Chapter 211 New Factory
The relationship between Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan had been confirmed long ago, and except for the last line of defense, the two of them usually did everything they could secretly in private. However, both Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan still insisted on maintaining the last step, so they have not yet entered the final step.
In Song Yuanchao's heart, Lin Yan is the person he loves the most. He does not want to complete this step in a hasty way, and the same goes for Lin Yan. Men and women of this era are far less open-minded than boys and girls of later generations. Both parties are very conservative about this issue. They both hope to take this final step on the day they enter the marriage hall.
In addition, there is the promise made to Lin Daoyuan. Song Yuanchao is a man of his words and will of course stick to his bottom line. Even though Lin Daoyuan and his wife agreed to let Lin Yan follow Song Yuanchao to Shanghai this time, they actually tacitly approved of some things between the two of them, but Song Yuanchao still did not forget what he had said to Lin Daoyuan.
Before coming, Song Yuanchao had made arrangements. He gave his room to Lin Yan and he lived in the third-floor pavilion.
The air-conditioned rooms and attics are not hot even in the summer, and it is comfortable to sleep in your own home.
Li Daqi and Li Xiaoyun stayed at Song Yuanchao's house for half a day, and they went back in the evening. They made an appointment for Li Xiaoyun to come and find Lin Yan to go out together tomorrow. As for Li Daqi, he didn't have so much time. Now the two factories are very busy every day. It was not easy for him to find time to come here today.
We had dinner at Zhang's mother's house. Zhang's mother and aunt prepared a sumptuous meal. Taking into account that Lin Yan was from the north, they deliberately used less sugar in the dishes to prevent her from getting used to it.
Lin Yan met Zhang Jianguo's family at the dinner table. Zhang Jianguo's family was very warm to Lin Yan. This enthusiasm was not a simple and polite enthusiasm, but they truly treated Lin Yan as a member of their own family, which made Lin Yan feel the warmth of family.
After dinner, he went outside the alley with Zhang's mother and others to enjoy the cool air. They sat on a small bench and chatted for a long time while enjoying the cool evening breeze. After nine o'clock, Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan went back to Building 23. After entering the room, Song Yuanchao asked Lin Yan to wait while he went to the first floor to boil water. Song Yuanchao's house had a separate bathroom and an old-fashioned cast iron bathtub. Although it was a bit old, it could be used for bathing on hot days, which many families did not have.
Two pots of boiling water were boiled downstairs. Song Yuanchao brought the water to the bathroom, then took a brush and cleaned the bathtub thoroughly. After he was done, he went to call Lin Yan.
After entering the house, he was about to tell Lin Yan to go take a shower, but he saw Lin Yan sitting at the table by the window, seemingly staring at something. Song Yuanchao walked over and found that Lin Yan was looking at the photo he had placed on the table.
Gently placing his hand on Lin Yan's shoulder, Song Yuanchao stood quietly behind her.
"Time flies so fast..." Lin Yan's eyes sparkled. She turned around and said to Song Yuanchao, "So many years have passed in a flash. When I saw this photo today, I suddenly remembered the days in the northwest..."
"Yes, time flies..." Song Yuanchao also sighed. Time flies like an arrow. When he first went there, he was still a teenager, but now they are real adults.
"Yuan Chao, I want to go back and take a look." Lin Yan suddenly said.
Song Yuanchao nodded. In fact, he had the same idea. In his previous life, when he was nearly middle-aged, Song Yuanchao went back to see the place where he had struggled and lived for many years when he was young. Unfortunately, it was too long since they had been apart. Many places were no longer recognizable. The traces they left behind had long been washed away by the years and could no longer be found.
"Next year, let's go and have a look. You will graduate next year, so I will go with you before you start working. Otherwise, you may not have so much time after you start working."
"Well, I don't know what it looks like over there now. Do you think it will be the same as when we left?" Lin Yan's thoughts seemed to drift there, to that piece of yellow land, her eyes filled with memories and yearning.
Song Yuanchao smiled but did not answer, because he didn't know what the situation was in the northwest now. Maybe... it would still be the same, but it would definitely be different in ten years, because by that time, so much would have changed.
The two of them didn't say anything, quietly immersed in this thought. After a long while, Song Yuanchao suddenly remembered that he was here to ask Lin Yan to take a shower. Smiling, he pulled her up from the chair, found the new towel, soap and other things that he had prepared for Lin Yan, and took her to the bathroom.
After washing, Lin Yan asked Song Yuanchao to go too. Song Yuanchao smiled and boiled a kettle of water for himself and washed. After changing into clean clothes, he felt much more refreshed. He went back to the house and said good night to Lin Yan, then returned to the third floor.
After a good night's sleep, Song Yuanchao got up at dawn the next day. He did not disturb Lin Yan who was downstairs and asked her to get some more sleep. He found a steel pot in the kitchen on the first floor and went out with it. He bought some fried dumplings, soy milk, and wontons at a nearby state-owned restaurant. When he came back, the door to the second floor was already open, and Lin Yan, who was neatly dressed, had also gotten up early.
