My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 144 Yesterday Reappears
"Brother-in-law, what is this?"

Two days have passed since Zhou Jiye reunited with Lao Wen and Xu Guoqing. Although Zhou Jiye has returned to Shanghai and agreed to continue his previous business with them, Lao Wen and Xu Guoqing advised him to rest at home for a couple of days, considering that he had just returned and Lin Ying was pregnant.

Zhou Jiye readily agreed and rested for two more days. He also took the opportunity to visit the warehouse and retrieve the goods that had been shipped back.

With several large boxes strapped to his bicycle, Zhou Jiye couldn't ride it at all and had to push it all the way back.

When he got home, he ran into Lin Ying and the others getting off work. Seeing Zhou Jiye pushing his bicycle with so many big boxes, Lin Xi quickly ran over to help and asked them questions with great curiosity.

"These are all good stuff!" Zhou Jiye said with a smile, untying the ropes binding them. Then, he and Lin Xi carried the cardboard boxes into the house.

The largest cardboard box was heavy and large, and the two of them struggled to carry it in. There were a few other boxes that were slightly smaller, and Lin Wen also came to help. Lin Ying, because of her big belly, couldn't help, so she just watched with a smile.

Hearing the commotion downstairs, Fang Manxia came down and looked on with curiosity when she saw the cardboard boxes placed in the hallway.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

After everything was carried in, Zhou Jiye went to the kitchen to get a pair of scissors, stood in front of the largest cardboard box, and jokingly said, "The good stuff is about to be revealed! Everyone, pay attention! Let's open the box!"

As he spoke, he took a pair of scissors and first cut the outer plastic strapping, then used the sharp end of the scissors to cut open the tape sealing the cardboard box.

As the cardboard box was opened, white foam was revealed inside. After removing these items, a large 18-inch color TV was finally displayed in front of everyone.

"TV set!"

Lin Xi jumped for joy. She had been in Shanghai for more than half a year and was no longer the country bumpkin she had just arrived in. Moreover, working in a coffee shop, she dealt with foreigners every day. In addition, the hotel was well-equipped. Televisions were rare in other places, but they were something they had seen before.

But to everyone's surprise, Zhou Jiye actually brought a TV home, and such a large one at that. Doesn't this mean we can watch TV at home from now on?

Not only Lin Xi, but Lin Wen was also overjoyed, and Fang Manxia's gaze also fell on the television set with some surprise.

On the contrary, Lin Ying, though her face was full of joy, did not pay much attention to the television. For her, the television in the later era had become more of a decoration and background in the home. People at that time were basically inseparable from their mobile phones and rarely watched television.

This is a Toshiba television set. The silver casing is inlaid with a black screen frame. It looks square and has a large protruding rear end, making it look extremely sturdy.

It took Zhou Jiye some effort to finally pull the television out of the box and place it steadily on the ground.

"Grandma, I'll take this TV upstairs for you and put it in your room," Zhou Jiye said to Fang Manxia with a smile.

"Don't bother with this. It's too big to move around without bumping it. Besides, I'm an old woman and I don't care about these things. They're things that you young people like. You don't need to put them at my place. It's better to put them in your room. If I want to look at them anytime, I can just come downstairs."

Fang Manxia smiled and shook her head. She usually had a very regular schedule, going to bed early and waking up early every day. Although televisions were nice, Fang Manxia wasn't as excited as Lin Xi and the others; she'd only glance at them a few times. Besides, it was inconvenient to have a television in her room. She couldn't very well have Lin Xi and the others watching TV when she was getting ready for bed, which would disrupt their schedule. So, putting it downstairs was the most suitable option.

Zhou Jiye thought about it and agreed. He looked at Lin Ying and asked her for her opinion. Lin Ying nodded slightly in agreement. After thinking about it, Zhou Jiye accepted Fang Manxia's suggestion. Considering that Lin Ying was pregnant, he decided to put the TV in Lin Wen and Lin Xi's room.

"For us? Really? Brother-in-law! You're so great! Long live brother-in-law!"

Lin Xi was overjoyed. She never expected such a good thing to happen. The TV was in their room, which meant she could watch it whenever she wanted and for as long as she wanted.
Even Lin Wen, though surprised, was secretly delighted, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Don't shout 'Hooray!' yet. We're not putting this in your room so you can watch it all the time. Let's get this straight: you can only watch it until 10 p.m. at the latest each day, and it absolutely can't affect your work the next day. Also, remember to do your chores around the house. If you don't, I'm taking this TV away." Lin Ying laid down the rules for the two girls, her face serious.

The two girls nodded without hesitation, patting their chests and promising to do it.

The group carried the television into their room. After looking around the room, Zhou Jiye placed two camphor wood chests from the corner against the wall opposite the foot of the bed, then stacked the two chests together to make a TV stand, covered it with a cloth, and then placed the television steadily on top of it.

"How's the location?"

