Chapter 58

Lu Yun and He Cheng’an returned to the county town, but the Lu family still hadn’t mentioned anything about Lu Xiang’an’s partner.

Since they didn’t bring it up, Lu Yun and He Cheng’an decided not to either. Before heading back, He Cheng’an, with a sense of filial piety, gave Zhang Meili two thousand yuan, and Lu Yun decided to give Zhang Meili ten percent of the shop’s profits each month. After all, it was Zhang Meili and her family who had been helping with the store in the county town.

Lu Xiang’an was much the same as before, treating Lu Yun well, but the more he acted this way, the more unexplainable feelings Lu Yun had.

Lu Yun smiled and asked, “Brother, I’ve been married for a while now. When are you going to bring your partner home? I’ve already prepared the wedding gift for you.”

Lu Xiang’an paused for a moment before replying, “No rush, but it will be soon.”

Lu Yun inquired, “What does my sister-in-law look like? Is she good-looking? Is her personality easy to get along with?”

After a long moment, Lu Xiang’an nodded. There was a hint of sorrow in his expression, but it was also gentle. “I think she’s quite good. She can be a bit sharp-tongued, but she has a really kind heart.”

Listening to Lu Xiang’an, Lu Yun understood his brother’s feelings for his partner.

Perhaps Zhang Meili and Lu Dong had already placed a lot of pressure on Lu Xiang’an, yet he continued to bear it.

No matter how much Lu Yun said or did, Lu Xiang’an would likely still want to marry her.

Before leaving, Lu Yun took another look at his spicy skewer shop. It was currently peak hour, and the shop was packed, with even more people waiting in line for a table.

He Cheng’an accompanied Lu Yun outside the shop for a long time before they finally took the bus to the station. He Cheng’an, as usual, bought Lu Yun a lot of things before they boarded. Every time Lu Yun traveled back and forth to the county town, He Cheng’an felt a bit pained. Although Lu Yun was somewhat used to the journey, there were times when he still felt carsick.

—o—o—o—

On a day at the end of September, when He Cheng’an returned home, he carried vegetables he had just bought from the market, his face beaming with a smile. Lu Yun heard him come in and stepped out wearing her pink nightgown and slippers, her hair casually tied up in a messy bun.

Before stepping out, Lu Yun had been admiring herself in the house for quite a while. Her hastily done bun looked so beautiful that even if she spent hours on it, she couldn’t achieve that same level of perfection.

He Cheng’an exclaimed, “I just signed a contract with a client in the rose garden, and I gave them a direct 30% discount.”

Lu Yun was surprised. He Cheng’an’s renovations were already quite conscientious; he didn’t make a lot on each unit, but the quality was good.

It was precisely because of this that He Cheng’an had quickly established himself in the provincial capital. He Cheng’an knew the reasons behind his success there, so even as the number of clients increased, he remained true to his principles.

If He Cheng’an offered a 30% discount, he would almost certainly be making no profit at all.

Lu Yun asked, “An acquaintance?”

He Cheng’an shook his head. “Not an acquaintance, but he’s a professor at a normal university, and his wife works at the same school. They bought this house for their son. When I heard that, I mentioned your plans for university, and he said that if there were any issues, I could reach out to him. So I went ahead and offered him a 30% discount on the renovation costs for the house. He understood my intentions and even offered to give you extra tutoring on the weekends.”

Lu Yun indeed had been considering getting someone to help her with tutoring, but she hadn’t been able to find anyone suitable. She was pleasantly surprised that He Cheng’an had managed to find a university professor to help her; it was simply wonderful.

Her eyes sparkling, Lu Yun looked at him and hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Reward.”

He Cheng’an joked, “How about I go to the university and see if I can run into a few more professors?”

The two of them burst into laughter.

The professor He Cheng’an knew was surnamed Zhou, and Lu Yun usually called him Professor Zhou.

Learning with someone was very different from studying on her own, and after spending some time studying with Professor Zhou, Lu Yun felt much more confident about the college entrance exam. At the very least, she believed she could get into university.

In addition to Professor Zhou, Lu Yun also met his wife, who sometimes helped teach her as well. Lu Yun was always diligent in her classes and never dared to slack off.

He Cheng’an paid special attention to the renovations at Professor Zhou’s house. He even brought them a good amount of wood ear mushrooms and seafood. Professor Zhou felt embarrassed to send He Cheng’an some local specialties in return, but with the exchanges, they became more familiar with each other.

As a result, Professor Zhou and his wife took special care with Lu Yun, and because of their encouragement, she studied even harder.

—o—o—o—

Zhang Hao’s house was being renovated slowly, and when he moved in, Lu Yun went with He Cheng’an. Besides them, Zhang Hao’s family was also there.

As previously mentioned, Lu Yun gifted Zhang Hao a sofa, but He Cheng’an still gave him a red envelope since their relationship was different.

Zhang Hao’s house was small, but neither Zhang Jianjun nor Zhang Hao felt that way. Zhang Hao was even a bit grateful to Lu Yun because if it hadn’t been for her, he might not have sold this house.

Now that housing prices had increased, he felt that he had made a profit from the sale. He heard that Lu Yun also wanted to sell the house in the rose garden, and he had new ideas as well; if he had enough money, he planned to buy a place too.

Zhang Jianjun was able to converse with Lu Yun, and while He Cheng’an was busy in the kitchen with Zhang Hao, Zhang Jianjun remarked, “I wonder when he’ll get married.”

