Chapter 32

Wang Chengwu hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Meng Xuan’s request.

He could tell that Meng Xuan’s request probably had something to do with the Lu family.

Since he was already involved, he decided to see it through. After all, if this issue wasn’t resolved properly, it could implicate his own family.

It would be better to understand Lu Chen’s situation and thoughts, so that he could help his own family distance themselves from Lu Xiujuan if necessary.

With Wang Chengwu’s help, the matter was easier to handle.

Then, Meng Xuan told him what he needed help with, and Wang Chengwu nodded, assuring him he would do his best.

Throughout the entire conversation, Meng Yinyin listened quietly. Once Wang Chengwu left, she turned to Meng Xuan with a complicated expression. When Meng Xuan looked her way, she took two steps back and made a defensive gesture.

Meng Xuan:?

Meng Xuan raised his eyebrows in confusion as he looked at Meng Yinyin. He was about to say something about her strange behavior but was interrupted when she spoke first, her tone full of disdain.

“Brother, do mom and dad know that your mind is full of bad intentions?”

Meng Xuan: “…….”

But no matter how bad it was, it had to be said that the idea Meng Xuan just proposed still made Meng Yinyin a little happy.

After all, if Wang Chengwu could succeed, Lu Chen would be able to get his things back more smoothly.

Thinking about this, Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but laugh.

Her mood swung from anger to laughter, like a little madwoman. Meng Xuan was too lazy to deal with her and simply turned around, telling her to go home.

Meng Yinyin responded with an “Oh,” and was about to follow him out of habit, but suddenly remembered something and called out.

“I don’t want to! Brother, I want to buy something!”

“I want to go to the state-run restaurant, and I also want to go to the supply and marketing cooperative, Brother!”

Since they were already in the town, how could they just leave empty-handed? Plus, she had been looking forward to her brother’s treats for a long time!

After being pestered a few times by her, Meng Xuan reluctantly agreed.

It wasn’t too early anymore, so they first went to the state-run restaurant. As soon as they entered, Meng Yinyin, like someone who hadn’t eaten for decades, ordered several meat dishes.

Meng Xuan glanced at her indifferently but said nothing.

If she couldn’t finish it, he would just take it back and let her eat as much as she wanted!

In the end, Meng Yinyin, as expected, couldn’t finish the food she ordered, causing Meng Xuan to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a food container and pack the untouched meat dishes from the table into it.

While packing, Meng Xuan couldn’t help but lecture Meng Yinyin.

“When are you going to change this habit? Don’t order so much if you can’t finish it. Don’t you know wasting food is shameful?”

In the past, when their family was well-off, and with their parents being frugal, they would help finish the food she couldn’t eat.

But now, the family situation was different. Besides, now that only Meng Yinyin was around, if she kept doing this, the food would really go to waste.

Hearing her brother’s scolding, it sounded as though he thought she was completely unreasonable. She hadn’t planned on explaining, but in the end, she couldn’t help but murmur in response.

“I didn’t want to eat it all myself. I wanted to bring more back for Lu Chen to eat!”

She was just too embarrassed to tell her brother, so she ordered a few extra dishes.

She guessed that Lu Chen had probably never been to a state-run restaurant, and since he had been making her food recently, she wanted to bring him some dishes from the state-run restaurant to try.

But she knew that if she told the truth, her brother would lecture her again, and worst of all, he would probably make fun of her. That’s why she didn’t want to tell him the real reason.

Sure enough, when Meng Xuan found out that Meng Yinyin had ordered all that food just to bring some back for Lu Chen, his expression changed.

“Well, Meng Yinyin, I didn’t know you could be so considerate.”

His tone was sarcastic, and he was clearly displeased.

They weren’t even really together yet, and she was already thinking about that guy. If she really came to her senses, he feared her whole heart would be given to him.

Huh, this is what a sister is like!

Meng Xuan would never admit he was jealous, but it only made him more determined not to intervene between Lu Chen and Meng Yinyin. Let them figure it out on their own!

Meng Yinyin, feeling embarrassed by her brother’s words, still stubbornly defended herself.

“Isn’t this the principle of reciprocity that Dad taught us? We’ve had so many meals at his place, what’s wrong with returning the favor once?”

Meng Xuan interrupted her expressionlessly. “Hold on, I’ve only had two meals there.”

What “so many meals”? Don’t count what she owed onto him.

Meng Yinyin puffed out her cheeks, finally unable to argue anymore, and simply said, “If you won’t pay, I’ll just spend my own money!”

Seeing her get upset, Meng Xuan glanced at her lightly and said, “Did I ever say I wouldn’t pay?”

Meng Yinyin: “….”

She was nearly driven crazy!

After giving Meng Yinyin a hard time, Meng Xuan’s mood finally improved. He packed up the food and left the state-run restaurant with Meng Yinyin, heading towards the supply and marketing cooperative.

