Rebirth of Bloody Romance

Zhong Yuemin gently pushed open the door and walked out with brisk steps. The street outside the door was bustling with people coming and going, and the noise was endless.

At this moment, Zhong Yuemin was thinking about the classmates who were about to visit his home. As he walked, he was secretly thinking about what kind of delicious food he should buy to properly entertain everyone.

Not long after, Zhong Yuemin arrived at the familiar and bustling vegetable market.

As soon as you enter the market, you can hear all kinds of noisy sounds: the stall owners shouting and hawking, the customers bargaining, and the occasional calls from poultry and livestock...

Zhong Yuemin walked towards a stall that sold pig head meat. Before he got close, the sharp-eyed stall owner greeted him with a big smile on his face. "Hey, buddy, do you want some delicious pig head meat?"

Zhong Yuemin smiled and nodded, responding, "Well, give me some. But, did you just cook it?"

"Hey, buddy, look at what you're saying. These are all pork heads that are freshly cooked this morning, steaming hot and fragrant! If you don't believe me, just smell it, it's absolutely fresh! How about I cut a small piece for you to try?" The stall owner patted his chest and guaranteed.

"Forget it! It looks good. Give me this piece, it has just the right ratio of fat and lean meat." Zhong Yuemin said, pointing to a piece of pork head meat with tempting color and alternating fat and lean meat on the chopping board.

The stall owner swiftly picked up the knife and expertly cut the piece of pork head meat, then put it on the scale to weigh it, and said with a smile, "Okay! The total is two pounds and six ounces, don't worry about the decimals, I'll just charge it as two and a half pounds." As he said that, he put the cut pork head meat into a bag and handed it to Zhong Yuemin.

Zhong Yuemin raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile. "Hey buddy, are you weighing enough? I don't want to be at a disadvantage!" He stared at the stall owner with a smile, his eyes revealing a bit of shrewdness and ridicule.

The stall owner quickly patted his chest and assured, "Hey, buddy, you can rest assured! We have always been fair in business. This scale will definitely have more or less, and yours will be needed!" After saying that, he deliberately shook the weight to show fairness.

Zhong Yuemin nodded with satisfaction, and his eyes were immediately attracted by a bag of crispy peanuts on the dry goods stall. He reached out and picked up the peanuts and smelled them. The rich aroma instantly penetrated his nose, making him salivate. He thought to himself: These peanuts are perfect as a snack. Thinking of this, he bought the bag of peanuts without hesitation.

Just after paying, Zhong Yuemin turned his head and happened to see a tofu vendor next to him. The white, tender, square pieces of tofu were neatly placed on the chopping board, exuding bursts of bean fragrance, and looked particularly tempting.

Zhong Yuemin couldn't help swallowing his saliva, walked up to the vendor and said, "Boss, give me two pieces of tofu!"

"Okay!" The vendor cut the tofu skillfully, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Zhong Yuemin. Zhong Yuemin took the bag and felt the heavy weight in his hand. At this moment, he was holding peanuts in his left hand and two pieces of tofu in his right hand, and was ready to leave the vegetable market with satisfaction.

However, at this moment, a familiar figure appeared in front of him—it turned out to be Chen Yijun.

Chen Yijun was wearing a light blue dress, with a graceful figure and light steps. From a distance, she looked as beautiful as a blooming flower. If you don't know her, you can't tell her age.

When Chen Yijun saw Zhong Yuemin, a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes. Obviously, she didn't expect to meet him here.

Chen Yijun walked quickly up to Zhong Yuemin, looked him up and down, and asked curiously, "Yuemin, are there any guests coming to your house? Why are you buying vegetables yourself?" His tone was full of confusion and concern.

Zhong Yuemin replied with a smile, "Mom, aren't there a few classmates coming to our house? I thought I'd treat them well."

"Oh, why didn't you tell me earlier? If I had known, I would have come back a long time ago." Chen Yijun said with a hint of anger, a hint of anxiety and complaint on her face. As she spoke, she quickened her pace and walked towards Zhong Yuemin, her eyes full of concern.

