Chapter 4: Su Yue Meets Zhang Cuihua for the First Time

Su Yue waited in the dormitory for a little while when she heard a crisp knock at the door.

“Yueyue, I’m back!”

The familiar voice brought a smile to her lips as she stood up and opened the door.

Standing outside was Li Xiangbei, his face covered in sweat, with damp bangs sticking to his cheeks.

Su Yue’s smile deepened as she reached out and took the package from his hands.
“The washroom is just by the stairs. Go freshen up and cool off a bit. Once I’ve tidied up here, I’ll treat you to lunch.”

Li Xiangbei smiled and nodded.
“Alright. Take your time, no need to rush.”

Su Yue carried the package back inside and placed it on the nightstand, then began to make the bed. After that, she took out the mosquito net from the cabinet. It was made of thick cotton fabric, and once she hung it up, it created a private space around the bed.

After making sure everything was in order, Su Yue locked the nightstand with her key, bent down to slide the washbasin under the bed, and glanced at her summer clothes—there weren’t many, so she left them on the bed, making a mental note to bring a suitcase next time.

When all was done, Su Yue picked up two lunchboxes and stepped out, locking the door behind her.

She turned and looked at Li Xiangbei with a hint of mock annoyance.
“Did you shower in the washroom? You’re soaked head to toe.”

Li Xiangbei walked over, laughing as he took the lunchboxes from her.
“It’s fine. Once I step outside, the sun will dry me off in no time.”

Su Yue chuckled and let him have his way.
“Come on, I’m treating you to lunch at the steel factory cafeteria.”

Li Xiangbei’s eyes lit up with joy.
“My mom works in Cafeteria No. 3. I’ll point her out to you later.”

Su Yue nodded, smiling softly.

The two walked together to the cafeteria. It was still early, so the hall was nearly empty with no lines at the counters yet.

Li Xiangbei, clearly familiar with the place, led Su Yue to the serving window. As soon as he spotted his mother, he called out:
“Mom, give us four steamed buns, two portions of braised chicken with potatoes, one stir-fried greens, and one stir-fried bean sprouts.”

Zhang Cuihua was having her own meal at the time. Workers were about to get off their shifts. Hearing her son’s voice, she looked up and saw her youngest son holding two lunchboxes, standing beside a stunningly beautiful young woman.

She immediately understood what was going on and greeted them with a warm smile.
“This must be Comrade Su, right? Reporting for duty today?”

Su Yue replied politely with a smile:
“Hello, Auntie Zhang. I’m Su Yue. Yes, I just reported in today.”

“Oh, hello, hello.” Zhang Cuihua responded enthusiastically, though her mind was full of questions:
How did such a pretty girl end up liking my youngest son?

Li Xiangbei quickly noticed his mother’s gaze glued to Su Yue. He stepped in front of her, blocking the view, and hastily urged:
“Mom, the workers will be off soon. Hurry up and get us four buns, two chicken with potatoes, one greens, and one bean sprout stir-fry.”

Zhang Cuihua gave her son a side-eye but didn’t stop her hands. She packed both lunchboxes full, while Li Xiangbei happily handed over food coupons and cash.

“Yueyue, let’s sit over there.” he said, pointing to a nearby empty table.

Su Yue smiled and said goodbye to Zhang Cuihua.
“Auntie, we’ll go eat now.”

Zhang Cuihua beamed and nodded repeatedly.
“Alright, eat well!” she said, eyes still following them as they walked off.

Nearby, co-worker Wang Qin saw the whole scene and curiously leaned in to whisper:
“Sister Zhang, who’s that girl?”

Zhang Cuihua wore a mysterious smile and whispered,
“That’s the new comrade in the records office, Su Comrade. She’s a classmate of my youngest son.”
Wang Qin raised an eyebrow and teased,
“Just classmates? Doesn’t look like it to me.”

Zhang Cuihua gently nudged Wang Qin with her elbow and pointed out the window where more and more workers were arriving.
“The workers are getting off shift. Let’s get back to work.”

Wang Qin got the hint and grinned knowingly before returning to serve meals.

Su Yue sat at the table and noticed Li Xiangbei across from her, grinning like a fool.
“What are you daydreaming about?”

Li Xiangbei snapped back to reality and scratched his head.
“I just didn’t expect us to reach the ‘meet the parents’ stage already, haha.”

“You silly thing. Eat up. Aren’t you skipping work this afternoon?” Su Yue smiled and placed some stir-fried greens into his lunchbox.

Not to be outdone, Li Xiangbei picked out a piece of chicken and dropped it into Su Yue’s box, asking with concern,
“Yueyue, what are you doing this afternoon?”

Su Yue swallowed her food and replied calmly,
“Of course I’m going home. Isn’t someone coming to propose marriage? I need to talk to my mother and give her a heads-up.”

After finishing the meal, the two noticed the lunch line had grown long at the counter, so they quietly slipped away without bothering Zhang Cuihua again.

They walked side by side toward the county town entrance. The Niuches (ox carts) from Hekou Brigade usually waited in that area. If they missed the cart, they could still catch the bus to the commune and walk the remaining 20-something minutes to the brigade.

Before long, their figures appeared at the south gate. There it was—the familiar Hekou Brigade ox cart quietly parked by the roadside.

Su Yue looked up slightly at Li Xiangbei beside her.
“Give me my bag back.”

With a faint smile, Li Xiangbei handed the satchel to Su Yue. His eyes followed her as she climbed into the ox cart and didn’t look away until the cart slowly started moving and disappeared into the distance.

About an hour later, the ox cart rocked and swayed its way into the Hekou Brigade.

Su Yue jumped down, still smiling, and greeted the villagers along the way as she headed home.

“Su Yue, back from the county? Oh dear, your second sister-in-law is kicking up a fuss again—you’d better go take a look!”

Su Yue nodded and quickened her pace toward home.

As soon as she stepped into the yard, she heard her second sister-in-law’s shrill complaints:

“Dad, Mom, we’re all family, right? Little sister ran off to the county to work without a word and even moved her household registration! Why hide that from us?”
Wu Xiulian, the second sister-in-law, had red-rimmed eyes and her voice was sharp.

“If any family gets a job opportunity, don’t they always give it to the son first? But in our family? It went to the girl! How is that fair?”
Her voice rose higher as her chest heaved with emotion.
Shen Qiuxia, their mother, looked furious.
“What job? That job was earned by my daughter through her own ability! What does that have to do with you?”

Wu Xiulian’s eyes darted around, plotting something, and she said brazenly,
“We’re still one family, aren’t we? That job belongs to the family—so it belongs to us too! She has to give the job to her second brother!”

Su Yue took a deep breath to suppress her anger and finally spoke:
“Second Sister-in-law, the job is a records clerk. The hiring requirement was a high school diploma. Second Brother doesn’t meet the criteria. If I didn’t take it, they’d immediately give it to the next ranked candidate. How am I supposed to give it up?”

Wu Xiulian’s eyes gleamed slyly and she said with a new idea,
“Can’t you swap with someone? Worst case, just sell it and get some money for it!”

Su Yue was too disgusted to even reply. She turned her gaze toward her second brother, Su Zhiqiang, who had been silent the entire time. She stared straight at him and asked,
“Second Brother, do you really think a job I earned myself should just be handed over to you?”

Su Zhiqiang opened his mouth, stammered for a moment, but couldn’t say a word in response.