Chapter 57: The Observer's Despair

  Yin Jinghua had just acquired a refrigerator and was having four sturdy porters carry it to Xue's house. He deliberately didn't use a truck, wanting to show off his sincerity to the rascals all over the city of 49. Yin Jinghua was enthusiastic as fire, urging the four porters to take turns carrying quickly. Just as they arrived at the iron gate of Hu Tongkou in Tiger Bridge, they ran into Chen Fusheng, who was in a bad mood, and Zhang Pangzi, who was feeling refreshed. He naturally recognized Zhang Pangzi, remembering that this guy had even toasted him and asked about his father's position. As for Chen Fusheng beside him, he also had some impression of him, as they had eaten together that day.

  Yin Jinghua had planned to show off in the streets, and as long as he ran into familiar gangsters, he would proactively tell them about his whereabouts and intentions without waiting for them to ask. He thought that by doing so, he could expand his influence. However, he didn't think things through thoroughly, and the timing was not suitable at all. It was noon, and the gangsters were either having lunch or taking a nap, so none of them were out and about. Yin Jinghua walked from his father's office to Hubao Bridge under the scorching sun, but he didn't run into any familiar gangsters, which made him feel anxious. Finally, he bumped into two familiar ones here, and without caring that one of them was already in their thirties and had left the gangster group long ago, he grasped their hands like they were old friends and began to recount his glorious experiences.

  Yin Jinghua's words were like a ray of sunshine, and Chen Fusheng's expression suddenly changed from gloomy to radiant. His deadpan face blossomed like a flower as he spoke in a torrent, saying something that could be summed up in four words: "You're too late."

  Upon hearing the bad news, Yin Jinghua almost fell to the ground, with tears streaming down his face like he had lost his parents. It was a tragedy of epic proportions. He grabbed onto Chen Fusheng's clothes and wouldn't let go, filled with resentment, even extending his hatred to Zhang Pangzi by his side.

  Yin Jinghua was furious and wanted to smash the refrigerator, but the soldiers were hesitant. Just as he was about to take matters into his own hands, Zhang Pangzi grabbed him and said, "Since Third Brother has a refrigerator, it's only fitting that you, Second Brother, give him a TV to show off your abilities. Why get angry?"

  Zhang Pangzi's flattery turned Yin Jinghua's anger into joy, and he patted his hands in satisfaction. He had only been thinking about which one was easier to send off, but it seemed that the more valuable the gift, the more sincere the intention, this time he had forgotten. Yin Jinghua thanked Zhang Pangzi and directed the four soldiers to carry the refrigerator back along the original path. He kept urging everyone to speed up, and he himself followed behind, sweating profusely without daring to slack off even a little, who knew if someone would snatch his priority again.

  He turned back to the office and assigned the task of buying a TV to Liu Da. Liu was fed up with being bossed around, having made countless calls and promised many conditions just to get the refrigerator. Now he's being asked to pull off another impossible feat. Liu handed over the keys and said, "There's one in your father's rest room, go move it yourself if you dare."

  Yin Jinghua suddenly jumped up, shouting "How could I have forgotten this? This is like looking for a donkey while riding on one!" After speaking, he opened the door and rolled up his father's TV along with the red cloth it was wrapped in, and took it away. Afterwards, when Yin Dapeng found out that his precious TV had been taken away by his son, he returned home, furious, and smashed all the pots and pans to pieces. Yin Gongzi couldn't control his old man's anger, so he closed the door, pulled up the quilt, and hid in his small building, not caring about spring, summer, autumn or winter.

  This time, Yin Jinghua didn't dawdle and drove the small car straight to Xue Xiang's home. Seeing Yin Jinghua being so diligent, Xue Xiang was deeply moved and invited him to stay for lunch before sending him off warmly.

  The TV set brought by Yin Jinghua was the famous Kai Ge brand 9-inch all-transistor black and white TV, which was as rare as owning a luxury yacht at that time. Of course, this metaphor only highlights its rarity, not its value. To know that the price of TVs at that time was far more expensive than refrigerators, with extremely low production quantities, and restricted purchases, only supplied to government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and the military, making it almost impossible for individuals to own one. This TV set produced by Mingzhu City, born in 73, can be said to be the most advanced and best quality TV at that time. Although the first domestic TV was born in 58, and 143 color TVs were mass-produced in 73, there have been many TV brands so far. However, if we talk about the clarity of the picture and the stability of the image, none can surpass this Kai Ge brand. This TV set looked extremely simple to Xue, with a gray iron shell and a retractable antenna, two knobs on the edge of the 9-inch screen, one for adjusting the frequency and the other for adjusting the channel.