Zhong Yuemin smiled embarrassedly and quickly explained, "It's okay, Mom. I originally wanted to take them out to a restaurant, but they insisted on eating at home, saying that it would feel more like home. You know, everyone thinks home-cooked food is much more delicious than food in a restaurant." After saying that, he scratched his head and winked at Chen Yijun mischievously.

Hearing what Zhong Yuemin said, Chen Yijun smiled and nodded, urging, "Okay, let's go back quickly and don't let the guests wait too long. They have come all the way to visit us, we can't neglect them." After that, she reached out and took some of the ingredients from Zhong Yuemin's hand, ready to go home together.

However, at this moment, Zhong Yuemin looked down at the things in his hands and suddenly realized that these seemed not rich enough. After all, the people who came today were all good classmates, so how could he not treat them well?

Thinking of this, Zhong Yuemin stopped and said to Chen Yijun, "Mom, please wait a moment, I'll go buy some vegetables." Before he finished speaking, he turned around and walked quickly towards the vegetable market.

After a while, Zhong Yuemin came out of the market. He was holding a bag in each hand, which was filled with fragrant white-cut mutton and a roast duck with crispy skin and tender meat. He looked at the ingredients he bought with satisfaction, thinking that this time he would surely make his classmates enjoy the meal.

Then, Zhong Yuemin walked briskly back to Chen Yijun and said with a smile, "Let's go, Mom. This time we have enough food!"

In this way, Zhong Yuemin and Chen Yijun walked slowly towards home, chatting and laughing as they carried the full bags of food.

Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen were chasing each other happily in the yard. Their laughter was clear and pleasant, as if it could wash away all their worries.

Suddenly, the courtyard door creaked open slowly, and Chen Yijun appeared at the door. The two children's eyes lit up, and they stopped playing games at the same time and ran towards the door quickly.

"Grandma, grandma, you're back!" Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen's voices were full of joy. They held Chen Yijun's hands on the left and right, with innocent smiles on their faces.

Chen Yijun touched the two children's heads lovingly, her eyes full of love. She turned to the people in the yard and said, "Liu Minghua, Li Aiguo, Chen Zhiyuan, you are here."

Li Aiguo and Chen Zhiyuan stood up. They had only heard of Chen Yijun before, but they didn't expect to see her in person today. What surprised them even more was that Zhong Yuemin's mother-in-law was so young, and the years didn't seem to have left too many marks on her.

"Hello, Auntie!" They both greeted in unison, with a hint of respect in their tone.

Chen Yijun smiled and nodded in response. "Well, hello! Don't stand, sit down. You guys chat here, I'll go cook." After saying that, she turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Liu Minghua took the shopping basket from Zhong Yuemin and looked through the ingredients curiously. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he took out a few sesame cakes from the basket. "Oh, you also bought sesame cakes, that's great."

Zhong Yuemin took out a few cigarettes from the cigarette box with a smile and then handed them to Li Aiguo, Chen Zhiyuan and Liu Minghua in turn. After they took the cigarettes, they lit them with lighters. With the weak flame jumping, the tobacco was instantly ignited, and wisps of white smoke slowly rose.

Several people took a deep puff of the cigarettes in their hands, and saw the smoke spread quickly, and the whole living room was soon shrouded in a thin layer of smoke. Looking through the hazy smoke, it seemed that this place had become another mysterious world, making people feel as if they were in another world.

Zhong Yuemin took a deep breath of cigarette and exhaled slowly, breaking the brief silence. "Have you two met his other classmates? Aren't they coming back?"

At this time, Li Aiguo reached out and gently pushed his glasses on his nose, and then casually flicked the ash off his cigarette. After doing all this, he slowly spoke, "We all get together quite often, such as the social gatherings held by the embassy, ​​and our hometown associations, etc. If we want to get together, there are always many opportunities."

Chen Zhiyuan, who was standing by, narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this, and first blew out a round smoke ring, then responded, "That's right! If you think about it carefully, it's understandable that they don't want to come back. After all, from heaven to hell, there's only the Pacific Ocean between them. Here you can live a peaceful and stable life, but back home you have to fight hard to make a living. Not everyone is willing to come back."

Hearing what the two said, Zhong Yuemin couldn't help but frown. "Then why did you two come back?" There was some confusion and doubt in his voice.

