Chapter 7

Lu Yun finished singing and gave a slight bow as the applause rang out.

He Cheng’an stepped forward a few paces and then noticed Chen Zhiqiang standing in the front row.

Chen Zhiqiang wore a clean shirt and glasses, exuding a somewhat scholarly aura.

He looked down at his soiled clothes, and his steps halted momentarily.

Glancing at the crowd where Li Ling was squeezing her way out, He Cheng’an walked over. “Could you do me a favor?” he asked.

Li Ling paused for a moment, then inquired, “What favor?”

—o—o—o—

Lu Yun had little interest in the Mid-Autumn Festival gala. Instead of crowding outside with everyone to watch the festivities, she preferred to return home, take a shower, and rest.

After the performance ended, she went backstage to change into her own clothes, folding her gown neatly before putting it away.

Just as she was about to leave, she ran into the deputy director of their office.

The deputy director’s expression was animated. “You’ve brought glory to our office! What a performance! It was a standing ovation! You just came off the stage, and the applause is still echoing. I saw several people from other departments come over, eyes wide with admiration. Just wait and see, you’re going to win the grand prize—an electric kettle and a towel, I bet.”

Finally exiting, Lu Yun spotted Li Ling waiting for her outside, holding several mesh bags that were almost too heavy to carry.

She approached and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Li Ling replied, “I just ran into He Cheng’an. He asked me to bring you these things, and he went back on his own. Cousin, you’re not going to throw away what he gave you again or tell him to get lost, are you? Honestly, I think He Cheng’an is quite decent. Although he doesn’t have a stable job and isn’t exactly responsible, he has good taste and treats you well.”

She had intended to mention Chen Zhiqiang but ultimately held her tongue and said nothing.

While on stage, Lu Yun spotted He Cheng’an, who was staring at her intently.

She gazed at his position for a considerable time, noticing he seemed to have rushed back.

However, with the distance between them, she couldn’t see him very clearly.

Lu Yun asked, “Did he say anything else?”

Li Ling replied, “He said these things were heavy and asked me to help you carry them back. He even thanked me. Thanked me!” As she said this, she repeated the phrase, then looked at Lu Yun. “Cousin, don’t worry. Even if he hadn’t said anything, I would have helped you carry the stuff back. It’s not heavy at all, not heavy at all.”

She exaggerated, “Also, he even said sorry for troubling me.”

—o—o—o—

When Lu Yun returned home, the Lu family had not yet come back, and the house was dark, with no lights turned on.

She unlocked the door with her key, took a shower, and changed into a set of pure cotton pajamas before heading back to her room.

As soon as she entered, she noticed the things He Cheng’an had asked Li Ling to bring her. She walked over, opened the mesh bags, and was pleasantly surprised to find that He Cheng’an had actually bought salted egg yolk mooncakes from the provincial city. She broke off a piece to taste, and it was rich and delicious—the best salted egg yolk mooncake Lu Yun had ever eaten. She savored the mooncake while continuing to explore the other items.

There was Snow-white dress made of pure cotton fabric, a dress with a ribbon, and a checkered handkerchief.

None of these seemed like items a man could choose—they were exceptionally thoughtful.

After finishing the salted egg yolk mooncake, Lu Yun pulled out a cookie tin. When she opened it, she found her remaining salary for the month. She hadn’t bought any dresses in the provincial city, and aside from purchasing books, her biggest expense was buying food for the Lu family.

The leftover salary was enough to buy a Mid-Autumn gift for He Cheng’an, but it couldn’t compare to the things he had bought for her.

Lu Xiang’an came back and stood outside Lu Yun’s open window, looking at her. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Lu Yun quickly closed the cookie tin. “Nothing much.”

Seeing Lu Xiang’an peering into her room, his gaze landing on the mesh bags and the dress.

Lu Yun quickly stood up, smiling. “You didn’t go to the Cotton Textile Factory to hear me sing today. Where did you go? You look like you’ve been drinking honey!”

Lu Xiang’an smiled and then yawned. “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, after He Cheng’an returned home, he took a shower and changed out of his soiled clothes.

When he came out, he was holding the dirty clothes, ready to wash them, and found Zhang Hao waiting for him in the yard.

Unable to hold back, Zhang Hao asked, “You rushed back from so far away, why didn’t you go see Lu Yun?”

He Cheng’an tossed his clothes into the wash basin. “The deal went through.”

After saying that, he turned on the faucet and didn’t continue the conversation.

Zhang Hao could tell He Cheng’an sounded happy, but looking at him in silence, he didn’t feel that He Cheng’an was genuinely joyful about it. So, he could only awkwardly keep quiet.

However, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Chen Zhiqiang was quite something to have won Lu Yun’s affection.

—o—o—o—

On the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Lu Yun slept in until the sun was high in the sky.

When she got up and went to the yard to wash her face and brush her teeth, Zhang Meili and Lu Dong were already busy in the kitchen, along with the other residents of the courtyard.

The delicious aroma of food filled the yard, as everyone had bought a lot of ingredients for the holiday.

For lunch, Lu Yun knew there would be ribs, prompting her to hasten her tooth-brushing. “I’ll make the ribs later,” she said.

