Chapter 34.2

After dinner, Xie Yanzhao practically whisked her away into the car. It wasn’t until they were driving out of the military base that Ruan Mingfu finally spoke up.

“Where are we going?”

She had been tagging along with Xie Yanzhao lately to the countryside to order custom furniture from old craftsmen.

Since they had been doing this often, Ruan Mingfu assumed today was the same.

But Xie Yanzhao, gripping the steering wheel and looking straight ahead, replied, “We’re going to get our marriage certificate.”

God knows how nervous he was when he said that, his hands even sweating on the wheel.

Xie Yanzhao pursed his lips, his eyes focused ahead, but he kept sneaking glances at Ruan Mingfu from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge her reaction.

“What?!” Ruan Mingfu shrieked, causing Xie Yanzhao’s heart to leap into his throat.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Ruan Mingfu fumbled to pull out a small mirror, scrutinizing her reflection with increasing dissatisfaction.

She frowned, noticing every flaw.

“Do I look a bit haggard? Are my eyes a little dark? My skin looks sallow…”

Xie Yanzhao, now more relaxed, reached over to take her hand, silencing her stream of complaints.

“You look beautiful,” he said, though he wasn’t looking at her. His entire demeanor radiated sincerity. “To me, you’re always beautiful.”

Damn it! The way this dog man said that made her heart skip a beat~

Ruan Mingfu touched her chest, feeling her heart race, but outwardly she pouted and pretended to be displeased, “Hmph, that’s just flattery!”

But inside, she was secretly thrilled.

If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging like crazy.

Xie Yanzhao knew her well and didn’t argue back.

Sitting in the car, Ruan Mingfu kept looking at herself in the mirror. Unlike before, when she found fault with every detail, now she felt like she looked just like a fairy.

But before long, she began to worry again.

“Why didn’t you say we were going to get our marriage certificate?” Ruan Mingfu tugged at her dress. “I didn’t even change into a prettier dress. This is too sudden.”

She pouted and grumbled, “If the photos don’t turn out well, should we just divorce and take them again next time?”

Hearing this, a vein on Xie Yanzhao’s forehead twitched.

He pressed his lips together and drove a little faster.

After turning onto a smooth road, he soon pulled up in front of a building. Xie Yanzhao unfastened his seatbelt and said in a low voice, “Get out.”

Ruan Mingfu finally put down her mirror and looked around.

“Is this really where we get our marriage certificate?”

People were bustling around them, most of them dressed well and looking quite pleased. Several small cars were also parked nearby.

Not far ahead stood an impressive three-story building.

“Let’s go,” Xie Yanzhao didn’t answer her question, but pocketed the keys and strode forward.

Ruan Mingfu didn’t ask any more questions and followed him.

As they walked inside, she finally realized what was going on.

The three-story building turned out to be Wancheng’s largest supply and marketing cooperative, much bigger and better stocked than any she had seen before.

Well, it made sense—Wancheng was a provincial capital, after all. How could it be inferior to a small county town?

Xie Yanzhao was clearly familiar with this place. As soon as they entered, he led her straight to the third floor.

“What are we doing here?” Ruan Mingfu tugged on Xie Yanzhao’s sleeve, her beautiful eyes curiously scanning her surroundings.

“Buying clothes.”

Ruan Mingfu wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she detected a hint of gritted teeth in those three short words.

Still, the idea of someone buying her clothes made her happy.

But as she looked at the clothes displayed on the third floor, her enthusiasm waned. After browsing a few areas, Xie Yanzhao pointed to a dress hanging on the wall and asked, “How about this one?”

Ruan Mingfu looked over and thought: “…”

Is he serious?

But judging by Xie Yanzhao’s expression, he really was serious.

The dress was a simple one, with a ruffled collar—a style considered fashionable at the time.

However… it was pink.

A dreadful, fluorescent pink.

Wearing such a dress in public would be a disaster.

Ruan Mingfu definitely didn’t have the courage to wear it.

“If you like it, you can keep it for yourself.”

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

Ruan Mingfu sighed.

She couldn’t rely on men, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Pointing to a green dress nearby, she addressed the salesperson who was casually eating sunflower seeds, “Let me see that dress.”

To her surprise, the salesperson didn’t move.

She even gave Ruan Mingfu a sidelong glance before finally saying, “That dress costs 60 yuan and requires fabric coupons. No trying on unless you’re buying.”

Even though Ruan Mingfu was prepared for such an attitude, her temper flared.

Just as she was about to lose her temper, Xie Yanzhao calmly said, “Take it down.”

The salesperson had never encountered someone so intimidating before, someone who looked as if he might pull out a knife at any moment.

She didn’t dare treat him with the same attitude she had shown Ruan Mingfu. Abandoning her sunflower seeds, she quickly took down the dress.

