On January 26, 1991,
The Pearl, a ship bound for Wen City, was slowly moving, with waves gently lapping against its hull.
On the deck, a girl in a long, flowing skirt leaned against the railing. The sea breeze gently caressed her delicate face, and her long, ink-black hair swayed with the wind.
Water droplets on the porthole glittered faintly under the setting sun, and the distant sky and sea converged into a beautiful arc.
After a few minutes, the outline of the city was faintly visible at the intersection of the western sea.
Passengers standing on the deck and gunwale shouted excitedly when they saw the city's outline:
"We've reached Wen City!"
"We're home!"
After 24 hours of travel, everyone was exhausted, especially those who suffered from seasickness. They couldn't eat or sleep well, and even going to the restroom was inconvenient. They felt finally liberated, unable to hide their excitement.
If they could choose, some would rather spend seven days in a small, dark room.
Qin Shuyu also saw the city's outline, and she was very excited.
It had been half a year; she was finally home.
A few days ago, Fang Bai called her bp machine, asking when she would be on holiday and what time her train or ship would arrive so he could pick her up.
Of course, he would only drop her off near her doorstep; Fang Bai didn't dare to take her directly home.
Qin Shuyu was afraid Fang Bai would wait too long because the ship's arrival time was very imprecise.
But Fang Bai just wanted to pick her up, saying that even if it wasn't precise, the difference wouldn't be significant. In the end, Qin Shuyu still went along with Fang Bai.
After Qin Shuyu bought her return ticket, she called Fang Bai with the exact time she would be home.
Now, Qin Shuyu craned her neck, eager to see Fang Bai and her parents.
She stood for a while before returning to the berth she had purchased. Fang Bai had told her to buy the best private berth, saying they weren't short on money and it would be safer.
In the end, Qin Shuyu obediently listened.
An hour later, the passenger ship Pearl finally docked at Anlan Wharf, which is opposite Oubei Wharf.
As Qin Shuyu pushed her suitcase and stepped onto the wharf, she heard someone calling her from a distance. Following the sound, she looked through the moving crowd and finally saw Fang Bai waving beside a motorcycle.
She smiled happily and waved back. A moment later, she walked out of the ticket inspection checkpoint.
As soon as she exited the checkpoint, Fang Bai came forward, took her luggage, and asked with concern:
"Dummy, are you tired from the boat ride?"
"Hmm, it's alright," Qin Shuyu tilted her head and smiled sweetly.
"Let's go. It's crowded here. I'll take you home first."
Fang Bai pushed Qin Shuyu's suitcase, while Qin Shuyu followed easily behind him, a look of happiness on her face.
The two arrived at the motorcycle, tied down the suitcase, and put on their helmets.
Only after Fang Bai sat on the bike could Qin Shuyu sit on the saddle.
The suitcase was a bit large, and Qin Shuyu was squeezed in the middle, allowing Fang Bai to feel her greatness.
However, Fang Bai was already used to it and started the motorcycle.
"It'll be a bit cold when we start moving, just hold me tight."
"Okay." Qin Shuyu also felt the cold wind. She put her hands into Fang Bai's coat pockets and then hugged him tightly, resting her head against his back.
The wharf was only a few kilometers from her home, not far at all.
Fang Bai rode slowly, passing through large and small streets.
The road conditions were not very good, and it was bumpy all the way!!!
This made Fang Bai a bit restless. Ah, this little girl is too much.
When they were still dozens of meters from her home, Fang Bai stopped the motorcycle and put down the suitcase.
"Shuyu, you'll have to push the luggage the rest of the way yourself. I'm afraid your dad will see us being so intimate and chase me with a hammer.
Our relationship still needs to be kept secret for now, remember that.
You should temporarily put away your bp machine, take out the battery, and go home to rest for a couple of days. When you have time, come find me. My house is opposite Oubei No. 1 Middle School, as I told you.
If you can't find me, just CALL me."
Qin Shuyu couldn't help but laugh, nodding "Mm" a few times. She walked two steps, looked back one step, and waved for Fang Bai to go back.
Fang Bai looked back once, started the motorcycle, and quickly disappeared down the street.
He had to make a quick getaway. If he really ran into Qin Shuyu's parents, it would be awkward.
Soon after Fang Bai left, Qin Donghai returned on his motorcycle and saw his daughter pushing a suitcase toward home.
If he had been a little later, Fang Bai really would have run into his father-in-law. At that point, there might have been a city-wide motorcycle chase, which could have ended up on local news.
"Daughter Taken, Father Chases Boy Across City"
"On the Dangers of Dating for Contemporary Students"
...
Fang Bai didn't know how newspaper editors of that era would come up with headlines. In later generations, hehe, clickbait headlines were such that you absolutely couldn't guess the content from the title.
