readsfreenovel Chapter 250 Friendship Store
Chapter 250 Friendship Store
Chapter 250 Friendship Store
The car stopped at the entrance of a Shikumen alley. Huang Xide got out of the car and just as he walked to the trunk, he was stopped by his cousin, "Brother, just carry your two backpacks, I'll carry the boxes..."
Qiu Huoming moved his luggage down and stood at the entrance of the alley waiting for him to lead the way.
It is now time for lunch. The sound of a child crying can be heard in the alley, mixed with the voice of a mother calling her child. Qiu Huoming turned his head to look at the washed and dried clothes floating in the wind in the air, and a sense of familiarity arose spontaneously.
Huang Xide walked over with a backpack on his back and a handbag in one hand.
He looked up at the door at the entrance of the alley. "This is exactly the same as what I saw in the photo..."
Huang Junliang came over from behind carrying two large boxes, "Brother, let's go home!"
Qiu Huoming pulled Huang Xide's arm and said, "Teacher, don't be sad, keep up..."
The two followed Huang Junliang and walked towards the gatehouse. On the way, they met a few neighbors who shouted to Huang Junliang and asked who Huang Xide and Qiu Huoming were...
The Huang family’s house is at the innermost side of the alley. It has three floors. Although the outer wall is dilapidated, it still looks quite majestic.
In the open space at the door, there were two children fighting, and next to them was an old man in a wheelchair, craning his neck to look towards the alley.
Grandpa Huang finally calmed down. A smile hung on his thin, almost fleshless face. His eyes were fixed on Huang Xide. There were traces of tears on his sagging eye bags. He looked both disheveled and old.
The winter sun is not warm, shining coldly on the sycamore trees on both sides of the street. There are not many leaves left on the trees. Except for the shop signs, the entire street is almost entirely gray.
After lunch, Huang Xide squatted on the ground and started to open the boxes, taking out the things his father bought one by one.
There are six people in my uncle's family. The two children, a boy and a girl, the older one is eight years old and the younger one is seven years old. They are all Huang Junliang's children. He got married early, which just happened to avoid the family planning policy.
This area is all old town. Qiu Huoming had a full meal and was full of energy. It was quite interesting to walk and look around.
After hearing these words, Huang Xide's face turned red with embarrassment.
Qiu Huoming took a deep breath. The air here was cool, almost the same as in his hometown. Compared to the warm winter in the south, Qiu Huoming actually preferred the city with distinct four seasons.
Qiu Huoming carried the box into the living room and put his box behind the door. Looking around, this place was a typical Shenhai self-built house style.
The Huang family should be considered wealthy. In these days, a house in Shenhai is very valuable.
There was a banner hanging on the wall with a slogan celebrating this meeting. Qiu Huoming breathed a sigh of relief and found the right place. He quickly walked to the front desk.
As he walked until sweat broke out on his forehead, Qiu Huoming finally saw the destination of this trip, the 'Publishing House Guesthouse'.
The lady beside him said with a smile: "With Sid's good looks, it won't be hard to find a wife. There are several unmarried girls in our unit. They are very pretty and beautiful. Sid will definitely be happy..."
As soon as Huang Xide appeared, the old man became excited and shouted in the local dialect, "Shouye, Shouye is back!"
When they reached the third floor, Room 312 was close to the road, in the back half of the corridor. Qiu Huoming opened the door. It was a standard room for two people. There were things on the bed by the window, and a half-opened suitcase on the ground. It seemed that another roommate had already checked in.
Halfway through the meal, Qiu Huoming finally knew how Huang Xide's father, Huang Shouye, left Shenhai, and how their family was implicated...
They did not let Qiu Huoming go while chatting, and in just a short while, they had asked about Qiu Huoming's family background.
Qiu Huoming carried a suitcase and a backpack and walked to the entrance of the alley. He then took out the map book and started looking at it. The distance from here to Ruijin Road was 2 kilometers. It would take about half an hour to walk there.
Uncle Huang Xide's family and Grandpa Huang now live in this house.
After putting down the suitcase, he took out his letter of introduction and the invitation letter from the organizer from his backpack. Soon, he got the room key to Room 312.
The middle-aged man at the door came out in a hurry and pulled Huang Xide up, "Xide, we don't kowtow here. I'm your uncle. Let's go inside and talk..."
A middle-aged man stuck his head out from inside the door and was stunned when he saw Huang Xide, "So similar! Like big brother..."
Several people at the table began to compliment Qiu Huoming. This was the culture of a dinner party, and Qiu Huoming certainly did not take these compliments seriously.
In such an occasion, it would be rude for Qiu Huoming to stay any longer, so he quickly said goodbye.
His daughter-in-law doesn't come home until the afternoon after work, so the small living room is packed with eight people.
