Chapter 87

On their day off, Lu Weiguo took Shi Tingyu to the Xinhua Bookstore in the city.

The Xinhua Bookstore in Jinling wasn’t small, housed in a two-story building. The first floor bore the sign “Xinhua Bookstore” in bold characters, while the outer wall of the second floor displayed a large red five-pointed star.

As they entered, the atmosphere seemed to quieten around them.

The striking contrast between this beauty and the fierce-looking man beside her was truly surprising.

Lu Weiguo was used to attracting such attention.

Seeing his expressionless face, Shi Tingyu tugged at his sleeve.

Lu Weiguo turned to her, and she gave him a sweet smile.

A faint smile played on Lu Weiguo’s lips. It didn’t matter how others saw him; as long as his wife didn’t dislike him, that was enough.

Inside the Xinhua Bookstore, rows of trapezoidal glass display cases were filled with various books, while tall wooden bookshelves lined the walls behind them.

Apart from books, the walls also displayed numerous New Year prints, mostly featuring portraits of great figures.

Within one of the trapezoidal glass display cases, Lu Weiguo spotted “Zhongquan” (Loyal Dog). Its harmonious and vibrant colors made it stand out compared to the adjacent comic books.

“Comrade, I’ll take a copy of this,” Lu Weiguo called out to the shopkeeper, pointing at the comic in the display case.

The shopkeeper glanced at his military uniform before retrieving “Zhongquan.”

“This is the latest arrival, priced at fifty cents each,” the shopkeeper informed.

Lu Weiguo paid promptly.

Shi Tingyu glanced at him, thinking to suggest they didn’t need to buy it since they already had copies at home, but seeing how eager he looked holding the book, she decided against it.

Flipping through the book, Lu Weiguo found it to be just like the one he’d seen at home. He tucked it into his coat and asked, “Comrade, is this new book selling well?”

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes. “This is the latest comic published by the Beijing Publishing House. See the display next to me? It’s already sold out there.”

Lu Weiguo glanced at the adjacent display case, noticing the empty space where “Zhongquan” had been.

Not wanting them to doubt him, the shopkeeper continued, “I can’t lie about this. There weren’t many printed, and even in our store, there aren’t many left. If you come a day later, there might not be any left.”

“Plus, both adults and children love it. You won’t regret buying it. After you’re done, you can read it to your children.”

Lu Weiguo, for some reason, replied absentmindedly, “We just got married; we don’t have children yet.”

The shopkeeper nodded knowingly.

With such a stern appearance, even as a soldier, it wasn’t easy finding a partner. His age must have delayed it.

He wondered how such a charming comrade had taken an interest in him.

With their inquiries mostly settled, Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo left.

Outside the Xinhua Bookstore, Shi Tingyu breathed a sigh of relief.

She could now rest assured about the picture book’s sales.

Although she had already received the money, she still hoped for a reprint.

“Let’s go back,” Shi Tingyu said.

However, Lu Weiguo suggested, “Since we rarely come to the city, how about we catch a movie?”

Movies these past few years weren’t just the Eight Model Operas; they’d also imported some from North Korea.

When new movies premiered, there were often long queues for tickets.

Shi Tingyu hadn’t seen the cinemas of this era before, so she agreed.

Lu Weiguo looked pleased.

He and Shi Tingyu had been introduced and married in a rush. With his usual busy schedule, he often felt indebted to her.

Now, he wanted to give her a taste of what people did when courting.

The cinema was crowded in the evening, but they managed to buy tickets. Each ticket was about the size of a postage stamp, costing one fen each.

The movie they watched was from North Korea, titled “The Flower Girl.”

Lu Weiguo also bought Shi Tingyu a pack of roasted melon seeds and a bottle of soda.

It was Shi Tingyu’s first time eating these paper-wrapped melon seeds, and she found the experience quite novel.

Although the cinemas of this era couldn’t compare to those of the future, they had their own unique charm.

Not long after the movie started, Shi Tingyu noticed some children sneaking around, crouching and hiding.

Seeing her confusion, Lu Weiguo explained quietly, “Many of these children sneak in with old tickets when the ticket-checking staff are busy. Looks like they’re checking tickets now.”

It was the first time Shi Tingyu had heard of such a practice.

Sure enough, a ticket checker soon approached them, glanced at their tickets, then moved on.

As Shi Tingyu enjoyed her melon seeds, Lu Weiguo held the paper for her and used her handkerchief to collect the seed shells.

When the movie reached the scene where the younger sister was blinded by the landlady’s hot water, the theater echoed with sobs.

Shi Tingyu quietly wiped tears from her face.

Lu Weiguo held up better, having seen much death on the battlefield. However, seeing Shi Tingyu’s tear-streaked face, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

“If only I had known, we should have chosen a different movie to watch.”

He reached up and gently wiped the tears from her face. However, his calloused fingertips, toughened from years of firearm training, scraped against Shi Tingyu’s delicate skin, causing her some discomfort.

Lu Weiguo was momentarily unsure of what to do. Suddenly noticing the soda in his hand, he offered it to her, “Have some soda.”

Shi Tingyu was still emotional, and his abrupt offer disrupted the atmosphere. However, she didn’t dwell on it.

Lu Weiguo’s behavior was already commendable. It was much better than those in the future who watched TV dramas, sobbing uncontrollably while their husbands scoffed at everything being fake.

Seeing his wife finally stop crying, Lu Weiguo breathed a sigh of relief.

But his relief was short-lived. Soon enough, another tear-jerking scene unfolded, and Shi Tingyu’s tears started flowing again.

Finally, he glanced at Shi Tingyu and reached out to pull her head onto his shoulder, saying something that made Shi Tingyu want to cough up blood.

Lu Weiguo said, “This movie was made by people, it’s not real.”

Shi Tingyu immediately lifted her head from his shoulder and sat up straight in her seat.

Lu Weiguo looked at his empty arms, not sure what went wrong.

The worker behind them couldn’t stand it anymore. He patted Lu Weiguo’s shoulder and said, “Comrade soldier, let me give you a tip. When a female comrade is watching a movie, you can pass her a handkerchief, but you shouldn’t say what’s inside is fake.”

Lu Weiguo turned back, intending to ask why.

The man in the factory uniform, sensing Lu Weiguo’s fierce gaze, immediately leaned back and repeatedly apologized, “Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

Lu Weiguo: …

He silently turned back around, deciding to let it go.

Because he had taken the handkerchief for the melon seed shells, when Shi Tingyu started crying again later, he offered her his hand instead.

As for using his military uniform to wipe his wife’s tears, that wasn’t appropriate.

Shi Tingyu seemed to have forgotten the incident just now and leaned back onto his shoulder again.

Lu Weiguo was quite surprised when she did so, wondering if the worker behind had any more useful advice. He felt his method might work.

But he didn’t expect that the seat behind them was already empty.

Lu Weiguo: …