Chapter 21

After Li Ling got married, her life became busier than before.

Recently, she had taken some time off to accompany Han Jiangang back to his hometown, and when she returned, she brought a generous supply of sun-dried wood ear mushrooms for Lu Yun.

She took advantage of the weekend when Lu Yun wasn’t busy to deliver the items.

Leaning over Lu Yun’s desk, Li Ling said, “Life after marriage, if I were to say it’s good, it really is good. My relationship with Han Jiangang is great. But it was not always smooth sailing, there are indeed some troubles. I finally understand why my aunt always says that when looking for a marriage partner, it’s crucial to find someone from a good family. Otherwise, living together can be exhausting.”

“You know Han Jiangang has an older brother, right? His brother seems to have gotten married a year before us. The woman he married always wants to stand out. If I outperform her in anything, she gets all huffy. If I can’t match her, I can’t stand her smugness.”

Lu Yun sat down next to her. She had heard about such matters a long time ago. As long as the sisters-in-law got along harmoniously, everything was fine, but if there were hidden tensions, it could indeed be infuriating, leading to some resentment and fights with their husbands when they returned home.

A friend of Lu Yun’s who had gotten married had cried several times over her sister-in-law’s scheming nature.

Lu Yun asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to buy a house and move out?”

Li Ling replied, “Well, it’s going to take some time. The housing prices in our county are just too high.”

Lu Yun thought to herself that the current prices were not high at all; they were practically a bargain. The real high prices would come later. If she had enough capital now to buy a few more properties, she could just relax and live off the rent in the future.

However, if she voiced those thoughts, Li Ling probably wouldn’t believe her. Plus, she couldn’t express how cautious she was about her own matters; otherwise, it might raise suspicions that would be difficult to explain.

Lu Yun said, “If you’re going to buy, try to stay within your budget and go for a larger one. Think about it; you’re going to have kids in the future, right? They’ll need their own room, and they’ll want some space to play at home, right? If it’s a bit more expensive, so be it. Otherwise, if you buy a smaller one, you’ll just end up needing to move again later, and that new house will require renovations, which is another expense.”

As she spoke, Lu Yun felt herself getting a bit excited about the idea. If the location was chosen well, they might even benefit from future redevelopment. Unfortunately, this was a fictional world, similar yet different from her previous one, like a parallel universe. Lu Yun couldn’t pinpoint where redevelopment would surely occur, but she was confident that buying property was a smart move.

Li Ling absorbed Lu Yun’s words.

On the way back, Li Ling suddenly recalled something and said, “The other day when I was coming home from work, I saw Chen Zhiqiang inquiring about He Cheng’an.”

It was quite unusual for Chen Zhiqiang to be asking about He Cheng’an. Lu Yun pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out why Chen Zhiqiang would be interested in He Cheng’an, especially since the two of them seemed to have no connections now.

After contemplating without resolution, Lu Yun decided to let it go and face whatever came next.

—o—o—o—

At the Cotton Textile Factory where Lu Yun worked, they dealt with some defective fabrics, yet these fabrics were often sought after by others looking for bargains. Despite having some flaws, they were still attractive to wear, and with a bit of tailoring, they could be just as good as the new, high-quality materials from the factory. Even if they didn’t buy the flawed fabrics, the workers at the Cotton Textile Factory could still acquire them at a lower price.

On this particular day at work, as soon as Lu Yun arrived at the office, she was taken to a warehouse in the Cotton Textile Factory by Sister Sun without having a chance to speak.

Lu Yun was currently saving up money as capital, especially after hearing Li Ling express her desire to buy a house. Faced with these temptations, she managed to resist, but she still chose a bolt of thick blue cotton fabric for Zhang Meili and Lu Dong, hoping they would make a loose-fitting set of pajamas to wear at home.

Lu Yun didn’t take any defective products. After she paid, she turned around and noticed that the previously neglected blue fabric was nearly all picked over; many people had taken a piece. Sister Sun glanced at Lu Yun and quickly stepped forward to grab a piece for herself, hugging it close.

Sister Sun covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “Now everyone at the Cotton Textile Factory wants to learn from you.”

As Chen Zhiqiang passed by, he glanced at Lu Yun again. In his memory, Lu Yun had still been wearing summer dresses, but now she had switched to a thick wool sweater and had braided her hair to hang down one side of her shoulder. He didn’t know anything about hairstyles, but he felt that Lu Yun’s braid looked better than anyone else’s, especially since it was tied with a ribbon.

When Lu Yun looked in his direction, Chen Zhiqiang instinctively stood up straighter, but Lu Yun casually walked past him.

Encountering Chen Zhiqiang made Lu Yun curious, so she couldn’t help but ask Sister Sun, “How are Li Chunxia and Chen Zhiqiang doing?”

Lu Yun wasn’t interested in whether Chen Zhiqiang was getting married, but she was concerned that Li Chunxia might end up as a background character in a novel, eventually becoming the Female Lead’s contrast. If possible, she wanted to find a way to warn Li Chunxia that Chen Zhiqiang was not a suitable match.

