[{"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-237":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},2294655,4489,"Chapter 237: Watch Out, I","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-237",237,"\u003Cp>After Li Zhongfa and Liu Zhengqing finished eating, it was already past two in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the medical worker Comrade Gao Shuyi, fulfilling her duty, took Li Zhongfa to the hospital and insisted he undergo a full physical examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa couldn’t resist her, so he reluctantly went along—who could blame him, after all, he’d told her on the phone last night that he wasn’t feeling well?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tests turned up no serious illnesses, but plenty of minor ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look, look—I told you I’m fine! You still didn’t believe me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean no problems? Your waist, legs, and several other indicators are all off—if you don’t rest properly for a while, you’ll suffer terribly in two years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rest? Hmm, I’ll retire before two years are up—then I’ll truly be resting, doing nothing but walking every day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Comrade Old Company Commander, I’m not joking. If you trust me, come to Shanghai and stay for a while—I’ll arrange a good sanatorium for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shuyi was deeply dissatisfied with Li Zhongfa’s casual attitude; over the years, she’d seen too many brave heroes suffer because of their carelessness, while many “medicine bottles” managed to stumble through life and live to old age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because medicine bottles, whenever they felt even a hint of discomfort, would go straight to the hospital, obediently see doctors, obediently take medicine—though they looked weak and pitiful, they never developed serious illnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those “iron men,” once they finally collapsed, might never get up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go to Shanghai to rest? No, no—look at how energetic I am! Who’d believe I need rest? Wouldn’t people laugh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa paused, then shook his head vigorously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he said he needed rest, people might believe him—but if he went to Shanghai to rest, his grandmother Wu Juying would be the first to disbelieve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a guerrilla fighter—gentle and caring, she could feed you spoonful by spoonful until you were plump; but when danger appeared, her eyes would sharpen, alert and fierce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shuyi sighed helplessly and glanced at her husband.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The political instructor smiled and said, “Comrade Old Company Commander, you do look energetic—but three parts of that energy come from you, seven parts from your clothes. You’re just benefiting from your outfit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sharp eyes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa cut off Liu Zhengqing’s advice, patting his clothes: “This is from my great-granddisciple’s filial gift—Fenghua brand. I’ll get each of you one too—let you all look sharp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t want gifts from your disciples.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t want them, but the kids do! Li Ye, take your two uncles and aunt to try on sizes—get each of them two sets. Tell Jin Peng to put it on my tab.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Zhongfa directed Li Ye, he pulled Liu Zhengqing toward the exit: “Come on, come on—let’s find another place. Tell me how Hou Xiangui and the others are doing. How many from our old Sixth Company are still alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa led the old comrades away, leaving Li Ye and the Liu siblings behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muyang asked Li Ye curiously: “Fenghua clothing—that’s the brand running ads all over the country these days, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, is this suit you’re wearing Fenghua too? I thought you bought it in Hong Kong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fenghua’s advertisement had finally aired across Shenzhou—their visuals, far beyond the era, instantly captivated every viewer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shanghai had always been the fashion frontier of Huaxia, so Liu Muyang had a strong impression of Fenghua’s recent dominance on screens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even by his Shanghai standards, he admired the suit Li Ye was wearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s genuine Fenghua—pure domestic product,” Li Ye said. “New stock should arrive soon—I’ll take you to see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muyang hesitated before answering, but Liu Muhang laughed: “Fine, but we won’t accept gifts this time! Even if there’s a generational gap, don’t take it seriously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who was the one taking it seriously?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At around six o’clock, Li Ye and the Liu siblings arrived at Xicheng Department Store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Tian Hongshan’s failed attempt, Xicheng Department Store had raised its sincerity and cooperation efforts with Pengcheng Factory Seven to the maximum, leasing almost the entire second floor to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Xicheng Department Store Pengcheng Factory Seven’s largest sales venue in Beijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since after the Spring Festival, Jin Peng, with everyone’s approval, implemented a “9-9-7” operating schedule at Xicheng Department Store—open until nine p.m. every day, holidays included.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an era when most businesses closed as soon as dusk fell, this was a meaningful advancement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Jin Peng worried customer traffic would decline, since people in this era still had little disposable income—saving for months to buy just a few items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye assured him: traffic would only increase, never decrease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this was Beijing—home to a large wealthy class and the highest volume of mobile population in all of Shenzhou. Many outsiders came here, skipped the sights, but never missed visiting major department stores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when they heard there was a department store open late at night, who wouldn’t go take a look?