Chapter 8

The City Youth Palace is located in the Ping Shan District at the city center, situated by the Chengzhong Lake. It is a complex of several thousand square meters, primarily composed of oval-shaped buildings, donated by Mr. Fang Zhongxin, a patriotic overseas Chinese from Malaysia for his hometown. After the Youth Palace was completed in 1985, it became the most modern architectural complex in the city. Most miraculously, it had five Macintosh computers, which were very advanced and rare at the time.

Liang Yuan and the two young girls arrived at the main entrance of the Youth Palace. Ning Wanfei's martial arts class and karate class were in the right half of the oval building, while Ning Wanjia's model aircraft group was not far from Liang Yuan's, both in the left half.

Watching Ning Wanfei turn right and head towards the martial arts class, Ning Wanjia and Liang Yuan slowly turned into the left corridor. Neither of them spoke, walking side by side at a snail's pace.

Since Liang Yuan rescued Ning Wanjia from the river, something seemed to have changed between them. Liang Yuan recalled that in his previous life, after saving Jiajia, they would just silently follow him, never disobeying whatever he said. In his previous life, he would have been eager to run into the model aircraft group, even complaining about Jiajia's slow pace in this corridor. Liang Yuan smiled bitterly, thinking how much of a jerk he had been back then.

By the time Liang Yuan vaguely understood the concept of first love, a transfer order sent Ning Lei to the southwestern region. From then on, they were separated, only able to communicate through letters. Boys really do develop later, don't they?

Ning Wanjia had been secretly observing Liang Yuan's expression. Seeing him frown, she felt inexplicably anxious, the peaceful atmosphere from earlier gone.

Liang Yuan suddenly noticed that they were walking slower and slower until they stopped. He looked at the little girl beside him, who had a hesitant expression on her face. "What's wrong, Jiajia?" Liang Yuan turned to her and asked softly.

"Xiao Yuan, I didn't wake you up in a hurry. I told my sister this morning that Aunt Liang said you went to bed very late last night," Ning Wanjia said, her words jumbled and her tone slightly flustered. Liang Yuan felt both heartache and amusement.

Feeling his hands steadily holding hers, the boy said nothing, just looking at her intently. His dark eyes were like a clear night sky, a faint smile on his lips, his features gentle and resolute. Ning Wanjia looked at Liang Yuan for a while, then suddenly lowered her head, feeling flustered.

Liang Yuan released one of Ning Wanjia's hands, turned around, and gently pulled the girl beside him. They resumed their snail-like pace, the peaceful and harmonious feeling returning between them. Jiajia is really growing up, Liang Yuan thought to himself.

Standing at the entrance of the dance class, Liang Yuan saw that there was no one nearby. He reached out and gently tucked Ning Wanjia's slightly disheveled hair behind her ear, watching as a light blush spread across her fair face. Liang Yuan sighed contentedly, reached out, and lightly traced the outline of her pale pink lips, saying, "Go to class, be careful."

Watching Ning Wanjia, who looked like a nimble little deer, enter the dance hall, Liang Yuan finally made his way to the model aircraft group. He rummaged through his personal storage box for the wooden frame he had prepared to make a glider, watching a group of children enthusiastically fiddling with model parts, with no interest in doing anything himself.

He decided to submit his competition proposal first. Liang Yuan greeted the teacher of the model aircraft group and walked out of the door. The submission location for the science and technology competition was in a small two-story building on the west side of the Youth Palace complex. Liang Yuan found the place, knocked on the door, and after 7 or 8 seconds, a lazy middle-aged woman's voice said, "Come in."

Liang Yuan pushed the door open and saw a woman in her early 40s sitting behind a desk. The left side of the desk was covered with newspapers, on which a half-knitted blue sweater was placed. A large enamel teacup with the words "Serve the People" in Mao's calligraphy was on the desk, steam rising from the freshly poured hot water. The middle-aged woman's gaze scrutinized Liang Yuan through the rising steam.

