[{"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-850":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},2295268,4489,"Chapter 850: I Have a Strange Intuition","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-850",850,"\u003Cp>“I don’t care about the hukou—if I can’t come to Plant One next year, I’ll transfer back to Jilin Province.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying this, Zheng Qiang anxiously waited for Li Ye’s reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because as soon as those words left his mouth, he had no way back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he first came to Beijing from Jilin with full confidence, it wasn’t because of his family’s Beijing hukou—after all, in 1987, the Three Northeast Provinces weren’t yet the “outside the pass” of later years, and Jilin’s auto industry was among the best in the country; compared to Jilin, Beijing wasn’t yet as superior as it would become later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after Zheng Qiang joined the unit and got involved in the 1041 technical improvement project, he finally understood what “going it alone” meant, and what “two fists can’t fight four hands” meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a technical reform team leader, he seemed to have special authority in technical matters, but any technical change he wanted to implement required explaining and arguing with a whole group of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Without you, we could still slowly improve and perfect things—did you come just to take credit for all our past efforts?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was all about redistribution of interests, responsibilities, and achievements; for an outsider to take a share from others’ hands, the difficulty was unimaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the 1980s, a master’s degree didn’t carry the same weight as it would decades later, when master’s and PhD holders outnumbered undergraduates; those young people who made it to a master’s degree were certainly not lacking in intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So recently, Zheng Qiang had been coming to Plant One repeatedly to “learn experience,” actually quietly observing the workplace atmosphere there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After observing, he found Plant One’s “corporate culture” of technology-first approach was simply perfect—in the dialect of the northeast, it was—just right for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Can you imagine a technician demanding that a manager two levels above him “cooperate” when solving a technical problem?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other units, Zheng Qiang didn’t know, but whether in Jilin or at the Light Truck Company, a technician wanting to solve a technical issue had to first submit an application according to regulations, then complete every step with formal requests and reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any step was skipped without reporting upward, getting scolded was the least of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【What? The technical improvement work is almost done, and I didn’t know?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You don’t even understand technology—telling you wouldn’t help at all!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Nonsense, I may not understand technology, but don’t I know how to manage? What if superiors ask me and I know nothing? All the work was done by you—so all the credit goes to you?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Zheng Qiang seized the opportunity of Plant One’s clearly stated “technical talent standards” to recommend himself to Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Li Ye refused, Zheng Qiang wouldn’t hesitate—he’d return to Jilin for the Spring Festival, visit relatives, and apply for a transfer back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least there were still many relatives, classmates, and friends there; integrating wouldn’t be too hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye looked at Lu Zhizhang and smiled, agreeing: “Engineer Zheng, your qualifications exceed our technical talent recruitment standards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Principally speaking, if you come, we’d gladly accept you and make suitable arrangements—but you must resolve the issues with the headquarters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Qiang frowned: “We’re all one unit—can’t Plant One just coordinate to transfer me over?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye and Lu Zhizhang fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Qiang hoped Plant One would intervene to arrange his transfer, so he wouldn’t offend anyone—this was naturally the best solution for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the headquarters was still struggling with the production challenges of the 1041 car, and as a key staff member, why would they let him go easily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So only if Zheng Qiang firmly insisted on leaving could Plant One properly reach out to receive him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ding ling ling~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the scene was about to turn awkward, the office phone rang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello? Where? Oh oh oh, Xiao Yu, what’s wrong? Okay okay, I’m leaving right away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye put down the phone and said: “It’s snowing today, my wife’s unit cars are overwhelmed—I need to go pick her up after work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhizhang immediately said: “Oh, you’d better hurry—the snow’s getting heavier, the roads will be piled high—I’ll help you install the tire chains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I was in Jilin, I often installed tire chains—I’ll do it myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Ye and Lu Zhizhang heading out to install tire chains on the Santana, Zheng Qiang quickly offered to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The result of his self-recommendation today left him unsatisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Zheng Qiang’s expectation, a technology-focused Plant One, seeing a Jilin University master’s graduate like him, would be desperate to recruit him, bowing and scraping to welcome him—but now he realized his mindset was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did need technicians like him, but they weren’t begging for him specifically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【In this world, no one begs for anyone—you need them, but you also have to prove yourself.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye drove the Santana safely all the way; by the time he reached Zhongxin Company, it was pitch black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the car’s headlights, Li Ye saw Wen Leyu waiting by the roadside a few minutes early, and beside her stood a young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After parking, Wen Leyu got into the front passenger seat and invited the man to sit in the back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The snow was too heavy today—many buses were packed; a few colleagues in our department usually take the bus or bike to work, and today it was just too inconvenient, so I had Brother Liang drive them home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu first explained to Li Ye why she wasn’t taking the company car, then introduced: “This is our Peking University class of ’79 alumnus—he also works at our unit. He lives near Ping’anli; we can give him a lift.