Chapter 33: Enemies Cross Paths Again

“So these are wedding candies, huh? Then of course I’ll take some! Let me bask in some of the good fortune from you and Regiment Commander Lu — maybe my own man will get promoted too!”

Chen Fengying grinned from ear to ear, genuinely delighted. With that thought, Chu Yue’s five jin of candy suddenly didn’t seem like much at all. To really chase good luck, eight jin would’ve been more fitting!

She didn’t hold back, stuffing a large handful of wedding candies into her pocket, and said to Chu Yue,
“Chu girl, wait for me here — I’ll be right back.”

As she spoke, Chen Fengying, who had just come out of the supply and marketing cooperative, turned right around and squeezed back into the crowd.

She was big and strong, so she pushed her way through the throng with ease, heading straight inside.

Chu Yue waited at the door for about ten minutes before Chen Fengying finally came out, drenched in sweat despite the winter chill.

“Finally made it out! It’s packed in there — I nearly got crushed!” Chen Fengying complained, but her face couldn’t hide the joy. She pulled something out and handed it to Chu Yue.
“Here, Chu girl — it’s nothing expensive, just a little token for good luck! Wishing you and Regiment Commander Lu a chubby baby soon!”

Chu Yue’s palm was filled to the brim. She looked down to see a few red dates, a handful of colorful candy beans, and some sunflower seeds. None of it was worth much, and she wondered how Chen Fengying had convinced the shop assistant to sell them.

But the symbolic meaning behind it — that was truly lovely.

Chu Yue smiled and accepted it.
“Thank you, Sister Chen.”

Chen Fengying was still beaming beside her.
“When you get home later, either eat them or scatter them under your mattress. I guarantee you’ll have a chubby boy next year! That’s what I did when I got married — and sure enough, I had my boy the next year. My Da Zhuang is eight now—”

The two of them chatted idly as they walked. Chu Yue never let the conversation drop, and the atmosphere between them was pleasant and lively.

As they continued walking, they passed by a Xinhua Bookstore. Chu Yue popped in for a moment, and when she came out, she was holding a few illustrated booklets (lianhuanhua), a notebook, and a couple of pencils.

Even in picture books, there were still plenty of words.

Chen Fengying took a glance and curiously asked,
“Chu girl, you can read? Did your village back home have a school?”

“…It was a literacy campaign. Some educated youth came to our village and held literacy classes. I studied for a bit, so I know a few characters.”

Chu Yue had almost forgotten her “rural background” identity. To avoid exposing herself, she had to hide her overachiever streak.

Chen Fengying didn’t suspect anything and nodded,
“We had a literacy campaign in our village too. The village secretary kept telling us to go to class at night. But after working in the fields all day, who had the energy to study? I just dozed off in class every time. You’re something else, Chu girl — recognizing so many words—”

As they walked and talked, it gradually became midday.

From a shop by the roadside came waves of delicious aroma, accompanied by rising steam.

Chu Yue’s stomach rumbled a bit. She looked up and saw a sign with bold characters: “State-Run Restaurant” — a proper eatery.

At the door of the state-run restaurant, there was a bamboo steamer filled with buns. The steam rose in puffs, warm and tempting in the chilly wind, carrying bursts of savory fragrance.

Chu Yue’s eyes lit up, and she rubbed her stomach.

“Hungry?” Chen Fengying said heartily. “If you want to eat, let’s go in! The state-run restaurant has fair prices — not expensive and the food’s great. Let’s treat ourselves today!”

The two of them went into the restaurant together.

The place was bustling, full of diners. Chu Yue, with sharp eyes, spotted a small table in a more secluded corner. She and Chen Fengying sat down and put down the load of items they were carrying.

Today’s special at the state-run restaurant was braised pork with preserved mustard greens. The glistening slices of pork lay atop the vegetables, steaming and fragrant — absolutely mouthwatering.

Chu Yue ordered a signature dish and a small plate of greens. The dining hall also offered free shredded radish soup — she ladled two bowls. It was more than enough to fill both of them up and warm their bellies.

