Chapter 20 Chapter 20

Many years later, when Xiong Zhaodi was capable of leading a project design team independently, she still remembered this day.

"Sister Zhaodi, if you can trust me, then you should trust yourself even more. Because I have complete faith in you."

"If you can just summon the same indomitable courage and effort you had when you took the college entrance exam, you will certainly be no less capable than Comrade Ji and his friends."

"If the five years of university are a marathon, then we have likely just started. We are barely anywhere yet; to feel discouraged now, Sister Zhaodi, is far too early."

In Xiong Zhaodi's eyes, these words from Lin Yilan were like a torch, reigniting and awakening the flame that had nearly flickered out within her.

The confusion on her face gradually faded, replaced by a growing sense of resolve. She was never the type to give up easily; otherwise, she would never have made it into university.

"Xiaolan, you're right. We have only just begun. There are still more than four years ahead of us. It is far too early for me to give up now."

"Come to think of it, back in high school, my teachers all said that men were smarter than women. Though I didn't quite believe it, I had no evidence to prove otherwise. Until—"

"Until you appeared before me, Xiaolan. I discovered that men are not inherently smarter than women. So, I must not admit defeat, or else those people will truly believe that women are inferior to men."

Lin Yilan watched the fighting spirit ignite in Xiong Zhaodi’s eyes. She knew that even without her words, Xiong Zhaodi wouldn't have given up easily. All she had done was add fuel to the fire at the moment its glow had dimmed.

"Huh?"

She hadn't expected Sister Zhaodi to be so moved, and she touched her own face in bewilderment.

Never mind. As long as it encourages Sister Zhaodi to persist and not give up easily, that is all that matters.

"Mm."

To keep up the momentum, Lin Yilan also put on an energized expression.

Xiong Zhaodi placed her hands on Lin Yilan’s shoulders. "Xiaolan, you go study at the library. I won't disturb you. I'm going back to the dormitory to re-read that collection of Mies van der Rohe’s works."

"Rest assured, I will not let the organization down!" Lin Yilan nodded emphatically. "Oh, by the way, Sister Zhaodi, once I return from the library, I will write that reading list for you."

"That's fine, I'm not in a rush."

"Then I'll be off. See you later at the dorm, Sister Zhaodi." Lin Yilan waved and turned toward the library.

"See you later!"

Xiong Zhaodi watched Lin Yilan’s retreating figure and suddenly burst into laughter.

How wonderful it is to have a classmate like this. Truly wonderful!

As Lin Yilan’s figure grew smaller, she seemed to grow brighter in Xiong Zhaodi’s eyes. She had seemingly found a direction for her efforts.

Once Lin Yilan disappeared from sight, Xiong Zhaodi turned and headed toward the dormitory building. On the way back, she couldn't help but hum a song she had heard on the radio.

On the way, she ran into a male classmate who was talking to a female student. "Hey, Comrade Han—?"

Watching Han Zhifang pretend he hadn't heard anything, Xiong Zhaodi pursed her lips.

Just because his family works in architecture, what is there to be so arrogant about?

In her view, while this group of design institute children might be more advanced than her, they were nothing special. Even the Comrade Ji Xuecheng they idolized was not nearly as brilliant as they claimed.

Because she had seen someone truly brilliant, talented, and hardworking: her roommate, Lin Yilan.

Although she didn't know how to do architectural design yet, she had learned how to appreciate it. She had carefully studied all the assignments of her classmates, and Xiaolan was clearly far ahead of everyone else in the class.

Xiong Zhaodi never imagined that this group of people would serve as a lifelong reminder to her: never underestimate anyone.

-

On the day of the appointment with Lai Chengrong, Lin Yilan brought the design tools she had spent significant effort and money to acquire, and called her third brother, Lin Li, to wait for Lai Chengrong at the school gate.

Five minutes before the agreed time, Lin Yilan saw a small black sedan slowly pull up in front of them.

The person in the driver's seat rolled down the window, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Lai Chengrong’s.

"Is this Mies Lin? I am Lai Jialin. It is a pleasure to meet you."

As soon as Lin Yilan looked up, she saw Lai Chengrong stepping out of the passenger seat. "Miss Lin, long time no see. Sorry to trouble you and this gentleman today."

He politely opened the back door and gestured for them to enter.

She glanced at her third brother and nodded. "Mr. Lai, Mr. Lai Jialin, thank you."