"Are you up? Have you brushed your teeth? Come, have breakfast, try our Shanghai breakfast." Song Yuanchao placed the breakfast on the table with a smile, and greeted Lin Yan with two pairs of chopsticks.
Shanghai's Shengjianbao is the most authentic. It is somewhat similar to the Shuijianbao in the north, but also different. Lin Yan's eyes lit up when she took a bite. She took a bite of the Shengjianbao, drank a sip of sweet soy milk, and oh, the fragrant wontons. This unique Shanghai-style breakfast made her eat it very deliciously.
Just when they were almost done eating, Li Xiaoyun couldn't wait to come running over. As soon as she entered the room, she smelled the smell of the steamed buns and immediately shouted, "Did anyone leave some for her?" Song Yuanchao looked at her and shook his head, pointing to the steel pot. Li Xiaoyun opened it and saw that there were still a few left. She smiled and picked them up without even using chopsticks and stuffed them into her mouth.
We agreed to go out and play today. Since we are in Shanghai, there are naturally many places to play. The most representative one is the section from the First Department Store to the Bund on the commercial street. Of course, there is also the City God Temple not far from there.
Accompanied by Lin Yan and Li Xiaoyun, they went to the City God Temple first. The City God Temple is now an old commercial spot, and the real temple is not open. Due to the times, the City God Temple is still closed, and it was not fully restored until the early 1990s.
But even so, there are still many places to visit there, such as the Nine-Curve Bridge and Yu Garden, as well as the steamed dumpling shop at the bridge head and the old teahouse in the middle of the bridge.
For lunch, everyone had soup dumplings. The soup dumplings nowadays taste much better than those in later times. There were many people lining up, but the demand still could not keep up with the supply.
In the afternoon, they walked along the road outside the City God Temple directly to the Bund, where they looked at the various old buildings known as "International Buildings" and felt the prosperity of the former foreign concessions.
But compared to these things, Lin Yan was more interested in the scenery on the other side of the flood control wall. That not-too-long flood control wall has a famous name in Shanghai - "Lover's Wall" or "Love Wall".
Many young men and women in love in Shanghai like to come here on weekdays to talk to each other beside the flood control wall, or snuggle up to each other and talk in low voices.
Here, as long as you don't do anything too out of the ordinary, you don't have to worry about people wearing red armbands coming to drive you away. It's as if the restrictions on love by the times have suddenly disappeared because of this flood control wall. Everyone tacitly acknowledges the special nature of this area, and it's an eye-opener for Lin Yan, who saw this kind of occasion for the first time.
Excited and curious, Lin Yan deliberately pulled Song Yuanchao to the flood control wall to feel this feeling. Although the air was filled with the stench of black river water, the power of love could dispel this smell and make people immersed in this beautiful atmosphere...
For two consecutive days, Song Yuanchao accompanied Lin Yan and Li Xiaoyun to travel around Shanghai. On the third day, Lin Yan took the initiative to suggest that Li Xiaoyun accompany her, because she knew that Song Yuanchao had many important things to do in Shanghai and there was no need to accompany her every day. Besides, the security in Shanghai was very good. When the two girls went out together, without Song Yuanchao as a man, they could go to places that only girls go.
At first, Song Yuanchao planned to accompany Lin Yan for another two days, but when Lin Yan blushed and whispered the term "ancient and modern" in his ear, Song Yuanchao suddenly realized. No wonder she didn't want him to accompany her. It turned out that Li Xiaoyun had secretly discussed with Lin Yan where to go. That kind of place was indeed not suitable for him to go. Even if he didn't go in, it would be embarrassing to stay at the door. In this case, Song Yuanchao smiled and agreed.
The new factory is a bit far from the city. There are buses there, but it's not very convenient. It's also quite far from home by bike. If I ride there in the hot summer, I'll probably be covered in sweat.
So Li Daqi came early that day to pick up Song Yuanchao and the others. He first took Lin Yan and Li Xiaoyun to where they were going, which was near Xiafei Road, and then continued driving towards the new factory.
About one kilometer past Guangqi Park, the roadside becomes noticeably deserted. After passing the gymnasium, you can see fields of farmland in front.
Tieban New Village is just ahead. After driving past it, continue forward and turn right to reach Bridge No. 1. After crossing Bridge No. 1, you can see several large gas tanks in the distance. The new factory is located near Bridge No. 1, not far from the gas tanks.
This was a prosperous area in the later generations, surrounded by residential and commercial areas, and many factories and units. However, now all you can see are farmlands and a few low-rise buildings. Song Yuanchao knew that this place would not develop until the industrial zone was established in the late 1980s. It was not until the late 1990s that the industrial zone was relocated and turned into a commercial and residential area.
"Do you see that group of houses? Our new factory is over there." While driving the car, Li Daqi suddenly pointed to his left. Song Yuanchao looked in the direction of his finger and saw a factory building between the farmlands. The factory building was gray in color and not tall, with only two floors, but it covered a large area.
