Chapter 43

Lu Yun’s days were fulfilling. During the day, he worked at the Cotton Textile Factory, and in the evenings, he returned home to study for college entrance exams. The lights in his room stayed on until around ten o’clock every night before they were turned off.

Lu Yun’s family was resolutely supportive of his intention to attend college. Previously, Zhang Meili and Lu Dong had hoped for a college graduate in the family, but Lu Xiang’an had only been fortunate enough to finish high school. Although Lu Yun showed some potential, they believed he wasn’t cut out for college and lacked the endurance needed for studying.

Now that they knew Lu Yun planned to take the college entrance exam, their support extended beyond mere words. Lu Yun’s breakfasts had become particularly lavish, and in the evenings, he was always able to find something to eat when he felt hungry while studying.

After studying for some time, Lu Yun also realized that the description in the original text was indeed accurate; he really struggled with the rigors of studying. However, he wasn’t in a hurry; it wasn’t as if he had to get into college immediately. If necessary, he could take the exams multiple times.

Time passed, and on the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, He Cheng’an contacted Lu Yun using a pager around noon. Lu Yun called He Cheng’an back.

On the other end of the line, He Cheng’an spoke about his affairs in the provincial capital: “I’m thinking of settling the wages for them ahead of time and giving them some bonuses. I’ll let them go home to prepare for the New Year on the twenty-seventh. The renovation progress here has been faster than planned. I still have some wood ear mushrooms left unsold, and Zhang Yuan and I plan to stay until the twenty-ninth before heading back.”

Lu Yun replied, “You can only come back on the twenty-ninth?”

He Cheng’an immediately responded, “No, tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll be back.”

Lu Yun was taken aback and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to come back on the twenty-ninth?”

He Cheng’an clarified, “I just remembered that someone wants the wood ear mushrooms. I’ll deliver them this afternoon, and once I finish up, I can come back tomorrow.”

After hanging up the phone, Lu Yun went to ask the deputy director of the office for leave, securing time off until the twenty-eighth. The work in their office had been completed recently, and there wasn’t much to do, so the deputy director agreed to her request.

Seeing Lu Yun looking so happy, the deputy director asked, “Are you going to see your boyfriend?”

Lu Yun replied, “Yeah.”

—o—o—o—

He Cheng’an and Zhang Hao distributed the workers’ wages and bonuses, which made the workers more efficient. Most of them mentioned they would continue working with He Cheng’an in the future, and contracts were signed.

Zhang Hao understood them well; if he were in their shoes, he would definitely choose to work with He Cheng’an.

When the two of them returned, the sky was already getting dark. Zhang Hao asked, puzzled, “Brother He, why did we sell those wood ear mushrooms at a low price? If we had contacted some channels, even if we couldn’t reach them, we could set up a stall and still make a bit more.”

He Cheng’an’s lips curled up slightly, almost imperceptibly. “That little bit of money isn’t worth it; it’s time to go home for the New Year.”

Before they even reached the rented courtyard in the provincial capital, He Cheng’an spotted someone squatting outside. He froze for a moment and then ran forward without saying a word to Zhang Hao.

Once outside the courtyard, he indeed saw Lu Yun squatting there. He quickly took off his coat and draped it over her without asking her to stand up. He reached down and lifted her up in his arms.

“Are you cold?” He Cheng’an asked.

Lu Yun nodded. “A little cold, but did you see how surprised I was?”

He Cheng’an, reluctant to let her go, held her with one arm while he fumbled with the keys to unlock the door with the other. “Surprised? How could I not be surprised? I was just thinking, how did the fairy from my dreams come to visit? It’s my fault for forgetting to give you a key.”

After returning inside, He Cheng’an set up the stove, boiled water for Lu Yun, and even cooked some ginger soup in the kitchen. When the water was ready, he poured a basin of hot water, adding some cold water until it was just right, and then brought it to Lu Yun for her to soak her feet.

Before Lu Yun could bend down, He Cheng’an helped her take off her shoes. Lu Yun’s toes wiggled as she watched He Cheng’an glance up at her, then he carefully removed her socks, allowing her to soak her feet.

He Cheng’an sat down on a stool next to Lu Yun, warming her hands while glancing at her from time to time, smiling. Lu Yun’s feet moved in the basin, splashing water around.

“What are you smiling about?” Lu Yun asked.

“I get to go home with you for the New Year,” He Cheng’an replied.

After saying that, he bent down to wash Lu Yun’s feet.

When He Cheng’an returned with the ginger soup, Lu Yun had already warmed up. She saw the ginger soup and yawned, shaking her head.

“I’m too tired; I want to go back and sleep,” Lu Yun said.

He Cheng’an coaxed her, “If you drink the ginger soup, can we go eat McDonald’s tomorrow?”

After saying that, noticing Lu Yun remained silent, he started telling her about a homeowner’s issue he had been dealing with.

He Cheng’an said, “This homeowner bought a new apartment with the intention of having his daughter and son-in-law live there after they got married. But then his daughter found out that the man she was going to marry…” Under Lu Yun’s urging, he blew on the ginger soup with the spoon and handed it to her.

With no other choice, Lu Yun took a sip, allowing He Cheng’an to continue. It turned out that the homeowner’s daughter’s fiancé had been divorced. He had previously married a woman from the countryside and even had a child with her. Later, he moved to the city, met the homeowner’s daughter, and returned to the countryside to get divorced. The girl’s family was not to be trifled with, and they made quite a scene about it. As a result, the man lost his job. Although the homeowner’s daughter was unaware of his past, she felt guilty about the situation and helped the man’s ex-wife and child find work in the provincial capital.

