Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

After class, Zhang Dabiao didn't leave immediately. Instead, he went to the dormitory with Tang Min and the others to get his xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument). He needed to practice with it beforehand. The xun wasn't used much, so he only had two or three days to learn this part, which wasn't too difficult.

Tang Min led the way, walking very quickly. He was a boarding student; his dormitory was in a tenement building on the east side of the school, not far from the teaching building.

"Zhang, wait a minute, I'll go up and get it, it'll be quick." Tang Min said, turning around, and then dashed into the building.

Zhang Dabiao leaned against his bicycle, lit a cigarette, and squinted as he looked up at the building.

The dormitory building was a three-story structure with red brick walls and newspapers pasted on the windows. "Is this your dormitory?" Zhang Dabiao asked.

Mu Wanqing nodded: "Yes, that's how student dormitories are. This is the boys' dormitory, and the girls' dormitory is in the west area."

Han Xiaomeng stood to the side, holding her accordion, looking somewhat awkward. She was also a boarding student, but not in the same building as Tang Min.

"Zhang, is it really convenient for us to have dinner at your house later?" she asked softly.

Inviting someone to dinner was a big deal in 1961. Han Xiaomeng had already freeloaded lunch, and Zhang Dabiao wanted to treat her to dinner again in the afternoon. She wanted to refuse, but she also wanted to go, mainly because Zhang Dabiao's food was too lavish.

So we need to find out that she doesn't have enough food stamps.

Zhang Dabiao turned his head and glanced at her.

Han Xiaomeng wasn't strikingly beautiful, but she was clean and tidy. With two braids, a blue cotton jacket, and faded canvas shoes, she exuded a down-to-earth charm. The light shone on her face, revealing the unease in her eyes.

"It's convenient." Zhang Dabiao exhaled a smoke ring. "What's inconvenient about it? It's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks."

Zhang Dabiao had never really considered eating a big deal. According to his later thoughts and habits, it would be shameful to be stingy when treating friends to a meal and insist on splitting the bill.

It's embarrassing to invite someone to dinner and not eat well or get enough to eat!

"But...but I don't have enough food coupons anymore." At this point, Han Xiaomeng lowered her head and took some food coupons out of her pocket and handed them over. In those days, people needed to bring their own food and food coupons to eat; it was the custom.

"No buts." Zhang Dabiao interrupted her. "You help me with the work, so it's only right that I treat you to a meal. What's this called? This is called 'mutual assistance' between classmates."

"Keep the food coupons yourself. Do you think I, Zhang Dabiao, would accept food coupons when I'm treating people to a meal? Are you kidding me? I'm the kind of person who can donate 10 yuan in remittance certificates; why would I need a few food coupons from you?"

"That would be a slap in my face!"

Han Xiaomeng was stunned for a moment, but Mu Wanqing pushed her hand back and said with a smile, "Don't worry, our Dabiao lacks everything, except food."

Han Xiaomeng couldn't win the argument and had to take the food coupons back in the end.

She discovered that although Zhang Dabiao, this "outsider," spoke in a somewhat sarcastic manner, he was actually quite forthright.

Just then, Tang Min ran out of the building, carrying a cloth bag in her hand.

"Here it is, here it is!" He ran up to her and took something out of the bag.

It is a xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument).

It's made of ceramic, about the size of a large duck egg, yellowish-brown, with several small holes on it. It looks unremarkable, but it feels heavy in your hand.

Zhang Dabiao took it and examined it from all angles.

He had seen this thing in his later life, but had never touched it. Now, holding it in his hand, it felt a bit strange—like holding a clod of earth, yet with an indescribable sense of weight.

"Can this be blown out?" he asked.

Tang Min laughed: "Sure, you can try."

Zhang Dabiao brought the xun to his lips, took a deep breath, and blew hard—

"Waaah—"

A long, muffled sound, like the wind passing through a valley, or like the distant mooing of cattle.

Mu Wanqing was startled.

Han Xiaomeng was also stunned. Most people who are new to this thing can't blow it well.

