Chapter 38

Lu Nong and Sister Qin met at the agreed place. Sister Qin suddenly felt embarrassed before leaving. She tugged at her skirt and said, “Will someone say something weird if I go out dressed like this?”

“Of course not,” Lu Nong replied seriously. “Sister, you need to believe in yourself. You look beautiful right now, and you’re no worse than those fashionable women on the street.”

Sister Qin felt elated by Lu Nong’s compliment. Ever since she gave birth, she hadn’t enjoyed such praise. She thought to herself that when she was young, she was quite the beauty too. It seemed that Xiao Lu had good taste.

She was also quite charming, carefully observing Lu Nong’s outfit and makeup. Humble as ever, she said, “You are too kind. This is the first time I’ve seen someone wear green so brilliantly. Only you can pull it off. Anyone else would look like a green cricket in it.”

Fortunately, there was no one around when she came out, otherwise Sister Qin would have definitely drawn all the hatred for her. However, she was still very happy to be praised. Lu Nong reciprocated, “Not at all! Today, you are the one who shines. Even if Deputy Commander Shen’s family sees you, they would envy you in their hearts.”

These words struck a chord with Sister Qin. She couldn’t stop smiling, and the compliments began anew.

As the two of them exchanged praises, they were enjoying themselves when Lu Nong accidentally caught a glimpse of someone behind Sister Qin. She saw Pei Zheng and Zhang Kaiping looking at her and Sister Qin with complicated expressions, seemingly at a loss for words.

Lu Nong: “…”

Sister Qin noticed Lu Nong staring behind her in silence and turned around, puzzled.

Sister Qin: “…”

The atmosphere became a bit suffocating, and for about ten seconds, no one spoke. However, Lu Nong, having gone through various awkward moments in front of Pei Ji’an, was not easily flustered by such minor incidents. She quickly regained her composure and continued as if nothing had happened.

“Why are you here? Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”

Pei Zheng was taken aback to see Lu Nong acting as if nothing had happened. He felt a surge of admiration for her. He thought to himself that his embarrassment would never surpass Lu Nong’s boldness. It seemed he needed to toughen up if he wanted to navigate life more easily.

“I changed my mind,” Pei Zheng quickly regained his composure and replied seriously, “The little cakes at the dance party are worth trying.”

“Really?” Lu Nong was skeptical. Was Pei Zheng someone who would easily change his mind? However, she didn’t press the issue. Whether he came or not didn’t matter much to her.

The two exchanged casual remarks, behaving as if the earlier awkwardness had never happened. This left Sister Qin and Zhang Kaiping, mother and son, in a state of confusion. They were unsure whether to feel awkward or not.

The two exchanged glances, each seeing a bit of confusion reflected in the other’s eyes.

Sister Qin: “…”

Zhang Kaiping: “…”

Being older and more experienced, Sister Qin coughed lightly and asked Zhang Kaiping, “Have you called your dad?”

“…I did,” Zhang Kaiping nodded, puzzled by why his mother was acting this way.

“What about your brother and sister?”

“Grandma is taking care of them at home.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Sister Qin pretended not to notice her son’s flustered expression and adjusted her hair before linking arms with Lu Nong.

As they walked, Lu Nong and Sister Qin resumed their lively chatter, restoring the cheerful atmosphere. Zhang Kaiping looked at Pei Zheng, who patted his shoulder and sighed, “Well, it’s not our fault we can’t compete with her, it’s just that our opponent is too cunning.”

Zhang Kaiping: “…” Why don’t I understand what you are saying? 

As they walked, passersby cast friendly, admiring glances at Sister Qin, which boosted her confidence. By the time they arrived at the dance, she felt completely at ease.

The dance party was held in the factory’s guest hall, a spacious area that could accommodate hundreds of people. The center was designated as a dance floor, where couples danced to the music. Around the hall were sofas and chairs for resting, and several rows of tables nearby offered a buffet of food and tea.

Entry required a ticket, and those without one had to pay three yuan to get in. Pei Zheng, having cash on hand, casually handed five yuan to the ticket collector. Zhang Kaiping, however, had no money and turned to Sister Qin.

Sister Qin: “…why don’t you go for a walk around the area?”

She felt reluctant to spend three yuan, thinking of how much rice that could buy. After spending seventy to eighty yuan on clothes and shoes that day, money seemed to disappear too quickly.

Zhang Kaiping: “…” This is my biological mother.

Lu Nong took three yuan from her bag along with her ticket and handed it to the ticket collector. “Sister, you may not know, but Zhang Kaiping has helped me with many things lately. I even made a certificate to reward those four boys with little red flowers for their good work. Zhang Kaiping has received quite a few red flowers.”