"What are you here for?" the woman asked. Liang Yuan was a bit confused; the sign outside clearly read "National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition Benxi District." Had the submission location changed? Liang Yuan gave the woman a smile and said, "Auntie, I'm here to submit my competition entry." The woman's lips visibly curled, and she nodded towards the desk.

Liang Yuan saw that the desk was covered with water stains, probably from the woman pouring water. He looked around but couldn't find a place to put his documents. The newspapers rustled as the woman picked up her knitting again. Sighing, Liang Yuan took out his handkerchief, wiped the water droplets off the desk, and placed his submission on it, asking, "Auntie, do you need anything else?" The woman waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly. Liang Yuan was ushered out.

Sure enough, it was hard to get in and even harder to deal with the attitude. If I win, the Youth Palace will have some credit too, Liang Yuan thought, rubbing his face. Could it be that I just don't look very likable? If I had known, I would have called her grandma instead of auntie. Liang Yuan left the small building, feeling somewhat indignant.

Wandering around the square between the buildings several times, Liang Yuan still hadn't decided where to go. This idle life is truly blissful. Once Old Liang gets promoted, I'll be a little official, lording it over two thousand people. Should I find a powerful backer to get Old Liang promoted early, maybe become a road bureau chief or something? Remember, the 486 is still in XZ. Should I convince my dad to transfer there and grab that opportunity? Liang Yuan forgot that XZ currently has no railways at all.

While daydreaming about his future, Liang Yuan walked towards the main building of the Youth Palace. When I grow up, I'll bring a bunch of lackeys and stand in front of the Beijing Film Academy, pulling out anyone I recognize from my past life for a physical. Suddenly, Ning Wanfei's fierce appearance popped into his mind. Will she have already beaten me up with a head full of bumps before I get there? Liang Yuan felt that this girl's decision to learn martial arts instead of dance had some hidden motive he hadn't discovered.

Liang Yuan swayed into the main building of the Youth Palace, looked at his watch, and saw that only half an hour had passed, and the class wasn't over yet. He decided to go and pay homage to the legendary Macintosh computers. Luckily, I'm not a fan of Apple, or I might have fainted from lack of oxygen at the sight of the old Macs. Of course, being a female Apple fan has its benefits; Liang Yuan thought of the 7 or 8 iPhone 5s he hadn't given away yet.

The computer class at the Youth Palace was a unique one among all the extracurricular classes. Apart from the large classes like dance and calligraphy, most extracurricular classes had at least 20 students, but the computer class had only 2 students so far. In 1987, a computer cost nearly 30,000 yuan, more expensive than the big-headed shoes (Note 1) cars on the street. Most families wouldn't dare let their children touch such an expensive item, as any damage would cost years of salary to replace.

Liang Yuan remembered his first time seeing a computer at the Youth Palace. The screen, glowing blue, was filled with incomprehensible pinyin. The computer teacher, Ms. Wu Liyan, held a device called a mouse and moved it continuously, occasionally making a "beep" sound, and then a picture appeared on the screen. The most amazing thing was that it could open a game called "International Chess." The machine could play with you. Unfortunately, Liang Yuan had no interest in international chess and soon left with his mother.

What was even more interesting was the computer teacher, Ms. Wu. She had studied computers in Japan and, after returning to China, was assigned to the City Youth Palace for some reason. Ms. Wu was warm and outgoing and had practiced karate while studying in Japan. Seeing that the computer class had very few students, she proposed to the Youth Palace director to start a karate class, which turned out to be very popular.

The karate class was easy to recruit for. When Ms. Wu effortlessly broke several thin wooden boards, boys with dreams of being Shaolin Temple heroes flocked to sign up. In just one holiday, over 70 students were enrolled, making the class extremely popular. After all, karate was a practical martial art, much more impressive than the acrobatic routines taught in the Youth Palace at the time.

Liang Yuan arrived at the computer lab and found only a small boy typing away at a computer. Liang Yuan stood behind him for a while and, with his limited computer knowledge, it seemed the boy was working on some programming. He coughed lightly, and the boy turned around, smiling shyly and said, "Ms. Wu is in the karate classroom. If you have anything, go find her there."

