Li Ye pulled Li Dayong out of the classroom. Li Dayong skillfully took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Li Ye, then struck a match and lit it for him.
"Brother, you shouldn't have stopped me just now. That bastard He Weiguo was pushing his luck. Let him off this time, and next time he'll be climbing to the heavens."
Others feared He Weiguo's teacher uncle, but Li Dayong was not afraid. His maternal grandfather's entire family worked in the power system; in those days, whoever controlled the electric switch wielded as much power as someone controlling the radish heads.
But no matter how formidable Li Dayong's grandfather was, smashing He Weiguo's head open would still have caused plenty of trouble. That was why Li Ye had held him back.
"There's no need to get worked up over someone like that. Cough, cough, cough, cough."
Li Ye took only one drag before the smoke made him cough violently.
What the hell was this stuff?
Li Ye raised the cigarette in his hand and examined it closely twice before casually throwing it away in disgust.
Never mind that it had no filter—the tobacco inside was pitch-black, uneven in length, and mixed with countless little stems. One glance told him it was garbage cobbled together from scraps.
But before the cigarette even hit the ground, Li Dayong darted out nimbly and snatched it up ahead of several classmates.
"My fault, my fault. I forgot you just recovered from a fever and your throat's still not right. But this is all the ration I have left. It's not like you, who can afford Da Qianmen."
"..."
Watching Li Dayong stub out that cigarette and carefully tuck it back into the flattened pack, Li Ye could not help wanting to laugh.
Then he felt around in his trouser pocket and, sure enough, pulled out a pack of Da Qianmen.
"Here, smoke mine!"
Li Ye took one out and handed it to Li Dayong. Then, seeing the looks from the people around them, he casually began passing cigarettes around.
Several classmates he knew hurriedly accepted them, lit up, and began blissfully puffing clouds of smoke.
Students of this era were not like the "little emperors of the family" from Li Ye's previous life, each carrying several hundred yuan in their pockets and never batting an eye at treating a girl to Häagen-Dazs and a night at a hotel.
Most people had no money. An allowance of a few mao a month was perfectly normal, and having a few yuan to one's name already made someone a "millionaire."
With so little money in hand, of course they had to spend it carefully. Students from poorer families rolled their own cigarettes with loose tobacco. Eight-fen Economy and nine-fen Popular were already respectable smokes for student smokers.
If you smoked fifteen-fen Goldfish, you had quite a bit of face among the students. If you gritted your teeth and bought a pack of Two Mao Three Da Fengshou, it was guaranteed to draw a sea of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
And Li Ye was exactly the kind of person people often envied, resented, and hated.
Li Ye had lived quite bitterly as a child. Both his father and grandfather had lost their jobs, while he had no memory whatsoever of his mom. Apparently, she had divorced for special reasons and had never appeared again.
After his grandfather and father had their jobs restored, Li Ye received compensatory pampering. The Da Qianmen in his pocket and the brand-new Warrior shoes on his feet were luxuries his friends envied beyond measure.
Warrior shoes in this era were far more impressive than the Nikes and Adidas of Li Ye's previous life. Whoever owned a new pair of Warrior shoes gained a few extra points in both looks and presence.
Thus, Li Ye had lived genuinely well these past few years, until Lu Jingyao's stab in the back a few months earlier turned a pure, kind, confident young handsome man into a timid, self-abasing, withdrawn introvert.
Li Ye and Lu Jingyao had been high school classmates. He was handsome, she was beautiful, and during that season when youthful feelings first stirred, sparks of love had flown between them.
But in this era, although the phrase "free love" had long existed, people here remained extremely reserved and traditional.
If middle school students in 1981 started dating early, that was unmistakably "going bad." Holding hands could probably earn a teacher's criticism; putting an arm around someone's waist could probably get you expelled. If you dared steal a kiss, saliva alone could drown you to death.
So Li Ye followed the customary folk procedure—getting engaged.
Although the country was implementing family planning at the time, rural customs had not changed so quickly. It was perfectly normal for eighteen-year-olds to get engaged. There were even several classmates in Li Ye's class who had married without certificates at twenty!
