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

Several girls were chatting away when Song Yanzhou came out of the kitchen carrying plates of food.

The braised pork belly was marbled with fat and lean meat, glistening with a dark, oily sauce. There was also a large plate of braised prawns, a bowl of white rice for each person, and he had specially gone out to pack a roast duck, which was sliced ​​and wrapped in oil paper, served with scallions and sweet bean sauce, plus two stir-fried vegetables. The whole table was full of food.

All four girls stared in disbelief.

During their years in Kaoshantun, they ate corn porridge with pickled vegetables every day, only getting some seasonal vegetables in the summer. They might not even see meat during the Lunar New Year. They had never seen anything like this before. The group swallowed hard, too embarrassed to be too rude, their Adam's apples bobbing up and down.

Zhang Chong was the first to break down. "Sister, you're really living the high life in Kyoto! I'm just basking in your good fortune. Let's eat, I'm so hungry!" She picked up her chopsticks, then put them down again, turning to look at Jiang Zhiyu. "Don't go through all the good stuff in your house in one go." As she spoke, she pulled out two ten-yuan bills from her pocket and stuffed them into Jiang Zhiyu's hand.

Jiang Zhiyu rolled her eyes at her. "Do I have to pay for my meal?"

"No, sister, this is too much! I'd feel bad touching it if I didn't pay."

"Alright, stop joking around and eat. You can come anytime you want; I'll provide plenty of food."

Zhang Chong chuckled upon hearing this, "Sister, are you serious? If you say that, I'll be eating your bread."

Li Hongmei and the others weren't as relaxed as Zhang Chong. After all, they didn't have many opportunities to interact with Jiang Zhiyu when they were in Kaoshantun. Although they were grateful, there was still a distance between them. Now, facing this table of dishes and this impressive courtyard, they didn't know what to do with their hands and feet.

Jiang Zhiyu, noticing this, spoke up, "By the way, I haven't asked which schools you all applied to?"

Zhang Chong spoke first, "You know my school."

Li Hongmei pursed her lips and said softly, "Laidi and I both went to teachers' colleges."

Zhao Jing added, "School of Architectural Engineering."

Jiang Zhiyu smiled and nodded, "You all did well on the exams. The country's policies are good now; graduates are guaranteed job placement. You'll all be talents in formal government units in the future. Come on, let's have a good drink to celebrate your admission to Kyoto University."

She turned around and took out a few bottles of Coke from the cabinet. The glass bottles had foreign languages ​​printed on them, and the caps had been pried open with a screwdriver, hissing and bubbling.

Zhao Jing took a sip and was immediately coughed up by the strong aroma, her face turning red from the choking. "What is this? Why do I feel so bloated and want to burp after drinking it?"

"This is called Coca-Cola. I had someone bring it from Hong Kong; it's a foreign product."

Song Laidi coughed twice, grimaced, and put the bottle down. "This is too strong."

Zhao Jing took another small sip, smacked her lips, and said, "But if you taste it carefully, it's actually quite delicious, with a sweet aftertaste."

"Where will you be staying these next few days?" Jiang Zhiyu put down the bottle. "I have a small courtyard here that's empty. You can move in there; it'll be more spacious."

Zhang Chong quickly waved his hand, "School starts in five or six days. We came up early and are staying at a guesthouse near the train station. We'll go to school to register in a couple of days, so don't bother us."

"What's the trouble? We went to the countryside together before. You've come all this way to Kyoto, isn't it only right that I take care of you?"

Li Hongmei interrupted, "Zhiyu, it's only for the next few days. If it's going to be a long stay, we definitely can't stay in the guesthouse forever, but we're about to register, and we still need to go shopping for some daily necessities in the next couple of days. There's really no need to trouble you."

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at them, knowing these girls were proud, so she didn't insist further. "Alright, hurry up and eat. Try Commander Song's braised pork, see how his cooking is."

Zhang Chong picked up a large piece and put it in his mouth. After chewing a couple of times, his eyes lit up. "Amazing! This braised pork melts in your mouth, even better than the ones in state-run restaurants. With Commander Song's skills, he'd be a chef at weddings and funerals in our village!"

Song Yanzhou replied with a smile from the kitchen, "Eat as much as you like, there's more in the pot."

After taking a couple of bites, Li Hongmei gradually relaxed, her gaze falling on Jiang Zhiyu's stomach. She couldn't help but ask, "You look like you're five or six months along, right?"