While Chu Yue and Chen Fengying were enjoying their meal with contented smiles, people were still streaming into the state-run restaurant.

“What a lousy department store — not a single decent piece of clothing! Everything’s outdated junk. Either it’s last season’s leftovers or those godawful blue work uniforms. Who even wears that kind of stuff?”

He Meijiao frowned, her delicate brows tightly knit, her face full of disdain and disgust. Ever since she had seen Chu Yue on the bus earlier that day, she had been in a foul mood.

Wang Xiulan followed closely behind her, scrambling to explain: “Comrade He, you’re from the capital. You’re used to big-city malls. Of course our little local store can’t compare.”

That’s what she said, but in her heart, Wang Xiulan cursed.

Tch! That blue work uniform she’d seen? Even she wouldn’t spend her money on that — and yet He Meijiao looked down on it as if it wasn’t fit for a human being.

Trying to appease this temperamental young lady, Wang Xiulan quickly added:

“Comrade He, I’ve asked around for you. That little boy isn’t Commander Lu’s biological son, and he’s definitely not that woman Chu Yue’s child either. He’s the son of the commander’s late sister — they adopted him after she passed.”

That seemed to lift He Meijiao’s spirits. “Really?”

“Absolutely! I swear it’s true! Sister Song told Chu Yue directly, and Chu Yue admitted it herself. If she were lying, that’d be framing Commander Lu for a disciplinary violation — she wouldn’t dare!”

Wang Xiulan spoke with full confidence, deliberately saying exactly what He Meijiao wanted to hear.

“I mean, from what I can tell, she and Commander Lu aren’t even that close. They haven’t seen each other in ten years! Even if they were engaged the whole time — so what? What man doesn’t miss his fiancée after all those years? Commander Lu didn’t even go see her once. Clearly, he’s not interested. There’s no feelings between them!”

“Then why did he marry her?”

“That’s easy — he just needed a mother for the kid. Commander Lu’s a single man; how’s he supposed to raise a child alone? Would a girl like you, Comrade He, be willing to become a stepmother right after getting married? Of course not! That’s why he settled for marrying Chu Yue.”

Wang Xiulan’s argument sounded so reasonable and self-assured.

And it did seem to make sense to He Meijiao.

If I had married Lu Zhanlin, she thought, I would’ve made him send that kid to the countryside. We haven’t even had our own children yet — how could I let some random brat be the eldest in the house?

She thought for a moment, then asked, “Are you sure there’s no feelings between Lu Zhanlin and her? Because I saw it with my own eyes — that woman was bathing in broad daylight! If nothing’s going on, why was she bathing?”

“Oh, Comrade He, my dear girl,” Wang Xiulan said conspiratorially, “do the math — with a physique like Commander Lu’s, an hour wouldn’t even be enough for him to get going! By the time you passed by, he wouldn’t have even had time to take a shower!”

“And that kid’s always stuck to Chu Yue like glue. Do you really think Commander Lu would do that kind of thing right in front of the boy?”

“You’re not married yet, so you don’t know these things. I’ve been through it — let me tell you, if a woman’s too skinny, a man won’t get excited. Her chin’s pointy, and she’s skin and bones — Commander Lu probably finds her uncomfortable to even hold.”

He Meijiao didn’t quite understand the part about “an hour not being enough,” but Wang Xiulan’s words were music to her ears.

Just then, the two of them happened to walk past the entrance of the state-run restaurant. He Meijiao, feeling generous, invited Wang Xiulan in for a meal. Wang Xiulan was overjoyed — a free meal at the state restaurant was worth all the flattery she’d just dished out.

However, once they got inside, they found the place packed to the brim — there were no empty tables in sight.

A waitress pointed toward a corner and said, “There’s a table with just two people. You’re two as well, right? Go ask if you can sit with them — squeeze in a bit, and you’ll fit.”

He Meijiao and Wang Xiulan turned to look — and saw none other than Chu Yue and Chen Fengying eating together.

Chu Yue sensed someone staring. She looked up and met He Meijiao’s eyes — her beautiful face full of arrogance and attitude.

Well, speak of the devil. What a small world — they’d bumped into each other again so soon.