Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

Chapter 136 New Year

When Song Ying came home from get off work in the evening, Lin Wufeng heated up the food.

It wasn't until the family had finished washing up, Lin Dongzhe had gone to bed, the couple had turned off the lights and gotten into bed that Lin Wufeng quietly told Song Ying what had happened that afternoon.

Upon hearing this, Song Ying suddenly turned to the side, her eyes wide open in the darkness.

"Wu Feng, really? You're not kidding!"

Song Ying knew all too well how difficult it was to learn the accordion. It took her three years of serious study to barely reach an amateur playing level, enough to make a name for herself at social gatherings.

Like Zhuang Tunan and Wu Shanshan, being able to play simple pieces fluently in just one or two months from a complete beginner is already quite a talent.

But what is Lin Wufeng telling her now?

Zhou Cheng, who had never played before, immediately played "Evening in the Suburbs" on his first try.

This is beyond mere intelligence; it's practically supernatural!

Not just the accordion, but any musical instrument—there's no such thing as learning it without actually playing it, just by looking at it.

Song Ying felt it was illogical and simply unbelievable.

"Would I lie to you about something like this? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either. It was my first time playing, and my skill level was no less than yours."

Lin Wufeng's voice still carried lingering emotions.

Back when he and Song Ying had just gotten married, the piece he listened to Song Ying play most often in private was "Evening in the Suburbs".

These days, there are few lyrical songs; they're mostly all the same type.

"Suburban Evening" is less sensitive only because it has the background of the "Big Brother".

Even after all these years, the melody of this piece remains etched in his very being.

That was his youth and love. How could he not tell whether Zhou Cheng played well or poorly?

The couple whispered to each other under the covers, occasionally letting out suppressed gasps.

When Song Ying learned that Zhou Cheng didn't want to affect Zhuang Tunan by not learning the accordion directly, she was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. She was amazed by Zhou Cheng's thoughtfulness, which was far beyond his years, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for Zhuang Tunan.

"Having such a younger brother is really tough for Tu Nan. He already has a lot of pressure in his studies, and even with Teacher Zhuang giving him extra lessons every day, he's still far behind Jing Cheng. Luckily, the two brothers are only a year apart and in different grades, otherwise, Tu Nan really wouldn't be able to get by."

Lin Wufeng sighed deeply.

Song Ying nodded in agreement, then suddenly, as if remembering something, she said, "When we moved here before, I was so envious of Sister Ling's family, with both a son and a daughter, so lively and happy. I wanted to have another child, boy or girl, it didn't matter. Now, I really don't dare to have another one. Our Dongzhe is so mischievous and clumsy, if we had a younger brother like Jingcheng, the pressure would be immense!"

As Lin Wufeng listened to her nonsensical remarks, his expression remained subtly tense in the darkness.

What does it mean to be afraid to have children?

What does it mean to have multiple younger brothers like Jingcheng?

Do you really think that geniuses like Zhou Cheng can be born whenever they want?

He has lived for nearly forty years. He was a college student back then. In school and in society, he saw many outstanding people. He himself was someone else's child. He was considered to have some talent in certain aspects. But those traditional geniuses, or even those stronger than him, were simply incomparable to Zhou Cheng.

"A child like Jingcheng does put a lot of pressure on his siblings. But if you were a parent, you'd be laughing in your sleep."

Song Ying's thoughts shifted from Zhuang Tunan to Huang Ling, and she suddenly felt that this might not be such a bad thing after all.

Lin Wufeng listened quietly, without shattering her illusions.

Only after Song Ying had finished rambling on did he earnestly instruct her to keep it a secret and not to ask Zhou Cheng about the accordion in front of others.

Song Ying was somewhat disappointed. She had originally planned to find an opportunity for Zhou Cheng to show off his skills.

But after thinking about it, she readily agreed.

In mid-to-late December, on an otherwise ordinary day, a major event occurred that could affect the entire country and even the entire world.

The meeting was held, the direction was formally established, and the document that changed the fate of countless Chinese people was officially issued.

At the end of December, the No. 1 Middle School's New Year's Day performance began.

Zhuang Tunan's first-year junior high school class gathered in the lecture hall to watch the program.

