Chapter 45: Moving

While Secretary Qian and the others were chatting with Nan Zhou in the courtyard, Shen Nian pushed open the courtyard gate and entered.

She didn’t recognize Secretary Qian or Minister Zheng, so she simply greeted the village chief.

“Village Chief, you’re here!”

“Ah, Comrade Shen just got off work? Let me introduce you. This is Secretary Qian from our commune and Minister Zheng from the publicity department,” the village chief said proudly. It was a matter of pride for him that such high-ranking officials would come to the village to request someone personally—it showed how much they valued him and Red Flag Commune.

“Hello, Secretary Qian. Hello, Minister Zheng.”

“This is one of our village’s educated youth—Comrade Shen Nian. She lives with Comrade Nan Qiao.”

“Hello, Comrade Shen Nian.”
“Hello, Comrade Shen Nian.”

“Brother Nan Zhou, you all keep chatting. I’ll go wash up and help Qiao Qiao in the kitchen,” Shen Nian said as she glanced toward Nan Qiao busying herself in the kitchen, put down her things, and headed over.

“These two seem quite close,” Secretary Qian commented, watching Shen Nian’s retreating back.

“Yes, ever since they came to the village, they’ve been practically inseparable,” the village chief replied.

“Looks like Comrade Shen will be reluctant to see Nan Qiao go to town,” Minister Zheng joked.

The others chuckled but didn’t say anything further.

Before long, Nan Qiao came out carrying the noodles, and Nan Zhou and Shen Nian helped bring out the rest of the dishes.

“Please try my cooking and let me know how it tastes.” Nan Qiao sat on a small stool, eagerly waiting for feedback.

Secretary Qian was the first to take a scoop of the meat sauce and mix it into his noodles. After stirring it thoroughly, he took a bite.

Even the always composed Secretary Qian showed a rare hint of surprise. “I didn’t expect your cooking to be this good, Nan Qiao. This is even better than what state-run restaurants serve!”

“Really? Then I have to try it too,” the village chief said, mixing his noodles and taking a bite. In all his years, he had never eaten such delicious noodles.

“Mmm~ Comrade Nan, your cooking is truly top-notch. If you were to work in a state-run restaurant, the master chefs there might be out of a job.”

“If you like it, eat more! There’s more in the pot.”

“Great, let’s all dig in,” Secretary Qian said to the others, including Shen Nian and Nan Zhou.

By the end of the meal, the large bowl of stir-fry and noodles had been completely wiped clean. Everyone at the table was thoroughly satisfied.

“After eating Nan Qiao’s cooking, I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anyone else’s for the next few days,” Minister Zheng said happily, patting his round belly.

“How about this—after a few days, everyone can come have a meal at the little courtyard I’m renting in town. I didn’t know you were coming today, so the food was casual. Next time, I’ll make a proper meal.”

“I’ll pass. Let you young folks have your gathering,” Secretary Qian declined first.

“I’ll skip it too. Maybe next time you come back to the village, I’ll get another chance to taste your cooking,” the village chief added.

“No problem,” Nan Qiao said, then turned to look at Minister Zheng.

Catching her gaze, Minister Zheng beamed. “Oh, I’ll definitely be there! Just let me know what meat you need—I’ll bring my own ingredients.”

“Haha, no need for ingredients—just bring your appetite!”

“No problem at all,” Minister Zheng laughed. He really loved to eat, and now that he’d had such a delicious meal, there was no way he’d pass up the chance for more.

After the satisfying meal, the officials had to return to work. They said their goodbyes to Nan Qiao and left.

—

Back at the village chief’s home, Aunt Gaixian rushed up anxiously.

“So? What happened? Is it confirmed? Is Comrade Nan really going to town?”

“Of course it’s confirmed. Secretary Qian personally came to request her—how could I say no?” Though the village chief said this flatly, inwardly he was actually proud that she could go to town.

After all, Nan Qiao’s household registration was tied to the village, and having her be personally named and transferred by the secretary was an honor for the village.

“But… but if Comrade Nan goes to town, will she still come back? What about our Junjun’s malted milk? What are we going to do…” Aunt Gaixian fretted.

“She’ll definitely come back. She’s still staying in the village for a few more days. If you get the chance, ask her. But keep in mind—it’s a favor. If she can help, great. If not, we can’t force her.”

“That’s not right—she already agreed to give it to me. How could she not now?” Aunt Gaixian said stubbornly.

“Now what kind of talk is that? She was being kind, and now you’re blaming her?” The village chief frowned at his wife’s attitude.

