Chapter 34.3

She mentally chided herself for being dissatisfied with the clothes of that era—she could just buy fabric and make her own.

Although she only had a vague idea of what she wanted, Hu Wanning was skilled in this area. She could learn from her, and then she could wear whatever she desired.

Besides, she wanted to make herself a set of pajamas.

There were none available for sale, and she couldn’t keep wearing old clothes all the time.

Ruan Mingfu grabbed Xie Yanzhao’s arm. “Let’s go check that out.”

While the clothing styles of that era were limited, there was no shortage of fabric varieties.

She was dazzled by the selection.

Seeing the manager accompanying them, the sales assistant, thinking they must be important customers, quickly brought out all the available fabrics.

Ruan Mingfu glanced over them, occasionally reaching out to feel the textures.

Normally, this kind of behavior would have earned a reprimand from the sales assistant.

But with the manager present, she pretended not to notice.

“I’ll take some of this, and this, and this…” Ruan Mingfu selected a considerable amount in one go. “And I’ll take all the fabric in these three categories over here as well.”

The sales assistant’s eyes lit up.

This really was a big client!

Fearing that Ruan Mingfu might change her mind, she immediately took up her scissors and began cutting the selected fabrics. Apart from a stiffer piece of cotton, the rest were all soft, the remnants left by other customers.

Ruan Mingfu had initially wanted to buy silk.

But in that era, silk was primarily exported to earn foreign exchange, so she couldn’t find any to purchase even if she wanted to.

Ruan Mingfu ran her hand over the stiffer piece of fabric and smiled at Xie Yanzhao. “This fabric will be perfect for making you a shirt.”

With that, the restlessness in Xie Yanzhao’s heart completely vanished. He felt a warm glow in his chest, as if his entire body was enveloped in warmth.

Watching Ruan Mingfu’s eyes light up as she held the fabric, Xie Yanzhao felt that, after a tumultuous first half of his life, he had finally found peace and a place to call home.

Unable to resist, he reached out and patted Ruan Mingfu’s fluffy head.

The gesture made Ruan Mingfu momentarily imagine him as a dog.

She swatted away the hand messing with her hair and shot Xie Yanzhao a glare. But instead of getting angry, he just smiled.

Ruan Mingfu: … What a lunatic!

But truth be told, the dog of a man did have a very nice smile.

She couldn’t help but touch her own lips.

However, halfway through the motion, she realized what she was doing and quickly redirected her hand to pick up another piece of fabric, glaring at him in frustration.

Xie Yanzhao gave her an innocent look.

“Wrap up these pieces of fabric,” Ruan Mingfu ordered, ignoring him. Her eyes then caught sight of another fabric that felt somewhat like silk.

This was her perfect choice for pajamas.

Without a second thought, Ruan Mingfu asked the assistant to cut a few yards of it.

There were several colors available for that fabric.

Ruan Mingfu showed no mercy and bought all of them.

“Let’s go.”

Feeling satisfied with her purchases, Ruan Mingfu was in high spirits. Xie Yanzhao gathered up their items and followed her downstairs.

When they reached the second floor, Xie Yanzhao led Ruan Mingfu towards another section.

Curious, she asked, “What else do you want to buy?”

The second floor wasn’t like the third floor. It was where large items were sold.

Xie Yanzhao had a clear goal in mind and led her straight to the section selling sewing machines. Without a word, he promptly paid for one, handing over the money and ration coupons.

In less than two minutes, Ruan Mingfu had acquired a sewing machine.

Wow!

The dog of a man was impressively efficient, truly living up to his military background.

Buying a sewing machine was a good idea.

Even if Xie Yanzhao hadn’t bought one, she would have.

Ruan Mingfu had no intention of sewing clothes by hand, stitch by stitch.

“A sewing machine…” Xie Yanzhao thought for a moment about what people usually bought for weddings, then he took Ruan Mingfu to the section selling radios. “I’ll also need…”

“Forget about the radio.”

Ruan Mingfu tugged on Xie Yanzhao’s sleeve.

She genuinely didn’t like it, and besides, she wasn’t a fan of listening to the broadcasts of this era. They were all about politics and ideology, and she would fall asleep not long after.

Seeing this, Xie Yanzhao asked, “How about a bicycle then?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ruan Mingfu shot him a look.

“What do we need a bicycle for at the family compound?”

The main issue was, where would she even ride the bike to?

It takes over half an hour by car to get from the military base to the city. If she were to ride a bike, she’d be exhausted.

There’s a mountain behind and another in front.

There’s a village nearby.

But it’s not far, just a ten or twenty-minute walk, which could be considered a stroll. Besides, there’s nothing much available in the village. Whatever they have, the wives at the family quarters also grow in their gardens.

Despite being scolded, Xie Yanzhao didn’t get angry.

He rubbed his nose and asked, “What about this?”

