Chapter 8

“If we are to continue living together, I think we both need to make changes; otherwise, our marriage will continue to face problems.” Qiao Wei spoke frankly about the issue of marriage.

Yan Lei raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

“I want to have a job,” Qiao Wei said.

According to her understanding, Yan Lei’s salary and benefits were excellent, comparable to P8 at Alibaba in the modern era. But that wasn’t the point. Qiao Wei wasn’t comfortable relying on others for money.

Moreover, she didn’t have a sense of security, which was not known to Yan Lei. His cold abandonment was probably related to money.

She sighed. “I just want some security. In this era, having my own income makes me feel more secure.”

Yan Lei was skeptical. “You think you can handle a job?”

There were historical reasons for his doubt. After getting married and joining the military, they had arranged a job for Qiao Wei, but she couldn’t stand it after only two months.

Earlier, she had worked as a laborer in her father’s factory for six months and found it too difficult. She couldn’t endure hardship, and she wasn’t good at socializing. Despite having a high school education, she was, in essence, a working-class child, yet she had a strange sense of superiority and some obvious petty bourgeois tendencies.

Qiao Wei could fully understand Yan Lei’s skepticism.

Because the original owner had a secret, her background seemed to be that of a typical working-class child, but that was because everyone only knew about her grandfather, father, and mother. No one knew her grandmother’s background.

The original owner’s grandmother was actually a fallen heiress who had been rescued by the original owner’s grandfather during the turbulent times. She married him later.

When the original owner was born, her parents were busy supporting the family, so she was taken care of by her grandmother, who had been subtly influencing her with the habits and mentality of an old society heiress.

The original owner’s requests seemed too normal and ordinary from Qiao Wei’s perspective. However, she was in this era, making those requests appear out of sync with the simple masses.

Just a sigh.

Considering the characteristics of the era, Qiao Wei pondered for a moment and honestly admitted, “If you arrange for me to work in a factory, I definitely won’t be able to handle it.”

Yan Lei snorted from his nose.

Qiao Wei continued, “I hope to do work that involves paperwork or administrative tasks. I’m good at handling text.”

She looked at him with anticipation.

Male leads always had a halo, not only in appearance and physique but also in their abilities.

Later, when Lin Xixi married Yan Lei, it was undoubtedly a story of unbridled joy. If he wanted to arrange a suitable job for her, he could definitely do it.

Yan Lei pondered for a moment and asked, “Do you really need to work? We’re not short of money at home.”

Qiao Wei felt that he still had some old-fashioned thoughts of men working outside and women managing the household. But, considering his age, it was quite normal.

She told him, “If people don’t have something to focus their minds on, they tend to have wild thoughts.”

Yan Lei paused and looked at her.

Qiao Wei didn’t avoid his gaze and met his eyes.

Yan Lei asked, “If you have something to do, can you guarantee peace of mind?”

This was a good question.

Qiao Wei replied, “Having something to do will definitely make life more fulfilling. However, if we don’t communicate well and keep everything inside, problems are bound to arise.”

“Gcommunication…” Yan Lei sneered, a hint of resentment between his eyebrows. “I try to communicate with you, but do you respond?”

Well, this was another problem inherited from the original owner. She truly didn’t respond to him.

Qiao Wei remained silent for a moment, sighed, and said, “Yan Lei, can you… consider me dead before today?”

“Consider that starting today, I’m a stranger you’ve never met before.”

“Can we start from the beginning and get to know each other again?”

Yan Lei felt that the woman in front of him had truly changed.

It seemed like she was opening a door for him. And in the past few years of their marriage, she had always kept that door tightly closed.

Qiao Wei’s eyes were clear and bright, waiting for his response. Yan Lei, accustomed to their cold and distant interactions, found her expecting gaze a bit uncomfortable.

He reached for the cigarette on the windowsill, lowered his head, and bit it between his lips.

The movement was seamless and very masculine.

But before his hand could reach the matchbox, Qiao Wei stepped forward, took the cigarette from his mouth, and said, “Don’t smoke in the bedroom.”

Yan Lei was momentarily stunned.

She took the cigarette box from his hand, put the cigarette back in, and said, “The first thing I want to communicate with you: don’t smoke in the bedroom. The minimum I can accept is the living room, and it’s even better to smoke outside. Absolutely no smoking in the bedroom; it takes a lot of effort to wash the smell of smoke out of textiles.”

She lifted her chin slightly, her face no longer the pale fatigue of the day but now translucent, with rosy lips.

“Comrade Yan, can you do it?”

Her chin lifted, and her face, no longer the pale and weary visage of the day, had become fair with a rosy hue on her lips.

Yan Lei suddenly felt that a woman wearing a man’s shirt was a delicate and wonderful thing. It felt like something was scratching at his heart, making him restless.

This kind of feeling only existed in the early days of their marriage.

Later, everything became stagnant.

At this moment, the voice of Yan Xiang sounded, “Mom!”