  When the refrigerator first entered the house, the little ones were still looking around and touching it with joy. But when the TV arrived home, the three little ones stood still in their original positions, staring blankly, as if they had seen a legendary treasure that could make people dance and sing. After a while, the three of them let out a loud and mournful cry at the same time. The little one was so happy that he jumped up and down, using the sofa as a trampoline, and Xiaowan and Xiaoyi also covered their mouths and laughed uncontrollably, today was indeed the happiest day for them since they were born.

  The news that the Xue family had a TV set spread like wildfire, and within ten minutes, the entire compound was buzzing with excitement. The eastern house's big sister-in-law, the western house's big aunt, Mao Xiazi, Pi Yatou, and all the others swarmed in to see the commotion. It's worth noting that even among Beijing's upper-class families at the time, few owned a TV set. Everyone may have seen a TV before, but only during collective study sessions, meetings, or when listening to central directives in a large auditorium, and even then, they might not have gotten close enough for a good look. Now, seeing the real thing, everyone was like a flock of chickens who had just seen grain scattered on the ground, chattering excitedly and pushing their way to the center.

  The little guy was afraid that others would break the treasure, so he opened his small body and hugged the TV, not letting anyone touch it. Xue Xiang also noticed that there were more and more people in the house, the children in the yard, the girls happily sang nursery rhymes, and all around him was buzzing with sounds.

  Xue Xiang knew that if he didn't take action, the house would be packed to capacity. He hastily ordered Kang Tong, Zhu Shijun and Lei Xiaotian, who had already arrived, to move tables into the courtyard, pull out electric wires and carry over benches. After a while of commotion, the TV was finally set up in the courtyard, and the onlookers rushed back home to fetch small stools and big chairs, surrounding the TV in a circle. Xue Xiang turned around to take a look, and wow, forty or fifty people were packed tightly into a small circle, so dense that not even a needle could be inserted, nor water poured in.

  Xue Xiang stood in the small circle, turned on the TV, and a snowy screen appeared. Everyone let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Xue Xiang pulled out the antenna, adjusted the channel, and suddenly there was sound and an image. After some more fiddling, it wasn't bad, they could receive three channels.

  "The East is Red, the sun rises, China..." A familiar and sonorous melody starts playing, a burst of applause erupts like a storm, and everyone in the courtyard cheers. The little one is closest, constantly using her small hands to pull down Xue Xiang, who is blocking her view. Kang Tong had already helped the three little ones secure their seats, all in the front row. Xue Xiang squats down, picks up the giggling little one, sits in her seat, and holds her in his arms, watching TV together.

  To be honest, he watched TV just for the novelty, and most importantly, to make the three little ones happy. As expected, five minutes later, he lost interest. The Beijing TV station they were watching had finished playing "The East is Red" chorus, and was now showing the revolutionary Peking opera "Sha Jia Bang". First, a great leader's quote was read, then a red curtain opened, accompanied by lively music, a young peasant poked his head out, followed by a joyful noise in the courtyard. The big sisters and aunties were shouting to chase away the little monkeys next to them, telling them to go call their grandparents to come watch the show. But the little ones weren't so easy to listen to, usually they would be jumping around like monkeys, but now they had grown roots, no matter how much you scolded them, they wouldn't budge, staring straight at the TV with wide eyes. The adults were helpless, and didn't want to miss the show themselves. A loud-voiced one stood in the courtyard and shouted out two reports, considering it reported, as for whether or not they could hear, they didn't care, anyway, during dinner that night, you complain, I have something to say too.

  The young wives and aunts can still be excused for enjoying the show, but even the little rascal who doesn't understand the meaning of words is also watching with great relish. His chubby body is squirming excitedly in Xue's arms. To be honest, after experiencing the colorful and bizarre online baptism, he didn't have the heart to appreciate this simplest form of drama.

  At that time, the programs were not only monotonous but also extremely rigid. Such story-telling revolutionary dramas had a status in ordinary people's hearts, no less than Meteor Garden was for young boys and girls in 2002. However, young boys and girls would get tired of watching Meteor Garden after one or two episodes, while GM crowds would memorize the lines, sing the songs, and still not get tired of it. Even such simple stage dramas were extremely rare, with only a few revolutionary dramas like Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, Raid on the White Tiger Regiment, and The Red Lantern being produced in 1972, and no other story-telling programs. The rest were all about learning to sing revolutionary songs, doing exercises, news, radio broadcasts, international news, PLA programs, etc. All of these programs were serious and formulaic, including news programs, which would not be an exception until the well-known News Broadcast was launched two years later.

