Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 42 - 042 Texas Instruments Updated - (Looking for First Subscription)

Chapter 42: 042 Texas Instruments Updated Chapter (Looking for First Subscription)

The young sales clerk at the counter saw a customer and carefully placed the radio on the shelf behind him before turning his head to ask, "Comrade, may I help you with anything?"

Mr. Li nodded, feeling rather appreciative of the young man’s manners, which were far more courteous than the girl’s downstairs. He smiled warmly and asked, "I’m here to look at radios. Do you have any good recommendations?"

The young man’s eyes lit up as he calmly brought up four or five boxes from under the counter. The first one he opened contained a black radio about the size of a brick, and he said, "This model is an import from Italy, with imported semiconductors and multiple transistors. The sound quality is exceptionally good. It’s a bit pricey though, at 261 yuan, but it doesn’t require industrial coupons."

Mr. Li took it and looked it over, finding it too expensive. The young man noticed Mr. Li’s hesitation. Without showing any sign of being upset, he opened another box and took out a thicker radio that was about fifteen centimeters long, saying, "This model is the domestically produced Red Sun, with six transistors, priced at 46 yuan and requiring twelve industrial coupons."

Right after he finished speaking, he turned on the dial by the side. After a piercing wave of static, a loud and clear female voice began to sing from the radio: "We workers have strength, hey hey, we workers have strength..."

Her voice was pleasant and resonant.

Mr. Li’s eyes brightened, about to speak.

However, Li Xianglu beat him to it, asking, "Do you have Texas Instruments?"

The young man looked at Li Xianglu, his eyes sparkling immediately; someone knew about Texas Instruments, the most famous and advanced equipment manufacturer. The young man quickly took out a pure black, ten-centimeter radio with a thickness of about four centimeters from a box beside him. He extended the antenna and carefully tuned the channel.

There was much less static, and the woman’s voice on the channel continued singing, now sounding even more full-bodied.

Mr. Li was clearly delighted by the better quality. He couldn’t help but look at Li Xianglu with curiosity. How did this girl know about such a high-end foreign brand radio?

Li Xianglu took the radio, examining it from top to bottom. Since it could operate on batteries as well as be plugged into a power source, it was quite convenient, so she asked, "How much for this one?"

The young man smiled and said, "It’s an import from the United States, costing 148 yuan and comes with four batteries, no industrial coupons needed."

Li Xianglu’s eyes shone, and she turned her head eagerly towards Mr. Li, who chuckled and pulled out his wallet from inside his Sun Yat-sen suit, counting out the bills. It wasn’t cheap, but if the girl liked it, he thought, it would be worth purchasing.

After they paid and had the radio packed into a box, the two of them went downstairs.

At the entrance of the department store, Li Xianglu looked at the endless stream of people, especially at the unsaturated colors of the crowd, which made her feel as if she were watching a black-and-white movie. She seemed full of interest.

Mr. Li said with a warm smile, "Let’s go, I’ll take you to meet your grandpa’s old comrade."

Earlier on the first floor, Mr. Li had used a meat ticket to buy two pounds of streaky pork and then bought a bottle of wine.

Carrying a pile of items, the two of them headed westward from the county center.

Along the way, Li Xianglu examined every street and the people’s attire, unceasingly taking it all in. It was now time for lunch, and the scent of stir-fried spring onions from the state-owned restaurants wafted about, enticing Li Xianglu to repeatedly sniff the air.

Mr. Li walked cheerfully up ahead, not finding his granddaughter’s behavior unsuitable in the least.

After many twists and turns, they arrived in front of a small building. Behind it was a courtyard, somewhat similar to the one they had seen earlier at the textile factory in the commune, but this one had soldiers on guard.

The young soldier evidently recognized Mr. Li, promptly greeting him warmly with a salute, and then said with a beaming smile, "Mr. Li, you’re here! Commander Lan has already sent someone to look for you twice."

Mr. Li burst into loud laughter upon hearing this: "That old rascal, probably can’t wait for my booze to accompany his meal." He then introduced Li Xianglu and entered the courtyard with the young soldier.

Li Xianglu figured this courtyard must be the military compound from legends of her previous life.

Most of the people entering and exiting were wearing military uniforms; those in plain clothes were neat and clean, not a single patch in sight.

After touring around, they stopped in front of a two-story building at the very end of the courtyard—there was a row of standalone buildings like it, seven or eight in total.

The buildings weren’t tall, just two stories, and both front and back had vegetable gardens. In the center of the courtyard, an old man in a white shirt was turning over the soil with a metal shovel. When he saw someone approaching, he looked up.

Recognizing the visitor, he smiled, pushed the door open, and went out to greet them.

The two men hugged and patted each other on the back. Then Li Xianglu heard the unfamiliar old man laugh heartily: "You old fella, still so robust, aren’t you?"

Mr. Li also laughed: "Ah, I can’t compare to you. Wearing just a shirt in such cold weather, aren’t you afraid of freezing your old bones!"

Li Xianglu was speechless at the way they addressed each other, while the young soldier beside her was already accustomed to their mode of conversation. He went inside to put down the items they had rushed to bring and then saluted before leaving.

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Huai Ren said to his friend: "Come, old buddy, meet my granddaughter, adopted from the clan, Li Xianglu, fifteen years old this year."

Li Xianglu, with her messy yellow hair, cheerily said: "Hello, Grandpa!"

Old Man Lan had already heard from Li Huai Ren that a child was to be adopted from the family to care for him in his old age. So, seeing Li Xianglu now came as no surprise. He squinted his sharp eyes and sized her up.

Li Xianglu didn’t shy away and stood there with a smile, letting him examine her.

After a while, Grandpa Lan clapped his hands and said: "Hmm, not bad, a good one. Neither servile nor overbearing, can look others in the eye, obviously she has nothing to hide. Good, Li Huai Ren, you didn’t make a mistake this time, acknowledged a fine granddaughter."

Mr. Li, caught between laughter and tears, shook his head: "You old thing, not a single nice word ever comes out of your mouth!"

Just then, a woman in her forties wearing an apron came out from the side of the building and smiled: "Commander, let’s start cooking."

Commander Lan nodded and then said to Mr. Li: "Hey, old pal, I’ve sent people to check on you twice already, why did you only just get here?"

Mr. Li called to Li Xianglu to catch up while laughing: "Took my granddaughter out for a stroll, bought some stuff, including meat and alcohol, let’s all get together and have a meal."

Commander Lan looked at the plump meat, smacked his lips, and said: "I’ve been craving braised pork, but they don’t make it well here."

Mr. Li glanced at his granddaughter and asked: "Xiang, you can cook it, right? Why don’t you make a braised pork for us, let Grandpa Lan taste your handiwork?"

Li Xianglu nodded and agreed with a smile, then followed the woman into the side building.

Only after watching the young girl enter the house did Grandpa Lan look sternly at Mr. Li: "You old rascal, what are you thinking, trying to make sure your granddaughter leaves a good impression on me?"

PS: I’ve made some revisions regarding the issue with the instrument factory. I’m quite ignorant about electronic devices, but I will do more research on things I don’t understand in the future.