Chapter 448: This Lifetime, I Promise to Catch Up to Them

"Little Ye, I heard they've got 29-inch color TVs now; next year, use your connections to get one for home. Keep track of how much it costs—I'll pay you back with Grandpa later."

"Huh? Oh, okay, tomorrow—no, I'll get someone to buy it right away. The money's on me; it's my gift to Grandma."

The Spring Festival of 1985 was Li Ye's fourth in this world.

Four years had slipped by, and Li Ye quietly changed the world, and quietly changed his family.

In the past, when Li Ye tied together a few Gatling guns, Grandma Wu Juying scolded him for wasting money—but this year, Grandma was already complaining that the TV wasn't big enough.

Li Ye dared not disobey Grandma's orders, but he couldn't help feeling strange: why did Wu Juying sound faintly resentful when she said that?

Soon after, his younger sister Li Ying brought him the answer.

"Brother, today Grandma heard that Lu Jingyao brought back a 29-inch color TV from overseas and gave it to Gao Xiaoyan's family as a bride price."

Okay, Li Ye understood: Lu Jingyao's broken engagement was something Grandma would never forget—even a once-frugal female guerrilla fighter had her pride on certain matters.

Li Ying, seeing her brother lost in thought, quickly whispered to change the subject: "Brother, how big do you think a 29-inch TV is?"

Li Ye thought for a moment and gestured with his hands: "It means the diagonal of the screen is twenty-nine inches. Calculate: twenty-nine times 2.54 centimeters."

Li Ying counted on her fingers for a few seconds, then nodded: "Seventy-three point six six. Brother, how much does a TV like that cost?"

"About three or four thousand!" Li Ye ruffled Li Ying's hair and said seriously: "Xiao Ying, you're really smart. Believe me—if you just put a little more effort into your studies, you'll definitely get into university."

Li Ying stared at Li Ye for several seconds, then replied just as seriously: "Brother, after you graduate from university, then? When will I ever be able to afford a 29-inch color TV?"

Li Ye paused, then laughed: "Why are you worrying about that? By then, I'll buy you two TVs—we'll take turns watching them, so neither one gets tired."

"And if you get into university, I'll give you a car after you graduate."

Li Ying slowly shook her head: "When I grow up, I won't spend your money—I'll spend money I earn myself."

Li Ye looked into Li Ying's eyes and couldn't help sighing.

Though she was the youngest in the family, she bore burdens no child her age should carry; from the start, she placed herself in a position entirely different from her sister Li Yue.

But then Li Ying said something that made Li Ye smile despite himself.

"Brother, think about it—I'll earn at most sixty yuan a month after university. Even if I didn't eat or drink, I'd need six or seven years to buy one TV. But I can't possibly not eat or drink—"

"So I'd never afford a TV in ten years. But if I sell clothes, it's different—I could buy a 29-inch color TV for the family in a year, no, even half a year."

"Brother, please talk to Dad again—let me go to the market with Auntie. I'll only go on Sundays and holidays, and I promise I'll finish all my homework during the week."

So this little sister still hadn't given up.

She'd even thrown out the ultimatum: "I promise to finish my homework."

But Li Ye absolutely refused to let her hawk goods at such a young age—anything that could help her study more, he wanted her to study more.

Seeing Li Ye still refuse, Li Ying summoned great courage and held up five fingers.

"Brother, go tell Dad—if you let me set up a stall, I'll keep this much of what I earn."

Wow—fifty-fifty split. Little sister Li Ying had made a huge concession.

Li Ye couldn't help laughing: "You think too highly of yourself. If you earn a hundred, the family might let you keep five—do you really think you'll get half?"

Li Ying lowered her head, meekly: "We keep half, and don't tell them."

Li Ye understood: Li Ying meant to secretly keep half, but if the family found out, Li Ye—the older brother—would take the blame, as if he'd conspired with her to embezzle profits.

She's already learned to find a shield?

"What are you two still doing there? The New Year's Gala's about to start—aren't you going to watch?"

Li Kaibian's voice suddenly rang out, startling Li Ying, who had been conspiring with Li Ye.

"Coming, coming, Dad! I was asking Brother about a study problem!"

Li Ying dashed into the main room, first brought Li Ye a chair, then poured tea for Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad, before taking two tangerines, peeling one, and handing half to Li Ye.

Her sister Li Yue shot her a sidelong glance—but Li Ying ignored her.

What are you looking at? I'm not serving you.

Just before eight, Dongshan TV began broadcasting the First Channel's program.