The programs are generally monotonous and lack originality, consisting mainly of recitations and choral singing. Programs such as skits have not even begun to emerge.

Amidst this mediocre program, Zhuang Tunan's accordion solo naturally received high praise.

By mid-January, the effects of the document began to show on the streets.

There are more street vendors now, and the relevant departments, such as the neighborhood committee, have entered a Schrödinger-like state, wondering whether to arrest them or not.

Around the textile factory, the car repair stalls that had disappeared without a trace have reappeared one after another.

The residents of the alley hadn't forgotten their lesson from last time, so this time they didn't rush in en masse, but instead cautiously inquired about the situation first.

But this inquiry left them with mixed feelings.

They discovered that some stalls were even offering bicycle assembly services.

Assembling a bicycle doesn't require a ticket, but it costs about one hundred yuan.

If they buy the parts themselves and assemble it, they can save at most ten or eight yuan, because the price of spare parts has more than doubled compared to before.

Wang Chaoyuan, Wang Yong, and several other families were all extremely frustrated.

It's one thing that they couldn't even produce a bicycle that cost less than fifty yuan back then, but the spare parts they bought back then could be sold for tens of yuan now. Unfortunately, everything they had was confiscated.

Zhang Amei from the Wu family also deeply regretted her actions.

When she overheard that Wu Jianguo had wasted over twenty yuan collecting junk, "it can now be sold for fifty or sixty yuan," she was devastated.

She had Zhang Min sell the items as scrap metal, but they only fetched one yuan, for which she scolded Wu Jianguo several times.

But now, she has lost fifty or sixty yuan because of one yuan, which is as painful as being killed.

She couldn't help but recall what Zhou Cheng had told Wu Shanshan back then. At that time, Zhou Cheng had told the Wu family to keep the items, saying that the price would double in about six months.

At that time, she scoffed at it, thinking that Zhou Cheng was ripping off his family and was deliberately watching the spectacle.

As a result, she really became a laughing stock.

Before we knew it, the students were on winter break.

Among the children from the families at the end of the alley, Zhou Cheng's grades were naturally excellent, and Zhuang Tunan also performed well in the new semester, maintaining a position in the top ten of the class. Zhuang Xiaoting and Lin Dongzhe had also made progress.

Zhang Min's enthusiasm for learning was average, and she didn't like taking extra classes with others. Her grades in class were only below average.

It's worth mentioning that Wu Shanshan's grades have improved again. She's now in the top three in her class and in the top ten in her grade.

Wu Jianguo was overjoyed, while the only one who was unhappy was Zhang Amei.

Two days before the Lunar New Year, the three families gathered together to watch TV again. Zhang Amei seized the opportunity and brought up the matter of the three families' children exchanging New Year's red envelopes once more.

Huang Ling and Song Ying exchanged a glance and immediately declined.

Last year, when giving out red envelopes, Huang Ling made a blunder, accidentally giving the one-yuan treasury bond she intended for Zhang Min to Lin Dongzhe.

It was only thanks to Zhou Cheng's visit to explain that Song Ying was so angry she wouldn't have had a pleasant New Year.

Song Ying's family only has one child, Lin Dongzhe, so exchanging red envelopes would be too disadvantageous for her.

Last year was the first year after moving here, and Song Ying valued her reputation, so she didn't mind the losses.

After another year, the Lin family and the Zhuang family became even closer. Song Ying also saw through Zhang Amei's character and naturally did not want her to take advantage of her anymore.

Huang Ling was also unwilling to take advantage of Song Ying, so as soon as Zhang Amei spoke, the two of them directly refused.

Zhang Amei's face darkened when she was rejected on the spot.

She had lost so much money on bicycle parts, and she was hoping to make up for it with her New Year's red envelope. But to her surprise, Song Ying not only refused because she was at a disadvantage, but Huang Ling, who was taking advantage of her, also refused.

During the Spring Festival, Zhou Cheng's family went to Lao Zhuang's house as usual.

Upon arriving at Lao Zhuang's house, Zhuang Chaoying unusually acted somewhat uneasy.

Clearly, the two months he spent taking care of Granny Zhuang still haunt him.

Although his mind still prioritized filial piety, his body had already begun to instinctively resist.