The plump manager’s eyes lit up. “Comrade, you’ve got a good eye. This is a brand-new refrigerator. It’s very practical, and it doesn’t require any ration tickets. Originally priced at one thousand yuan, it’s now discounted by two hundred.”

“We also offer home delivery.”

Ruan Mingfu: … Oh no, I’m a little tempted.

Seeing this, Xie Yanzhao made a swift decision. “We’ll take it!”

Watching the dog man hand over eight hundred yuan without blinking, Ruan Mingfu’s perception of his wealth was refreshed.

Well, after all, Lin Shu gave her a set of emerald jewelry without hesitation.

Their family’s financial situation must be quite exceptional.

So, have I hitched myself to a wealthy man?

This thought lingered in her mind for a second before it was interrupted.

What about a wealthy man? She was a rich woman herself, with over five thousand yuan in her pocket.

She’s not worse off than that dog man!

The plump manager felt today was his lucky day.

“Comrade, we’ll arrange the delivery. If it’s convenient for you, you can leave your address, and we’ll have it delivered to your door this afternoon.”

This service wasn’t originally available, but since Xie Yanzhao was a big customer, they had to take good care of him.

Xie Yanzhao nodded and left the address of the family quarters. “Please deliver the sewing machine along with it.”

“Of course, of course.”

The plump manager was all smiles.

He personally escorted Xie Yanzhao and Ruan Mingfu out of the supply and marketing cooperative to show his respect for a big customer.

After watching them get into the car, the plump manager was even more astonished.

No wonder they could spend over a thousand yuan in one go—they have a car! Looking at the address in his hand, the plump manager wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.

Good heavens.

Being able to drive in the military, his rank must not be low…

Ruan Mingfu unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into her mouth, the rich taste of milk filling her senses.

This era does have its advantages. At least the food is genuinely good, without any artificial ingredients.

The dog man was quite thoughtful.

Even when they were about to leave, he went back to buy some candy for her.

She unwrapped another piece and stuffed it into Xie Yanzhao’s mouth as he was driving.

Smiling sweetly at him, she asked, “Is it sweet?”

Xie Yanzhao’s hand shook.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people on the road, and he was a skilled driver, so the car quickly returned to normal, and Ruan Mingfu didn’t even notice.

He didn’t dare to lose focus again.

But the candy in his mouth melted its sweetness into his heart.

When they arrived at their destination, Xie Yanzhao got out of the car.

In this era, getting married was a serious affair, requiring a formal oath. After that, the marriage certificate was handwritten, stamped like a certificate of merit, without even a photograph.

Ruan Mingfu was full of life when she went in, but when she came out, she looked like a lost soul.

Xie Yanzhao felt a pang in his heart.

Back in the car, Ruan Mingfu looked at the certificate-like marriage license, feeling utterly miserable.

“…So, just like that, I’m a married woman?”

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Her eyes started to redden.

Getting married was a big deal for her, after all.

This was her first marriage in two lifetimes!

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

He suddenly felt somewhat comforted.

At least she didn’t regret it so much that she wanted to drag him to get a divorce right away.

While the dog man seemed to have come to terms with it, the more Ruan Mingfu thought about it, the sadder she felt. Her tears began to fall uncontrollably. She threw herself into Xie Yanzhao’s arms. “Wuwuwu… I’m a married woman now…”

Others would be overjoyed, but for some reason, she just felt like crying.

Looking at the small wet patch on his chest, Xie Yanzhao: “…”

He held Ruan Mingfu’s slender body in his arms and said helplessly, “Stop crying. Even though we’re married, you’re still the most beautiful.”

“Re-really?” Ruan Mingfu sobbed and looked up at him with tearful eyes.

“Really,” Xie Yanzhao wiped away her tears. “We still need to go take photos. If you keep crying, you won’t look pretty.”

He felt conflicted.

As far as he knew, every newlywed couple he’d seen was all smiles. He had never seen anyone cry like this before.

They might be the first of their kind.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Mingfu immediately left Xie Yanzhao’s embrace and checked her face in a mirror.

Her eyes were red, and so was her nose… How could she go take photos looking like this?

Ruan Mingfu felt like crying again.

“I’m not going.”

“Not going?”

“Not today,” Ruan Mingfu said sullenly. “I can’t take photos looking like this.”

Are they supposed to capture her moment or her black history?

Seeing that Ruan Mingfu had stopped crying, Xie Yanzhao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn’t like seeing Ruan Mingfu cry and just hoped she could live this life happily and worry-free.

Compared to now, he was more interested in seeing her cry in bed…

Thinking this, Xie Yanzhao’s gaze toward Ruan Mingfu grew a bit dangerous.

Ruan Mingfu didn’t notice.

Her emotions were fleeting, coming and going quickly.

“It’s getting late. Shouldn’t we head back?”