Chapter 40

During the New Year’s holiday, Lu Yun had hardly gone out, unlike Lu Xiang’an, who had been out and about except for New Year’s Day. Zhang Meili and Lu Dong were also quite busy.

On the day they returned to work, Lu Yun looked at her pager, feeling uncertain about what to do.

He Cheng’an had gone to the provincial capital. If he had bought a pager, he would contact Lu Yun, who would definitely bring his pager along. Lu Yun had heard from Lu Xiang’an that those who had pagers nowadays often clipped them onto their jeans.

However, Lu Yun was not willing to do that. Although the pager was a communication tool similar to the mobile phones of the future, mobile phones had long been popular in the future, whereas pagers were quite rare now, and Lu Yun couldn’t just put it anywhere.

Before heading to work, Lu Yun put on a sweater jacket inside her thick cotton coat, placing the pager in the pocket of the sweater jacket. Fortunately, Lu Yun was slender, so it did not make her look bulky.

When she arrived at the office, Lu Yun did not rush to work. Her job was relatively leisurely, allowing her to receive a salary every month. If she were particularly tired, Lu Yun might have considered resigning, but she certainly hadn’t thought about that right after her arrival in this time.

Sister Sun noticed Lu Yun’s bright demeanor and said to her, “During New Year’s, my mother-in-law softened her stance. I don’t know what she was thinking—whether she wanted to live harmoniously with us or if she realized that if she wanted to continue living in the city, she would have to follow us. At least now she isn’t as biased as before. In front of me, she hardly dared to speak out.”

She continued, “In any case, life has been much more comfortable than before.”

Seeing what was in Lu Yun’s sweater pocket, Sister Sun asked, unable to tell what it was. Lu Yun touched her pocket, smiled, and whispered, “It’s a pager that He Cheng’an gave me.”

Sister Sun asked, “A pager?”

Everyone in the office turned to look at Lu Yun, and she once again experienced the feeling of being the center of attention. Previously, some had thought that He Cheng’an did not have a proper job, but now, no one could say a word.

Those who had steady jobs had not even gotten around to using pagers. The cost of a pager was a couple of thousand, and the monthly rental fee for the pager was higher than their monthly salaries.

Sister Zhou sighed, “Your boyfriend really likes you! Otherwise, why would he buy you a pager? He’s quite capable.”

Lu Yun replied, “He didn’t buy it for himself; he got it for me first, saying he’d buy one for himself once he starts earning money.” She continued, “He hasn’t made much, but he’s willing to spend money on me.”

Having said that, Lu Yun felt she hadn’t said anything wrong, so she chose not to elaborate further.

Xiao Sun stood nearby watching them without speaking, then turned and left the room, appearing somewhat upset.

At that moment, everyone’s attention shifted to Xiao Sun, and Lu Yun quietly tucked the pager into her clothing pocket.

Sister Sun asked, “What’s going on with her and her boyfriend?”

Sister Zhou leaned in closer to Sister Sun, nearly sitting on the desk, and said, “They’re still discussing the bride price. I don’t know if she’s waking up to reality. Her boyfriend’s family can’t be said to be unable to come up with the money; they’re just a bit tight, but they’re unwilling to spend. She shouldn’t be foolish; if she ends up pregnant, it could be a disaster. Her boyfriend’s family might not want to pay a single cent for the bride price and just take her home instead. After all, they’re not in a hurry; it’s Xiao Sun and her family who are.”

Sister Zhou knew all this because she lived close to Xiao Sun.

—o—o—o—

After a day’s work, Lu Yun left the office, taking the store keys with her. She invited Zhang Meili and Lu Dong to accompany her to her store, which was still under renovation. It was their first visit to Lu Yun’s store, and since Zhang Meili and Lu Dong knew it was set up by someone He Cheng’an had found, they felt reassured. They had all been busy with the New Year celebrations.

After exploring Lu Yun’s store, Zhang Meili and Lu Dong could not stop praising He Cheng’an, and Lu Yun smiled as she followed behind them.

Zhang Meili asked, “When is the grand opening?”

Lu Yun replied, “When I just went inside, there was still a bit of a smell. We should wait a few more days. The previous landlord knows He Cheng’an, and he agreed to help ventilate the place every day. Once it’s aired out, he’ll lock the store up for us.”

Later that evening, Lu Yun, Zhang Meili, and Lu Dong ate out.

On their way back, Lu Yun suddenly remembered Lu Xiang’an.

When he saw their astonished expressions, Zhang Meili quickly sent Lu Dong to make a bowl of noodles for Lu Xiang’an, reminding him to add an egg.

Zhang Meili said, “It’s not our fault. You’ve been busy dating, and we don’t know if you’ll be back for dinner.”

Lu Yun chuckled and hurried off to take a shower.

When she finished and came out, Lu Xiang’an was already enjoying his noodles with the added egg. Lu Yun exchanged a few words with him and intended to ask when he would bring his girlfriend home when her pager beeped.

Lu Yun pulled out her pager and looked at the message, momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected any text; it read, “It’s cold. No need to reply. Miss you.”

Having just washed her hair, Lu Yun dried it a bit, but her towel was damp and unusable. Then she remembered that Lu Xiang’an had bought some new towels. After grabbing a towel from him, she wrapped her hair up, but it wasn’t enough. She used her half-dry towel as well and put on her thick coat before heading out.

