Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Harbin

The train clattered along for over five hours before finally pulling into Harbin. Guan Yuan had gone to university in this city, and as he looked at the familiar train station, a wave of nostalgia washed over him—everything had changed, yet nothing had.

As a provincial capital, Harbin was worlds apart from Yun County. The streets were wide, street vendors were everywhere, and people dressed in much more varied styles. Glancing around, Guan Yuan noticed that nearly half the people were wearing the trendy bell-bottom pants, and a few women had permed hair.

Having seen too much of future fashion, Guan Yuan couldn't help but find these vintage styles terribly outdated—especially those perms, which looked just like instant noodles.

Occasionally, a young man on a bicycle would ride by with a radio hanging from his waist, drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd.

All of this was new and exciting to Zhao Shenggu, who looked around with great interest. "Xiao Yuan, Harbin is really lively!"

"This is nothing," Guan Yuan said to Zhao Shenggu. "In the future, even a small county town will be more bustling than this."

Both of them were tired from the train ride and wanted to find a place to stay. After asking around, they finally located the city's only guesthouse. When they went in, a middle-aged woman was at the front desk registering someone. Seeing Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu wanted to check in, she asked, "Do you two have letters of introduction?"

Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu shook their heads.

"Are you here on official business?" the woman continued, her tone fairly pleasant.

They shook their heads again.

"Here's how it works—if you're on official business and have a letter of introduction, it's free. If not, you'll have to pay. We have rooms for 2 yuan, 3 yuan, and 5 yuan. Which one would you like?"

Zhao Shenggu said, "Auntie, could you show us around first?"

"Alright, follow me." The woman led them to see the rooms. In the end, Zhao Shenggu chose the 5-yuan room, which had a private bathroom with hot water and included breakfast.

When Zhao Shenggu paid, the middle-aged woman looked them up and down carefully, then smiled. "Well, well—looks like we've got two rich young men! Just call me if you need anything. I'll be downstairs."

"Sure, you go ahead." After seeing the woman off, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu went inside and locked the door. The train had been crowded and dirty, so Zhao Shenggu heated up some water and they both took a hot bath.

Looking at the water heater in the bathroom, Zhao Shenggu marveled, "This thing is really nice. We should install one at home too."

Guan Yuan chuckled. "This runs on electricity, and our village doesn't even have power yet. But it's coming soon—we should get electricity this summer."

Hearing that, Zhao Shenggu got excited. "Once we have electricity, we can buy one of those TV sets you talked about and watch the evening news!"

"If you want to watch the news, you could also buy a radio. Radios pick up even more channels."

Zhao Shenggu waved his hand. "Fine, we'll buy both!"

Guan Yuan burst out laughing—Zhao Shenggu sounded just like some newly rich upstart when he said that. They chatted a while longer until their stomachs began to rumble. Seeing that it was getting dark, they decided to go out for something to eat.

When they came downstairs, the registration woman was having dinner. Spotting them, she called out warmly, "Are you two heading out for a stroll?"

Zhao Shenggu nodded. "Just going to grab some food."

"Right you are—nothing's more important than eating, especially for growing kids with delicate stomachs. If you're looking for a place, I can recommend one. Just turn at the end of this street—not far—there's a noodle shop. Their noodles are really good. I eat there all the time!"

Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu thanked her. Since Zhao Shenggu was craving noodles anyway, they followed her directions and found the shop.

The noodle shop seemed fairly new. It was small, with only four tables inside and the rest set up outside. Business looked decent—the inside was packed—so Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan sat outside. Before long, a middle-aged man with a slight limp came over, beaming. "What would you like? We've got every kind of noodle!"

"Xiao Yuan, what do you want?" Zhao Shenggu asked.

Guan Yuan thought for a moment. "I'll have a plain noodle soup with extra vegetables." Since his family sold meat at home, he'd lost much of his appetite for it. Zhao Shenggu knew Guan Yuan was tired of meat, so he didn't push him. "I'll I'll have the noodles with scrambled eggs and tomatoes," he told the owner.

"Coming right up!" The limping owner replied cheerfully and took their order to the kitchen. Before long, the noodles arrived. Guan Yuan took a bite and found them truly delicious.

Seeing Guan Yuan eat with such enjoyment made Zhao Shenggu happy. He gave the owner a thumbs-up. "Boss, you've got some real skill!"

Pleased by the compliment, the owner's smile grew even brighter. He dragged a stool over and sat down at their table. "Young man, I'm not bragging, but it's not just you two who've praised my noodles. My ancestors actually served as imperial chefs—you know what imperial chefs are?" The owner was clearly a talker and settled in for a good chat.

Guan Yuan knew, of course, but Zhao Shenggu hadn't had much schooling, and there was no one particularly educated in Guanjia Village. So he honestly shook his head.

