During dinner, you could still hear the Meng family crying pitifully.

Although they didn’t dare to curse, they didn’t stop crying.

Meng Yiyi was detained and faced prison time, and they were also losing their house.

At first, they were unwilling to accept it and wanted to sue someone.

But the office said, “It’s good enough we didn’t cut your pay.”

They had no choice but to shut up and move out quietly, crying and wiping tears as they packed their things.

Crying like that all day and night really annoyed people, and the neighbors couldn’t wait for them to leave.

Qianbo: “When the Meng family moves out, they’ll leave behind three big rooms. I wonder who will get them.”

Jiang Xinglei: “Haha, it won’t be your turn.”

Qianbo: “Seems like it could be yours.”

Jiang Xinglei proudly straightened his neck.

Qianbo: “…Really?”

Jiang Xinglei: “They’re giving them to Jianqiu’s family.”

Qianbo: “Hmm, thought it might have been you.”

Jiang Xinglei: “We’re moving to Jianqiu’s place.”

Qianbo widened his eyes. “Is that true? Jianqiu’s house is even bigger. Congratulations. Let me know when you’re moving; I’ll come help.”

Jiang Xinglei: “I bet you just want to come for the food.”

After dinner, Yan Runzhi and Xu Aimei, along with other adults, talked inside the house.

The children formed their own group.

Dabao and Xiaobao performed with Wensheng, singing songs from “The White-Haired Girl” and “Red Lantern,” then switching to school performances like “Golden Mountain in Beijing” and other songs.

Qianbo and Jiang Xinglei enjoyed listening to them.

Seeing the children playing happily, Wensheng was fine too.

Jiang Lin talked to his elder and second brother to see if they could buy parts to assemble radios.

They planned to take them to the countryside with Cheng Rushan.

Nowadays, radios are rare in the countryside and hard to buy due to their cost and lack of coupons.

There’s one in the commune, with a bunch of people gathered around it all day listening.

If the price were cheaper and didn’t require coupons, ordinary folks would still want to buy them.

When getting married, one of the items like a sewing machine, radio, bicycle, or watch is enough to show off in the countryside.

Jiang’s second brother is a temporary worker, only finished junior high.

Later, he learned some knowledge while working in the factory.

He only knows how to assemble things step by step, but he can’t innovate.

Jiang’s eldest brother is different.

He studied until his third year during the Cultural Movement, in a serious and top-notch university in the province.

His knowledge is quite solid.

Now he’s a technical backbone in the radio factory, level 12 worker, earning 62 yuan a month.

Actually, with his abilities, he should have been at the top level as a technician long ago, even more than enough to become an engineer.

If he were an engineer, the minimum wage would be over 100 yuan.

Jiang Lin saw that he had no fighting spirit at all and asked his second brother about it.

He heard that in the factory, he just worked quietly, never asking for any benefits.

For example, when it came time to evaluate his salary level, others took his opportunities without any reaction.

Consequently, some people would take advantage of this, skipping any notification and going directly to the office to say that Jiang Xingye was unnecessary, preferring them to share room chances.

His heart was closed off, making it impossible for others to confide in him. If it weren’t for his wife and children to support, who knows what might have become of him.

Seeing him looking lost with shattered beliefs and a sense of directionless life, Jiang Lin knew that he wouldn’t easily be swayed from his current state.

She could only hope he would come to his senses on his own.

She turned to Jiang Er-ge (Second Brother Jiang) and said, “Er-ge, what if we buy some radio parts and assemble them ourselves? Many people in our village want to buy one; they envy us for having one.”

Jiang Er-ge replied, “That’s doable. We can buy electronic tubes and a few circuit boards and other components.”

The scarcity of materials was a relative concept: scarce in the countryside might not be scarce in the city, and scarce in the market might not be scarce in factories.

Nowadays, some parts are available for purchase on the market.

When Jiang Da-ge (Elder Brother Jiang) heard them discussing assembling a radio, he said, “We use transistors now, not electronic tubes. Minerals and such are more old-fashioned.”

Jiang Er-ge remarked, “Da-ge, transistors are expensive.”

Jiang Da-ge replied, “That was before; they’re cheaper now.”

When transistors first hit the market, they were expensive; a diode cost over a yuan, and a transistor cost over three yuan.

Now, Jiang Da-ge said a diode costs only twenty cents, and buying from the factory makes it even cheaper.

However, you still need to choose carefully; otherwise, you might end up with a faulty one.

So, even though they are available for sale, you need to know how to pick them or rely on luck.

Seeing him actually willing to help, Jiang Lin smiled and said, “Da-ge, how do we choose?”

Jiang Da-ge then explained, “It’s simple; you just measure the resistance of the diode with a multimeter.” He briefly explained.

Jiang Lin nudged Cheng Ru Shan and asked, “Did you understand that?”

Cheng Ru Shan: “…” I haven’t even studied physics.

