Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Fengying Department Store Clothing Store.

The afternoon sun, even through the plastic-covered windows, stubbornly shone into the room, making it appear even brighter.

Zhao Fengying and the other women, some of whom didn't drink alcohol and others who drank only a little, finished eating and returned earlier than Xu Bei and the other men who were sitting at the table.

Everyone sat around the folding table, drank some tea, chatted for a while, and saw more and more people coming in to buy goods.

Dahei's mother and Xu Li's mother-in-law were already making preparations to leave.

"...Fengying, you all hurry up and get busy, otherwise we'll have to split up to entertain everyone, which will cause us a lot of trouble."

Even though Zhao Fengying was anxious inside, she had to pretend to persuade them to stay, saying, "It's alright, I can manage. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? We haven't chatted enough yet."

"What's the rush? We're family, no need to be so polite."

"Yes. We don't know the price either, and even if we wanted to help, we couldn't get involved. Plus, we'd be taking up space and getting in the way. If you're willing to chat, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Even though Song Guomei was unwilling to leave, she had no choice but to get up after being reminded by her mother's gaze.

"Well... Auntie, I'll come over and help again when I have time later."

"Great, now that you know the place, you're welcome to come anytime you want."

Zhao Fengying actually quite liked this young girl, Song Guomei.

But she doesn't feel she can make that decision about her son's marriage.

Moreover, now that she knew Xu Beixin had someone else in his heart and had met Zhou Qingwan, she was quite satisfied and could better distinguish what was more important.

After seeing everyone off outside the shop, Zhao Fengying stood at the shop entrance saying her final goodbyes to the group when Zhou Qingwan and Liang Huihui rode their bicycles into the alley.

Song Guomei, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized the owner of the pair of watery eyes that were visible even though the person was completely covered up from head to toe.

"Oh, Xiao Wan! You and your sister are here too?"

Zhou Qingwan didn't expect to run into Song Guomei, and for some reason, she felt uneasy for a moment.

But then I thought about it again, and given Xu Bei's relationship with the Song family, it was perfectly normal for him to be there for such a big event as opening a shop.

"Yes, Xiaomei, are you leaving?"

"Yes. We've been here since morning, and we've already finished eating. If we stay any longer, we'll need someone to stay with us, and that won't do."

As Song Guomei spoke, she also affectionately took Zhao Fengying's arm and said in a coquettish tone, "Auntie, you should go back to the shop and get busy. Otherwise, Brother Xiaobei and my brother are still drinking at the state-run restaurant, and Sister Li and Xiaojuan will be too busy to handle everything."

Zhao Fengying, having lived to such an old age, was certainly perceptive enough to understand the young girl's subtle thoughts.

She certainly couldn't let Miss Zhou misunderstand, so she immediately and subtly withdrew her arm and patted Song Guomei's shoulder instead.

"It's alright, no rush. But you two, drive carefully on your way back, and come to the shop or visit us at home when you have time."

Song's mother was speechless at her daughter's every move, and stepped forward to grab Song Guomei's arm, "Okay, Fengying, we'll come when we have time."

No matter how unwilling Song Guomei was, she could only be pulled away by her mother, who kept turning back to look at her.

As Zhao Fengying watched the group leave, she didn't neglect her cousins, Zhou Qingwan and Zhou Qingwan.

"Miss Zhou, did you two come from home? You must be freezing after riding all that way. Come inside and warm up first."

Faced with Zhao Fengying's enthusiasm, Zhou Qingwan quickly smiled and said, "Auntie, we're dressed warmly, so we're not too cold."

Liang Huihui nodded with a slight smile, "Yes, down jackets are quite windproof."

Despite saying that, they couldn't resist Zhao Fengying's enthusiasm, and the two quickly parked their bicycles at the door and were pulled into the shop.

Xu Li, who had just been taught which one Zhou Qingwan was by her sister's laughter, came out from behind the counter to greet her.

At the same time, he carefully examined the other person's appearance and was extremely amazed and satisfied.

She thought to herself, no wonder her tall and handsome younger brother would fall for her; he looks just like the person in the calendar.

Zhao Fengying introduced them, "This is my eldest daughter, Xu Bei's older sister. You haven't met her before..."

"Hello, sister." Zhou Qingwan and Liang Huihui greeted each other in unison.

Xu Li's eyes lit up. "This is the little Zhou girl my mom and the others were talking about! You're so beautiful!"

Zhou Qingwan was extremely shy and quickly said, "No, sister, you're making me blush."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, we're just telling the truth."

The way the mother and daughter fawned over Zhou Qingwan, asking after her well-being, was observed by Liang Huihui, who naturally began to speculate.

However, she didn't think that her cousin, who had always been ambitious, would have a chance with Xu Bei, who didn't even have a proper job.

At most, it's just a case of unrequited love.

So, I quickly found an excuse to take a look first and started browsing the store like the other customers...

At the state-run restaurant, the makeshift table was bustling with people drinking and toasting.

Xu Bei had to catch a bus in the afternoon and had some things to arrange and do, so he didn't continue to accompany the guests. Instead, he handed over the task of entertaining the guests to his brother-in-law Zhu Wenliang and his father.

The Zhu family father and son readily agreed, and both patted their chests to guarantee that they would make sure the children drank to their hearts' content.

Dahei and Song Guodong completely understood, and even urged Xu Bei to hurry up and get busy, and preferably find a place to take a nap to sober up before getting in the car.

Xu Bei naturally wouldn't refuse everyone's kindness, and readily accepted their offer, finishing his drink before leaving.

The few glasses of strong liquor warmed Xu Bei's stomach and made his face flush.

The alcohol was coursing through my bloodstream, and I didn't feel cold on the way back to the shop from the state-run restaurant.

It wasn't until Xu Bei opened the door of the department store's clothing store that he immediately saw Zhou Qingwan looking in the mirror wearing jeans sold in the store.

For a fleeting moment, he felt as if the air around him had frozen, and all the people and things around him had become blurred.

The pants seemed to be an extension of Zhou Qingwan's body, with an extremely slender waist that perfectly accentuated her delicate figure.

The trouser legs slid smoothly down the thighs, spreading out slightly at the knees, making the already long legs appear even straighter and more upright.

Zhou Qingwan wore only a simple white turtleneck sweater, which outlined her full and upright figure, rising and falling slightly with her breath, inspiring endless imagination.

Xu Bei wasn't really a twenty-year-old greenhorn after all, and quickly suppressed his wandering thoughts. He coughed lightly and greeted them with a smile, trying to be as generous as possible, "When did you arrive?"

Zhou Qingwan has not seen Xu Bei since that night when he took her home.

Now that they meet again, especially in broad daylight, she instinctively felt the intense gaze the other person had just given her, and her cheeks and ears involuntarily flushed a faint blush.

"Brother Xu, we've been here for a while."

Liang Huihui didn't have as many thoughts on it, and echoed, "Yes. It's been more than ten minutes."

Zhao Fengying and the others looked at each other and then laughed.

"I was just talking about you. You'll be back soon."

"And then you just said 'the devil is dead,' and he arrived."

Zhou Qingwan whispered to her cousin, "I'll go change first."

Watching the young girl's slender figure disappear behind the curtain, Xu Bei knew that the fleeting glimpse he had just caught was deeply imprinted in his mind, never to be forgotten...