All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"Yuemin, those seasonings you asked me to buy yesterday, were they for barbecue? But I'm not very confident in your cooking skills!"

Zheng Tong chimed in from the side.

"Yeah, Yuemin, your cooking skills are so bad that even a dog wouldn't eat it. Last time we stole Director Wang's hen, what did you cook it like? In the end, the chicken was wasted, and you still used it to tempt us. Now I've lost faith in the future. I declare that we should just go home! Thinking about your cooking skills, I have no motivation to move forward!"

Yuan Jun and Ning Bin nodded in agreement. Seeing that the group was serious, Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun stepped forward to defend Zhong Yuemin.

Zhou Xiaobai said angrily.

"Hey, hey, have you guys even eaten Yuemin's cooking? His culinary skills are good enough to make him a head chef at Donglaishun. How can you joke about his cooking skills?"

Luo Yun echoed this sentiment.

"I can vouch for that too. Zhong Yuemin's cooking skills are really good. We even had dinner at his house yesterday!"

After hearing what Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun said, the group looked at Zhong Yuemin with suspicion, as if he were a joke.

Zhong Yuemin didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer. He stretched and, facing the long road ahead, loudly addressed everyone.

"How about we sing some songs? This scenery is so beautiful, why are you all so down? You should learn to enjoy this wonderful day. Come on, who wants to start?"

Zhong Yuemin's words immediately drew the attention of the group of young people, and everyone's emotions rose again. Yuan Jun, the show-off, quickly raised his hand and shouted.

Let me start by singing a song, "Let Us Row Our Boats".

As he spoke, he began to sing with fiery passion in his hoarse voice.

Let us row our oars

小船儿推开波浪

The beautiful white pagoda is reflected in the sea.

Surrounded by green trees and red walls

The little boat floated gently on the water

A cool breeze blew in my face.

……

A group of sixteen- or seventeen-year-olds chased each other on a road amidst green hills and clear waters, singing loudly, their faces full of excitement and anticipation for the future.

They sang songs unique to this era, expressing the youth of this special time!

Chapter 146: The Big Boss

Everyone had a great time on the trip to Miyun Reservoir. Zhong Yuemin's culinary skills made Yuan Jun, Zheng Tong, and the others feel like they were seeing Zhong Yuemin in a new light.

Zhong Yuemin also showed everyone another side of himself after merging with the soul, which was a maturity that did not belong to his age.

Perhaps Yuan Jun and the others couldn't quite put their finger on what was different about Zhong Yuemin, but he certainly gave them a different impression today. For example, he was no longer as impetuous as before, nor did he have that carefree attitude that disregarded others' feelings. Instead, he was more composed and meticulous.

His friends felt that he seemed to have aged considerably overnight, giving them the impression of having an older brother figure.

This feeling gave Zhou Xiaobai the illusion of being protected, and at her age, this illusion could easily turn into another kind of emotion.

So, the next day, Zhou Xiaobai came to Zhong Yuemin's house alone. When Zhong Yuemin saw Zhou Xiaobai's radiant face, he immediately felt something was wrong. Could this little girl have really fallen for him?

Zhong Yuemin was also quite helpless. Being liked by a beautiful girl is something that any normal man would feel quite proud of, especially at his age, where hormones make him more susceptible to emotional influence.

As the saying goes, it's easy for a man to pursue a woman but difficult for a woman to pursue a man. Zhou Xiaobai's passionate personality, looks, and temperament are simply a fatal attraction for a boy who is not even seventeen years old.

Fortunately, Zhou Xiaobai's backup boyfriend, Zhang Haiyang, came to Zhong Yuemin's house with two broken bowls that day. Suddenly, he saw Zhou Xiaobai sitting on Zhong Yuemin's sofa and immediately felt a chill, thinking that something was wrong.

At this moment, Zhang Haiyang had the illusion that he loved her, but she loved him.

In order to save his love, Zhang Haiyang finally resorted to the ultimate backup plan: shamelessness.

He started to linger at Zhong Yuemin's house and refused to leave, like a 100-watt light bulb blocking the way between the two.

Zhou Xiaobai was so bothered by Zhang Haiyang, who was acting like a third wheel, that she couldn't continue talking to Zhong Yuemin and could only leave dejectedly.

Zhang Haiyang's appearance also interrupted the possibility of the two continuing their relationship. Fortunately, the season of parting was approaching, and Zhong Yuemin's house was almost always full of guests during this period.

Who can blame him for having so many friends?

In the past, these young people from the compound, whether for the sake of face or to show off, would consider it an honor to go to the Old Mo Restaurant with a few friends for a Western meal on important days, as long as they had a few coins in their pockets.

