Chapter 14: The House

After they walked out of the Li family’s gate, Su Yue suddenly pulled her hand free from Li Xiangbei’s grip.

Li Xiangbei’s heart skipped a beat with a sudden panic, and he quickly said, “Yueyue, don’t leave me.”

Su Yue looked at his pitiful expression and teased him, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Li Xiangbei composed himself slightly. “Yueyue, come with me.”

With that, he led Su Yue to the alley opposite the steel factory. In front of a door, Li Xiangbei stopped and took out a key to unlock it.

Su Yue glanced at him, thinking: Looks like Li Xiangbei has secrets too.

Back when she was in high school, she had thought about buying a house in the county town, but after searching everywhere, she realized private buying and selling of houses was basically impossible. Moreover, houses in the county were usually shared by big extended families. Renting or buying a house privately was very rare.

Those few rented houses were usually a room that a big family set aside to earn some extra income, with kitchens and toilets shared—like how educated youth would temporarily stay at local villagers’ houses when their own dorms were full.

Li Xiangbei smiled and called, “Yueyue, come in.”

Su Yue nodded and followed him into the courtyard. The yard was noticeably larger than the Li family’s.

Li Xiangbei explained, “This yard is bigger than my family’s, but the house itself isn’t large—there’s one main room, a side room connected to it, a kitchen, and a bathroom.”

Su Yue tilted her head and asked, “Did you buy this house or rent it?”

Li Xiangbei scratched his head and explained, “There used to be an elderly couple living here. Two years ago, I helped them with something, and we’ve kept in touch since. Their son retired from the military and was assigned a job in Beijing, so they moved there. I bought this house from them. The son helped handle the paperwork.”

Su Yue stared intently and asked, “How much did it cost to buy the house?”

“Three hundred yuan. It’s a good place—there’s running water in the kitchen and yard, making washing and cooking very convenient. I thought after we get married, we could move here.”

As he spoke, Li Xiangbei opened the doors of the rooms and showed Su Yue around.

“I didn’t plan to hide this from you. The furniture is old, so I wanted to get new furniture and make it look like a proper home before telling you. Whenever I have time, I come here to clean. Look, I even chopped up the old furniture and put it in the kitchen to use as firewood.”

Seeing Su Yue nod, Li Xiangbei continued, “Mom said she’ll prepare new furniture for our wedding, and then we’ll move here. But for the outside world, we’ll say the house was bought with your dowry, so my family won’t cause trouble.”

Seeing him dodge the real question, Su Yue pressed on, “Where did you get the money to buy the house?”

Li Xiangbei gave a bitter smile. “That’s a long story. You must be hungry. Let’s eat first, and I’ll tell you slowly.”

Su Yue nodded, relieved inwardly. She really couldn’t get along with people like Liu Lanxiang, so when she left the Li family, she thought she’d ask Li Xiangbei to find a place quickly, even if it was rented.

She never expected Li Xiangbei had already prepared a house.

After Li Xiangbei locked the door, the two headed to the state-run restaurant near the steel factory.

Inside, Li Xiangbei found a spot, took out a handkerchief, and wiped down the chair. “Yueyue, sit here.”

Su Yue smiled and sat down.

Looking up at the small blackboard on the wall, Li Xiangbei asked, “Yueyue, what do you want to eat?”

From where she sat, Su Yue could see the blackboard clearly. “I want a bowl of beef noodles.”

Li Xiangbei nodded and headed toward the counter.

Su Yue glanced around casually. It was mealtime, and the state-run restaurant was quite crowded.

Before Li Xiangbei returned, a man about twenty years old walked into the restaurant. He looked around and headed toward Su Yue.

Seeing he was about to sit down, Su Yue quickly said, “Sorry, this seat is taken.”

The man paused briefly but still sat down. “Ms. Wang Xiumei, I’m Zhang Qiang. Nice to meet you.”

Su Yue responded coolly, “You’ve got the wrong person.”

Zhang Qiang showed no sign of leaving. “No matter, a chance meeting is fate. I’m Zhang Qiang, a procurement officer at the county supply and marketing cooperative. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

Su Yue glanced at Zhang Qiang and then looked away. This man was apparently a colleague of Li Xiangbei.

“He’s my fiancé,” Li Xiangbei said coldly as he approached carrying a plate of big meat buns. “Move aside.”

Li Xiangbei hadn’t expected to run into this annoying guy while out for a meal.

“Oh, it’s Little Li. Didn’t your brother tell you not to be so stingy—bringing a lady to the state restaurant and only ordering two buns? Us real men don’t do that, right, miss?”

At this, other diners glanced over. Su Yue felt annoyed and covered her nose, telling Li Xiangbei, “I don’t want to sit here anymore.” She then stood up.

Zhang Qiang probably sprayed on a bottle of cologne, filling the area with a strong, pungent scent.

Li Xiangbei smiled and followed Su Yue to a spot near the door.

He placed a bun in front of her. “I was worried you’d be hungry, so I ordered a bun to fill you up first.”

Su Yue smiled and took the chopsticks he handed her, tasting the bun. It was large and stuffed with meat, juicy with broth flowing out at the first bite.

Soon, the waiter called out, “Beef noodles, braised pork, and cold cucumber salad are ready!”

“The noodles are ready,” Li Xiangbei said, going to the counter and back twice, bringing beef noodles, braised pork, rice, and a plate of cold cucumbers.

He placed the noodles in front of Su Yue. “I added some chili for you. Try it and see if it’s too spicy.”

Su Yue smiled, tasted a bit, and said, “Not spicy, just right. You…”

“Comrade Wang Xiumei, could you be more punctual? We agreed to meet at six at the state restaurant, and it’s already seven,” Zhang Qiang shouted from across the restaurant. The place was small, so everyone could hear.

Su Yue looked away and picked up some beef, placing it in Li Xiangbei’s bowl. “This beef is quite tasty. Try some.”

Li Xiangbei smiled and ate the beef. Yueyue was really kind to him, even sharing her food.

“Yueyue, try some braised pork.”

Su Yue smiled, ate a piece, and nodded. “Mmm, delicious.”

After finishing their meal, Li Xiangbei escorted Su Yue back to her dormitory.

“Yueyue, I actually feel a bit embarrassed. It’s your first time at my place, and you saw the messy side of my family. But I promise, before we get married, I’ll move out from home.”

Su Yue smiled and nodded.

After saying goodbye, Su Yue returned to her dorm. After washing in the laundry room, she turned off the light early and went to sleep.