[{"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-879":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},2295297,4489,"Chapter 879: Why Are You So Reckless Today?","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-879",879,"\u003Cp>When people are busy, time flies quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye has been swamped lately at Factory One—two technology introduction projects landed simultaneously, and problems, expected and unexpected, kept popping up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday the new equipment didn’t match up, today the headquarters is pressing to speed up production expansion for 1041, and tomorrow the Japanese installation team is causing trouble again, demanding vacation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye has been frazzled every day, working until midnight; rest on Sundays is out of the question, and even going home has become a luxury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t take it anymore, Lu. I need a day off—tomorrow you cover for me, and the day after, we switch back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just take two days off! If anything urgent comes up, I’ll page you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll take one day off first, but you absolutely must rest the day after tomorrow—listen to me, revolution doesn’t succeed in a single day. Haven’t you noticed how often Sister-in-law has been calling lately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye flatly refused Lu Zhizhang’s kindness and ordered him to take a day off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhizhang worked even harder than Li Ye—he hadn’t been home in half a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This reminded Li Ye of rumors he’d heard in his past life: that some favored individuals could work nonstop until they peacefully fell asleep at their posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously, calling occupational burnout death something sacred? Li Ye was utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter what, Li Ye wouldn’t let Lu Zhizhang become one of those favored ones—he, Li Ye, was the one and only rebel protagonist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, fine, I’ll listen to you—I really am exhausted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhizhang laughed and agreed to Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s body was much stronger than Lu Zhizhang’s, so he was tired too—only Lu Zhizhang enjoyed this sense of fulfillment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the new project progress by leaps and bounds thanks to everyone’s efforts, he felt he finally understood the “foolish” spirit of the older generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Workers weren’t afraid of hard work—they feared working themselves to the bone only to end up with nothing, leaving them filled with disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beep-beep-beep~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye drove home, stomped on the accelerator into the newly built garage behind the rear house, and honked several times—just like those Japanese big shots—announcing to his family: “I’m back, after toiling outside!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he honked, he heard the children’s “giggles”—his mood instantly lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu might not welcome her husband home like a Japanese wife, but her own child was eagerly awaiting Li Ye’s embrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye walked through the ornate gate and saw Wen Leyu, Li Juan, and Zhao Meiwen playing with the two kids. His son and daughter, spotting him, clung to the corridor railing and slowly shuffled toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye quickly crouched down, arms wide open: “Slow down, slow down—don’t fall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two children were already eleven months old—they could walk holding onto walls and even circle the corridor railing without trouble—but Li Ye still worried they’d tumble, after all, they were his own flesh and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today was special: Xiao Dou, perhaps missing her father for days, grew impatient, suddenly let go of the railing, and ran straight toward Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any father who’s raised a child knows: a child’s first independent walk isn’t really “walking”—they’ve just learned to stand upright and can’t balance, so they can only stumble and “run.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Dou was running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Ye’s face was tense, she didn’t care at all—she just giggled and dashed into her father’s arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, my daughter can walk! At eleven months!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was overjoyed—first independent steps were a milestone worth remembering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then his joy faded: his son, seeing his sister succeed, imitated her, let go of the railing, and ran toward Li Ye too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since childhood, he’d never had his sister’s appetite—he ate less, slept more, got less exercise—and after only two steps, he “thud!” fell flat on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Waaah~ Waaah~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The piercing wails echoed through the Li household, drawing his grandmother out from the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sent Li Juan and Zhao Meiwen into a panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Juying’s doting on her great-grandson had reached unbearable levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1980s, every child was raised “free-range”—bumps and bruises meant nothing; ignoring a child’s crying for hours was normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if Xiao Bao cried, Grandma Wu Juying’s eyes would bulge like copper bells—she’d demand someone to blame and scold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Li Ye saw his grandmother storm out holding a wok spoon, he quickly said: “Grandma, it’s my fault—I didn’t hold Xiao Bao steady. My legs have been weak these past few days—I can’t move after crouching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Ye’s legs were hurting, Wu Juying refrained from blaming the two granddaughters and her granddaughter, instead hugging Xiao Bao and scolding Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at your shirt collar—you’ve been working alongside the workers again? You act like a laborer on the production line every day—how could your legs not hurt? You’re the factory director now—you need to learn how to direct others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, many hands make light work! Our factory’s in a Great Leap Forward right now—I’m young, I should set an example.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled and explained why he’d been so absent lately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Juying muttered: “Setting an example matters, but knowing how to manage people matters more—you need to learn your own limits. Wash up and eat. After dinner, I have something to tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me something? What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was puzzled—phones were so convenient, why not say it earlier?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the dinner table, Li Ye learned it was about Zhao Meiwen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro, I’ve got a favor to ask you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye chuckled: “Oh? You’ve never once said ‘ask’ to me your whole life—what’s this big deal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Meiwen smiled awkwardly: “Bro, I want to study abroad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye wasn’t surprised—nine and a half out of ten college students wanted to study abroad back then; it was normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he asked: “Did your school select you, or are you going on your own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Meiwen lowered her head, embarrassed: “I wasn’t selected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not selected? So what? There are only a few slots—why be embarrassed? Even your brother hasn’t studied abroad, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled: “Where do you want to go? When?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reassured by Li Ye, Zhao Meiwen regained some confidence and said: “I want to go to the Lighthouse—this summer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My mom told me she made a deal on home appliances—the money for overseas study isn’t a problem, it’s just the overseas guarantee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Lighthouse guarantee!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye nodded: “I’ll arrange it for you. But listen, Meiwen—I can send you off, but you must come back. Otherwise, Auntie will come after me for the baby, and I’ll”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough cough~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grandma Wu Juying suddenly coughed, interrupting Li Ye, then coldly said: “Xiao Ye, don’t rush to agree—ask Meiwen about her situation first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Situation? What situation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye looked at his grandmother in surprise, then noticed not only Wu Juying’s expression was off, but Li Juan and Wen Leyu were giving him knowing glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu’s gaze—he could read it a little: “You’re usually so sharp—why are you so careless today?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1169,"2026-06-20T05:05:02.628Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a853d2a6de2e3d7616c39edb7af03a47df03b407ea6273db164a5098e6b34825","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-880","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-878",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]