“We agreed beforehand that the red flowers could be exchanged for pocket money. Each flower is worth fifty cents. Zhang Kaiping has earned seven flowers, so he can exchange them for three yuan and fifty cents. Let’s just consider that he has redeemed six flowers in advance and keeps one for himself.”

Both Pei Zheng and Zhang Kaiping were surprised. Pei Zheng didn’t expect his stepmother to show such kindness. Zhang Kaiping was overwhelmed, feeling both surprised and a bit embarrassed.

“Hey, doing some work is no big deal. How can you take money for that? Just keep the money,” Sister Qin said, knowing her son visited the Pei family often. She didn’t mind him working, as the young man could handle it, but she thought it was too generous of Lu Nong. If the other boys learned they could earn money from helping out, they would surely empty her pockets.

“It’s not about getting paid for work, but about giving red flowers as a reward for good work, and the red flowers can be exchanged for money,” Lu Nong explained.

Sister Qin couldn’t see the difference and was about to respond when Pei Zheng interjected, “Aunt Qin, Shen Jiming gets the same, and Aunt Wang hasn’t said anything.”

Upon hearing this, Sister Qin fell silent.

It was almost evening when they arrived. By this time, most of the people who attended the afternoon party had left, and those who were attending the evening dance had not yet arrived. The factory’s chef was pulling a cart and refilling plates with food and snacks.

The four of them headed straight for the buffet. Dinner would likely be served late, so they decided to have some pastries to fill their stomachs.

“Wow, I have to say, the pastry chef at the clothing factory really knows his stuff,” Pei Zheng said, taking a bite of mung bean cake. “It’s almost on par with Grandma Wu’s skills.”

Zhang Kaiping, a loyal fan of Grandma Wu, quickly defended her, “No way! Nobody can compare to Grandma Wu’s pastries.”

…Even though his mouth was full of egg yolk pastries.

Sister Qin’s eyes lit up at the sight of the full table of pastries. She piled her plate high, determined to get her three yuan worth back, ignoring everyone else.

Lu Nong picked a piece of Donkey Rolling and a Western-style almond cake, then poured herself a cup of tea. The pastry chef clearly excelled at making Beijing-style desserts. The Donkey Rolling not only looked appealing with its yellow, red, and white layers, but it was also soft, sweet, and glutinous—truly delicious.

However, the flavor of the almond cake left much to be desired. It showed the pastry chef’s indifference in its preparation. Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Lu Nong quietly finished both desserts… then reached for another piece of Donkey Rolling.

Lu Nong paused. Could this be the pastry chef’s scheme? She glanced at the table and noticed that there were twice as many Chinese pastries as Western ones. After sampling both types, most people tended to go for the Chinese pastries again.

“…” The case was solved, the pastry chef was pulling the strings.

The four of them filled their stomachs quickly and, after eating, weren’t in a hurry to dance. Instead, they sat on the sofa, sipping tea and digesting.

As soon as Lu Nong sat down, several men approached her. They had clearly been watching and were waiting for her to finish eating and drinking before coming over.

In fact, the moment the four of them entered, they drew everyone’s attention. Lu Nong was stunning in a sky-blue, fitted dress, drifting like a misty rain into the hearts of all those present.

“Comrade, may I ask you for a dance?” A well-groomed young man, dressed in a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit, approached Lu Nong. He had a refined, handsome appearance, and there was a Hero-brand fountain pen in his pocket. From his attire and mannerisms, it was evident that he came from a well-off family.

The other men, who had been a bit slower to make their move, regretted it. While they had decent qualifications, they couldn’t quite match up to the first man who had invited Lu Nong to dance. So, none of them dared to step forward first. In fact, some didn’t even dare approach at all, as Lu Nong’s beauty was so dazzling that it made men feel unworthy of standing before her.

Before Lu Nong could refuse, Pei Zheng suddenly stepped between them and solemnly said to the young man, “Comrade, you’ve got the wrong person. She’s my mom, and she’s already married.”

Lu Nong: “…”

The young man was stunned for a few seconds before laughing. “Young man, I believe in fair competition, but you can’t just make up an excuse to get me to back off. If I give up now, wouldn’t that make me look foolish?”

Though his words were directed at Pei Zheng, his gaze shifted toward Lu Nong.

At that moment, Lu Nong finally realized what Pei Zheng was up to. He was shouting in front of everyone that she was married to deter anyone from inviting her to dance. Knowing Pei Zheng’s mischievous nature, even if someone did manage to dance with her tonight, he would likely find a way to disrupt it.

She smiled at Pei Zheng, silently warning him that she’d deal with him later. Pei Zheng, undeterred, stood his ground, thinking this would surely get him out of his five-kilometer punishment from his father.