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Liu Muyang entered Xicheng Department Store, he asked Li Ye with interest: “Are all Beijing department stores open at night, or just a few pilot ones?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye replied vaguely: “Just a few, I’m not that familiar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muyang nodded: “Makes sense—Beijing’s more conservative.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Shanghai, Beijing was certainly more conservative—it set the tone for all of Shenzhou, valuing rigor far above fashion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the second floor, a giant Fenghua advertisement greeted them—dozens of full-size model posters lined both sides, with the words “Export-Return Domestic” displayed prominently at the top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1980s, “Export-Return Domestic” was unquestionably a high-class slogan—after all, the best products were always exported for foreign exchange, a universal belief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jin Peng first came up with this slogan, Li Ye thought it was lowbrow—but seeing the crowds, he quietly accepted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey hey, don’t push! You three, line up properly—this way, this way. Li Ge, I didn’t even recognize you in that outfit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye led the Liu siblings through the VIP entrance straight to Fenghua’s premium section, where he saw two girls chatting and bustling about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was Jiang Xiaoyan; the other—was Wen Leyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye froze, then immediately quickened his pace toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more you hide, the more suspicious you look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye clearly remembered how Wen Leyu had narrowed her sharp little eyes when he’d met Liu Muhang at the bookstore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leyu, are you helping Xiaoyan today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, my brother told me this afternoon that Xiaoyan’s mom’s permit is looking promising—he said Auntie should go tomorrow... hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu turned happily at the sound of Li Ye’s voice—but halfway through, she spotted Liu Muhang behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a kind-hearted girl; on the Lantern Festival, she’d helped Chen Jinhua sell lamb soup noodles all night, and had quietly taken notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1983, a foreigner trying to get a legal permit in Beijing might wear out their legs—but Wen Leyu quietly asked her older brother for help, and only now, when things looked promising, told Jiang Xiaoyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she never expected to run into Liu Muhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary girls, she never considered rivals—like Yue Mengmeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after just one meeting with Liu Muhang, she’d already placed her in her “imagined enemy” list—no reason, pure instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, her instinct proved right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu narrowed her expressive eyes and smiled sweetly at Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye instantly understood her meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You better give me a perfect explanation—or I’ll scratch your face off.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye grabbed Wen Leyu’s arm and turned to the Liu siblings: “This is my classmate—and my best friend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he pointed to Liu Muhang and Liu Muyang and said to Wen Leyu: “These two are the family of my grandfather’s old comrades—they just arrived from Shanghai yesterday. I mentioned them to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Ye said “best friend,” Wen Leyu’s expression softened—but when she heard the introduction about Liu Muhang, she blinked several times, slowly grasping it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She whispered: “The one Old Lu mentioned yesterday—the sanitation worker’s daughter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye nodded, silently affirming: you’re absolutely right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xiaoyan blinked, realizing Li Ye hadn’t introduced her, and quickly stepped aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sensed something big was coming—better stay out of the blast zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was already in danger—he’d have no one to complain to if he got caught in the crossfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu’s narrowed eyes widened again; her cool smile faint but present, a quiet elegance spreading around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the girl stepped forward, moving like a feline, slowly approaching Liu Muhang, and extended her hand—palm open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, Wen Leyu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muhang silently studied Wen Leyu for two seconds, then smiled faintly and extended her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, Liu Muhang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, Liu Muyang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muyang extended his hand too—but immediately realized the girl had no intention of acknowledging him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hss~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clever Liu Muyang instantly sensed something was off. His suspicious gaze shifted to Li Ye, growing stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You bastard, if you’re stepping on two boats, I swear I’ll drown you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1496,"2026-06-20T05:05:01.382Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cab41c9bef2327e3feee19965d75ef85385446d08f777a6d1dcec6e50e075f7e","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-238","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-236",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]