Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

"I've run into you once, what's wrong?" Fang Yuan replied.

"Didn't he tell you about our high school reunion in July?" Wang Yuannan stood next to the bicycle, fanning himself with his hand to ward off the heat.

As Fang Yuan took out his car keys and unlocked the car, he replied, "The steel mill has been quite busy lately. You know he has to stay by the leader's side, so he must be very busy."

Speaking of which, the steel rolling mill has indeed been having a lot of bad luck lately, with one accident after another. As the branch factory director, Huang Xiang is certainly busy cleaning up the mess, and Zhang Tianming, as his secretary, is naturally not having an easy time either.

"Are you attending this gathering?" Wang Yuannan didn't inquire about Fang Yuan's specific work, but pressed on, "Your old rival Jingyi will be there too."

The reason she asked this question was mainly because the original owner of this body was introverted and didn't like socializing, and hadn't attended the previous two classmate reunions.

But her impression of Fang Yuan today was quite different.

As if he had suddenly become enlightened during his college years, he not only grew more and more handsome, but also became exceptionally articulate.

Especially the confidence that emanates from within, which is completely different from the introverted nature I had in high school.

Bai Jingyi!

I heard the name come out of Wang Yuannan's mouth.

A delicate face immediately appeared in Fang Yuan's mind. In his memory, her family was a family of doctors, and her fair and slender hands left a deep impression on him. Watching her write was always a pleasure.

Wang Yuannan said that the two of them were old rivals, which stemmed from the fact that Fang Yuan and Bai Jingyi's grades were always neck and neck during high school, and the two of them often took turns being number one.

In addition, Fang Yuan was handsome and Bai Jingyi was beautiful, so they were often teased by other classmates.

"I remember she went to medical school, right?" Fang Yuan answered frankly in response to Wang Yuannan's questioning.

"Just like you, I studied for four years. Now he works at the Ministry of Health." Wang Yuannan stared at Fang Yuan with a half-smile.

Under the sun, Fang Yuan stopped chatting with her, swung his long legs and got on his bicycle, saying, "Okay, I'll ask Tianming about it another day, and have him let me know once the date for the gathering is set."

"Okay, see you then!" Wang Yuannan waved goodbye to Fang Yuan and then turned back to the department store.

On the way, Fang Yuan rode his bicycle and suddenly realized that he now had quite a few social circles.

My classmates from junior high, high school, and university—people from these three circles are all doing pretty well now, and we'll likely have a lot of interaction with them in the future, both in life and work.

As for whether it would help his career, he hadn't thought that far ahead.

Society is realistic. If you want others to help you, you must first have certain abilities or be of some use. Otherwise, no one will help anyone for no reason.

I looked up and saw that it was getting late. I was going to Xu Damao's house for dinner later, so I gave up the idea of ​​going to Dashilan for a stroll.

We went straight back to the tenement.

Because it was Sunday, the front, middle, and back courtyards were all exceptionally lively.

Uncle San went out fishing before dawn as usual and had just returned not long ago. However, his catch today was not as good as last time. He only caught three crucian carp the size of his palm and was now sitting at the door scraping their scales.

Upon seeing Fang Yuan, he naturally lost his previous enthusiasm and didn't mention the fish catch at all.

"Hey, did Xiao Fang go on a big shopping spree today?"

Fang Yuan pushed his bicycle and said, "I went to buy some daily necessities." Then, craning his neck to peek into the bucket, he still said, "Uncle, these fish of yours are quite good. You could probably sell them for a dollar at the market!"

Actually, with just these three fish, it would be good if someone could buy them at the market at this hour.

But a sedan chair carried by many people is worth very little, and a few auspicious words are not worth much.

"Forget about the market. I'll ask around the neighborhood later if anyone wants it. We're all neighbors, so I'll sell it to them at a lower price."

The third uncle raised his voice considerably, so that the others in the courtyard could hear him.

Scholars love money and face, so Fang Yuan's question gave him a way out.

"Alright, you go ahead with your work, I'll head home first." Not having time to continue arguing with him, Fang Yuan pushed her bike inside and went straight home.

After entering the house.

I sorted the things I bought into different categories: those that should be put in cabinets were put in cabinets, and those that should be put in hanging baskets were put in hanging baskets.

After tidying up, I made myself a cup of tea and then picked up a book from my desk to pass the time.

"Xiao Fang... Xiao Fang."

He didn't know how much time had passed when someone suddenly called him from outside.

"Oh, here it comes."

Fang Yuan responded and walked outside.

"It's my sister-in-law."

Fang Yuan stepped out of the room and saw that the person who came in was Xu Damao's wife: Lou Xiao'e.

A woman with a porcelain doll-like face, who also turned the phrase "making a mess" into a concrete verb.

At this point in time, Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e have only been married for a year, so Sha Zhu hasn't yet invented the insult "can't lay eggs".

"Xiao Fang, my son Da Mao is waiting for you at home. He insists on cooking two dishes himself to show off today, so he had to ask me to call you."

"Alright, it was my fault for being so inconsiderate and troubling you, sister-in-law, to make such a special trip."

Lou Xiao'e found Fang Yuan to be handsome, a college graduate, and more polite than the others in the courtyard, which immediately made her feel quite favorable towards him.

Then, she suddenly remembered the scene when Fang Yuan took a shower late that night, and her cheeks immediately began to turn red.

"No, it's nothing, no trouble at all. I'll head back now, you come quickly." After saying that, Lou Xiao'e immediately jogged back home with light steps.

Watching Lou Xiao'e's retreating figure, Fang Yuan touched his own face, wondering why the girl suddenly blushed.

Then he thought of Lou Qingyang, the deputy director of the Lou family at the Hongxing Steel Plant.

This deputy factory director, who held nominal power, was in charge of the labor union and the women's federation.

Logically speaking, the trade unions and women's federations are all very powerful organizations nowadays. However, precisely because of this, Lou Qingyang has been completely sidelined. Due to his special capitalist background, he is destined to be nothing more than a mascot at this stage, obediently serving as a committee member who raises his hand.

Placing him in this position is primarily intended to demonstrate the importance attached to private entrepreneurs.

Back in the inner room, Fang Yuan didn't waste any time. He grabbed the lotus root he had just bought and headed out.

They arrived at Xu Damao's house in just a few steps.

With a loud knock on the door, he said, "Brother Xu, I'm coming in?"

"Xiao Fang, come in quickly."

Hearing Fang Yuan's voice, it was Lou Xiao'e who came out to greet him. The way she called him "Xiao Fang" sounded so natural.

Fang Yuan smiled and responded, and only then did he have time to truly examine Lou Xiao'e.

She had a slightly curly bob haircut, wore a light-colored polka-dot short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of brightly colored "Dacron" pants. There wasn't a single patch on her clothes, and she looked very clean and tidy.

What truly catches the eye are her fair, lotus-root-like arms, making one want to look further inside.

Fang Yuan walked past Lou Xiao'e without making a sound, and a faint fragrance suddenly wafted into his nostrils.

Hey, that's pretty petit-bourgeois.

The daughter of a capitalist is different; this doesn't smell like face cream or soap, it's probably a perfume from a certain brand.