Wang Qiang was a man who cared deeply about saving face. How could a grown man admit to fussing over something worth just a dozen yuan? If word got out, people would laugh at him.

So even though he did care, he still had to act generous. “What a joke. Why would I care about something like that…”

The commotion drew the attention of the factory leaders, who turned around and asked, “What’s going on over there, all that noise?”

The smile on Song Guanshu’s face was perfectly sincere. “Brother Wang is really such a generous and open-hearted person.”

Now that the factory leadership had heard it, and everything was out in the open, Wang Qiang had no way of asking for the item back even if he wanted to.

On the train ride back, Wang Qiang looked at Song Guanshu with eyes full of resentment.

Song Guanshu, however, returned his gaze with an innocent smile.

The factory leaders and colleagues weren’t fools. After a while, they began to sense something and quietly discussed among themselves whether Wang Qiang was deliberately targeting Xiao Song.

The train ride would take two full days and nights. The newspapers they had bought before boarding had long been read through, and with no other forms of entertainment—and the leaders unwilling to set a bad example by playing cards—gossip became the best way to pass the time.

Wang Qiang was older than Song Guanshu and had been at the factory longer.

In the eyes of the leadership, it looked like Wang Qiang was using his seniority to bully the younger newcomer.

Of course, this wasn’t entirely Wang Qiang’s fault. It was just that Song Guanshu was exceptionally good at pretending.

To the leaders, he came across as nothing more than a harmless, obedient young man.

Bullying was a common occurrence—wherever there were people, there would be power struggles. And factory leaders didn’t always like to intervene in such matters.

But Song Guanshu was a college graduate, after all—a rare resource that needed a bit of protection.

Even Wang Qiang himself couldn’t have imagined that for the loss of a silk scarf worth just over ten yuan and a few glares thrown at Song Guanshu, he would end up on the factory leadership’s little blacklist.

During the half month that Song Guanshu was away on his business trip, Jiang Ling had lived quite leisurely, though she did miss having someone to help clean and cook.

She had to take the public bus by herself every morning and evening, and also had to cook her own meals.

When the group from the Canton Fair got off the train, the deputy factory director, having also endured the two-day, two-night train ride, gave everyone a break. “Today’s Friday. Don’t come to the factory tomorrow. Take the weekend off and get some rest. We’ll meet again on Monday for a debrief.”

When Song Guanshu returned home, Jiang Ling hadn’t gotten off work yet.

To be honest, although Jiang Ling wasn’t as obsessed with cleanliness as Song Guanshu and didn’t share his compulsion to constantly tidy up, she still cleaned the house fairly often.

The place was kept reasonably neat.

Even so, Song Guanshu picked up a rag and wiped everything down inside and out.

When Jiang Ling got home from work and saw all the windows and doors wide open, with beads of water still clinging to the glass, she couldn’t help but whistle. “Well, well, did the Snail Girl pay our house a visit?”

“Let’s have noodles tonight, Song Guanshu. Dumplings when you leave, noodles when you return—let’s celebrate your homecoming with hand-pulled noodles.”

Jiang Ling said she wanted noodles, but since she didn’t know how to cook, it naturally fell on Song Guanshu to make them.

“Alright.”

Jiang Ling was a bit surprised by how quickly he agreed. Then she glanced up and saw Li Jun squatting in their kitchen doorway, peeking in. At once, everything became clear.

As expected, this man loved nothing more than putting on a show of being the perfect husband in front of outsiders.

As soon as Jiang Ling walked in, she saw the mountain of luggage piled up and casually asked, “Did you bring me any specialties from Guangcheng?”

“They’re in the bag. Go ahead and look.”

Jiang Ling was genuinely surprised and flattered. Even though Song Guanshu told her to check the bag herself, she didn’t dare touch it just yet. She decided to wait until he was done with his chores. Sitting obediently beside the luggage, she peeked at it every now and then, truly curious to see what kind of gift he had brought her.

When Song Guanshu returned to the bedroom, he saw her sitting with her hands neatly placed on her knees, stealing glances at the luggage every few seconds. She looked almost unbelievably well-behaved.

Finally, once Song Guanshu had finished cleaning, Jiang Ling waved him over. “Come on, I’ve been waiting forever.”

