Chapter 375: Can High School Be Bought?

At nearly eleven o'clock, Yang Yumin's family finally arrived.

Not many people—just Yang Yumin, his mother, his sister, the matchmaker Li Ganshi, and one Li Huai.

Li Ye found it amusing to see Li Huai, since the man was already somewhat dark-skinned, now he was nearly pitch-black.

"Old Li, you're such a busy man, and you've shown up too! Haven't seen you since graduation—look at you, off to play Bao Gong?"

Li Huai sneered, his bitter expression making everyone laugh.

"Oh come on, no more Bao Gong or Bao Mom—this past two months, I've spent a month and a half guerrilla-fighting in the western hills, today in this ravine, tomorrow in that village, doing propaganda work!"

Li Ye quickly said: "Excellent, excellent—you've been entrusted right after joining the unit, your future is limitless!"

Li Huai shook his head, grumbling: "To hell with your limitless future! When I came back a few days ago, I was crawling with lice."

"Yesterday I went to Yumin's place to borrow his little bathroom for a bath, and only then did I find out he's about to become your brother-in-law. So today I had to show up and make him pay for sneaking around behind my back."

Nearby, Li Ganshi chuckled: "Hahaha, more than half the people here today share the Li surname—Yang Yumin, you'd better watch out!"

Yang Yumin smiled but said nothing, following Li Ganshi as he led his mother and sister into Li Ye's courtyard.

Li Ye lagged behind and quietly tugged Li Huai's sleeve.

"Old Li, you're already employed—why still speak without restraint? 'To hell with your limitless future'? Your big mouth got you disliked in school, and now you still haven't changed at work?"

"I know, I know!" Li Huai looked surprised at Li Ye. "But aren't we off-duty now? Aren't we just a bunch of brothers getting together? Do we have to wear a fake smiley mask? Doesn't that feel suffocating?"

Li Ye could only sling his arm around Li Huai's shoulders and walk into the courtyard.

"Look, from now on—unless it's just the three of us alone together—don't say whatever comes to mind."

"Fine, fine, fine—you're the one with all the rules."

Actually, it wasn't that Li Ye had too many rules.

Because the huge success of "The Lonely Garrison of Wangxiang" triggered a chain reaction, eventually leading to related skits being performed at the Great Hall.

So Mu Yunning had once hinted to Li Ye that Li Huai and Yang Yumin, as founding members of the Lonely Garrison Literary Society, had gained advantages in their assignments and were likely to be placed in propaganda roles.

In the end, it turned out true—Yang Yumin was assigned to the top-tier Central Propaganda Department, while Li Huai was sent to a propaganda unit under Beijing's jurisdiction. Though both earned the same salary, their future prospects? Each man sees it differently.

Whether Li Huai's tendency to argue and his stubborn, unyielding temper played a part? No one knew.

After entering the courtyard, Li Zhongfa naturally smiled and chatted with the matchmaker over tea; Li Kaibian stared intently at Yang Yumin; Grandma Wu Juying and Yang Yumin's mother, Yang Huaiflower, chatted away, the atmosphere lively and harmonious.

Seeing Li Huai wandering around the courtyard, Li Ye walked over and asked: "What are you looking at? Envious? You're not poor—why not buy your own place too? Now's still a good time; soon, one less house will be available every time you miss a chance."

"Come on, little brother," Li Huai laughed. "I've known you this long, and this is my first time stepping into your courtyard.

I thought you'd hidden away something luxurious! Turns out it's barely better than Old Yang's place—and such a remote location, commuting's a nightmare. How did you two even think of this?"

In 1984, Zaojunmiao and Zhongguancun were certainly "remote," so Li Huai's blunt criticism was perfectly normal.

Li Ye could only reply: "Don't judge by location—I've got cultural energy here. Look around: aren't all the universities clustered front and back? If my sister ever gets into a Beijing university, this house will still be useful."

Li Huai turned his head left and right, thought for a moment, then exclaimed: "Hey, you're right! Your courtyard's actually pretty good!"

"Since it's good, why not buy one?"

"Can't afford it. I've got no money."

"How much do you have? I'll help you chip in."

"Thanks, Li Ye, but I've only got my latest salary—nothing else."

Hearing Li Huai say "no money" so casually, so matter-of-factly, Li Ye was left speechless.

Li Huai and Yang Yumin had always been the backbone of the Lonely Garrison Literary Society, always receiving the highest royalty shares. Yang Yumin had saved enough for a house—where was Li Huai's money?

"Huai, where's your money? Did you waste it all?"

"What do you mean 'waste'?" Li Huai laughed. "Don't you know I've got the generosity of Mengchang Jun? Once I joined the unit, didn't I have to treat coworkers to meals? Had to fix up my family home, lend thirty or fifty yuan to relatives—where's the money left?"

Seeing Li Ye speechless, Li Huai affectionately draped his arm over Li Ye's shoulder: "Hey, why are you so anxious? I'm not worried—my unit will assign housing soon. Why buy? Better to use that money to treat you guys to a few more meals, right?"

"Sigh."

Li Ye sighed softly, patted Li Huai's back: "If you ever change your mind, remember to tell me. Don't be distant, brothers."

"Not distant, not distant, absolutely not distant—hahaha!"

Li Huai's carefree attitude was, in fact, typical of many people in that era.

After Reform and Opening, why did so many workers complain? Because they felt their "happiness index" had dropped.

Clothing, food, housing, transportation—these had always been the four basic needs of life.

