Chapter 23: Good Friend Su Lili

“Yes, Uncle Wu, is my fourth brother here?” Jiang Qian asked with a smile.

The security guard replied, “You came at an unlucky time. Your fourth brother and his group left early this morning. The unit needs to buy a batch of grain, so they’re all busy. They’ll probably be back tomorrow.”

Jiang Qian wasn’t surprised—this wasn’t the first time she couldn’t catch her fourth brother when he was free. She smiled and nodded, saying, “Alright, when my fourth brother gets back, please let him know for me, and tell him to come home for a meal when he has time.”

“Of course,” the security guard replied.

Jiang Qian didn’t stay any longer. She sat on the back of the bicycle and followed Han Shiguo as they wandered around, enjoying the sights.

“Let’s go see my old classmate. She’s been assigned to work at the mall,” Jiang Qian suggested.

Having come to the city for school, Jiang Qian also had a very good friend here.

Although they were few, this one friend was someone she could truly talk to, and they shared a strong bond.

“Sure,” Han Shiguo agreed without hesitation.

The two of them made their way to the mall.

Jiang Qian’s good friend, named Su Lili, was working at a counter selling high-end silk fabrics, and there were two customers browsing at the moment.

“Lili!” Jiang Qian called out with a smile.

Su Lili’s eyes brightened when she saw Jiang Qian. “Qianqian, wait for me!”

She quickly finished helping the customers by processing their fabric tickets and money, and handed them the fabric they had selected. Once the customers left, she was free.

“I was just saying that you haven’t come to the city in so long. I was planning to write you a letter to ask you to come for a visit when you had the time!” Su Lili said.

“I haven’t had the time either. I was busy with the autumn harvest, and now that school has started again, I haven’t had a moment to rest,” Jiang Qian replied with a smile. She also took the opportunity to introduce her boyfriend. “Lili, this is my boyfriend, Han Shiguo.”Jiang Qian added as she introduced Su Lili to Han Shiguo.

“Nice to meet you,”

After the brief introductions, she suggested, “Han Shiguo, you can sit over there on the bench and rest for a while.”

As soon as Han Shiguo settled down, Su Lili leaned closer to Jiang Qian and whispered, “Oh my god, he’s in the army? Where did you find such a gem? He’s so handsome!”

“It was arranged by my family,” Jiang Qian replied with a bit of embarrassment but quickly shot back, “You dare say someone else’s man is handsome? Just wait until I tell your Qin Fu!”

Su Lili’s boyfriend, Qin Fu, was their class monitor back in school. They were also neighbors and had known each other since they were little.

Back when they were still students, they weren’t allowed to date, but Jiang Qian knew exactly what was going on between them. Now that they had graduated, they were officially together, and both families were happy with the relationship.

Su Lili smiled, her lips curling slightly. “Even if Qin Fu is here, I’m not afraid! You’re not going to stop me from speaking the truth, are you? But seriously, he really is handsome, and you two look so good together—perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman!”

Clearly, Su Lili was genuinely happy for her best friend Jiang Qian.

Before this, Su Lili had actually wanted to introduce her brother to Jiang Qian, but just before she could bring it up, her brother had already started seeing someone. That’s when she dropped the idea.

Otherwise, she would’ve really liked him to bring her home and have them become sisters-in-law!

Jiang Qian smiled.

“How long have you two been together? When are you planning to have the wedding?” Su Lili asked, shifting the conversation.

“He doesn’t get many days off. This time, he took leave to come back. If everything goes smoothly, we should be getting married in a few days,” Jiang Qian said without any hesitation.

“Then marry him as soon as you’re sure!” Su Lili approved wholeheartedly.

That was the norm in this era—if you were sure about it, you just got married. There was no such thing as dating for years and then talking about marriage. That wasn’t something people did.

“When the time comes, will you be free? If you are, come and see me off at my wedding,” Jiang Qian said with a smile.