Last winter, Li Ye had begged his family to formally propose. At the cost of 120 yuan, a Phoenix bicycle, plus fish, meat, and various supplies, the Li family and the Lu family had become in-laws.
With that bride price, they ranked among the very few in all of Qingshui County.
Li Ye's grandfather was an old revolutionary who had returned to work in the grain system, while his father was the workshop director at the Fertilizer Factory. Their circumstances were more than decent.
Lu Jingyao's father, meanwhile, was merely a middle school substitute teacher without an official post. No matter how one looked at it, this marriage was the Lu family reaching above their station.
After the engagement, the Li family not only paid to repair the Lu family's house, but also called in favors to help Lu Jingyao's father secure an official post. They truly treated Lu Jingyao as their future granddaughter-in-law.
But after Lu Jingyao got into university a few months ago, everything changed.
After Lu Jingyao received her admission notice, the Li family immediately decided that the two children should marry.
Imagining his imminent wedding night, Li Ye had eagerly rushed to the Lu family home to share this "good news" with Lu Jingyao.
In his view, the love he had pursued with Lu Jingyao despite his family's opposition and despite their mismatched backgrounds had finally reached the time to blossom and bear fruit. The contraceptives he had secretly hidden away were about to see great use.
But the Lu family's response gave Li Ye a blow straight to the head.
Among the fragments of memories Li Ye had inherited from the original owner, the scene from the next day was recorded with perfect clarity.
Lu Jingyao's father, who had been spineless for half his life, came trembling to Li Ye's home carrying two large fish and half a side of pork. Then he took out a pile of loose change that was obviously gathered by borrowing from here and there.
"Our Jingyao got into university. After she starts working in the future, she might not return to our Qingshui County, so... so she shouldn't hold up your Li Ye anymore. I've returned the bride price... I still owe you 45 yuan, but I'll pay it back very soon."
The Li family's anger was easy to imagine.
If it had merely been two children freely dating, then breaking up was just breaking up. But Lu Jingyao and Li Ye had gone through a formal engagement process and had accepted congratulations from the Li family's relatives and friends.
Could they endure that kind of humiliation?
Even Xiao Yan could not endure it, all right?
Clinging desperately and refusing to let go was not a soldier's style. Ignoring Li Ye's pleas, Li Ye's father, Li Kaijian, made no effort to salvage the situation. He immediately threw the returned bride price out the door and cursed himself for having been blind, saying they could consider the bride price fed to dogs.
But once he turned around, Li Kaijian vented all his anger on Li Ye. One belt-fried-meat beating left the original owner's backside in full bloom, so battered he could not even sit on a stool.
You studied the same damn material, so why couldn't you get into university?
If you hadn't insisted on marrying that family's daughter, how could I have lost so much face?
Li Ye felt wronged. Even though his swollen backside made it impossible to ride a bicycle, he still had Li Dayong carry him to confront Lu Jingyao.
When they reached Lu Jingyao's home, the Lu family kept their gates tightly shut and refused to receive Li Ye. Only after loud-voiced Li Dayong began cursing directly, drawing over all the neighbors, did Lu Jingyao's father bring Lu Jingyao out to see Li Ye.
Lu Jingyao's father said awkwardly, "Actually, I quite like you, Li Ye. If you can get into BJ next year too... I won't stop you two..."
As Lu Jingyao's father said those words, Lu Jingyao stood beside him with her head lowered and did not say a word. Yet her clenched fists and trembling body revealed the resentment in her heart.
Simple-minded Li Ye believed Lu Jingyao's father's words. He enrolled in the Retake Class at County Second High School and actively prepared for the exams.
But a few days ago, a money order from the capital had been sent directly to the school.
Lu Jingyao had actually sent Li Ye 45 yuan.
University students in the eighties received a "salary." The state gave Lu Jingyao a monthly subsidy of 22.5 yuan for food, clothing, and daily expenses. She had saved up 45 yuan in just a few months. How intense must her desire to break free from Li Ye have been?
No matter how slow Li Ye was, he understood Lu Jingyao's determination.
