This building is quite old. The stairs are narrow, and there are still briquettes, old bicycles and other debris piled up in the corridor. A group of people filed up, and the one carrying luggage walked in front, and the three college students fell behind.
Han Bing said as he walked: "This building has a long history, and it still uses Soviet architectural drawings."
Lu Jinqi said: "Hey, Han Bing, have you taken architecture as an elective? How can you tell that these are Soviet architectural drawings?"
Han Bing pointed to the window on the wall of the staircase and said: "This is a design inspired by the street fighting in Stalingrad, which is convenient for throwing grenades down. I lived in the same building when I was a child. This is what my father told me.
of."
Lu Jin asked Wen Xue: "Is Han Bing right? Is your building really built with Soviet drawings?"
Wen Xue smiled and said, "How did I know? Our family was not here originally. It was in the Gaotupo courtyard. We only moved here during our third year of high school."
However, the young man carrying the luggage in front said: "This building was once occupied by Soviet experts. I heard it has a history of more than 40 years."
As they spoke, they arrived at the sixth floor. It was already the top floor. There were three households on one staircase and the corridor was cramped. The teenagers put down their luggage and went downstairs. Wen Xue asked them to come in and drink a glass of water before leaving, but there was joy in the corridor.
The answer: "No need, Sister Xue."
Wen Xue shook his head with a smile, took out the key and opened the door. It was a one-bedroom apartment with a total area of only thirty or forty square meters. It was not even comparable to the foyer of Han Bing's house. There were not many furniture, bookshelves, and beds.
, it was just a dining table, filled with books everywhere, the house was a little messy, but it was cleaned very neatly. Since it was on the top floor, with only a thin floor covering it, the house was extremely hot and stuffy like a steamer.
Wen Xue quickly opened her bedroom door, turned on the air conditioner and said, "Come to my room to cool down."
Han Bing and Lu Jin were looking around in the living room and fanning the wind with their hands. When they heard Xiaoxue's call, they quickly walked in and closed the door. The three of them enjoyed the cool breeze brought by the air conditioner. Han Bing noticed that Wen Xue's house
There are no household appliances except this air conditioner, and this seemingly new air conditioner was probably purchased by Wen Xue during his senior year of high school to prepare for the college entrance examination. Perhaps it has not been used a few times since it was purchased.
Wen Xue's bedroom is simply and neatly decorated. There are no stuffed toys or celebrity posters that are common in ordinary girls' boudoirs. There is not even a wardrobe. There is only a bed, a desk and a chair. The only decoration is the hanging on the window.
A string of wind chimes is so simple and heartbreaking.
Although they were fully mentally prepared, Han Bing and Lu Jin were still shocked by the financial situation of Wen Xue's family. With such a dilapidated house, such simple furniture, and such a difficult living environment, it was really hard to imagine this girl.
How they persevered and how they got the highest score in the province beyond their imagination, all of this shocked them so much that they were speechless.
Wen Xue didn't notice anything strange about them, and said apologetically: "As I told you, the conditions at home are poor, and if you insist on coming, there will be nothing to entertain you."
"It's okay, it's fine." Han Bing said, but despite saying this, sweat was still rolling down his forehead. Wen Xue's bedroom was not only on the top floor, but also the westernmost room in the entire building. The air conditioner was like an old scalper carrying a heavy load.
I usually tried my best to spray air-conditioning, but it still didn't help. After a while, the overwhelmed air conditioner simply stopped working, and the room suddenly became hot again.
I just heard someone shouting from downstairs: "Who has turned on the air conditioner again? How many times have I told you that the wires in our unit are aging and we cannot use high-power electrical appliances. Why don't we remember it better?"
The three of them laughed secretly. Wen Xue quickly unplugged the air conditioner, opened the window and said, "It's too hot. Let's go out and cool down by the river. We can also help Han Bing find a place to stay."
So the three of them went downstairs together, chatting while walking, and soon came to the bank of the Huai River. In midsummer, the river beach was lush and green. The three of them lay on the railings and looked at the vast river and the magnificent iron bridge in the mist.
There are also ships passing slowly on the river, and the river breeze blows against your face, which is indeed much cooler.
"Wen Xue, what are your plans after graduation?" Han Bing suddenly asked confusedly.
"I'm only a sophomore in college, so it seems a little early to consider this issue, but no matter where I go to work, I will never leave my father behind. He has sacrificed too much for me." Wen Xue replied.
"It's really not easy for Uncle Wen. By the way, your dad is going to get off work soon. Otherwise, let's pick him up and have dinner together in the evening." Han Bing said.
Lu Jin immediately raised his hand in agreement, and Wen Xue had the same intention, so the three of them walked to Chenguang Machinery Factory together.
Nowadays, the management of Chenguang Factory is much stricter than before. Outsiders are not allowed to enter at will and must register in the communication room. The guard looked at Xiaoxue and said, "Are you the daughter of Gong Wen?"
"Yes, I am." Xiaoxue nodded and filled in her name on the guest list.
"Go in, your father is on the third floor of the factory. Go up the stairs to the third door on the right." The guard said, watching the three of them walk in, and then picked up the phone: "Gong Wen, your daughter is on vacation..."
Before the three of them reached the downstairs of the factory, they saw a thin middle-aged man hurried over. They saw Wen Xue from a distance, stopped and shouted: "Xiaoxue."
"Dad." Wen Xue ran over, but instead of jumping into his father's arms as Han Bing and Lu Jin imagined, he took his father's arm affectionately and jumped towards the two classmates.