“Of course, of course! Your fourth brother will probably come back too, right? I’ll get Qin Fu to join us, and we’ll all go together,” Su Lili immediately replied.

“Alright.” Jiang Qian was of course happy but didn’t forget to ask about her good friend’s wedding plans. “When are you and Qin Fu getting married?”

“Well, I could get married anytime, but his family’s place is too cramped. If I marry him, there’s nowhere for me to live,” Su Lili sighed.

Jiang Qian, understanding the housing situation in the city, responded, “If you can buy one, that would be fine too.”

Su Lili felt the same way. “Qin Fu wants to rent, but I’m more inclined to buy. The problem is it’s hard to find, and it’s so expensive! A couple of days ago, we went to see one, and that small rundown place was several hundred yuan. It felt like they were just robbing us!”

“That’s just the way it is,” Jiang Qian said sympathetically. “If it doesn’t work out, you can always rent for now.”

“Hmm, I think we’ll probably rent for now,” Su Lili muttered quietly. “I absolutely won’t move into his house. It’s cramped, not to mention his two sisters-in-law aren’t exactly easy to get along with. And those nephews and nieces—oh my God, if I moved in, my head would explode!”

Her boyfriend, Qin Fu, wanted to marry her as soon as possible, but he was all talk and no action, only teasing her, tempting her without really following through.

Actually, it wasn’t just him who was craving. She was craving too—craving to be with him.

But there was no nest yet, so cravings had to wait!

The two of them always had endless things to talk about when they were together. After chatting for a while, Su Lili smiled and said, “Alright, it’s getting late. Go on and spend time with your soldier boyfriend. Don’t neglect him!”

Jiang Qian smiled, “I’ll have my fourth brother come over to find you, and tell Qin Fu too. If he can get time off, he should come. If not, it’s alright, I understand the gesture!”

“Alright,” Su Lili agreed, though she didn’t make any promises. She could probably get time off, but she still needed to check with her boyfriend, Qin Fu.

After bidding farewell to Su Lili, Jiang Qian went to find Han Shiguo.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen Lili in so long, so we chatted a bit longer. I kept you waiting,” Jiang Qian said with a smile.

“It’s fine,” Han Shiguo was actually quite happy that she was willing to introduce him to her friend.

Leaving the shopping mall, Jiang Qian looked at him, “Where are we going now?”

“Let’s go eat.” By this time, it was already getting late, past eleven o’clock. Han Shiguo rode her to the state-run restaurant.

The waiter brought over the menu, and Han Shiguo directly handed it to her. “What do you want to eat?”

Jiang Qian took a quick glance and said, “I’ll have the pork and cabbage dumplings.”

Pork dumplings were a rare treat.

However, for Han Shiguo, that wasn’t enough. “This is our first time coming to the city together. It wouldn’t be right to let you eat only dumplings. How about I order something else?”

Jiang Qian felt a warm sense of appreciation and agreed, letting him choose.

“Do you want to have the braised pig’s trotters?” Han Shiguo started ordering, making sure to ask for her opinion.

“Sure,” Jiang Qian replied.

“How about the braised pork?”

“Sounds good.”

Han Shiguo then ordered two vegetable dishes and a soup, making sure to check with her each time. Once she gave her approval, he had the waiter place the order.

Two meat dishes, two vegetables, and rice as the staple. It didn’t take long for the food to be served.

Jiang Qian had been in this world for two years, and while she had dined out a few times, usually just having noodles or dumplings that her fourth brother had treated her to, she had never experienced a meal like this before.

However, after getting used to the delicious food from the space, it was easy for her to become indifferent to simple meals. Still, the taste of the dishes at the state-run restaurant was indeed appetizing.

Jiang Qian didn’t hold back and finished two bowls of rice along with several meat dishes, followed by a bowl of soup. That was about her limit.

Seeing that she couldn’t eat anymore, Han Shiguo finished off the remaining food without hesitation.