With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

Chapter 155 Arriving at Godfather and Godmother's House

Bathed in the dim light of the streetlights, Jiang Zhiyu saw a sign for Peking duck.

The large, gilded characters glowed with a warm red light in the night, and a small queue was still waiting at the entrance.

She thought for a moment, then went inside.

The shop was noisy, and the red-lacquered tables against the wall were full of diners.

"Two roast ducks—sliced and packaged, plus a dish of sweet bean sauce and two servings of lotus leaf pancakes."

The master is quick and efficient.

"Young comrade, it's fresh out of the oven, still warm."

Jiang Zhiyu thanked him, picked up the oil paper bag and walked out the door. She then bought a bottle of wine from the grocery store next door and put it in her canvas bag.

The bus swayed and rattled along the way.

She had to change buses twice before she finally arrived at the alley where her godparents lived.

It was already completely dark.

The people who had been cooling off in the alley hadn't all left yet. A few bamboo chairs were placed across the doorway, and palm-leaf fans were waving. As she walked by, all eyes seemed to be drawn to her like magnets.

"Look at this girl, whose is she?"

"I don't know him, I've never seen him before."

"He's also carrying two roast ducks! Look—in that bag in his left hand, there's also some wine…"

"Hey, isn't that the way to Old Qi's house?"

"Qi Zhengli? The one who just came back from being sent down to the countryside?"

"Right, right, right—who arranged for Lao Qi to come back this time? He's only been in the countryside for a short time, and he's already back."

"She must have powerful connections. Look at this girl's demeanor; she's completely different from the girls in our alley."

"Qi Zhengli doesn't have any children, so what use is his background..."

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for her to hear.

Jiang Zhiyu remained expressionless and walked straight to the gate of her godparents' courtyard, raising her hand to knock on the door.

Footsteps were heard inside the courtyard, and then the door opened.

Liu Hong froze for a full two seconds when she saw Jiang Zhiyu.

Then--

A joyful scream broke the whispers at the alley entrance.

"Stand at attention! Stand at attention! Look who's coming!"

Qi Zhengli poked his head out of the kitchen, his apron still tied, his hands covered in flour. When he saw the person standing at the door, he was so excited that his hands trembled, and he almost dropped the bowl.

"Yuyu! You're finally here!"

"Come in quickly, come in quickly!"

"Godfather is cooking!"

Jiang Zhiyu was pulled into the courtyard by one person on each side.

Liu Hong slammed the courtyard gate shut, blocking out all the prying eyes from outside.

Only a dim yellow lamp remained in the courtyard, illuminating a small corner of the space. Under the grape trellis, an old square table was polished to a shine.

"Godfather, please make less. I just packed two roast ducks to go."

Jiang Zhiyu shook the oil paper package in her hand:

"One more dish would be enough."

Actually, she had already eaten something at the state-run restaurant and wasn't very hungry.

But she knew—

If she doesn't eat something, those two are sure to nag about her.

Qi Zhengli nodded repeatedly, and in no time at all, he brought out two more dishes and a soup from the kitchen—stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, cucumber salad, and an egg drop soup. He then placed the roast duck that Jiang Zhiyu had brought on the table, filling the entire square table to the brim.

Jiang Zhiyu placed the bottle of wine next to Qi Zhengli. The old man's eyes lit up, but he was reluctant to open it. He rubbed the neck of the bottle a couple of times before putting it on the corner of the table.

"Keep it, keep it—"

"We'll drink together again when your parents come up."

Jiang Zhiyu smiled, reached out and took the wine, and opened it with a "pop":

"Let's drink it today."

"Keep it, keep it, when will you ever get around to it?"

Qi Zhengli paused for a moment, and his eyes suddenly felt a little hot.

"……OK."

He lowered his head and poured himself half a glass, then poured Liu Hong a small cup.

Liu Hong hurriedly asked:

"Are your parents alright? Did anything happen when you got back? Did their workplace give them any trouble?"

A barrage of questions came out like a machine gun, leaving no room for even a breath.

Jiang Zhiyu found it somewhat amusing:

"No, everything is fine, the journey was smooth and uninterrupted."

