Chapter 22

Xia Qingning looked puzzled and, carrying her purchases, was pulled towards home by Mai Miao. As soon as she entered her courtyard, she saw a brand-new bicycle parked there.

A circle of women surrounded the bike, each with envy in their eyes. When they saw her, they started chattering:

“Lu Er’s wife, you’re so lucky. Your husband bought you such a nice bike as soon as he came back.”

“Of course, it’s a Phoenix brand. It costs over a hundred yuan. I wouldn’t be able to afford it even if I didn’t eat or drink for half a year.”

“Look, the saddle is made of leather. It must be very comfortable to ride.”

“I’m envious, I’m envious. Tell your husband to buy you one too.”

“Such an expensive bike, let alone a new one, he wouldn’t even sell an old one to me.”

Of course, there were those who were envious and those who were jealous. Zhao Cuilan watched from afar, muttering discontentedly:

“It’s good to know how to climb into bed. Men are willing to buy anything expensive for you.”

The bike in front of her was sleek and shiny with black paint. The colorful Phoenix logo on the handlebars was very eye-catching. Even the saddle had a steel stamp with the words “Phoenix” on it. It stood there, very conspicuous.

Looking at the bike in front of her and listening to everyone’s envious words, Xia Qingning was completely stunned.

After the crowd of onlookers dispersed, Mai Miao said to Xia Qingning with envy:

“Jingzhe Ge is so good to you.” Then she tugged at Xia Qingning’s sleeve, “Can I borrow it to ride sometime if you don’t need it?”

Xia Qingning, snapping out of her daze, heard Mai Miao asking to borrow her bike and said with some difficulty:

“It’s not that I don’t want to let you ride it. This bike might not be for me.”

“You’re silly. This is a 26-inch bike, specifically for women. Who else could Jingzhe Ge buy it for besides you?” Mai Miao looked at Xia Qingning with a look of disbelief.

After Mai Miao’s reminder, Xia Qingning noticed that this bike was indeed smaller than the 28-inch bikes that Wu Xiaodong and the others rode. If Lu Jingzhe was riding it himself, with his long arms and legs, he wouldn’t have bought a 26-inch bike. Could it really be for her?

Xia Qingning walked into the house with doubts. She put the things she had bought on the table and found that Lu Jingzhe wasn’t home. She turned to Mai Miao and asked:

“Didn’t you want to learn how to braid hair?”

“That bike… can I borrow it to ride sometime?” Mai Miao still hadn’t forgotten about the bike.

“You can.” Xia Qingning saw her expectant look and smiled, “But it has to be mine first.”

“Of course it’s yours.” Mai Miao looked confident and then said to Xia Qingning, “What kind of braid are we learning today? My hands are clumsy. Don’t dislike me.”

After hearing her words, Xia Qingning thought for a moment and said, “Let’s braid the slanted one I did last time. It’s easier.”

Xia Qingning went back to her room and took a comb and mirror. She started teaching Mai Miao. Slowly, she discovered that Mai Miao wasn’t being humble when she said her hands were clumsy. But she didn’t show any impatience and continued to teach her patiently.

Xia Qingning’s patience made Mai Miao feel embarrassed. She sighed, “I thought it was simple, but it’s so difficult. Why is your hair so obedient in your hands?”

“Take your time. Once you learn one braid, you can braid many different styles. They all follow the same basic principles.” Xia Qingning comforted her.

After Xia Qingning’s repeated teaching, Mai Miao finally mastered the method. Although she didn’t braid it very well, she had learned it. Looking at her beautiful hairstyle in the mirror, she felt like she had become prettier. She was overjoyed. She put down the mirror and suddenly leaned close to Xia Qingning’s ear and whispered:

“I heard you and Jingzhe Ge are sleeping in the same room.”

“Ah…” Xia Qingning didn’t expect her to ask such a private question and didn’t know how to answer.

“Men are all the same. They say they don’t like you, but their bodies are honest.” Mai Miao had a look of “I know everything.”

Xia Qingning: …

They were sleeping in the same room, but they were sleeping separately, not interfering with each other. Just as Xia Qingning was feeling awkward, she heard Mai Miao continue, “He came to my house today to see my parents. I heard my mom ask him if he was planning to have children. He said…”

Mai Miao was about to continue when she suddenly saw a pair of long legs step into the room. She immediately swallowed the rest of her words.

Xia Qingning subconsciously looked towards the door, following her gaze. She saw Lu Jingzhe, in his neat military uniform, walking in.

“I’m going back.” Mai Miao stood up and said. Before leaving, she suddenly leaned close to Xia Qingning, blinked her eyes, and said, “Work hard tonight.” Then she ran out laughing.

Xia Qingning looked at her running away, confused. What did Lu Jingzhe say? And why did she have to work hard?

At this time, Lu Jingzhe had already sat down. Xia Qingning looked at him, hesitated for a moment, but still couldn’t help but ask:

“That, the bike outside…”

“I bought it for you.” Lu Jingzhe’s tone was calm. He didn’t think anything was wrong. He continued, “Ride it to work from now on.”

Xia Qingning was a little confused. She didn’t understand why he was suddenly taking such good care of her. She thought that maybe he was just handsome and kind-hearted. Seeing that she was so weak, he felt sorry for her, so he bought her a way to get around so that she wouldn’t be so tired.

He’s worthy of being the male lead. He has a broad mind and a grand vision.

Although she had agreed with Wu Xiaodong to take his bike, now that the bike was bought, she couldn’t ask him to return it. That would be so disappointing. Xia Qingning thought for a moment and said:

“Thank you.” Then she asked, “How much did this bike cost?”

Hearing this, and thinking about Xia Qingning’s notebook for recording expenses yesterday, Lu Jingzhe frowned slightly and asked, “Why are you asking that?”

“Nothing. I was just curious.” Xia Qingning blinked and said. Actually, she wanted to write it down, but she saw that Lu Jingzhe didn’t seem very happy when he saw her writing down the expenses yesterday, so she didn’t plan to tell him.

Hearing her say this, Lu Jingzhe’s expression softened. He said in a low voice, “158.”

158 yuan was a huge sum of money in this era. And buying a bicycle also required coupons, which were even harder to get. Xia Qingning was both surprised and amazed. She had chosen the right leg to hold onto.

He was so generous. Should she return the favor? Thinking this, her eyes glanced at the mesh bag on the table. She remembered and reached out to take out an enamel basin and a towel from it. She handed them to Lu Jingzhe and said, “I went to the supply and marketing cooperative just now and bought some toiletries. I brought you some too. It’s more hygienic to use your own.”

Although these things were nothing compared to the bike he bought for her, and they were bought with his money, they were still a little token of her appreciation.

Lu Jingzhe looked at the things she handed him and took them without hesitation. He had a slight case of OCD, and these things would come in handy.

The two of them sitting there was a bit awkward. Xia Qingning looked at the fabric in the mesh bag, thought for a moment, and said to Lu Jingzhe:

“I’ll go make something.”

Then she took the mesh bag and went into the house. She placed the things she had bought on the cabinet, then took out the fabric and hairbands, and also took some rubber bands from the original body’s box.

When she walked out of the room, she found that Lu Jingzhe had already gone out, and the bike had been moved to the corner.

She took the scissors from the wall. Dacron was brighter and prettier than cotton in this era, perfect for making hair accessories.

She cut the fabric into different sizes and lengths of strips. She went to the sewing machine outside He Shanshan’s room and started working.

She worked while patiently waiting for He Shanshan to come back and confront her.