My 1978 Hotel

"An Jun, handsome."

Li Feng arrived early on An Jun's wedding day, along with An Su and the other young people from Hanjiaba. Of course, Wu Tong, Li Muchen, and their group were also there to join in the fun.

"Brother Anjun, can I borrow this dress from you for my wedding?"

An Dun asked Han Anjun in a low voice, "This neat Zhongshan suit and leather shoes are definitely considered a high standard wedding outfit nowadays. No wonder An Dun wanted to borrow it to try it out."

"Exit."

Li Feng patted Antun on the shoulder. "Work hard, and you'll buy your own place someday."

"You can't go wrong by listening to Brother Feng."

An Cheng and the others laughed and said that Han Anjun, the groom, was quite unexpected. When did these young people from Hanjiaba become so convinced of Li Feng's abilities?

"An Jun, are you done yet?"

Han Anbing came in and called out to Han Anjun. "Your sister-in-law and the others are all ready, they're just waiting for you." Then came the bride. In those days, things weren't really that particular, because of the uproar a few years ago, some customs were classified as part of the Four Olds.

Of course, there are still some minor customs. For example, there are certain requirements for the women who receive the bride. They are all chosen to be "five-blessing wives"—having parents and in-laws who are alive, a healthy husband, and sons and daughters. Coincidentally, Han Anmin and Han Anbing's wives are both "five-blessing wives," along with several other wives in the household.

This formed the five-woman wedding party. The men were less particular, being younger, and of course, there was the matchmaker: a cadre from the commune and Li Feng. Yes, Li Feng was counted as a matchmaker. There was no way around it; the officiant had already been decided as Secretary Gao.

Li Feng was in charge of the wedding procession and arranged for a matchmaker to act as his accomplice. Well, let's go, he'll have to go along too. Ox carts, donkey carts, three-wheeled motorcycles, and most importantly, they even managed to get a canvas Jeep, which must have been arranged by Wu Desheng, the police chief.

The three-wheeled motorcycle was ridden over by Wu Shengnan. She had recently been promoted to deputy squad leader, and she certainly had a certain presence. Li Feng even liked her outfit. "Officer Wu, it's been quite a while since I've seen you."

"What have you been busy with lately?"

During a break from the wedding procession, Li Feng chatted with Wu Shengnan. He had asked Zhang Susu to look for Wu Shengnan a few days ago, but he didn't know if she had found her or not. He wanted to build a relationship first, as having a friend in the police force was always a good thing.

"Crack down on speculation and profiteering."

Wu Shengnan sighed. Although she had recently succeeded in arresting some grain speculators, she felt no joy at all. Tongcheng was severely lacking in grain; cracking down on speculation was merely a temporary solution.

You can't let people go hungry and not buy food from the black market, right? Wu Shengnan had been troubled by this for a while, and now that Li Feng had asked about it, she couldn't help but say a few words.

"Oh, this is it."

Li Feng shook his head helplessly. "Let alone us, even the top leaders don't have a good solution. We can only wait until there's enough grain, then hopefully this kind of clandestine grain trading will stop."

"Is there enough food?"

Wu Shengnan thought Li Feng's idea was too optimistic. How could it be possible? Abundant food supplies were simply a pipe dream. "Is it really possible?"

"maybe."

Li Feng thought of something. "I heard that a teacher surnamed Yuan has developed a hybrid rice variety that has significantly increased yields. As long as our fertilizer plant develops and we have such good seeds, the food supply should become more and more abundant."

"too difficult."

Wu Shengnan didn't see the possibility that Li Feng was talking about. Li Feng didn't say anything more. How could people nowadays imagine that in just ten or twenty years, they would have no problem having enough to eat? This is something that people dare not even think about in this day and age.

No one would believe it anyway; what hasn't been achieved, no matter how well it's described, is ultimately just an illusion. "It's difficult, but I believe that as long as we work hard, we will eventually achieve it."

"Yes."

Wu Shengnan sighed. Right now, the focus is still on cracking down on grain smugglers. As for farmers who buy grain, Wu Shengnan turns a blind eye. There's no other way; you can't arrest people who have nothing to eat and buy a little grain.

Education is definitely involved, and a fine is imposed as a lesson learned; usually, the person is released after the fine. In contrast, those who speculate on grain are arrested and imprisoned for at least three to five years, and sometimes as long as eight to ten years.

Seeing that Wu Shengnan seemed troubled by her work, Li Feng changed the subject and started talking about literature, since Wu Shengnan was, after all, a literary young woman.

"Really?"

Wu Shengnan was surprised that Li Feng and his friends had published a full-length novel, and that the publisher had already finalized the manuscript and was preparing for publication. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I'll send you a copy when it's published."

"That's so embarrassing."

"We're friends, you're too kind."

Li Feng actually quite liked this diligent young woman. Besides, her father was the police chief; it wouldn't hurt to be on good terms with her. "Have you been writing any articles lately?"