"They're already working at their original companies."

"That's good, that's good."

Liu Hong patted her chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and then quickly asked:

"Was your journey back smooth? In Shanghai..."

"Everything went smoothly, godmother, don't worry."

Jiang Zhiyu picked up a piece of cabbage with her chopsticks:

"Godfather and Godmother, how about you? Was your trip home smooth? Is everything going well at work?"

Qi Zhengli and Liu Hong exchanged a glance and laughed heartily.

Qi Zhengli took a sip of wine, felt a burning sensation in his throat, and waved his hand:

"Hey—it couldn't have gone more smoothly."

His smile carried a hint of mockery.

"Those people are all snobs."

"When we were criticized and sent to the countryside, didn't you see the way those people looked at us? They wanted to stay as far away from us as possible."

"Old Yao—the one who sat in the same office as me for ten years—was the first to stand up and read out my 'crimes' at the denunciation meeting."

"He's back after less than a year in the countryside, and those people are all eagerly crowding around him again—"

"Yesterday, Lao Yao brought two cartons of cigarettes and stood at the office door, blushing, apologizing to me."

"I didn't even let him have a sip of tea."

Liu Hong also sighed:

That's just how human relationships are—cold and fickle.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded:

"Human nature—it's perfectly normal."

"As long as you all do well."

She paused for a moment, then put down her chopsticks:

"By the way, godfather and godmother, I came to Beijing this time to join a department."

Qi Zhengli asked casually:

"Oh? Which department?"

Jiang Zhiyu shook her head:

"I can't say."

Qi Zhengli immediately shut up and raised his hands to seal his mouth.

"Okay, okay—"

"My godfather isn't asking anymore."

He looked at Liu Hong, a hint of understanding in his eyes—

This girl is no ordinary person.

If she can't say something, then don't ask.

"My Yuyu is so capable!"

Qi Zhengli changed the subject, his voice full of pride, and poured himself another half glass of wine.

Liu Hong quickly picked up a piece of roast duck and placed it in Jiang Zhiyu's bowl:

"Alright, alright, everyone be quiet. Let the child eat first."

"You must be exhausted from the journey?"

Not to be outdone, Qi Zhengli rolled up a duck pancake and stuffed it into her bowl:

"Eat quickly!"

"Try your godfather's cooking!"

Liu Hong quickly chimed in:

"Yes, your godfather's cooking is pretty good—eat more."

"You've lost weight lately."

Jiang Zhiyu felt somewhat helpless.

There is a kind of thinness—

Make your parents think you're thin.

She looked down at the mountain of food piled up in her bowl, silently picked up her chopsticks, and ate bite by bite.

The meal was eaten slowly and quietly.

The alley outside the courtyard had become completely quiet, with only the occasional sound of footsteps from someone returning home at night.

---

After dinner, Liu Hong pulled Jiang Zhiyu into the main room and pressed her shoulders to make her sit down.

"Sit here and have some water. Your godmother will go and tidy up your room."

"I'll go with you—"

"Now that we're home, why should the children do anything?"

Liu Hong glared at her, but her tone was unusually soft:

"Isn't this what we parents should do?"

"Sit down and have some water."

As she spoke, she took out some fruit and dried fruit from the cabinet and placed them beside her:

"Eat first, your godmother will clean up for you."

The curtain was lifted, and Liu Hong entered the inner room. The sounds of making the bed and folding the blankets drifted out—patting pillows, shaking the quilts, and turning the mattress over to air out the remaining warmth of the lamplight. Through the curtain, one could hear her muttering to herself, "Which closet is that new, nice quilt cover in...?"

Jiang Zhiyu sat on the armchair in the main room, sipping water.

The lamplight cast a warm, yellow glow.

The tea was slightly sweet.

Outside the courtyard gate, Old Qi sat on the steps, smoking a pipe. The orange-red glow of the burning tobacco flickered.

This feeling...

Great.

But at this very moment—

She thought again of the impending catastrophe.

The earth is shaking and the mountains are shaking.

The bricks and tiles collapsed.

Those doors that hadn't been closed yet.

Those words that were never spoken.