Chapter 47

During the Lantern Festival, they ate yuanxiao. At that time, yuanxiao was not as varied as it later became, with most being filled with five nuts. Those who had stable jobs enjoyed good benefits, and during this festival, the factory provided bonuses, with almost every member of the Lu family receiving quite a bit.

Zhang Meili looked at the yuanxiao and said, “How long will this take to eat? Let’s boil some, and for the rest, we can fry them.” She added with some concern, “It will use quite a bit of oil. Since we’re frying the yuanxiao, I’ll just fry some other things as well.” ^[1]Yuanxiao are dumplings of glutinous rice flour, filled with sesame or peanut powder and sugar, or sweet red bean paste, eaten in a soup during the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the Chinese … Continue reading

There was another custom during the Lantern Festival: one had to buy their zodiac sign and light red candles beside it on the night of the festival. Zhang Meili and Lu Dong had gone to buy these items, and when they returned with their purchases, Zhang Meili gave Lu Dong a gentle push.

Zhang Meili asked, “Do you think we forgot something?”

Lu Dong was somewhat perplexed. “What? We bought everything—four zodiac signs and several packs of small red candles. What else could we have forgotten?”

As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to understand. “Our son-in-law.”

Inside the house, Lu Yun was working on a test paper. She kept reminding herself that slow learners should start early, repeating the phrase in her mind. Although she had taken a university entrance exam in modern times, her grades had not been particularly impressive. After graduation, she had forgotten much of what she had learned. People often said that high school was the peak of many students’ knowledge, and there was indeed some truth to that.

Hearing noise from outside, Lu Yun decided to step out for a breath of fresh air. “Mom and Dad, I’ll go buy some things. It’s a good chance for me to get some fresh air.”

—o—o—o—

Lu Yun always felt that as long as the Lantern Festival had not ended, it still counted as part of the Spring Festival. This sentiment was evident during this time, as the streets were lively. When she arrived at the nearby market, the streets were still quite crowded.

Many people appeared vibrant, filled with hope for the future.

Sister Sun was out shopping for zodiac signs with her son and husband. Ever since she had seemingly resolved her issues with her mother-in-law, Sister Sun had been living comfortably. At that moment, when her son wanted to buy pastries, she didn’t mind the price and purchased them without batting an eye.

After they ran into each other, they exchanged a few words.

Sister Sun’s son remembered Lu Yun and looked up to call out, “Sister, hello!”

Lu Yun reached out and ruffled Sister Sun’s son’s hair. “Hello to you too!”

Sister Sun’s son asked, “Sister, where’s that handsome brother? Why isn’t he with you?”

Sister Sun laughed and scolded him, “You little rascal, you like good-looking people! Didn’t you come over with your partner during the New Year and even give him a red envelope? You mentioned it several times!”

This was a clear case of being obsessed with looks, but at that time, there wasn’t a term for it yet, and Lu Yun didn’t mention it to Sister Sun.

Lu Yun squatted down, making eye contact with Sister Sun’s son. “That handsome brother is busy making money.”

Sister Sun’s son smiled and quickly replied, “I know! The handsome brother is making money to marry you!”

Lu Yun was taken aback and couldn’t help but laugh at the innocent words. As Sister Sun and her son, along with her husband, prepared to head back, Lu Yun bought a peach crisp from a vendor on the street for Sister Sun’s son.

—o—o—o—

He Cheng’an returned on the day of the Lantern Festival. Lu Yun was reluctant to get out of bed and sat there wrapped in his quilt.

After He Cheng’an came back and warmed up outside, he entered Lu Yun’s room with an account book in hand.

This was the account book from his time in the provincial capital, along with the money he had earned this trip.

He Cheng’an moved a chair to sit opposite Lu Yun and helped pull the corners of the quilt for hrt. However, he noticed that Lu Yun was smoothing her hair.

He Cheng’an pressed his lips together and then looked into Lu Yun’s eyes, asking, “How about I tie your hair up first?”

Lu Yun replied, “Can you do it?”

He Cheng’an shook his head but thought that it was just a hair tie, which didn’t seem too difficult.

Lu Yun found it amusing and pointed to a large intestine hair tie on her desk that she had taken off yesterday. He Cheng’an understood and quickly nodded, smiling as he went to grab the hair tie to help Lu Yun with her hair.

Lu Yun turned slightly, presenting her back to He Cheng’an. Her hair was silky, almost like satin. He Cheng’an moved particularly slowly and carefully, which made him seem somewhat clumsy.

Lu Yun didn’t know how long she had waited until He Cheng’an finally tied up her hair. She reached back to feel it and found that he had only managed to create a low ponytail.

Flipping through the account book He Cheng’an had brought back, Lu Yun noted that it was filled with his handwriting detailing his business income and expenses, recorded very meticulously. Besides that, there was another book documenting He Cheng’an’s living expenses. Upon seeing this, Lu Yun couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Lu Yun asked, “A three-cent popsicle?”

He Cheng’an nodded. “Yeah, it’s quite sweet. Next time I go to the provincial capital, I’ll take you to have some.”

