In the end, Xu Qinghuan felt utterly uncomfortable, restless in Jiang Xingye’s arms, her small hips twisting on his legs. That soft firmness and pronounced roundness were simply incendiary; Jiang Xingye felt as if his whole body were on fire.
He pressed Xu Qinghuan tightly into his arms, his voice husky beyond belief, "Don’t move, be good!"
Xu Qinghuan dared not move, fearing things might actually slip out of control. Lying there sowhat sullenly in his embrace, she thought, when will this ever end!
She had to wait until next July, when she reached the legal age for marriage, to get a marriage certificate.
Although in rural areas many married early without being old enough for a marriage certificate, holding a wedding would garner recognition from society. But she couldn’t adapt to that.
She always felt that a wedding could be forgone, but a marriage certificate was absolutely necessary.
Only with a marriage certificate would they be a legitimate couple.
It took quite a while for them to calm down. Once they straightened their clothes and stepped out of the guest house, it was already past three in the afternoon. Having eaten a little on the plane earlier, they were not too hungry.
But Xu Qinghuan feared Jiang Xingye might be hungry, so she handed him a piece of fruit from her space, which looked like an apple but wasn’t actually an apple.
Jiang Xingye took a bite and imdiately tasted sothing different, a sweet, non-tart flavor, aromatic and crisp. After taking two bites, he offered the other side to Xu Qinghuan.
Xu Qinghuan took a bite, looked at him, and smiled.
Jiang Xingye’s heart was just like the fruit he was eating, sweet, and his smile was just as sweet.
He was naturally handso, and when he usually maintained a cold expression, he appeared sowhat fierce and intimidating. But whenever he was with Xu Qinghuan, his aura seed to transform into the lting snow of spring, lush with blooms, handso yet unassuming.
In this unfamiliar city, on its bustling streets, the two dared not hold hands nor walk too closely together, maintaining a half-person’s distance. Yet, compared to other couples, they were still quite close.
At this ti, Yan City was far less prosperous than in later years.
On the streets, there were many bicycles, and only a few colors of clothing—dark shades like grey, blue, black, with white being a more standout color.
She curiously observed everything, finding it rather amazing that she had traveled back to the streets of Yanjing forty or fifty years ago.
Jiang Xingye also looked around. Coming here was unexpected, but for him, it was a good opportunity to broaden his horizons.
"Aye, I’m having surgery tomorrow, so I can’t accompany you out. Would you like to explore the area?" Xu Qinghuan suggested.
"Mm!" Jiang Xingye’s eyes were gentle, "Don’t worry about . I plan to look at so furniture. Aren’t we going to open a furniture factory in the future? I’ll see how others make furniture and learn from them."
"Then I’ll ntion it to the Huo Family and have them arrange for soone to take you. It would be best if you could visit so furniture factories to see what tools they use and examine their production lines, so you can avoid detours in the future."
"I will!"
The two reached the largest departnt store nearby. Even though it was business hours, it was crowded to the brim inside.
The bustle was comparable to the pre-online-shopping era during New Year’s.
Xu Qinghuan couldn’t afford to be careless, grabbing Jiang Xingye’s hand to go in; if they got separated, finding each other would be quite difficult.
Jiang Xingye shared her concern. Being tall, he took the lead in the crowd, shielding Xu Qinghuan as they forged a path forward.
They squeezed into the clothing section on the third floor, where a dazzling array of attire for all ages lined the walls. However, there were only a few styles available. Won’s styles were slightly more varied—either Bulaji dresses or blouses paired with skirts, which were typically cinched at the waist with a broad flare, very simple. More complex designs might add so ruffles.
As for nswear, it was just your basic long or short sleeves, shirts, Zhongshan suits, and the like.
There were not many choices available.
Xu Qinghuan picked out two sets of clothes for Jiang Xingye, plus two pairs of underwear, two pairs of socks, and a pair of leather shoes.
Jiang Xingye tugged at her clothes, "Huanhuan, my shoes are still wearable."
He had brought so money with him, but given the rush, he hadn’t brought much. He feared that buying clothes would leave Huanhuan sharing in his financial hardships.
"These shoes of yours are already worn out. Get a new pair. I brought money."
Jiang Xingye had given her quite a bit of money. Not counting the 500 yuan dowry, it was close to 1,000 yuan—which, in this era, was no small sum.
Jiang Xingye’s ability to earn money was undeniable. Once the reforms and opening up ca, the environnt would be vast and boundless for him.
When it ca ti to pay, Jiang Xingye pulled out a roll of bills, eager to cover the cost.
Xu Qinghuan estimated that the roll of money was over a hundred yuan; she was quite puzzled at how Jiang Xingye’s pocket seed like Doraemon’s pouch, continuously producing money.
Where was he getting all this money from?
After squeezing out from inside, Jiang Xingye explained to Xu Qinghuan, "I had Hozi and the others help harvest the over ten acres in the mountain hollow, and I sold off part of it."
This year’s yield wasn’t great; the cooperative’s wheat yield per acre was under 400 catties, yet his over ten acres achieved a bumper crop, with yields approaching 700 catties per acre.
This was quite astonishing.
In total, there were sixteen acres, yielding eleven thousand catties of wheat. He sold nine thousand catties, and after deducting Hozi and the others’ pay, he had over 800 yuan left on hand.
Originally, he intended to give this money to Xu Qinghuan, but when the production team opened a factory, he invested a portion there, leaving the rest here.
As they were about to leave, a jeep parked by the roadside, and as the door opened, Xu Qinghuan ca face to face with Song Wanlin.
"What are you doing here?" Song Wanlin seed startled, taking a step back.
Her initial reaction was that Xu Qinghuan might be targeting the Lu Family. Imdiately, she frowned, "Why aren’t you farming properly in the countryside? Why co here? Is this soplace you’re supposed to be?"
Xu Qinghuan gave her a cold glance before taking Jiang Xingye’s hand and leaving.
Song Wanlin had heard that a new batch of clothing styles had arrived at the departnt store and had co to take a look, not expecting to encounter such a dampener, giving up on even looking at the clothes.
She got in the car and told the driver, "Old Zhang, take back first, then check why those two ca to Yan City?"
The driver agreed.
At this mont, in Anping County, a rainstorm in the end didn’t materialize, but the weather was visibly poor. For the past few days, the cooperative had been rushing to harvest the rice, not allowing any leave.
The sun baked the ground without a breath of wind. It just so happened that the educated youths were rushing to harvest in a lowland area today, suffocating as if trapped under a pot lid, everyone lanting bitterly.
"Hey, those two educated youths are really lucky; they got caught by the police just at the busiest ti, and they don’t have to rush the harvest."
"Co on now, you’re making such sour remarks—what, are you actually envious?"
"Envious, huh—why wouldn’t I be? If it ant not rushing the harvest, I’d rather be locked up."
"You’re just being ungrateful now!"
"What are you envying? The police have no evidence against those two. They’ll be released in no more than twenty-four hours!" Dai Yifeng had relatives in the police, so he knew the procedure.
Zhou Chang’an listened, appearing thoughtful, and suddenly his sickle veered off course, cutting towards his calf.
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