However, Zhong Yuemin now treats them to authentic home-cooked meals at home, with more than a dozen people gathering around the room for almost every meal.

After the first meal, this group of guys would come for a second meal. They knew that Zhong Yuemin didn't have much money, so when they came, they would bring some flour and vegetables, and there was never a shortage of meat and vegetables. Many of these children of high-ranking officials still had parents who were still in office. They even brought boxes of Moutai to Zhong Yuemin's house, which made Zhong Yuemin both amused and exasperated.

With this group of guys around, and Zhang Haiyang, that big third wheel, Zhou Xiaobai's hazy feelings were ruthlessly interrupted. However, she was the kind of person who would never admit defeat once she made up her mind. So every few days, Zhong Yuemin would receive letters from Zhou Xiaobai through someone.

The letter naturally began with a discussion of revolutionary friendship, and when Zhong Yuemin didn't reply, Zhou Xiaobai directly confessed her feelings to him.

At this point, Zhong Yuemin had no choice but to reply to Zhou Xiaobai that night. Originally, Zhong Yuemin wanted to reject her directly, but for some reason, he was suddenly influenced by some unhealthy images in his mind, and unconsciously replied to Zhou Xiaobai with a letter that was not exactly a love letter.

For example, Zhong Yuemin wrote the following in his letter: "Xiaobai, when I was with you, I did feel some involuntary impulses in my body, and even some unhealthy fantasies appeared in my mind. But my reason told me that this was not love, but rather my body, because at this age, is emitting a special hormone that causes attraction between the sexes. At our age, we both crave the attention of the opposite sex."

Xiaobai, at our age, many of our thoughts and actions are not rational. Your liking for me is not true liking, but rather because my protection of you has made you develop a special dependence on me. Have you really thought this through?

After Zhong Yuemin sent his letter to Zhou Xiaobai, Zhou Xiaobai indeed did not reply to Zhong Yuemin. This made Zhong Yuemin feel somewhat relieved, but also vaguely disappointed. However, perhaps this situation was better for everyone!

October arrived quickly, and thanks to his parents' connections, Yuan Jun successfully enlisted in the army and was ready to join when the time came.

Zhong Yuemin, Zheng Tongning, and others will have to accept the reality and sign up to become educated youth sent to the countryside.

Yuan Jun probably felt guilty for secretly joining the army, as if he had betrayed his brothers, and decided to make some money to treat everyone to a few meals.

So one afternoon, Yuan Jun, along with Zheng Tong, secretly pried open the sealed door of their house and stole the Ming Dynasty official kiln porcelain vase that his father had painstakingly collected.

The two went to a state-run pawnshop to pawn the item, but the pawnshop offered fifty yuan. Yuan Jun didn't expect a broken bottle to be worth fifty yuan. Just as he was about to agree, Zheng Tong, who had studied for a few more days, suddenly thought it was too cheap and pulled Yuan Jun away.

As the two walked out the door, Yuan Jun angrily asked Zheng Tong why he wouldn't sell.

Zheng Tong snorted and said.

"This bottle is worth at least a hundred, but he offered fifty because he thinks you don't know anything about these things!"

Yuan Jun retorted with dissatisfaction.

"A broken bottle worth a hundred? You must be crazy for money! I doubt anyone would even want it for fifty these days!"

As the two were arguing, an old man with a square face quietly followed them and asked them a question.

"Young men, are you selling those bottles you're holding?"

Yuan Jun and Zheng Tong exchanged a glance, both feeling that there was a chance. Yuan Jun thought for a moment, wanting to call out a high price of one hundred, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly shouted out.

"Three hundred! You pay three hundred, and I'll sell you this bottle!"

The old man didn't hesitate at all and said in a deep voice.

"How about I take a look at the bottle?"

The two nodded and handed the bottle to the old man. The old man only touched the bottle neck once before taking out money directly from his briefcase. He neatly handed three stacks of ten-yuan bills to the two men, giving them three hundred yuan without even blinking.

Yuan Jun and Zheng Tong were dumbfounded when they saw the three stacks of "Da Tuanjie" in their hands. It felt like a dream until the old man spoke.

"The money and goods are settled, please count the money, right?"

Yuan Jun wanted to offer some further advice after hearing the old man's words, but Zheng Tong quickly spoke up.

"Alright, no need to order anymore, we trust you!"

The old man nodded, hid the bottle in the prepared bag, wrapped it in his clothes, and carefully disappeared into the street.

Only after the old man had completely disappeared did Zheng Tong breathe a sigh of relief and exclaim in surprise.

"Yuan Jun, we've struck it rich!"

Yuan Jun's excitement was indescribable. He never expected that when he casually asked for 300, the other party would not even haggle and the transaction would be completed in less than a minute. Even now, he still feels like he is dreaming.

