bring the car to Zaojunmiao—I need to use it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye turned to leave, but Jin Peng grabbed his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Ye, don’t go! You’ve got to teach us how to drive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do I have to teach you? Don’t you have a driver?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Li Ye notice—around the 130 stood only Hao Jian, Jin Peng, and Zhou Lijuan. No driver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye realized the possibility and asked in surprise: “Who drove this car here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng grinned proudly: “I did. Not hard to drive. Just teach me how to shift—every time I try, it clunks loud and scary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was truly impressed—you’re driving without a license in Beijing? You’re something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye said: “Enough talk. Tomorrow, borrow a driver from Yuejin Clothing Factory. Peng Ge, if you want to drive, go get a proper license. No one drives without one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian chuckled: “They’re willing to lend one, but how could we use their driver? We’re negotiating with three factories, comparing prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pretending we don’t know is fine, but if we use their driver to visit other factories… that’s not right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng added: “I’ve already sent Ma Qianshan back to Qingshui County to get the license. In five or six days, I’ll have it for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ye, just teach me now! By the time I get the license, I’ll already know how.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye spread his hands: “No. Learn after you get the license. I’m still in my probation period—I’m not allowed to train students under traffic rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian laughed: “What traffic rules? I’ve been watching for days—this countryside has no cops. You can drive anywhere on the road.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Ye still hesitating, Jin Peng gave Wang Qiang a light kick to the shin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Qiang looked sheepishly at Li Ye and grinned: “Brother, I wanna learn too. My license’ll be here in five or six days too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So these two were planning to buy fake licenses—no intention of following the rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye looked at Jin Peng, then Hao Jian, and said sternly: “You all want to learn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, all of us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All of us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to learn too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Jin Peng and Hao Jian—even accountant Zhou Lijuan smiled and said she wanted to learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you trying to stage a coup?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me see how I’ll handle you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye had seen through them—no salted fish can hide under a cat’s nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he refused to teach, they’d sneak and learn anyway. In an era where drivers were highly respected, the temptation to “learn to drive” was immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, back then, unlicensed driving was common—they had zero sense of legal compliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they did it secretly, the danger would be even greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I’ll teach you,” Li Ye said. “But until you get your licenses, no one touches the car.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright then!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They exchanged glances and reluctantly agreed—they’d clearly planned to drive without licenses all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye told Hao Jian: “You. Tomorrow, rent a taxi for business. There are plenty outside the train station. Don’t even think about using this car.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian grimaced: “That taxi costs over a yuan per kilometer—run a full day, it’s over a hundred yuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A hundred yuan? Is that money? Which is faster—your earning speed or your spending speed? You’re being stingy to death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Lijuan was speechless. In her decade in corporate life, she’d never seen a boss treat a hundred yuan as nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least not out loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye climbed in, annoyed, and drove north until they found a deserted dead-end road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He started with Jin Peng—Jin Peng had decent mechanical intuition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d mastered motorcycles instantly; now, having just learned the names of the three pedals, he’d already driven dozens of kilometers—he clearly had some driving talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Start, stop, start… stop. What are you doing? I told you to stop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng, full of confidence, had driven less than fifty meters before “Coach Li” scolded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He complained: “Xiao Ye, I haven’t even driven two steps—why are you telling me to stop? And I’m just not used to shifting—it keeps clunking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye said: “What I’m teaching you now is the core skill of driving. If you learn starting and stopping properly, you’ve already mastered half of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng stared at Li Ye, unsure whether he was being mocked or told the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was telling the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, saying “mastering start and stop means you’ve mastered half” might not fit the exam standards of this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But decades later, Li Ye’s words would be considered modest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In modern driving tests, the “start” maneuver alone accounts for 80–90% of the difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because starting tests the driver’s coordination between clutch and accelerator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighty percent of candidates fail because they can’t coordinate the clutch and accelerator properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forgetting to signal, forgetting to walk around the car for inspection, or not smiling at the examiner—these aren’t technical issues; if you’re clear-headed, you simply won’t make those mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the special scenarios shown in short videos? Even more rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Please, don’t let any big trucks cut me off on the road! Please, let me have as few red lights as possible!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these fears stem from the candidate’s lack of proficiency in starting off. If your start is flawless and you’ve mastered the clutch-accelerator coordination, every special situation can be handled by stopping normally and starting again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A failed start means zero points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, fine! Li Ye, whatever you say goes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng reluctantly accepted Coach Li’s instruction and, following Li Ye’s directions, completed over five starts and stops within a hundred meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned around and kept painfully repeating the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But half an hour later, Jin Peng strangely felt he had developed the demeanor of a seasoned driver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New drivers usually take several seconds to get the car moving after getting in and turning the key, because they’re searching for the clutch’s engagement point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jin Peng now could start instantly—he felt the relationship between accelerator and clutch was just a matter of fine adjustment: too fast caused jolts, too slow caused smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only steady, unhurried control could lead to mastery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye taught real practical skills. In his past life, he failed the test twice, then hired a seasoned instructor who taught him two months’ worth of material in just two days—and he passed effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you think other instructors don’t know these tips?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course they know—but which instructor wouldn’t feel heartbroken after making a student press the clutch hundreds of times in half an hour?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if they taught students this fast, how would they ever get to smoke their Zhonghua cigarettes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could they even afford them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now practice gear shifting: upshift twice and downshift twice within a hundred meters. Begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, won’t driving like this wear out the car fast?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wear out fast? Can’t you fix it? Do you think a car’s a girl you drive for life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2049,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8eb1e96a4017e85dadf435726994c89a3d7a0becf4c16f2358a50bb7ad0639d5","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-136","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-134",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]