"Too busy."

Wu Shengnan shook her head slightly. She knew her own abilities. Having a hobby was one thing, but truly becoming a writer was quite difficult.

"You can write about things happening around you."

Li Feng suggested, "For example, short stories or novellas about the police would be fine, as would long articles about the lives of police officers, or even about solving cases. These are all good writing directions."

"Oh, is that okay?"

"There's nothing wrong with that. The Writers' Association doesn't have any fixed requirements on what to write. As long as it's vivid and interesting, I think it's fine," Li Feng said with a smile, seeing that Wu Shengnan seemed interested. "Giving it a try can't hurt."

"you're right."

Wu Shengnan felt that Li Feng's words made a lot of sense, and she could use writing to relieve some of her emotions. "Then, when the time comes, could you please help me revise it?"

"No problem, we'll discuss it then."

"That would be troublesome."

"Look, you're being too polite with me again. We're friends, this is too formal. It makes it seem like you don't consider me a friend," Li Feng said with a smile. "I'm not usually this polite when I trouble you."

This meant that he genuinely considered her a friend, which touched Wu Shengnan. She thought Li Feng was a good person; no wonder An Jun asked him to be the matchmaker. Actually, Wu Shengnan didn't know that Han Fuguo had invited Li Feng mainly to save face.

As a brigade leader, his status was somewhat insufficient. His in-laws were the deputy secretary of the commune, and his brother worked in the public security bureau. The witness was the commune secretary. It seemed inappropriate for him, a mere brigade leader, to be of low rank. That's why they asked Li Feng to act as the matchmaker, so Li Feng could represent their family at the wedding.

Li Feng, the great writer, is worthy of being compared to these people, and perhaps even more prestigious.

This doesn't mean Wu Shengnan thinks Li Feng is popular, which is why he chose her.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you, my friend."

Wu Shengnan extended her hand, which surprised Li Feng somewhat, but he quickly shook it back. "Friend, hahaha."

"Brother Feng, hurry up, we're waiting for you."

"I'm coming."

Li Feng quickly agreed. "Sheng Nan, I'll go first. We can have a proper talk later when we have time. Remember to write first. Don't worry about whether it's good or not. As long as you write, it will gradually get better."

"I know, Comrade Li Feng."

Li Feng smiled and waved, then followed An Bing outside without delay. "What happened? Everything's all packed up, isn't it?"

"Waiting for you to get on the bus."

"I'll take a car?"

Li Feng had originally planned to ride in an oxcart, but this guy made him ride in a Jeep—that's pretty high-class treatment. "Hurry up and get in, we need to get there quickly."

"alright."

Li Feng was a little confused by the seating arrangement. Something was wrong; the groom was sitting in the passenger seat. But then he thought about it, and realized that back then, leaders preferred to sit in the passenger seat, unlike in later generations.

"But I'm afraid we'll have to sit in the back seat when we get back. There's no way around it; it's not appropriate for the bride and groom to sit in the front passenger seat."

Li Feng thought to himself, then casually sat down in the back seat.

Wu Xiaofeng's home is not far away, just a few minutes' drive away. There are quite a few people here, after all, her father is the deputy secretary of the commune and her uncle is the director of the county public security bureau. This is considered one of the top families in Maya Commune.

The house has a large tiled roof and a cement foundation. There's a red cloth tied at the entrance, which looks quite festive.

"I'm coming."

The door was already prepared, and as soon as the car arrived, the firecrackers were lit, crackling and popping for a while. Li Feng muttered to himself that the people riding in the oxcart were probably going to be blown up, but thankfully, these days firecrackers are mostly useless.

"Come inside quickly."

Li Feng gave a shout, and the few people busied themselves helping Han Anjun into the house to fetch the bride. Fortunately, the people who came to join in the fun were quite considerate and made way for him after asking for a couple of candies. In this day and age, men want cigarettes, and the elderly, women, and children want candy. Having prepared in advance, Han Anbing and the others distributed cigarettes and candy. For those who were shameless, they gave them an extra cigarette and a couple more candies. Fortunately, most of them still had some sense of propriety, and even with three packs of cigarettes they brought, they still had a little bit left.

Most of the candy had already been distributed, so Li Feng told An Dun to go to the car and grab some more to scatter, so the kids could scramble for it and have some fun.

"Give me some White Rabbit candy."

Li Feng called Dong Qing and the others over, determined to make sure he made the most of his position as matchmaker.

"coming."

The White Rabbit candy was brought by Li Feng when he came. He left some for An Jun, and he still had half a jin left for himself. "I'll spill it."

"okay."

Dong Qing, Wu Yu, Tian Hao, and Hua Ziyan grabbed candy and started scattering it around. Wu Tong and Qin Yue ran over to grab some too, while only Xiao Ge and Hua Ziyao remained relatively reserved. "Slow down."

"White Rabbit."