  Nowadays, not only are there fewer programs, but also fewer TV stations. So far, there are only more than a dozen TV stations across the country. Xue Xiangjia can receive three of them: Jingcheng TV Station, Mingzhu TV Station and Yangcheng TV Station. The rest, such as Bingcheng TV Station and Liaoyang TV Station, cannot be received at all.

  After a performance of "Shajia Village", Xue turned his head to look back, and was startled by the sea of people in the courtyard. The big tree next to him had been occupied by young men who arrived late, and a row of high chairs had been stacked up on the flower bed not far away, with people packed tightly onto them. What's more, someone had moved a ladder over and leaned it against the tree closest to the TV, and the long ladder was swarming with people like ants attacking a castle. The 9-inch screen couldn't possibly support so many viewers, and those who were far away couldn't see the picture clearly - Xue didn't know why these guys still wanted to climb so high. No wonder, Xue came from a later era, how could he imagine the longing for cultural entertainment at this time? His tall stature had been suffocating on the small stool, and when he stood up wanting to leave, he couldn't move his body at all. After much effort, he managed to escape with the unwilling youngster in his arms. As soon as he left, the throne was occupied by people from behind, followed by another commotion.

  The sky has darkened, and the number of people in the courtyard has not only failed to decrease but is also showing signs of increasing. There are many men who came over to shout for their wives to go home and cook dinner, but they themselves were attracted to stay here without moving. Many people even held out with empty stomachs. Some waited for food to be sent from home, some waited for family members to come and take turns going home to eat, and others simply brought the whole family over with big bowls and water ladles to eat, thus avoiding the trouble of going home to add more rice.

  It was such a lively and chaotic scene, with everyone laughing and having a great time, until the last program "Revolutionary Literature and Art" came to an end. The soldiers and officers in the courtyard reluctantly packed up and headed home. By this time, Xue Xiang's watch had already pointed to 1 o'clock in the morning, and the little one was fast asleep in his arms. Xiao Wan and Xiao Yi had also gone back to their rooms to sleep. Xue Xiang and Kang Tong struggled to stay awake until everyone had dispersed, so they could pack up, close the door, and go to sleep.

  Xue Xiangzheng was sleeping soundly, when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door outside. He dragged his tired body to open the door and saw that it was Si Mao, Pang Duan, Hu Zi and seven or eight other 13- or 14-year-old kids from the same courtyard. Xue Xiangzheng rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked them what they wanted.

  A few guys said with a straight face, "Of course we're watching TV!" Xue Xiang was startled and asked them what time it was now. As it turned out, these little rascals had already found out that the first program of the day was the "East is Red" chorus at 4:00 AM, which also served as a preview of the day's programs. Xue Xiang was thoroughly defeated, pointed to the TV in the main room and told them to keep it down, then moved it to the courtyard himself and went back to his room to sleep with his head covered.

  It's been three days in a row, from morning to night, and Xue Xiang finally couldn't take it anymore. This isn't enjoyment, it's complete suffering! His life has thoroughly failed, and once theory and reality become disconnected, the consequences are extremely severe.

  Xue posted a notice at the door, which roughly said: From now on, the TV will be moved to the playground of the big yard for broadcast. Every day from 6 pm to 10 pm, and during holidays, it will be extended to 12 am. Please inform all neighbors and friends.

  After posting the notice, Xue's home finally became quiet. Everyone also knew that making a fuss in someone else's home all day would inevitably lead to trouble, no matter how good their relationship was. Except for a few young whippersnappers who protested that the time was too short and were suppressed by the elders, everyone else was satisfied.

  Only the little one was very dissatisfied, according to her careful plan, the TV should be placed in her and her brother's room, watching together with her siblings at night. How did their family's things become public? The little one protested ineffectively, but didn't make a fuss, knowing that many of her friends longed to watch TV, and it was inappropriate for her to monopolize it alone. From then on, the little one especially hoped for rain in the evening, because only on those nights could she snuggle up in her brother's arms and squeeze onto a bed with her siblings to watch TV.

  PS: The first TV station in China was BJ TV Station, born on May 1958. On the same year's National Day, Shanghai TV Station was established and Harbin TV Station started broadcasting on December 20th. In the following year, August 15th and October 1st, Guangzhou TV Station and Shenyang TV Station (now known as Guangdong TV Station and Liaoning TV Station) were launched successively. These five TV stations are the earliest in China. By 1965, there were 12 TV stations in China, with little increase afterwards.

  Additionally, the TV programs mentioned in the text are based on Cha's radio broadcast schedule from that year, and the dramas are old films found from that year. If there are any errors, please do not investigate further, esteemed readers.