At this time, Nanshi had only recently begun implementing reform and opening up.
The city had yet to fully develop.
The tallest buildings were only seven stories high.
It was nowhere near as prosperous as it would become in later years.
Even the walls were made of bare concrete, giving everything a rather plain and rustic appearance.
The buzzing sound of electric clippers came from a hair salon, where a woman nearing forty was busy working.
Hu Yan wanted to get a perm with tight, fluffy curls. She remembered a hairstylist friend mentioning that this style was called a retro spiral perm in the eighties and nineties.
She wondered if the stylist could actually pull it off.
When she entered, the customer ahead of her had just finished getting his hair cut.
After hearing what Hu Yan wanted, the hairstylist smiled warmly and said it wouldn’t be a problem.
Two full hours later, the perm was finally finished.
Hu Yan looked at herself in the mirror and gently ran her fingers through her newly curled hair.
Her naturally straight hair had been transformed into soft little curls.
They were fluffy and bouncy, framing her cheeks.
She pursed her lips, almost unable to recognize herself.
After getting her hair done, the woman in the mirror looked fashionable and confident.
It was as though the worn-out housewife who had been battered by life in her previous existence had never been her.
So she could be this beautiful and dazzling too.
Still, money really went a long way in this era.
A perm like this had cost her only ten yuan.
After leaving the salon, she headed straight for the department store.
There were two department stores in Nanshi. This was the older one.
It had been around for quite some time.
By this point, ration coupons were gradually being phased out.
Of course, scarce industrial goods still required coupons.
But most counters no longer needed them. You could simply pay with cash.
The first floor was filled with all kinds of daily necessities, with an overwhelming variety of goods on display.
The clothing section was on the second floor.
Hu Yan went straight upstairs.
Although clothes at the time didn’t come in nearly as many styles as they would in the future, their quality was excellent.
She bought a pale yellow dress, a puff-sleeved blouse, and a pair of jeans.
She went into the fitting room and changed out of her old dress.
She immediately put on the red puff-sleeved blouse and jeans.
Then she bought a pair of pearl stud earrings from the accessories counter.
After changing her entire outfit, Hu Yan looked at herself in the mirror again.
She was 165 centimeters tall and weighed 45 kilograms.
She was tall and slender.
The high-waisted jeans accentuated the curves of her waist.
Her waist was slim enough to fit between two hands, and her legs were long and straight.
With her curly hair and puff-sleeved blouse, she looked full of youthful energy.
She looked like a modern girl straight out of a fashion magazine.
All the clothes had cost her 156 yuan.
In 1987, an ordinary worker earned only sixty or seventy yuan a month.
She had just spent the equivalent of two months’ wages.
Chen Guangze was still very good at making money at this point.
If the money was going to be spent on Zhang Qiulian and her children anyway, she might as well spend it on herself.
If Chen Guangze still insisted on adopting that ungrateful Chen Hao this time, she would divorce him.
With the advantage of having been reborn, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to ride the wave of the times and become a little rich woman.
Only now did she truly feel the reality of being reborn.
After leaving the department store, she walked along in her little leather shoes.
The weight that had been pressing down on her shoulders seemed to disappear.
She felt lighter and more carefree than ever before.
Unfortunately, just as she stepped out of the department store, she spotted Zhang Qiulian on the roadside.
Zhang Qiulian was wearing a white dress, her arm linked with a man’s.
The two were chatting and laughing, looking extremely intimate.
Together, they walked into a lamb restaurant not far away.
Hu Yan felt that the man looked familiar.
She was sure she had seen him somewhere before.
Could Tang Lijuan really have been right?
Was Zhang Qiulian actually keeping a man as her lover?
Zhang Qiulian was the kind of delicate, seemingly vulnerable woman who naturally made men want to protect her.
After having children, her figure had become even more voluptuous, with pronounced curves.
She was undeniably attractive.
She certainly had the looks and figure to attract men.
