Chapter 34: A Manly Man Full of Vigor

In the evening, after hanging up the laundry, Jiang Ning took out the two Soviet novels she had bought.

Lu Dingquan had been coming back more often lately. Her recent single life, where she lived alone, seemed to have ended just like that. The awkwardness of lying in bed together last night automatically reappeared in the quiet of the night.

She flipped through a few pages of the book, lifting her eyes only to see Lu Dingquan busy coming and going, then sitting at the table, sketching on his drawings and data, looking very focused.

She thought for a moment, went to find the textbooks she had brought back with the two novels, and took them over to ask him, “I bought a few novels from the second-hand street, and the owner gave me these old books. I thought you were working in the machinery factory, so I brought them back. I don’t know if you’ll find them useful.”

Lu Dingquan stopped his pen and saw the books in Jiang Ning’s hand. One was “Fundamentals of Mechanical Manufacturing Technology” and the other was “Principles of Mechanical Design.”

He took them, flipped through a few pages.

Then he raised his eyes lightly and asked her, “You’ve started reading books? You should indeed study more.”

Jiang Ning smiled, “…I’m reading novels, I can’t guarantee I’ll learn anything from them.”

Seeing the little expression on her face, Lu Dingquan’s handsome brows seemed to relax, as if he even smiled.

“These two books should be college textbooks. If you’re not going to read them for now, then leave them here with me, okay?” he asked.

That meant they were useful.

Jiang Ning: “Okay then.”

He was quite polite now, his voice slightly deep: “Thank you.”

Jiang Ning continued back to bed to flip through her novels, noticing that Lu Dingquan had picked up the textbook and was looking at it intently.

Actually, she remembered him paying back the debt for her.

She didn’t know why he didn’t tell her, maybe it was to preserve a little dignity and face for her.

She just thought that these two books in her hand might be useful to him.

Lu Dingquan was a factory director, but he seemed to place great importance on technical improvements and the like. Later, he led the factory to successfully transform, which was inseparable from this. Now, seeing him looking at those data and drawings at home every day, Jiang Ning had been quite impressed in recent days.

In the depths of the ocean, when the undercurrents surge, only those who immerse themselves in learning and constantly break through their own limitations can seize the opportunity.

There’s a saying: “When you stand on the wind, even a pig can fly.”

Jiang Ning also remembered that when she was filming, she had overheard someone sighing, saying how good it was back then, the era of red dividends, opportunities were everywhere, they were all gold.

But in the end, everyone only saw the history written by the victors, what about all the ordinary people who were swept up by the times?

Wind, wind, how do you know if it’s real wind or just a sigh from a giant of the times?

In the end, those who are in the midst of it cannot determine the future, the only thing they can do is to constantly enrich themselves, dare to explore and try.

Lu Dingquan didn’t know that his little wife was giving him a lecture on ideology in his mind, he was just about to build him a golden body to worship.

He only felt a burning gaze on him.

He continued to flip through the book in his hand, his expression unruffled, but his throat tightened involuntarily.

When Jiang Ning reached page 28 of her novel, the man at the table stood up to get some water.

He then said casually, “Going to sleep? I’m turning off the lights.”

Jiang Ning was already sleepy, she hummed in agreement and quickly put away her novel.

After lying down, she realized something, it didn’t seem to rain tonight.

The temperature wasn’t that cold either.

Then…

“Click—”

The lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

Her hesitation died down with the extinguishing of the lights.

Forget it, just sleep on the bed, it’s hard to go from luxury to frugality, the bed is so comfortable! She really didn’t want to go back to sleep on the sofa now.

Only when Lu Dingquan also lay down did Jiang Ning suddenly remember the awkwardness of last night, and she started to nervously pray that the neighbors next door could be a little bit more chaste tonight, otherwise, wait, wait until Lu Dingquan is not home tomorrow night, you can do whatever you want…

People are strange, they are very sleepy with the lights on, but when they lie down, they can’t sleep.

It definitely wasn’t because the human wall next to her was too present.

Jiang Ning turned over, facing the wall again. Lu Dingquan was quiet on his side, seemingly asleep. She suddenly couldn’t help but ask in a small voice, “Lu Dingquan, did you pay back the money I lost for me?”

After a few seconds, she heard a deep “hmm” from the pillow next to her.

She looked at the wall: “Then why didn’t you tell me.”

Lu Dingquan: “Forgot.”

Jiang Ning: “…”

She said softly, “Thank you for helping me, but don’t worry, it’s my own money I lost, I’ll pay you back.”