Jiang Zhiyu touched her belly, "I'm only four months pregnant, it's twins, so it looks bigger."

"My God, you're pregnant with twins!" Zhang Chong put down his chopsticks. "Can I touch them?"

"Touch it."

Zhang Chong carefully placed his hand on it, and feeling the slight movement, his eyes suddenly reddened. "It's so wonderful, there are two little lives inside you."

Jiang Zhiyu smiled. "Alright, hurry up and eat. After we finish, I'll take you out for a walk. I've been holed up in this courtyard the whole time, and nobody lets me go out. I'm practically moldy. Now that you're here, let's go for a stroll and let me get some fresh air."

The girls' eyes lit up when they heard this. They were unfamiliar with Kyoto, so it would be great to have someone show them around.

...

After finishing her meal, Jiang Zhiyu went back to her room to change her clothes and came out, leaving everyone stunned.

She wore a gray woolen hat, black-rimmed glasses, and a thick scarf that covered half her face. She also changed into an unusual dark blue cotton-padded coat, making her seem like a completely different person from Zhiyu who had been under the grape trellis earlier.

Zhang Chong stared at her for a long time, mouth agape. "Zhiyu, why are you dressed like this?"

"I'm worried about running into acquaintances. Come on, the car's all ready."

A military green jeep was parked in the yard. Song Yanzhou sat in the driver's seat and waved to them.

It was the first time the four girls had ridden in a car. Their legs were a little weak when they got in, but their eyes were all bright and sparkling.

As the jeep drove through Chang'an Avenue, the tall and imposing buildings along the way captivated the eyes of the girls.

We first arrived at the square in front of the Forbidden City.

February in Kyoto still carried a chill, and the wind blowing in from the corner tower stung people's faces. But the girls didn't care about the cold; as soon as they got off the carriage, they craned their necks to look at the red walls and yellow tiles. Zhang Chong was speechless for a long time.

Jiang Zhiyu, wrapped in a scarf, stood to the side and couldn't help but laugh as she looked at them. "Don't just stand there, let's go inside and walk around. I can't walk too far, so let's just follow the central axis and see a few of the main halls."

Once inside the Meridian Gate, the girls slowed their pace. A few tourists were scattered across the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Song Laidi stood at the bottom of the steps in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, looking up at the plaque inscribed with "Establishing the Ultimate Standard and Fulfilling the Ideals," and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "I've seen it in textbooks before, but seeing it with my own eyes is different from what's written in the books."

"How is it different?" Jiang Zhiyu asked.

"The textbook didn't tell me it would make me want to cry."

Li Hongmei tugged at her sleeve; her eyes were indeed a little red.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't say anything, but gently patted her back.

After leaving the Forbidden City, the group went to Wangfujing.

This street is the busiest commercial street in Kyoto, lined with state-run department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives, their windows displaying thermos flasks, enamel mugs, Shanghai brand watches, and Red Lantern brand radios.

Several girls excitedly browsed the shops, and although they didn't have much money, it didn't diminish their enjoyment of shopping.

Song Laidi squatted in front of a stall selling hair ties for a long time, and picked out two of the cheapest red hair ties, one for herself and one for Li Hongmei.

"Sister Hongmei, don't think it's ugly. When things get better, I'll buy you a gold one."

As they passed by Quanjude, the long queue of people waiting for roast duck stretched from inside the restaurant all the way to the sidewalk. Jiang Zhiyu asked Song Yanzhou to buy two for them, saying, "We can just heat these up at the guesthouse and eat them; it's cool enough to keep them while we're at it."

Finally, the car stopped at the entrance of Beihai Park.

The white pagoda stood under the gray-blue sky, and a thin layer of ice covered the lake. Several children were playing with ice picks on the ice, and the crisp sound of their whips rang out.

As Zhang Chong walked, he suddenly spoke, "Zhiyu, half a year ago in Kaoshantun, I thought my life was over."

She glanced back at the white pagoda behind her. "Now I'm standing here."

"You've always been excellent." Jiang Zhiyu looked at her with certainty.

The sun was setting behind the western mountains. Song Yanzhou glanced at his watch. "Let's go back. It's cold; she can't stay outside for too long."

The girls reluctantly got into the car.

Li Hongmei watched the streetlights recede one by one outside the window, and whispered, "Zhiyu, thank you."

Jiang Zhiyu waved her hand, "Don't thank me, there's a long road ahead."