When Zhang Jianjun made that remark, Lu Yun recalled what He Cheng’an had told her earlier about Zhang Hao and his partner, Li Lan. Back when Zhang Hao accompanied He Cheng’an to the provincial capital for work, he didn’t frequently go back to the county town like He Cheng’an did.

After Li Lan and Zhang Hao had argued several times, she eventually refused to break up when she learned that he was making money in the provincial capital.

Now, they were quite inseparable.

Lu Yun chuckled, “There’s no rush. He’s two years younger than Cheng’an.”

Zhang Jianjun didn’t put on any pretense in front of Lu Yun. He said, “It’s Li Lan. Recently, she’s been running back and forth to the provincial capital. If Zhang Hao were to break up with her now, it would be awkward. People would say he’s making money but can’t keep his partner. It’s not that; we just never thought much of that girl from the start.”

Talking about this, Lu Yun found common ground with Zhang Jianjun.

However, she felt a bit shy about mentioning Lu Xiang’an, so she just offered Zhang Jianjun some comfort.

—o—o—o—

At noon, the lunch at Zhang Hao’s house was plentiful. He had even bought red wine.

Originally, he didn’t want Lu Yun to drink, but since she hadn’t had any alcohol since her arrival, she thought she would test her tolerance. Since they were all familiar faces, it wouldn’t matter much.

Plus, she had been feeling quite pressured with her studies lately, so she decided to drink a bit. He Cheng’an, sitting next to her, gently reminded Lu Yun not to get drunk, then mostly avoided drinking himself, concerned that if she did get drunk, he needed to stay alert.

Before her arrival, Lu Yun had had some experience with alcohol. She thought she wasn’t a heavy drinker but could manage a few glasses. However, she didn’t expect that, perhaps due to her character’s limitations, she would get tipsy after just a little red wine.

He Cheng’an effortlessly picked Lu Yun up in his strong arms. Since they lived in the same community as Zhang Hao, it was a quick walk back. After chatting a bit with Zhang Hao, He Cheng’an carried Lu Yun home.

Once at home, Lu Yun felt the soft touch of the bed and clung to He Cheng’an, refusing to let go. He Cheng’an was patient and comforted her little by little. Eventually, Lu Yun asked to hear a fairy tale, but He Cheng’an wasn’t familiar with any.

After thinking for a while, he clumsily began sharing stories from his childhood, recounting what he had played with or some embarrassing moments from when he was younger.

Listening to He Cheng’an’s stories made Lu Yun even less inclined to sleep. After more than half an hour, when He Cheng’an paused to look at her, she eagerly asked, “Is there more?”

He Cheng’an smiled down at her, “There was one time when I didn’t know whether to go to my dad’s house or my mom’s house. It seemed like neither of them wanted me at that moment. I met a girl who gave me a piece of candy, and it was really sweet. She…”

At this point, seeing Lu Yun fast asleep, he didn’t continue. He simply said, “Good afternoon.”

—o—o—o—

On another afternoon, Lu Yun was at home working on the assignment Professor Zhou had given her. She felt very sleepy, but she still had a lot to finish, so she could only stifle yawns and continue writing.

When Zhang Hao arrived, Lu Yun looked at him and said, “So much homework! I’ve been writing for a long time. Now that you’re here, I finally have a reason to take a break. Cheng’an should be back in about an hour, right?”

Zhang Hao replied, “Sister-in-law, Li Lan wants a breakup fee.”

Lu Yun asked in surprise, “You and Li Lan broke up?”

Zhang Hao paused for a moment before saying, “Li Lan asked me when I would marry her. I didn’t say anything, and then she asked me for a breakup fee, claiming I had wasted her youth.”

He took a breath before continuing, “Before I came to the provincial capital, I wanted to break up with her, but she didn’t agree, so we kept seeing each other. I thought maybe I should just marry her, but if I really did, I feel like I wouldn’t be happy in the future. Do you think I’m being a bit irresponsible? But sister-in-law, I really can’t marry her. I still have some money set aside for her, but I don’t think it’s enough.”

Lu Yun reassured him, “Don’t worry, I can help.”

Zhang Hao responded gratefully, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

When He Cheng’an returned and learned about the situation, he only asked how much Lu Yun was giving.

Lu Yun mentioned that she had taken out six thousand yuan, and Zhang Hao said that was enough. Lu Yun felt it was sufficient, too.

At this time, being able to become a person with ten thousand yuan was impressive, especially since Zhang Hao and Li Lan hadn’t been together for long. If there was any time wasted, it was probably just during Zhang Hao’s time in the provincial capital.

He Cheng’an seemed to have a good understanding of the situation. He knew that the money Zhang Hao was using came from him, and he was aware of how much Zhang Hao had used.

It was clear that Li Lan was asking for too much, and Zhang Hao was a loyal person. This issue involved not just money but other matters that also needed to be settled.

After a while, He Cheng’an said, “I’ll step out for a bit.”

Lu Yun stood up, “I’ll go with you.” After a pause, she added, “Your friend is my friend too, besides, he calls me sister-in-law.”

He Cheng’an shook his head. “No, I’m just curious as to why she’s willing to break up now. Previously, she completely disagreed with it and even pretended to be confused to stay with Zhang Hao, especially after Zhang Hao bought a house in the provincial capital.”