My 1978 Hotel

"Don't push."

An Xin patted Han Mingfan and the other kids on the shoulder and came over to An Ying's side. "Sister An Ying, are the lights installed yet?"

"Pretending."

An Ying pulled An Xin a few steps inside. "Mingliang, you guys make way."

"Auntie, I want to see the lights being installed."

"You can't stand on the wall either, or you'll fall and your butt will be bruised and battered."

An Ying waved to shoo away a group of kids who were blocking the wall. She was installing solar lights, and everyone had come to watch the excitement. The entrance to the furniture factory was completely blocked.

"Hey buddy, a little to the east, that's about it."

Dong Qing and Wu Yu gestured and nodded to Li Muchen, who was installing the solar panels. "Install the solar panels higher, and also, lay out plenty of power cables, so we don't run out of power later."

"Don't worry, I just measured it."

Li Muchen quickly installed the lights, lifted the solar panel onto the eaves, secured it, and nailed the wooden planks in place. "Alright, the furniture factory side is done. I won't go over to the team's side."

"We'll go to the team."

Dong Qing and Wu Yu headed straight for the team with the solar panels, while Li Muchen finished installing and tidying up. "Why are you all here?"

"Come and see, install the lights."

An Xin asked with a smile, "This light really doesn't need electricity; it just lights up when exposed to sunlight?"

"Actually, it still uses electricity..."

Li Muchen briefly explained the working principle of solar lights to An Xin, An Ying, and the others.

"You know so much."

An Xin's eyes were fixed on Li Muchen. He was handsome, had a pleasant voice, and was knowledgeable. An Ying and An Xin were both interested in him, but the two girls were too shy to confess. As for Li Muchen, he didn't really consider them his sisters; he treated them more like Zhang Susu.

"This is quite simple."

That's true; it's knowledge that high school students can understand, but for An Xin and An Ying, it's already quite impressive. "Wait a minute, I'll adjust the lights."

"Will it light up now?"

"sure."

Everyone thought it would take forever, but it turned on right after installation. Actually, the device itself had electricity, and Li Muchen just tinkered with it.

"It's lit up! It's really lit up!"

"Look, the light is on."

A group of little kids were shouting and yelling, and now the other busy commune members also came to watch the excitement. "It's really bright, it doesn't need electricity, it's a sun lamp."

"This is good."

"If my family installed one, we could save a lot of kerosene."

"That's right, it's just a bit expensive."

They were all talking about it. The solar lamps cost fifty yuan each. They didn't understand solar energy; they only knew that they could emit light when exposed to the sun.

"Bravo."

An Ying and An Xin admired Li Muchen even more.

"It's actually quite simple, I'll teach you."

"Really? Can we learn it?"

"Of course."

Li Muchen was patiently teaching the two women how to set up solar-powered lights, a scene witnessed by Li Feng, who had just arrived. "Hey bro, this guy's a bit dangerous."

"I'll have to talk to him about it later."

These two girls seem to have a bit of a crush on the young man. It's a pity, though, that neither of the two master chefs, Gao Jiu nor Gao Cheng, seems to have a girlfriend. "Young man."

"cousin."

"Are the solar lights set up?"

"It's set up."

"It lights up at six o'clock."

"Isn't it a bit too late?"

These time-controlled solar lights are technologically outdated, cannot sense light, and are relatively complex to set up.

"Then twenty minutes earlier."

"Alright, let's adjust it again when it gets dark earlier."

After Li Feng finished speaking, he looked at An Ying and An Xin. "An Ying, An Xin, I was just about to ask you for a favor."

"What's the matter?"

"Is that so...?"

Li Feng explained the training situation of Liu Wei and the others. "How about this, you help me with this, and I'll give each of you a small gift later. What do you think?"

"Row."

The two knew that Li Feng had a lot of good stuff, many of which were sent to him by readers, and some of them were even said to have been shipped from overseas.

"Then I'll trouble you."

Han Anbing felt uneasy keeping an eye on Li Feng all by himself, and besides, it was too tiring. An Ying and An Xin were the leader and deputy leader of the militia women's group. Don't let their sixteen or seventeen years of age fool you; they were quite skilled at shooting and throwing grenades.

Last time, Li Feng was startled by how nimbly those two girls jumped over the earthen wall. Don't be fooled by Liu Wei and his group of fat guys' height; they might not be able to beat those two girls one-on-one.

"This is a small gift for you."

