"Okay, let’s hurry home then." Su Wanyu saw Jiang Changhai was in good spirits and didn’t insist on staying. She and Jiang Mianmian followed on either side of Jiang Changhai as they walked back.
Once home, Jiang Changhai placed the items on the table, then proceeded to open the cardboard box, revealing the large black and white TV set inside. He stood proudly next to the TV, "Ta-da... How about that? Wife, daughter, big TV."
"Oh my God, Brother Hai, where did you buy this TV? Weren’t the quotas for our town sold out this year?" Thrilled, Su Wanyu threw herself into Jiang Changhai’s arms and asked excitedly.
Su Wanyu stayed at home every day, her only activities apart from reading newspapers and magazines, were chatting with the neighbors.
Although the neighbors had TVs, she was too embarrassed to always watch at their homes.
Once when Jiang Changhai came home from work, he noticed his wife was preoccupied. Upon asking, he learned she was still thinking about the TV drama she had watched during the day, curious about how it would end.
When he heard his wife talk about this, Jiang Changhai remembered it and kept it in mind.
But one couldn’t just buy a TV anytime; the town only had a quota of ten sets each year. Every time the TVs arrived, they would sell out in less than an hour.
So, he went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and asked the sales clerk to keep an eye out for him. If a TV became available, she was to save one for him.
This time, returning from Haicheng, when he went to deliver goods to the sales clerk at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, she told him that a new batch of TVs had arrived a few days ago and she had reserved one for him.
Jiang Changhai, holding Su Wanyu, spun around happily, "Happy? Wife, I bought this TV from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. I had asked the sales clerk to keep a lookout for me beforehand, and this time she directly reserved one for me. Now we have our own TV, you can watch whatever you want, no need to go to other people’s homes."
"Brother Hai, you’re so good to me." Su Wanyu said, moved.
"Ahem, Mom and Dad, I think we should try out the TV first." Jiang Mianmian said, staring at the TV and spoke indifferently.
Reminded by his daughter, Jiang Changhai then remembered the important task at hand.
"Right, daughter, you’re right. I’ll go ask Aunt Li about how to install the antenna." Jiang Changhai said and headed for the door.
Su Wanyu quickly caught hold of Jiang Changhai, looking at him with concern, "Brother Hai, don’t rush with the TV. You’ve been working hard these past few days. Go take a bath first, get some sleep. Oh, are you hungry? Should I make you a bowl of noodles?"
"It’s okay, Wife, I’m not tired, nor am I hungry. I bought a sleeper ticket and slept for more than ten hours. I also had a meal before getting off the train. Let’s get the TV set up first," Jiang Changhai replied and then stepped outside.
It took him almost an hour to get the antenna set up and plug in the TV’s power. At first, the screen showed only static, but Jiang Changhai, following the manual, fiddled with it for a while until he tuned into a channel.
"It’s on, Brother Hai, it’s on, and it’s so clear." Su Wanyu said excitedly.
"Yes, this is a really good TV. Now you can watch to your heart’s content when you’re home." Jiang Changhai said to Su Wanyu with an indulgent smile.
Jiang Mianmian ignored her parents’ lovey-dovey behavior, staring at the TV, head cocked to one side as if lost in thought.
Seeing his daughter’s cute expression, Jiang Changhai asked with a smile, "What’s the matter? Daughter, don’t you channel? Tell me which one you want, and I’ll change it for you."