◎ First update ◎ 

Zhou Yun looked at the cloth that Baozhen bought and praised its beauty. She was home most of the time, so she was always prepared to make clothes. A few years ago, Xu Shengjie joined the army and could only come home once in a while. The family had not celebrated the New Year together for several years. This year, not only did Xu Shengjie come back, but he also had a wife, so everyone had to have a new piece of clothing. 

After buying the cloth, they also needed a bicycle. Zhou Yun asked them to have dinner and wait until the hottest day had passed before going out. “Xiaojie, let Baozhen choose the bike. Pick one that she will find comfortable to ride. You are tall and strong, and that’s different from what Baozhen would find comfortable.” 

“I know. We’ll go with her choice.” 

After the sun was less intense, Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen went out together. 

The northern city department store had the most extensive selection of bicycle brands in town, with at least ten brands neatly arranged in two rows. 

The two arrived by bus and couldn’t take their eyes off the brand-new bicycles, which were neatly arranged and glowing with a metallic silver-white light. 

There are quite a few people in the building looking at bicycles, not buying them, just looking at them. Bicycle tickets are really hard to come by, so it’s good to enjoy the sight. 

The salesperson ignored them, apparently used to this kind of scene. 

“Don’t touch them. These bicycles are all new. Don’t leave fingerprints. Only those who are buying can touch them.” 

Liang Baozhen saw the salesperson say something, and many people withdrew their hands. Then she looked at the wall and saw a banner with several large characters warning the salespeople not to hit or scold customers. 

“Comrade, we’re here to buy a bicycle.” Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen walked over and stated their purpose first. After all, they wanted to choose something, so they had to touch it. 

“Do you have a bicycle ticket?” the salesperson replied lazily without even blinking. 

“Yes.” Liang Baozhen took out a handkerchief from her bag, opened the four corners, and showed the precious bicycle ticket to the salesperson. 

After looking at the bicycle ticket, the salesperson finally became interested and took the two to see the bicycles. 

“What brand do you want to buy? We have the most brands in the city, and the quality is also good: Phoenix, Fei Ge, Yongjiu, Xing’an…” 

“We don’t want the one from Xing’an.” Liang Baozhen remembered Cheng Caili’s repeated instructions and rejected it immediately. 

The salesperson glanced at Liang Baozhen and said to Xu Shengjie, “Xing’an is the cheapest. You can buy one for 110 yuan. The most expensive one is Phoenix; it costs 180 yuan.” 

The monthly salary of city workers is 30 to 40 yuan, and a bicycle is equivalent to half a year’s salary. To save money, many people buy Xing’an directly. After all, the 70-yuan difference is equivalent to two months’ salary. 

Sometimes it’s no wonder that salespeople state the price clearly. There are always people who buy the Phoenix brand, then think it’s expensive, and after a lot of trouble they want to come back and exchange it for Xing’an. So later, she simply stated the price clearly in advance. 

Seeing this couple, especially the man, who was wearing the work clothes of the State Cotton Factory. She figured that he was the one with the final say in the family, so she simply ignored Liang Baozhen and only asked Xu Shengjie for his opinion. 

Xu Shengjie could tell from the salesperson’s gaze that she had misunderstood, so he directly said, “Comrade, listen to my wife. She’s the one in charge at home.” 

Oh, so he listens to his wife. 

“Okay, I’ll explain the brands to your wife then.” Finally, she turned to Liang Baozhen and introduced several brands. “Try them yourself. If you want to ride, comrade, the Phoenix and Fei Ge are both good. They are light and easy to ride.” 

Liang Baozhen touched the bicycle; the cold metallic texture was truly different. She got on to test the height, and it looked quite decent. 

But she couldn’t make the decision on her own; after all, the money and tickets were given by Xu Shengjie. 

“Phoenix or Fei Ge, which one do you want?” 

“Which one do you like?” Xu Shengjie had no strong opinion. After thinking for a while, he added, “It’s just a ten-yuan difference; don’t worry about the price. They’re all the same.” 

Since it’s going to cost more than a hundred yuan, there’s no need to worry about the ten-yuan difference. After all, it’s something they can use for many years, so it’s best to pick one that they like and is comfortable. 

“Then let’s go with the Phoenix one.” Liang Baozhen took a look and still liked it. 

“Okay.” Xu Shengjie listened to the whole process and finally paid 180 yuan plus one bicycle ticket. However, the ticket itself cost 300 yuan, which makes the total 480 yuan for the bicycle. 

The two came empty-handed and left with their bicycle. 

This was the second time Liang Baozhen rode Xu Shengjie’s bicycle. The first time was on their wedding day. However, that bicycle was borrowed from Hong Saner, but the one they rode today was their own! 

It seemed more comfortable this time. 

Xu Shengjie felt weight on the back seat, and then a pair of fair hands hugged his waist and was almost embracing him. Looking at those hands, he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Let’s go.” 