The neighboring residents heard Lu Yun and laughed, teasing Zhang Meili and Lu Dong. However, some comments were less than flattering.

“Your daughter’s personality is getting better and better; she’s quite capable now.”

“Full-time job, making over seventy yuan a month, and she still looks good.”

“When she gets married, don’t forget to invite us to the wedding banquet!”

“Exactly! If she does get married, it should be to Chen Zhiqiang from the Cotton Textile Factory, right? Hahaha!”

Zhang Meili tossed the vegetables she had taken out into the basin, and Lu Dong’s expression was also not pleasant. Everyone in their courtyard knew about the high-profile pursuit Lu Yun was receiving from Chen Zhiqiang at the Cotton Textile Factory.

The speaker, Aunt Li, felt that Lu Yun was a good catch and had wanted to introduce someone to her. After Lu Yun had rejected the offer, Aunt Li had become displeased and was now intentionally making digs at Lu Yun, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

Lu Yun had heard Lu Xiang’an mention this several times. She recalled that whenever she greeted Aunt Li, the woman always looked down on her.

Later, Lu Xiang’an had privately spoken a lot about this matter, mentioning that Aunt Li had introduced a country cousin’s son to Lu Yun.

Such a match was deemed unworthy by the Lu family, and Aunt Li had even shamelessly suggested a door-in-marriage arrangement.

With a gentle smile, Lu Yun replied softly, “Even if I were to marry Chen Zhiqiang or Zhou Zhiqiang or even Li Zhiqiang, I wouldn’t be marrying your nephew. You know my standards are high. Aunt Li, we live in the same courtyard, so let’s keep it civil and not make things awkward. Don’t you agree?”

After finishing her mouthwash, she rinsed out the cup, washed her hands, dried them with a towel, and slowly rolled up her sleeves, moving over to help with the ribs.

Zhang Meili’s expression improved a little. “That’s right! Your nephew—no, forget your nephew; just look at your son. What is he even like?”

Seeing the Lu family members, Aunt Li turned in anger and walked away.

—o—o—o—

At noon, Lu Yun prepared braised ribs. Although she had intended to make sweet and sour ribs, Lu Dong didn’t like sweeter dishes, so braised ribs were the best choice.

Additionally, Zhang Meili made soft-fried pork, stir-fried cabbage in vinegar, and cold spinach. By the end of the meal, the family of four had cleaned their plates.

Lu Xiang’an exclaimed, “Ah Yun’s braised ribs are absolutely amazing! They’re so delicious!” After saying that, he gave Lu Yun a thumbs-up.

In the afternoon, as Lu Yun prepared to head out with her remaining salary for the month, Zhang Meili stopped her.

The state-owned department store was holding a sale for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Zhang Meili wanted Lu Yun, Lu Dong, and Lu Xiang’an to accompany her to buy some family items. Lu Dong and Lu Xiang’an had no objections, so Lu Yun had no choice but to go along as well.

After all, they were buying gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and going to the state-owned store would be convenient.

The department store was crowded in the afternoon, filled with people. Prices were considerably lower than usual, and Zhang Meili had some store vouchers. She led the family inside, where they all followed her around.

She first helped Lu Dong pick out clothes, then chose a scarf for Lu Yun, and after a while, she ran off to show Lu Xiang’an some shoes.

Seizing the opportunity while they were busy, Lu Yun purchased a beautifully packaged box of mooncakes.

The price was a bit steep, inflated, but the gift box looked nicer.

Additionally, she spotted some novelty candies in the store and bought a few.

After leaving the department store, Lu Yun accompanied the Lu family to a restaurant. After a satisfying meal, they stepped outside, and the sky had already darkened, making it the perfect time to enjoy the moon.

As Lu Yun carried her purchases, she noticed the bus approaching the station and quickly said, “I still have some things to take care of. I’ll head back later and won’t be going with you all.”

Lu Xiang’an handed his things to Lu Dong. “Right, right! I have some things to do too. I’ll head back later.”

The two siblings ran off in different directions, leaving Zhang Meili and Lu Dong standing there with their bags.

Zhang Meili looked at them, unsure of whom to call first, and finally shook her head in resignation.

Zhang Meili said: “Alright, let’s head back for now.”

—o—o—o—

Lu Yun knew He Cheng’an’s address in the county seat.

A while ago, while cleaning her room, she had found the items He Cheng’an had given her, and inside was a note with his address written on it.

During her time here, Lu Yun had memorized the bus routes in the county seat, so she knew how to take the bus to find He Cheng’an, or she could ride her bicycle since she was familiar with the route.

When she was outside He Cheng’an’s courtyard, Lu Yun noticed the gate was closed.

She wasn’t sure if he was home. She gently knocked on the door and called out: “He Cheng’an?”

After waiting a few minutes without any response, Lu Yun looked around, standing outside as she waited.

As dusk gradually fell and Lu Yun began to feel a bit fatigued in her calves. Fortunately, He Cheng’an finally returned.

He was momentarily taken aback when he saw Lu Yun, but then he quickly strode forward, eventually breaking into a run as he approached her.

Under the moonlight, Lu Yun smiled as she handed him the items. “He Cheng’an, happy Mid-Autumn Festival!”