Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 8 This man has something special

It was now late August, and there was still a week before Tao Yushu started school. The two had to go back to Beijing to handle the procedures for transferring their household registration and arrange a job for Lin Chaoyang, so time was running out.

The date for going to Beijing was set, and on the night before, Lin Chaoyang was ordered around by Zhang Guiqin.

"Chaoyang, bring me that bag of hazel mushrooms."

"Chaoyang, where is the bottle of medicinal wine your father brought back?"

……

While Lin Chaoyang was busy, he took some time to look at Tao Yushu. At this moment, she was sitting on the kang with a dining table in front of her and a book on the table. She was reading the book intently. He seriously suspected that this girl was pretending to study in order to avoid labor.

"What are you looking at? Didn't you hear me telling you to?"

Lin Chaoyang was hit on the head, and Zhang Guiqin scolded him unhappily, "You can't be idle while working. If you can get into college, you can also sit on the kang and read books."

Lin Chaoyang was speechless. His family was blatantly discriminating against people based on their academic qualifications. In the past few days since Tao Yushu came back, he had completely lost his human rights. Except for the time when he could regain some vigor by lying on the kang after turning off the lights at night, he had to do hard labor the rest of the time.

This free meal is not tasty, Lin Chaoyang sighed in his heart. He already had a premonition of the difficult life in the future.

After finally packing up, Lin Erchun called him outside again. The pipe was half lit in the darkness. Lin Chaoyang said, "If you have anything to say, please say it quickly. There are too many mosquitoes outside."

"You can't keep your cool." Lin Erchun scolded him, and then he said, "Son, going to Yanjing is different from being at home. Yushu treats you well with all her heart, so you must not let her down."

Lin Chaoyang nodded, "I understand."

"You're already married, so I won't tell you the truth. I'll just give you one thing to say."

Lin Chaoyang looked at his father seriously.

"We still have to take good care of the children!"

Lin Chaoyang looked at the old man in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that. Isn't this for you?"

Lin Erchun said earnestly, "You have been spoiled by me and your mother since you were a child. You have never experienced any hardship, and you don't have any sense of tact when working."

Lin Chaoyang was unhappy, "What do you mean? Didn't I do any work at home?"

"I never saw you pick up the soy sauce bottle when it fell over." Lin Erchun began to reveal his past.

"My mom is at home, so I have to do a lot of work at school and in the team!"

Lin Erchun said, "The situation is different now. Before, you were the only child of the Lin family, and you didn't need to worry about family matters. Now you will be the son-in-law of the Tao family, and you have to be aware of what's going on."

It's amazing that Lin Erchun, who is at a primary school level, even came up with the word "son-in-law", which shows his concern for his son's future life.

Lin Chaoyang almost felt hurt when he heard this word, because the "real hurt" that comes from people close to us is often "real hurt".

"Don't worry, this is just a transition. I, your son, will soon gain a foothold in Yanjing, and then I will bring you two over to enjoy a peaceful and comfortable life."

Lin Chaoyang's solemn promise did not reassure Lin Erchun, but made him worried instead.

"Don't be too ambitious. Try to get Yushu pregnant before the end of the year. Only with a child can your marriage be stable."

Lin Erchun has been calculating for most of his life and he can't change it. He has devoted all his energy to his son and has even set the KPI.

Children are often a powerful weapon for the weaker party to bind the stronger party in a marriage.

Obviously, in the eyes of Lin Erchun, an "outsider", Lin Chaoyang is the weak one.

Lin Chaoyang looked at the person through the crack in the door - at the old man who looked down on him, and wanted to say: Things may change over time, don't look down on the young and poor.

But after thinking about it, I decided to forget it. After all, the old man didn't know his identity as a time traveler, so ignorance is no blame.

The next morning, Lin Erchun drove a donkey cart to take Lin Chaoyang and Tao Yushu to the city to catch the train. Er Maitai came to see Lin Chaoyang off. The two had been friends since childhood. Now that Lin Chaoyang had "flown up to the top", Er Maitai felt bad and quietly asked Lin Chaoyang, "Does your sister-in-law have any sisters or sisters at home?"

Lin Chaoyang looked at him seriously. He had an untidy beard and faintly visible black lines on his neck, which were traces of sweat left over from not washing for a long time.

"Get yourself in shape first. Which woman would be interested in you like this?"

Being belittled by Lin Chaoyang, Er Maitai was very angry, "What do you mean? You can have a wife, why can't I? Besides, you are still a gigolo?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chaoyang kicked him on the butt.

Er Maitai was not angry either, "Since you are leaving, I will let you go this time."

Then he said with a grin, "Chaoyang, when you have established yourself in Yanjing, I will come to join you."

"Get lost!" Lin Chaoyang scolded him, "Clean yourself up first."

When they arrived at the train station and said goodbye, Lin Erchun and his wife were in tears.

They raised their son to such a big age, and now he is getting married and moving to Yanjing. How can they not miss him?

"Dad and Mom, don't worry, I will take good care of Chaoyang." Tao Yushu said on the spot.

The more Lin Chaoyang heard this, the more uncomfortable he felt. He urged, "Hurry up and get in the car."

After a while on the train, the whistle sounded, the train started slowly, and Lin Erchun and his wife disappeared from Lin Chaoyang's sight.

Tao Yushu asked him, "Why aren't you sad at all?"

“It’s just a trip to Yanjing, don’t make it like a life-and-death farewell.” Lin Chaoyang said casually.

Her husband grew up in the countryside, and Tao Yushu had always worried that he would be depressed away from home, but now it seems that this guy is a bit too heartless.

Less than five minutes after getting on the bus, he started to take out all the food he brought with him.

Boiled eggs, roasted sweet potatoes, dried tofu, green onions, soybean paste, pork head...

A poor family may be rich on the road, but before Lin Chaoyang left, Zhang Guiqin was afraid that the young couple would be hungry, so she prepared a whole bag of food for them.

Not only that, Zhang Guiqin also stuffed 500 yuan into Tao Yushu's pocket, which was almost equivalent to a year's salary for a mature worker with a city hukou without eating or drinking.

For Lin Erchun and his wife who live in the countryside, saving money over the years has been even more difficult, as they have spent almost half of their family savings.

Tao Yushu had the money in his hand at the time and understood their painstaking efforts.

She looked at Lin Chaoyang who was eating and drinking foolishly. For some reason, she suddenly wanted to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Lin Chaoyang asked with pouting lips.

He was eating dried tofu rolled with green onions, dipped in the soybean paste made by Zhang Guiqin herself, which had a strong aroma of soybeans but a slightly bitter taste.

Tao Yushu took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. "Can't you eat slower? Are you a starving ghost?"

"I was so busy packing my luggage this morning that I didn't eat enough!"

"I know, I know."

Tao Yushu said as he peeled an egg for him, and Lin Chaoyang enjoyed it with peace of mind.

Sitting on the berth opposite was a young man wearing red flower-framed glasses and light brown crystal glasses. He was reading a magazine with the words "Yanjing Literature and Art" written on the cover.

The young man, who was originally concentrating on reading a book, was choked by the couple's dog food. He became uneasy and glanced at Tao Yushu from time to time, and then at Lin Chaoyang.

Lin Chaoyang understood the meaning of that look very well:
This man has something.

(End of this chapter)