Once his father, Lin Yilan, and the man he didn't know were inside, Lai Jialin stepped on the gas.

Throughout the journey, Lin Yilan whispered to her third brother about the things he needed to pay attention to, completely neglecting to appreciate the scenery inside or outside the car.

Before coming, she had agreed with her third brother that he was not only accompanying her but would also help with measuring the house. In exchange, Lin Yilan had promised him a meal of Peking duck at Quanjude.

"...Third Brother, is there anything else that isn't clear? If you're unsure about anything later, just come and ask me."

Although Lai Chengrong’s parents lived in the countryside of Beijing, not far from the county seat, Lin Yilan had done her homework in advance, along with measures to ensure their safety.

[By the way, Third Brother, I brought steamed buns for lunch. Let's not eat at Mr. Lai's parents' house. Also, for safety, let's try not to separate from each other.]

Lin Li read the note in his younger sister’s notebook and nodded.

Beijing's urban area in 1979 was not large, and the sedan soon reached the outskirts where the city met the countryside. The quality of the road began to decline, and the ride, which had been smooth, started to get bumpy.

Lin Yilan silently reached up to grab the handle, fastened her seatbelt, and reminded her third brother to do the same.

As the road became uneven and dust filled the air, Lin Yilan finally saw the faint silhouettes of clustered rural earthen houses.

The green farmland on both sides of the road retreated, providing a rare sense of joy to someone who had spent too long looking at falling leaves.

"Where did that car come from?"

"Hey, is that young Chengrong driving back?"

The elderly gathered at the entrance of the village stood up excitedly upon seeing the gleaming Santana.

"Probably. Who else would drive into our village?"

"I saw Chengrong and his youngest one."

"You're just talking nonsense. With your eyesight, what could you possibly see?"

After Lin Yilan opened the car window, she heard the chatter of the old men outside.

Looking at them, she suddenly remembered the village where she grew up. Every October, whenever the sun came out, the village elders would come out to bask in it. It seemed that the elderly everywhere had this need.

She immediately noted this thought in her notebook.

As the car slowed to a stop, Lin Yilan unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out with the other three.

Even though the gleaming car had been dulled by dust during the drive, it still attracted most of the villagers. Many children couldn't help but crowd around the sedan, reaching out to touch it but hesitating.

Lin Yilan saw this and said nothing. Seeing Lai Chengrong finish his pleasantries with the villagers and relatives, she followed him closely as he broke away from the crowd.

She watched as Lai Chengrong greeted people until he stopped in front of an earthen house.

"Designer Lin, this is my parents' house. After the family split up years ago, they have been living with my eldest brother's family."

While Lai Chengrong knocked on the door, Lin Yilan stood on her tiptoes to observe the courtyard and then looked at the neighboring houses.

Just as she had anticipated, they were all earthen houses.

Recalling the journey, almost all the homes were made of earth; it seemed only two or three were built of brick. As for two-story buildings, there were none.

It appeared that the rural areas of Beijing at this time were not much different from the countryside she knew; economic development had not created a significant gap.

In that case, the house she designed should be made of brick.

As for reinforced concrete, she hadn't considered it at all. Both the procurement of raw materials and the construction would be troublesome. Furthermore, after Lai Chengrong left, his parents would still need to live in the village, so it was better not to make their home stand out too sharply from the others.

Lin Li, following behind his younger sister, was lost in thought, occasionally peeking at what she was writing in her notebook before drifting off again.

"Designer Lin!"

Lai Chengrong’s voice echoed. Lin Yilan closed her notebook and tucked it into her bag.

"Coming, Mr. Lai."

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Lin Yilan felt the weight of many gazes.

So many people—it felt as if everyone in Lai Chengrong’s family had come.

She watched as Lai Chengrong greeted his parents, then his older brothers and sisters, and even aunts, uncles, and cousins.

There were so many people—

The relatives had filled the house to the brim, leaving no room to stand. Coupled with their scrutinizing gazes, Lin Yilan felt increasingly uncomfortable.

"Mr. Lai, I'm going to take some measurements with my brother now. I won't disturb your visit with your family."

Lai Chengrong understood perfectly why she was there and nodded. "Thank you and your brother for your hard work."

Lin Yilan replied politely, "You're welcome."

With that, she took her third brother and hurried out of the house.