As he spoke, Li Feng pulled out two small solar-powered flashlights he'd bought for a penny each on Pinduoduo. They were tiny, like toys, but brighter than regular flashlights, and most importantly, very compact. "These are also solar-powered. Just put them on the windowsill to dry when you're not using them."

"Is this also a sun lamp?"

The two were delighted; this must be expensive, given how small it is. "How do we open it?"

"There's a button here, press it and it will light up."

The brightness was acceptable. Li Feng turned it on and handed it to An Ying and An Xin, who were both surprised and delighted. "It's so bright!"

"It's alright, just don't shine the light directly into people's eyes at night, it's too bright and bad for their eyes," Li Feng instructed.

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome, but I'll have to trouble you with the training."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely help you train well." The two were incredibly excited to receive the exquisite little sun lamp.

It was the first time Liu Wei and his friends had realized that a young girl could have such good physical strength, and that her shooting skills were no worse than Coach Han's. Who were these girls? They were all so fierce at sixteen or seventeen years old. Whoever married them would be in for a world of trouble.

"Get up, let's have a contest."

An Ying yanked Liu Wei up, nearly throwing him to the ground. Her grip was too strong! "How do you all eat? You're so fat, yet you have no strength at all. How are you supposed to work? Are you just going to eat all day and not work?"

Liu Wei and the others blushed. Well, they really were like that. Usually, they just ate and drank, did some work, and that was about it. They would play around a bit, sleep a bit, and eat five meals a day when nothing was wrong, and six meals a day when something was going on.

"Keep up with us."

An Ying and An Xin ran ahead, with Liu Wei and the others following behind, while Han Anbing was freed.

"Anbing, why are you back?"

“An Ying and An Xin are helping with the training, and I just came back to help since I had nothing else to do,” Han Anbing said with a smile. “To be honest, I think An Xin and An Ying are better at training. You’ve trained these people before, and their stamina is really too poor. I haven’t even started training them yet, and they’re already a mess.” “An Ying and An Xin are girls, so their training volume is less. Let them get used to it for a few days first, and then I’ll take over the training. Otherwise, they won’t be trained properly.” Hearing Han Anbing say this, Li Feng also realized that he had been too hasty.

These guys are all too fat. The training is too strenuous and has caused injuries. Although they can be repaired, the disruption to their training will likely also hinder their weight loss efforts. "Alright, let An Xin and An Ying help with the training for two days."

Liu Wei and the others trained with An Ying and An Xin all day, gritting their teeth and persevering, determined not to be inferior to sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls.

"I'm so exhausted."

"Yes, I almost thought I was going to die."

"I really couldn't hold on any longer."

"Me too. If I wasn't afraid of losing face as a man, I would have crawled on the ground right now."

"Wow, tell me, how come those two girls are so amazing? Are people all so physically fit these days?" Liu Lei muttered to himself. "Isn't it said that life expectancy is pretty low these days?"

"I've thought about this problem too. The main issue is the poor medical conditions right now. As for physical fitness, it's hard to say. In terms of stamina and strength, we really can't even compare to a young girl," Zhang Wei sighed. "Sigh, we still have training to do. Everyone, let's take a break."

"Damn, I think Boss Li is really amazing. He saw that we were about to give up, so he changed to two female coaches, which made us feel that we couldn't lose face as men and we persevered."

"No matter what, we really can't afford to lose face again this time. Coach Han looked down on us all morning."

"Yes, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on any longer. Boss Li will send some kids to train us, which would be too embarrassing."

Goodness, upon hearing this, Liu Wei and the others all sat up. "Hang in there, everyone. It's only for a few days anyway, just get through it."

"Alas, this is the only way."

Poor guys, they weren't thick-skinned enough. They blushed when they saw girls, and they were too embarrassed to admit they couldn't keep up with the girls' training. Li Feng only noticed this after watching the training. "Goodness, this is getting interesting."

"I'll have Sister-in-law Da take them to the river work site later. These big men are no match for a woman. I'm sure they'll work hard without me even having to tell them." Li Feng had finally found the weakness of this group of fat guys.

He was shy, especially around women. With this weakness, Li Feng had it all figured out; he didn't need to worry at all. "Er Ya, come here and help your father deliver some things to your Aunt An Ying and Aunt An Xin."

He grabbed two handfuls of White Rabbit milk candies, a few chocolates, and two handfuls of raisins. "Go ahead, just tell them that the training was tough."

"Ah."

Er Ya carried a small cloth bag to An Xin and An Ying and handed the items to them.