"Great! That's wonderful!" Lin Xi clapped her hands and cheered. This position was perfect for facing the bed, so she could watch it while lying in bed.
I set up the TV, found an outlet to plug it in, and then started changing channels.

The TV only had two channels, channel 5 and channel 8. After fiddling with it for a while according to the instructions, the TV finally had sound. When the voice came from the speaker, everyone perked up, but the problem was that the picture was completely blurry, distorted, and full of light spots. "Antenna!"

Zhou Jiye fiddled with it for a few times but still couldn't get it right, until Lin Ying reminded him from the side.

Zhou Jiye then remembered that modern televisions rely on antennas to receive signals, which is completely different from what he was used to. There was no internet, and there wasn't even cable TV. They relied entirely on the signal towers of the TV station to transmit signals and then receive them with antennas.

After searching around, I found the antennas at the back of the top of the TV. I pulled out both antennas, extended the telescopic rod to its maximum length, and then moved it left and right to find the best position for the signal.

Fortunately, this TV has strong signal reception capabilities, and its two antennas are more sensitive than the single antenna of domestically produced TVs. In a short time, the pattern on the screen became clearer and clearer. Although it did not achieve a completely clear image, it was still watchable.

"I've got it! I can see someone!" Lin Xi exclaimed excitedly. Zhou Jiye adjusted the position for a while, confirming that it was the best spot. As for a better reception, that was out of the question for now. But that didn't matter. Zhou Jiye thought about it and decided to find someone to install an external antenna in a few days and connect it directly to the roof. That way, there wouldn't be any problems at all.

After setting up the television, Zhou Jiye ignored the two girls who were watching with great interest and said to Fang Manxia with a smile, "Grandma, there's something else you shouldn't refuse. It's a gift I specially prepared for you. I'll take it upstairs for you now."

Fang Manxia asked in surprise, "For me? What is it?"

"Of course it's good stuff!" Zhou Jiye laughed, leading her and Lin Ying away from the two girls' room. He then carried the remaining boxes upstairs in the hallway, finishing the round trip in no time. Once upstairs, he used scissors to open the boxes, and after taking out the contents, Lin Ying, who hadn't been very interested in the TV, instantly perked up.

This is a complete audio system consisting of two upright speakers, a small combination amplifier, and a recording device.

Zhou Jiye found a place, connected the audio system, placed the amplifier at the bottom, the recording equipment at the top, and the two speakers on either side, and then connected the power supply.

The recording equipment is multifunctional, including a tape recorder (radio) and a record player. Although it's not a complete set, it's more than enough for my needs.

After setting it up, Zhou Jiye first tested the start-up function. After confirming that the stereo was powered on without any problems, he looked around and casually picked up a vinyl record that Fang Manxia had placed next to the old record player. He then opened the transparent plastic flip cover of the record player and put the record inside.

Soon, music began to emanate from the speakers. Compared to the old-fashioned record player, the sound quality of this speaker was many times better, and it sounded much more pleasant. Unfortunately, the record they were playing was not at its best due to the limitations of the recording conditions at the time, and it had been stored for too long, which was a pity.

Just then, Lin Ying suddenly remembered that she still had several cassette tapes at home, the original tapes that had come with the blank tapes. Since she didn't have a tape recorder, these tapes were just sitting in a box. Thinking of this, Lin Ying quickly told Zhou Jiye to come downstairs and bring the tapes up.

This reminder made Zhou Jiye realize what was going on, and he quickly went downstairs to get it. He returned shortly after, carrying a large box.

The box contained dozens of cassette tapes, and Zhou Jiye asked Lin Ying which one to listen to first.

Lin Ying reached inside and rummaged around, finding a cassette tape of the carpenter siblings. She then opened it, took it out, pressed the eject button, inserted the tape, pushed it in, and pressed play.

When I was young
I'd listen to the radio
Waiting for my favorite songs
When they played I'd sing along….

Karen Carpenter's highly distinctive voice began as the music slowly rose, her moving vocals seemingly whispering in one's ear, lingering and echoing.

Fang Manxia was stunned for a moment when she heard this song she had never heard before. She slowly sat up in the chair next to her, relaxed her body, put her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes slightly.

Lin Ying nestled against Zhou Jiye, standing quietly to the side, listening to this classic piece of music. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, including her past life, the present, yesterday, and bygone days.

After an unknown amount of time, the song quietly ended as the last note slowly faded away, leaving the listener wanting more.

As the next song began to play, Fang Manxia opened her eyes, her calm expression tinged with melancholy and reminiscence of the past.

"What a beautiful song! Who is singing it?" Fang Manxia asked softly.

“Carpenters, take a look at this.” Lin Ying handed over the cassette tape. Fang Manxia took it, examined it closely, and nodded slightly: “It’s really well sung. The song is good, and the singing is good too. This song really touches people’s hearts.”

As she spoke, she smiled at Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying and said, "I really like this gift. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness."

(End of this chapter)