The entrance was elegantly decorated. He pushed the door open and walked in. The inside was different from the outside. The hall was bustling with people coming and going.
As soon as Huang Xide said this, tears started flowing.
Huang Junliang, who was walking in front, shouted: "Grandpa, he is not your uncle, he is your uncle's son, your eldest grandson Huang Xide..."
Seeing this scene, the two children stopped fighting and obediently pushed their grandfather's wheelchair into the house.
Huang Xide took a few quick steps, dropped the bag in his hand, and immediately knelt down in front of the old man in the wheelchair. He kowtowed three times in succession, and then said with a sob: "Grandpa, I kowtow to you on behalf of my father."
These are probably also the sources of guilt for Huang Shouye, who is far away in the United States.
The aunt who was cooking in the kitchen heard the noise in the living room and came out.
Soon, a table of dishes was served. The Huang family's young uncle took a sip of rice wine, became interested, and started gossiping, "Side, Junliang is one year younger than you, and he already has two children. You should also work hard."
Qiu Huoming was stuck among several people and was in a dilemma for a moment.
They said a few polite words and let him go.
Huang Xide wanted to give him face, so he told him about Qiu Huoming's visit to the meeting.
Others gave you face because of Teacher Huang. He was able to get along with everyone at the dinner table and liven up the atmosphere.
Several people were sitting in front of the round table in the living room. Qiu Huoming followed Teacher Huang and greeted everyone one by one before taking a seat.
The two children were the happiest, and there was constant cheering at the scene...
He walked out of the alley and started walking south.
The two men looked at each other. The other person was a slightly plump man in his middle age. He had just taken off his coat and was wearing a well-fitting Zhongshan suit underneath. His hair was combed back, and he looked quite dignified.
Qiu Huoming walked in carrying his suitcase, tidied himself up, took out a towel, and went to the bathroom at the end of the corridor to wash his face. When he came back, he found that his roommate had already returned.
"Young comrade, are you attending the meeting too?" the man asked after being stunned for a moment.
"Well, uncle, you too?"
The man frowned slightly, "How old are you?" he asked.
Qiu Huoming walked to the corner, hung up the towel, and then sat on the edge of his bed and replied, "I'm 18, my name is Qiu Huoming, what's your name, uncle?"
The man didn't show Qiu Huoming a displeasure. He forced a smile and said, "My name is Halliday, and I'm from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. At your age, you must be a student, right?"
"Uncle Han, you are a scientist, that's amazing. I'm from South China Institute of Technology, and I'm a student in the Radio Department."
Halliday nodded when he heard this and said, "Your major is good, who is the teacher?" He glanced at Qiu Huoming and seemed to suddenly realize something.
This student probably came to attend the meeting with his teacher. Some colleges will also bring their students to some important conference venues in order to train them.
"Xu Bingzheng, Director Xu."
"So it was him..." Halliday laughed, "You just got here, have you eaten?"
"I came here after dinner." Seeing that he seemed to recognize Teacher Xu, Qiu Huoming relaxed.
The few words he said just now were like checking your household registration, making you feel uncomfortable.
"The cafeteria is on the first floor of the podium building, and you can go through the lobby." Halliday kindly reminded.
"Thank you, Uncle Han." Qiu Huoming said politely, took off his thick coat, took out a book, held it in his hand, leaned on the bed and began to read.
Seeing that he was quiet, Halliday was relieved. He stood up, closed the door, took off his shoes and socks, and went to bed for a nap.
After a while, he started snoring loudly. Inspector Qiu Huoming reached out and took out the homemade earplugs from his backpack. He made them last time on the road and he didn't expect that they would come in handy again.
With the earplugs in place, the world became quiet.
He leaned back on the bed and thought about it.
The meeting is early in the morning the day after tomorrow, which means I have free time tomorrow.
He planned to go to the Friendship Store to see what he could buy to take back.
Having made up his mind, he continued reading.
This is an extracurricular book I borrowed from the library. I was so absorbed in reading it without noticing the passage of time. Plus, I was wearing earplugs, so I didn't even notice when Halliday woke up and walked out.
It was not until the light dimmed that he realized it.
Qiu Huoming put down the book, rubbed his temples, and looked out the window. Outside the window was the road across the wall, and the afterglow of the setting sun was on the road.
There were pedestrians walking on both sides of the street. He took off his earplugs and just turned on the desk lamp when the door was pushed open.
Halliday called out at the door: "Xiaoqiu, go out for dinner!"
Only then did Qiu Huoming follow with his backpack on his back.
On the way, Halliday smiled and said, "You are quite cautious, young man. Where is your teacher? Hasn't he arrived yet?"
Qiu Huoming shook his head, "Teacher Xu didn't come this time."
