Chapter 17

Sister Sun covered her mouth and smiled. She had previously worried that if Lu Yun found someone less capable than Chen Zhiqiang in the future, she would be laughed at.

Although she did not know what He Cheng’an did for a living, his calm demeanor suggested he was someone competent, and he was also quite handsome.

According to Sister Sun’s own aesthetic, she preferred men like He Cheng’an.

Sister Sun said, “You two standing together look so well-matched; it’s simply a match made in heaven.”

Because of Sister Sun’s words, the originally polite He Cheng’an glanced at her again, unable to resist the upward curve of his lips, his eyes shining with undeniable joy.

Sister Sun’s son called Lu Yun “sister,” and now he also addressed He Cheng’an as “brother.” Sister Sun gently patted her son’s head and said, “We should head back now. His kindergarten teacher left some homework that still isn’t finished. I need to go home and supervise him. Say goodbye to brother and sister.”

Sister Sun’s son chimed in, “Goodbye, brother and sister.”

The boy resembled Sister Sun, with slightly thick double eyelids and full lips, and he was dressed neatly. Lu Yun felt a bit fond of him and earnestly said goodbye in return.

Seeing this, Sister Sun’s attitude toward Lu Yun softened a little. Being older than Lu Yun and having met many people, she could tell who was being sincere and who was not.

Sister Sun and her husband each held one of their son’s hands as they walked together under the long shadows cast by the setting sun. He Cheng’an watched their figures for a while.

He looked down at his hand holding Lu Yun’s; his fingers merely moved slightly, and they didn’t even touch Lu Yun’s hand, yet he felt elated.

—o—o—o—

When Lu Yun returned home, many people noticed her permed hair. She heard quite a few compliments about her beauty, and Lu Yun responded with her usual gentle demeanor.

Zhang Meili looked at Lu Yun’s curly hair as Lu Yun demonstrated by tying it up with a rubber band right in front of her. Whether in a high ponytail or a bun, she looked great. Zhang Meili immediately made up her mind; she would get a perm next weekend.

Lu Dong teased, “What? You’re not worried about looking silly?”

Zhang Meili said, “When I married you, I endured so much hardship. Now that I want to get a perm, you say I’ll look silly?” As she spoke, she began to think about how she would style her hair.

Lu Dong replied, “Go ahead and get it; we’ll get it done right away.”

Lu Yun disliked the lingering smell of her freshly permed hair and went to the bathroom to wash it several times before finally returning to her room.

—o—o—o—

The next day, Lu Yun was a bit busy. With the change of seasons, she had to take out the clothes stored in her wardrobe, wash them, and dry them before they could be worn.

Although Zhang Meili had helped Lu Yun with the laundry, Lu Yun didn’t just sit idly by; she helped hang the clothes. After finishing, she clipped them with pegs and waited for them to dry.

The autumn wind dried the clothes especially quickly.

In the afternoon, Lu Dong accompanied Zhang Meili to get her hair permed, while Lu Yun tidied up her room, cleaning every nook and cranny.

By the time she was done, she lay on the bed, exhausted and unwilling to move.

This cleaning spree was her way of indirectly wanting to tidy up her living space.

—o—o—o—

He Cheng’an had taken on a renovation project in the provincial capital. He had no problem supervising the workers, so he left the site under Zhang Hao’s watch.

Today, Zhang Hao had finally managed to return for a visit, albeit because of some business.

As luck would have it, he ran into He Cheng’an as he was coming out.

Zhang Hao said, “Brother, the floor tiles we recommended earlier are no longer wanted by the homeowners; they want to change them. If they do, we won’t get our commission.”

Zhang Hao genuinely admired He Cheng’an. They had grown up together, and he couldn’t understand how their paths had diverged so greatly.

He had thought that He Cheng’an would be satisfied with the money from the renovation project, but instead, He Cheng’an had reached out to numerous contacts at the furniture market. He recommended products to homeowners, and as long as they made a purchase, he earned a commission.

However, He Cheng’an was not unscrupulous; the price he sold the tiles to homeowners was already the lowest available in the market. Homeowners wouldn’t find that price at the furniture market.

Zhang Hao couldn’t fathom how He Cheng’an managed to do it.

He Cheng’an asked, “Did they say why they wanted to change?”

Zhang Hao replied, “They said they wanted darker floor tiles, but they didn’t like the ones you recommended.”

He continued, “They mentioned that if they switched to dark tiles, the overall look of the renovation would definitely not be as good as with light-colored ones. I told them once, but they didn’t listen. Later, I was worried they might take offense, so I didn’t dare to mention it again.”

He Cheng’an said, “Next weekend, when their daughter is on holiday from kindergarten, go visit them and take them to the furniture market. On your way out, try to take a detour to the curtain store I took you to before. Before that, make a trip to that curtain store and have them change the curtains hanging outside to the lightest pink.”

Zhang Hao didn’t understand, so He Cheng’an explained, “The homeowner has a daughter who loves pink. Light pink curtains would look nice with light-colored floor tiles. During the weekend, the couple usually takes care of their daughter themselves. If it works out, great; if not, then so be it.”

