Chapter 15

Lu Chen didn’t know what exactly Meng Yinyin and Zhao Shufen had discussed earlier. However, seeing the expression on Zhao Shufen’s face, full of disbelief as she looked at him, Lu Chen could guess that it wasn’t a casual conversation. If it were, Zhao Shufen wouldn’t have looked so shocked.

Meng Yinyin didn’t expect Zhao Shufen to ask that question right in front of Lu Chen. She felt a wave of panic in her heart.

“Aunt Zhao, we’re leaving now. We’ll see you another time!”

Without thinking, Meng Yinyin grabbed Lu Chen’s sleeve and pulled him away.

What was she thinking? She hadn’t even secured Lu Chen’s heart yet. If he found out she had feelings for him now, it would ruin all her plans.

Though there was another possibility: maybe Lu Chen would be happy to know this and confess to her.

But after a second, Meng Yinyin decisively dismissed that thought.

Given Lu Chen’s personality, waiting for him to come around or pursue her on his own was nothing more than a dream.

So, until she had won Lu Chen over, Meng Yinyin absolutely couldn’t let him know how she felt!

Once she was sure that they were out of Zhao Shufen’s line of sight, Meng Yinyin stopped to catch her breath.

When she turned around, she saw Lu Chen looking at her with a confused expression.

Meng Yinyin cleared her throat and acted calm.

“It’s nothing, I just didn’t want to keep talking to Aunt Zhao. By the way, hurry up and take me to the supply and marketing cooperative. I have a lot of things to buy.”

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk further, Lu Chen didn’t press her.

Soon, he took Meng Yinyin to the cooperative. Since he didn’t need to buy anything, and there were many people inside, he stayed outside.

Meng Yinyin, however, eagerly entered the cooperative. She hadn’t seen so many goods in one place in a long time, and her eyes were shining with excitement.

With her daily necessities coupons in hand, she quickly bought things like mosquito repellent and soap.

Afterward, she went straight to the fabric counter, which was the main reason for her trip to the town.

Though the variety of fabrics here couldn’t compare to what could be found in big cities, it was still fairly decent and matched what Yu Xiaoyu had told her—plenty of colors and patterns.

Meng Yinyin scanned the fabrics quickly and soon decided on the color she wanted.

She planned to make Lu Chen a black coat!

The ones Lu Chen wore before were deep blue or gray, probably because he had worn them for so long, so it didn’t seem odd. But Meng Yinyin felt that black would suit him best.

Black was cool, mysterious, and could encompass everything—just like Lu Chen’s personality.

However, realizing she didn’t have a cloth ticket, Meng Yinyin reluctantly looked away from the black fabric and began to observe the other people crowded at the counter.

Though fabric was essential in daily life, most families wouldn’t buy it unless necessary. After all, there was a saying: “Three years of new, three years of old, patch and sew for another three.” This referred to how people used fabric and clothing.

Cloth tickets were hard to come by, and since people were frugal, as long as the fabric wasn’t completely torn apart, it could be patched up.

So, unless it was a special occasion, few people would come to buy fabric.

Naturally, those who did shop at the fabric counter were generally well-off or had extra cloth tickets, such as young women or wives from good families.

Meng Yinyin’s gaze quickly fell on a young woman who looked around eighteen or nineteen, about the same age as her.

The young woman was wearing a soft green long dress, made from a fabric and design that stood out. In this small town, her attire was probably one of a kind. It was clear from her appearance that she came from a well-off family.

Meng Yinyin also noticed that after glancing over the fabrics on display at the counter, the young woman made a face of disdain, as if saying, “This? The new fabrics are all so ugly!”

Meng Yinyin’s eyes lit up, and she immediately made up her mind: She’s the one!

Finally, during the moment when the saleswoman was trying to persuade a loyal customer to stay but failed, Meng Yinyin walked towards the young woman.

“Do you think my clothes are nice?” she asked, in a tone low enough for only the two of them to hear.

The young woman turned around, first looking at Meng Yinyin in confusion. Her gaze then quickly shifted to Meng Yinyin’s outfit. As soon as she saw the clothes, a look of admiration appeared in her eyes.

The pattern, the style, and especially the workmanship—this was clearly no ordinary garment. It was likely something even the department stores in the provincial capital couldn’t sell!

However, after the admiration, a sense of displeasure unexpectedly emerged in the young woman’s eyes.

She felt that Meng Yinyin’s sudden question about her outfit was perhaps a subtle way of showing off.

So, she darkened her expression and snorted, “What does it matter to me whether your clothes look good or not!”

Meng Yinyin had been observing her expression and immediately noticed the change in the young woman’s demeanor. She realized the girl was pretending to be tough.

Although she said it didn’t matter, her eyes kept glancing at Meng Yinyin’s clothes, clearly liking them but too shy to admit it.

Meng Yinyin breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had found the right person.

