In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 506 Starry Night Men and Women
"What? What did you say, Mr. Xu?! I didn't hear that right, did I?!" Yu Dawei could hardly believe his ears.

This is the man who vowed to dedicate the rest of his life to the mechanical industry. It's only been a few years! And since Mr. Xu came to Fanfan Repair Shop, he has created so much value for the shop!

Putting aside everything else, many apprentices and master repairmen at Fanfan Repair Shop have made rapid progress in their repair skills because of Mr. Xu's kindness.

In Yu Dawei's memory, Fanfan Repair Shop has at least twenty senior repairmen. Yu Dawei knows clearly that these twenty people were all novices who knew nothing at the beginning, and they improved themselves little by little through continuous learning and practice!

There are also some who learned the craft from Dawei and left to open repair shops in other counties; there are at least four or five of them.

These achievements are partly due to the efforts of his own father, Yu Laonian, and of course, also due to the efforts of Xu Lao.

In addition to training excellent repairmen for Fanfan Repair Shop, Mr. Xu also helped Fanfan Repair Shop solve many difficult problems in traditional mechanical engineering.

It can be said that Xu Lao's contribution is indispensable to Fanfan Repair Shop becoming one of the pillar industries of Luhe Town.

Now he's saying he's leaving? Yu Dawei was a little taken aback.

"Dawei, you'll understand when you get to my age. Sometimes even taking a step feels like a struggle, let alone instructing people on how to repair cars."

Old Xu sighed, but his steps never stopped. In the distance, there were already two rows of streetlights on the main road of Luhe Town. The dim yellow light shone on the cow dung on the road, and you could even smell a unique rural odor.

"You know what? A few days ago, I was giving a lecture to the children, and halfway through, I didn't even know what to say next. Lately, I feel like my memory is declining."

Upon hearing this, Yu Dawei paused slightly, and some unpleasant thoughts began to form in his mind.

When Yu Laonian, who was walking on the other side, heard what Xu Laotou said, a look of worry appeared between his brows.

"I tried teaching him a few more times, but his memory is getting worse and worse." Looking at the white lamppost in the distance, Old Xu suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, "I'm really getting old. Maybe this is where my life is going to end."

"What are you saying, Mr. Xu!" Yu Dawei's face changed, and he stepped forward to follow. "Tomorrow I'll have Lao Ji drive you to the city for a check-up. You don't need to worry about me here. With my old man around, those kids will definitely keep studying hard."

Yu Dawei was worried that Old Xu wouldn't be able to let go of the children, since they were all young men of eighteen or nineteen years old. They had developed feelings for each other over time, and some of them were already working on the front lines.

Some of them have even become squad leaders, responsible for the maintenance and repair of Eighth Bureau machinery in other cities.

"I feel quite at ease with Lao Yu here. As for the check-up, there's no need. My eldest son has already made an appointment at a major hospital in Harbin and will come to pick me up tomorrow." Old Xu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with a hint of reluctance. "I've worked my whole life and taught many students, but to be honest, my time at Fanfan Repair Shop was one of the happiest days of my life."

"The apprentices in our factory are all very good-natured. Old Ji has a good eye for talent. Although there are a few who are really slow, with a little patience, they can all work in the factory for a long time." Old Xu said these words to Yu Dawei, and also to Yu Laonian.

Yu Laonian is technically skilled, but he's also very impatient and has limited patience. The kids are all quite afraid of him.

"Okay, don't worry, I'll definitely teach them well." Old Yu understood what Old Xu meant; his simple reply represented a promise.

Under the dim streetlights, the three men walked slowly, chatting casually. They were all car repairmen, so their conversation naturally revolved around car repair.

Old Xu once saw that Old Ji was writing down the "Brigade Leader's Repair Manual" every day, and he regretted it a little. He thought that he should have written something down himself back then, so that he wouldn't have wasted his whole life repairing cars.

When Mr. Xu spoke of it, he naturally did so with regret.

Yu Dawei gave the other party some advice: before the lawyer arrives tomorrow, they can ask Yu Feng to summarize some things and Yu Feng to write some things, which will then be compiled into the "Captain's Maintenance Manual".

Old Xu thought about it carefully and nodded. It was indeed a good idea.

However, he specifically reiterated that the part he made must be under his name.

Yu Dawei readily agreed.

The three of them looked remarkably harmonious on the night street.

Fanfan Repair Shop, inside a small brick building.

Zhang Huaijin helped Yu Feng clear the dishes. Since the two of them were left alone in the house, they had both been rather quiet.

Zhang Huaijin tried to find some topics to talk about, but Yu Feng replied with just a couple of simple sentences. Zhang Huaijin figured that Yu Feng probably still had a rather negative impression of him, so he didn't say anything more.

