Chapter 63

The karaoke in the hair salon continued until evening, with the rain still drizzling. Song Shuang's phone kept ringing; it was her mother calling, urging her to come home for dinner.

Liu Hanei sent Song Shuang home and took Ling Zijie along the way. The streets were deeply flooded after the rain, and Liu Hanei drove very slowly. They saw many cars that had broken down, and low-lying areas had turned into swamps. The tunnels had become rivers, and the rooftops of buses were crowded with stranded passengers.

The raindrops tapped against the car windows. Song Shuang kept looking outside, not speaking to Ling Zijie, lost in thought. Liu Hanei first dropped Ling Zijie off at the youth hostel. By the time he dropped Song Shuang off at the police department's residential area, the rain had stopped. Song Shuang thanked him and entered the compound.

Song Shuang's mother, Lin Hong, was a teacher at Jiangbei Normal University. She visited her husband and daughter in Jinjiang every weekend. By now, she had already prepared a full table of dishes and was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

The 52-inch LCD TV was broadcasting Jinjiang news: "Today, Jinjiang City experienced a once-in-a-century heavy rainstorm. The city's meteorological station issued an orange warning. Party Secretary Cao Bin and Mayor Jin Mudust visited and comforted the municipal workers and traffic police who were on the front lines..."

The door opened, and her daughter walked in. Lin Hong said, "Shuangshuang, where were you during the heavy rain? I was so worried."

"It's fine, I was singing with friends," Song Shuang sat down at the dining table, picked up her chopsticks, and took a couple of bites. "Mom's cooking is the best."

"Don't rush, wait for your father to come and eat together," Lin Hong said.

Song Shuang took a couple more bites before putting down her chopsticks. "Mom, I want to learn how to drive."

"Sure, your father can arrange it. College students should learn a skill," Lin Hong agreed.

"Then you approve? Sponsor the tuition first, I've used up all my pocket money," Song Shuang held out her hand.

Lin Hong patted her daughter's hand. "Mom has no money, go to your father."

Song Shuang said, "You pay for the tuition, and Dad pays for the car. I've already figured it out."

Lin Hong was surprised. "You're still a student, driving to school isn't a good idea."

Song Shuang didn't care. "It's so hard to get a taxi, and it's more convenient to drive myself. Besides, many of my classmates have cars."

Lin Hong, feeling sorry for her daughter, immediately compromised. "Mom agrees, but your father might not. What kind of car do you plan to buy?"

"Like Pengpeng's..." Song Shuang said.

Lin Hong frowned. That was a car worth over 200,000 yuan. Song Jianfeng was very strict with himself and would never let his daughter drive such a good car.

"Absolutely not. I have only one requirement: manual transmission," Song Shuang changed the subject, smiling.

"Shh, watch the TV." Lin Hong picked up the remote and turned up the volume. A reporter in a raincoat was broadcasting live, saying that an 11-year-old child had fallen into a sewer and was missing. Relevant departments were urgently rescuing them.

"What a tragedy," Lin Hong sighed.

It was already 8:30 PM, and Song Jianfeng still hadn't come home. He was likely inspecting the situation at the grassroots level. The heavy rainstorm had caused significant damage to Jinjiang City, and many people would be sleepless tonight.

...

Ma Ling was exhausted today. The 520 bus she drove didn't follow its normal route to avoid the tunnel, and she had to detour. On the way, she rescued some people trapped by the water. By the time she got off work, it was already 9:00 PM. She dragged her tired feet into the house and plopped down on the sofa, not wanting to move.

Wang Yulan brought the food over and said with a smile, "Dear daughter, how about the matter I mentioned last time?"

"What matter?" Ma Ling looked puzzled.

"The deputy director of the traffic bureau's driver. He's a nice young man, a bit short but very spirited. His family conditions are good, with a house and a car. Most importantly, he has a bright future and will definitely be promoted to a full section chief before he's 35," Wang Yulan leaned in, her eyes sparkling.

Ma Ling felt annoyed. She said seriously, "Mom, I've already found someone, so don't worry about it."

Wang Yulan's eyes widened. "Found someone? From which unit? What are his conditions?"

"From Jiangbei, a special police officer, quite tall, 1.8 meters."

"I've never heard you mention him. When did you meet him? How long have you been dating? Is he a college graduate? Does his family have a house?" Wang Yulan asked a series of questions, very interested.

Just then, Ma Guoqing came home from work, carrying a wet raincoat. Wang Yulan shouted, "Old Ma, did you know your daughter is dating a special police officer?"

"It's Liu Hanei, right? Even if he wears a police uniform, I still don't agree. One police officer in the family is enough," Ma Guoqing said coldly, throwing the raincoat into the bathroom and walking into the kitchen to serve himself some food.

Wang Yulan thought for a moment. "That's true. Being a police officer is too hard. They're always away from home. Ling, think about it again. I still think the young man from the traffic bureau is a better match."

"I'm full." Ma Ling put down her empty bowl and went into her room.

...

The next day, the rain finally stopped. Thanks to the efforts of the municipal engineering personnel, the water in most areas had been drained. The citizens' square in Huanghua Community still had traces of mud, but the middle-aged and elderly members of the Red Song Group were eager to turn on the speakers and welcome the new day with revolutionary songs.

