Chapter 21

At the same time, Song Guanshu boarded the public bus heading back to the steel factory’s family housing compound.

The water in the basin had cooled slightly, so Jiang Ling added some hot water from the thermos.

She had to admit, it felt truly freeing when Song Guanshu wasn’t home. She could take as long a bath as she wanted, and could even let herself go and not wear a bra.

After washing herself, she gave her body a quick wipe with a towel and slipped on a short-sleeved shirt. The house was warm enough now that wearing just short sleeves wasn’t cold at all.

Song Guanshu carried a key with him, so he didn’t need to call for Jiang Ling or Grandpa Sun to open the door for him.

After unlocking the front door with his key, he went straight to the west wing room.

Seeing the curtains already drawn early, he felt a bit puzzled. Was Jiang Ling getting ready to sleep this early?

Song Guanshu hadn’t expected the bedroom door to be locked from the inside. He used his usual strength, and then came the sound of a clack—he had pulled the latch right off.

Jiang Ling, who was in the middle of washing her hair, hadn’t expected anyone to barge in and let out a startled scream.

“It’s me.”

The moment Song Guanshu opened the door and saw everything inside the bedroom, he quickly shut the door again.

As the landlord, Grandpa Sun had a responsibility to protect his tenants. Especially since Song Guanshu had told him he’d be away on a business trip for a few days and asked him to keep an eye on Jiang Ling.

He didn’t even have time to get dressed. Wearing nothing but a pair of large boxer shorts, he grabbed a flashlight and rushed out.

When Grandpa Sun saw that the door to the west wing room had been opened, he thought a thief had broken in and was trying to harm the young wife of the Song family.

Song Guanshu quickly explained to the charging Grandpa Sun, “I left something at home, and Jiang Ling mistook me for a thief.”

So that was what happened. Grandpa Sun shuffled back in his slippers.

Despite all the commotion, the Liu family in the east wing didn’t even turn on their lights.

While Song Guanshu went out to explain things to Grandpa Sun, Jiang Ling quickly tidied herself up a bit.

Her hair was still dripping wet. She gripped her damp hair with one hand and asked, “Why are you back?”

Hearing Song Guanshu’s voice did calm her quite a bit.

But no matter where he looked, it felt inappropriate. Jiang Ling’s shirt wasn’t long—it barely covered her buttocks, and her pale, slender legs were completely exposed.

But if he tried to focus on her face, he couldn’t help but still catch glimpses of places he shouldn’t be looking at.

“I left my train ticket at home,” he said.

Jiang Ling hadn’t expected that to be the reason. “Then take your ticket and go quickly.”

Song Guanshu pulled out the train ticket and stuffed it into his pocket. “When I’m not home, make sure to lock the door.”

Jiang Ling muttered, “I did lock it. You just yanked it open.”

His tone turned unusually stern. “The outer door needs to be locked too. Both doors have to be locked.”

The way he spoke sounded like he was scolding a child. Jiang Ling didn’t like hearing it and tried to send him off. “Got it, I’ll lock it next time. Just take your ticket and go. If you’re any later, you’ll miss the train.”

Song Guanshu glanced at his watch. “No rush. I need to fix the lock first.”

There weren’t any tools like a screwdriver in the house, so he went to borrow one from Grandpa Sun, who had just crawled into bed on the kang.

Hearing the noise, Grandpa Sun got up again.

Song Guanshu was generous with his money, always paid the rent on time and often paid extra, so Grandpa Sun was naturally happy to return the favor.

“It’s fine. I’ll lock the outer door tonight, and tomorrow I’ll ask Grandpa Sun to help fix it. You should hurry and catch your train.”

But the man was still unhurriedly fixing the latch, making Jiang Ling start to wonder if he didn’t actually want to go to the Canton Fair with his colleagues.

Song Guanshu was indeed efficient. In no time, he had the inner door latch repaired. “Remember to lock the doors. If anything happens, ask the neighbors for help.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

She pushed him out and waved at him through the window as he stood outside.

Song Guanshu had timed it perfectly and managed to board the train before it departed.

Even the deputy factory director had bought a hard sleeper ticket, just like the rest of the workers. The daily chemical factory staff were all in the same train carriage.

Wang Qiang, also a technician, said, “I thought you were going to miss the train. What took you so long at home?”

Song Guanshu smiled. “The door lock at home broke. My wife didn’t know how to fix it. I checked the time and saw I could still make it, so I fixed it before coming.”

At first, some of the factory leaders had thought this young man was a bit careless—how could he forget his train ticket at home and nearly jeopardize the factory’s business trip? Their impression of him hadn’t been very good.

But upon hearing that Song Guanshu had taken time to repair the lock at home before leaving, their opinions became more mixed. The only older woman in the group, however, praised him, “Xiao Song really cares for his wife. That’s how it should be.”

Though men and women were now considered equal, there was still some discrimination against women in technical jobs. Technician Sister Li, the only woman on this trip, not only had solid skills but also came from a well-connected family.

So even though she was just an ordinary technician, even the leadership didn’t dare take her words lightly.

Everyone chimed in, “That’s right, our factory needs young people like him.”

Song Guanshu didn’t care what others thought of him, not even his superiors.

If Jiang Ling had been there, she would have noticed that fake smile once again appearing on his face.

This group would be staying in Guangcheng for seven days. It was the daily chemical factory’s first time attending the Canton Fair, and they were unfamiliar with the procedures. They weren’t exhibiting—they had come mainly to broaden their horizons and network with peers in the industry.