After receiving the money, the two began to spend it like gluttons. They went straight to an ice cream shop, asked the clerk to bring them a bucket, and tore open the packaging of all the ice creams in the shop, filling the bucket.

When Yuan Jun and Zheng Tong arrived at Zhong Yuemin's house with a tub of ice cream, Zhong Yuemin, upon learning of this, cursed Yuan Jun inwardly as a spendthrift, thinking that selling a Ming Dynasty official kiln porcelain vase for three hundred yuan was like a windfall.

It's estimated that if we wait another thirty years, when Yuan Jun looks back on this matter, he'll have to slap himself twice.

However, Zhong Yuemin did not blame them. Instead, he enjoyed the cold winter air with them. Later, they couldn't finish it all, and Yuan Jun even felt like throwing up. Helpless, Zhong Yuemin asked Ning Bin to call some other friends to come and finish the big tub of ice cream.

Regarding the sale of the antiques, Zhong Yuemin had no other thoughts. Putting aside the fact that the porcelain vase was not his own, and in 6, if you really wanted to collect antiques, you could have loaded them into a car with three hundred yuan. In this era, people who collected antiques were not respectable people, and even respectable people wouldn't be so bold.

Those things are only worth something in prosperous times. In this era, some masters who could make hundreds of millions with a single painting in later generations can't even afford to eat. If you really want to develop in the field of antiques, there are too many opportunities.

Besides, it's just a dream, why waste my energy? I don't understand it anyway, and Zhong Yuemin isn't interested in those things. Maybe in my future dreams I'll meet a protagonist who understands antiques, then I'll experience it then!

This ice cream feast can also be considered Zhong Yuemin and Yuan Jun's farewell banquet!

Yuan Jun went to report to the army soon, while Zhong Yuemin, Zheng Tong, and the others were waiting for the Gobi Committee to make arrangements for them.

Besides Yuan Jun successfully joining the army, many other children from nearby compounds also enlisted with the troops, including Zhang Haiyang, Zhou Xiaobai, Luo Yun, and others.

As they were about to part ways, the group gathered at Zhong Yuemin's house one last time. Zhang Haiyang and Zhong Yuemin drank until Zhang Haiyang vomited. In the end, Zhang Haiyang laughed and cried at the same time. He hugged Zhong Yuemin and said that he really liked Zhou Xiaobai, but Zhou Xiaobai didn't understand him.

Sitting to the side, Zhou Xiaobai was both embarrassed and speechless. Before parting, Zhou Xiaobai slipped another letter to Zhong Yuemin. Zhong Yuemin did not open the letter because he was not in the mood to open it at the moment.

Because he knew that this letter would definitely contain Zhou Xiaobai's reply to the letter he had given her that day. There were only two possibilities: either Zhou Xiaobai agreed to his request, or she rejected him.

He planned to wait until he arrived in northern Shaanxi to open this letter, which felt like opening a blind box. He felt he wasn't calm enough yet and was afraid that if he opened it, he would find that Zhou Xiaobai was saying she was willing to be his girlfriend.

His hormones were raging, and he couldn't resist going to Zhou Xiaobai. If something happened between them during their parting, that wouldn't be the outcome Zhong Yuemin wanted.

Chapter 147: Don't Make Promises About the Future Too Easily

Zhong Yuemin originally thought that he would watch his friends leave one by one before finally going to northern Shaanxi himself.

But before Zhang Haiyang, Yuan Jun, and the others could leave, he received a notification that his assigned place for settling down in the countryside had been determined.

The place where we were assigned to work in the countryside was a small village called Shichuan in a small county in northern Shaanxi. We set off three days later.

Zheng Tong and the Ning brothers, Ning Bin and Ning Wei, also went to northern Shaanxi with Zhong Yuemin this time. As for the other educated youth from Yanjing who were assigned to the same place, Zhong Yuemin does not know yet.

With time running out, Zhong Yuemin could only make some preparations quickly. He first went to see his father, Zhong Shanyue, and told him that he was about to leave.

The father and son encouraged each other again. The father, Zhong Shanyue, was even stronger than Zhong Yuemin had imagined. He firmly believed that the authorities would give him justice, and Zhong Yuemin believed it too.

Zhong Yuemin's mother passed away in 1962, and he was the only son in the family. In those days, it was rare for high-ranking cadre families to have only one child, so Zhong Yuemin was a rare exception.

Because he is an only child, Zhong Yuemin has always been very independent. Perhaps for this reason, he has always felt some resistance to family and the feeling of being restrained by family responsibilities.

To put it nicely, this is called being very individualistic, pursuing freedom in life, and having one's own unique values.