But since the day workers joined their units, they'd never worried about clothing, food, housing, or transportation; they'd never fretted over how to survive tomorrow.

Clothing: the unit issued work uniforms and shoes quarterly—no shame wearing them outside.

Food: the unit had a canteen.

Transportation: the unit provided shuttle buses.

Housing: the unit assigned apartments—whether one room or half a room, everyone was equal. Even if your family was large, just hang a curtain, and you could still marry the girl you loved and live your small life.

So workers in the 1980s were indeed different from peasants—many even spent money to obtain urban hukou, waiting for recruitment as workers.

But as years passed, these guaranteed comforts vanished, and things returned to the old historical path.

Clothing: you could wear old clothes, as long as they weren't patched beyond repair—you could still manage.

Food: you could eat "unhealthy" instant noodles; if worse came to worst, three yuan's worth of dried noodles could last a day.

Transportation: squeeze onto buses, squeeze onto subways; if you had to, carry two steamed buns and walk—eat one when hungry, and you'd still reach your destination.

But without your own home, you truly had no foundation.

Even a ten-square-meter shack could give you the strength to "get up again after falling," dispelling the despair of homelessness.

Thus, housing—the "housing" in clothing, food, housing, transportation—had crushed countless people since ancient times.

Later, even more despicable merchants, exploiting this psychological need, precisely calculated how to drain the savings of six people—truly hateful, hateful, hateful.

"Mrs. Yang, I heard from Xiao Yue that you live in Zhongguancun? That's quite a commute for Yumin—is it convenient?"

"Very convenient! Yumin bikes there in under an hour; if he takes the bus, it's even faster. Besides, the unit has single dorms—he can stay there when it rains or snows."

Wu Juying and Yang Huaiflower chatted in the inner room of the main house. Yang Huaiflower, usually straightforward in dealings, was now somewhat restrained.

After all, this concerned her son's lifelong future—the final duty of a parent—now at the threshold, just one step from completion. How could she not be nervous?

Yang Huaiflower looked at Li Yue and was thoroughly satisfied: beautiful, capable, helped her family settle in Beijing, brought them so many advantages—would the girl's family look down on them?

Even if they mocked her, she couldn't let her son suffer humiliation!

But Yang Huaiflower didn't know that Wu Juying was equally satisfied with Yang Yumin.

People fresh from the countryside, like Yang Huaiflower, couldn't imagine their son rising so fast.

But Li Zhongfa and Wu Juying had personally witnessed how the college graduate assigned to the county had been promoted in rapid succession.

Yang Yumin had decent looks, an excellent unit, was well-mannered and tactful—clearly, Li Yue had been waiting for this match all along, rejecting others for this one.

So Wu Juying said: "Mrs. Yang, the moment I saw your Yumin, I liked him. The boy's grown up—let's be honest, no hiding.

Tell us what you need to prepare, and we'll make sure our Xiao Yue's dowry is fully equipped. We're not a wealthy family, but we'll see to it properly."

Yang Huaiflower hurriedly refused: "No need, no need, Grandma Xiao Yue—you don't have to prepare anything. Our family lacks nothing—I've saved six hundred yuan for the bride price, and I'll give it all to Xiao Yue—she can buy whatever she wants."

"That won't do."

Wu Juying's face hardened, feigning displeasure: "When two families celebrate a wedding, why should only one side bear the burden? You've spent nearly ten thousand yuan on a house—wouldn't it be laughable if Xiao Yue showed up with empty hands?"

"I've decided: we Dongshan people prefer smoothness and luck. You give sixty-six yuan as bride price for good fortune; we'll give six dowry items."

Wu Juying declared firmly: "Yumin lives too far from his unit—we'll give a motorcycle as dowry.

Xiao Yue likes watching TV—we'll give a television. The rest are just basins and bedding—don't think it's too little!"

"That's too much!"

Yang Huaiflower was truly embarrassed. Though Wu Juying claimed her family had spent nearly ten thousand yuan on a house,

in truth, they'd only spent five thousand—and that five thousand came from Yang Yumin's royalties, earned thanks to Li Ye's help. Wasn't that humiliating?

But according to Wu Juying's logic, the Yang family wasn't humiliated at all—they had a house! That was the biggest expense in clothing, food, housing, transportation. Even Xiao Yue's motorcycle and TV combined couldn't match the value of a house.

"Ah, Grandma Xiao Yue, you…"

At that moment, Yang Huaiflower felt deeply ashamed. Xiao Yue was already so good—but this grandmother thought of her family at every turn, so considerate!

While the adults discussed matters inside, the two girls acting as helpers, Li Juan and Li Ying, quietly approached Li Ye.

Li Juan timidly asked: "Brother, if we get into a Beijing university, can we live in your courtyard?"

Li Ye widened his eyes: "Of course you can! Didn't I just say you're welcome anytime?"

"Hehehe, that's great!"

"Mmm, really good!"

Just now, they'd both seen Li Ye's living conditions—if they got into a Beijing university, wouldn't they get unlimited candy and snacks, and drinks and fruit whenever they wanted?

Seeing her sister overjoyed, Li Juan scowled: "Did you hear that? You've got to get into a Beijing university—you've got to study hard."

Little sister Li Ying rolled her eyes several times, then muttered: "I'll study with Xiao Yue and take the night college entrance exam."

Li Juan kicked her leg: "What are you thinking? I told you to get into high school first—otherwise you won't even qualify for night college!"

Li Ying rubbed her sore leg, pouting: "High school… isn't high school something you can buy? I'll save up and buy one myself."

(End of Chapter)