The supply and marketing cooperative in the town didn’t have anything good, but that didn’t stop Meng Yinyin from wanting to shop. Plus, she was still annoyed about how Meng Xuan had deliberately teased her, so she didn’t hold back when spending his money and bought a lot of things.

Meng Xuan didn’t tease her any further and paid for the items without delay. Then, he, mimicking their parents’ usual habit, took Meng Yinyin to the clothing counter and asked her.

“Want to buy a piece of clothing?”

In the past, whenever the family went to the department store, they would always buy Meng Yinyin a new outfit, and it had almost become a family tradition.

Even though their family was going through tough times now, within Meng Xuan’s ability, he still wanted to provide his only sister with as much of her old life as possible.

However, Meng Yinyin glanced at the clothes hanging on the wall but shook her head disinterestedly.

“Forget it.”

The clothes here weren’t fashionable, and she didn’t like them.

Seeing that Meng Yinyin truly had no interest in buying clothes, Meng Xuan gave up and asked if she needed anything else. When she gave a negative answer, he turned to leave, heading back to the Nanjiao Brigade.

Just as they were about to step out of the supply and marketing cooperative, a tall, stunning figure walked in.

Meng Yinyin’s gaze lingered on the young lady’s dress for a moment before she lowered her head and turned her face slightly, seemingly not wanting to be noticed by the other person.

Meanwhile, Meng Xuan, for the first time, glanced at the figure a few more times, then furrowed his brow, looking uncertain.

After seeing the figure enter the supply and marketing cooperative, Meng Xuan turned to ask Meng Yinyin.

“That dress looks a bit familiar. Don’t you have one like it?”

Normally, considering Meng Xuan’s personality, he wouldn’t remember the details of a young girl’s dress. After all, Meng Yinyin had many dresses, and to him, they all looked pretty much the same. He was too lazy to even take a second glance at them.

But this particular dress was different. It had been bought by their father while he was on a business trip to another city. The style was rare, and since Meng Yinyin liked it so much, she often showed it off to them, even to the point of not wanting to wear it much.

Because it was so cherished, it had left a strong impression on the family.

So when Meng Xuan saw that dress earlier, he stopped in his tracks because he recognized it.

Meng Yinyin, upon hearing his question, could only answer vaguely.

“That dress… it’s actually the one I have. At that time, I had no choice but to give it to that young lady…”

She wanted to lie and say it wasn’t hers, but knowing her older brother so well, she figured that if she lied, he would probably go up to the young lady and ask her directly.

It was better to just admit the truth.

Upon hearing this, Meng Xuan furrowed his brow, feeling a bit distressed.

Despite his outward disdain for Meng Yinyin, the truth was, she was his only sister. They had grown up together, and he certainly didn’t want her to suffer any grievances.

He never expected that, despite her spoiled nature, she would one day be willing to part with her beloved dress in exchange for something else.

This made Meng Xuan feel both relieved and heartbroken.

He was relieved that she was growing up, but heartbroken that she had given up her cherished dress.

“Alright, next time, I’ll buy you an even prettier dress,” he said, finally pushing all his emotions aside. He patted Meng Yinyin’s head, intending to move on from the matter.

But then, he couldn’t resist asking casually, “Did you use those fabric coupons? If not, I’ll take you to the city tomorrow to have a look around.”

He had plenty of money and food coupons from his business trip, but he didn’t have any fabric coupons since there were standard uniforms in the army, and they didn’t issue extra coupons for business trips.

Fortunately, Meng Yinyin had some skill and had exchanged for a few fabric coupons. Seeing how she looked down on the clothes in the town’s supply and marketing cooperative, Meng Xuan figured that she probably hadn’t used the coupons yet. So, he naturally thought about taking her to the city to buy some clothes she liked.

However, he didn’t expect that as soon as he asked, Meng Yinyin weakly replied.

“I’ve used them…”

“Used them? What did you buy?” Meng Xuan asked, puzzled.

“Well, I bought some fabric and made a piece of clothing…” Meng Yinyin replied, not daring to mention that the clothes were made for Lu Chen, as it was too embarrassing.

After all, she hadn’t even sent the finished clothes to him!

Meng Xuan didn’t know the details; he was just stunned by the fact that Meng Yinyin had made the clothes herself.

“Impressive, Meng Yinyin! You learned to make clothes? What does it look like? Show me, I promise I won’t laugh.”

Meng Yinyin huffed in annoyance.

“It’s not like I made it for you, so why does it matter if you laugh?”

Meng Xuan didn’t think much of it. He just assumed that Meng Yinyin had made the clothes for herself and continued teasing her for a while. Eventually, they moved on from the topic.

The two quickly made their way to the Nanjiao Brigade and arrived at the brigade at three in the afternoon.

Meng Yinyin had a key, so she went straight inside.

Once inside, she noticed that there was a large watermelon hanging in the water well, and she exclaimed in surprise.

Neither she nor her brother, Meng Xuan, had bought the watermelon, so it must have been Lu Chen who brought it. She just didn’t know where he had gotten it from.

