Reborn in the 1980s: Nine Stunning Beauties Get Pregnant Before Marriage

Chen Yongqiang helped open the cardboard box: "Comrade, can you give it a try?"

The saleswoman was friendly: "You can try it, but it needs to be plugged in." She pulled out a power strip and plugged it in.

"This is the power switch, this is the tuning knob, and the one next to it is for adjusting the volume. There's a telescopic antenna on the back; you have to pull it out and turn it to find the signal."

The salesperson pointed to the buttons and knobs on the television and turned it on.

A small white dot lit up in the center of the screen, and then slowly spread outwards.

Accompanied by a hissing electronic noise, the screen gradually filled with a grayish-white, flickering static.

"The signal here is intermittent, let me adjust the antenna," the salesperson said, adjusting the two silver telescopic antennas behind the TV.

The snowflakes rustled and occasionally flashed past with twisted stripes or swaying shadows.

The few customers who were originally scattered in the supply and marketing cooperative were all attracted by the commotion and looked over. In those days, a television set was the biggest source of excitement.

"I've got it! I've got it!" the salesperson suddenly said, making subtle adjustments with her hands.

The screen full of static suddenly contracted towards the center, and although it still had flickering ripples, the image that popped up was a program from the provincial TV station.

A news briefing is playing: "...my country's industrial production continues to improve..."

The images and sounds immediately captured everyone's attention.

"They're really out!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

"Wow, this is a television! It can actually see people and make sound!"

The saleswoman explained to Chen Yongqiang, "This 14-inch screen is bigger, so it's more comfortable to look at than a 12-inch one, and it's easier on the eyes." As she spoke, she made a slight adjustment to the antenna, and the picture became more stable.

Looking at the moving images on the screen, Chen Yongqiang knew that this was about the level of television sets available nowadays.

After inspecting the goods and finding no problems, the salesperson repackaged the television back into its box.

Chen Yongqiang tied the cardboard box containing the television tightly to the back of the bicycle, then tugged hard on the rope to make sure it wouldn't come loose.

He pushed his cart out of the supply and marketing cooperative and onto the snow-covered dirt road.

The snow was trampled into an ice shell, and some places were extremely slippery.

He didn't dare to ride it, so he could only hold onto the handlebars with one hand and the box on the back seat with the other, and slowly push it along.

"The red Jialing 50 motorcycle should be available in town next year." This thought swirled in his mind, bringing a real sense of anticipation.

But as the thought shifted, a more concrete and heavier pressure arose: "If we really want to start construction on a traditional courtyard house, the expenses will be huge. We need to carefully consider our current income and find other ways to make a living."

He kept these thoughts in mind the whole way, but his steps were unusually steady.

The road was long and the snow was slippery, but he pushed his important mission step by step toward home.

Chen Yongqiang parked his bicycle at the gate of the courtyard and called into the house, "Xiulian, look what I bought!"

Lin Xiulian responded and came out of the house, immediately seeing Chen Yongqiang carrying a rather large cardboard box down from the back seat of the car.

"What is it?" she asked as she approached.

Chen Yongqiang untied the rope and turned the cardboard box around. Lin Xiulian looked closer and saw a picture of a television set printed on the side of the box.

"You really bought the TV?" Her voice was a mix of surprise and delight as she quickly reached out to help support one corner of the box.

Chen Yongqiang picked up the cardboard box and walked towards the kitchen: "Didn't I say before that I'd buy one for you to keep you entertained?"

Lin Xiulian followed behind, feeling a warm glow in her heart.

She had always thought it was a considerable expense and that she should try to save money wherever possible, but now that the television was actually in her home, the joy she felt outweighed the heartache.

Lin Xiulian watched Chen Yongqiang unpack the television, revealing it: "Are you planning to put the television in the kitchen?"

"Let's put it in the kitchen first," Chen Yongqiang said as he carried the machine out.

"Once we buy this TV, the neighbors will definitely want to come and see it for themselves. It's inconvenient to have it in the room with so many people coming and going." He was being practical; the kitchen was more spacious and was where people usually spent their time, so everyone would feel more comfortable gathering there.

Chen Yongqiang found the socket on the wall, started connecting the power cord, and began fiddling with the telescopic antenna and knobs on the back of the TV.

The screen lit up again with that familiar gray-white static, making a hissing sound.

"Why isn't there any video?" Lin Xiulian was also very much looking forward to it.

"It's probably a bad signal." Chen Yongqiang tried the antenna a few times, but the screen still showed static, with no picture.

"What should we do then?"

"I'm going to install an antenna," Chen Yongqiang said, turning and heading outside.

He found a bamboo pole, a piece of wire, and pliers, and demonstrated them in a corner of the yard.

I chose a spot behind the kitchen, extended and tied the bamboo pole, and bent a piece of wire into a "圭" shape and fixed it to the end of the pole to make a simple receiving antenna.

Lin Xiulian watched him busy through the kitchen window. She saw Chen Yongqiang leaning a long bamboo pole against the eaves.

Finally, Chen Yongqiang pulled the feeder cable from the back of the television and connected the interface to the homemade antenna mast.

"Try turning it on again!" Chen Yongqiang shouted from the rooftop into the house.

Lin Xiulian pressed the switch. The screen lit up, the static remained, but there seemed to be some different fluctuations.

Suddenly, a burst of exciting music burst out, and although it was mixed with electrical noise, the picture popped up.

It's a cultural program on the provincial TV station, and several actors are performing on stage.

"I've got it! I can see the image!" Lin Xiulian exclaimed excitedly, looking out the window.

Chen Yongqiang climbed down the ladder, walked into the kitchen, and looked at the figures moving on the screen.

He stepped forward and fine-tuned the direction of the antenna and the adjustment knob on the TV, and the picture became more stable.

"It's fine, but there aren't enough programs," Chen Yongqiang said, looking at the screen.

If I'm not mistaken, there are only four channels that can be received at most right now.

But Lin Xiulian, seeing television for the first time, found it extremely novel.

While cooking, she often couldn't help but look back a few times, and the rhythm of her chopping vegetables unconsciously followed the drumbeats of the opera on TV.

Chen Yongqiang sat in the chair, watching the pulsating images, but his mind had already wandered elsewhere.

How can we earn more money next year and really put building the house on the agenda?

The first person to discover that Chen Yongqiang's family had bought a television was their neighbor, Qin Shan.

Around dinnertime, he saw an antenna suddenly appear at Chen Yongqiang's house in the distance. He leaned out of the gate and asked, "Yongqiang, what's all this commotion? Did you buy a TV?"

Hearing the noise, Chen Yongqiang came out and greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Qin, you have sharp ears. Come in quickly."

Qin Shan followed him into the kitchen and immediately spotted the television on the cabinet, which was playing a program. His face lit up with a mixture of surprise and delight: "Wow, you've even bought a television!"

He had seen it on TV at his previous workplace and knew it wasn't cheap, so he was quite surprised that Chen Yongqiang, a farmer, could afford it.