Chapter 59

Lu Yun was at home waiting for He Cheng’an to return when she decided to turn on the television. She originally intended to watch a popular drama for a while, but as soon as the TV came on, Lu Yun felt that she couldn’t just waste time like a lazy person; she needed to go back to studying. She truly owed this mindset to Professor Zhou and his wife.

Silently, she turned off the television and went to the second bedroom to continue her studies.

In their home, there were two bedrooms: a master bedroom and a second bedroom. Since the second bedroom was usually unoccupied, Lu Yun had thought ahead during the renovation and purchased a large desk for it.

She believed this arrangement was reasonable because even if she no longer needed it in the future, perhaps when she had children, they would need a desk as well.

 As for moving, she knew that a place suitable for children would likely have high levels of formaldehyde for several years, and only then could they safely allow a child to move in.

She had heard that some people, for the sake of their children, chose not to buy new homes but instead purchased second-hand houses that had been renovated a long time ago.

Lu Yun had considered converting the walk-in closet into a study but felt that the current setup was more practical. With a closet installed, they wouldn’t need a wardrobe in the bedroom, which would free up a lot of space, even allowing enough room for Lu Yun to have a vanity.

However, Lu Yun’s vanity wasn’t the trendy European style; it was quite simple overall.

When He Cheng’an returned, he brought some late-night snacks for Lu Yun, which were grilled skewers from downstairs. However, he hadn’t brought too many.

Although Lu Yun wasn’t deliberately trying to maintain her figure, she wouldn’t eat too much at night, even if she had a snack. Lu Yun’s portions were small, and He Cheng’an wouldn’t eat much either. He was concerned that if Lu Yun saw him eating, he might want to keep eating, but he needed to hold back.

As Lu Yun ate the skewers, He Cheng’an poured a glass of cool boiled water for her. She would certainly not drink soda in the evening, even though it would taste better with the grilled skewers.

After pouring himself a glass of water, He Cheng’an sat down.

Lu Yun asked, “Where did you go?”

He Cheng’an carefully explained to Lu Yun what had just happened.

He had asked Zhang Hao to hold up Li Lan, while also sending someone to the county town the next day to see if there were any issues with Li Lan.

If everything was fine, even if Li Lan was asking for a lot of money, it would still provide Zhang Hao with some peace of mind.

However, if there were problems with Li Lan, the next steps would be entirely up to Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao made his money by following He Cheng’an’s lead.

He Cheng’an understood that it wasn’t easy, but he also recognized that giving money to Li Lan was the right thing to do.

According to his understanding of Zhang Hao, even if Li Lan had problems, Zhang Hao would still give her a substantial amount of money.

However, if it truly was Li Lan’s fault, then giving her money would settle the matter. Otherwise, it could lead to Li Lan coming back for more money in the future or tarnishing Zhang Hao’s reputation elsewhere.

Nonetheless, since He Cheng’an had instructed someone to investigate, he genuinely believed that something must have happened to Li Lan in the county town.

Lu Yun ate a skewer, specifically a chicken wing, and the rest went into He Cheng’an’s stomach. Holding her cup, she drank the remaining cool boiled water and said, “Let’s wait a bit before sleeping; we shouldn’t go to bed right after finishing our late-night snacks.”

He Cheng’an replied, “Okay.”

Lu Yun didn’t want to sleep, while He Cheng’an did. He remembered that he had bought a deck of cards from the convenience store downstairs earlier.

Concerned that Lu Yun was getting too tired from studying every day, he decided to play some simple games with her. He took out the cards and they began to play Go Fish together.

After one round, Lu Yun lost, covering her face as she leaned against the couch. Once she sat up again, He Cheng’an smiled and pointed to his cheek, saying, “Reward.”

Lu Yun quickly pecked him on the cheek and then allowed He Cheng’an to pick her up in a princess carry back to the bedroom.

Lu Yun had grown used to this princess carry; He Cheng’an often liked to carry her to their room.

—o—o—o—

Two days later, He Cheng’an learned that Li Lan had started seeing someone new in the county town.

She had met this person during a recent blind date, and the two had been quietly getting to know each other. It was only recently that they planned to get married.

The new partner worked at a steel factory and had recently acquired a two-bedroom apartment from the company.

When Lu Yun found out about this, she wasn’t surprised; she believed what He Cheng’an had told her.

Because of this situation, Lu Yun felt a bit envious of Zhang Hao, at least he didn’t have to marry Li Lan.

She remembered how much Zhang Jianjun had worried about Zhang Hao and Li Lan being together, but unfortunately, Lu Xiang’an was different from them—he genuinely liked his partner.

He Cheng’an didn’t get involved in this matter. He merely informed Zhang Hao and left the decision to him. In the end, Zhang Hao gave Li Lan ten thousand yuan, and that settled the matter. It was likely that Li Lan wouldn’t come looking for Zhang Hao again in the future.

—o—o—o—

That evening, Lu Yun invited He Cheng’an to have dinner with Zhang Hao. Zhang Hao appeared not to be sad at all; in fact, he seemed a bit relieved.

In October, He Cheng’an’s shop, which he had rented in the provincial city, was simply renovated and ready to open. Not wanting to run around everywhere, He Cheng’an chose a location near the Seagull Community for his first store.