Sister Sun replied, “I heard that Li Chunxia is chasing after Chen Zhiqiang every day now.”

—o—o—o—

In the evening, when He Cheng’an came to pick up Lu Yun after work, he had switched from the bicycle he usually rode. The rear seat of Lu Yun’s bicycle was a bit small, so when she sat on it, it was definitely more comfortable on the larger bicycle. However, it was still better to ride the lighter bicycle.

As He Cheng’an pedaled with his long legs, not yet exerting much effort, Chen Zhiqiang approached.

Chen Zhiqiang was holding a few books, and Lu Yun immediately spotted one titled *How the Steel Was Tempered*. He handed the book to Lu Yun, saying, “You gave this to me before, and I finished reading it…”

Before he could finish, He Cheng’an abruptly rode off on the bicycle.

Lu Yun thought that He Cheng’an was going to take her home, but instead, he stopped outside a bookstore. Lu Yun was familiar with this bookstore, as she had bought several food-related books there before.

He Cheng’an couldn’t shake the thought that Lu Yun had lent her books to Chen Zhiqiang. He imagined Chen Zhiqiang flipping through the pages daily, reading the words inside.

After Chen Zhiqiang returned the books to Lu Yun, she had stayed up late at night, going through the pages that he had previously read, feeling a surge of emotions, her heart in turmoil. She wished she could shatter the imagined scenes that troubled her.

He Cheng’an cautiously asked, “Is it okay if we buy new ones?”

While he waited for Lu Yun’s response, Lu Yun simply turned and walked into the bookstore. He Cheng’an, seeing this, hurried after her and followed her inside.

Lu Yun immediately spotted *How the Steel Was Tempered*, but she had no idea what other books Chen Zhiqiang had taken. When she found *How the Steel Was Tempered* on a higher shelf, she remained silent, and He Cheng’an quickly reached up to grab the book for her with ease.

The bookstore was small, and the books were tucked away in a corner; once He Cheng’an got the book, their toes nearly touched.

Instead of handing the book to Lu Yun, He Cheng’an held onto it himself. “What else is there?” he asked.

Lu Yun’s fingers glided over the spines of the books on the shelf. “I can’t remember,” she replied.

He Cheng’an’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Not remembering is fine. Let’s just get a few more,” he said as he quickly gathered several other books in his arms.

There weren’t many people around, so Lu Yun’s voice was particularly soft. “Were you angry just now?”

He Cheng’an shook his head. He wasn’t angry; even if he had been, it wouldn’t have been at Lu Yun. He was just feeling jealous.

He Cheng’an fixed his gaze on Lu Yun and asked, “Were you angry just now?”

He had brought Lu Yun to the bookstore without her permission and insisted that she buy more books.

After saying that, they continued to browse the bookstore.

He Cheng’an followed behind her. “Let’s buy more,” he encouraged.

Lu Yun did want to get a few more books. The bookstore had received several new cookbooks, many of which featured old-fashioned cooking methods or baking techniques that she had never seen before and found intriguing. She picked out a few, and He Cheng’an would take them from her, carrying them together.

Lu Yun enjoyed this feeling. With her hands behind her back, she smiled as she walked further.

After checking out, the two of them stepped outside.

As Lu Yun remembered what Li Ling had said about Chen Zhiqiang asking about He Cheng’an, she initially thought about telling He Cheng’an.

However, seeing his cheerful demeanor made her reconsider; mentioning Chen Zhiqiang at that moment would only bring him down.

He Cheng’an walked Lu Yun to the entrance of the alley. Once they arrived, Lu Yun pulled out the books she had purchased and selected a few to keep.

She handed the rest to He Cheng’an, who looked down to see that most of the books she left for him were related to renovation, along with a few about architecture, such as *History of Chinese Architecture*.

While Lu Yun was browsing the bookstore, He Cheng’an kept watching her or helping her reach for books. At first, he remembered a few titles of the books she had bought, but eventually, his focus shifted entirely to Lu Yun, so he lost track of which books she actually got.

“I’ll read them all when we get back, not missing a single one,” He Cheng’an promised eagerly.

When Lu Yun returned home, she was surprised to find Lu Xiang’an standing outside in the yard, peeking through a gap to see her and He Cheng’an. Lu Yun opened the door and shot him a glare, causing Lu Xiang’an to step back hurriedly.

“What did you say to him? He’s grinning like he just struck it rich,” Lu Xiang’an asked.

“Mind your own business,” Lu Yun replied dismissively.

Once inside, Lu Yun casually flipped through each book before placing them on the shelf.

She originally planned to help Zhang Meili with dinner, but after taking a few steps, she turned back, retrieved *How the Steel Was Tempered*, and sat down at the table, opening the first page.

Meanwhile, He Cheng’an pedaled home quickly, and upon entering his yard, he carefully organized the books Lu Yun had chosen for him. He then took one out and sat down in the yard, opening to the first page as well.