“Is the new bike easy to ride?” Liang Baozhen, who bought a bicycle, was obviously excited and kept asking questions along the way. 

“It’s okay. It was a bit difficult at first, and I haven’t gotten used to it yet.” Xu Shengjie’s voice trailed off. “We’ll be at the entrance of the alley soon. Do you want to try it? I remember you said you learned it before.” 

“Great! When I was learning to ride a bicycle, my second brother praised me for being so good. He said that I could learn to ride away in a short while.” Liang Baozhen was eager to try and wanted to switch places immediately. 

When they reached the entrance of the alley, Xu Shengjie braked. A group of children in the courtyard gathered around him while staring intently at the bicycle. 

“Brother Xu, did your family buy a bicycle?” 

“Godfather, godmother, you bought a bicycle too!” 

“Brother, sister-in-law, this bike is so beautiful.” 

Xu Shengwei and his sister Xu Shengya didn’t know how to ride a bicycle yet, so they could only touch it and wait for their eldest brother to teach them, but their sister-in-law spoke first. 

“I’ll ride it for a while, and then I’ll let your big brother teaches you.” 

“Yes!” 

“Sister-in-law, you are amazing. You can even ride a bicycle.”

 

Liang Baozhen took the handle from Xu Shengjie and sat on it neatly. She had ridden the bicycle from the commune for a short distance before. Now she went over the important things she had mastered in her mind, stepped on the pedals, and the wheels started to turn… 

“Wow~Oh~” A group of little kids cheered nearby. They were excited to see the bicycle moving and kept on cheering Liang Baozhen. 

As Liang Baozhen found her rhythm while riding, she pedaled more and more vigorously, and her speed increased. She saw Xu Shengjie on the side of the road watching her. Several times when he saw her losing balance and swaying, he made a move as if he want to come and help her. 

“Don’t, don’t, I can do it!” A smile spread across Liang Baozhen’s face, and her two braids swayed along with her hair. When the wind blew, her short-sleeved jacket fluttered in the wind, outlining her slender waist. 

The sun was shining brightly at this moment, but it was not as bright as Liang Baozhen’s smile as she rode her bicycle. 

“How is it?” Liang Baozhen rode two laps and became more and more skilled. Finally, she braked to Xu Shengjie’s side and asked him with her chin raised, “I rode well, didn’t I?” 

“Good, you’ve ridden steadily after just these two laps.” Xu Shengjie did not hesitate to say a word this time; his brows relaxed, and his words were full of smiles. “It’s like you’re a veteran who has been riding for many years.” 

“I’ll ride one more lap, and then you can teach Xiaowei and Xiaoya.” Liang Baozhen was addicted to riding a bicycle and was in high spirits. She looked at the younger siblings who were eager to try and waved her hand. “Xiaowei and Xiaoya, wait a moment.” 

“Okay!” The two of them answered while jumping up and down, excitedly waiting for their sister-in-law to finish riding so that they could start learning to ride a bicycle. 

In the last lap, Liang Baozhen rode from the entrance of the alley to the gate of the State Cotton Factory, and then rode back in a hurry. It must be said that the feeling of walking and riding a bike for the same distance is completely different, as if the wind seemed more pleasant. 

Riding back to the entrance of the alley, she decided to play a little trick and went straight for Xu Shengjie, wanting to see how panicked the man was. But when she was about to hit him, he didn’t move, and Liang Baozhen was so scared that she quickly braked. 

In her panic, she braked unevenly, and it looked like both she and the bike were about to fall. 

“My bike!” 

“Zhenzhen!” 

Xu Shengjie reacted instantly, leaned over, and hugged Liang Baozhen while holding her in his arms. The next second, the newly bought bicycle fell to the ground. 

The sound of “thump” was heartbreaking. 

“My bicycle!” Liang Baozhen was still in Xu Shengjie’s arms, her eyes already looking at the ground, and her face was full of concern. 

“Huh!” 

“Brother Xu, Sister Baozhen, how embarrassing!” 

“Don’t look, don’t look! Don’t look at my brother and sister-in-law!” Xu Shengwei called out to the other children. As soon as they saw Sister Baozhen fall into Brother Xu’s arms, a group of children began to cover their eyes. Only Biaozi opened his eyes with a gap between his fingers, looked at his godfather and godmother, and smiled like a fool. 

“They hugged each other!” 

Song Xinmiao, the daughter of widow Chen in the courtyard, spoke, causing Liang Baozhen to blush. She struggled out of Xu Shengjie’s arms using her hands and feet, and hurriedly picked up the bicycle and checked it from top to bottom; she even wiped the handles and seat. 

Trying to calm down, Liang Baozhen looked at the group of children, “Xiaowei, Xiaoya, go to your brother so you can learn how to ride the bicycle.” 

“Okay.” 

“I’m going back to the house first. You all take your time learning.” 

