Exciting 1979!

Chapter 52: What's wrong with being old? You know how to care for others when you are old.

The person who was most happy about Wei Ming buying a car was Mei Wenhua, after all, his brand new Fei Ge was still under Wei Ming's crotch.

Only when Wei Ming has his own mount can he rescue the little flying pigeon.

Wei Ming doesn't want to always ride other people's bikes, after all, he is kind.

"Oh, has Brother Feng ridden back? Where is he?" Wei Ming asked hurriedly.

Then Mei Wenhua pointed to a pile of scrap metal next to the gate.

"Uh……"

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to call it scrap metal, but it was indeed covered in rust and its original appearance was almost unrecognizable. Wei Ming didn't even think it was a car at first.

“This car seems to be a bit old.”

Mei Wenhua introduced it like a salesman: "Don't look old, but it's solid."

This is true. Nowadays, industrial products are designed to be "sturdy and durable" as the first principle, and it is common for a bicycle to be passed down for several generations.

Seeing Wei Ming still hesitating, Mei Wenhua wiped the car logo desperately: "Look, the brand, it's permanent!"

Today's three major bicycle brands, Phoenix, Forever and Fei Ge, are all guarantees of quality and symbols of status.

The more Mei Wenhua recommended it, the more hesitant Wei Ming became: "This bike is probably older than me. Should I ride it or should it ride me?"

Wei Ming was afraid that it wouldn’t last long enough for him to buy a new car.

"You're old, so what's there to be afraid of? You know how to care for others when you're old. You can ride this bike for another ten years without any problem," Mei Wenhua added. "If you think it's too old, I'll clean it for you. It'll be as good as new!"

"Oh, then you wipe it." Anyway, you are the best at wiping.

At this time, the sound of a car was heard behind him. A senior guard at the gate was about to let the car pass, and the car stopped next to Wei Ming.

Master Liu from the school bus team waved to Wei Ming and said, "Get in the car, Xiao Wei. I'll take you to the vehicle detention center."

Master Liu is very efficient. He issued the letter of introduction very quickly, so Wei Ming can officially start learning to drive.

Wei Ming, sitting in the passenger seat, first handed a cigarette to Master Liu and lit it.

Master Liu puffed away smoke and thanked Wei Ming again for bringing the wine.

"I don't know what happened recently, but even my father-in-law has heard about this Shengui Yangrong wine. When he came to my house for dinner, I took out the wine unexpectedly. Hey, the old man was so happy."

Wei Ming smiled and thought, could it really be related to his novel?
Then Master Liu started teaching on the road while driving.

There are too few cars on the road these days, the roads are mainly for bicycles, and the traffic light facilities are not complete, so many of Wei Ming's future road experiences will be invalidated.

When he arrived at the Vehicle Inspection Office in Haidian, he registered, took a physical examination, and received study materials. Master Liu took care of him throughout the process, which cost a total of two yuan. Master Liu also signed his name and officially became Wei Ming's master.

This is the advantage of having a company. Without one, you wouldn’t be able to spend these two dollars.

Master Liu was quite free today and wanted to take Wei Ming with him to study, but Wei Ming had to go to work in the afternoon, so he had to give up. Master Liu had to remind him to read the two books he had received.

After returning to school, Master Liu dropped Wei Ming off directly at the South Gate.

Then Wei Ming saw a bicycle parked at the gate. It was old but clean. Even the rust was gone, especially the logo on the bicycle, which was reflecting the sun.

Wei Ming couldn't even recognize it: "Is this another car?!"

Mei Wenhua rubbed his waist and said, "It's still the same one, it's permanent."

Wei Ming sighed sincerely. Looking at the terrible state of the car before, he didn't know where to start.

Mei Wenhua said proudly: "I wasted several pieces of sandpaper and didn't even have time to eat. Now I think you like it. Come on and try it."

"Wait a moment." Wei Ming first went back to the dormitory to change into his uniform, thinking that if the bike was good, he would ride it directly to work and then give the money to Brother Feng later.

As soon as he got on the bike, he discovered a problem.

"The brakes on this car are not working. No, it seems there is no brake wire at all!"

Mei Wenhua: "Well, just ride slower, and you have long legs, so you can use the foot brake."

Wei Ming rode for a while and then stopped.

It's not the foot brake, it's Tom's chain that's broken!
Wei Ming sighed: "Xiaomei, why don't you just forget it."

"Don't worry!" Mei Wenhua said anxiously, "These are just minor problems. Oh, there's a car repairman at Tsinghua University. I'll drive it over and fix it for you!"

Wei Ming changed to a smaller flying pigeon: "Then let's talk about it after it's repaired. I'm going to work first."

Wei Ming even brings his schoolbag to work, ready to take time to read Ping Yao Zhuan at any time.

Although it is a vertical version, you have to read it from right to left, and it is in traditional Chinese, which seriously challenges Wei Ming's reading habits, but there is no choice these days.

And he got used to it after reading it for a while, especially the traditional Chinese characters. Although he had started learning simplified Chinese characters when he was in school and even learned simplified Chinese characters for a while in the past few years, reading traditional Chinese characters was not difficult for him.

In the original version of "Ping Yao Zhuan", it was an old monk who picked up the swan egg. The child in the egg was named Danzi Monk after he was born. At the age of fifteen, he had grown into a strong man who looked like Lu Zhishen.