Since Grandma Zhuang recovered, Zhuang Chaoying has been visiting Old Zhuang's house much less often.

During the meal, Uncle Zhuang and Grandma Zhuang kept making roundabout remarks, saying that the Zhuang family was doing well and had a big refrigerator, but also that the Zhuang family members rarely came to visit and were not around. In their words, they were implying that the Zhuang family was doing well and that they should think of the elderly and give them more money to support them.

Zhuang Chaoying kept her head down the whole time and didn't dare to speak, while Huang Ling kept sneering.

Huang Ling's fighting spirit is now completely different from before. At the table, she directly asked Zhuang Chaoying where the college entrance examination marking subsidy went, and also asked where the salary from the previous few months went.

Zhuang Chaoying couldn't lift her head. When the Zhuang family saw that Zhuang Chaoying was in the wrong and looked at Huang Ling's aggressive appearance, they immediately decided not to bring it up again.

After a lackluster meal, Zhou Cheng's family didn't stay long at Lao Zhuang's house. Even Zhuang Chaoying didn't suggest staying any longer. She put Xiaoting on the back seat of the car, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and rode off.

After returning home, Zhuang Chaoying didn't speak to Huang Ling, but just buried herself in the house carving test papers.

With the normalization of the college entrance examination, some teaching materials on the market have become outdated, so the education bureau has begun to arrange for the compilation of new teaching materials.

The principal of the affiliated high school immediately thought of Zhuang Chaoying, after all, Zhuang Chaoying had experience grading the college entrance examination twice and was now the director of the graduating class of the second year of high school.

Zhuang Chaoying agreed to the job of engraving test papers without hesitation, as each paper would earn her a subsidy of 50 cents.

Since he was teaching a graduating class, he couldn't participate in grading the college entrance examination papers.

He was originally worried about the lack of income from the college entrance examination subsidy, but now this exam paper is just the right time to fill the gap.

This time, Zhuang Chaoying didn't secretly give the money for carving the scrolls to the Zhuang family as usual; instead, she kept it at home.

During the two months that Grandma Zhuang was injured, he had already spent a lot of money to help her. Faced with Huang Ling's sarcastic remarks, he didn't even have the confidence to refute them. He felt a little guilty.

Now, all the subsidies from this exam paper are used to support the family, and I haven't even dared to mention it to Lao Zhuang's family.

When Zhou Cheng found out, he could only sigh inwardly. Although Zhuang Chaoying was blindly filial to her parents, at least she knew that she owed the family something, so she was not beyond redemption.

After the Lunar New Year, Li Yiming and his nephew Song Xiangyang, who had previously received tutoring from Zhuang Chaoying for the college entrance examination, came to pay their respects to Zhuang Chaoying.

The two people came to the door, each carrying a bag of canned fruit.

They failed the college entrance exam twice. Even with Zhuang Chaoying's tutoring, their foundation was too weak, and their learning abilities were insufficient.

They were supposed to visit last Chinese New Year.

The two felt too ashamed to visit the other person because they thought it would be too embarrassing to fail the college entrance exam.

As a result, they failed again this year and gave up on the college entrance examination. They felt it would be wrong not to come over, so they came here and also asked Zhuang Chaoying and Lin Wufeng, who are knowledgeable and experienced, for some advice.

Li Yiming, holding the tea handed to him by Huang Ling, began somewhat apologetically: "Teacher Zhuang, Engineer Lin, besides expressing my gratitude, I also want to ask you about something. I have a friend who is also unemployed. He wrote a letter to the relevant departments about his employment problems, and the comrades there gave him some suggestions, one of which was to develop the individual economy."

Song Xiangyang added, "The relevant department officials suggested that we set up stalls in crowded places, selling things like needles, thread, underwear, and socks. State-run stores don't care about these small items; they have limited styles and are expensive. We observed these stalls in crowded areas for a few days, and they did very well, with high profits. However, the urban management officers would come and confiscate our goods from time to time. If we weren't caught, we could make a lot of money; if we were too slow and got caught, we might lose a lot, or even lose everything."

Zhuang Chaoying teaches at the school all day and is mostly familiar with major policies, but doesn't know much about the specifics of people's livelihood and business operations, so she can't comment.

