Chapter 23.1

Before Lu Yun entered the book, if there’s anyone she felt a liking toward in the novel besides He Cheng’an, it would probably be Zhang Hao.

Although Zhang Hao’s attitude toward Lu Yun in the later stages of the novel could be described as unpleasant, he never actually did anything harmful to Lu Yun—he merely spoke up on behalf of He Cheng’an and treated Lu Yun politely.

Later, when he promised He Cheng’an he would look after the supporting female character, he kept his word and took care of her well until He Cheng’an was released from prison.

As for Lu Yun’s family, the novel’s portrayal of them was, like the portrayal of the supporting female character, quite unlikable to Lu Yun when she read it.

—o—o—o—

At noon, Zhang Hao took Lu Yun and He Cheng’an to a large restaurant in the county.

Since there were only three of them, they booked a private room.

As soon as they entered, Zhang Hao quickly pulled out a chair for Lu Yun, then another for He Cheng’an, before finally sitting down himself.

When it was time to order, He Cheng’an selected a few dishes that Lu Yun liked, then handed the menu to her.

Lu Yun looked up, intending to ask Zhang Hao’s preference, but Zhang Hao immediately said: “Sister-in-law, you go ahead and order. I’m not picky; I’ll eat whatever you order.”

As Lu Yun chose the dishes, He Cheng’an watched her from the side.

After Lu Yun ordered a serving of sweet and sour pork, Zhang Hao immediately chimed in approval.

Zhang Hao said, “I love sweet and sour pork! It’s delicious. When I’m in the provincial city and buy a lunchbox at noon, I sometimes get a serving of sweet and sour pork with white rice. I can finish two servings of rice with that.”

With the three of them in the private room, Lu Yun ultimately ordered four dishes, one soup, and a dessert—enough to be filling but without excess.

As they ate, Lu Yun listened to Zhang Hao and He Cheng’an talk about their work in the provincial city.

Zhang Hao spoke enthusiastically, while He Cheng’an would occasionally explain in a low voice to Lu Yun anything she might not understand or wasn’t familiar with.

By the end of the meal, Lu Yun had a decent grasp of their work situation in the provincial city.

Initially, they had sought out homeowners who were already undergoing renovations, asking them to recommend them to others in exchange for a referral fee, the amount of which varied.

Eventually, they switched to a group-buying model and managed to secure a total of thirteen clients.

Zhang Hao returned this time to talk to He Cheng’an, and after this conversation, he planned to recruit more people.

He Cheng’an would be leaving with Zhang Hao for the provincial city the next day.

—o—o—o—

After their meal, He Cheng’an walked Lu Yun back to the cotton mill.

As they strolled, the bare branches of the roadside trees stretched out, stark and desolate.

But to Lu Yun, each season held its own beauty.

In winter, what she looked forward to most was the snow, though the first snowfall of the year had yet to come.

Lu Yun said: “I wonder when it will snow. When it does, we can build snowmen, and the snowy scenery will be beautiful. I love how the snow settles on the branches.”

He Cheng’an glanced up at the sky, thinking how wonderful it would be if it could snow right now.

He Cheng’an would be heading tomorrow to the provincial city. So, when he finally left Lu Yun at the entrance of the cotton mill, he stood there, watching her.

Even if they didn’t say anything, He Cheng’an could gaze at her for a long time.

In the end, they both smiled.

Lu Yun said, “He Cheng’an, one day, you’ll become someone amazing and will live a happy life.”

She was certain it wouldn’t end like the previous life had. He was always meant for a better life.

He Cheng’an was capable and smart.

He earned money to live well, and after meeting Lu Yun, his goal became to earn enough to give her a good life.

He never thought beyond that.

He just knew he had to work hard, but hearing her say that, he suddenly felt that maybe only by achieving great things could he truly stand beside her.

Lu Yun said, “Alright, I’ll head in now.”

He Cheng’an pressed a slip of paper into her hand. “This has my address in the provincial city,” he said. “I wrote down how to get there, where to get off the bus if you ever need to come. At the bottom, there’s the address and workplace of a reliable friend of mine. If you need anything and he can’t help you, ask him to find me in the city, or you can come find me yourself.”

He pointed to the back of the paper. “There’s also a phone number for a small shop near where I’m staying. Sometimes it’s hard to get through because it’s busy, but try to remember all this.”

He Cheng’an wasn’t finished yet and continued, “If it’s cold when you go out, use a thermos, but don’t fill it too full. Didn’t I buy four thermos for you? Keep one at home, one in your office drawer, so even if you forget one, you’ll have two spares…”

He pressed his lips together, then asked softly, “Am I talking too much?”