Li Aiguo smiled and replied, "It's all because of you!" His tone suddenly became relaxed, as if he was telling a joke.

"Yes, we came back because of you." Chen Zhiyuan also echoed, with a playful smile on his face.

Zhong Yuemin was stunned for a moment, obviously he didn't expect them to give such an answer. He stared at the two people in front of him with wide eyes, and said in disbelief, "Fuck! Are you kidding me? How could it be because of me? How many years have we not been in touch? I don't even know when you came back, okay?"

Chen Zhiyuan looked at Zhong Yuemin calmly, who was full of suspicion. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke. "Zhong Laoer, when Li Aiguo and I were preparing to leave the country, you specially held a farewell banquet for us. That night, everyone drank heartily and finally got drunk. Looking back now, it seems like a lifetime ago! But do you still remember what you said that night?"

Zhong Yuemin frowned and tried to recall that distant night, but there were only vague fragments of memory in his mind. He shook his head helplessly and replied with a wry smile, "It's been five or six years! And I was drunk at the time, and I was dizzy. How can I remember what I said!"

At this time, Li Aiguo took a deep puff of his cigarette and then exhaled a big smoke ring. As the smoke slowly dissipated in the air, he slowly spoke. "Zhong Laoer, you did say something that I still remember vividly. You said that if you didn't have great perseverance, you wouldn't dare to return to China. When I heard this, I curiously asked why. As a result, you told me that once you go abroad, you will feel deep fear. I was young and hot-tempered at that time, and I asked, 'It's not like you are in a war-torn country, what is there to be afraid of?'"

After Li Aiguo and Chen Zhi said this, Zhong Yuemin had some impression. "I finally remembered. I said at that time that you were going to the United States, which is the world's most powerful country. It is torment and fear for people like you."

After a long while, Li Aiguo slowly put out the nearly burned cigarette butt in the ashtray. He was silent for a moment, then took out a cigarette from the cigarette box and lit it skillfully. After taking a deep breath, smoke gushed out from his mouth and nose, as if the smoke could take away the heaviness and worries in his heart.

Then, he lowered his voice again and continued in an almost dull tone. "Zhong Laoer, you are absolutely right. This feeling is fear. The gap between us and others is so huge that it makes people feel extremely desperate. Do you know? In the United States, many students drive their own cars to school. This is just a very common thing for them. Not to mention those ordinary American families. Every household has all kinds of modern electrical appliances, and their living conditions are many times better than ours. But looking back at our side, in the middle of winter, everyone can only survive by eating steamed buns and salted radishes. Sometimes it is even difficult to ensure sufficient supply of steamed buns. If you are lucky enough to eat a piece of steamed bun one day, it is already a very good treatment."

At this moment, Chen Zhiyuan, who had been sitting quietly and listening, couldn't help but take over the conversation. "Yes, the situation at that time was really too much for us to bear. We felt that the slogans we had said before, such as 'catching up with Britain and the United States', were completely a big joke. It was simply an unattainable luxury to want to achieve such a goal. During that time, we really felt very depressed and helpless, and we almost collapsed."

However, Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly after hearing this. "But no matter what, you two finally chose to return to China! This is enough to prove that you were not completely defeated by the difficulties in front of you, and you did not easily give up your beliefs and ideals."

Li Aiguo smiled bitterly. "Yes, we are back. So we have become what you call 'people with great perseverance'. In fact, many people are trying their best to get out, and many people would rather die than come back. I can understand that. It's not that they are unpatriotic, but they can't face such a cruel reality. Everyone wants to give back to the motherland, but how? How can such a big gap be filled? Most people think that no matter what they do, it will be useless, so they become discouraged and just live a simple life in the United States!"

Chen Zhiyuan also said, "Yes, Zhong Laoer. When we came back, we were prepared to face all difficulties. But to be honest, we were still unsure. But after hearing what you said today, we feel much more relieved."

Zhong Yuemin looked at them, his eyes full of determination and trust. "Believe me, your choice will not be wrong. Although we started late and the conditions are poor, we have one thing that they can never match, that is, our determination and perseverance. As long as we work together, we will be able to catch up with them, or even surpass them!"