He stole the White Ape's Ruyi Book several times, and learned magic from the old fox Saint Aunt and other monsters, causing trouble to the people. Later, he instigated Wang Ze to rebel. Finally, under the enlightenment of the White Ape and the Queen Mother of the West, he transformed into Zhuge Suizhi, one of the "Three Sui" to help Wen Yanbo put down the rebellion. He is a character who is both good and evil.

But fairy tales for children cannot be like this, so the monk Danzi became a cute and righteous Dansheng, and changed from a controversial figure to a positive character, always standing on the opposite side of the three foxes and the feudal bureaucrats. That’s right, the new story that Wei Ming wants to create is "The Magic Book", which is known as one of the three monuments of Shanghai Animation Film Studio and is also the latest to be completed!
The three monuments are "Havoc in Heaven" based on "Journey to the West", "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" based on "Investiture of the Gods", and "The Magic Book" based on "Ping Yao Biography".

Moreover, the adaptation of "The Magic Book" is the most significant, it is almost a brand new and subversive story.

The film's connotation still has huge room for interpretation even forty years after its release, and it is a work with great artistic vitality.

The fact that it can be as famous as "Journey to the West" and "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" with the least well-known original work shows its strength.

Wei Ming is not in a hurry to start writing. He first thoroughly understands the original work. Although the quality of these classical novels about gods and demons varies, reading them gives him a feeling of reading online novels in later generations. The imagination is very exaggerated, a bit YY, and a little pornographic from time to time. Wow, it is a very exciting book.

Wei Ming had dinner in the school cafeteria as usual. He almost forgot the taste of the faculty cafeteria.

While helping him schedule shifts, Liu Zhenyun felt envious, wondering when he would be so famous that someone would treat him to meals every day!

After work, Mei Wenhua was still waiting for him at the gate, like a woman waiting for her husband.

"Brother Ming, try it again. It will definitely be easier to ride. I replaced several parts for you."

In order to protect his pigeon from the humiliation of being kicked in the crotch, Mei Wenhua spent a lot of money.

Wei Ming tried riding it and said, "Hey, don't tell me, you really shouldn't tell me."

Because this Forever is taller and bigger than the Fei Ge, it is very suitable for Wei Ming's long legs. It can be ridden fast and the brakes are sensitive.

"Okay, this is it!" Wei Ming reached into his pocket and asked, "How much did it cost to repair the car?"

"Ah?" Mei Wenhua was stunned. He was still giving money.

Xiaomei instinctively wanted to exaggerate: "It didn't cost much, actually."

"It doesn't cost much, but it does. Do you have two dollars?"

"Two pieces are enough!"

Then Wei Ming gave Mei Wenhua two dollars. He cleaned the car and repaired it. This service was worth two dollars.

Wei Ming laughed so hard, from now on he was also a car owner!

Mei Wenhua was also happy. He was tired after a whole day and hadn’t eaten yet!

When he returned to the dormitory and saw Qiao Feng, Wei Ming first thanked Brother Feng for helping him find a good car.

"Hey, what a nice bike it is. Just don't despise it. If you feel embarrassed to ride it, I'll push it back and I'll look for another one."

"No, no, no, it's already good enough. By the way, how much is this car?"

Qiao Feng: "This car belongs to an old man in the Summer Palace's logistics department. Just give him 40 yuan and I'll ask him to go through the formalities later."

What? Only 40 yuan, which is far below Wei Ming’s budget.

Nowadays, a cheap new bicycle costs more than 180 yuan, and you also need a bicycle ticket. For example, Liu Rulong's Phoenix bicycle costs more than 150 yuan, and Mei Wenhua's Fei Ge bicycle was bought by his family and cost yuan.

"It's so cheap!" Wei Ming blurted out.

"That bike is too shabby, and I think it's too expensive, but since it doesn't require a ticket, I'll just ride it."

Wei Ming shook his head: "Not at all."

But now he encountered a new problem.

His original budget was around 100 yuan, but he didn't expect to get it done with only 40 yuan. Now he has over 200 yuan in cash.

So what else should we buy?
Qiao Feng: "What are you thinking about?"

Wei Ming smiled and said, "I was thinking of buying another radio for my family, but I still don't have the ticket."

There is no TV at home and there is not much entertainment, but having a radio can make my parents' rural life less boring.

Biaozi, who was lying in bed on sick leave, said, "If you don't care whether it's new or old, you can try your luck at the Trust Store. Maybe you'll find something suitable, and you don't need a ticket."

"Trust store?"

Wei Ming seemed to have heard of it, but didn't know much about it. After all, he lived in Beijing mainly after the 90s, and trust stores had already declined by then.

So Biaozi gave him some basic information about the "trust store" that specializes in second-hand goods.

There are not only radios, but also bicycles, watches, furniture, clothes, etc., which can not only be bought but also entrusted to be sold.

"But whether you can meet someone you like depends on luck. I used to hang out there when I first came here," Qiao Feng said, then looked at his watch. "Oh, I have to go. I have an appointment with your sister-in-law to watch a movie."

"This is a big deal, you go ahead and do your work."

Biaozi sighed: "I also want to watch a movie with Yanzi."

Just as Wei Ming was about to choke him, the senior at the gate came down and called Wei Ming: "Xiao Wei, your phone call said it was from Shanghai!"

"Hmm? A call from the Magic City?"

……

(End of this chapter)