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Was she less intimidating than Xie Yanzhao?

Annoyed!

But Ruan Mingfu’s anger didn’t last long before it dissipated.

The dress was quite nice, with delicate lace at the collar. The hem, made from some unknown fabric, looked very flowing.

“I’ll try it on.”

With a fierce god standing nearby, the salesperson’s attitude suddenly improved greatly.

“Of course, right this way.”

This dress had been hanging there for so long, and although many people had looked at it, no one had bought it yet. Besides being expensive, the color was difficult to pull off.

Green required fair skin to bring out its fresh elegance; it was a disaster on someone with darker skin.

But Ruan Mingfu had no such concerns.

When she walked out of the fitting room, everyone on the third floor, both men and women, was stunned.

Ruan Mingfu walked gracefully toward Xie Yanzhao, her eyes sparkling.

“What do you think? Does it look good?”

Seeing Ruan Mingfu like this, Xie Yanzhao’s dark eyes deepened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed rapidly. He felt like a young boy, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

“…Very beautiful.”

Ruan Mingfu lifted her delicate chin, feeling immensely pleased with herself.

She knew it—this man would eventually fall for her charm.

The salesperson also seemed to realize something.

Delighted, she exclaimed, “You have a great eye! This is the latest style from Haishi, and others would have to queue to get one.”

The dress had been hanging there for almost two months, and today it was finally going to sell.

The salesperson was relieved.

The manager had somehow stocked up on many such dresses, but because they were so expensive, many people had only looked and not bought. The stock was piling up, and the manager had been so worried that he developed two ulcers at the corners of his mouth!

But now, finally, one dress was going to sell.

“Do you still have the dress she’s wearing? I want one!” a young woman, who appeared to be from a well-off family, stared at the dress Ruan Mingfu was wearing, her eyes shining.

The salesperson was momentarily stunned before she snapped back to reality.

“Yes… yes!”

“I want one too.”

“Get me one as well.”

“If that girl looks that pretty in it, my daughter won’t look bad in it either… I’ll take one too!”

The salesperson grinned from ear to ear.

“We have plenty!”

Seeing the crowd rushing over, the salesperson was overjoyed.

Finally, her lucky break had come!

The dress Ruan Mingfu had on sold out quickly, and those who didn’t get one started to complain.

The manager, hearing about the situation, rushed over from his office.

His chubby face was all smiles, and he could barely contain his excitement as he looked at Ruan Mingfu.

“Comrade, thank you so much!”

The manager eagerly reached out to shake hands with Ruan Mingfu, but Xie Yanzhao stepped in and blocked him.

The manager quickly realized his mistake. “That was out of line.”

“Comrade, really, thank you so much,” the manager repeated, expressing his gratitude.

The stock had been sitting in the warehouse for over a month, and the pressure he had been under was immense. But now, everything was sold out, and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He was extremely grateful to Ruan Mingfu, looking at her as if she were a savior.

“It’s nothing.”

Ruan Mingfu didn’t have to exert much effort at all.

It was just about wearing a dress, but who could have guessed it would cause such a big reaction?

“You two came here to buy clothes,” the chubby manager, being quite tactful, added, “I’ll give you this dress as a gift, and you can pick anything else you like at a 50% discount.”

Ruan Mingfu didn’t refuse the offer.

With the manager of the supply and marketing cooperative accompanying them, shopping became even more convenient.

The sales assistant’s attitude improved remarkably as well.

In addition to the dress she was wearing, Ruan Mingfu selected two more dresses.

That dog of a man, Xie Yanzhao, also needed new clothes.

His usual attire consisted of either short-sleeved shirts or an old tank top, which Ruan Mingfu found quite unacceptable.

As her soon-to-be husband, he needed a decent set of clothes to avoid embarrassing her.

But the shirts available at the time were all poorly made.

They were loose and baggy, making the wearer look unkempt. Ruan Mingfu had no choice but to pick a more standard shirt for him.

When Xie Yanzhao came out of the fitting room, he saw Ruan Mingfu frowning.

“What’s wrong? Does it look bad?” he asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

He had never felt this nervous before—not even when facing enemies with live ammunition. His heart was racing like never before.

“It’s passable, I suppose,” Ruan Mingfu replied, still frowning as she assessed the fashion of that era.

Xie Yanzhao was not satisfied with her response.

He pursed his lips, about to say something, when Ruan Mingfu pointed to the shirt he was wearing and said, “This one will do. Wrap it up for me.”

Xie Yanzhao was left speechless.

They ended up buying quite a lot of items.

To be precise, Ruan Mingfu bought most of them.

Xie Yanzhao simply went along with her decisions.

Just as they were about to go downstairs, Ruan Mingfu caught a glimpse of the fabric section out of the corner of her eye.

A light bulb went off in her head!