Chapter 16

Gu Shi’an took on the role of queuing up, while Lin Yao happily strolled over to the shade to cool down with her handkerchief.

In front of the cinema, there was a Red Star Cold Drink Factory, originally established by Germans before liberation. After liberation, the Germans left, but the factory continued operating to this day. The Red Star Cold Drink Factory supplied cold drinks to several nearby towns around Yunshui County and even to the provincial capital.

Nowadays, the factory has its own vendors selling ice cream and popsicles. Banana-flavored ice cream, packed in paper boxes, is a bit more expensive, costing one dime per piece. Popsicles are cheaper, with red bean popsicles costing three cents each and sweet bean popsicles costing two cents each.

However, the banana ice cream is heavily sweetened with saccharin, making it cloyingly sweet.

Lin Yao prefers the sweet and delicate flavor of the sweet bean popsicles.

As the evening cools down a bit, the heat rises again while waiting in line. The leaves of the old locust trees by the roadside curl up under the oppressive heat.

Lin Yao’s small face looked weary from the heat, and even her little handkerchief wasn’t fanning her with much enthusiasm.

With the release of a new movie, more and more young men and women began lining up at the cinema entrance, including many parents with their children. As the crowd grew, so did the number of street vendors, selling everything from sunflower seeds to salted peanuts, and even ice-cold sodas and popsicles.

Although Gu Shi’an was a straightforward, no-nonsense man, he was also very attentive. Without saying a word, he went to the street and returned with a bag of five-spice broad beans, two bottles of soda, and a red bean popsicle.

He handed the snacks to Lin Yao.

Still fanning herself, Lin Yao was surprised and asked, “Is this for me?”

Gu Shi’an nodded.

Lin Yao beamed as she accepted the treats. With food in her hand, her sweet talk was unstoppable. “Thank you! How did you know I like sweet bean popsicles? Did Sister Chunmei tell you? Haha, she really knows me well. These five-spice broad beans smell amazing. Want to try one?”

As she spoke, her slender, fair hand pinched a broad bean and held it up to Gu Shi’an’s lips.

It was fortunate that the sky had darkened by now, and the people around them were either watching the children or craning their necks to look at movie posters, with no attention on them. If it had been broad daylight, Lin Yao wouldn’t have dared to feed Gu Shi’an so openly.

Though Gu Shi’an appeared calm and collected, he naturally accepted the broad bean from the young lady’s hand.

In truth, his handsome face was burning up.

Lin Yao kept asking, “Isn’t it delicious? Want another one?”

For some reason, she loved seeing Gu Shi’an flustered and at a loss for words.

Gu Shi’an was in a bind, unsure whether to answer or not.

She pursued the matter too eagerly, and in the darkness, she didn’t realize how close they had become. When she leaned in, her lips accidentally brushed against Gu Shi’an’s.

Lin Yao: “!!!”

The two of them froze on the spot.

Just then, a silver-haired old lady happened to walk by, noticing their eye contact. She smiled and remarked to her husband, “Old man, young people are so full of life. Look at how affectionate this young couple is.”

The old man chuckled along with her.

“Young folks, this is your time! You two make a lovely couple. Make the most of it while you’re young, and add a little one to your family—that’s the right thing to do.”

Lin Yao blushed deeply, finally realizing she’d made things awkward for herself. She quickly ran under a tree, clutching the broad beans, too embarrassed to speak.

Gu Shi’an breathed a sigh of relief and continued to wait in line.

Because of this little incident, watching the movie that night became somewhat awkward. As the film played, the surroundings were pitch black without a single light.

The black-and-white film on the screen flickered between light and dark, creating a play of shadows. Lin Yao, usually laid-back, now sat upright and focused on the movie.

Gu Shi’an sat right next to her. The Yunshui County Cinema was designed with a terraced layout, with rows of seats rising from south to north. Each side of the cinema had about a hundred hard wooden seats, with just enough space for one person to sidle through.

This setup made it easier for couples to hold hands and get close to each other, while also maximizing the cinema’s profits by adding more seats.

But for Lin Yao, it wasn’t so comfortable. She and Gu Shi’an were separated by just a small fist’s distance, and the clean, pleasant scent of soap from him surrounded her, making her heart race.

Gu Shi’an sat upright and tall, dressed in a white shirt and green military uniform, looking as straight and sturdy as a young cypress.

Lin Yao sneaked a glance at Gu Shi’an and couldn’t help but shift her position, subtly adjusting her posture.