At the time, mainland TV stations hadn't yet gone satellite, and the First Channel couldn't guarantee clear signals across all provinces, so major programs relied on local stations to rebroadcast.

And the very first thing shown during the rebroadcast wasn't the Spring Festival Gala, but the "prime-time commercials" before it.

The screen showed golden waves of wheat, rippling gently in the breeze, clearly displaying plump grains.

An elderly farmer cut a bundle of wheat, smiled contentedly at the camera, revealing a set of white teeth.

"The best wheat makes the best flour. The finest ingredients make the finest flavor—Qingshui River instant noodles. Pure ingredients, hometown taste."

As the ad played, golden wheat by the riverbank, plump yellow cattle on the grass, bright red peppers on branches—all vividly colored scenes switched rapidly, as if this weren't an ad but a scenic documentary.

Li Ying couldn't help asking: "Grandpa, are these our instant noodles?"

Li Zhongfa beamed with pride but corrected her: "How could these be our instant noodles? These are Qingshui County's instant noodles—don't go around saying otherwise!"

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, Grandpa."

This commercial was Qingshui River Food Company's New Year ad, and they'd put tremendous effort into filming it.

And when negotiating with the First Channel for ad time, they'd "luckily" secured the best slot.

So of course Li Zhongfa was proud.

But Li Zhongfa didn't know—and perhaps never would—that their fiercest rivals for the First Channel's prime ad slot had been Fenghua Clothing and Pengcheng Red Bull Beverage, who'd both lost out, leaving the slot open for him.

They couldn't afford to compete—neither Hao Jian nor Fu Guiru dared challenge the old man for the spotlight.

At exactly eight, the Spring Festival Gala began, instantly thrilling the entire Li family.

"This year's stage is so huge!"

"Not bad, not bad—this spectacle isn't worse than the Olympics. If foreigners can do it, so can we."

Whether Li Zhongfa, Wu Juying, Li Juan, or Li Ying, all were satisfied with the 1985 Gala's opening.

But they didn't know this was history's "most failed" Spring Festival Gala.

In 1984, mainland audiences had been exposed to too many major events—they'd watched the National Day parade and the Los Angeles Olympics, and no longer found "grand spectacles" impressive.

Then someone felt it was too shabby for a nation of over a billion people to hold the Spring Festival Gala in a tiny First Channel studio; only a grand stage could match the dignity of a great nation.

So the 1985 Gala was set in Beijing's Workers' Stadium.

To be fair, the idea was good—even ahead of its time—but 1985 wasn't 2005; staging a cultural show in a ten-thousand-seat stadium back then was no small challenge.

Ultimately, due to the First Channel's inadequate facilities and technical capabilities, numerous mistakes occurred.

Still, the production team had prepared meticulously: after last year's hit "My Chinese Heart," they'd invited Hong Kong stars Lo Wai and Wang Ming-chuan; they'd also brought on the famed crosstalk master Ma Lao and the popular Chinese women's volleyball team—all determined to deliver a perfect Gala.

But in the end, the show fell flat; most acts received little response.

So many viewers criticized it that the First Channel was forced, eleven days later, to issue a formal apology on the News Broadcast.

High-level officials then sent four investigation teams to the First Channel to probe the causes of the failure—proof of how massive the fallout had been.

Before the Gala even ended, Li Zhongfa frowned at the TV: "Feels like they messed up. What happened?"

Li Ye murmured: "It's not their fault. Our equipment and technology are still lacking, and we have no experience organizing large-scale TV events."

"We're behind the world in every way. To catch up with the top tier, we'll need immense, relentless effort."

It can be said that our backwardness relative to the world is comprehensive; to catch up with world-class standards, we still need immense effort.

Li Zhongfa was practical—he'd led the instant noodle factory this far, and he knew well how far behind the mainland was.

Equipment, management—there were too many areas needing improvement.

But Li Zhongfa was also a man who refused to lose.

He narrowed his eyes: "Our backwardness is temporary. If we grit our teeth and chase, we'll catch up.

If I can't catch up in my lifetime, you must keep gritting your teeth—and if you can't, let my grandson keep chasing."

Watching Li Zhongfa now clearly fired up, Li Ye said calmly: "I remember, Grandpa. But I don't want my son to suffer.

I guarantee—within your lifetime, we'll catch up to them. And then, we'll make them chase us."

I came back late today—Chapter Two will update past midnight. Please check tomorrow morning. Sorry, sorry.

I came back late today because I had something to do; the second chapter will be updated in the early hours of the morning—please check tomorrow morning! Sorry, sorry.