Chapter 33

In mid-December, Lu Yun learned from Sister Sun that Chen Zhiqiang and Li Chunxia were together.

Li Chunxia would bring Chen Zhiqiang to her office and even waited for him at lunch so they could eat together in the cafeteria. The two seemed quite close and looked very much in love.

The fact that Chen Zhiqiang was now with Li Chunxia held a deeper meaning for Lu Yun.

It meant that her own life had taken a completely different path from the storyline of the novel.

She could now look at this world from an objective perspective and no longer had to view it as a mere story.

Yet, she still wondered if He Cheng’an’s career would intersect with her life as it had in the original text.

After all, while she could ensure she wouldn’t end up marrying Chen Zhiqiang, she had no control over what he did after he quit his job.

Sister Sun leaned in and whispered to Lu Yun, “I also heard that Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt seems to really like Li Chunxia. She even made a special trip to the factory to visit her and took both her and Chen Zhiqiang out for a meal.”

After a moment of thought, Sister Sun added, “But you know, I don’t think Li Chunxia is as simple as she seems. Otherwise, how could she have gotten together with Chen Zhiqiang so quickly?”

Lu Yun found this curious and said, “Didn’t they say she prefers college students?”

Realizing she might have said something inappropriate; Lu Yun quickly covered her tracks.

She wasn’t sure if Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt had actually mentioned this to them, as her knowledge came from the original storyline. She hurried to add, “I remember it being that way — that only college students were seen as a good match for Chen Zhiqiang.”

Sister Sun nodded in agreement, “Exactly! And Li Chunxia brags all the time about her diploma, as if she’s some kind of university graduate. Anyone who doesn’t know better would think she’s a college student.”

Then Sister Sun looked at Lu Yun and asked, “You only graduated high school and you’re young. Why didn’t you try to get into college back then?”

Lu Yun actually knew the answer.

In the novel, this part was written to contrast with the Female Lead.

The Female Supporting Character, as Lu Yun’s role was titled, had tried to pass the university entrance exams several times but never succeeded.

Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt had encouraged her to keep trying, but for some reason, she became more and more fragile after marriage.

She found it uncomfortable to stay up late studying, and even got sleepy just looking at a math textbook.

Meanwhile, the Female Lead, with the support of Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt, succeeded in passing her exams and getting into college.

When the Female Lead started college, she and Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt happened to run into the Female Supporting Character.

Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt had said several hurtful things to the Female Supporting Character in front of the Female Lead.

Later, when He Cheng’an found out about everything, he caused quite a bit of trouble for the Chen family.

When Lu Yun first crossed over to this world, she had thought about going to college.

But with the Lu family, all of whom would eventually lose their jobs, she needed to find a way to make some money before considering further education.

Besides, she had already graduated from college in her original world.

Going through the process again here was just a matter of convenience, and there was no rush.

If she didn’t pass the exams on her first try, she could just keep trying.

—o—o—o—

After work that evening, Lu Yun hadn’t yet left the Cotton Textile Factory when she spotted Chen Zhiqiang with Li Chunxia.

Li Chunxia was clinging to Chen Zhiqiang’s arm, smiling with a satisfied, almost smug expression.

None of the three made any move to speak first.

Lu Yun genuinely didn’t care. Chen Zhiqiang, on the other hand, clenched his fist for a moment before letting it go.

Li Chunxia’s eyes scanned Lu Yun’s outfit—a thick, blue work uniform paired with a red scarf.

Her black hair, styled in large waves, was tied up into two braids with delicate bows made of ribbon.

The look was strikingly attractive, and lately, many women in the Cotton Textile Factory had begun imitating Lu Yun’s style.

Seeing this, Li Chunxia instinctively touched her own hair, thinking she should get a perm, too.

After Lu Yun had walked far enough away, Chen Zhiqiang pulled his arm free from Li Chunxia’s grasp and said, “I’m going home.”

Li Chunxia bit her lip, saying nothing, but her determined expression showed that she was unwilling to give up. She recalled the events that had led to her being with Chen Zhiqiang.

—o—o—o—

On the day Lu Yun and He Cheng’an had lunch together in the Cotton Textile Factory cafeteria, Chen Zhiqiang had gone home and drank quite a bit, even crying at one point.

Li Chunxia had been at the Chen house at the time. When she went to find Chen Zhiqiang, she had worn a red scarf and tied her hair in a bun, just like Lu Yun’s style.

In his drunken state, Chen Zhiqiang had mistaken her for Lu Yun, and everything that happened afterward followed naturally from that.