Now, focused on her grand goal, she didn’t care about anything else. She leaned closer to the young woman’s ear and said again, “I have an even nicer, brand-new outfit that I haven’t worn!”

The young woman was speechless, her anger flaring up.

Why was she showing off to her?

But just as she was about to respond, Meng Yinyin quickly added, “Do you want it? I can trade it with you.”

The young woman’s anger instantly vanished, and she looked at Meng Yinyin in disbelief.

“Are you… serious?”

Meng Yinyin nodded firmly, and the young woman immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the supply and marketing cooperative.

As they were pulled out, Lu Chen noticed Meng Yinyin and his expression darkened. Without thinking, he moved to follow, ready to rescue her.

From the looks of it, it seemed like Meng Yinyin was being bullied.

However, Meng Yinyin quickly waved at him and instructed, “I’m fine, don’t come over, just wait for me here!”

With those three sentences, Lu Chen finally stopped in his tracks, though his worry was still evident in his eyes.

The young woman pulling Meng Yinyin turned to glance at Lu Chen and was nearly startled by the intensity of his gaze. Luckily, Meng Yinyin quickly pulled her attention back by tugging on her.

Soon, they reached a narrow alley not far from the cooperative. There were hardly any people passing by, making it the perfect place for some “unlawful trade,” like the one Meng Yinyin was about to make.

“You said you wanted to trade. What do you mean?” The young woman asked eagerly after they stopped.

Meng Yinyin didn’t hesitate. She immediately opened the small bag she had been carrying since the morning. Inside was a beautiful dress that was hard to resist.

After showing the goods and receiving the delighted look from the “buyer,” Meng Yinyin finally stated her purpose.

“I’d like to trade this dress for some cloth tickets.”

The young woman blinked in disbelief. “What?”

“Just cloth tickets?” she asked, shocked.

She had thought Meng Yinyin was going to trade the dress for money, and she had already planned how to haggle. But now, Meng Yinyin was only asking for cloth tickets.

“Are you sure, cloth tickets?”

Meng Yinyin nodded firmly.

“Yes, cloth tickets. I saw you were here to buy fabric today, so you must have brought some cloth tickets, right?”

In those days, private transactions like buying and selling were prohibited, and Meng Yinyin wasn’t bold enough to risk it, especially given her current situation. She couldn’t afford to make mistakes and get caught. So, she opted for a safer exchange—bartering goods for goods, and she was even willing to forgo money as long as she got cloth tickets.

This way, no money was involved, which made it much safer.

Moreover, no matter how you looked at it, she was the one losing out.

“Well, I have some, but not much…” After confirming that Meng Yinyin only wanted cloth tickets, the young woman grew anxious. The dress was so beautiful that Meng Yinyin probably wanted a lot of cloth tickets in return. But she wasn’t sure if she would be able to buy the fabric she liked today, so she hadn’t brought many coupons.

Meng Yinyin was stunned, feeling a bit anxious as well.

“How many do you have? Can you go back—”

Before she could finish, the young woman pulled out a thick stack of cloth tickets from her pocket.

Meng Yinyin: “…”

“Just these, but since your dress is so beautiful, I’m sure it won’t be enough, right?” She spoke cautiously.

Meng Yinyin took a deep breath. Recalling the price of the black fabric she had heard earlier, she grabbed the cloth tickets from the young woman’s hand, while also handing the new dress to her.

“That’s enough! That’s enough!”

She was only buying a piece of black fabric, and these coupons not only covered it, but they might even be enough for her to buy cloth to make two light summer blouses.

“Then, are you really willing to trade this dress with me?”

The girl clearly hadn’t expected Meng Yinyin to so easily give her the dress. If she was right, the dress likely cost over fifty. With just a few cloth tickets, she had gotten such a beautiful and expensive dress!

If Meng Yinyin knew the price the girl had estimated, she would have rolled her eyes in disbelief.

Fifty?

It would be more accurate to triple that amount!

And this dress was something her father had bought for her when he was on a business trip to Haicheng. She loved it so much that she hadn’t even worn it yet because she didn’t want to damage it.

To her surprise, she would never get the chance to wear it now.

Meng Yinyin felt a pang of regret and reluctantly took a last glance at the dress.

But then she thought, The dress can be replaced, but it’s hard to find Lu Chen again!

So, in the end, Meng Yinyin could only bid farewell to her beloved dress with tears in her eyes. However, before leaving the alley, she remembered to ask the girl cautiously.

“By the way, do you know me?”

The girl froze, instinctively shaking her head. She thought Meng Yinyin was perhaps trying to befriend her. Just as she was about to introduce herself and give Meng Yinyin her name and where she lived, she saw Meng Yinyin breathe a sigh of relief and say, “That’s good.”

The girl didn’t know her, so after today, they would have no more connections and there would be no risk of meeting again.

The girl: “…….”

Then, she watched as Meng Yinyin turned and left without a second glance.