"Your teacher treats you well." Halliday commented. He probably thought that it was Teacher Xu who created the opportunity for his students to attend the meeting.
Go to the lobby on the first floor, walk through the corridor, and the dining room is opposite.
Halliday gave him some basic information. Those who participated in the meeting only needed to register with their keys and then they could have their working meals. Qiu Huoming was overjoyed and felt a liking for this generous organizer.
But some people don't like it, such as those who can get reimbursed. Qiu Huoming saw someone at the cashier whispering about the invoice.
After dinner, Halliday took him out for a walk.
The evening breeze was chilly, and after taking a walk, the two hurried back to the guesthouse.
After Qiu Huoming finished washing up, he was too lazy to read and started chatting with Halliday.
He was from the capital, and probably because Qiu Huoming talked about his interests, he opened up. Qiu Huoming was happy to listen to him bragging until someone knocked on the wall next door, and then he stopped talking as he was still unsatisfied.
Qiu Huoming fell on the bed with a plop and glanced at his watch. It was already ten o'clock in the evening. There were no evening shows at this time and everyone went to bed early.
Halliday was also tired, so he went to the bathroom, came back in slippers, bent down to turn off the light, climbed onto the bed, and fell asleep in a moment.
The next morning, Qiu Huoming had breakfast with Halliday, then went out alone with his bag on his back.
At that time, Shen Hai's "Friendship Store" was still at No. 33, Zhongshan East st Road. He asked about the bus route, went to the platform and got on the bus without waiting for long.
An hour later, I got off the bus at the Zhongshan East 1st Road station, which is close to the Bund and crowded with people.
After searching for ten minutes, I finally found the Friendship Store surrounded by a wall.
(Friendship Store)
There were several young men standing at the door of the store. Seeing Qiu Huoming looking around at the door, one of them walked over.
"Do you have foreign exchange coupons?" he asked in a low voice.
Qiu Huoming shook his head. Just as he was about to walk in, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the other end of the lawn not far away.
He leaned over to look over there. The young man who was asking the question saw him shaking his head and probably thought there was no hope. He retreated to the door in boredom and also leaned over to look inside.
A young man was driven out by the guards. He shouted, "I have foreign exchange coupons. Why can't I go in..."
The guard laughed and said, "What's the use of having foreign exchange certificates? Do you have a passport? Are you a foreigner?"
The young man lost his voice and angrily said, "I'll go out by myself, don't push me..."
After a while, the young man came out angrily.
He was still muttering complaints.
Several people standing outside the door started chatting, "Every day, there are many such scoundrels coming in, and they don't know how to adapt. They can just pull a foreigner in, but they insist on forcing their way in like a fool."
Qiu Huoming retracted his foot upon hearing this.
He turned his head and looked at the street outside. There were a few foreigners on the street...
He walked over, looked around, and finally found a young brown-haired man who looked kind.
The brown-haired young man was standing on the street, smoking a cigarette, waiting to cross the road.
Qiu Huoming walked over quickly, "hi~"
He quickly explained his purpose in English, and the brown-haired young man laughed, "I can help you, let's go."
Qiu Huoming was stunned when he heard this. So simple?
After all, people at this time are more simple and honest. Qiu Huoming did not expect that it would be so smooth, so he quickly expressed his gratitude.
The two returned to the entrance of the "Friendship Store".
The young men standing at the door looked at Qiu Huoming suspiciously.
Qiu Huoming looked straight ahead and walked in with the brown-haired young man.
This was Qiu Huoming's first visit here. In his time, this "Friendship Store" had been demolished, and he had only seen its appearance in documents.
Walking across the neatly-knit lawn, I saw a neon-lit store sign on a building—and above the earth, two hands clasped together.
The guard glanced at the foreigner and then at Qiu Huoming. Qiu Huoming greeted him in English. The foreigner put his hand on Qiu Huoming's shoulder. The doubt in the guard's eyes disappeared. He smiled at him and let them go in.
The floor was wooden, and there was a slight sound of wood pressure when you stepped on it. The building had three floors in total, and inside there were ordinary counters with all kinds of items. The lighting was gorgeous, and the salespeople were all wearing uniform work clothes.
After walking inside, the brown-haired young man stopped and asked with a smile, "Have I completed my mission?"
Qiu Huoming smiled and nodded, "Thanks, brother."
"Then I'm leaving." The young man waved at Qiu Huoming and walked out with his long legs.
Qiu Huoming continued to walk in the direction of the counter, looking around as he went.
There were quite a few people hanging around inside early in the morning, probably because today was Saturday.
Qiu Huoming saw the thermos cup he had been dreaming about, and also saw the imported double-bar washing machine and imported color TV placed in the middle...
He walked all the way to the third floor and finally stopped. There was actually an antique counter there.