On the other side of the road, a long queue formed in front of the Agricultural Bank, filled with retired old men and women. They had plenty of time, and every morning they either squeezed onto the bus to go to the free park for exercise, or went to the supermarket to buy discounted eggs, or brought small stools to the bank to collect their pensions. Although they had to wait for a long time, it was a form of social and leisure activity for them.

Wang Yulan was in the queue, chatting happily with her colleague, Aunt Wu.

"Xiao Wang, has your daughter Ma Ling found a boyfriend yet?" Aunt Wu liked matchmaking and used to be the head of the women's federation at the unit.

"Almost. I have a few candidates and I'm helping her screen them," Wang Yulan said proudly. She had a beautiful daughter, which was her capital.

"Ah, I heard from Old Li at the unit that your daughter is dating a black car driver," Aunt Wu said mysteriously.

"That can't be true," Wang Yulan was stunned.

"It's true. He even beat up Bian Xiangqiang the other day. Young people these days, always resorting to violence. They have no manners, especially these black car drivers. They're all from the countryside in Jiangbei and are very rough," Aunt Wu talked on, noticing that Wang Yulan's face had changed, and she coughed to change the subject.

"Xiao Wang, with such low interest rates, we need to think about investing. The stock market is half-dead, houses are too expensive, and the bank's financial products are unreliable. I have a friend who can give you a much higher interest rate..."

"Is it reliable?" Wang Yulan was interested again.

"Of course, I wouldn't introduce it to you if it wasn't. We've been friends for years. This is a very formal investment company. The boss has several Mercedes-Benz and BMWs, and his financial strength is very strong."

Wang Yulan was tempted. "I have about ten thousand yuan saved for my daughter's dowry, but I'm afraid it's too little."

"It's not too little. I've only invested 200,000 yuan. I'll ask for you."

The songs on the square finally stopped. The members of the Red Song Group packed up and went home. Hu Lianhe walked to the newsstand and bought a copy of the Global Times and a copy of the Reference News. These newspapers were his spiritual food, and he felt uncomfortable if he missed a day.

On his way home, he received a call from Liu Hanei, thanking him. Liu Hanei said that the house he looked at yesterday had been rented for two years.

"Don't mention it, we're all friends," Hu Lianhe was very happy. The owner of the house at No. 13, Team 1, was a neighbor in the village. The house was originally occupied by an elderly couple, but they moved out after an incident and the house had been empty for many years. Some tenants had complained that the house was not clean, so it had been vacant for a long time. Now, renting it out for 500 yuan a month was a significant achievement.

Hu Lianhe had already retired internally from his unit and received over 2,000 yuan in monthly pension. The rental income from his house was substantial, and his children were grown up and no longer needed his attention. He lived a leisurely life, participating in the Red Song Group, carrying a birdcage around, playing cards, and chatting with a group of retired old men about world affairs.

The heavy rainstorm yesterday had caused leaks in many places in Hu's house. Hu Lianhe found a roof repairman from Anhui to apply asphalt to the roof of his four-story house and lay a layer of felt under the tiles. His house was repaired every year but still leaked. Hu Lianhe didn't want to spend more money on it, as the area was eventually going to be demolished.

Today was Monday, and Song Shuang had classes and couldn't come. The staff of the Animal Protection Association came to sign the contract with the landlord and paid six months' rent, 3,000 yuan. The animals would gradually move in. Hu Lianhe acted as a volunteer intermediary, just for the satisfaction. The Anhui workers were working on the roof, and he was sitting downstairs reading the Global Times. As he read, he became indignant: "These Southeast Asian countries are really bullying us. Do they think our aircraft carrier is a vegetarian?"

Just then, Zhu Xiaqiang came in with a bag of instant noodles and a bottle of Nutri-Express. He couldn't help but comment, "Our country's aircraft carrier won't be fully operational for at least five years. We can only endure for now. After all, the C-shaped encirclement is not easy to break."

Hu Lianhe usually chatted with a group of uneducated retired old men and was feeling frustrated for lack of a worthy conversationalist. Hearing Zhu Xiaqiang's knowledgeable comments, he felt like he had met a kindred spirit. "Once Taiwan is liberated, the C-shaped encirclement will be broken, and our navy can enter the Pacific without any obstacles. However, the country's foreign policy is too soft, it's really frustrating."

Zhu Xiaqiang sneered. "A white rabbit with a black heart, you don't understand."

Hu Lianhe was confused. "What white rabbit, what black heart?"

Zhu Xiaqiang clearly didn't want to chat with a middle-aged man like Hu Lianhe, who was a beginner in military affairs, and went upstairs with his things.

In the rented room on the fourth floor, Liu Hanei was still sleeping. The room was leaking everywhere, and he had to use four basins to catch the water, which wasn't enough. He only fell asleep in the early hours of the morning when the rain had lessened. The alarm on his phone, set for 6:00 AM, didn't wake him up. The Anhui workers were making a lot of noise on the roof, and the dust falling down made him look like a dusty mess before he finally got out of bed.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Liu Hanei grabbed it. "Hello, who is it?"

"It's Wang Xing. Be careful, Gu Changjun might not be dead!" Wang Xing's voice was urgent and anxious, and he hung up immediately.