Tang Min laughed, "Yes, yes, that's the voice! Zhang, you're very talented!"

Zhang Dabiao put down his xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument), looked at the clay piece in his hand, and his eyes lit up.

What pieces are best to play on the xun (ocarina)?

[Big Fish, Castle in the Sky, Myth, Night in Ulaanbaatar?]

I really need to learn how to do this!

"This thing... is kind of interesting."

------------

Afterwards, Zhang Dabiao took Tang Min and Han Xiaomeng to his courtyard to have a meal together before continuing their music research.

But Tang Min hesitated, "Does this... count as a foul?"

Zhang Dabiao scratched his chin: "Well, the competition stipulated that we had three days to create something in the staff dormitory—but it didn't say we couldn't continue rehearsing and practicing together after class, right?"

"If the school didn't say anything, then it's not considered a foul."

Zhang Dabiao explained to the two of them in a roundabout way.

"Besides, it's impossible for Zhao Weiguo and the others to be completely honest and only use their daytime class time to create. How could that be?"

"They live in the compound. As soon as they go back, their elders will ask about the competition and creation they did during the day and start giving them advice."

"They're already like this, how can we compete if we don't practice more?"

However, Zhang Dabiao had something he didn't say outright—their elders were all too professional, so they had many opinions and it was even more difficult to reach a consensus.

It's convenient for Zhang Dabiao, since he's the one who calls the shots!

Tang Min hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She tried to take out her grain coupons, but Zhang Dabiao returned them to her.

I, Zhang Dabiao, am a time traveler who treats people to meals and collects food coupons.

I can't bear the shame!

------------

In the courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, next to the covered walkway, Qin Jingru was squatting there picking vegetables. She didn't have classes in the afternoon. Junior high school was still a "two-part system" now, with half a day in class and half a day off, which she was happy to enjoy.

Hearing the bicycle bell, she looked up and saw Zhang Dabiao and the others enter the yard, her eyes lighting up.

"Big Brother Biao! You're back!"

She stood up, dusted herself off, and jogged over to meet him.

Qin Jingru wore a floral blouse today, her hair tied into two small braids that swung as she ran. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was vibrant and full of energy, like a wildflower just sprouting on a field ridge.

"Oh, we have guests?" She looked at Tang Min and Han Xiaomeng with a smile. "Please come in, please come in!"

Zhang Dabiao propped up his bicycle and turned around to introduce them: "This is my god-sister, Qin Jingru. These two are my and Wanqing's teammates, Senior Sister Han and Senior Brother Tang."

"Hello, senior! Hello, senior!" Qin Jingru greeted cheerfully, then moved closer to Zhang Dabiao and whispered, "Brother Dabiao, Aunt Mu is here too, busy in the kitchen."

These past few days, Da Biao and Mu Wanqing have had a competition, so Aunt Mu came over after work to help them out, wanting them to eat and drink well so they could prepare properly for the school competition.

After all, the two were already engaged, and Aunt Mu could be considered Da Biao's future mother-in-law, so everyone was used to it.

Zhang Dabiao nodded and led his men inside, adding, "Make more, otherwise there won't be enough to eat."

In the courtyard, Sha Zhu was cooking at the doorway when he saw Zhang Dabiao. He grinned and asked, "Oh, Dabiao's back? Bringing guests?"

"Yes, Wanqing's classmate." Zhang Dabiao replied casually and walked towards the courtyard.

Sha Zhu has been behaving himself lately. Apart from being tricked into bringing lunchboxes to the Jia family again and occasionally joking around with Xu Damao, everything else is normal.

So I couldn't be bothered with him.

As he entered the wooden gate of the side room, Da Biao caught a glimpse of the window of the west wing moving slightly.

It is He Yushui's room.

The window was opened a crack, then quickly closed again.

Seeing He Yushui's guilty look, Zhang Dabiao shook his head helplessly. He Yushui had been acting strangely these past few days.

Zhang Dabiao understood the little girl's thoughts, but was he the one to take the initiative?

Why would someone actively flirt with another woman when they already have a fiancée?

Are you crazy?