Lu Yun shook her head. “Once you get to the provincial city, you should buy a thermos too.”

He Cheng’an smiled. “Alright.”

At this, even Lu Yun felt they were perhaps being a bit too sentimental. She said, “Well then, I’ll head back.”

He Cheng’an waited. He watched until Lu Yun had entered the cotton mill, before turning to find Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao was waiting nearby, as they had work to do recruiting people that afternoon.

He Cheng’an only nodded after Zhang Hao finished speaking.

Zhang Hao asked, “Shall we go now?”

He Cheng’an replied, “I need to buy a radio first. You go ahead; I’ll catch up with you.”

Zhang Hao hurried to follow him, asking, “A radio? What do you need a radio for?”

He Cheng’an replied. “To listen to the weather forecast.”

—o—o—o—

November had come, and it was time for the cotton mill to distribute wages.

With this month’s earnings, Lu Yun had saved over a hundred and sixty yuan—enough to accomplish quite a few things.

Holding the envelope with her salary, Lu Yun felt a wave of joy.

After all, the best day of the month for any worker was payday, and it was especially satisfying to feel the cash in hand.

Back in the office, she sat down next to Sister Sun, who was busy with the accounts. With winter upon them, the cotton mill’s wages were being paid out, but expenses were also rising.

Sister Sun couldn’t help but sigh to Lu Yun about how children were really a drain on money.

Sister Sun said, “Lately, he’s become obsessed with marbles, even though he’s clumsy at it. I’ve had to buy him new marbles several times this month. And that jump rope game—usually little girls play it, but he loves it too. I watched him once, and honestly, he’s pretty good at it.”

As Lu Yun listened to Sister Sun, she felt relieved that the office had finally quieted down after the recent busy spell. With fewer pressing tasks, the conversations flowed more freely.

Lu Yun usually spoke less and preferred to listen, especially when Sister Zhang animatedly shared gossip.

At times, Lu Yun found herself completely absorbed in their stories.

There was a knock on the office door. When everyone looked up, they froze for a moment. Sister Sun subtly nudged Lu Yun under the table.

Standing at the door was Chen Zhiqiang. He asked, “Lu Yun, could you step outside? I need to talk to you.”

Lu Yun hadn’t expected Chen Zhiqiang to approach her voluntarily.

 She actually didn’t want to go.

Her attitude toward Chen Zhiqiang was simple: avoid unnecessary interactions.

Lu Yun feared that the invisible force of the novel’s plot might start interfering again.

According to the original story, since Lu Yun, the supporting character, had stopped actively pursuing Chen Zhiqiang, he shouldn’t have had any reason to seek her out.

Yet, despite Lu Yun’s lack of interest since she entered the story, Chen Zhiqiang had begun appearing in her life more frequently.

Unfortunately, the office wasn’t a suitable place to have a conversation, and since Chen Zhiqiang was already here, Lu Yun had some questions of her own she wanted to ask him.

—o—o—o—

In the hallway, Lu Yun waited for Chen Zhiqiang to speak first.

Today, Lu Yun wore a high-neck white sweater. Since it was warm inside the office, she hadn’t put on a coat and wore only a soft, cream-yellow sweater. Her hair was styled in two braids, tied with red wool yarn as makeshift hair ties.

Chen Zhiqiang hadn’t really noticed Lu Yun’s appearance before; he’d simply thought she was pretty. Now, looking at her up close, he felt as if he could get lost just gazing into her eyes.

Chen Zhiqiang said, “He Cheng’an has no stable job, his parents are divorced, and I heard he’s doing some business in the provincial city now. People like him, who have struggled their way up, tend to be deep and calculative. He’s not a suitable match for you…”

Lu Yun’s cheeks flushed with anger. “Chen Zhiqiang, I know exactly what kind of person He Cheng’an is. I don’t need you to tell me.”

Back in the office, everyone craned their necks to listen.

As Lu Yun re-entered, knowing Chen Zhiqiang was still outside, she deliberately raised her voice, “I must’ve been blind before! Who is he to tell me that my boyfriend isn’t good enough? What’s wrong with He Cheng’an? He’s good in every way! And what’s this talk about no stable job? He makes way more than Chen Zhiqiang ever could.”

Sister Sun chimed in: “Exactly! He Cheng’an’s a great guy. This was completely out of line on Chen Zhiqiang’s part.”

—o—o—o—