bookrebus Chapter 304 Li Changqing Calls from the South
Chapter 304 Li Changqing Calls from the South
After chatting with Old Zhang from the security department, Li Ju'an was in a good mood. This time, when he returned from the market, he not only had extra money from selling wild ginseng, but he also brought back a strong mule, intending to fill the labor gap left by the previous mule that had been lost at home.
That time, the tiger king's sudden attack tore the hardworking mule to shreds. Mother Song Lanhua sighed and lamented, and even the usually lively Li Xiao was sullen and often pestered her brother Li Ju'an, asking with great curiosity when she could see the scene of trimming the mule's hooves again.
Now, Li Ju'an's newlywed life is filled with joy, and with two substantial sources of income—one from the sale of precious wild honey, and the other from the rare wild ginseng—he has an idea to buy some nice things for his family. This wealth should bring tangible benefits to the whole family.
Let this hard-won abundance benefit the whole family.
He commissioned Song Desheng to purchase a second-hand tape recorder. This small gadget was incredibly powerful and a popular audio treasure at the time. He gently inserted the tiny cassette tape into it, and with a crisp "click," it snapped shut. He lightly touched the play button and pressed down to start the tape. The reel then began to spin, playing children's stories from bygone years.
Lin Mei and Li Xiao were fascinated by the tape recorder. Li Xiao, with her hands supporting her chin and her eyes sparkling with joy, sat side by side with Lin Mei, immersed in the cheerful melodies playing on the tape, laughing continuously and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Brother, look, so many cassette tapes, and there's even music in them!" Li Xiao's voice was full of surprise.
“Yes, it’s something to do when no one’s home and we have nothing to do, something to pass the time.” Lin Mei’s words carried a hint of anticipation.
Li Ju'an's purchases included not only a tape recorder but also several cassette tapes. These included audiobooks with touching stories as well as sweet, melodious tunes unique to the 1980s. The popular songs of that era had long, drawn-out melodies, overflowing with sweet sentiment; each song was gentle and slow. These sweet love songs truly warmed the heart.
Lin Mei was captivated by the tender melody and unconsciously began to softly hum along. Just then, Lu Zhiqiang, accompanied by his younger sister Lu Wenqian, visited Li Ju'an's house. Lu Wenqian's gaze was drawn to the electric fan hanging inside the Li family's self-built house. Curious, she tilted her head back, her eyes wide, and asked in a childish voice, "Brother, what's that?"
“Oh, that’s an electric fan,” Lu Zhiqiang explained simply.
With the village connected to electricity, the electric fan came to life. With just the touch of a switch, it began to slowly rotate, bringing a cool breeze and adding a touch of modernity to the simple space. The village was electrified, the fan was plugged in, the switch was pressed, and the large, three-bladed, copper-green spiral fan slowly turned.
The ceiling fan hangs gently from the roof, spinning softly and sending down wisps of cool breeze. The cool breeze blows so pleasantly.
Lin Mei smiled and said softly, "This thing looks a lot like the electric fans in the city. I remember there was a similar fashionable gadget in Captain Yang's office."
In this village, Captain Yang Dezheng's office had been completely renovated since spring. He not only got an electric fan, but also a gleaming calculator. At first, he had only seen the finance lady at the supply and marketing cooperative's fingers flying across the calculator every day, and he had felt a little envious, thinking how wonderful it would be if he could also add such a nice item to his office.
He submitted his application to his superiors with high hopes. The calculator was already lying quietly on the table, along with his electric fan, which pleased him. He could then entertain the cadres from the nearby villages with dignity.
Later in the summer, Yang Dezheng would brew some herbal tea, turn on a small electric fan, and sit in his office chatting with Secretary Wang from the neighboring Wangxing Village. It was incredibly comfortable.
It's only September, and it's still the height of summer. Li Ju'an turned on the electric fan for a while, then asked Lin Mei, "Honey, are you hot?"
Song Lanhua, the mother, was worried about the electricity bill and said she would avoid turning it on if possible. Li Ju'an, however, smiled and reassured his mother, saying, "Mom, money isn't saved, it's earned. Don't worry."
Song Lanhua initially felt the electricity bill was expensive and was quite distressed. Li Ju'an coaxed his mother to sit down, turned on the black and white television, winked at Li Xiao, and said, "Can we listen to opera?"
Li Xiao was about to pout and say, "What's so great about opera? It's all just babbling and I can't understand it, so what's the point?" Lin Mei, noticing Li Ju'an's signal, immediately smiled and took her mother's hand, saying, "Mom, I want to listen to opera. Let's eat some melon seeds and listen for a while."
Song Lanhua, the mother, was very satisfied with her daughter-in-law. Lin Mei was virtuous, good at managing the household, and gentle and considerate. She sat down to watch TV as the two of them suggested.
The black-and-white television screen occasionally flickered with static, and the ceiling fan whirred gently, blowing out cool air. Life was good. Li Ju'an felt a deep sense of peace and accomplishment. This was the atmosphere of the home he had always longed for.
Suddenly, Lu Jinyang rushed over, panting, and shouted to Li Ju'an, "Li Ju'an, Captain Yang wants you to answer the phone. He said it's your brother calling from the south."
Li Ju'an was taken aback. Lin Mei and her mother, Song Lanhua, were also stunned.
A call from the South? Brother? Li Changqing?
Li Ju'an's expression turned serious, and he said, "Okay, I'll go right now." He turned to tell his mother and Lin Mei not to worry at home, and that he would be right back with Lu Jinyang.
The only telephone in the village was in Captain Yang's office. Two years ago, the village's captain's office acquired a hand-cranked landline telephone, which caused a stir among the thousands of villagers, young and old.
Yang Dezheng was widely regarded in the village as a worldly-wise man. However, after fiddling with the hand-cranked telephone for a long time, struggling to connect to the outside world, his fingers moving back and forth on the crank, he still couldn't manage it. Left with no other option, Yang Dezheng had to ask Sun Quande for help.
He asked Sun Quande to make a detour to Wangxing Village on his way up the mountain and deliver a letter to Secretary Wang of Wangxing Village. Only then did Secretary Wang send someone to help him connect the telephone. Secretary Wang quickly dispatched technicians who traveled over mountains and valleys, just to bring real hope of "connection" to this small village.
At that time, the villagers of Lijiatun were destitute. They were poor and unable to contact the outside world. They were isolated and could not afford to make a phone call. Even if they put the phone in their office, there was no one to answer it.
So when Captain Yang suddenly heard the phone ring, he was incredibly excited.