When he was in junior high school, the rural school taught family history in Chinese, labor points in math, and biological science was about composting.

He definitely didn’t want her to know.

Jiang Da-ge glanced at Jiang Er-ge.

Jiang Lin: “I understand now.”

Jiang Da-ge: “Let me buy them for you. I’ll get them tomorrow and we can take a look.”

Jiang Lin: “While you’re at it, could you assemble a prototype for us? We’ll pay for it. Oh, and don’t forget about your nephews’ radios.”

Jiang Da-ge thought to himself that he didn’t explicitly agree, but he didn’t refuse either.

For children, as long as you don’t refuse, it’s considered consent—that’s their logic.

Jiang Da-ge could only nod reluctantly. “Alright.”

Jiang Er-ge mentioned that there’s a box of miscellaneous parts at home, so they might as well bring it out to sort through with Da-ge.

Seeing this, Cheng Rushan gently tugged Jiang Lin’s hand, signaling her to go outside.

He then patted Qian Bo and said, “It’s time for you to go back.”

Qian Bo thought he could play a bit longer, but since Cheng Rushan was urging him to leave, he had no choice but to bid farewell to Xu Aimei, Yan Runzhi, and the others, and followed Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin outside.

Jiang Xinglei eagerly followed but was rejected by Cheng Rushan, who instructed him to stay home and watch the children.

Jiang Xinglei: “…”

Once outside, Jiang Lin talked to Qian Bo about subscribing to magazines.

Qian Bo: “Sure, but why are you subscribing to this one?”

Cheng Ru Shan: “To research the secrets of mental illness and how to turn normal people into psychiatric patients.”

Qian Bo: “…I shouldn’t have asked.”

Feeling a bit awkward, he tried to regain his sense of superiority about going out to eat.

He warned Jiang Lin, “That jerk Lu Hang was just hanging around here earlier. Be careful going out alone, Sister Lin.”

Jiang Lin: “Who’s Lu Hang? I don’t even know him.”

Cheng Ru Shan: “…”

At the intersection, Qian Bo bid farewell.

Cheng Rushan held Jiang Lin’s hand and suggested, “Let’s go watch a movie.”

Jiang Lin: “Do you have tickets?”

Cheng Ru Shan: “We can buy them at the door.”

Jiang Lin: “No, we can’t. It’s too late to buy them there; we’d need to use connections. Either through work or internal purchase. If we try to buy them at the window, it’s like trying to get a train ticket during the Spring Festival. You definitely won’t get any.”

“Let’s go and try.”

It was then that Jiang Lin understood Cheng Rushan’s idea of buying tickets at the door: from couples who came to watch movies.

The movie tickets were at face value, plus a bag of wedding candy.

Cheng Rushan had managed to marry his beloved girl and planned to treat her to a movie before returning to the countryside.

The young man, seeing how handsome Cheng Ru Shan was and how pretty Jiang Lin was, felt sour inside and refused, saying, “We’ve managed to get these tickets; we want to see the movie too.”

I want to find a partner, too.

The young woman, admiring Cheng Rushan’s handsomeness and Jiang Lin’s beauty, thought it was a truly touching love story for a country boy to marry a city girl.

Even though she didn’t have the courage to marry a country boy herself, she admired Jiang Lin’s dedication to love.

“You can take them, no need to pay; they were a gift from someone else,” the girl generously offered.

Jiang Lin smiled, “We should still pay.”

The girl took the wedding candy and handed it over.

This bag was worth more than the movie ticket. “Enjoy the movie.”

Cheng Rushan waved to thank them.

Although the young man was reluctant, the girl hinted that he could visit her dormitory, and he happily followed along.

Jiang Lin glanced at Cheng Rushan, “Did you get permission from Da Bao and Xiao Bao?”

Cheng Ru Shan smiled, “Yes, Da Bao and Xiao Bao are spending tonight with their grandparents.”

As the movie began, more and more young men and women streamed in.

Seeing so many people without hand-holding partners, Jiang Lin felt nervous and tried to pull her hand back.

But Cheng Rushan boldly stretched his arm around her waist.

Jiang Lin: “!!!”

The young people around them widened their eyes.

Wow, he’s really bold, wanting to hug and cuddle right at the movie theater entrance.

Doesn’t he know he could get in trouble for public indecency?

Cheng Rushan held Jiang Lin close and said, “Wife, my legs aren’t feeling good. Maybe you should go back to your mother’s house. I don’t want to burden you.”

Jiang Lin: “!!!”

While Cheng Ru Shan was suggesting she go back home, he was actually leading her into the theater, still holding her waist.

Jiang Lin: “What are you saying? We’re husband and wife, we’ll be together for a lifetime. Your legs will definitely get better. Let’s just watch the movie.”

Cheng Rushan looked at her struggling to hold back a smile, her fair and lovely face blushing pink, becoming even more charming and captivating.