He had rolled up his sleeves while cleaning to avoid getting them dirty, revealing his fair and well-toned forearms.

Before entering the bedroom, he stopped to wash his hands again. Droplets of water clung to his fair forearms, sparkling under the light.

Jiang Ling sat nearby, eyes wide with anticipation, eagerly waiting for her specialty gift.

She watched as he casually placed a brown paper-wrapped item beside her. It was clearly meant for her. Jiang Ling unwrapped it and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Whoa! Cantonese-style cured sausage? Song Guanshu, you really know how to shop—this smells amazing!”

When he bought it, he had indeed imagined she might react just like this.

Hugging the cured sausage to her chest, Jiang Ling looked completely satisfied. “We can slice up a few pieces and add them to the noodles tonight. It’s going to taste incredible.”

Song Guanshu kept digging through the bag, his hands still moving. Jiang Ling could hardly believe her eyes as one specialty item after another filled half the kang bed. That travel bag was shockingly spacious—it had held so many things.

And the original novel never mentioned Song Guanshu being someone with a fondness for snacks, yet all the specialties he brought back were edible treats—pineapple cakes, wife cakes, chicken biscuits, dried tangerine peel plums… there was even a bag of Nestlé chocolates.

After emptying the travel bag, the very bottom revealed the change of clothes he had taken with him—now flattened under the weight of all those items.

As he pulled out the last of the contents, a beautifully wrapped small gift box tumbled out.

Song Guanshu handed the box to Jiang Ling. “This is for you.”

When she opened it and saw a silk scarf inside, Jiang Ling’s eyes nearly popped out. This… was actually a gift from Song Guanshu?

Her face contorted with shock. She stared at him in disbelief and asked, “This is for me?”

The silk scarf felt silky to the touch, but… it was a bit ugly, covered entirely in rose prints.

Song Guanshu nodded. “Yes, it’s for you.”

“It’s from our Section’s technician, Wang Qiang.”

Jiang Ling: ???

“Why? Is he trying to steal someone else’s wife?” That was the only possibility she could think of.

Song Guanshu cast her a slightly disdainful glance, marveling at her vivid imagination and unshakable confidence in herself.

“He said that if I went on a business trip and didn’t bring home a gift, it would be pitiful for you. So he insisted on giving you this scarf.”

Although she still didn’t quite understand the full story, Jiang Ling could already tell that this Wang Qiang had definitely been set up by Song Guanshu.

It was a scarf she hadn’t paid a cent for, and the more Jiang Ling looked at it, the more beautiful it seemed.

Jiang Ling sincerely praised, “Comrade Wang Qiang is truly a good person. I’ll definitely visit the Technical Section and thank him in person when I get the chance.”

Without showing much expression, Song Guanshu replied with a slight smile, “I’m sure he’ll be very touched.”

After checking with Song Guanshu that she could eat the pastries and snacks he brought back, Jiang Ling tried a piece of pineapple cake. It was very, very sweet.

She was in a great mood, and sweet words poured from her mouth like they cost nothing.

While Song Guanshu stood at the stove kneading dough, Jiang Ling followed closely behind him, cradling the piece of pineapple cake in her hand.

“This is the most delicious pastry I’ve ever eaten in my life. Do you know why?”

Song Guanshu didn’t respond, just kept his head down, focusing on the dough. Jiang Ling answered her own question cheerfully, “It’s probably because you bought it. That’s why it tastes especially good.”

His thin lips curved slightly with a sneer. “Sweet talker.”

He turned slightly, leaving her with nothing but his back.

With nothing better to do, Jiang Ling rather enjoyed teasing him. After not seeing him for half a month, her sharp tongue had nowhere to go—finally, she could get her fix.

Having said her fill, Jiang Ling stopped trailing behind him and sat by the stove pit to tend the fire. Once Song Guanshu finished slicing the noodles and the water in the pot came to a boil, they could go straight in.

That evening, they had a meal of hand-pulled noodles made with Cantonese sausage as the topping. The noodles were smooth and springy, and the broth was light and flavorful.

Jiang Ling accidentally ate a little too much. She collapsed onto the kang while Song Guanshu lay under the covers reading a book. Curious, she leaned over to take a peek—it was a technical book she couldn’t understand at all.