Zhang Hao was appointed as the manager of this store, and He Cheng’an designated a specific area for him. The entire renovation work for that area was handed over to Zhang Hao.

As Lu Yun looked around at the surrounding land, she thought that the shop would probably be very busy in the future. However, if they were talking about future development, it was still necessary to look towards the suburbs, where more houses were being built.

The prices there were cheaper at this time, and suddenly, Lu Yun felt that her ideas were opening up again. However, that was only a fleeting thought; this year, even though she and He Cheng’an seemed to be doing well on the surface, they didn’t actually have much money, as they were still in the startup phase.

In addition to a manager, the store needed to hire a receptionist, a renovation consultant, and a professional interior designer. That afternoon, they posted job advertisements outside the shop.

Lu Yun was touring the shop while chatting with Zhang Hao, and Xiao Chen was following her, seemingly trying to ingratiate himself.

Although Xiao Chen knew that the business was run by He Cheng’an, everyone understood that He Cheng’an listened to this boss lady, especially since she was quite capable when it came to getting things done.

“Hello, is this where you’re hiring a receptionist?”

Hearing a voice from outside, Lu Yun looked over and was taken aback to see Li Xiaohong. This was the same Li Xiaohong who had previously helped He Cheng’an deliver items to Lu Yun from the Cotton Textile Factory. Now, if it weren’t for her recognizable features, Lu Yun could hardly believe that this was Li Xiaohong.

She had become more attractive and her dressing style had changed; it was clear that she was living better than before.

Li Xiaohong was delighted to see Lu Yun and exclaimed, “Sister Lu Yun, what are you doing here?”

Lu Yun replied, “This is my husband’s shop.”

Li Xiaohong couldn’t believe it and looked around in amazement.

At noon, Lu Yun took Li Xiaohong to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Li Xiaohong seemed eager to get close to Lu Yun but also appeared a bit shy.

Lu Yun asked, “Aren’t you working as a temporary worker at the Cotton Textile Factory? Why did you come to the provincial city to look for a job?”

Li Xiaohong explained, “I wanted to work as a temporary worker at the Cotton Textile Factory and do a good job to get a permanent position. But once, when I went to my friend’s factory, I overheard their manager saying that the stuff in the factory wasn’t selling well. Then I thought about how you had quit the Cotton Textile Factory, so I figured I’d try my luck in the provincial city.”

After a pause, she continued, “I recently ran into your eldest brother a few times. It seems like he’s dating someone.”

Lu Yun didn’t feel the need to discuss Lu Xiang’an’s matters with Li Xiaohong, so she simply nodded and said, “Yeah, they’re probably getting married soon.”

As for Li Xiaohong’s situation, Lu Yun didn’t make any direct decisions. Since Zhang Hao was managing the store, she decided to let him handle the hiring.

In the afternoon, Lu Yun asked Zhang Hao to interview Li Xiaohong. After the interview, Zhang Hao told Lu Yun that he thought Li Xiaohong was worth a try, and soon she became the intern receptionist at their store.

As the weather turned colder, Lu Yun glanced at He Cheng’an, who was still wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and shivered.

The weather had shifted to the point where it was necessary to wear warmer clothes. In a typical day, the temperatures were cool in the early morning and evening, sometimes warm during midday, but regardless, Lu Yun still decided to take He Cheng’an to the state-run shopping mall.

Lu Yun picked out clothes for He Cheng’an, who obediently carried the shopping bags, wearing whatever she chose for him.

In the process, Lu Yun bought several outfits for herself as well, along with purchases for Zhang Meili, Lu Dong, and Lu Xiang’an. The clothes for Lu Xiang’an were particularly expensive.

He Cheng’an asked, “Are you worried he’ll feel underdressed?”

Lu Yun smiled softly and nodded, “If he meets his girlfriend’s parents, he should have a suitable outfit that looks a bit more expensive. If not, it’s fine for everyday wear.”

On the weekend, Lu Yun wore a woolen coat and carried her shoulder bag as she and He Cheng’an returned to the county town. Aside from the items Lu Yun had bought, He Cheng’an had also acquired several bags of food, plus a red envelope.

Zhang Meili looked at Lu Yun and felt that she seemed to have gained a gentler and more composed demeanor. Her complexion was rosy, and when she smiled, her eyes sparkled with liveliness.

Zhang Meili handed Lu Yun the profits from the spicy skewer shop along with the account books. Lu Yun didn’t bother to check the books and directly gave Zhang Meili ten percent of the profits. Holding the remaining money, Zhang Meili smiled, “Perfect! This will allow us to rent a shop in the provincial city and open a spicy skewer shop there.”

Since they often communicated, Lu Yun and He Cheng’an frequently returned home, so Zhang Meili was well aware of their situation in the provincial city. She appeared happy as she said, “You guys are really impressive; who wouldn’t be envious? Just the other day, I ran into someone from the He family.”

Lu Yun quickly sat down and asked, “Which member of the He family did you meet?”

Zhang Meili teased, “You’re so nosy!”

Lu Yun pouted, “Come on, tell me, tell me!”