Director Lin smiled knowingly at her.
“No problem at all. You’re looking to take the afternoon off, right, Xue?”
Xue Ling gave a sheepish laugh and explained, “I’ve just found a place to live and plan to move in today. Staying at the inn costs six yuan a day, and it’s been quite a few days now. I’d like to save where I can.”
Director Lin, a kind man in his forties with three children, understood the hassles of moving all too well.
“Moving is always a hassle. I took three days off last year when I moved, and it was barely enough. Go ahead, leave after lunch if you need to!”
Xue Ling thanked him profusely.
Her lunch was quite a feast, scoring a large chicken leg and several meat patties.
She nibbled on the patties, saving the chicken leg, and then took a bus straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Bus fare was a uniform fifty cents, cheap but still a luxury many avoided, preferring to walk the six or seven minutes to save money. So, the bus stop was always sparsely populated.
Xue Ling paid her fare and found a seat.
The cooperative wasn’t far from the newspaper, but the bus crawled at a snail’s pace, taking half an hour to reach her stop.
She’d chosen a place on Songming Road for its convenient location, equidistant from both their workplaces.
Once she saved enough, she planned to buy a bicycle for even easier commutes.
With this happy thought, she briskly walked toward the cooperative, the largest trading center in the county, bustling with people buying everything from agricultural products to household items.
Inside, she scanned the crowd for Cheng Tianyuan but couldn’t find him.
She’d heard that Cheng had aced his college entrance exams but, due to his family’s poverty, had opted to work instead.
He’d found a steady job at the cooperative, a rare feat for someone with a high school education in these parts.
However, the cooperative had recently switched to a self-financing model, raising the work demands significantly.
Xue Ling wandered through the aisles, considering what she needed for their new home but not committing to any purchases, drawing curious glances from the staff.
“What are you looking for, miss? Anything in particular?” a friendly man asked.
Xue Ling grinned, listing her needs.
The man hurried to gather her items, helped by a young woman who took over bagging the smaller things.
Xue Ling glanced around, then approached the man.
“I’m looking for someone. Cheng Tianyuan?”
The woman looked up sharply, suspicion in her voice, “Why are you looking for him?”
Her tone, defensive and harsh, suggested Xue Ling had stepped into forbidden territory.
Xue Ling raised an eyebrow, calmly replying, “I heard he works here, and I wanted to see him.”
The woman, around Xue Ling’s age with thick braids and a dark complexion, stared at her warily.
The friendly man, known as Brother Min, chuckled, “Ah Cheng’s in the back, working on inventory. Do you need me to call him for you?”
Xue Ling smiled and nodded her thanks.
Brother Min whispered to the woman, Wang Juan, to double-check the items as he went to fetch Cheng.
Wang Juan’s eyes remained fixed on Xue Ling, suspicion evident.
“You’re looking for Brother Cheng? Are you a relative of his? He’s quite busy with work right now!”
Xue Ling, sensing the woman’s hostility, assured her, “I know he’s working. I can wait until he’s off.”
Wang Juan’s face darkened, pressing further, “Are you his cousin or something? I heard he has a sister…”
Just then, a deep, steady voice interrupted, “You—how did you get here?”
It was Cheng Tianyuan!
Xue Ling turned, beaming at him.
“I came to shop and wait for you to get off work.”
His eyes softened as he saw the bag of items, considerately offering, “Wait for me a bit. I’ll finish up here. Those are too heavy for you; I’ll carry them later.”
Xue Ling glanced teasingly at Wang Juan, “Brother Yuan, these are your colleagues, right?”
Cheng quickly introduced them, “Yes, this is Wang Juan, and that’s Chen Min. The others over there too. I’ll introduce you later.”
He then took Xue Ling’s hand, gently adding, “She… is my beloved.”
Brother Min gaped in disbelief, laughing, “When did you get married, man? Why didn’t you say anything? This is such a surprise!”
Wang Juan’s face turned ashen, her lips tight.
Cheng, caught off guard by Brother Min’s reaction, chuckled awkwardly, “Recently…”
Xue Ling understood his embarrassment.
His visit home had been to care for his sick father, and the marriage, a hasty decision to bring him joy, had left no time for announcements.
Until last night’s confession, he’d thought she might want a divorce, so he hadn’t mentioned her to anyone.
But now, proudly by his side, she declared, “We’ve been married for a few days, in a quick ceremony back home. We didn’t have time to inform you all. I’ve just moved here today and came to buy some things. Once we’re settled, we’ll definitely invite you all for a meal.”
Brother Min nodded, “That’s a must! You can’t just get married out of the blue and not treat us to a big meal!”
Cheng agreed with a light laugh, “Of course!”
Wang Juan, her head bowed, remarked bitterly, “Yeah, marrying so suddenly, we were all in the dark. If your wife hadn’t come, we’d still be clueless. It’s not like it’s a secret; why hide it? People might think you eloped!”
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