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled: “Of course, of course—we’re colleagues; not even dropping him at his doorstep wouldn’t be enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehe~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man laughed heartily, speaking with a Tianjin accent: “Back in school, I’d heard of your name, Li Ye, but I was about to graduate then and never got a chance to meet you—today I see you really do have a knightly spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye quickly demurred: “Knightly spirit? That’s all rumor. What’s your name, brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Hu, Hu Shitai. Don’t call me brother—I’m the same age as you, born in ’63!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Hu Shitai?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye paused slightly, asking casually: “Which ‘shi’? Which ‘tai’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man smiled: “The ‘shi’ from ‘a scholar dies for one who understands him,’ and the ‘tai’ from ‘Mount Tai, supreme among the Five Sacred Mountains.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye paused for half a second, then smiled: “Brother, you’ve got a great name—and you’re the same age as me, yet you’re from the ’79 class? I’m truly ashamed, truly ashamed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Shitai shook his head: “Bah, I was just better at studying. Once I entered society, I realized those little clever tricks meant nothing—nothing at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Little clever tricks? You’ve got big cleverness.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through key traits—name, age, education, workplace—Li Ye confirmed the man’s identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Shitai was no ordinary man—he’d entered Peking University’s History Department at sixteen, then joined Zhongxin Group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To others, he was already among the top young talents of his era; with effort, he’d surely have a bright future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hu Shitai’s ambitions went further—he longed more for life abroad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he seized a proper opportunity, applied for government-funded overseas study, received state sponsorship, and went to Australia to pursue a PhD in metallurgy; after graduation, he stayed in Australia and worked at the Mosley Iron Mine, Australia’s second-largest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, that mine was acquired by Rio Tinto, the world’s second-largest mining company, and Hu Shitai naturally joined Rio Tinto, becoming a core figure in its China office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Hu Shitai’s prestige was dazzling—he had acquired Australian citizenship yet still contributed to China’s steel industry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this “big cleverness” wasn’t returning to serve his homeland—he was a traitorous corporate spy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the following years, Rio Tinto’s spy group “forced Chinese steel companies to pay over 700 billion RMB extra for imported iron ore—equivalent to 10% of Australia’s GDP.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In China’s gaokao-screened society, the state had selected Hu Shitai for education, invested state funding and subsidies to send him abroad—only to produce this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So halfway through the journey, Li Ye “mistakenly” turned off course, changing the route—it no longer passed Ping’anli, and even took a long detour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu in the front passenger seat immediately looked at Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others didn’t know Li Ye, but Wen Leyu knew—he had an almost supernatural sense of direction and memory; how could he have taken the wrong road?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu narrowed her eyes, then gave directions: “Take the second intersection ahead to detour and drop Hu Shitai off at Ping’anli.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Shitai in the backseat quickly said: “No no, just drop me off at the next intersection—the snow makes driving dangerous, it’s only a short walk left—I’ll walk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! That wouldn’t be right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bah, it’s already more than enough—if not for your ride, I’d have suffered terribly today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehe, don’t be polite, don’t be polite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye stopped the car and left Hu Shitai on the roadside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once only the two of them remained, Wen Leyu tilted her head and asked: “You don’t like this guy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye didn’t deny it, speaking quietly: “Believe me or not, sometimes I have a strange intuition—I feel this guy… isn’t trustworthy, kind of like Lu Zixue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like Lu Zixue?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu paused, murmuring: “He’s been applying for government-sponsored overseas study lately—your intuition really has some merit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See? I told you! State-funded scholarships shouldn’t go to people like him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu slowly nodded, but a few seconds later, she turned her head again, wearing a mysterious smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just asking—when you met Lu Jingyao, why didn’t this magical intuition kick in? Was it because you cared too much? Or was it lust?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His little wife was getting increasingly mischievous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye spoke calmly and steadily: “This magical intuition of mine only appeared after I met you—haven’t you felt that since we met at County No. 2 High School, we’ve had an uncanny, soul-deep understanding?