Gu Shi’an noticed her small movements out of the corner of his eye and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

When the movie ended, it was already past 8 PM.

Lin Yao had never been home so late before, and she was worried that Zhang Cuilan might be concerned. Without wasting any time, she hurriedly hopped on her bicycle and urged Gu Shi’an, “It’s so late already, let’s hurry home.”

Auntie and the others must be waiting for them at home.

The cool night breeze lifted Gu Shi’an’s white shirt as he rode. Lin Yao dangled her feet from the bicycle seat, while the streetlights under the electric poles cast a warm, orange glow. As the bicycle rolled over the cobblestone road, the scene felt as tranquil and timeless as a landscape painting.

*

Sun Jialiang, carrying a black briefcase, took advantage of the dim night and had just left the county’s light bulb factory director’s house.

He wore black-rimmed glasses, with a refined and scholarly appearance. His hair was slicked back with gel, neatly combed and shiny, and he wore the most popular men’s watch on the market. Anyone with a keen eye could tell he came from a well-off family, likely the son of a government official.

Sun Jialiang had come to the county this time to maneuver for the position of director at the light bulb factory.

The current director, who was in his fifties, would be stepping down next year. Once he retired, many people would be eyeing this position. Sun Jialiang had recently been transferred to the county light bulb factory as a cultural officer, a lightweight position that he didn’t take seriously at all.

To Sun Jialiang, being a cultural officer was a low-ranking position with little benefit, merely a stepping stone in his career.

Ambitious and resourceful, he had quickly won the favor of the old factory director. As long as he could keep a few key leaders happy, the position of factory director would be his for the taking!

After running around busily for a while, Sun Jialiang hadn’t been with a woman for some time. Now that his mind was at ease, thoughts of Lin Hongna’s voluptuous figure and soft waist filled his head, and a wicked gleam flickered behind his black-rimmed glasses.

It seemed like it was time to visit the Lin family village and offer them a little sweetness.

In reality, Sun Jialiang was well aware that Lin Hongna’s interest in him was merely because of his family background. She was aiming to rise from an ordinary life to a better one.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Sun Jialiang was shrewd and self-interested, a thorough opportunist. He viewed marriage and relationships as a means of exchanging benefits. To be his partner, one needed either a good family background, beauty, or intelligence and resourcefulness that could assist him.

Lin Hongna lacked all three qualities, so he only played around with her.

A woman who comes by chance can be enjoyed as a pastime.

*

In the courtyard, Zhang Cuilan had lit an oil lamp and was sifting cornmeal.

Since the directive to eat at the communal canteen, the old Gu family had to deliver ten jin of rice and flour to the street every month. With the weather getting warmer, the cornmeal bought at the market was prone to mold and pests.

In her spare time, Zhang Cuilan would use a sieve to remove impurities from the cornmeal.

The sound of bicycles clattering outside caught her attention, and soon Lin Yao, with a flushed face, came into the house, chirping like a little bird, “Auntie, I’m back!”

Zhang Cuilan, who had been waiting for the children to return, quickly got up to greet her.

The evening breeze outside was cool but carried a dampness, and the doors and windows of the courtyard creaked in the wind.

Zhang Cuilan glanced outside and asked Lin Yao, who was snacking in the house, “Yaoyao, was the movie good today?”

Lin Yao coughed and avoided eye contact, “… It was okay.”

Fearing further questions from Auntie Cuilan, Lin Yao quickly finished her snack, didn’t even drink any water, and slipped back into her room.

Zhang Cuilan, suspicious, asked Gu Shi’an.

Gu Shi’an simply replied, “It was good,” and went back to his work, unwilling to say more.

“You know, you’re nothing like your father. He might have been reserved, but at least he knew to give your mother a handkerchief or some fruit. You, however, don’t even know how to court a girl. Yaoyao is such a good girl, and you just stand there. You don’t make an effort to pursue her. There are plenty of good young men out there. If one day Yaoyao gets tired of you and ends up with someone else, you won’t even have a place to cry.”

Zhang Cuilan was frustrated.

Unexpectedly, Gu Shi’an firmly replied, “Impossible.”

Zhang Cuilan asked, “What’s impossible?”

“She won’t marry anyone else.”

Now that they’ve been intimate, he would never let her go in this lifetime.

***

Ayalee: wow we’ve got a possesive male lead here. I like! (❀‿‿❀)