Qin Shuyu's parents were quite strict about their daughter's dating life, not wanting her to date in her freshman year, especially not a high school student with a broken finger.
Fang Bai was now snatching their child from the tiger's mouth. It would be strange if the tiger didn't get angry.
Two days later, the high school and junior high divisions of Oubei No. 1 Middle School also went on holiday.
For Fang Bai, it didn't seem to have much to do with him.
His younger sister came home for the holidays, making the house much livelier.
Many of the part-time university students were locals, so the holiday was perfect for them; they could repair televisions every day.
Students from out of town also wanted to stay in Wen City longer during the holidays to earn more money for Chinese New Year.
Television repairs at home became faster. That afternoon, Fang Bai made a trip to T City and stayed overnight there.
Early in the morning, he went to charter cargo trucks, directly chartering two 9.6-meter box trucks.
Selecting televisions also took a considerable amount of time; he had picked almost all the available televisions from Yaming Electronics Company.
It was almost the end of the year, and Yaming Company was also going on holiday. If he came two days later, he would have made a wasted trip.
That evening, Fang Bai returned to Wen City.
The two cargo trucks filled both shopfronts to the brim. The repaired televisions had to be temporarily moved and stacked on the second floor.
Fang Bai looked at the two rooms full of televisions, anticipating the mall's opening.
The renovation was already nearing completion. In a couple of days, they would start moving the refurbished televisions onto the mall shelves.
At the same time, they would begin stocking other appliances, hiring mall staff, and advertising, aiming to open for business before February 13.
The next day,
At ten o'clock in the morning, Qin Shuyu arrived. She was wearing a khaki mid-length cotton coat that covered a large part of her blue jeans, and on her feet were a pair of sky-blue sneakers.
She stood quietly in front of Fang Bai's house, craning her neck to look into the shop, yet not daring to call out.
The group of university students inside suddenly noticed a graceful girl standing outside. They all stopped what they were doing and looked curiously towards the door, admiring her warm and charming smile, which naturally made people feel good.
Qin Shuyu's appearance broke the calm morning atmosphere, filling it with a touch of novelty and surprise.
Wencheng University also had no shortage of beautiful girls, but compared to the girl in front of them, they lacked a certain elegant natural beauty and freshness.
Everyone took a quick glance, afraid of being noticed by the girl, and quickly lowered their heads to work, but still couldn't help but steal a few more glances.
They found it a bit strange that she stood outside without asking anyone, just watching them work?
A few of the male students worked with even more vigor; they had to perform well.
Fang Tingting, with a milk candy in her mouth, skipped out of the shop. Seeing a pretty older sister standing outside, she tilted her head for a look, and still couldn't help but go up and ask, "Hello, who are you looking for?"
Qin Shuyu smiled faintly, "Hello, I'm looking for Fang Bai. Does he live here?"
At the same time, she sized up the girl in front of her. Could this be Fang Bai's younger sister? She had heard Fang Bai mention that he had a sister in junior high.
"You're looking for my brother? Are you my brother's girlfriend? Qin Shuyu, I heard my mom mention you."
Qin Shuyu understood, feeling a bit shy, but still nodded, "Mm!"
Fang Tingting saw her nod and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow!" The milk candy in her mouth also fell to the ground. She really wanted to pick it up, wash it, and eat it, but considering her sister-in-law was right there, she couldn't embarrass her brother, so she smiled awkwardly.
"Sister-in-law, you're so pretty! My brother is upstairs. I'll take you in." After saying that, regardless of whether Qin Shuyu agreed or not, she took her hand and led her inside.
Then, as she walked, she shouted into the house, "Brother, sister-in-law is here! Come down quickly!"
Qin Shuyu didn't refuse. Hearing Fang Tingting shout so loudly, and with so many people in the house, she felt a bit embarrassed following behind. In fact, she was even shyer than Fang Tingting.
The university students inside heard Fang Tingting call her "sister-in-law" and realized she was Boss Fang's girlfriend. No wonder!
Boss Fang was truly impressive, managing to get such a beautiful girl while still repeating a year of high school.
Upstairs, Fang Bai, who was preparing recruitment posters for the mall, heard his sister's shout. He quickly put down his work and hurried to the stairwell, just in time to see his sister pulling Qin Shuyu upstairs.
"Shuyu, you're here."
Fang Bai's face lit up with joy. Seeing his sister being so boisterous, he said to her, "This is my sister, as I told you. She's still a child and doesn't know any better."
"Brother, I'm not little anymore. I'm in junior high year three."
"Your sister is quite cute." Qin Shuyu didn't mind and was very happy to see Fang Bai.