“Coming!” Qiao Wei responded through the door. “Wait a moment.”

While Qiao Wei was about to leave, Yan Lei stopped her by calling her name. She turned to look at him.

Yan Lei said, “There are two things: one good news, one bad news.”

“Start with the good news,” Qiao Wei said. She preferred to hear the good news first.

“The good news is,” Yan Lei said, “there’s news from above that the town will be merged into the county. In the future, it will be one unified area.”

Upon hearing this news, Qiao Wei immediately thought, “They should strengthen the infrastructure construction. Is there any news that directly benefits us?”

Yan Lei hadn’t expected her to think of this. He said, “I heard they will open a department store.”

Qiao Wei had come from the city. Moving from the city to the town was a significant downgrade for her. Indeed, the town’s conditions couldn’t compare to those of the city. The town’s goods were nowhere near the variety and style of the department stores and shopping malls in the city. It was always chasing the trend set by the provincial capital and big cities but never catching up.

“Maybe there will be tap water,” Yan Lei added.

Because she had moved from the city to the town after marrying him, her water source had changed from tap water to pond water. She couldn’t drink it at all and would vomit. The riverbank was far away, and she couldn’t carry a water bucket. Fortunately, the military had tools, and her comrades helped her dig a well in their yard. He also dug a glance and solved the problem of drinking water.

However, she had always been resentful of life in the small town and always wanted to return to the city.

Yan Lei felt that her desire to leave was not only due to him but also because she really despised this place. If the town merged into the county and the infrastructure could keep up, perhaps she wouldn’t be so eager to leave.

Upon hearing this news, Qiao Wei was naturally happy.

In theory, administrative upgrading would drive infrastructure and economic development. These days, let’s not talk about whether it is economically feasible, but infrastructure development would definitely be boosted.

Whether it was road construction, building structures, or even toilets, it was all good.

She had already used the toilet today. The advantage of having a private courtyard was that she didn’t have to go to a public toilet like residents in TV dramas. There was a low, sheltered little house in one corner of the yard and a dry toilet.

Although it was a dry toilet, it was still better than going out to a public toilet. Public toilets were also dry toilets, but you had to socialize while excreting. There was a row of pits, not even a partition.

“What’s the bad news?” Qiao Wei asked, leaning against the door.

Yan Lei hesitated for a moment before saying, “There’s news that… universities might not enroll students in the future.”

He knew that his wife had always harbored the dream of attending a university. This news might give her a feeling of shattered dreams.

Considering her previous personality and mental state, it seemed like a significant blow.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Wei only slightly paused, then said, “Oh…”

She had a rough understanding of the history; it was not clear about specific years and events, but the overall trend was known to her.

After some thought, she said, “In the future, if there are such policy-related matters, you better inform me promptly.”

Yan Lei seemed to have a bit of an old-fashioned, male-chauvinistic attitude. Qiao Wei was afraid that he wouldn’t take her words to heart, so she added, “Policies are always changing. If you inform me in a timely manner, I can better understand and avoid saying or doing the wrong things, which might have a negative impact on you.”

In a few more years, making the wrong move or saying the wrong thing could have severe consequences.

Yan Lei’s gaze became profound.

Outside, Yan Xiang called again, “Mom!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Qiao Wei pushed the door open and went outside.

Yan Lei took out the cigarette he had just smoked, bit it again, touched the matchbox, paused, held the cigarette between his fingers, and walked out again.

In the courtyard, he finally lit the cigarette. Sitting on a bench, he smoked while watching Qiao Wei wash her face and brush her teeth with Yan Xiang.

She was very gentle, much gentler than before, as if she had gained a lot of patience.

Wearing his oversized shirt, when she bent down, all he could see were her straight and fair legs.

It was hard to imagine that just a few days ago, she had decided to abandon her husband and son. Was it because she had a harsh lesson outside that made her appreciate her family more?

She said to treat her as if the person from yesterday was already dead, and today is a brand new start.

After watching Qiao Wei and Yan Xiang finish their morning routine and enter the house hand in hand, Yan Lei threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it fiercely.

He hoped she would live up to her words.

He also went to freshen up, washed his feet, and conveniently used a wet towel to wipe his body. Then he returned to the room, feeling refreshed.

In the next room, the faint sound of Qiao Wei telling stories to Yan Xiang could be heard.

People were still the same people, but there was a feeling that something in their words and actions had changed. It was unclear exactly what had changed.

Yan Lei returned to the bedroom, turned off the light, and laid down.

After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes—there was someone quietly entering the darkness.

Yan Lei stared at the person in the dark, watching as they took off the oversized white shirt and lay down beside him, wearing only a short vest.

“You…” he said, closing his mouth again.

Qiao Wei lifted her head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yan Lei turned over, facing away from her, and muttered, “Nothing.”

It had been a long time since they shared the same bed. She had been sleeping with their son in the other room.

Why did she come today?

Was it a genuine repentance?