When he came over, he looked so happy and happy, he looked like a college student, he was clearly a spoiled child.
"Dad, these are my college classmates, Han Bing and Lu Jin. The three of us have a good relationship. They had no place to go during the summer vacation, so they came to our house as guests." Wen Xue introduced generously.
"Hello, Uncle Wen." Han Bing and Lu Jin extended their hands at the same time.
Lao Wen smiled and said, "Ladies first." He shook hands with Lu Jin first, then shook hands with Han Bing, "Welcome, I happen to be off work, let's have dinner together."
So the four of them walked towards the factory gate together. The workers and masters who were coming and going greeted Lao Wen warmly when they saw him: "Worker Wen, my daughter is on summer vacation."
Lao Wen also replied proudly: "Yes, my daughter is home for the holidays. Let's go for a while while you are busy."
Originally, we could just find a place outside for dinner, but Lao Wen insisted on finding a better place, so the four of them went to the Xiangzhang Restaurant on Binjiang Avenue and chose a seat overlooking the river.
After politely presenting the menu, Lao Wen said, "You can order whatever you want. Uncle is treating you today."
Wen Xue also said: "Come on, my father is treating you today, let's kill him well."
Han Bing and Lu Jinqian gave in, but they still couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the father and daughter, so they had to order a cheap vegetarian dish each. They really didn't want to let Uncle Wen spend money.
Lao Wen couldn't guess what they were thinking. He took the menu and without blinking, ordered a few of Xiangzhang Restaurant's signature dishes and asked Han Bing: "Young man, do you drink?"
"Thank you, uncle. I am not yet eighteen years old and cannot drink." Han Bing said.
"Okay, let's have a drink. What do you want to drink?"
The two of them wanted to save Uncle Wen money, so they suggested that they could just drink tea, so Old Wen ordered another pot of tea, asked the waiter where the restroom was, and then said to the three of them: "Please stay with us." They got up and went.
After a while, Lao Wen, sweating profusely, came in from outside with a bucket of ice-cold Coke in his hand. It turned out that he had not gone to the toilet, but had gone out to buy a drink at a cold drink shop.
"Dad, just tell me and I will buy it. You are not in good health, so don't be tired." Wen Xue took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat on his father's forehead. Lao Wen enjoyed his daughter's care and said proudly.
: “The prices for drinks in the hotel are too high, so it’s more cost-effective to go out and buy them.”
After a short effort, the dishes were served one after another. After all, it was a high-end restaurant on Binjiang Avenue. The dishes were exquisite and the taste was moderate. Both Lu Jin, who came from Inner Mongolia, and Han Bing, who grew up in the UK, could adapt to it. The four of them were eating together.
During the conversation, Lao Wen's rich knowledge and elegant demeanor deeply impressed his daughter's two classmates. What kind of father is what kind of daughter. They finally understood why Wen Xue could grow up in such a difficult environment.
As a person who studies well and is kind and noble.
Unknowingly, night fell and the meal lasted three hours. When it was almost time, Lao Wen stood up to pay the bill. Han Bing stood up hurriedly and said: "Uncle, let me do it."
"You are a guest and a junior, how can I let you come?" Lao Wen smiled and pressed Han Bing on his seat and walked towards the bar.
Han Bing thought for a while and stood up. Wen Xue scolded: "Han Bing, just let my dad pay the bill. It's rare that he is so happy today."
"I'm going to the bathroom." Han Bing explained, got up and walked towards the bathroom, but after going around in a circle, he still walked towards the bar. This meal cost a lot, and it was nothing to him, but to Lao Wen's family
I'm afraid it's a big number for people.
"Let me do the math for you. You ordered six dishes, the total is 860 yuan, tea is 150 yuan, and the corkage fee is 50 yuan. The total charge is 1,160 yuan. May I ask?
*?" The voice of the cashier girl came from the front desk, and then I heard Lao Wen ask in surprise: "Why are there so many? Is there a miscalculation? There are only four of us."
"Sir, the steamed fish you ordered is in season. It's 500 yuan per catty. This dish costs 520 yuan. And the special Biluochun you ordered is 100 yuan per pot, plus two.
There is an extra 50 yuan for cups, and for drinks you bring, a 50 yuan corkage fee will be charged in accordance with our store regulations. Do you have any other questions?"
Han Bing took a peek and saw that Uncle Wen was checking his wallet. This meal must have seriously exceeded his budget. It is conceivable that this middle-aged intellectual does not usually put too many banknotes in his wallet, even when his daughter comes home on vacation.
For big things, I would only bring five or six hundred yuan at most. I didn’t expect that Xiangzhang Restaurant had so many tricks. A single bill made the old Uncle Wen, who was so suave and chatting and laughing just now, extremely embarrassed.
One thousand and sixty yuan. Han Bing doubted that this meal would eat up Uncle Wen's entire month's salary. He held his black diamond card and hesitated to go up and check out. With his family background, one thousand yuan was simply too much.
It was so small that it could be ignored. He once accidentally discovered that his mother's bill for entertaining guests outside was tens of thousands of dollars for just a bottle of wine. The amount of money for a meal was astronomical. He had basically no concept of money before.
Money is just a number on a book. You can spend as much as you want. He has never felt that he is short of money. But today, he really realized the difficulty of not having money.
"I didn't bring enough money. How about this? I'll keep my ID card here and pay the money tomorrow. What do you think?" Lao Wen said.
"Sorry sir, we don't do credit here." The cashier lady was not accommodating.