The leaders spent their time socializing and building connections, while the regular technicians simply followed along behind them.

Most of the time, everyone wandered around the exhibition. During the hours when there were no events, Song Guanshu’s colleagues couldn’t stand staying cooped up in the hotel and insisted on going out to explore.

Song Guanshu politely declined their invitations, but after they left the room, he too inexplicably stepped outside.

During this time, by listening to the idle chatter of people around him, Song Guanshu learned where the commercial centers were and which areas were lively.

His colleagues returned to the hotel late at night, by which time Song Guanshu had already come back. Everyone assumed he had stayed in the hotel the entire day.

They were returning to Beicheng tomorrow. Since it was rare to go on a trip this far, everyone wanted to buy some local specialties to take home.

But once they were out shopping, everything looked unfamiliar and tempting—things they couldn’t find at home—and they wanted to buy it all. Unfortunately, with limited money, they had to make careful choices.

Wang Qiang still remembered how Sister Li had praised Song Guanshu for caring about his wife. They were both technicians, but he had joined the factory earlier, back in ’76. He was a worker-peasant-soldier student, and back then, he had been a prized recruit both in the factory and within the Technical Section.

Who would’ve thought that times would change so fast? It had only been a few years since the state reinstated the college entrance exam, and now the worker-peasant-soldier students^[1]Worker-peasant-soldier students (工农兵学员) were a special group of students admitted to Chinese colleges during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). Instead of entering through academic … Continue reading were no longer valued.

Instead, university graduates whose majors aligned with their work had become the real treasures. Song Guanshu was the very college graduate the factory had hired to replace him.

He had always been at odds with Song Guanshu. They were both college graduates, so why should Song Guanshu be more valued by the factory?

Wang Qiang was constantly finding excuses to belittle him in front of colleagues and leaders. “You’ve come all this way and didn’t buy a single gift for your wife? Don’t tell me you’re just pretending to care, when in fact you can’t even bear to spend money on her.”

There were other colleagues in the room who found Wang Qiang’s words unpleasant. Whether Xiao Song was willing to spend money on his wife or not, that was his personal matter. It wasn’t something a coworker should be meddling in.

But Wang Qiang continued, “I feel bad for the poor girl married to you. I bought quite a few things for my wife—here, pick one for your own.”

He opened the bag and told Song Guanshu to choose.

This was, in fact, a deeply humiliating gesture. No man with dignity could stand being insulted like this. What kind of reasoning was that—offering a gift meant for a colleague’s wife to someone else’s?

The two other colleagues present sensed Wang Qiang’s hostility and started thinking about how to smooth things over.

But Song Guanshu simply smiled and said, “Sure. I’ll thank you on her behalf, then.”

Not only were the other colleagues caught off guard by his response—even Wang Qiang hadn’t expected it.

In their time working together, Song Guanshu had never been the stingy or freeloading type.

While the colleagues were shocked, the one who truly felt the sting was Wang Qiang himself. The local specialties he had bought weren’t cheap, and none of them were extras. He had calculated everything carefully to ensure that each family member would get their share.

Giving one to Song Guanshu now meant that someone in his own family would miss out.

What made it worse was that he had made the offer himself, and in front of the others—he couldn’t go back on it.

Later, Song Guanshu went out to buy a few small items. He had a good grasp of the prices of all the goods, so when it came time to choose, he kindly selected the most expensive item from Wang Qiang’s purchases.

“Thank you. My wife will really like this specialty product,” Song Guanshu said with a cheerful smile.

Wang Qiang felt like his heart was bleeding. That item had been bought especially for his own wife—and it was the most expensive one.

But he forced a smile. “As long as your wife likes it.”

The next day, the group packed up their things and checked out, gathering at the entrance of the hotel.

Song Guanshu’s bundle was quite heavy. He was struggling a bit to carry it, and Wang Qiang assumed that this scholarly type couldn’t even manage a bundle. Thinking to show him up, he stepped forward and offered to help.

“Here, let me help you. It’s just a bit of stuff and you’re already this worn out. The old saying is right—a scholar is useless in every way.”

“No need.”

Wang Qiang had already reached out to grab it, but he couldn’t lift it. The bundle nearly slipped to the ground, if not for Song Guanshu’s quick reflexes catching it just in time.

He was stunned. “What on earth did you pack in here? Why is it so damn heavy?”

It wasn’t even about saving face anymore—Song Guanshu’s bag really was that heavy.

There was a hint of regret in Song Guanshu’s voice. “I had some free time, so I went out and bought a few local specialties to bring home.” He had ended up buying more than he intended.

The other colleagues completely understood his decision to buy specialty goods for his family. After all, it was everyone’s first time in Guangcheng. Experiencing new local customs made them all want to bring something home for their families.

But everyone thought Wang Qiang was overreacting. It was just a travel bag—how heavy could it really be? He was even using the phrase “so damn heavy.”

“You went and bought specialties?!” he sounded like someone had stepped on his tail.

Song Guanshu nodded matter-of-factly. “Since I was out, I figured I’d bring back a few gifts for the family.”

Wang Qiang nearly lost control. “Since you bought specialties, how could you have the nerve to take mine?”

With a smile that looked genuinely innocent, Song Guanshu replied, “You insisted on giving it to me. I was worried that refusing would hurt our coworker relationship. I’m sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you were generous and didn’t mind small things like this. But since it clearly matters to you, I’ll return it right away.”