Lu Yun looked at him and then at the money He Cheng’an had brought back. He Cheng’an took the initiative to say, “I still have four hundred yuan here. I need to keep a little money for treating guests and buying drinks for the workers, so I keep some on hand. Whatever I spend, I’ll note it all in the account book.”

He gently ruffled Lu Yun’s hair. “Our Ah Yun manages the finances.”

After a while, Lu Yun closed the account book and remarked, “There are too many words.”

He Cheng’an held the account book. “Let me explain it to you.”

The two of them talked—one explaining how he earned money in the provincial capital and what the profits were, while the other listened attentively. After hearing all of this, Lu Yun felt only one thing: He Cheng’an was really impressive.

With this thought, Lu Yun told He Cheng’an, “You’re amazing, He Cheng’an.”

Upon hearing Lu Yun’s compliment, He Cheng’an’s ears turned slightly red.

—o—o—o—

In the evening, the Lu family had a lavish dinner, and they also cooked yuanxiao. While eating a yuanxiao, Lu Yun nodded toward He Cheng’an, and He Cheng’an followed suit, eating one as well.

The Lu family had become accustomed to living with He Cheng’an. The meal had a warm, familial atmosphere. Lu Dong felt like drinking, and He Cheng’an joined him for a few drinks. However, they both kept it moderate; neither drank too much, and there was no question of getting drunk.

After dinner, Lu Yun hardly had to help clear the table, especially with He Cheng’an around. He did most of the work, and he did it meticulously.

When it came time to light candles for the zodiac signs in the evening, the whole family did it together, placing the zodiac signs side by side.

—o—o—o—

After the Lantern Festival, on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Lu Yun’s shop officially opened.

On the first day of business, it was so bustling that people had to line up. They worked hard all night, and when they closed the shop, Lu Yun treated everyone to a meal.

Along with Zhang Meili and Lu Dong, there were six of them in total, and the meal cost fifteen yuan.

After everyone went home, both Zhang Meili and Lu Dong felt a pang of regret.

Although they made a good profit that day, they knew that treating everyone to the meal was the right thing to do.

They shared a mindset with Zhang Hao; while they felt a bit sorry about the expense, they didn’t hesitate.

In the following days, Lu Yun was busy studying and working, rarely visiting the shop.

Besides that, she also had to deal with wedding preparations. This was not just He Cheng’an’s responsibility; moreover,

He Cheng’an wasn’t experienced in these matters. However, they believed he would manage just fine, even if he lacked experience.

Clearly, He Cheng’an had hired enough workers this year, and many were willing to work with him. He was busy every day, mostly negotiating renovations with the owners. Since Lu Yun was in the county, he spent most of his time there.

—o—o—o—

As April rolled around, Lu Yun unexpectedly found her aunt had come to help Zhang Meili make a wedding quilt.

She stood at the door watching them, lost in thought. It reminded her of when she went to see Li Ling before her wedding, and they had also been busy making a wedding quilt for her.

Li Ling’s mother said, “Do you think that after those two get married, Ah Yun will move in with your son-in-law, or will she continue living here like she is now?”

As she spoke, her expression was filled with envy.

Zhang Meili replied, “We don’t have much say in that; we’ll let the kids decide.”

When Zhang Meili caught sight of Lu Yun standing outside, she glanced at her, and there was an encouraging look in her eyes.

Lu Yun froze in place, unable to hold back her tears as they filled her eyes.

Zhang Meili had always been planning for Lu Yun’s future.

She thought that even if Lu Yun got married or divorced, she could always come back home. Lu Yun needed to earn money and shouldn’t rely entirely on a man.

Recently, Zhang Meili had even sensed Lu Yun’s earlier intentions—she wanted to go to the provincial capital. Moreover, Zhang Meili believed that it would be better for Lu Yun to be in the provincial capital with He Cheng’an, where he was doing business.

He Cheng’an’s business was in the provincial capital, and since Lu Yun was going to take university entrance exams, she certainly wouldn’t be studying in the county. There were universities in the provincial capital.

—o—o—o—

In the evening, after dinner, Lu Yun was lingering around, while Zhang Meili sat down, waiting for Lu Yun to say something. She took a sip of water as she waited.

Lu Yun finally spoke, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll resign and end up without a stable job?”

Zhang Meili rolled her eyes. “Your spicy skewers business is booming. Besides, if you move to the provincial capital, you can open a shop there too. You can make as much money as you do from your job, and the provincial capital is certainly better than the county. If you can establish yourself there, we’ll be happy for you. You know He Cheng’an’s capabilities; you can’t expect him to run back and forth between the county and the provincial capital every day. Eventually, he’ll get busy with other things.”

“I would feel more at ease if you and He Cheng’an went to the provincial capital together.”

Zhang Meili gently ruffled Lu Yun’s hair. “In my life, all I wish for is that you and your brother can live better lives, and for your dad to be more at ease like he is now. Besides, you can always come back to visit when you have time.”

After that, she asked, “Has He Cheng’an mentioned this to you at all?”

Lu Yun shook her head. “No, he hasn’t.”

Zhang Meili said, “Next time he comes back, you should tell him that renting a place in the provincial capital is an option too.”

Lu Yun bit her lip before replying, “Okay, I understand.”