“What do you mean blaming? I only asked her for some malted milk for Junjun because I was worried he wasn’t getting enough to eat. Do you think I wanted to beg?”

“Alright, alright. Just wait until later this afternoon and ask her. No use fussing about it now.” Seeing that his wife was getting more unreasonable, the village chief didn’t want to argue anymore. He washed his face and went into the room for a nap.

The wonderful meal and the honor of Secretary Qian’s visit had lifted his spirits—only to have them dragged down by his wife’s squabbling.

—

Meanwhile, after seeing off Secretary Qian and the others, Nan Qiao sat in the courtyard with Nan Zhou and Shen Nian.

“The village chief gave the go-ahead. I’ve been told to spend these next few days getting the place ready. At the latest, I need to report to the compound by Monday.”

“You’re really leaving already? I’m going to miss you so much,” Shen Nian said, pouting.

“I’ll be back often. You can visit too—come stay for a night!” Nan Qiao pinched her cheek with a smile.

“Okay! I’ll come visit once I have a break,” Shen Nian said happily.

“Do you need to move anything? While I’m still around, I can help you bring your stuff over,” Nan Zhou offered.

“Not much. Just clothes. I’ll leave the bedding and toiletries here. Once the educated youth housing is finished, I’ll come back and move everything in.”

“That works. So pack this afternoon, and we’ll bring your clothes over tomorrow. Let’s try to get the big items bought all at once. Otherwise, once I leave, you won’t be able to carry them on your own.”

“Sounds good. I don’t think there’s much I need—maybe a set of bedding, a couple of basins, and a hot water kettle. I didn’t really check what the courtyard had last time.”

“We’ll find out when we go tomorrow,” Nan Zhou replied.

“Qiao Qiao, I’ll help you pack. I won’t be able to go to town with you tomorrow. It’s hard to keep asking the village chief for leave,” Shen Nian said.

“It’s okay, my brother will be there. And I don’t have much to bring.”

“Actually, I can handle packing on my own. You should get some rest—you still have work later.” Nan Qiao gently pushed Shen Nian back into the house. With her spatial space to help, she could pack everything easily without burdening others. If Shen Nian helped, it might be inconvenient to explain things.

Shen Nian saw how firm Nan Qiao was and figured she just didn’t like others touching her personal belongings, so she didn’t insist. “Alright, but if you need anything, just call me, okay?”

“Okay, I know. Now go on.”

After pushing Shen Nian into her room, Nan Qiao turned to her brother.

“Big Brother, I’m going to start packing. Do you want to sleep a bit more?”

“I won’t sleep anymore. I want to wash some clothes and get a bit of exercise when it cools down. You go pack,” Nan Zhou said.

“Alright.”

Nan Qiao returned to her room and stuffed all her winter clothes and snacks into the room inside her spatial space, leaving only the clothes and shoes she currently wore. These were packed into a large bag and placed on the table to the side.

“I wonder if Sheng Yanchuan will come by tonight. I need to tell him that I’m going to town tomorrow,” Nan Qiao muttered.

“Oh well, if not, I’ll just find him after my brother leaves,” she decided, giving up on thinking too much about it.

As dusk settled, a light knock came from the back window. Nan Qiao leapt off the bed and opened the window to see a familiar face.

She couldn’t hide the smile that bloomed on her cheeks.
“I was just wondering if you’d come by tonight.”

“Word’s been spreading through the village about you. Everyone’s saying some big shot from town came for you, guessing all sorts of things about your identity. How could I not come? If I don’t, my little girlfriend might just run off!” Sheng Yanchuan teased.

“I’m glad you came. I was worried I wouldn’t get the chance to tell you. I’m heading to town tomorrow morning—just bringing a change of clothes. The rest I’ll leave here.”

“Then… who’s going with you tomorrow?” Sheng Yanchuan asked after a moment.

“My brother. He’s leaving the morning after tomorrow, so he wants to help me settle everything before he goes.”

Sheng Yanchuan nodded. “Then I’ll come find you in the afternoon after he leaves. If there’s anything missing, I’ll bring it over.”

“Mhm. Aren’t you coming in?” Nan Qiao looked at him curiously. Usually, he’d already be inside without needing an invitation—being so well-behaved tonight really didn’t feel like his usual style.

“Just let me hug you. I won’t come in—your brother’s still here,” Sheng Yanchuan said, holding out his arms.

“So you are afraid of my brother, huh? No wonder you’ve been so obedient these past few days.” Nan Qiao teased him as she stepped forward for a hug.