"White Rabbit milk candy, chocolate, raisins, all good stuff! Brother Feng always has so many good things." The two accepted the treats, thoroughly enjoying them. "Thank you, Er Ya. Don't worry, go back and tell your dad we'll definitely train hard."

"Okay, Aunt Anxin, Aunt Anying, I'm going back now."

"Go."

"Er Ya is talking more and more fashionable now, she doesn't even count as me anymore."

An Xin said with a hint of envy, "You know, Daya and Erya are really living a good life now."

"No."

An Xin said softly, "Yesterday I saw Daya and Erya each gnawing on a chicken leg. The meat was huge. Their father really dotes on them."

"This is nothing. You don't know, do you? I've already bought two sets of thermal underwear for Daya and Erya. They're thick and made of double-layered fabric. There's also another one I've been eyeing."

"Really? That's worth several tens of dollars, isn't it?"

“Of course! Just look at how good their father is to them. Even his own children probably wouldn’t be this willing to give them so much.” An Xin said, sighing with emotion. “To be honest, Brother Feng is a really good person.”

"Yes, it's a pity that there isn't a suitable one in our brigade, otherwise marrying Brother Feng would probably be very happy."

An Xin and An Ying exchanged a glance as they spoke. They had a good impression of Li Muchen, but as for Li Feng, they just thought he was a nice guy with ability, and didn't have any other thoughts. "I'm afraid even our brigade's Brother Feng might not be interested in him."

"That's true. Who knows, Brother Feng might come to the city someday."

"Did you say you'd bring Daya and Erya into the city?"

"I think so, Brother Feng dotes on the two of them so much."

The two were eating White Rabbit candies and gossiping about the village.

"Little monkey, go."

"Gu."

Han Mingliang grinned and came over. "Auntie, what delicious food are you eating?"

"You monkey, you came by the scent, didn't you?"

An Ying reluctantly took a White Rabbit candy. "Don't repeat what others say."

"Auntie, don't worry, I won't tell."

"By the way, Mingliang, when do you guys start class?"

"Tomorrow or the day after."

Han Mingliang muttered to himself, "Seriously, why does everyone keep asking about school?"

"Anyone else asking?"

"Uncle Feng."

Han Mingliang spoke with envy. "Sigh, my parents didn't even bother to prepare anything for me to go to school. But Uncle Feng prepared a lot of things for Da Ya: a brand new thick quilt, new towels, and a new basin—the kind with a light floral pattern, he said it was from overseas, he got it through someone."

"Toothpaste, toothbrush, cup, and everything else are provided. Soap is also prepared, and the shampoo smells wonderful."

"So many things?"

"That's not."

Han Mingliang got more and more excited as he talked. "Uncle Feng also said he's going to get a women's bicycle for Daya."

"Oh, there are bicycles too?"

"This is spoiling Da Ya too much."

With so many things, there's more than enough for a dowry. The two of them now know how much Li Feng dotes on his two children. They're not worried at all that Li Feng will go to the city without Da Ya and Er Ya. With that level of affection, it would be strange if he didn't bring them along.

"correct."

Han Mingliang said in a low voice, "I heard something. Su Su, who used to stay at Uncle Feng's house, has now returned to the county town and found a formal job."

"A formal job? How is that possible?"

Everyone thought Zhang Susu had gone back to the county town to visit relatives, but it turns out she found a job.

"You guys don't know this, do you?"

Han Mingliang said smugly, "I heard from Uncle Feng that it was Uncle Feng's friend who helped."

"What?"

"This person I've only known for a short time has already helped me so much?"

A full-time job! You could joke around and trade it for a wife, but you just casually gave it to a girl you'd only known for a few days. That's incredibly generous. "Sigh, if we'd known, we should have gone and asked."

What country girl wouldn't want the opportunity to go to the city? Once you're in the city, you'll have a guaranteed job with a government-subsidized grain ration, and you won't go hungry. Even in the face of natural disasters or man-made calamities, at least you'll have enough to eat.

"Then I don't know."

After finishing his candy, Han Mingliang prepared to run off to play. An Xin and An Ying watched him run off into the distance. "Do you think we have a chance?"

"What are you thinking? But I can have my dad and your dad talk to Brother Feng."

"Please try to save it for us if you have the chance in the future," An Ying said.

"That's true."

The two women were determined to help Li Feng train well, hoping to leave a good impression. They hadn't expected Li Feng to be so capable, even able to introduce them to formal jobs. (End of Chapter)