By the time He Cheng’an finished the story, Lu Yun still had about half a bowl of ginger soup left. She refused to drink any more, so He Cheng’an finished the remaining soup himself.

As He Cheng’an stepped outside, he ran into Zhang Hao, who was standing outside. Zhang Hao asked, puzzled, “Why didn’t you talk more about it? The middle part of that story was quite exciting.”

He Cheng’an replied, “She doesn’t really like ginger soup. Besides, there’s no need to finish it all.” He then patted Zhang Hao’s shoulder. “Tonight, I’ll squeeze in with you.”

Zhang Hao glanced back at Lu Yun, who was smiling brightly under the light inside, and quickly said, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Brother He can squeeze in with me just fine. I’m a pretty honest sleeper, so you don’t need to worry about him.”

—o—o—o—

That night, Lu Yun stayed in He Cheng’an’s room while He Cheng’an squeezed in with Zhang Hao. The next morning, both of them were hesitant to make noise, especially since it was the winter break and there were still many children playing nearby.

He Cheng’an gave Zhang Hao some money to buy candies and snacks to distribute to the children. Before long, the noise outside quieted down, unlike earlier when the kids had been shouting about marbles.

Lu Yun was not bothered by the unfamiliar bed; it might have been because He Cheng’an was just next door. She woke up around ten o’clock, and He Cheng’an brought her hot water for washing up, then they had breakfast together.

If He Cheng’an were alone, he would have gone back to the county by now, but since Lu Yun was there, he decided to take her to the state-owned department store in the provincial capital.

After eating at McDonald’s and shopping, Lu Yun and He Cheng’an took the last bus back to the county.

Once they got off the bus, they spotted Lu Dong waiting outside for them. With the pager, although they couldn’t make direct calls, staying in touch had become much easier.

Lu Dong placed the items they had brought back on his bicycle, which was already piled high, leaving no room for anything else. He Cheng’an was also carrying some items in his hands.

He Cheng’an said, “Uncle, we’ll go back together. Let Ah Yun take the bus.”

“I’m not cold; we’ll go together,” Lu Yun insisted.

On the way back, the three of them chatted and laughed, and although they were in the cold wind, it felt warm and cozy.

—o—o—o—

Lu Yun and the Lu family had time off on the twenty-ninth day of the lunar calendar. After studying for too long the day before, Lu Yun slept in until after nine in the morning. When He Cheng’an came over to work, he found Lu Yun still drowsy, sitting on the edge of her bed and reluctant to get up.

Waking up in winter was especially challenging for anyone; it really tested one’s willpower. On workdays, it was one thing, but on days off, all Lu Yun wanted to do was lie in bed.

She rolled over under the blanket and said, “He Cheng’an, I don’t want to get up today.”

He Cheng’an smiled and replied, “Alright, if you don’t want to get up, I’ll get you a basin and a toothbrush. You can brush your teeth while I bring you breakfast.”

With her cheeks flushed, Lu Yun lightly pushed He Cheng’an and said, “Get out.”

He Cheng’an stood up, ruffled her hair, and then stepped outside to wait while Lu Yun changed her clothes inside. She then tied her hair up in a bun before stepping out.

In the yard, a stranger’s voice could be heard.

 “I’m looking for He Cheng’an. Is he here? Or is Lu Yun around?”

“Meili, it seems like they’re looking for your daughter and her boyfriend.”

“Coming, coming! I’ll just finish dishing out the food and then come over.”

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know; it’s a young girl.”

Lu Yun glanced at He Cheng’an and noticed his face looked somewhat displeased, and he didn’t speak.

“It’s fine; could you go inside for a bit? I’ll be back shortly,” He Cheng’an said.

Zhang Meili had previously made it her mission to inquire about all of He Cheng’an’s relatives, so Lu Yun was sure she was aware of He Cheng’an’s family situation. Hearing the young, crisp voice, she immediately thought of He Cheng’an’s half-sister. Now that it was the twenty-ninth day and the New Year was approaching, she wondered what He Cheng’an’s half-sister wanted by coming over.

Lu Yun couldn’t let He Cheng’an go out alone, so she put on her coat and stepped into the yard.

Li Jiao didn’t look much like He Cheng’an, but she was quite pretty and had a clean, delicate appearance. Upon seeing He Cheng’an, she called out, “Brother,” and then continued, “Mom wants you to come home for the New Year. She says it’s inappropriate for you to stay here. You and Lu Yun aren’t married yet; if word gets out, it’ll be a laughingstock.”

At this moment, Lu Yun recalled a scene from the original story. If she hadn’t had a good memory and frequently thought about these events since her arrival, she might have forgotten all about it.

There had been an occasion when the Female Supporting Character didn’t want to go home after being face-slammed by the Female Lead.

She ended up spending the New Year with He Cheng’an, who hadn’t celebrated with anyone else in a long time.

However, the Female Supporting Character was scared by firecrackers set off by the Female Lead. Chen Zhiqiang had to apologize to both the Female Lead and the Female Supporting Character, and in anger, she slapped him. Following that, there were sweet moments when the Male Lead returned home.

Lu Yun asked, “Did he spend the New Year at your house in previous years?”

Li Jiao replied, “Not this time; it’s different from before. Before, if my brother didn’t want to go, that was one thing. But for him to spend the New Year directly at your home, it’s really an embarrassment to my mom and his dad. You two aren’t even married yet.” After saying this, she looked at He Cheng’an and added, “Mom said you should at least consider Lu Yun’s reputation.” Lu Yun interjected, “Then let’s get married. Once the civil affairs bureau is open, we can go get the marriage certificat