Chapter 16

“Clearly, I was the one who met Brother Huai Jing first. You ruined our relationship!”

Lu Hongying raised her voice in anger, quickly attracting the attention of passersby. People began to look at Tang Wan with subtle expressions.

Just as Tang Wan started to feel uncomfortable, Lu Huaijing stepped forward to shield her behind him. With a sharp gaze fixed on Lu Hongying, he said:

“First of all, yes, we met first, but only as people from the same village. Secondly, my marriage to my wife was arranged by our elders.

Lastly, our marriage is both supported by our elders and approved by the military. My wife has never done anything to ruin anyone’s relationship.”

This clear and logical explanation laid out the situation between the three of them, instantly changing the tide of public opinion.

The onlookers began to cast disapproving glances at Lu Hongying.
“I thought she was his first wife with how loudly she was yelling.”
“Exactly. The young couple is perfectly fine, and here she is trying to interfere while blaming someone else. That’s just shameless!”
“How can a woman act so brazenly? There are so many men in the world; why fixate on someone else’s husband?”

“…”

In this era, moral conduct was taken very seriously, and inappropriate relationships could lead to serious consequences.

Lu Hongying’s face turned red with shame from the criticisms. She glared hatefully at Tang Wan and ran off in frustration.

“This is all your fault.”

Even after she had fled, the crowd gradually dispersed, though some kind-hearted women reminded Tang Wan to be cautious around Lu Hongying.

Once they were alone, Tang Wan rolled her eyes at Lu Huaijing in exasperation.
“That’s your trouble-making admirer.”

“I’m sorry,” Lu Huaijing said apologetically, his face full of remorse. “I’ve caused you trouble.”

“Forget it. It’s not like you did it on purpose,” Tang Wan sighed. His straightforward apology made it hard for her to stay upset. After all, this wasn’t something he could control.

Compared to those men who only knew how to shirk responsibility, he was already much better.

The two soon put the small episode behind them and walked into the state-owned restaurant, chatting and laughing.

It was lunchtime, and a small line had already formed at the counter, though not many people came to eat at such places in those days.

“What would you like to eat?”

Lu Huaijing pointed at the small blackboard displaying the day’s menu.

“You decide. I just want rice,” Tang Wan replied. She noticed that most people chose the two-cent steamed buns, reluctant to splurge on rice.

“Alright, find a seat and wait for a bit.”

While Lu Huaijing queued up, Tang Wan casually picked a seat. His tall and broad figure stood out among the crowd.

He was also quite handsome—tall with long legs. To be honest, as long as his personality wasn’t terrible, Tang Wan, who valued appearances, didn’t mind marrying someone like him.

As she let her mind wander, Lu Huaijing came over, his long strides bringing him quickly to her table.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Tang Wan replied hastily, her cheeks heating up. She couldn’t possibly admit she had been admiring his physique.

Lu Huaijing didn’t press her further. Considering what had happened with her family, he assumed she wasn’t in a great mood and chose not to touch on sensitive topics.

Soon, the server at the counter called out. Lu Huaijing walked briskly over and returned with the food.

Braised pork with vermicelli, red-braised spare ribs, and scrambled eggs.

Three meat dishes, generously portioned. Lu Huaijing placed a bowl of rice in front of Tang Wan.

“Let’s eat.”

“Thank you.”

Tang Wan didn’t hold back. The three meat dishes quickly drew attention from the other diners.

Most people who came to treat themselves only ordered one meat dish, yet the two of them had three!

As Tang Wan bit into a spare rib, her brows furrowed slightly, a detail that didn’t escape Lu Huaijing’s sharp eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Tang Wan replied, swallowing slowly. The pork was good quality, but it wasn’t cooked long enough. It seemed the chef today wasn’t the same one who made the delicious meat buns she’d had before.

Sure enough, her eyes lit up when she tasted the pork with vermicelli. “This one is good!”

Seeing her expression, Lu Huaijing tried it as well. “This one does taste better.”

“Yeah,” Tang Wan agreed.

After that, she didn’t touch the spare ribs again, and Lu Huaijing quietly finished them all. In this era, eating meat was a rare treat, so people seldom complained about flavor.

Meanwhile, in the state-owned restaurant’s kitchen, the head chef tasted the spare ribs and sighed. “Looks like my retirement is still a ways off.”

“Master, I’ll keep working to improve my cooking,” said an assistant.

“Luckily, people these days are just happy to have meat on their plates. They don’t care much about the taste,” the head chef said. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked out of the kitchen, his silhouette tinged with loneliness, unaware that someone had already noticed the flaws in the dish.

After leaving the restaurant, Tang Wan hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is there a restroom in town?”

“There is, just around the corner,” Lu Huaijing pointed ahead. “It’s one cent per use. I’ll wait for you at the entrance.”

“No need,” Tang Wan said quickly. “I might take a while. Let’s meet later at the photography studio.”

She waved a dime in her hand and walked off briskly, suggesting that Lu Huaijing explore on his own.

Turning the corner, however, Tang Wan didn’t go to the restroom. Instead, she slipped into a quiet alley and quickly entered her personal space.

Earlier at the supply and marketing cooperative, she had searched repeatedly but hadn’t found a bright red wedding quilt. That reminded her of the shop in her space mall that sold bedding.

Once inside her space, Tang Wan quickly located the home goods store on the first floor. The wedding quilts there were modern and stylish, reflecting designs from the future.

Tang Wan didn’t want to risk exposing her space, so she reluctantly left the store. Before exiting, she glanced at the supermarket in the basement and stumbled upon a nostalgic shop nearby.

To her surprise, the shop stocked wedding quilts that matched the style of this era. They even had watches, bicycles, and radios. The space really had everything. Someday, she planned to explore it thoroughly.

After removing the quilt cover to inspect it, she found the cotton filling was too soft and fine. She decided to only take the dragon-and-phoenix patterned quilt cover and matching bedsheet with her.

Making sure no one was around, Tang Wan exited her space, carrying her items, and hurried to the photography studio.

When she arrived, Lu Huaijing wasn’t there yet, but the photographer handed her their photos.

“You two look great. Every shot came out beautiful,” the photographer said with a smile.

Tang Wan glanced at the black-and-white photos and was pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out. Despite the lack of color, the images were stunning.

Lu Huaijing had a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, his eyes exuding a trace of joy. Tang Wan’s own smile was radiant, like a blooming flower.

“Thank you, comrade. Your skills are amazing,” Tang Wan complimented him.

“It’s all thanks to you two being photogenic. Comrade, can I ask you something?” The photographer’s warm tone made Tang Wan instinctively wary. She raised an eyebrow.

“Go ahead.”

“These photos are the best I’ve taken this year,” the photographer admitted cheerfully. “Could I make an extra copy to display in the shop as a sample?”

It would serve as a living advertisement for his work.

Worried Tang Wan might refuse, he quickly added, lowering his voice, “I’ll refund your payment for the photos. You can have them for free if you agree.”

“Sorry, my husband is a soldier. His image needs to remain confidential,” Tang Wan declined politely.

Money wasn’t an issue for her. Aside from the wealth she had accumulated in her space, she could also earn her own.

Given the current unstable political climate, she had no desire to draw unnecessary attention.