50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 664 Qingdao in the 1980s

When international news was broadcast on television, they heard a brief report on the situation in Java.

In short, the fighting over there is much more intense.

Sun Zhiwei was very satisfied when he heard this. "Well done! It seems the weapons I provided to both sides have been effective."

But that's not enough. We can't just fight on Java Island. There are more than 1 other islands that we can't let sit idle.

The amount of weapons and ammunition he received from the Hawthorne Army depot last time was considerable, but this time, with the island exchange, they only gave him a few hundred thousand guns. That's hardly enough.

He had already figured out how to add fuel to the fire on both sides.

After the news broadcast ended, Tong Guodong went back to his study to look at documents, while Sun Zhiwei continued watching TV with his mother-in-law.

The program following the evening news is "Folk Arts and Acrobatics," followed by the newly imported Singaporean drama series "Life on the Road."

"I never complain about the mistakes of fate, nor am I afraid of the many hardships on the journey."

"I'm not afraid of being lonely on the journey, as long as you miss me too."

The familiar melody of the song on TV instantly transported Sun Zhiwei back to his past life.

This song was incredibly popular across China back then, and even decades later, many celebrities still cover it.

Although television programs were limited in those days, they were truly excellent, running from beginning to end without a single commercial.

However, the 14-inch TV in my father-in-law's house is a bit old. The picture is a little blurry and it hurts the eyes. My mother-in-law, who wears glasses, has to get close to see it clearly.

Although Wei Hongxia has always kept it in good condition, wiping off the dust every day and covering it with a dust cover, over the years, much of the paint on the wooden shell has been wiped off.

It's not that my father-in-law's family is short of money, but they probably haven't replaced it because they're afraid of it having a bad reputation.

Sun Zhiwei happened to come and see this, so naturally he wouldn't ignore it.

The next morning, Sun Zhiwei borrowed a bicycle from the gatekeeper and headed to the Friendship Store, a subsidiary of the Foreign Ship Supply Company, at the dock.

Along the way, he felt the difference of the new era. The pedestrians on the street were dressed more and more fashionably, especially in the city center and port area, where there were more and more fashionable people.

That area wasn't just a simple Friendship Store; it was a complex that included a seamen's club, a seamen's theater, and tourist shops.

In particular, the Seamen's Club building has advanced facilities such as shops, post office, international telephone, library, ballroom, concert hall, screening room, and table tennis room, making it a superior place to live.

The seamen's shop is what we call the Friendship Store. This is where foreign guests and foreign seamen can purchase goods.

Sun Zhiwei wasn't intimidated at the door; he walked in fluently in a foreign language.

He doesn't have any foreign exchange certificates on him right now, but that's not a problem, he has US dollars.

After entering the store, he went straight to the electronics section and bought one television, one refrigerator, and one washing machine.

When it came time to pay, he simply pulled out US dollars to pay.

Sure enough, the clerk politely told him that US dollars could not be used directly here, so Sun Zhiwei asked the clerk to help him exchange them.

Sure enough, the clerk took the money to the exchange counter on the first floor and exchanged it for foreign exchange certificates, and returned very quickly.

If he were to go and change it himself, although it wouldn't be slow, it would definitely involve more complicated procedures like checking documents, which would be a hassle.

This is a good solution; it avoids trouble for everyone.

After making the payment, Sun Zhiwei asked Friendship Store to call a tricycle for delivery, while he followed behind on his bicycle to avoid a collision. Around noon, the tricycle finally delivered the three appliances to the gate of the residential area; the driver couldn't go any further inside.

However, you can stop here.

The gatekeepers all recognized Sun Zhiwei, knowing he was the son-in-law of a leader, so naturally someone would come over to help carry everything inside.

When a group of young men bustled into the Tong family's gate, the mother-in-law was completely bewildered.

"Hey, what did you bunch of rascals bring in?"

“Aunt Wei, Brother Sun asked us to move in. Go ask him.”

Upon hearing the voice, Sun Zhiwei, who was at the back, quickly responded, "Mom, please move aside. The stairwell is too narrow; we can't even turn around down there."

The TV and washing machine are fine, but the refrigerator I bought this time is a large capacity one. It's two meters long, including the box, so it's really hard to turn around in the narrow hallway.

Half an hour later, Tong Guodong, who had rushed back upon hearing the news, was already sitting on the sofa with a serious expression, ready to have a serious talk with Wei Hongxia about Sun Zhiwei's extravagance and waste.

“The government is now advocating thrift and frugality. Our TVs are all good, so why should we spend money to buy new ones?” Tong Guodong was very angry.

“Yes, yes, we watched the show together yesterday. You saw it yourself, and everything was fine. I have to clean it every day.” Wei Hongxia also disapproved of Sun Zhiwei’s extravagant spending.

"Dad, that's not right of you. The TV we have at home is so old, the screen is small and the picture quality is not clear. It's very harmful to the eyes."

“Yesterday I saw Mom watching TV, and she had to get very close to see it clearly even though she was wearing reading glasses. Isn’t that harmful to her eye health?”

Good heavens, Sun Zhiwei slapped a huge label on Tong Guodong, silencing him completely.

Should we accept this favor since the person is doing it for the good of his wife?

Upon hearing this reason, Wei Hongxia's expression immediately brightened, and her eyes practically crinkled with laughter.

After hesitating for a while, Tong Guodong finally changed the subject, saying, "Okay, even if what you said makes sense, what about the washing machine?"

"Who doesn't wash their own clothes? Why buy a machine to wash them? Everyone washes their own clothes. How can a machine clean them?"

"If you really have too much money to burn, then donate it."

This time, Sun Zhiwei did not answer immediately. Instead, he moved to sit next to Wei Hongxia and then took her hands and opened them.

These hands were covered in calluses, cuts, and scars from winter chilblains.

Although not as exaggerated as a farmer's hands, it is obvious that there are many more wounds than Sun Zhiwei's hands.

"Dad, look at Mom's hands, do you still want them?"

Tong Guodong had never looked closely at his wife's hands before, and when he did, he was completely stunned.

Then, he reached out and grabbed his wife's hand with heartache, holding it tightly and refusing to let go.

"Hongxia, you've worked so hard all these years." Tong Guodong's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

Wei Hongxia didn't take it seriously. Everyone goes through this, right? It's normal to get frostbite when washing clothes in winter.

And those little cuts, if you accidentally cut yourself while chopping vegetables, they'll heal in a couple of days, what's the big deal?

(End of this chapter)