Looking at the computer lab, which seemed like a computer museum, Liang Yuan thought about joining the computer class. He had to accompany the two girls to their extracurricular classes, and hanging around outside every day would be quite boring. Familiarizing himself with the old operating system might be useful, especially since the world's first laptop would be released in a year or two. He was already used to having a computer around in his previous life and planned to get one as soon as the laptops were available.

The karate classroom occasionally echoed with shouts as students practiced back kicks. Ning Wanfei, wearing a snow-white practice suit, was about to demonstrate. Liang Yuan saw her take a few steps, and when her partner was ready, she called out crisply. Her small body leaned slightly to the left, her left knee lifted, and she rotated her entire body, extending her slender waist. With a "thud," her left foot hit the target on her partner's protective gear. The movement was textbook-perfect, fluid, and seamless.

"Beautiful!" The surrounding students cheered. The little girl shook her ponytail, wrinkled her cute nose, and returned to her group. Ms. Wu, who was already a mature woman in Liang Yuan's eyes, clapped her hands and said, "That's it for today. Everyone, slowly stretch and relax, and prepare to leave."

The orderly line quickly turned into a chaotic swarm of green-headed flies. Ning Wanfei was surrounded by numerous students of her age, forming several layers around her. Ning Wanjia and Ning Wanfei were absolutely top-tier in the Youth Palace, not only for their beauty but also for their good family background. Tang Wan and Li Yuanling put a lot of effort into dressing the two girls, making them stand out from their peers.

In the dance class and model aircraft group, things were better, as one was all girls and the other was mostly "tech geeks." Children who practiced martial arts were generally more mature, so Ning Wanfei was very popular in the karate class. "Ning Wanfei, where are you going after class? Let's go to the zoo, okay?" Liang Yuan heard several invitations in quick succession.

Seeing Ning Wanfei in the crowd, Liang Yuan thought: I didn't know Feifei was so popular in my previous life.

Liang Yuan found Ms. Wu and told her about his plan to join the computer class. Ms. Wu was very happy and said it was fine, showing that she still cared about her struggling main class, otherwise, she wouldn't have been so pleased to accept a new student.

Ning Wanfei finally noticed Liang Yuan, saying, "I'm not going, I'm not going," as she squeezed out of the crowd.

"Xiao Yuan, when did you come?" The little girl's face was flushed, and there was a fine layer of sweat on her nose. After a lot of exercise, her body's scent was much stronger than usual. Liang Yuan smiled and said, "I came when you were doing the back kick." Ning Wanfei glared at him and said, "You're the one doing the back kick. I'm going to change clothes, wait for me."

Ning Wanfei changed into her regular clothes, tying her ponytail with a satin ribbon with three bells. Liang Yuan found it interesting and reached out to shake her ponytail, making the bells tinkle. Seeing Ning Wanfei glare at him, he said, "I thought it was fake." "Hmph, Aunt Liang bought it. I wore it at your house last week."

Just as they left the karate classroom, a fair-skinned boy, slightly taller than Liang Yuan, with a delicate appearance, ran up from behind and called out, "Feifei, wait a moment." The boy glanced at Liang Yuan and then said, "Feifei, I'm preparing to participate in the National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition. My invention is almost ready, but I still need an assistant. Can I invite you to join me?"

Ning Wanfei looked at the fair-skinned boy, wrinkled her small nose, and said, "No, I'm very busy lately and don't have time. And next time, call me Ning Wanfei, not Feifei." Then she ignored the boy and pulled Liang Yuan's arm to go to the dance classroom to wait for Ning Wanjia.

Liang Yuan shook his head, looking at the heartbroken fair-skinned boy, thinking: Kids who practice martial arts really mature early. They're just little kids, but their thoughts are so complex. He completely forgot that he was one of them and had even more twisted thoughts.

Note 1: "Big-headed shoes" is the nickname for the Italian Fiat 126p small car, the ancestor of private cars in China. When it was first imported, it cost 4,400 yuan per unit, later rising to 22,000 yuan.

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{Piao Tian Literature}