Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 41 Recognizing the Door

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The two went downstairs, and the second floor became crowded. By the time they got to the first floor, it was so packed that it was impossible to move. There were even more people than when they first came in. Lunchtime had passed, and people from out of town who came to buy goods had also arrived. This was the busiest time of day.

Clutching the machine, the two of them squeezed out with the crowd. The mall had six entrances, and the two of them couldn't find the entrance at all. They could only look for the entrance and squeeze out, just to get out of the mall first.

After finally squeezing out, the two stood outside the gate, looking around. It was a completely unfamiliar world; they couldn't see a single familiar sight.

There was no other way but to ask. I found an old man in the parking lot next door. Every available space around the building was filled with bicycles, and there were many old men watching over them.

After talking for a while, the old man finally understood which side of the building they were talking about. He pointed to the north end and said, "Go around from this side, or go through the mall. You came out the wrong way. It's over there."

The two exchanged a glance and decided to go around in circles; they might end up coming out of nowhere again.

Starting from downstairs, they began to circle around to the other side of the building. It wasn't until they turned the corner that Xia Maosheng suddenly said, "Wait a minute, asking for directions is completely useless. We're just going around half the building, it doesn't matter which way we go." Xiao Wei, holding the machine, laughed heartily.

After walking for more than ten minutes, we finally circled around to the other side and found a parking spot. Xia Maosheng carried the machine while Xiao Wei rode his bike, following the direction the old man watching the parking lot pointed out.

Once outside Sanhao Street, the number of people and vehicles on the road decreased significantly. Xiaowei found his way and pedaled faster. He turned left onto Wenhua Road, rode past the Engineering College, crossed the bridge to Nanhu Park, and rode directly back to the Electric Power Community.

After locking the car downstairs, he took the machine from Xia Maosheng and said, "My home is right here. Come up and familiarize yourself with the place. We'll eat here tonight." The two of them went upstairs together.

As soon as he opened the door on the third floor, Chen Hui came downstairs and said, "Hey Xiaowei, perfect timing. I checked the time, and neither of you is home all day. I've knocked several times. What are you busy with?"

Xiao Wei opened the door and let Xia Maosheng and Chen Hui in, saying, "I'm not busy with anything. She's in school and I'm not doing anything either, so I enrolled in a cooking class at the Cultural Palace and I'm studying there too. This is my classmate, Xia Maosheng, Lao Xia. This is my buddy, Chen Hui, from the power bureau."

Chen Hui and Xia Maosheng nodded. Xiao Wei handed the machine to Xia Maosheng, saying, "Help me carry it inside; he needs to check the meter." Xia Maosheng didn't say anything, took the machine, and walked into the house, asking, "Where should I put it?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's put it in the middle room first, that's where I live."

Chen Hui opened the meter box and immediately saw the wire that was being used to steal electricity from the meter. He turned to Xiao Wei and said, "Fine. For the sake of the neighbors upstairs and downstairs, it's three hundred." Then, smiling, he copied down the number and said, "Remember this number. Unplug this thing in the next few days. There are several meter readers. It's not good if someone else comes." Xiao Wei agreed.

After recording the readings, Chen Hui asked, "Are you planning to become a chef?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'll just learn and observe first. I haven't decided yet, but I have to do something."

Chen Hui glanced sideways into the room and whispered, "Judging from your accent, you're from Chaoyang. What did you bring back here?"

Xiao Wei whispered, "He's a nice guy, and we get along well."

Chen Hui widened his eyes and made a surprised expression, saying, "You're really lucky, kid. You just randomly picked a classmate who's this hard."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "I didn't do anything on purpose. He's coming down for dinner tonight, so we can get to know each other."

Chen Hui nodded in agreement, glanced into the room, and went out to continue checking the tables.

Xiao Wei closed the meter box and went inside. Xia Maosheng had already taken the machine out of the box and was fiddling with it.

Xiao Wei went over and put the shock-absorbing foam into the box, sealed the box, placed it on the cabinet, and sat down next to Xia Maosheng, saying, "How is it? No problem, right?"

Xia Maosheng said, "What problem could there be? Just plug it in and use it. If you don't smash it or water it, it'll be like this for ten or eight years. Just leave it here?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'll ask my wife when she gets back. We'll see if we put it in her room or outside. Putting it here is useless; I don't do anything with it."

Xia Maosheng suddenly revealed a lewd smile and asked in a low voice, "You and your wife don't live together?"

Xiao Wei was stunned for a moment, then his face flushed red. He said, "How could you be so mean? You live with your wife?"

Xia Maosheng scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "No, she's just embarrassed. Actually, my family doesn't care, and her family agreed."

Xiao Wei rolled his eyes at Xia Maosheng and said, "Let's go back to class. We can tinker with it again tonight."

Xia Maosheng stood up, pulled up his trousers, and said, "Okay. Your house is really big, did you buy it?"

Xiao Wei walked out with him and said, "No, it was done by an elder. I don't know if it cost money or not, and I didn't ask."

Downstairs, Xia Maosheng offered to ride his bike, leading Xiao Wei in a wobbly, unsteady gait towards the Cultural Palace.

……

After school in the afternoon, Xiaowei, Xia Maosheng, Yang Tiebin, and Li Guangzhao rode their bicycles towards Nanhu. Yang Tiebin and Li Guangzhao insisted on coming along because they heard that Xia Maosheng was coming to Xiaowei's house. The four of them had known each other the longest, so Xiaowei didn't think much of it and just thought, "Let him come."

Xia Maosheng rode Xiaowei's bike with Xiaowei on the back. He was tall and had long legs, so he felt uncomfortable sitting on the back and preferred to ride. Yang Tiebin rode the bicycle he borrowed from Li Na with Li Guangzhao on the back. The four of them chatted and laughed as they walked towards Xiaowei's house.

When they arrived at the market, Xiaowei told the three of them to stop, lock the car at the entrance, and go inside to buy groceries. There were a lot of people there today; the three of them, plus Chen Hui, made a total of six people—four big young men, all of whom were big eaters.

Of the four men, only Xiaowei had never cooked before; the others had all worked in the kitchen back in their hometowns. Xia Maosheng, in particular, had worked in the government canteen for three years and could practically run a small restaurant. He only came to Fengtian to learn how to cook to get a certificate. As soon as they entered the market, the three of them took control of the grocery shopping. Xiaowei could only listen and watch, and he didn't even have to pay for anything.

The three of them discussed what dishes to cook, what to buy, and how to prepare them. They also asked Xiaowei what seasonings and pots he had at home. As a result, they bought a whole bunch of things in a haphazard way, even a whole set of seasoning bowls.

They bought too much stuff, so they had to put it on the back seat and push the cart. The group chatted as they strolled along. It wasn't far anyway, and they arrived downstairs in about ten minutes. It was still early before Xiaohong got out of school, almost an hour away.

Going upstairs and into the house, the three of them went into the kitchen. One of them picked vegetables, and the other washed rice. Xiao Wei became a mere spectator, acting as if he were a guest.