Zhang Hao laughed, “I’ll go back and do exactly as you said.”

He Cheng’an then asked, “Do you know where Li Xiaohong lives?”

Zhang Hao was more familiar with Li Xiaohong. Initially, he had asked her to help deliver things to He Cheng’an at the Cotton Textile Factory. He actually knew where Li Xiaohong lived, and after he shared the address, he inquired, “What do you need her for?”

He Cheng’an replied, “Just a little something.”

After walking quite a distance, He Cheng’an turned back and said, “I’m dating Lu Yun.”

Zhang Hao stood there in shock. “You’re dating Lu Yun?”

He Cheng’an smiled lightly. “Yeah, it’s been six days.”

Zhang Hao was incredibly excited; no one knew better than him how much He Cheng’an liked Lu Yun. He asked, “So when I see her next, I should call her sister-in-law, right? Help me find out when she’s free; I want to treat you both to a meal.”

After saying that, he quickly added, “If she doesn’t want to, that’s fine. Just ask her what she wants to eat, and I’ll take care of it.”

—o—o—o—

When Li Xiaohong came to see Lu Yun, Lu Yun was a bit surprised.

She called Li Xiaohong inside and poured her a glass of water, but Li Xiaohong felt a bit shy and didn’t drink.

She handed a note to Lu Yun, which was given to her by He Cheng’an.

Lu Yun glanced at the note, and the words: “I miss you” followed by He Cheng’an’s name was written on it.

His handwriting was sharp and bold, much like his personality.

Seeing those words, Lu Yun couldn’t help but chuckle.

Lu Yun said, “Thanks for delivering this.”

Li Xiaohong asked, “Do you want me to help you send him a note in return?”

Lu Yun replied, “No need. Just drink your water. I’ll get you some fruit.”

Both Lu Yun and Li Xiaohong worked at the Cotton Textile Factory, so they were able to chat for a while.

Once they found common ground, the conversation flowed easily. Li Xiaohong sat with Lu Yun for about half an hour before she left, feeling completely at ease.

Since Li Xiaohong came from the countryside and lived with her relatives, she usually worked as a temporary worker at the factory or helped out at her relatives’ home. She was quite introverted and seldom communicated with others for that long.

As she left, Li Xiaohong said, “Next time he asks me to deliver something, I won’t take any money. You’re such a nice person.”

That evening, Lu Yun unfolded the note He Cheng’an had written. After reading it, she folded the note back up and placed it with the fishbowl he had previously given her.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, He Cheng’an was tossing and turning in bed.

On the desk beside him lay several crumpled notes he had written and discarded.

As he sat up, he casually picked up one of the notes and looked at his own handwriting.

After a while, he gathered all the notes he had written and placed them in a drawer. He felt uneasy about not receiving a reply from Lu Yun.

Did that mean she was unhappy?

It had only been yesterday when he accompanied Lu Yun to get her hair permed and later strolled through the state-owned shops in the county town.

Now, he pushed open the window and stood by it, gazing at the crescent moon in the night sky.

—o—o—o—

On Monday, Lu Yun woke up and tied her hair back with a scarf, creating a bow at the back. She also put on a cream-colored sweater coat.

As she prepared to leave, she initially intended to ride her bicycle, but when she reached for the handlebars, she released them and walked out instead.

Seeing that Lu Yun wasn’t using her bicycle, Lu Xiang’an quickly pushed it toward her. “If you’re not going to ride it, let me use it; otherwise, I’ll have to go buy one myself.”

After Lu Yun nodded in agreement, he touched the bicycle thoughtfully.

When he looked up, he noticed the light yellow scarf tied into a bow in her hair. It looked quite novel, and he couldn’t help but look a little longer.

The scarf was long, and the bow at the back flowed like ribbons; it was beautiful. He had never seen any other girl style her hair like Lu Yun.

Zhang Meili watched the two siblings. They hadn’t eaten the breakfast she had just prepared, nor did they call her, so she simply shook her head. “They’re growing up.”

Even though they hadn’t mentioned anything to their family, Zhang Meili could see the changes.

After all, she had been through it herself. Moreover, the two kids didn’t seem to be hiding anything from their family; they just hadn’t thought about formally introducing them.

Zhang Meili felt a bit anxious. After all, dating and marriage were significant matters, especially for Lu Yun, who was beautiful but didn’t appear particularly bright.

—o—o—o—

When they reached the alley, Lu Yun indeed spotted He Cheng’an waiting for her.

Upon seeing her, He Cheng’an couldn’t help but ask, “Did you receive the note I gave you yesterday?”

Lu Yun replied, “I did, but it got wet, so I couldn’t see what was written on it. What did your note say?”

Hearing Lu Yun’s playful tone, He Cheng’an looked into her eyes without flinching and told her, “It said, ‘I miss you,’ and then I signed it with my name, He Cheng’an.”

After saying this, he declared right in front of Lu Yun, “Lu Yun, I miss you.”