Chapter 22 A good start
When Zhang Yunqi and Wang Xiaokai returned to the dormitory, all the male classmates in the class were there, there were more than 20 people. Students had fewer entertainment options these days, so they gathered in groups of three or five to chat. Some boys lay on mats and read pirated yellow-covered martial arts novels.

In the early 90s, although Wang Shuo, an old Beijing school stalwart who only cared about having fun, had become a literary idol for artistic young people, in the circle of middle school students, the popular writers were either the fighting and killing Jin Yong or the outrageous and unscrupulous Qiong Yao.

Wang Xiaokai was extremely bored and wanted to have some fun, so he said he wanted to go to the store to buy some playing cards.

Zhang Yunqi just wanted to go to the store to buy some floral water. Sleeping in a dormitory with a large bunk bed, the doors and windows could not be closed, and there were so many mosquitoes that their bites were very uncomfortable. So he said, "I'm going to the store to buy some floral water and I'll bring it to you."

He came to the store alone and asked the boss for a bottle of toilet water and a deck of playing cards. Just as he was about to go back, he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around and saw it was Li Yufei.

Li Yufei had already changed into the camouflage uniform for military training. The loose camouflage uniform did not make her look bloated. With her thin calves and slender and soft body, she seemed to have taken a bath. Her fair face was flushed, and under the warm light, she had a pure beauty. She smiled and said to Zhang Yunqi, "What a coincidence, I meet you again."

“Why add the word ‘again’?”

"When I was riding my bike back to school at noon today, I happened to see you getting on the bus at the factory gate, and I called you."

"I didn't hear you, sorry."

"Well, what would you like to drink? I'll treat you."

Zhang Yunqi didn't want to drink anything, but since the other party was kind enough to treat him, it would be bad to offend the girl, so he asked for a bottle of Jianlibao. He hadn't had this stuff for many years and it tasted pretty good. Li Yufei took a bottle of juice and Zhang Yunqi took the initiative to pay for it.

The two walked to the door of the girls' dormitory together. Li Yufei shook the bottle in her hand and said thank you for the juice.

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said you’re welcome, it’s okay and I’ll go back.

Li Yufei nodded. When she was about to go upstairs, she suddenly remembered that she didn't know which class Zhang Yunqi was in, so she quickly asked, "By the way, which class are you in?"

Zhang Yunqi said: "Class 168."

Li Yufei thought for a moment and then remembered that Class 168 was an ordinary class. She was a little surprised. With Zhang Yunqi's grades, he should be in the science and technology class. So she said, "How did the school assign you a class? With your grades, you should be able to go to a better class."

"I chose Class 168 myself."

Li Yufei was extremely surprised: "Why?"

Zhang Yunqi had no way to explain.

Back in the dormitory, he threw the playing cards to Wang Xiaokai, and Wang Xiaokai asked everyone to play upgrade.

Zhang Yunqi had no interest in playing cards and did not play.

He looked around the dormitory, took out a Tetris handheld game console from the bag hidden under the quilt, installed the batteries and started playing. He deliberately turned up the game volume very loudly, and a familiar background music immediately sounded. It was the most classic of the many background music of Tetris, "Korobelniki", which means "peddler".

Those copycat Tetris handheld game consoles from the 90s were very loud, like a megaphone for leaders' speeches, and they would easily drown out the chatter of students in the dormitory. Wang Xiaokai, who was shuffling cards, turned his head to look at the handheld console in Zhang Yunqi's hand, his eyes lighting up: "Oh my god! Tetris, isn't this loaded on GB? Now it's a single product. Zhang Yunqi, what's the name of this thing?" Wang Xiaokai actually knew GB, he had quite a good eye.

Zhang Yunqi took one out of the bag and handed it to him, saying, "This is a handheld Tetris game console. You can play it. Return it to me later."

Wang Xiaokai immediately threw away the cards and said he didn’t want to play anymore, then picked up his handheld game console and started playing.

Other students scolded Wang Xiaokai for being so unkind, saying that he asked everyone to play cards but then stood them up. However, everyone was honest in their actions. Since there were games to play, not many people wanted to play cards. They all gathered together to watch Wang Xiaokai play Tetris.

Tetris is easy to play, but it is not easy to master the operation and placement skills. Everyone has played the red and white machine in the game hall a few times. Although they are all noobs, it does not prevent them from mocking Wang Xiaokai as a fighter among noobs.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yunqi took out three more handheld game consoles and let everyone play a game.

This immediately aroused everyone's emotions. Four or five people took turns playing on each handheld game console. The sounds of the game and the boys' laughter and scolding came one after another, making the whole classroom look like a vegetable market. But that scene was particularly nostalgic. It was very similar to the scene when we were children, when everyone carried their schoolbags, tilted their heads, and squeezed together to play Tetris.

In an era without computers, internet cafes or smart phones, this handheld game console, which carries the beautiful memories of that era, was quite powerful. Zhang Yunqi was very happy because he knew that the eighty Tetris handheld game consoles he had would be able to sell well.

At 10pm, it was time to go to bed and turn off the lights. A few instructors came over and the chaotic situation was finally under control. The students rolled back into their own beds with reluctance. After the instructors left, Zhang Yunqi took back all the handheld devices he had lent out, got into bed and prepared to go to sleep.

"Zhang Yunqi, where did you buy this handheld game console? How much is it?" The person who spoke was a boy wearing glasses named Tian Zhuangzhuang, who slept next to Zhang Yunqi. He was fair-skinned, tender and chubby, and should come from a well-off family. However, his Tetris skills were really terrible, and he often died after just a few minutes. But he was so addicted that he would not let go of the handheld game console once it occupied it.

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "Jiangchuan doesn't seem to have any. Mine was brought over by my cousin who worked in the coastal area. If you want them, I have extra ones here and I can transfer them to you."

Tian Zhuangzhuang immediately asked: "How much does it cost?"

Zhang Yunqi had been waiting for this sentence for so long: "Fifty."

"Fifty..."

This price seemed a little hard for Tian Zhuangzhuang to accept. He scratched his head and said, "Let me think about it again."

Zhang Yunqi said it was done.

Tian Zhuangzhuang retracted his head.

Zhang Yunqi also crawled into bed and continued to sleep. He didn't know how long it had been. In a daze, he felt someone pulling his arm. He opened his eyes and saw a big, white face in front of him under the moonlight.

Zhang Yunqi was shocked!
After sitting up, he recognized that the other person was Tian Zhuangzhuang. He was a little amused and said, "Brother! You are awake in the middle of the night and you are playing tricks on me."

"Here's fifty bucks. I want a handheld."

******
(End of this chapter)