When the Chen family discovered what had happened, Li Chunxia wasted no time stepping forward and declaring that she and Chen Zhiqiang were dating.

Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt had approached Li Chunxia afterward, advising her that if she ever got pregnant, it wouldn’t look respectable to marry under those circumstances.

She even gave her some contraceptive pills. However, Li Chunxia promptly threw the pills away.

Chen Zhiqiang’s aunt truly thought she was naïve, as if she didn’t know her own mind. She was just her aunt after all—not even her parents knew her fully, after all.

Li Chunxia placed a hand on her belly, imagining the day when she’d get pregnant. That would secure her position in the Chen family for good.

Marrying Chen Zhiqiang would mean she was climbing the ladder. Besides, of all the men she knew, Chen Zhiqiang was undoubtedly the best option.

Once she was in the family, she planned to make that aunt of his face some real hardships.

Thinking of all this, Li Chunxia’s mood brightened.

Whether or not Chen Zhiqiang still had feelings for Lu Yun didn’t matter to her—what mattered was that he’d end up marrying her.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, Sister Sun was going to the market to buy groceries again, and this time, Lu Yun went along as well. Both of them bought some peach pastries, and then, because Sister Sun’s son loved instant noodles, she purchased a whole box. Lu Yun didn’t buy a whole box but did pick up a few packets.

It had been quite a while since she’d had instant noodles, and she was looking forward to having some with an egg and some greens added.

On the way back, Lu Yun ran into Zhang Hao’s father, Zhang Jianjun.

Although she didn’t recognize him, Zhang Hao’s father recognized her immediately. With great enthusiasm, he approached Lu Yun and greeted her warmly, “You’re Lu Yun, right? I caught a glimpse of you from afar once. Recently, Zhang Hao mentioned to me that you’re dating He Cheng’an.”

Lu Yun responded politely, “Hello, Uncle.”

Zhang Jianjun praised Lu Yun warmly, adding, “It’s truly wonderful that you and He Cheng’an are together. When you two get married, you must invite your uncle here to the wedding banquet!”

He then chatted on, sharing updates about Zhang Hao and even a few details about He Cheng’an. Lu Yun stood there, smiling gently and listening, chiming in with a few polite responses here and there, making sure Zhang Jianjun didn’t feel awkward at all.

As they were about to part, Zhang Jianjun asked, “Are they coming back next weekend? Zhang Hao mentioned he wasn’t sure last time, and I haven’t called him in a few days.”

Lu Yun nodded, “Yes, they’re coming back this weekend.”

Zhang Jianjun replied, “Then I’ll wait for him at the station. He always brings back so much stuff when he returns. I’ll go help him carry it all, and he’ll be pleasantly surprised to see me there.”

Listening to Zhang Jianjun, Lu Yun’s gaze softened slightly.

As she headed home, Zhang Jianjun watched her retreating figure with satisfaction, nodding approvingly.

He thought she was a truly lovely girl—beautiful, polite, and gentle.

Then, his thoughts drifted to his son’s girlfriend, Li Lan, and a look of helplessness crossed his face as he walked back.

—o—o—o—

Once she got home, Lu Yun counted her money—just over 180 yuan. She then took out a pen and paper and began jotting down ideas.

When she first crossed into this world, she had briefly considered starting a food business.

Although she was experienced as a food blogger in her previous life, she knew she didn’t have the stamina to cook every day and manage a stall on her own.

She would definitely need to hire help, and the food would have to be simple enough for employees to handle.

With this in mind, Lu Yun thought of the mala skewers that had been a popular street snack for a long time. As long as she prepared the soup base herself, the rest could easily be handled by hired workers at a street stall. The skewers would be straightforward, and she wouldn’t have to oversee the stall personally.

Now, forget the county—mala skewers hadn’t even started to trend in the provincial capital yet.

As Lu Yun sat with her ideas, Zhang Meili came in, lifting the curtain and bringing her some grapes—a rare treat. Zhang Meili asked, “He Cheng’an is coming over this weekend, right? Tell him not to bring so much stuff again like he did last time. We haven’t even finished the malted milk powder he brought the first time, and last time he brought more. Just a few days ago, he even sent Zhang Hao over with a lot of pork belly and ribs. I haven’t had to buy any groceries all week! Tell him to save his money a little.”

Lu Yun smiled and, linking her arm with Zhang Meili’s, sat down on the bed with her. She said, “I haven’t been spending money wastefully lately.”