The pillow next to her was silent for a moment, the voice low: “When?”

Jiang Ning: “…As soon as possible.”

Meaning, I’ll pay you back when I get the money, if I don’t have any, I’ll wait.

She was just being polite, he really asked when.

But now that she had brought it up, she felt quite happy. She rolled over slightly in the quilt and closed her eyes to sleep.

It has to be said, this timing was just right.

As soon as she closed her eyes, the sounds from next door started to rhythmically echo.

As if repeating yesterday’s rhythm, first a few “thumps,” like the sound of the headboard hitting the wall, then a creak as the bed frame was pulled away, followed by a soprano voice interspersed with harmony.

Very exciting.

Jiang Ning said to herself.

Yesterday was the first time she had witnessed this kind of awkward soundproofing, today lying in bed, she unconsciously could already prick up her ears to listen carefully.

What a thrill.

To be honest, she didn’t listen to English listening comprehension as seriously during the college entrance exam, holding her breath and concentrating, and she had to pretend to be asleep at the same time.

She was close to the wall, maybe she could hear it more clearly, but the man next to her didn’t make a sound, she couldn’t help but doubt it.

She quietly turned her head to look at him.

In the darkness, he was closing his eyes, his profile on the pillow looked as upright as ever when he was asleep, but under his deeply closed eyelids, it was as if his eyeballs were rolling.

He wasn’t sleeping after all.

A manly man full of vigor, how could he possibly sleep with this sound, Jiang Ning just felt that he was deliberately pretending.

But she was pretending too.

Just pretending to sleep?

She turned back, closing her eyes and continuing to sleep while listening to the sounds.

Maybe it was because they had been sleeping together for two days, she was a little bolder, she didn’t have the previous shrinking back. The sounds of the night made her lose her sleepiness, she suddenly opened her mouth and asked in a very low voice:

“Are you asleep?”

Silence.

Jiang Ning wanted to go to the cabinet to get the earmuffs from yesterday, but she listened for a while and felt that it wouldn’t end for the time being, so she had to get up, tiptoeing to the end of the bed, reaching out to the cabinet.

Before she could touch it, her ankle was suddenly pulled by a strong force, she was instantly scared and let out a scream.

Her voice was sharp enough, it seemed to instantly stop the sound next door, it was like a fire being extinguished.

Jiang Ning saw that it was Lu Dingquan in front of her, he was also sitting up, his big hand still holding her ankle.

She was so scared that her heart trembled, she was wronged: “What are you doing, you scared me to death…”

Lu Dingquan’s palm was very hot, and the next second he let go of her.

He didn’t speak, his gaze swept over her foot, unintentionally brushing past the place where it had brushed against him, the outline in the darkness revealed a hint of stiffness.

Then he regained his calm tone: “Why aren’t you sleeping at night? You’re crawling around everywhere.”

Jiang Ning was still sitting at the end of the bed: “Where am I crawling? I didn’t touch you.”

She was really scared by the sudden grab just now, her eyes were filled with clear, wronged tears: “I just wanted to get some earmuffs, weren’t you asleep? You suddenly scared me, do you know how scary it is to be scared in the middle of the night!”

She couldn’t see, Lu Dingquan’s throat rolled tightly. He finally said, “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Ning pouted her lips lightly: “Humph.”

The surroundings became quiet, she realized that the sound next door seemed to have been really scared away by her just now.

This…was also quite embarrassing.

She ruined other people’s good time? No, it was Lu Dingquan who ruined it!

Jiang Ning hummed and crawled back to sleep along the edge of the bed. Lu Dingquan let out a heavy sigh, suddenly got out of bed.

She heard the sound of water being poured nearby.

He drank two glasses of cold water, went to the bathroom, washed his face, and then lay back down on the bed.

Unexpectedly, after returning to quiet, the silent atmosphere felt even more awkward than when she was listening to those high notes and harmonies before.

Jiang Ning was also embarrassed, but she was even more curious.

Lu Dingquan was about to close his eyes when he heard the woman next to him ask in a low voice, “Do you know how old the people next door are?”

“I only saw them once, I guess they’re over thirty?”

“But this sound doesn’t sound like…”

Lu Dingquan suddenly opened his eyelids, the blue veins on his forehead twitched.

“Jiang Ning, go to sleep.”

His voice was so full of gritted teeth, with a restrained hoarseness, Jiang Ning’s heart jumped when she heard it.