Chapter 26

Cheng Jingmo and Yu Xiangnian didn’t pay attention to the women’s gossip. Both of them were looking at the scenery along the road.

Cheng Jingmo remembered the last time Yu Xiangnian drove.

It was the first time he had seen a woman drive, and she was calm and methodical, with excitement in her eyes. That wink she gave him left him with an indescribable feeling.

Cheng Jingmo tilted his head slightly and secretly glanced at the person beside him.

Yu Xiangnian held onto the railing of the truck with both hands, looking straight ahead. Her eyelashes were long and thick like raven feathers, her nose was straight, and her lips were plump and vibrant. Moving down to her neck, it was slender and her skin was as white as snow.

Cheng Jingmo’s gaze continued downwards, finally settling on Yu Xiangnian’s prominent chest. He quickly turned his head back, feeling his ears burn involuntarily.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Street Center Park, the truck stopped. Cheng Jingmo was the first to jump off the truck and then lifted each of the children down.

If it weren’t for so many people watching, Yu Xiangnian would have wanted to be lifted too. Jumping down from such a high truck bed made her feet ache!

None of the three had eaten breakfast yet. Yu Xiangnian led Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie straight to the state-run cafeteria.

The original owner was pretty and ate here every day. Everyone from waiters to chefs knew her.

There was a blackboard on the wall with today’s menu written on it.

Yu Xiangnian stood in front of the menu, preparing to ask Cheng Jingmo what they wanted to eat. Just then, the chef returned from outside.

“Little girl, you’re here! Haven’t seen you in days. I was starting to wonder what happened to you!” The chef’s unintentional words bluntly exposed her indulgent lifestyle outside, leaving Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie to eat plain porridge and steamed buns at home.

Yu Xiangnian scratched her head awkwardly. “I’m back again.”

“Today’s chicken and fish were freshly killed,” the chef added before going back into the kitchen.

“What do you guys want to eat?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

Cheng Jingmo wasn’t picky about food. Aside from necessary social interactions among comrades, he hardly ate out. “I’ll eat whatever you want.”

Xiao Jie, who had never eaten out, looked enviously at the food. “Auntie, do they have meat buns?”

“They do. We’ll buy some to take home for tomorrow’s breakfast. Today, we’re eating something better.” Yu Xiangnian told Cheng Jingmo, “I’ll order now!”

She ordered a chicken stew, a plate of beef, braised beef offal, stir-fried cauliflower, mapo tofu, and a large bowl of rice.

Yu Xiangnian worried that Cheng Jingmo might still be reluctant to eat and would save the food for Xiao Jie and herself. “Cheng Jingmo, I’ve ordered a lot of food today. If we can’t finish it, it will be wasted, and they won’t refund the money.”

When the food arrived, Yu Xiangnian served them each a bowl of chicken soup and chicken meat. “We’ve been hungry all morning. Let’s warm up our stomachs with some soup.”

It was the first time Cheng Jingmo had eaten something served by Yu Xiangnian, and he was pleasantly surprised. He quickly took the bowl and finished the soup before starting on the meal.

Watching the two men in front of her eat heartily, Yu Xiangnian smiled.

After finishing all four dishes, Yu Xiangnian ordered four meat buns to go. Cheng Jingmo went to pay the bill, totaling seven yuan and ten cents.

Feeling full, the three left the cafeteria. Yu Xiangnian said they should first get Xiao Jie’s clothes.

When they reached Mrs. Sun’s house, Cheng Jingmo watched Yu Xiangnian exchange a secret signal with someone else. His lips twitched.

Was this also considered a secret signal? Why did it make him want to laugh a little!

Inside Mrs. Sun’s house, Mrs. Sun initially thought the soldier had come to arrest her and instinctively wanted to run.

Yu Xiangnian quickly stopped her. “Mrs. Sun, this is my husband,” she said, then took Xiao Jie’s hand and added, “The clothes you made last time were for this child.”

Mrs. Sun halted her steps and looked at Cheng Jingmo, then at Xiao Jie, awkwardly smiling. “You two make a good match! But you look so young; your child is already so big!”

Yu Xiangnian spoke up immediately, “He’s thirty, and I’m twenty-six, so we look a bit younger.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jingmo’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Mrs. Sun took out the clothes and tried them on Xiao Jie. “How does it fit?”

Yu Xiangnian nodded in satisfaction and then pushed Cheng Jingmo forward. “Mrs. Sun, measure his size too. He also needs two sets of clothes.”

Cheng Jingmo stepped back. “I don’t need any.”

There was no prior mention of getting clothes made for him. He wore military uniforms every day, so why would he need anything else?

Yu Xiangnian pushed him forward again, her face stern. “I said you do! You don’t even have casual clothes; you must get them!”

Cheng Jingmo sighed internally. If he had known she would insist like this, he wouldn’t have come in the first place.

Mrs. Sun chuckled, “You’re quite fierce to your own husband.”

She then took a soft tape measure and approached Cheng Jingmo, who was being pushed by Yu Xiangnian from behind and couldn’t retreat. He could only stand there as Mrs. Sun measured him.

Mrs. Sun had to stand on tiptoe to measure Cheng Jingmo’s shoulders and teased, “You’ve found yourself such a good-looking wife. Even if she’s fierce, you still have to endure it, right?”

After taking the measurements, Mrs. Sun said, “Your man is tall; he needs a size for someone who is six feet tall.”

Yu Xiangnian replied, “Okay, we’ll buy the fabric later and bring it to you.”

The three left Mrs. Sun’s house and headed to the department store to buy things.

On the way, they saw several children gathered around someone selling sugar paintings, eagerly waiting to buy and eat them.

Although it was not allowed to conduct business these days, it was common to see street vendors carrying boxes of various goods around the city.

The attention of Yu Xiangnian was immediately caught by the sugar paintings.

You know, this kind of craftsmanship is almost lost in today’s society; it’s intangible cultural heritage.

They saw a middle-aged man in his forties holding a small ladle, scooping up melted sugar syrup and quickly pouring it onto a stone slab to create shapes. Then he used a small spatula to lift the sugar painting and stick it onto a bamboo stick.

His movements were skilled and seamless, creating lifelike animals!

Xiao Jie was also very interested, and the two stood in front of the sugar painting stall, looking at the man with admiration and occasionally exclaiming in amazement, “Wow! That’s amazing!”

Watching the man hand another sugar painting to a child, Yu Xiangnian clapped excitedly, “I want one too! I want a fish!” Then she asked Xiao Jie, “What about you?”

Xiao Jie said, “A dragon!”

“And you, Cheng Jingmo?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

Cheng Jingmo stood behind them, “I don’t want one.”

He didn’t understand why Yu Xiangnian was so excited about something as common as sugar paintings.

Yu Xiangnian’s gaze never left the man. “Master, make us a fish and a dragon!”

The man quickly made them, and Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie each held up their respective sugar paintings—a fish and a dragon—and waved them happily.

Cheng Jingmo paid the man three cents.

On the way, the two of them reluctantly ate their “fish” and “dragon.”

Yu Xiangnian, still unsatisfied, said, “Next time we see him, I want him to make other animals.”

Xiao Jie agreed, “I want a big tiger!”

Yu Xiangnian suggested, “Why don’t you consider asking for an elephant? That way, you’ll get more sugar to eat.”

Watching Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie enjoying themselves, Cheng Jingmo couldn’t help but feel a warm sweetness in his heart, even though he hadn’t eaten any sugar himself.