But this man wasn’t her second husband.
Where had she seen him before?
While Hu Yan secretly followed Zhang Qiulian around the city, Chen Guangze had also returned to Willow Bay.
His fourth brother, Chen Guangyao, had gone to the train station early that morning to pick him up.
As soon as they entered the village, the elderly men and women who usually sat at the entrance gossiping about everyone and everything suddenly became energized.
They began whispering excitedly from a distance.
“Oh my, aren’t those Fourth and Fifth sons of the Chen family?”
“A few years ago, Fifth son was nothing but an idle wastrel.
“Look at him now. He’s really made something of himself.”
“Exactly. Teacher Bai always said he’d settle down once he got married. Looks like she was right.”
“Oh my! No, I have to go home and tell my grandson to visit the Chen family.
“I wonder if he’s taking people with him this time?”
“That’s right. We should ask. We can find out what’s going on while we’re at it.”
As they whispered among themselves about the Chen family, Chen Guangyao and Chen Guangze approached from a distance.
Everyone in the village saw Chen Guangyao every day because he worked as the village accountant.
But when Chen Guangze swaggered closer, everyone finally got a good look at him.
Good heavens!
The young man was wearing a black leather jacket paired with jeans.
His leather shoes were polished until they gleamed.
He even had a leather briefcase tucked under his arm and a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.
The elderly villagers had never seen anyone dressed like that.
Well, they had seen similar people on their black-and-white televisions.
He looked exactly like the kind of big-shot businessman they saw on TV.
Someone couldn’t help sighing sincerely,
“Just look at that outfit of his. Tsk, tsk…”
Chen Guangze stopped with his hands in his pockets, exuding a roguish air.
“Well, well! Uncle, Auntie, you’re all looking healthy and strong!”
Chen Guangze grinned and greeted everyone.
Then he pulled out some White Rabbit milk candies from his pocket and handed three or four to each person.
The old grandfather of the Tang family, the village Party secretary, took the candy and asked,
“Guangze, it’s only been a few years since you left. You’ve changed so much!”
Old Mrs. Ma also asked tentatively,
“You’ve made a fortune, haven’t you?”
A few years ago, being wealthy wasn’t necessarily something people openly celebrated.
But after the reforms and opening up, people’s favorite question had become, “Have you made your fortune?”
Chen Guangze grinned.
“I’ve only made a little money. Don’t make a fuss over it!”
Chen Dagen shouted from the crowd,
“Guangze, are you taking people with you this time?
“My boy wants to go out with you and see the world.”
Last year, when Chen Guangze had returned and said he was going to take people with him to make money, no one had trusted him.
He had only managed to take four or five people along.
But now those people had all made money.
Naturally, everyone was starting to get jealous.
Before Chen Guangze could answer, Chen Guangyao pulled him out of the crowd.
He turned around and called out,
“The family is waiting for us. We’ll talk later, Uncle, Auntie!”
Chen Guangyao pulled his younger brother along.
It wasn’t until they were almost at the Chen family home that he said,
“What was the point of wasting time chatting with them?”
Chen Guangze grinned as he chatted with his fourth brother.
“I haven’t seen the villagers in so long. It felt good seeing familiar faces again.
“But why did Mom suddenly call me home? Is something wrong?”
Chen Guangyao looked just as confused.
“I don’t know. She even called Second and Third back.
“It must be something serious. Otherwise, why would she call you all the way back from so far away?”
Chen Guangze nodded in agreement.
His mother wasn’t someone who would summon everyone home over nothing.
Chen Guangyao told Chen Guangze everything that had happened the day before.
Including the fact that Hu Yan had beaten their eldest sister-in-law and the nephews.
“I’m guessing Sister-in-law and the triplets must have provoked Fifth sister-in-law.
“My wife said that yesterday, Fifth sister-in-law even talked back to Mom and Dad.”
Chen Guangze looked utterly surprised.