Lin Wufeng was quite familiar with this; there was nothing he could do about it, Song Ying just loved to shop.

She likes to buy anything that looks good or is fashionable, big or small, plain or colorful, and her husband helps her buy it all.

Having traveled to many places and seen many things, I am quite sensitive to market changes.

He asked directly, "Are your supply channels stable?"

Li Yiming nodded. "It's through Shanghai. There's a commodity market there, and everyone goes there to get their goods. It's a day's train ride."

One round trip.

After listening, Lin Wufeng decisively suggested, "Go for it. Since the profit is high, order more in smaller quantities. It won't hinder making money, and even if something unexpected happens, the losses will be manageable."

Lin Wufeng was too decisive, but Li Yiming hesitated: "But my parents think that being a self-employed individual has a bad reputation, and they're also afraid that policies might change. My mom said to wait a little longer, maybe one day there will be a position in the cotton mill. A stable job is still the best."

Lin Wufeng shook his head and said, "Before the Lunar New Year, our factory held a special meeting. The channels for educated youth to return to the city have been expanded, and more and more educated youth will be able to return to the city in the future."

Lin Wufeng didn't say much, but everyone present understood his meaning.

All the educated youth from the countryside returned at once. There were so many educated youth who needed to work, but only a few secure jobs. It was a case of too many monks and too little porridge.

Li Yiming had neither the qualifications to work in the countryside nor a good academic background, so he was the last person in the country to get a good job.

Song Xiangyang was in a similar situation. Although he was a sent-down youth, there were too many outstanding sent-down youths, and many of them had connections. His chances of getting a formal position were equally slim; at most, he could only get a temporary job.

Having understood the meaning behind Lin Wufeng's words, Li Yiming turned pale and remained silent for a long time.

There's no way around it; the concept of a "secure job" holds too much weight in people's minds these days.

Knowing that he had no chance of getting a stable job, Li Yiming felt like half the sky had fallen.

"Actually, you can set up your stall while waiting for a spot. Setting up a stall won't prevent you from entering the factory anyway."

Finally, Lin Wufeng gave Li Yiming this advice.

After chatting for a while, Li Yiming and Song Xiangyang thanked him repeatedly and got up to take their leave.

Zhou Cheng had been listening to their conversation inside the house, and after the two left, he followed them out.

"Jingcheng, is there something you need?"

Hearing footsteps behind him, Li Yiming turned around in surprise, and Song Xiangyang stopped and looked over as well.

Although they weren't very familiar with Zhuang Jingcheng, they knew him very well.

There was no way around it; everyone in the alley, adults and children alike, knew about Zhou Cheng's deeds.

Zhou Cheng is undoubtedly the "other people's child" that everyone admires. It's just that they are a generation older than him, otherwise they would also be overshadowed by him.

"Brother Yiming, setting up a stall requires capital to purchase goods, and there's a high risk of being caught by the city management. If you decide to set up a stall, it's best to find someone to share the risk."

"Share the risk?" Li Yiming was taken aback.

Zhou Cheng nodded: "If you decide to set up a stall, you can come to me. I can provide the capital, help you share the risks, and the profits..."

"In terms of investment ratio, I'll get 10% less."

Li Yiming was completely unprepared for Zhou Cheng to come out and say these words.

If he were to actually become a self-employed individual, he would naturally be more than happy to have someone willing to partner with him and share the risks.

His family would prefer him to settle for a stable job and might not be willing to support him. Even if they were, they wouldn't give him much money to try things out on his first try. And he himself, unfortunately, didn't have any money on hand.

If someone were to offer financial support at this time, that would be fantastic.

only..

Li Yiming looked at Zhou Cheng.

After the New Year, will he only be eleven? Or twelve?

How much money can an eleven or twelve-year-old child afford?

Zhou Cheng seemed to see right through Li Yiming's thoughts.

He stretched out one hand, spreading his five fingers.

"I can pay that amount!"

"Five...five dollars?"

Li Yiming instinctively wanted to laugh, but then he felt it should be more than that. He hesitated for a moment, changed his tone, and asked uncertainly, "Fifty?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head: "It's five hundred. Of course, if you're bold enough, I can try to scrape together five thousand!"

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