Lu Xiang’an stood up, still holding his bowl of noodles, and said, “What are you doing? It’s cold outside, and you just washed your hair!”

Lu Yun reassured him, “It’s nothing. I’ll be back soon.”

When Lu Yun arrived at the convenience store, no one was there to take the phone call. Since she frequently came to this store, the owner quickly let her inside when he saw her.

Because of the cold, it wasn’t like before when she had to make calls outside; now, she could make calls directly inside the store. However, Lu Yun felt somewhat uncomfortable with this change because sometimes the owner’s family was also in the store at night.

After dialing the number, Lu Yun stood there waiting. Almost immediately, the call was answered.

Neither of them spoke at first, but soon He Cheng’an’s voice came through with a smile, calling out, “Ah Yun.”

Lu Yun replied, “Yes, it’s me.”

He Cheng’an said, “Didn’t you say it was cold outside and that I shouldn’t expect you to come out to call me?”

Lu Yun countered, “But I called you, and you answered.”

Yes, He Cheng’an did think it was too cold and didn’t want Lu Yun to venture out just to call him. However, he also thought about what would happen if Lu Yun tried to reach him and he didn’t pick up.

His Ah Yun really did call him.

He Cheng’an shared what was happening in the provincial capital, saying, “All the black fungus has been sold out, and many people are asking me for more orders. As for the renovations, I haven’t found a new community yet. There’s one I’m negotiating with, but they’ve priced it too low, and I’m still figuring out what to do.

By the way, there’s a new shop opened near the state-owned mall in the provincial capital. It’s called McDonald’s, and it seems similar to KFC. You haven’t been to the provincial capital in a while; do you want to come here for a meal? If you don’t want to come, it’s fine. I can bring you something when I come back in a few days.”

Lu Yun responded, “I don’t want to go.”

He Cheng’an’s voice remained gentle. “Okay, I’ll buy you something. What else do you want? You want Snow Cream, right? I’ll bring that back for you, too. And Ah Yun, I miss you.”

Lu Yun glanced at the convenience store owner’s family, her cheeks turning red. “Mm, good night.” She wanted to hang up the phone, but hearing the sound of wind on the other end, she hesitated and said, “He Cheng’an, I miss you too.”

After a few days of airing out, the smell in Lu Yun’s store had cleared, and she was ready to open for business. He Cheng’an returned at that time, claiming he had brought Snow Cream and McDonald’s for Lu Yun, but in reality, he also brought her some beautiful clothes.

When he saw Lu Yun, He Cheng’an showed her his pager and recited the pager number. Even though Lu Yun was a bit slow on the uptake, she quickly realized that the number he remembered was her own. She looked at He Cheng’an, who paused for a moment before he understood.

He Cheng’an had been thinking about Lu Yun’s pager number.

“How many?” Lu Yun asked.

With a smile on his lips, He Cheng’an gave her a number and had her repeat it back to him. They spent a while in the room, with Lu Yun memorizing her pager number.

When Lu Yun ate the McDonald’s, it had become somewhat cold, but she still took a few bites, leaving the rest for He Cheng’an to finish.

He Cheng’an hugged Lu Yun and gave her a kiss, saying, “Next time, we’ll go to the provincial capital for a meal.”

Lu Yun had eaten a lot at KFC before, but not as much at McDonald’s. He Cheng’an thought for a moment and realized that it was probably because the McDonald’s he brought back from the provincial capital wasn’t as good. Eating at a McDonald’s in the provincial capital would surely be better.

He Cheng’an had other matters to attend to, as Zhang Hao’s cousin had come by. They had previously agreed that Zhang Hao’s cousin would help Lu Yun in her store. Although He Cheng’an was satisfied with him, he still needed to meet him to help Lu Yun handle this matter properly.

He Cheng’an stayed at Lu Yun’s place for quite a while, only intending to look for Zhang Hao after Lu Yun asked him about the situation.

—o—o—o—

When he arrived at Zhang Hao’s house, He Cheng’an frowned upon seeing Zhang Hao’s cousin, Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan was simple-hearted and capable, but not particularly clever.

He stood there, momentarily unable to take his eyes off Zhang Hao when he saw He Cheng’an.

Zhang Hao pulled He Cheng’an aside and quietly asked, “Hey, Brother He, what’s up? My cousin is okay, right? Didn’t you say he was just right for the job?”

He Cheng’an replied, “What’s with his appearance?”

Zhang Hao glanced back, and only then did he realize the difference.

He noted that not only had Zhang Yuan improved his looks a bit, but he also now had a scholarly air about him, complete with glasses.

It wasn’t quite on the level of Chen Zhiqiang, but there was definitely a resemblance.

Suppressing a laugh, Zhang Hao joked, “Brother He, you’re such a petty man when it comes to Sister-in-law. You’re getting jealous over something like this?”

He Cheng’an nodded, “Mm.”

Zhang Hao continued, “The way you’re dressed isn’t suitable for working in the store. Just wear something clean enough.”

Zhang Yuan chuckled, thinking that He Cheng’an didn’t want him to work in the store anymore. He quickly nodded in agreement, explaining, “I just wanted to look nice to meet you, Brother He, so I dressed up a bit. I feel a bit too formal like this anyway.”

Zhang Yuan reassured him, “Brother He, don’t worry. I’ll handle all the work in the store and won’t let Sister-in-law do anything.”