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I really have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu was half-annoyed, half-amused, but she had to admit—she and Li Ye truly had a deep connection, a perfect harmony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention anything else—often, just a glance between them was enough to read each other’s thoughts; this feeling, only the two of them could truly understand its magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Ye got home, the snow at the gate was over ten centimeters deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He parked the car, held an umbrella as he helped his little wife inside, saying as they walked: “Should we ask the urban construction department if we can knock a small door through the back house to turn it into a garage? With more cars coming, parking will be easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu leaned on Li Ye’s arm, muttering: “We can already park two cars right outside—why tear down a wall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we won’t have to shovel snow off the cars in winter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s courtyard was large; the open space at the gate was certainly wide enough for two cars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the difference between having a garage and not was significant; since the back house had several empty rooms, knocking through a wall to make a garage was easy—two wouldn’t be a problem either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In later years, self-media creators often posted winter videos showing cars with zero snow on them—those were households “with means,” because in Beijing, where land was priceless, a parking space was more valuable than a car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Beijing had many rules; modifying the street-facing part might require complicated procedures, or even connections—so Li Ye brought it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu glanced at Li Ye and said: “So you’re thinking of asking your Aunt Liu for help—or your big brother-in-law?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muhan’s sister-in-law works in the city construction department of Xicheng District, and her elder brother Wen Guohua has many connections at the grassroots level—both can help, it’s just up to Li Ye to choose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye did not choose Liu Muhan; instead, he said gravely, “What’s the situation with my brother? Can he come back anytime soon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu sighed upon hearing Li Ye’s question: “Who knows? If he wants to come back, we can all work together and get him back in two or three years. But if he doesn’t want to come back, not even eight oxen can pull him back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wen Leyu finished speaking, both fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Guohua was posted from Beijing to the south, a suggestion first made by Pan Xiaoying, who hoped her husband could rise as quickly as possible to a higher position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Pan Xiaoying herself remained in Beijing at Factory 501, creating a long-distance marriage situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to normal logic, a married couple would do everything possible to be together—but now it felt as if Wen Guohua had escaped a cage and was flying free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, this year I’ll come back and have a proper talk with my big brother. This family is always apart—it’s not right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Li Ye, an outsider, still voiced his opinion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt he had the right to speak, since he and Wen Leyu could be described as inseparable—they studied together, worked together in Beijing, and any external factors like studying abroad or promotion had to yield to their marital life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after Li Ye and Wen Leyu entered the house, they realized they were meddling in Wen Qingsheng’s affairs like someone eating radishes and worrying about someone else’s business—they hadn’t even solved their own problems yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his younger sister Li Ying and Han Chunmei had returned; they and their mother had gone back to Hong Kong after summer vacation and hadn’t seen Li Kaibian for over four months—worse off than Wen Guohua and Pan Xiaoying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, you and sister-in-law are back? My brother You’an and I have been waiting for you a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ying saw Li Ye come home, picked up her little brother You’an, and walked over, pushing You’an toward Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye quickly waved his hands: “I just came back from outside—I’m still cold. Wait a bit before you give me the little brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as Li Ye finished speaking, You’an stretched out both arms and lunged toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye hurriedly took off his overcoat and outer jacket, wearing only his sweater as he picked up the child, hoping the sweater’s warmth wouldn’t make his little brother catch a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was only a little over ten months old—his tiny body was fragile!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ying beamed proudly: “Hehehe, I told you You’an recognizes you! He even says ‘big brother’! You’an, say ‘big brother,’ say ‘big brother.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How old is he? He’s lucky if he can say ‘mommy’—now he’s saying ‘big brother’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as Li Ye voiced his doubt, You’an actually said in a soft, baby voice: “Gōgō, gōgō.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Grandma Wu Juying also exclaimed in surprise: “You two brothers really are a match! You’an just got back today—I held him and he wouldn’t settle. So now Grandma isn’t as dear as Big Brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chunmei quickly explained: “Mom, don’t say that! You’an is very close to you! But since he was two months old, he’s always clung to Xiao Ye—he wouldn’t even let Xiao Juan hold him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Juying thought about it—yes, that was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That summer, when Han Chunmei brought You’an back, the child cried with anyone who held him except Han Chunmei and Li Ying—but he never cried when Li Ye held him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Juying looked at Han Chunmei, then said: “Alright, alright—actually, it’s not that the child doesn’t care for me; we haven’t seen each other in a long time, so of course he finds me unfamiliar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next summer, when Xiao Ying goes to college, you’ll come back with You’an—families should stay together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, I’ll listen to Mom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, we’ll all listen to Grandma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chunmei smiled gently, her smile bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye looked at Han Chunmei and felt she had changed greatly in the past half year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That summer, when Han Chunmei learned of Fu Guiru’s existence, her timid, gloomy demeanor had truly troubled Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, she seemed to have come to terms with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, after dinner, his younger sister Li Ying came to talk with Li Ye: “Big brother, Mom asked me to talk to you—can we all have New Year’s Eve dinner together this year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you say ‘all of us,’ do you include Fu Guiru and Fu Yiruo?\u003C\u002Fp>",2751,"2026-06-20T05:05:02.628Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cb5c276fbe743e2df423b00f7fdbff1bfaa7ef50b298f35d928de16406888817","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-851","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-849",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]