NOVEL FULL

1979 My Life in the Era

Chapter 47: Why

Chapter 47 Why At around three o'clock in the afternoon, Ning Weidong came out of the bathhouse and went home. There is no reason to suffer when you have money in your pocket. I came out of the trust store at around noon and went to Tongheju to order a fried pork for RMB and ate four large bowls of rice. After eating, I walked home along Fuchengmen Street, originally intending to go back directly. Who knew that I would see a bathhouse halfway and suddenly I felt uncomfortable all over. Thinking about the money in his pocket, and how crowded the place was like a bathhouse, if so much money was really lost, Ning Weidong dared not say anything, as he could not explain where the money came from. I simply ran home, put all the money away, and then went to the bathhouse at the entrance of the alley with a towel, soap and shampoo. This bathhouse is not as big as the one I saw before, but it is a state-owned bathhouse and has everything you need. Bath tickets are divided into three levels. You can leave after taking a bath. There is no particular requirement. Just go to the first level, take off your clothes, and a waiter will give you a big basket, stuff your clothes into it, and hang it directly on the ceiling. If you carry your wallet and ID with you and don't feel comfortable leaving them outside, you can spend a few cents more and get a locked wardrobe inside, which is safer and more upscale.

The next level up is the one with a bed, where you can drink tea after taking a shower, or take a nap when you feel sleepy. Ning Weidong went to the bathhouse and asked for a bath ticket with a bed, bought a bath-scrubbing card, and a pot of Gaosui. This is only the case now. In another two years, after the 1980s, Ning Weidong will not want to bring a bed. After a few years, more and more people came to Beijing to make a living. They were of all kinds and types. Those who couldn't afford to stay in a hotel would go to the bathhouse. Generally, you can sleep from ten o'clock to the next morning for only three or five cents. It was fine at the beginning, as accommodation vouchers and bath tickets were sold together. No matter what you do, wash yourself first and then go to bed. But later on, in order to increase their income, the bathhouses became more and more despicable. No matter who they were, they were led inside, without asking for a shower, and the beds in the rest area were messed up. Before crossing over, the original owner hadn't taken a bath for a while. Ning Weidong hadn't had time to take a bath these days due to being busy. After taking a bath, he rubbed the skin on the bed and it was so chapped that the black mud he rubbed off was as long as a palm. Fortunately, the uncle who was doing the bath was knowledgeable and didn't make a fuss. I rubbed Ning Weidong thoroughly, then rinsed him under the shower head, and it seemed like I had saved two pounds. After washing, I drank a pot of tea outside and took a nap. When I got home, it was already past three in the afternoon. As soon as I arrived at the front yard, I saw Uncle Lu picking up coal slag under their window. Ning Weidong said hello and was about to turn to the cross courtyard, but was stopped by Uncle Lu: "Hey, Weidong, you are so mean, you bought a bicycle without telling me!" Ning Weidong understood as soon as he heard it. It was Ning Wei who sent the car. He smiled and said, "Well, it's too troublesome to commute every day if I don't go to work. Besides, it's an old car and not worth much." Uncle Lu said, "You can't tell. I saw it when it was pushed over to me just now. It was very newly cleaned." As they were talking, Aunt Lu, who had a big red dot on her forehead, came out of the house and interrupted them.

Ning Weidong called out "Auntie Lu" and entered the Moon Gate. Aunt Lu looked at Ning Weidong's back and said with emotion: "As the old saying goes, if one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit. It's true. The eldest son of the Ning family was just promoted to section chief, and his younger brother got a new bike..." Uncle Lu glared at him and said, "What are you talking about! You gossip all day long." Aunt Lu curled her lips, then remembered that her old man had told her not to talk about the Ning family outside, and immediately changed her tune and said, "You've been outside for a long time, what's going on at Old Wang's house?" Uncle Lu straightened his back and glanced at Wang Kai's house: "What else could happen? Old lady Wang pretended to be so serious, lying on the ground and smoking for a long time. What else can Shi Xiaonan say?" Aunt Lu sneered: "If you ask me, the second son of the Wang family is a fool. Xiao Shi is such a good person, but he insisted on driving her away. If they really get divorced one day, I wonder where he can go to cry." ... Ning Weidong returned to the courtyard and immediately saw the bicycle parked next to his earthquake-proof shed. The black 26 Forever has a shiny electroplated handlebar and a new leather saddle. At first glance, it doesn't look like an old bike at all. Ning Weidong walked over and patted the saddle. This bike must be expensive. Originally, he gave Ning Wei fifty dollars, part of which was a benefit to Ning Wei under the pretext of buying a car. If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass. This is an eternal truth. I didn't expect Ning Wei to be such a simple-minded person. Just at this moment, the door of the west wing opened, and Bai Fengyu stood at the door with a resentful look on her face. Just now Ning Wei came to give her a bicycle and said it was bought by Ning Weidong, but she didn't believe it. Others don’t know, but she knows best whether Ning Weidong has money. Last year when he was working, Ning Weidong saved a total of 100 yuan, which he used to help her pay off her debts last time. Later, the other two hundred yuan was borrowed from a blacklisted company at work. Even though the money was taken back by Ning Weidong because of her pretentiousness last time, Bai Fengyu didn't believe that Ning Weidong would use the money to buy a bicycle regardless of her life or death. She didn't know that the two hundred yuan that had been weighing her down for the past few days was nothing to Ning Weidong. I have more than 1,800 yuan in cash on hand. I really want to be able to help her take it out at any time, but how? Just because you know CPU, you treat people like fools? Just because you are pretty, have big breasts, and a big butt? Ning Weidong called out "Sister" with a smile, ignoring Bai Fengyu's silent protest, and continued to look at the bicycle in front of him. You can't get spoiled at times like this. Bai Fengyu felt bitter. If she was angry, this brat would have come over to ask about her well-being, but now... Although she had noticed that Ning Weidong had changed, she still had illusions, thinking that he might just be having a temper and it would be fine in a few days. Seeing that Ning Weidong was not buying it, Bai Fengyu had no choice but to say softly, "Weidong, come here, I have something to tell you." Ning Weidong continued to examine the bicycle: "Just say that~" Bai Fengyu almost cried with anger. Some things can only be said outside. She wanted to just throw up her sleeves and quit, but when she thought that the creditor would come to her house in three days, she had to control her temper.

Originally, she had another way out, but she didn't want to take that step unless it was absolutely necessary. Firstly, it was barely enough for that person to take 200 yuan at once; secondly, that person was not a good person, and if we really asked him for help, we would be like a sheep walking into a wolf's mouth. If it really comes to that, she might as well give it to Ning Weidong. At least Ning Weidong was really good to her at first. More importantly, Ning Weidong looked energetic, over meters tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was much more pleasing to the eye than that man. Bai Fengyu softened her tone and said pitifully, "Weidong, I beg you, isn't that enough?" Ning Weidong had no expression on his face. He stopped looking at the bicycle and stared at Bai Fengyu. At this moment, Bai Fengyu could not tell what emotions he had at all, and the person in front of her made her feel unfamiliar. But then, Ning Weidong smiled, as if he had instantly turned back into the big boy he was before, and said with a smile: "Hey, you are my sister! Let's talk about it in the house, it's no big deal~" (End of this chapter)