Qi Fang could hardly believe the coincidence—the young woman who had helped him at the market earlier was now on the same train.
But her face looked familiar, especially those round, bright eyes that curved like crescent moons when she smiled. Even when she wasn’t smiling, her eyes always seemed to carry a hint of amusement.
When she pulled down the scarf covering her face, she looked even prettier, almost too dazzling to look at directly. Yet he found himself lingering nearby.
Well, it wasn’t like there were any seats left on the train anyway. Standing here was no different from standing anywhere else…
Qi Fang thought to himself, avoiding her gaze but unconsciously stealing glances at her hands.
The young woman’s hands were pale and delicate, not particularly large but with slender, graceful fingers—unlike many people here who had prominent knuckles. She held her pencil with a relaxed ease, and her strokes flowed effortlessly across the page as she sketched the outline of a shoe without the slightest hesitation.
The only oddity was that she added four wheels beneath the shoe. Seemingly dissatisfied, she flipped to a fresh page and started over.
This time, she drew a shoe cover, like an ice skate that could be worn over regular shoes, complete with laces and—once again—four wheels beneath.
Qi Fang was beginning to grasp what she was designing, but he was so absorbed in watching that he forgot his surroundings. When the train jolted slightly, he accidentally bumped into her shoulder.
“Sorry! I’m so sorry!” he blurted out, flustered.
Yan Xue instinctively replied, “It’s fine,” before looking up and realizing just how small the world really was.
He must have recognized her too. Seeing her avert her gaze, he quickly apologized again, “I really didn’t mean to bump into you.”
Then, scratching his head sheepishly, he added, “Also, thank you for earlier. If it weren’t for you, I might’ve ended up buying those black mushrooms for my aunt.”
Yan Xue hadn’t acted purely out of kindness and didn’t feel she deserved gratitude, so she simply smiled and asked, “Did you find something suitable in the end?”
His response was earnest. “Yes, I bought some from another stall in the market.” He hastily held up a paper-wrapped package to show her.
“No need to open it—you might spill it,” Yan Xue said, slightly exasperated.
The young man awkwardly tucked the package away again.
Noticing his discomfort, Yan Xue changed the subject. “At least you’ll have something to give her now.”
To her surprise, he scratched his head even harder. “Well, I was planning to ask her about something while I was there. But her father-in-law is seriously ill, so she went back to her hometown with my uncle. I didn’t get to see her.”
Honest to a fault—answering questions thoroughly even when unnecessary.
In her past life, Yan Xue had dealt with plenty of difficult customers while running market stalls and an online shop, but this kind of straightforward sincerity was new to her. It left her oddly disoriented.
She lowered her eyes and used the eraser on her pencil to fix a line that had smudged from the collision. “That’s unfortunate. You’ll just have to wait until she’s back.”
Qi Fang murmured an agreement, his gaze following her movements. He wanted to ask something but couldn’t find the words.
Yan Xue didn’t notice. Seeing that the eraser wasn’t doing much and had even torn the paper slightly, she simply turned to a fresh page and redrew the design.
With neither of them speaking, they remained like that—one sitting, one standing—until the conductor announced their arrival at Jinchuan Forestry Station.
Yan Xue closed her sketchbook, tucked it into her bag, and began gathering her things to disembark, startling Qi Fang. “You’re getting off here?”
“Mm.” She had already pulled her scarf back up.
Qi Fang panicked. “Wait—that drawing you were working on… Could I have it?”
“The roller skates?” Yan Xue was surprised he’d taken an interest.
Qi Fang had no idea what “roller skates” were. His face flushed. “Just—just the one you messed up is fine.”
Though puzzled, Yan Xue figured roller skates were still a novelty in this era. Since she could always draw another, she tore out the cleanest version and handed it to him.
After the passengers disembarked and the train started moving again, the conductor locked the doors and passed by Qi Fang, who was still standing in the same spot. “The seat’s been empty for a while now. Aren’t you going to sit?”
“Oh, I was just looking at this.” Qi Fang hurriedly held up the sketch.
The conductor, who was also from Xiao Jinchuan and around Qi Fang’s age, was somewhat familiar with him.
Qi Fang unfolded the paper. “It’s some kind of roller skate, I think. Looks complicated—not sure if it can even be made.”
“Never seen anything like it before,” the conductor admitted, intrigued. “You could ask Uncle Yan to take a look. His family’s known for their craftsmanship—good with detailed work.”
Qi Fang nodded, carefully refolding the paper and slipping it into his pocket.
With few passengers boarding at Jinchuan, the conductor lingered nearby, leaning against a seat. “Didn’t your family back home set you up with a match recently? How’d that go?”
“Haven’t met her yet.” Qi Fang had actually gone to his aunt’s place to ask about it—she was the one who had arranged the introduction.
But with her away, he had no choice but to wait until she returned.
“You sure you weren’t scammed?” the conductor teased.
Qi Fang shook his head seriously. “No way. She’s from our hometown—we know her background. Probably just delayed by something.”
Yan Xue didn’t give the sketch another thought. For one, she couldn’t make the skates herself, and secondly, they weren’t exactly a necessity—hardly worth much in this era.