The old saying “When the stomach is full, the mind starts to wander” really was spot on. Now that she had good food and a warm place to sleep, she started thinking about more spiritual or emotional pursuits.

Take evenings after dinner, for example—truly boring. Staring up at the ceiling, Jiang Ling decided to follow the trend: she was going to save up to buy a radio.

The next day was the weekend, so Song Guanshu had one more day to rest at home.

Since he had brought back a good amount of local specialties from Guangcheng, they could have stir-fried cured meat and sausage for lunch. Jiang Ling decided not to queue up at the supply and marketing cooperative to buy fresh pork.

The spring sunlight was warm and pleasant. After lunch, Jiang Ling sat on a small stool in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

Weekends weren’t just for workers—students also had the day off.

The two kids from the Liu family across the way were home for the break.

The siblings, Liu Tong and Liu Lei, lived nearby. Since Liu Lei didn’t have many friends in the area, it was usually his older sister, Liu Tong, who played with him.

Jiang Ling had just closed her eyes, enjoying the rare moment of peace, when Liu Lei came running back from outside. Hearing the sound, she opened her eyes again.

She saw Liu Lei with tears still clinging to his cheeks, running up to Li Jun. “Mom, I want some candy.” Liu Tong followed closely behind, shielding him like a little nanny.

He had probably seen someone else eating candy and wanted some too.

When she heard her son had come home just to ask for money to buy sweets, Li Jun immediately lost her temper. She started yelling and flailing about. “Where do I have extra money to buy you two candy? I’m just one woman, and raising the two of you little ancestors is hard enough. I only earn fifteen yuan a month, and I have to feed the whole family. Leilei, Tongtong, have a little sympathy for your mother—there really isn’t any money.”

Their grandmother, Granny Liu, wasn’t home. After lunch, she had gone visiting. Chatting helped her pass the time, and if the host happened to bring out some snacks, she’d get to enjoy a little free treat.

After sending the two kids away, Li Jun returned to lie down on the kang. She worked during the day and still had to cook dinner after coming home—she was exhausted.

The two kids were left in the courtyard by Li Jun. Since Liu Lei hadn’t gotten anything out of Jiang Ling before, he didn’t think of her as someone he could take advantage of.

So even though he really wanted candy, and even though Jiang Ling was sitting right there in the courtyard, neither of the siblings went over to ask her for anything.

They stood in the yard whispering to each other, but every word landed clearly in Jiang Ling’s ears.

The younger one, Liu Lei, said bitterly, “I’m the real son, and yet he buys candy for that fox spirit’s little brother and sister, but never for me.”

His older sister, Liu Tong, patted him on the shoulder. “We’re still his biological kids. If we go ask him, he wouldn’t refuse.”

“Oh, please,” Liu Lei muttered. “We’ve asked him for money and food before, and he’s never given us anything.”

Liu Tong’s eyes flicked slyly. “So what if we want candy? Your sister’s got a way.”

After living in the staff housing compound for a while, Jiang Ling had heard some gossip from Sister Juxiang. According to her, Section Chief Liu’s current wife, Han Ruixue, had lost both of her parents, and her younger brother and sister were still minors. Right now, it was Section Chief Liu who was supporting his wife’s younger siblings.

Although Juxiang didn’t like Li Jun—who was always looking to take advantage of others—when it came to this topic, she still sounded indignant. “Section Chief Liu really is a fool. How could he neglect his own children while raising his brother-in-law and sister-in-law like his own? What, is he expecting them to take care of him in his old age?”

Before hearing this from Juxiang, Jiang Ling had just assumed that Liu’s brother-in-law and sister-in-law were only staying temporarily with their older sister and brother-in-law. That wasn’t unusual.

After all, when Jiang Ling had nowhere to live, Jiang Lian had once invited her to stay at her place.

But to say that Section Chief Liu didn’t care about his own kids wasn’t quite right either. Jiang Ling had more than once seen him climbing over the wall in the middle of the night to sneak into the house across the way.

And if he was going to his ex-wife’s place in the middle of the night, it clearly wasn’t for that kind of thing—it could only mean he was delivering money.