Few of the children in this commune had ever seen a White Rabbit candy. Of course, compared to the children in the production team, these children had more experience, and a few of them actually recognized the White Rabbit candy. As soon as they talked about it and made a fuss, some of the adults also came over laughing and trying to snatch the White Rabbit candy.

Who can blame them when White Rabbit has such a great reputation? It's known as "one candy, one cup of milk," a rare find that you can't buy anywhere else.

"Big White Rabbit?"

Even the bride and the women accompanying her in the room heard it. "An Jun, you've got guts, getting a White Rabbit candy."

"How did this child spill it?"

"Yes, these are some really good things."

Wu Xiaofeng almost couldn't resist running to find Han Anjun. She insisted on keeping some White Rabbit candy; she liked it too, but she didn't usually get to eat it, only receiving some occasionally during holidays.

"Here he comes, here he comes, the groom is here."

"We can't let him in so easily."

"Quick, bring me some candy, I want White Rabbit."

"That's right, bring me White Rabbit candy."

"Otherwise, we won't open the door."

Han Anmin and the others were stunned. What to do? Where did the White Rabbit come from? They asked around and found out that Li Feng had ordered people to spread it. There was nothing they could do but look for Li Feng.

"There aren't many White Rabbit candies left."

Li Feng sighed helplessly. "There's also a bunch of chocolates, take them over there."

The Hershey's chocolate was handed to Anton to take over. When Wu Xiaofeng heard there was chocolate inside, she instinctively opened the door and took it. "It really is chocolate."

"What's chocolate?"

Several elderly women inside and outside the house whispered among themselves. They really didn't know what this thing was. Wu Xiaofeng didn't explain much. It must have been sent to him by Li Feng, a reader. Such a good thing was something that could not be seen in Ma Ya Commune.

There was nothing to buy at the county department store, so Wu Xiaofeng grabbed a handful and put them in her pocket, though she did manage to take out some White Rabbit candies.

"The door is now open."

"Too easy," Dong Qing muttered to himself. Li Feng couldn't help but want to give these guys a piece of his mind. What, were they going to overcome all obstacles? "Alright, hurry up and load the things onto the car. Let's go back for the feast."

"Yes, yes, hurry up and move the things."

Back at the wedding banquet, Dong Qing and the others perked up again. They had never eaten a wedding banquet before in this era; this was their first time.

"Be careful not to touch anything."

Seeing Han Anmin instructing everyone to move the vehicle carefully, Li Feng felt relieved and waited for Han Anjun and Wu Xiaofeng to come out and get in the car. This time, he sat in the back row because there was no room in the front.

"It's so interesting."

Sitting on the oxcart, Tian Hao peeled open a large white rabbit and stuffed it into his mouth.

"What are you doing?"

"I stole it."

Tian Hao laughed and said, leaving Dong Qing and Wu Yu speechless. "You're a rich second-generation, is it really necessary to do this for a White Rabbit candy?"

"It's really delicious."

"Alright, you're stealing candy from a little kid. How can you be so shameless?"

Wu Tong said irritably, "But you're right, it's quite interesting."

"Everyone here is just here for the fun, not to cause trouble, unlike in later generations, where many people ran away purely to cause trouble."

Here, giving someone a cigarette or a piece of candy brings smiles to everyone's face, a stark contrast to later generations who would stop cars and beg for money, demanding cartons of cigarettes. "There were quite a few people just now. Do you think there will be many more at the banquet later?"

"There must be quite a lot."

"You've forgotten how many people came from Hanjiaba alone."

If each family has one table, that'll fill five or six tables. Add in relatives and friends, and Han Anjun and Wu Xiaofeng's colleagues, and it'll probably be at least nine or ten tables, not even counting the guests from Secretary Wu's side.

"That's going to be interesting."

Li Muchen said with a smile, "These days, drinking and playing drinking games can easily last for half a day, and the fun can continue until the evening."

"It's true."

"Why are you playing rock-paper-scissors?"

Tian Hao got excited.

"These are the main ones: Five Kings and Tiger Sticks." Li Muchen knew a bit about it from seeing Han Anmin and the others play the drinking game.

"Teach me quickly, I'll try it in a bit."

"Forget about it. You're just learning on the fly. How can you compare to a seasoned pro?"

"I'm just playing around."

Tian Hao said, "How about we play by ourselves?"

"That would be a good idea."

Dong Qing and the others thought it was a good idea. It didn't matter if they didn't study well, since none of them did well either; they could just have some fun. "We'll sit at the same table later."

"Row."

"By the way, have you prepared the gift money?"

"No, have you prepared anything?"

"Ah."

Wu Tong said smugly, "We're ready, watch."

"One yuan, this much?"

"It's for both of us."

Wu Tong and Qin Yue laughed as they spoke.

"Five cents per person is not a small amount."

Li Muchen nodded and took out fifty cents as well. "I'll give fifty cents too, so we can agree on a price. I wonder how much my cousin will give?"

"I'm afraid there's at least one." (End of Chapter)