What was worse, several girls who had once been close to Lu Jingyao received letters from her. No one knew what sort of story had been concocted, but overnight, countless rumors appeared around the school.
They painted Li Ye as Huang Shiren, forcing the Lu family to repay the money and demanding Lu Jingyao, this "Xi'er," be used to pay off the debt if they could not.
The original owner, who had been carefully protected by his family since childhood, had never been splashed with such filth. That very night, he fell sick in bed, his soul scattering from his body, allowing Li Ye from decades later to take over the magpie's nest.
And the reason Li Dayong had gone after He Weiguo so furiously just now was also because of this matter.
Everyone knew Li Ye had just suffered a serious illness because of Lu Jingyao. Now He Weiguo had uttered such heart-piercing words, and Li Dayong wanted nothing more than to hammer his dog head apart.
Just as a cigarette was nearly finished, several girls walked over and stopped in front of Li Ye.
Li Ye recognized one round-faced girl among them. She was Lu Jingyao's "best friend," Xia Yue, who had also received a letter from Lu Jingyao a few days ago.
Holding a book, Xia Yue handed it to Li Ye and said coldly, "Sister Jingyao sent you this law book. Study it properly."
Looking at the large red title, "New Marriage Law," on the cover, Li Ye asked in surprise, "Are you sure this was sent to me?"
Xia Yue raised an eyebrow. "Of course it was sent to you. Someone like you needs to read more books and learn more law, so that you won't—"
Li Ye interrupted Xia Yue before she could finish, saying coldly, "Since it was sent to me, why did you open it privately? Don't you know privately opening another person's mail is against the law?"
"..."
"Someone breaking the law is mocking others for needing to learn the law. Don't you find that laughable?"
Xia Yue was left speechless by Li Ye's retort. Her mouth opened and closed, but she could not utter a single word.
Seeing the strange looks from the spectators around them, Xia Yue's round face instantly flushed crimson with embarrassment.
"Hmph. No matter how you try to argue your way out of it, you're still Huang Shiren."
In the end, Xia Yue still unleashed her overbearing-girl ultimate move. She threw the book at Li Ye, turned, and left.
"Who did you call Huang Shiren? Stop right there! You're the one spreading rumors these past few days, aren't you?"
Li Dayong immediately shouted a curse, but Xia Yue and the other girls walked away like proud peacocks.
Li Ye stopped Li Dayong from chasing after them, then opened the book Lu Jingyao had sent. He discovered that someone had already read it. Many passages and clauses had been marked conspicuously in red pen.
The New Marriage Law had been promulgated on January 1, 1981, and placed particular emphasis on "freedom of marriage." The parts marked in red were precisely those related to that issue.
Li Ye was truly speechless.
What sins had the original owner committed in his previous life?
A kind young man, handsome as jade in the wind and from a comfortable, well-off family—how had he ended up dating a girl who wielded the weapon of the law?
Did he know how dangerous that was?
How was that any different from dating a medical girl who explained the principle of sponge expansion even when clapping hands, then went mad while making every stab avoid vital points?
The former cost money; the latter cost lives. What the hell was the point of playing that game?
Seeing Li Ye remain silent, Li Dayong thought he was hurting over Lu Jingyao again. He said bitterly, "Brother, how about the two of us go to the capital and find her? Since she dares act like Chen Shimei, I'll shout it until her whole school knows."
Li Ye smiled and shook his head. "Chen Shimei was a top scholar. Does she qualify?"
Li Dayong said unwillingly, "Then we're just letting her bully us like this? This is too much, isn't it?"
Li Ye closed the book and said softly, "No. But going to the capital is too troublesome. Why travel far when what we need is close at hand?"
"Brother, what do you mean?"
"Nothing. After school today, come collect a debt with me."
Originally, Li Ye had not wanted to keep tangling with Lu Jingyao. After all, it was baggage from the original owner's past. But now, it seemed he still had to give her a reminder: stop fucking making trouble out of nothing, again and again.
A person's "reputation" was extremely important these days. Being saddled with the label of Huang Shiren might even affect joining the League or Party later on, or getting a wife.
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