Back then, if a toy could be handmade, parents would make it themselves—ice skates, wooden guns—there was no market for selling such things. She had more pressing matters to attend to. As soon as she got back, she went to Liu Daniu’s wife to ask about who could make bedding and clothes.
“I knew you’d come asking about this,” Liu Daniu’s wife said, pulling out one of her own quilts to show her. “I stuffed this myself. If you like it, I can make one for you.”
With the year-end rush in full swing, Yan Xue was deeply grateful she’d take the time. She insisted on paying a fair price for the work.
As for clothes, Liu Daniu’s wife already had someone in mind and asked, “Where’s your Xiao Qi? Didn’t he come with you?”
“He’s busy with something. Once he’s done, I’ll bring him over to get measured.”
It wasn’t until dinnertime that Yan Xue finally saw Qi Fang again. “Someone’s been up the mountain, and I’ve looked into housing,” he said.
The man walked in, his presence as cold as if carved from ice. If he didn’t speak, Yan Xue half-wondered whether he’d melt if the room got any warmer…
Her great-aunt had called his family “honest folk,” but the one who’d nearly bought Old Man Wang’s questionable mushrooms was the real deal. This one? Maybe a genetic mutation.
Not that Yan Xue had any particular fondness for “honest” men. Cutting to the chase, she asked, “Find anything suitable?”
“Only two places. One belongs to Li Shuwu.”
The forestry station had no public housing—aside from the dormitories for single workers, all homes were privately built and cramped. Families either expanded when sons married or built anew, making rentals scarce.
But Yan Xue wasn’t keen on having Li Shuwu and his wife as neighbors.
Qi Fang probably didn’t want to dwell on it either. Before she could react, he continued, "Then there’s one at Wang Lianfu’s place."
"Let’s eat first, then go take a look after."
It was perfect timing since they had just finished shopping. They could settle the accounts over the meal so he’d know where the money had gone.
Unexpectedly, the man showed no interest in what she had bought, not even commenting on it. After dinner, the two went to check out the rental. But as they walked toward Wang Lianfu’s house, the route grew increasingly familiar to Yan Xue.
"You don’t mean this place, do you?" Yan Xue stood outside the gate, her expression turning slightly odd.
Hearing the shift in her tone, Qi Fang glanced at her. "Is there a problem with this family?"
"Well, not exactly a problem. I just had a bit of an unpleasant history with their old man."
Yan Xue couldn’t believe her luck. After searching for so long, only two places were available—one at Li Shuwu’s and the other at Old Man Wang’s.
She pinched her gloved fingers together, emphasizing just how minor the issue was.
Before Qi Fang could ask further, someone from the Wang family came out to dump dirty water into the snow. Spotting them, the woman—likely Old Man Wang’s daughter-in-law, around forty—immediately recognized Qi Fang. "Here to see the house? Come in, come in!"
Given her enthusiasm, she either didn’t recognize Yan Xue or had only heard her name without connecting it to her face. Otherwise, she’d never have invited them inside.
Just as Yan Xue was about to decline, Qi Fang spoke up. "We haven’t decided yet. We were just passing by."
"Since you’re already here, why not take a look?" The woman’s enthusiasm didn’t waver. "Our house was built just a few years ago. You won’t find anything better elsewhere."
The real issue was that most people built their own homes when they married, and single workers had large dormitories. Finding renters elsewhere was nearly impossible.
Yan Xue saw right through it. "Another day. It’s too late today, and we have other things to attend to."
She smiled politely and turned to leave, but the commotion had already drawn the attention of the Wang family. "Are the renters here?"
Old Man Wang pushed open the door, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The moment he saw Yan Xue, his expression darkened. "Well, well, if it isn’t the one who kisses up to the Liu family."
The woman who had greeted them earlier looked confused, but the old man didn’t bother explaining. He gave Qi Fang a sidelong glance. "What? Didn’t manage to latch onto Liu Daniu, so you switched targets?"
His words were laced with crude insinuations, making it clear that the "unpleasantness" Yan Xue had mentioned was far from minor.
Qi Fang glanced at Yan Xue before turning his gaze to Old Man Wang. "Kissing up? You mean like you do?"
His tone was flat, his face expressionless, as if he were merely asking a question. But the implication was cutting—after all, the Wang family had freeloaded off the Liu family plenty of times.
Sure enough, Old Man Wang’s face twisted in anger. Yan Xue quickly tugged at Qi Fang’s sleeve. "Don’t talk nonsense. He’s still an elder, after all."
That "he’s still an elder" might as well have been "stop telling the truth"—Old Man Wang’s face turned even darker.
Not wanting to escalate things right outside his door, Yan Xue pulled Qi Fang away.
Even from a distance, they could still hear Old Man Wang’s furious ranting. "As if I’d rent to her! Not even for a hundred! Let her sleep on the streets!"
He berated his daughter-in-law, "What kind of people did you bring here?"
To which she muttered under her breath, "No one else is renting out." This only made him shout louder.
Yan Xue didn’t pay much attention. With only two options, one was already off the table. Was she really left with Li Shuwu’s place?
At least she had no history with Li Shuwu’s family.
"Is there really nowhere else?"
She turned to confirm with Qi Fang, only to find him staring down at her hand—which was still clutching his sleeve.