Lu Nong turned to the young man and said, “Comrade, my dear son isn’t lying. I am indeed married.”

Disappointment flashed across the young man’s face. Whether what Lu Nong said was true or not, she had declined his invitation, so he had no choice but to invite another girl to dance.

Everyone who had been quietly watching Lu Nong heard her mention that she was married, and they quickly suppressed their intentions. After all, the dance was organized for matchmaking purposes, and married individuals were naturally out of the running. People of this era were generally quite practical.

Those who simply wanted to invite Lu Nong to dance noticed the two ‘guardians’ standing by her side, staring down at anyone who dared approach. Fearing trouble, they reluctantly backed away.

As the dance party grew livelier, younger military wives like Li Lingyi, Wang Hongmian, and Zhao Xin arrived. When they saw Sister Qin, they were utterly astonished. Wang Hongmian’s eyes nearly popped out in shock.

It was the first time Lu Nong had seen Wang Hongmian show such an uncharacteristically unsettled expression.

Sister Qin secretly delighted in the reaction, lifting her head proudly and turning away, just as Wang Hongmian often did to her.

The highlight of the evening came when a group of military officers, dressed in uniform, arrived with their wives, joining the dance. It was only then that everyone realized the soldiers had come to dance as well.

Sister Qin’s husband also arrived and spent quite some time looking for her, completely unaware that she was standing right under his nose.

Sister Qin gave him a little shove. Comrade Zhang, thinking he had bumped into someone, quickly apologized, “Sorry, I was just in a rush to find someone…”

When he looked up to see who it was, he was dumbfounded. “You… you look just like my wife when she was younger!”

Sister Qin rolled her eyes but secretly felt overjoyed. “Old Zhang, look carefully. Who do you think I am?”

Comrade Zhang nearly shouted, “Qin Qing?! How did you end up looking like this?”

“What do you mean, ‘like this’? Don’t I look good?” Sister Qin said impatiently. “I want to dance. Are you going to dance or not? If you don’t, I’ll find someone else.” She sneakily glanced at him as she finished.

“You dare?” Comrade Zhang glared at her, then pressed his lips together and said, “It’s just dancing, right? I can do that. Let’s go.”

The couple walked into the dance floor together, and Sister Qin gave Lu Nong a thumbs-up.

Before Comrade Zhang arrived, he was filled with resentment, thinking his wife was unreasonable for not understanding his hard work and even causing a scene. He had made up his mind that he wouldn’t dance tonight and would just take Qin Qing home to finish the task.

But as it turned out, things didn’t go as planned. Now, seeing his wife looking ten years younger, he was completely caught off guard.

The dance party continued in full swing, but Lu Nong, along with her two ‘bodyguards,’ sat on the sofa, staring at each other. She began to regret not calling Pei Ji’an. At least then, she wouldn’t be stuck in a corner.

After a while, even Pei Zheng and Zhang Kaiping disappeared, leaving Lu Nong sitting alone like an abandoned child.

Lu Nong: “…”

Just then, a greasy voice sounded nearby. “You must be that boy’s stepmother, right? Let me guess, you must’ve married an old man. That boy’s probably afraid you’ll cheat on his father, which is why he’s keeping such a close eye on you and not letting any men near.”

Lu Nong frowned. A sleazy-looking man had appeared beside her. When she didn’t respond, the man assumed he was right and became even more disgusting, saying, “You’re so beautiful, it’d be a shame if no one appreciated it. I can give you the pleasure that your old husband can’t.”

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Lu Nong’s face. Lu Nong leaned away and said coldly, “Get lost.”

She stood up to leave, but the sleazy man, realizing his prey was slipping away, reached out to grab her. The corner where Lu Nong was sitting was quite isolated, and with the party at its peak, not many people were around.

Just as the sleazy man was about to grab her, Lu Nong took a deep breath, turned, and delivered a low sidekick—right into his crotch.

“Ahhh!” The man screamed, clutching his groin and squatting down.

Pei Ji’an, who had rushed over to help: “…”

Xiao Zhou, following behind his leader: “…”

Lu Nong: “…”

The sleazy man was the first to recover, squatting on the ground and pointing at Lu Nong. “Do you know who my father is? Let me tell you, my dad is the factory director. Which department are you from? You’re finished!”

Lu Nong, disgusted, glanced at Pei Ji’an before saying to the sleazy man, “Do you know who my so-called old husband is? It’s him—look at his military rank. You dared to harass the family of a soldier; you’re finished.”

Lu Nong subtly took advantage of the situation to give the sleazy man a hard time in front of Pei Ji’an.

The sleazy man: “…”

Pei Ji’an: “…”