Outside the supply and marketing cooperative, Lu Chen’s worried heart finally settled when he saw Meng Yinyin return safely.

He was about to ask if she had encountered any problems when he saw her walk back into the cooperative without lifting her head.

Lu Chen swallowed his words and his gaze couldn’t help but shift to the alley where Meng Yinyin had just been with the unfamiliar girl. He saw the stranger holding something in her hands, walking happily in the opposite direction.

Lu Chen had excellent eyesight, and when he focused on what the girl was holding, he immediately realized it was… a dress?

Based on its style, quality, and the bright color that stood out in the small town’s cooperative, Lu Chen immediately thought the dress probably belonged to Meng Yinyin.

But he wasn’t entirely sure.

Though they hadn’t spent much time together, Lu Chen could tell that Meng Yinyin was someone who took pride in her appearance, always dressing neatly and beautifully—even when going to work.

So, it was hard to imagine that she would give away her dress to someone else.

Lu Chen furrowed his brows, and in the end, he convinced himself that the dress probably wasn’t Meng Yinyin’s.

After all, he couldn’t come up with any reason why Meng Yinyin would give her dress to someone else.

Soon, Meng Yinyin, with her freshly acquired cloth ration tickets, had bought several bolts of fabric she liked, and happily left the store.

She had hidden the black fabric she bought for Lu Chen in her bag, while the fabrics she bought for herself were directly in her hands.

“Alright, I’m done. Do you need to do anything else?”

Once everything was taken care of, Meng Yinyin’s mood lifted, no longer burdened by the loss of her dress.

Now, everything was in place—she just needed to finish making the clothes and deliver them to Lu Chen!

With her intelligence, everything would go smoothly!

Lu Chen shook his head when he heard her and indicated that he had nothing else to do.

With that, Meng Yinyin went straight back to the brigade with him.

Meanwhile, at the Wang family home.

After being rejected by Meng Yinyin, Zhao Shufen wasn’t in a good mood when she returned home.

Father Wang and his two sons had just returned for dinner, and Lu Xiujuan had just finished preparing the meal.

Seeing that Zhao Shufen had returned first and was frowning, Lu Xiujuan couldn’t help but feel anxious, wondering if she had done something wrong to upset her mother-in-law.

That timid demeanor only made Zhao Shufen, who had never been satisfied with her character, even more displeased.

Especially when she thought about how she could have had a lovely daughter-in-law like Meng Yinyin, she couldn’t help but sigh.

But she wasn’t one to take out her frustration on others, so when she saw Lu Xiujuan standing there awkwardly, she reluctantly said, “Is the meal ready? Do you need help?”

Lu Xiujuan quickly shook her head. “No, no need. There’s still one dish left. I’ll wait for Dad and the others to come back before frying it.”

Hearing this, Zhao Shufen didn’t say anything more. Just then, she heard the sound of Father Wang and his sons coming in, and Lu Xiujuan quickly dashed to the kitchen as if she had found her savior.

“Mom, I’ll go fry the dishes!”

Zhao Shufen couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to her anymore. Turning to the door, she saw Father Wang and his sons enter.

Father Wang noticed her irritated expression and paused before asking, “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Zhao Shufen didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she hesitated before looking at her second son, Wang Chengwu.

Wang Chengwu, quick on the uptake, realized that his mother’s mood was likely related to him. However, he couldn’t recall anything he had done recently—wait, there was one thing!

Wang Chengwu furrowed his brows and spoke, “Mom, is it about the Educated Youth Meng?”

Her second son was indeed smart. But the more smart and understanding he was, the more Zhao Shufen felt sorry for him.

Eventually, she gave in and told him about the conversation she had with Meng Yinyin earlier that morning.

“Ah, that girl actually likes someone who is clearly inferior to you in every way.”

Although Zhao Shufen didn’t look down on Lu Chen, the thought that Meng Yinyin, who had rejected her own son, was now attracted to someone without parents and no prospects, naturally made her feel unhappy.

Wang Chengwu didn’t say anything when he heard it, but his mood was somewhat affected.

He lowered his head and was about to say that he would just forget about it. Since Educated Youth Meng already had someone in his heart, he would not bother with it anymore.

However, Lu Xiujuan happened to hear these words in the kitchen. Seeing the gloomy atmosphere in her husband’s family, she bit her lip and her mind couldn’t help but move.

“Dad, Mom, actually Lu Chen…he can’t possibly be with Educated Youth Meng.”

“What?” Zhao Shufen turned around immediately and looked at Lu Xiujuan in disbelief.

°.✩┈┈∘*┈˃̶୨୧˂̶┈*∘┈┈✩.°

Ayalee: Hi everyone! I’ve decided to unlock 5 full chapters today to celebrate completing the translation of this novel. I hope you enjoy it! ✨ And as usual new chapters will be unlocked every Friday. 💕