Seeing Zhao Shenggu shake his head made the owner even more proud. "Imperial chefs were the ones who cooked exclusively for the emperor and the nobles in the palace. They even held official rank! But our family fell on hard times over the years, and all that's left is this noodle-making skill. During the 'Four Olds' campaign, our shop was smashed up. And this leg of mine—that's when I broke it too." His voice turned bitter. "Those bastards..."

[The "Four Olds" campaign was a massive political movement launched by Mao Zedong in August 1966 during the Chinese Cultural Revolution to destroy traditional Chinese culture and replace it with communist ideology. The Four Olds targeted were: old ideas (traditional thoughts and philosophies), old culture (classic art, literature, and historical texts), old customs (traditional social practices, weddings, and funerals), and old habits (everyday behaviors or lifestyle choices deemed bourgeois or capitalist)]

Zhao Shenggu didn't want to hear about that, so he changed the subject. "So, boss, what's your surname?"

"My surname's Zhao. I'm Zhao Chuan." For some reason, the owner took an instant liking to Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu. He rambled on about all sorts of things, practically spilling his entire life story.

Guan Yuan found it both amusing and exasperating—this man was way too familiar with strangers. Zhao Shenggu was also trying hard to be patient. When they finished their noodles, he said with relief, "Boss, we're done. How much?"

To their surprise, the owner was incredibly generous. "Hey, we hit it off so well—we're friends! And friends don't charge each other for a bowl of noodles!"

Just then, a middle-aged woman rushed out, grabbed the owner by the ear, and snarled, "What did I tell you? What did you promise me? You're at it again—not charging! Today it's your friend, tomorrow it's your soulmate—if you keep this up, we'll be eating the northwest wind!"

The other diners clearly weren't surprised; they burst out laughing. "Lao Zhao, playing the big shot again, huh?"

The owner winced in pain. "Honey, honey, there are people watching—give me some face... ow... ow... ease up!"

Seeing this, Zhao Shenggu quickly pulled out some money and handed it to the owner's wife. She took it and said apologetically, "Young man, I'm not targeting you personally. It's just this fool—every time someone chats him up, he stops charging. And we've got kids at home to feed and clothe."

Zhao Shenggu waved it off with a smile. "No problem, no problem. Of course you have to pay for food. Besides, I'm a Zhao too—so we're actually distant relatives."

Zhao Chuan rubbed his sore ear. "No wonder you looked so familiar—we're from the same clan!" His wife shot him a glare but didn't pick up on Zhao Shenggu's remark.

Zhao Shenggu understood immediately—she was worried they'd use the family connection to ask for favors. Without another word, he took Guan Yuan's hand and left.

"Brother, that owner was really something," Guan Yuan said, still amused by what had just happened. But he felt a little put off by how the wife had been wary of Zhao Shenggu.

Zhao Shenggu tapped him on the nose. "I'm not money—I can't expect everyone to like me. Her being cautious isn't wrong." They walked back as dusk fell. The streetlights had come on, and Zhao Shenggu gazed at them in wonder. "So beautiful."

Guan Yuan looked at their two long shadows stretched out under the lamplight, pressed closely together, and nodded. "Yes, beautiful." Just then, they noticed people hurrying past them, all heading in the same direction.

Zhao Shenggu stopped a passerby and asked what was going on. "They're setting off fireworks at the square at seven," the person replied. He turned to Guan Yuan. "Xiao Yuan, want to go watch?"

"Yes."

By the time they reached the square, the fireworks had already started. The sky was filled with bursts of color like scattered stars, drawing cheers from the crowd. To be honest, these fireworks were nothing compared to the ones Guan Yuan had seen in later years. But as he looked at Zhao Shenggu beside him, he felt as if this moment was all the splendor he'd ever need.

After the fireworks ended, it was past 8 o'clock. They went back, washed up, and got ready for bed.

"Tomorrow, we'd better find someone to ask around. We can't just keep wandering around like headless flies," Zhao Shenggu said, patting Guan Yuan's back.

"Brother, we don't need to. I know this place pretty well—I remember which areas will be valuable later on. Even if we just buy a place and sit on it, we can wait for the value to go up!" Guan Yuan reminded him.

Zhao Shenggu slapped his forehead. "Oh, right—how could I forget about you, our fortune-teller?" There was a teasing note in his voice.

Guan Yuan punched Zhao Shenggu lightly and turned away. "Hmph, you're making fun of me. I'm not talking to you."

 

Zhao Shenggu pulled him back. "Really not talking to me?" He reached his hand under Guan Yuan's armpit and started tickling him. It was Guan Yuan's ultimate weakness.

The moment Zhao Shenggu started, Guan Yuan lost all his strength, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "Okay... okay... I give up! Hahaha... Brother... Brother... stop!"

Zhao Shenggu only stopped when Guan Yuan was almost out of breath. "If you ever say you're not talking to me again, I'll tickle you—and begging won't help."

"Hmph, you always bully me." They joked around and roughhoused, and even in this unfamiliar place, they felt a warm, cozy sense of home.

The next day, they got up early and headed straight for the places Guan Yuan remembered.