Zhang Meili, hearing this, remembered that Lu Yun hadn’t bought much recently, so she hadn’t needed to help Lu Yun financially. However, she did note that He Cheng’an seemed to be giving Lu Yun plenty of things, which made her happy. “Well, hand over your money. When you get married, I’ll give it all back to you. If I let you keep it, you’ll just spend it.”

She and Lu Dong had been saving up a dowry for Lu Yun, and if Lu Yun could save a bit more herself, her dowry would be even more substantial. After that, they’d have to start thinking about Lu Xiang’an’s bride price.

Lu Yun then said, “I want to start a business.”

Zhang Meili raised an eyebrow. “What business do you mean to start? Don’t you already have your job at the Cotton Textile Factory?”

Lu Yun replied, “I want to earn some extra money. I have it all planned out. I—”

But before Lu Yun could finish, Zhang Meili got up, brushing off the idea with a casual wave. “Fine, fine, start a business, if you’re so capable. My daughter’s ambitious.”

At that moment, Lu Dong and Lu Xiang’an, who had come by to look for Lu Yun, laughed from outside. They didn’t try to stop her; they’d just let her try her hand at whatever she wanted. Lu Xiang’an joked with a smile, “If you need help, let me know. But what business are you planning?”

Lu Yun leaned back in her chair and teased, “Not telling you.”

Lu Xiang’an chuckled, “Alright, don’t tell me. Just wait until He Cheng’an comes over. You can tell him; he adores you, so he’ll approve of whatever you do.”

Lu Yun said, “I’ll just wait for him to come back and then tell him, okay?”

Suddenly, she thought of something and quickly called out to Zhang Meili. She pleaded with her mother, “Mom, could you ask Dad to go to the station to wait for He Cheng’an this weekend?”

Zhang Meili nodded in agreement, “I’ll take care of it.”

That night, as Zhang Meili was getting ready for bed, she mentioned to Lu Dong, “This weekend, since you don’t have anything else to do, why don’t you take a trip to the station to wait for He Cheng’an?”

Lu Dong teased, “Are you becoming more and more satisfied with this son-in-law?”

Zhang Meili rolled her eyes at him. “Lu Yun mentioned it, but I think it’s a good idea.”

“Alright, I got it,” Lu Dong replied.

In the past few days, many people in their courtyard had been expressing envy toward Zhang Meili, saying that Lu Yun had found a great partner and that she would have a wonderful son-in-law in the future. Thinking of this made Zhang Meili smile.

“Yes, I’m quite satisfied,” she said. “Now let’s get some sleep.”

—o—o—o—

Early on the weekend, He Cheng’an returned from the provincial capital, carrying bags and boxes full of things.

This time, he had come back with Zhang Hao. They had recently managed to find quite a few capable workers to do tasks like applying putty, painting, and breaking down walls. Things were finally less hectic than before. In addition, they had signed contracts with four homeowners in Seagull Garden and were now looking for ways to sign on owners from other neighborhoods.

After all, once they completed their work in Seagull Garden, they would need to keep going.

When the bus arrived at the station, He Cheng’an got off and, spotting Lu Dong, froze for a moment before rushing over.

Zhang Hao followed behind, calling out, “Brother He?”

He Cheng’an replied, “Uncle, what brings you here?”

Zhang Hao, quick on the uptake, chimed in, “You must be Uncle Lu, right? Hello, Uncle Lu, I’m Zhang Hao.”

Lu Dong nodded and smiled at Zhang Hao before saying, “I came to wait for He Cheng’an. Our Ah Yun asked me to come.”

After saying this, Lu Dong offered to help He Cheng’an carry his things, but He Cheng’an quickly stepped back, not wanting Lu Dong to carry anything.

With a bright smile, He Cheng’an said, “Uncle, I can handle it myself. Let’s head back.”

At that moment, he felt neither tired nor cold; he just wanted to return to the Lu family quickly.

Lu Dong pointed out, “You can put the things on your bike.”

“Okay!” He Cheng’an replied enthusiastically.

Zhang Hao watched them with a hint of envy.

When Zhang Jianjun arrived, Zhang Hao greeted both Lu Yun and Lu Dong before following Zhang Jianjun back.

After learning the details of the situation, Zhang Jianjun glanced back at He Cheng’an and Lu Dong.

He noticed how cheerful He Cheng’an appeared as he stood beside Lu Dong, laughing and chatting with him.

The two of them standing together made it seem, to an outsider, like they were father and son.

Zhang Jianjun then looked at Zhang Hao and remarked, “He Cheng’an has found a great partner.”