Yu Feng was in charge of washing dishes in the large pot, while Zhang Huaijin was cleaning the stove. He showed no trace of the arrogant and domineering person he used to be at Old Zhang's house. "You've changed a lot," Yu Feng said, glancing at Zhang Huaijin and a hint of surprise in her eyes as she watched him skillfully wipe the stove.

"Really?" Zhang Huaijin noticed Yu Feng watching him wipe the stove, grinned, and said without looking up, "Now I often cook when we have family gatherings. You know how my mom cooks, it's either too salty or too bland."

“I knew a chef at a construction site back then. I learned a few tricks from him and showed them off at home. Later, I gradually became interested in cooking.” Zhang Huaijin thought the other person was talking about how skilled he was at cleaning the stove, and he didn’t forget to make promises, “When I have time, I’ll let you try my cooking. I’ve dabbled in both northern and southern cuisines.”

"But what I'm best at is Henan-style stew. There's no way around it; the chef who taught me is a native of Henan." Zhang Huaijin looked up with a grin.

Their eyes met, but perhaps because they both recalled the memory of their parting, they turned their heads away and went back to their own business.

"I feel like your personality has changed a lot, and you seem to talk more than before." Yu Feng didn't say another thing. This time when Zhang Huaijin came, she found that this once skinny hoodlum was now stronger and more composed than before.

However, it always feels quite embarrassing to talk about these things between men and women.

"Really? When we were in Kyoto and Gansu, we often drank and socialized." Zhang Huaijin glanced at Yu Feng's profile. It seemed that the love at first sight he once had had faded so much with time.

Zhang Huaijin had even somewhat forgotten why he had been so fascinated by this girl in the first place.

All I can still remember is the girl in the red dress who stepped into the courtyard house, her gaze reserved and profound.

"By the way, now that we're here, Da Feng'er, there's something I've been wanting to say to you for a while." Zhang Huaijin pursed his lips, put down the rag, stood up, and looked at Yu Feng beside him.

"Is it going to be another confession?" Yu Feng shrugged half-jokingly. She could actually tell from his eyes that he had already gotten out of that vicious cycle of relentless pursuit.

So Yu Feng was really just joking when she answered, to avoid making things too awkward for the two of them.

“No.” Zhang Huaijin smiled. “It’s an apology for my impetuous confession and vows back then. Although I was 22 at the time, I always seemed like I hadn’t grown up. After three or four years of reflection, I’m much more open-minded than before.”

"Yes, I can tell." Yu Feng nodded, a genuine smile on her face. "You've matured a lot since then."

“But my goal of trying to do something still hasn’t changed.” Zhang Huaijin put down the rag, took out a pack of Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes from his pocket and started smoking them. “I was thinking of starting with car maintenance and then seeing if I could pick up some projects on construction sites.”

Yu Feng had almost finished tidying up, but instead of continuing on the topic Zhang Huaijin had brought up, she pointed outside and said, "The stars here are especially beautiful at night. Would you like to go take a look?"

"Really? Then we have to go out and take a look." Zhang Huaijin, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, strode outside, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

He walked out the door alone and glanced at the dark sky. Perhaps because there was light inside the house, he didn't see any starlight when he came out and stood in the yard.

But after a few seconds, my eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and the stars in the sky began to appear randomly in the night. Seven stars stood out, just like the cooking spoons in the room.

Zhang Huaijin took a drag of his cigarette, quietly gazing up at the starry sky, listening to the croaking of frogs and chirping of birds inside and outside the courtyard.

"Squeak."

To his surprise, Yu Feng followed him out and even brought out a slice of watermelon from the house and handed it to him.

"See? A few years ago, there was no electricity in the area below our town. When we walked at night, we relied on starlight and moonlight to light our way." Yu Feng only took a slice of watermelon. She didn't like eating watermelon; she had eaten too much of it when she was a child.

In the summer, there are many persimmons and cantaloupes to eat, so she only took out one piece.

"It's really beautiful. Looking up at the starry sky makes you feel incredibly small." Zhang Huaijin threw his half-smoked cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. He then picked up a watermelon, took a big bite, and turned to ask with a smile, "Are you not used to people smoking around you?"

He had a vague feeling that the other party had asked him to come out.

“Yes, my dad told me that my grandfather died from smoking.” Yu Feng didn’t look at Zhang Huaijin, but continued to look up at the starry sky. “My older brother used to be unreliable and had all sorts of messy ways of doing things, but there was one thing he did very well. He kept himself in great physical condition and never smoked or drank.”

"It's just that nowadays, perhaps because of doing business, I drink much more often."

"Perhaps smoking and drinking are unavoidable, but we still have to cherish our health." Yu Feng leaned against the brick wall, gazing at each star, thinking about the stories her grandmother used to tell them.

(End of this chapter)