“I’m not scared. I just know you didn’t want them to find out,” Sheng Yanchuan replied, eyes drifting away, clearly a bit awkward.

“Tsk tsk, now it’s all my fault?” Nan Qiao pretended to be indignant.

“How could it be?” Sheng Yanchuan said, planting a kiss on her head.
“Alright, get some rest. I’ll see you the afternoon after tomorrow.”

Nan Qiao nodded and reluctantly closed the window, locking it before heading to bed.

—

The next morning, Nan Qiao brought only one bag of clothes and headed to town with Nan Zhou.

“Comrade Nan, heading to town?” an auntie they passed asked nosily.

“Mm, just bringing some clothes over.”

“Oh my, Comrade Nan, tell us—do you have some big-shot relative? Otherwise how could you end up going to town as an official? Wasn’t it some… secretary who came personally? Come on, you can tell us—I won’t tell anyone else,” the auntie said in a hushed tone, leaning in while glancing around sneakily, eyes gleaming.

“Auntie, how could I have any powerful relatives? If I did, I wouldn’t have been sent to the countryside in the first place. It’s just that I can write foreign languages, and the town happened to need someone. It’s pure coincidence.”

What Nan Qiao said was the truth, but the auntie clearly didn’t believe her.

“Hmmph, Comrade Nan must be something special now, looking down on us village folks—won’t even give us a straight answer,” the auntie muttered to another woman, tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Auntie, that’s a bit harsh. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the village chief yourself. Anyway, I’ll be going now—you all take care.”

Nan Qiao tugged Nan Zhou along and left. Since they wouldn’t speak to her properly, there was no need to save face.

—

Once in town, Nan Zhou took Nan Qiao to the steel plant. At the gate, they were stopped by the guard.

“Little girl, who are you looking for?” the old man asked, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe.

“Uncle, my surname is Nan. I’m looking for Director Bai Kaixuan,” Nan Qiao said as she walked toward the guardhouse.

“Looking for Director Bai for a job, are you? Wait a moment, I’ll call him.” Without waiting for her reply, the guard picked up the phone and made a call.

Soon, someone from the office building came jogging over—it was Bai Kaixuan.

“Sister Nan Qiao, you’re here!” Bai Kaixuan greeted her and gave a polite nod to Nan Zhou. “So it’s settled then?”

Nan Qiao nodded. “Yep, just getting ready to bring some things over and do a bit of setup.”

“Great! Be sure to come eat at our place often. My uncle is really fond of you—he keeps talking about you all the time.”

“Once I get some rest, I’ll go visit Uncle Bai. In a few days, once my place is in order, I’ll bring Sister Bai Mei over for a meal.”

“No problem.”

“Here’s the key for you. Everything’s over there—I didn’t keep any copies. I had the house and courtyard all cleaned up. You can move in without worry,” Bai Kaixuan said, pulling a bunch of keys from his pocket.

“Feel free to use anything inside—just don’t tear the place down and we’re good!” he added with a grin.

At first, he was polite only for his uncle’s sake. But later, he truly came to admire Nan Qiao. A beautiful and capable girl like her was someone everyone liked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of the place,” Nan Qiao replied cheerfully as she accepted the keys.

“I trust you.” Bai Kaixuan glanced at the time. “I can’t chat for long—got things to do at the office. Looking forward to that meal!”

“Definitely.”

With that, Bai Kaixuan jogged back to work.

The guard at the gate had been craning his neck to listen the whole time, surprised by how friendly Bai Kaixuan was. His curiosity peaked.

Now that Bai Kaixuan had gone, the old man asked, “Girl, what’s your relationship with Bai Kaixuan? Why’s he inviting you to his house for meals?”

“Oh, our families know each other. Nothing much. I’ll let you get back to work now,” Nan Qiao replied, then left with Nan Zhou.

—

They arrived at the courtyard she’d visited last time and unlocked the door. The once-messy place was now spotless—even the table was dust-free.

“Bai Kaixuan seems like a pretty good guy,” Nan Zhou remarked as he looked around.

“He is now. But he didn’t give the best impression at first,” Nan Qiao replied, lips curling slightly.

“What happened?” Nan Zhou asked, curious at her expression.

Nan Qiao shared the story of their first encounter—though she deliberately left out anything about Sheng Yanchuan.

The story made Nan Zhou chuckle.
“Didn’t expect Bai Kaixuan to be like that. Jokes aside, if you feel uncomfortable around him, just keep your distance. Don’t worry about his relationship with the director or Dad—what matters most is how you feel.”

“I know!”