Chapter 132 1/2

Lü Tianze indeed ordered a variety of dishes without hesitation, leaving Sister Yang astonished, “Why so particular?”

Captain Zhao remarked, “That’s just how he is.”

Sister Yang complained to Qiao Wei, “He’s too particular.”

Qiao Wei said, “The starving camel is bigger than the horse. He grew up in luxury.”

Although Lü Tianze was currently in dire straits, his background spoke volumes. His mother’s retirement pay was even higher than Captain Pan’s current salary.

Sister Yang was dumbfounded when she found out.

When she got home, she couldn’t help but whisper to Lin Xixi.

Lin Xixi understood better, “He’s a high-ranking official.”

“A high-ranking official?”

“Yes, a senior official. A bigwig.”

Sister Yang understood, “A bigwig.”

Before, Sister Yang thought Captain Pan was a bigwig.

Now she realized there were even bigger bigwigs than Captain Pan.

Lin Xixi said, “As they say, you don’t know how small your official rank is until you get to Beijing, and…um…well, just saying Beijing has many big shots.”

“Our county party secretary is already like a local emperor here; in Beijing, a county party secretary is nothing.” she said.

Sister Yang sighed.

Lin Xixi was also curious, “Who is he? How did he end up here?”

Sister Yang warned, “Don’t go around blabbering once I tell you.”

Lin Xixi promised, “I won’t blabber.”

Sister Yang then said, “He got screwed over. The commander was afraid he’d die, so he sent your Uncle Yan to bring him over. The commander and his older brother are from the same school, and both families know each other.”

Lin Xixi understood.

There were many people like this in this era.

But as long as they could hold on, once everything was over, those who were wealthy and held official positions would return to their former lives.

The wealthy would still be wealthy, and the officials would still hold their positions.

As long as they could hold on.

“Poor thing, he was so skinny those first few days, said he was starving. These days, I’ve fed him well, and I can see his face looking better.”

“I heard his wife divorced him and took the child away. That’s right, taking the child away ensures the child isn’t affected.”

Sister Yang rambled on.

Lin Xixi’s chopping gradually slowed down.

There was something vague in her heart, indescribable.

She asked, “How old is he?”

Sister Yang said, “About the same age as your Uncle Yan.”

Lin Xixi’s knife paused for a moment before she continued cutting vegetables silently.

Sister Yang continued, “About the same age as your Uncle Yan, and he has three kids. Your Uncle Yan has only one. What’s going on? Since they were able to have Xiang Xiang, both of them must have been healthy. Why did they stop having children?”

The mindset of the times was different. From Sister Yang’s perspective, it was too unreliable for Yan Lei and Qiao Wei to have only one child.

A child should at least have three or four for reassurance.

Despite Sister Yang’s incessant nagging, Lin Xixi paid no attention.

She had had enough of marrying mediocre men.

There was no need, absolutely no need. She found it more comforting to work as a maid for her uncle’s family.

She did chores for her uncle and aunt, and at least they would praise her for being capable, give her money, buy her clothes, and invite her to eat delicious food together.

Although she didn’t receive a salary like a worker, she had a much better life at her uncle’s house than in the countryside, where she would be looked down upon and treated poorly by her in-laws.

In her uncle’s house, she had a much better life, and in the worst-case scenario, she could rely on her uncle for the rest of her life, becoming as good as his own daughter.

After this special era ended, when her uncle transitioned to become a small leader, he would provide iron rice bowls for his own children and arrange one for her as well.

With this safety net, Lin Xixi was not afraid of anything.

Sister Yang was infuriated.

“I’m telling you, tidy yourself up nicely next week when you meet him,” she picked up the basin of food, “I’m off.”

Initially, Sister Yang prepared meals at her own home to take to Lü Tianze. This was a bit troublesome with bowls and chopsticks.

Later, she just prepared the food, took it over, and cooked directly. After cooking, she washed the dishes neatly.

She even had a chat with Lü Tianze.

Captain Zhao told Sister Yang that Lü Tianze was different from them. Apart from noticing his refined lifestyle, Sister Yang didn’t sense anything else unusual about him.

Lü Tianze was much better at talking than their family’s Old Zhao. While Sister Yang cooked, he managed to keep the conversation going, displaying a broad knowledge and a witty sense of humor that always made her laugh.

Some people in this world were just naturally good at talking. Like Qiao Wei and Lü Tianze, their words were always comforting and amusing, making people want to hear more from them.

Compared to them, Lao Zhao was like a clumsy ox.

When they arrived at the courtyard in the northwest, Lü Tianze was indeed exercising there.

Captain  Pan had someone install a horizontal bar in his courtyard, allowing him to exercise alone.

Sister Yang said, “Don’t overdo it. Your body has just recovered.”

When Lü Tianze first arrived, his cheeks were so sunken, but after she fed him for several days, he finally gained some weight.

He never stopped moving, either doing push-ups or pull-ups every day when she came over. 

Lü Tianze landed on his feet and clapped his hands. “What else would I do? I spent the whole day fishing today. Sister-in-law, take away two of them later.”

Sister Yang took a look and was pleasantly surprised to see several large fish.

“Alright.”

She started cooking for Lü Tianze.

Lü Tianze was the type of person who couldn’t cook himself, yet he was picky about his food. Even when Sister Yang cooked for him, he still had to offer his input.

Fortunately, he was good at conversing, so Sister Yang didn’t find him annoying. Under his guidance, her cooking skills improved remarkably.

After finishing cooking one day, Lü Tianze said, “Just leave the pot there; I’ll wash it myself. Sister-in-law, go back and have dinner early.”

Sister Yang replied, “It’s okay; you don’t need to bother.”

Suddenly, someone called out from the courtyard gate, “Auntie.”

Both of them turned to look.

Lin Xixi was standing there, fair-skinned, with delicate features and a graceful posture.

Lü Tianze couldn’t help but take an extra look.

“Auntie,” Lin Xixi said, “Uncle asked me to come over and see if you’re finished. He wants you to go back for dinner.”

“It’ll be ready soon, it’ll be ready soon. I’ll just finish washing this pot,” Sister Yang said, working even faster.

Lin Xixi took the opportunity to glance at Lü Tianze.

A man in his thirties, mature and flavorful.

Clearly different from the people in the small town.

Completely different temperament.

This was what a real urban man looked like. He gave the impression of a male lead in Hong Kong and Taiwan TV dramas.

He was infinitely better than the naive educated youth of the past.

I was so superficial back then.

Sister Yang quickly finished washing the pot, wiped her hands on her apron, and said to Lin Xixi, “This is your Uncle Lü. Call him!”

Then she turned to Lü Tianze and said, “This is Old Zhao’s niece, living with us.”

Lin Xixi obediently called out, “Uncle Lü.”

Lü Tianze responded with an “Hmm,” but didn’t speak to her. He only said to Sister Yang, “Time flies. Old Zhao was once so brave, willing to sacrifice himself with the enemy. In the blink of an eye, the younger generation has grown up so much.”