He almost couldn’t resist kissing her right there.

Others around thought, “Oh, how touching, his legs aren’t feeling well. Such a tall and handsome young man, with leg troubles, how unfortunate.”

Jiang Lin quietly poked Cheng Ru Shan’s waist, telling him to be more discreet and not always act so boldly.

She noticed that after becoming familiar with each other, he sometimes showed a bit of childishness in front of her, probably influenced by Da Bao, Xiao Bao, and Wen Sheng.

They followed the crowd into the theater, and once in a darker area, Cheng Ru Shan suddenly pulled her aside.

Just as she was about to ask what he was doing, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Jiang Lin: “There are people walking around nearby!”

Cheng Rushan held her tightly, almost causing her to run out of breath from the kiss.

It wasn’t until fewer people were entering that he finally led her inside.

Jiang Lin licked her lips and whispered, “You’re being too much.”

It’s not like they were unmarried young people sneaking kisses here.

Even though they didn’t have many chances to be affectionate during the day with so many people around, they slept together at night, right?

Cheng Rushan chuckled softly, leading her by the hand to find their seats.

The screening hall was large and spacious, with dozens of rows of seats.

Despite the lights, it was still dim, requiring them to bend down and look closely to find their seat numbers.

Despite being a married couple, Jiang Lin felt a bit conservative due to the prevailing social norms, almost as if they were sneaking around in a movie theater for an affair.

Cheng Ru Shan was really audacious!

Even in bed, the two of them weren’t as daring as him, yet here he was, sneaking around in a movie theater.

The movie playing was “The Second Spring,” released last year, depicting the rise and fall of our country’s maritime defense industry with the support of the Soviet Union.

Despite its heavy propaganda and pervasive class struggle themes, Jiang Lin found it quite engrossing.

After the movie ended, they walked back to the auto parts factory.

On the way, Jiang Lin asked Cheng Rushan, “So many movies feature spies. With our strict regulations, where do all these spies come from?”

Cheng Rushan held her hand and replied, “Oh, there are plenty. Some have been undercover for years, others are air-dropped, some arrive by sea, and there are even those returning from overseas, especially in the southernmost regions where spies are more prevalent.”

Jiang Lin laughed, “You seem to know a lot about this.”

Cheng Rushan smiled, “Let’s hurry, we still need to sweet-talk the gatekeeper when we get back.”

…

The next day, Xu Aimei and Jiang Dongjian rested.

After breakfast, once everyone had gone to work or school, they went to visit their new house.

Meng Kaiping’s family had already moved out, and Jianqiu’s family was in the process of moving.

At this point, there wasn’t much left to do except for some help moving things in and out of their house before work.

“Old Jiang, congratulations on finally moving into a big house!”

Old Guo stood to the side, admiring their main house.

He leaned over to Jiang Dongjian, smiling as he offered a cigarette, “Brother Jiang, have a smoke.”

Jiang Dongjian replied, “I don’t smoke.”

With the family’s tight financial situation, there was no extra money for cigarettes.

It would be better to spend that money on snacks for the children.

Old Guo then suggested going to his house to make tea, but Jiang Dongjian declined, saying, “Old Guo, don’t bother. I still need to check on things.”

Old Guo sighed, “Brother Jiang, you see, with seven or eight of us crammed into this small house, my mother is over eighty and has trouble walking. Her legs get cold easily, and living in the eastern wing room isn’t comfortable at all.”

Jiang Dongjian nodded sympathetically, “Cold legs are indeed uncomfortable. Our second child starts coughing every time it gets cold, which is also hard on him.”

Old Guo sighed again, “Yes, old folks endure a lot. Brother Jiang, could you possibly…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Lin approached with a smile, “Uncle Guo, what are you two talking about?”

Old Guo quickly smiled and changed the subject, “Linlin is growing more beautiful every day, finding a good man, and the children are so well-behaved and handsome. You’re truly blessed.”

Jiang Lin smiled back, “Thank you, Uncle Guo.”

Then she turned to Jiang Dongjian, “Dad, this house belongs to the whole family; your decision alone doesn’t count.”

She didn’t want him to be easily persuaded into doing something generous; the house should be kept for the family.

Jiang Dongjian blushed slightly, hastily saying, “I know, Brother Guo and I were just chatting, nothing about switching houses.”

Old Guo looked embarrassed, realizing he had been caught out, but before he could say anything more, Jiang Lin smoothly changed the topic to something else.

With Jiang Lin’s intervention, the topic was nipped in the bud before it even started, and the others present remained unaware of the conversation.

After inspecting the house and getting the keys, Xu Aimei suggested accompanying Yan Runzhi and his wife to take the children to the nearby park.

They planned to visit the state-owned market afterward to buy groceries, exchanging tips and anecdotes about shopping.

Xu Aimei said to Yan Runzhi, “If only you could move to the city too, we could keep each other company.”