Meng Yinyin stared at the round, tempting watermelon for a while, then reluctantly placed it, along with the food she had brought back, into the water bucket before lowering it back down into the well.

The weather had been getting hotter lately, and many things were difficult to preserve. Families with water wells would often store items in the well to keep them cool.

While items like watermelon could be stored outside, they would taste crisper and fresher after being chilled in the well.

Because of the watermelon, Meng Yinyin eagerly looked forward to Lu Chen coming home from work.

Meng Xuan was also looking forward to it, but he just wanted Lu Chen to come back and tell him what happened during the day.

However, before they could wait for Lu Chen to come back, they were greeted by an unexpected visitor.

When they heard the childish voice of Dabao outside the yard, Meng Yinyin thought she had misheard.

“Sister, Sister Yinyin!”

Meng Yinyin quickly stepped out of the room and saw Dabao hopping on his tiptoes, calling her name excitedly as he entered the yard.

Seeing this, Meng Yinyin hurried over to him, opened the gate, and curiously asked, “Dabao, what are you doing here?”

The last time she had seen Dabao was when his mother had fallen ill, and Lu Chen had taken him to the commune’s health centre to get medicine for her.

Several days had passed since that meeting, and during this time, Meng Yinyin had been busy moving and dealing with her brother’s arrival, so she had completely forgotten about Dabao’s family situation.

Now, seeing Dabao, she noticed that he had returned to his usual clean, tidy appearance. She guessed that his family situation had improved, or else he would probably still look as dirty and worried as before.

Sure enough, when Dabao saw Meng Yinyin coming out, he happily said to her,

“Sister Yinyin, my mom is feeling better. My dad asked me to thank you and Brother Lu Chen for helping last time. He told me to bring something to you!”

As he spoke, he carefully handed her the items he had been carrying all the way.

Meng Yinyin looked down and saw that Dabao was holding a basket of vegetables. She was momentarily unsure of what to do.

Although vegetables weren’t expensive, and nearly every family in the countryside grew their own to eat, Meng Yinyin was aware of Dabao’s family situation. Right now, Dabao’s mother, Lin Xiuzhi, was the only one working, and she had also been sick recently. So, it was clear they might be lacking in other things.

Now that Dabao had brought over such a large basket of vegetables, did that mean his family still had enough to eat?

Her first instinct was to refuse, but Dabao seemed to have caught onto her hesitation. He quickly added,

“Sister Yinyin, please accept them. If you don’t, my dad will get upset.”

Dabao blinked his eyes and looked at her eagerly. For a moment, Meng Yinyin wasn’t sure whether he was serious or not.

Dabao’s father…

To be honest, the only time she had met him was when Dabao had been carried back in a coma, so she didn’t really know what his temper was like.

What if he was quick-tempered? If she refused the vegetables, would Dabao get scolded?

As Meng Yinyin hesitated, Dabao suddenly turned his eyes and, without warning, set the vegetables and the basket at her feet and ran off.

Meng Yinyin: “…”

She couldn’t even call him back.

In the end, Meng Yinyin had no choice but to accept the items for now, deciding to discuss it with Lu Chen when he returned.

After all, in terms of helping out, Lu Chen had actually done the most for Dabao’s family.

She waited anxiously, and when Lu Chen finally returned home, Meng Yinyin quickly told him about Dabao bringing over the vegetables.

Lu Chen paused, and a look of helplessness flashed across his face.

He glanced at the basket of vegetables next to him, and to Meng Yinyin’s surprise, he decided to keep them.

However, the basket needed to be returned, and when returning it, they would also send four slices of watermelon.

When it came time to distribute the watermelon, Lu Chen still asked Meng Yinyin,

“Can we send some of the watermelon to them?”

Meng Yinyin was always generous, especially to people she liked. Since Dabao’s family had brought so many vegetables, she wasn’t about to be stingy with a few slices of watermelon.

Besides, these watermelons had been brought back by Lu Chen.

So Meng Yinyin readily agreed with a nod. Lu Chen then packed the watermelon and said they should first send it to Dabao’s house before leaving.

Just then, Meng Yinyin suddenly thought of something and called him to wait. She quickly went inside to grab some candies and biscuits she had bought in town that day and said to Lu Chen,

“Please take these with you and give them to Dabao and his sister.”

Lu Chen gave her a quick look but didn’t refuse.

Soon, his figure disappeared from view.

Meng Xuan walked over to the door, finally having time to ask Meng Yinyin about Dabao’s family and how they had met.

Meng Yinyin briefly explained the situation with Dabao’s family, but when it came to Lu Chen…

She couldn’t help but think of Lin Xiuzhi, and for some reason, she felt a little irritated.

“I’m not sure. It seems like he has a good relationship with Dabao’s mom,” she said.

Meng Xuan calmly glanced at her and then replied,

“If you want to know, why not just ask him directly?”