"Brother, did you hear that? Sister-in-law says I'm cute. Humph, you don't understand anything. I'll leave sister-in-law to you now." Fang Tingting wrinkled her nose, pouted, and ran back to her bedroom to find candy.
Fang Bai smiled and led Qin Shuyu to his bedroom.
Qin Shuyu entered a boy's bedroom for the first time, feeling a bit shy. She looked around: a desk piled with high school materials, a newspaper rack next to it with many newspapers.
There was also a new wardrobe and two locked wooden boxes in the room, containing unknown items.
On the floor, two recruitment posters written with marker pens were laid out.
Suddenly, she realized her hands were empty. When she came over, she was so focused on seeing Fang Bai. She said apologetically:
"Are Uncle and Auntie home? I should have bought some fruit when I came."
"It's fine, we have plenty of fruit at home. My dad is supervising the mall renovation, and my mom sells televisions. She just set up her stall today."
Fang Bai pulled her into the bedroom and casually closed the bedroom door.
It wasn't until Fang Bai pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed that Qin Shuyu became a bit nervous. Her free hand gripped the bedsheet tightly, and she suddenly started to overthink.
Fang Bai, he's not going to try to eat me, is he?
Should I agree then?
They had touched lips, but not often, and always secretly.
"Dummy, did you miss me at school?"
Qin Shuyu suddenly heard Fang Bai ask this, and a shy expression immediately appeared on her face. She really couldn't lie, so she pursed her lips and nodded, "Mm."
"Oh, actually, I didn't."
Qin Shuyu frowned upon hearing this.
"Don't move, there's something dirty on your eyelid. Close your eyes quickly."
Seeing Fang Bai say this, Qin Shuyu quickly closed her eyes, feeling a bit suspicious at the same time: I dressed up so well when I left home, did I get dirty on the way here?
Suddenly, two warm lips pressed against hers.
With this sudden attack, Qin Shuyu's lips curved slightly upwards, feeling very happy and content inside.
She found that her heart rate suddenly quickened, and her breathing became rapid. She didn't know why this happened.
A few minutes later,
Fang Bai released Qin Shuyu with satisfaction.
Qin Shuyu's cheeks were completely flushed. She didn't dare to open her eyes, only asking in a low voice, "Fang Bai, is there still something dirty?"
Fang Bai coughed and smiled, "Hmm, just a little bit more."
Then, it continued for a few more minutes.
"Alright, there's nothing dirty anymore."
"Oh."
Qin Shuyu then opened her eyes, revealing a happy and contented smile.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the room door, and Fang Tingting's voice came from outside: "Brother, are you there?"
Fang Bai frowned. Why was this little girl so thoughtless? He walked over, opened the door, and glared, asking:
"What do you want?"
"Brother, I washed a plate of fruit for sister-in-law to eat." Fang Tingting handed the plate to her brother, then peeked into the room. Seeing her sister-in-law sitting on the edge of the bed, her face flushed, she squeezed out a smile, "Brother, why is sister-in-law's face so red?"
"You made her angry!"
"Hoho, don't think I don't know. I won't disturb you anymore." Fang Tingting made a funny face, winking and grimacing. Seeing her brother about to kick her, she quickly ran away, closing the door behind her.
Qin Shuyu watched Fang Tingting leave and pretended not to hear: "Fang Bai, what did your sister say?"
"Uh, my sister said you're pretty."
Fang Bai placed the fruit plate on the table and picked one up for Qin Shuyu to try.
A moment later, Fang Bai told his sister, then took Qin Shuyu out on his motorcycle.
Arriving at the side of the road by the appliance mall, Fang Bai pointed to the mall under renovation and said, "This mall is ours. The renovation will be finished in the next two days, and we'll try to open before Chinese New Year's Eve."
Qin Shuyu looked at the bustling mall under renovation, with large glass panels on its exterior, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's so big and beautiful! Business will definitely be booming."
"That's right, whatever you say."
Fang Bai laughed heartily, still a little proud.
A moment later, the two rode the motorcycle onto a ferry to cross the Oujiang River, heading to Wuma Street for delicious food, and then rode to the scenic Daluo Mountain.
After securing the motorcycle, Fang Bai took her to climb Daluo Mountain.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, they reached the summit.
The sun was out in the afternoon, but the wind was a bit strong. Fang Bai put his arm around Qin Shuyu's slender waist from behind, gazing at the cityscape of Wen City.
To the east was Longwan Airport. The more distant Oujiang River estuary had not yet been developed, and Wen City had not yet begun its land reclamation projects.
Wen City's development was indeed limited by its land.
The two stayed on the mountain for half an hour before descending. Going up was slow, but going down was fast.
Fang Bai rode her home; he had taken one day off to accompany Qin Shuyu.
Starting tomorrow, he would be busy with the opening of the appliance mall.