“Goodbye, sister-in-law.” 

Liang Baozhen walked away from the group of children towards the house. After she had walked about seven or eight meters away, her expressionless face crumpled up, and she covered most of her small face with her hands and uttered a few muffled sounds of frustration. 

“How embarrassing!” 

When she walked into the courtyard, she patted her red cheeks, smiled, and took a deep breath, as if nothing had happened. 

There was a woman washing clothes in the sink in the courtyard. She was wearing a red skirt with a well-proportioned waist. She was very beautiful just looking at her back. 

Hearing the noise, Liu Nianhua turned around, “Baozhen, did your family buy a bicycle?” 

“Sister Hua!” Liang Baozhen didn’t expect it to be Liu Nianhua. After a closer look, Liu Nianhua, who had taken off her patched coarse cloth clothes was wearing a waist-length skirt, and had taken good care of her hair. She looked completely different, energetic, and beautiful. 

“You look so beautiful in this dress!” 

Liu Nianhua was a bit shy at Liang Baozhen’s direct compliment. She lowered her head slightly and adjusted her dress, “This is the dress I bought the year I got married. I haven’t worn it in years. I was worried that I might not fit into it now that I’m older.” 

“It looks great! Really, you should wear it if you like it. It’s really beautiful!” 

Liu Nianhua was somewhat satisfied with what Liang Baozhen said. Over the years, she had gained a considerable amount of weight compared to before she got married, and she had always been reluctant to wear skirts. However, she was now becoming increasingly comfortable with them.

“You have a really good taste. You bought such a beautiful dress over ten years ago, and it still looks like new.” 

Liang Baozhen was not the only one who was surprised to see Liu Nianhua suddenly wearing a skirt. Zhou Guoping, who had just returned from outside, almost didn’t recognize her when he walked to his doorstep. 

“Brother Zhou is back? Look at Sister Hua; she is dressed so beautifully.” 

Liu Nianhua looked at Zhou Guoping affectionately and with her bright eyes. 

Zhou Guoping glanced at his wife and said to Liang Baozhen, “Yes, Xiao Liang, I heard that your family bought a bicycle?” 

“Yes, we just bought it today.” 

“That’s a hard ticket to get. Where did you find it? Can you still get more?” 

Liang Baozhen paused when she heard this. Her family’s bicycle ticket was obtained by Xu Shengjie on the black market, so she naturally couldn’t tell anyone. “It was a reward from Shengjie’s workshop. We were lucky to get it; it’s been years since we had a chance to get a bicycle ticket.” 

“Oh, I see. That is indeed rare.” 

“Sister Hua, Brother Zhou, I’m going back to cook. I’m leaving first.” 

“Ah, walk slowly.” 

Liu Nianhua watched Liang Baozhen leave, then looked at her man with a smile, she gently pinched the hem of her skirt with her left hand. “Guoping, today I…” 

“Why did you pull out your wedding dress?” Zhou Guoping said impatiently with a frown on his face. “You’re not young anymore. It doesn’t even look good on you. You’ll just end up worrying about getting it dirty while cooking or washing clothes. Hurry up and change.” 

After saying that, he went straight into the house without stopping. 

The smile on Liu Nianhua’s face gradually disappeared, and her hands pinched the skirt hard and ended up wrinkling it. 

The two brothers Zhou Long and Zhou Hu came back from the alley and saw their mother standing at the door in a daze. They hurried over to share their joy of touching a bicycle today. “Mother, Brother Xu’s family bought a bicycle, and Xu Shengwei can ride it now!” 

“When can our family buy one?” 

“Mother?” 

Zhou Long noticed that his mother was in a daze, as if she didn’t hear him and his brother talking. He pulled her hand and shook it. “Mother, what’s wrong with you?” 

Liu Nianhua looked at her son’s innocent face, touched his sweaty hair, and forced a smile. “It’s nothing.”

Zhou Long rarely saw his mother like this. Even during dinner, he clearly felt that his mother was absent-minded. But when he asked her, she said nothing and just let him and his brother go out and play. 

In the courtyard, everyone was enjoying the cool air, each fanning themselves with a palm-leaf fan and chatting when they had nothing to do. 

Liu Nianhua looked at everyone in the courtyard. They were talking and laughing, but she only felt the noise all around. In front of her on the left were Cheng Caili and Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan had just returned from a business trip and cooked for his wife. Lu Yuan was the main cook in their family, and everyone laughed at him for being afraid of his wife. Every time they teased him, Lu Yuan didn’t care and continued to do what he had to do.

To the right were Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengjie, who had bought a bicycle today. Aunt Zhang wanted to see it, so they pushed the bicycle to the middle of the courtyard. Liang Baozhen even happily took a leisurely ride around, and everyone praised her for riding well. 

Looking around, Liu Nianhua looked left and right, wondering where Zhou Guoping had gone. He was always busy and always going outside.