Cheng Tianyuan was a man of his word.
Last night, after working part-time until half-past ten, he rushed back, took a quick shower, and went to bed. When he woke up early in the morning to go to work, he had already requested time off from the manager at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
Initially, the manager was reluctant, but after hearing that Cheng Tianyuan would only take an extra half-hour for lunch, he reluctantly agreed. Cheng Tianyuan had a reputation for being a diligent worker at the cooperative, always giving his best, and the manager was quite pleased with his performance. If it had been someone else, the manager would have likely refused.
After finishing his work at noon, Cheng Tianyuan rode his bicycle towards the direction of the newspaper office. The newspaper office was located to the west of the county town, about a twenty-minute walk from the cooperative. He wasn’t very familiar with this area, so he had asked his colleagues from the county town to provide him with some information about the surroundings.
His colleagues had informed him that this area had convenient transportation and was close to the newly developed zone, where many new houses had been built in recent years.
Most of the houses in this area were relatively expensive, and there weren’t many available for rent. Finding a place to live around here would be quite challenging.
However, Cheng Tianyuan was concerned about the convenience of Xue Ling’s commute to work, so he insisted on searching for a place in this area.
Unfortunately, after circling around for over half an hour, he still hadn’t found any houses available for rent. He had searched the streets and alleys near the newspaper office, but apart from a few run-down old houses, he had found nothing.
Even though it was already autumn, the sun was scorching like a summer day, making Cheng Tianyuan’s skin feel slightly burnt.
He spotted a large banyan tree at the end of an alley, pushed his bicycle over, and sat down on the stone slab under the shade. He took out a metal water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took several sips, relieving the dry and parched feeling in his throat.
Having worked diligently in the morning and traveled a long distance at noon, his stomach had been growling for a while.
He took out the cold steamed bun he had bought in the morning and took a few bites, washing it down with water as he chewed.
Suddenly, a pair of familiar plastic women’s sandals appeared in his vision.
He instinctively looked up and saw Xue Ling, her forehead dotted with sweat, her hair slightly disheveled, and her beautiful eyes smiling at him with a hint of redness on her fair face due to the run.
He was surprised and raised an eyebrow, swallowing the mouthful of steamed bun.
“Why did you come here?”
Breathing heavily, Xue Ling explained with a cheerful smile, “I saw you at the intersection over there, but you were too far away to hear me when I called your name. So, I ran all the way here.”
With that, she sat down next to him, breathing heavily.
Seeing that she was exhausted from the run, Cheng Tianyuan quickly handed her the water bottle.
“Take a few sips and rest.”
As he handed it over, he hesitated for a moment, then reached into his pocket.
“Just a moment ago, I drank from it. Let me find a handkerchief for you.”
In the early 1980s, small items like tissues were scarce, and most people carried a handkerchief with them to wipe sweat and clean their hands.
Xue Ling didn’t mind and eagerly took the water bottle from him, taking several big sips.
Cheng Tianyuan watched her drink, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Having grown up in a big city, she was quite carefree. He, on the other hand, felt awkward about the situation. Well, it couldn’t be helped!
He cleared his throat uncomfortably and broke the ice.
“The newspaper office is down that street. I circled around there twice earlier. Since it’s so hot, why did you come out? Have you had lunch?”
Xue Ling handed him the water bottle, looking a little embarrassed.
“It’s so hot, and you only have an hour for lunch. You also came all the way here to help me find a house. How could I stay inside and enjoy the coolness? I haven’t eaten yet.”
Cheng Tianyuan furrowed his brows slightly, checking the position of the sun, which was now high in the sky.
“It’s almost noon. Let me take you to get something to eat first. What do you think?”
“No need,” Xue Ling smiled, opening her army green shoulder bag and taking out a still-warm aluminum lunchbox. She said, “Let’s eat together. After we finish, we can continue looking for a house.”
She handed him one of the lunchboxes, and when he opened it, he found white rice with a handful of peanuts in one corner.
Cheng Tianyuan opened the other lunchbox, which contained a big chicken leg, two types of vegetables, and five or six small fried meatballs.
“This is quite a feast. Most canteens wouldn’t provide so much,” he commented.
Xue Ling replied with a smile, “That’s right! I heard from my colleagues that the newspaper office only provides one meal, but the editor-in-chief cares about everyone’s hard work. He instructed the kitchen to prepare generous portions for every meal, insisting on two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. They serve ample portions. I have a small appetite and won’t be able to finish it all. You can help me eat some; otherwise, it would go to waste.”
Cheng Tianyuan suggested, “You should eat first. I brought some steamed buns.”
“No!” Xue Ling widened her almond-shaped eyes and said, “Let’s eat together. Otherwise, the food will get cold, and it won’t taste good. We should try to eat hot meals for all three meals; otherwise, it might cause stomach problems!”
With a determined look, she grabbed the cold steamed bun from his hand and placed it back in its cloth wrapper.
“Let’s eat together. Otherwise, I won’t eat either!”
Cheng Tianyuan felt a bit helpless but couldn’t argue with her. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat the vegetables.
Xue Ling used a spoon to push the big chicken leg towards him, her tone non-negotiable.
“You eat a bite too.”
Cheng Tianyuan hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly cut a large piece of chicken leg for her. He continued eating as well.
The lunchboxes were quite large, and the portions were generous, so they both ate until they were full.
They had to return to work in the afternoon, so after their meal, they set off again to search for a house.
Unfortunately, the area near the newspaper office was a newly developed zone, and most of the houses were newly constructed. There were very few available for rent, if any.
The only places with rental signs were old and dilapidated, with poor sanitation and run-down conditions that left Cheng Tianyuan frowning. While he, as a man, could endure living in such conditions, he couldn’t let Xue Ling stay in a place that was drafty and dirty, especially with winter approaching.
After searching for a while, Xue Ling couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Cheng Tianyuan comforted her gently, “Don’t be discouraged. We can continue looking after work. Let’s go back to work for now.”
Translator thought: Thank you so much for visiting the site and reading the story. If you would like to support my translation you can buy me a cup-ontea. You can also help by shopping in our store or watch the youtube video to get more traction to the website. If you can’t wait to read the next chapter why not subscribe to our monthly plan, you will get 15 chapter every month for $35.
