Zhong Mei had originally planned to have a proper talk with Lai Hongmao.
After all, she wasn't one to drag things out—if something needed to be said, she wanted it settled quickly.
Though she found Lai Hongmao’s appearance ordinary and his personality just so-so, at least his circumstances were decent. He had a stable job, a bicycle, and more importantly, a household registration in Longcheng.
She just didn’t know much else about him—how many people were in his family, how many brothers he had, and what kind of partner he was looking for.
Had he been approaching her these past couple of days because he wanted to pursue a relationship?
But with Guan Wenjun around, she couldn’t bring up these topics.
The three of them walked into the alley until they reached the entrance of her compound. Seeing that Guan Wenjun and Lai Hongmao showed no sign of leaving, Zhong Mei stopped at the gate and said to them, “I’m home. Take your time leaving—I’ll head inside now.”
With that, she waved at them and turned to enter the courtyard.
Lai Hongmao quickly pushed his bicycle forward and called after her, “Hey, Zhong Mei, wait a moment.”
Zhong Mei paused and looked back. “Something else?”
Lai Hongmao smiled and asked, “You live here?”
Zhong Mei nodded.
“Alright, I’ll be off then,” he said with a grin.
He mounted his bicycle, glanced at Guan Wenjun, and soon rode away.
Guan Wenjun stood there alone, suddenly feeling like a fool for walking all this way.
What was he even doing, tagging along while Zhong Mei and Lai Hongmao were obviously courting?
Not able to figure it out, he frowned darkly and stalked off with a heavy expression.
...
As for what was happening with Zhong Mei, Qiao Lanshu had no idea. Zhong Mei hadn’t come to tell her, and Guan Wenjun hadn’t visited in a while.
Zhong Mei’s marriage prospects were still pending, so while Qiao Lanshu helped her look into matches, she also kept up with her studies. She had nearly reviewed all her high school textbooks.
Qin Yuanzheng had been less busy with work lately, coming home quite early every day.
With time on his hands and little An’an still too young to understand anything, he spent every night dragging Qiao Lanshu into “exercise.”
Qiao Lanshu was truly worn out by his stamina. After two straight weeks of this, she couldn’t take it anymore. One night, she flat-out refused him, saying, “Are you a bull or what? Even if you want to plow the fields, you have to see how the soil is doing! Plowing day after day, you’ll ruin the land.”
Her voice was soft, carrying a Yangcheng accent that sounded gentle and sweet. Qin Yuanzheng loved it more and more. In the dim light of the oil lamp, he put An’an in a corner, then happily scooped Qiao Lanshu into his arms. “Ruined? Let me check,” he murmured, pressing her down onto the bed.
She let out a low yelp and scrambled to stop his hands. “Oh, don’t, don’t—stop!”
Holding her off with one hand, he pulled her pants down in one swift motion. “You said it was ruined, so I’m just checking.”
She laughed and squirmed, dodging him. “It’s not ruined, okay? Just leave me alone!”
Gripping her slender calf, his rough palm rubbing along it, he pinned her down and kissed her cheek. “No, I’m still worried. Let me check properly.”
Qiao Lanshu: “...”
She was ticklish, and his touch made her giggle uncontrollably as she tried to escape, backing up to the edge of the bed. Trapped, he held her down and started his “inspection.”
And this inspection wasn’t a proper one at all—he used both hands and mouth.
By the time he was done, Qiao Lanshu couldn’t even laugh anymore.
But Qin Yuanzheng explained with a straight face, “I just checked—it was a little damaged—so I gave it some soothing care. Feeling better now?”
Qiao Lanshu was at a loss for words. She swore she’d never make a careless remark again.
He added, “Since I’ve fixed it, how about we continue tonight? I really liked the position you used last time—want to do that again?”
Qiao Lanshu: “...”
With lighter work obligations, Qin Yuanzheng came home early each day. They’d finish dinner quickly, and then he’d pull her back to the room, endlessly energetic.
He demanded “three rounds of plowing” every day.
Privately, he was scheming. Last time, she had coaxed him into losing control and he’d gone all the way inside. Now he worried she might get pregnant again.
If she did become pregnant, there would be abstinence in both the first and last trimesters.
So he had to feast while he could, fill himself up now before the hardship ahead.
With that thought, even after they’d already lain down for the night, he suddenly rolled over and woke Qiao Lanshu, who was nearly asleep from exhaustion.
Qiao Lanshu: “...”
She was utterly helpless.
That man was such a bull!
...
Qin Yuanzheng had kept this up for two months, probably because he’d been holding back for too long.
He wanted to make up for lost time.
But it was Qiao Lanshu who suffered, worn out by him.
Luckily, his work soon picked up again, cutting down the frequency and giving her a chance to recover.
One morning, Auntie Shi saw Qiao Lanshu up early and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, Xiao Qiao, you’re awake early today!”
Qiao Lanshu flushed with embarrassment. “Yeah, I woke up early today,” she said awkwardly.
It helped that Qin Yuanzheng hadn’t kept her up too long the night before, so she could get to sleep earlier.
Auntie Shi chuckled knowingly. Having been around for so long, she understood perfectly that it was because of Qin Yuanzheng and Qiao Lanshu’s close relationship.
As a married woman herself, she caught on easily.
She actually envied this young couple—their affection was truly something.
Auntie Shi then said, “I still have some red dates and angelica root at home. I’ll stew a chicken soup for you. Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Commander said we can slaughter a chicken.”
Mentioning the festival reminded Qiao Lanshu that she hadn’t visited Zhong Mei in a long time.
Mainly, over the past two months, Qin Yuanzheng had been so clingy at night that she got little sleep and was always drowsy during the day.
Between taking care of the baby, studying, and napping, she hadn’t had time to go out.
But Zhong Mei hadn’t come over either.
Qiao Lanshu decided it was time to check on her.
Auntie Shi added, “By the way, Xiao Qiao, when I was shopping for groceries yesterday, I heard the neighbors saying that the kindergarten in the military compound has opened. Has the Commander mentioned it? Maybe we should send Niuwa there?”
Niuwa was already four and far too mischievous—running wild in the yard every day.
It might be better to send him to kindergarten.
Besides, it doesn’t cost anything.
Qiao Lanshu had just heard about this matter and immediately said, "Sure, this is doable. Director Han hasn't come back yet. I'll take charge of this. I'll go to the kindergarten tomorrow and fill out an enrollment form."
As she said that, Qiao Lanshu handed An'an to Auntie Shi, changed into a different set of clothes, and said to Auntie Shi, "Auntie Shi, I'm going out. I'll go to the kindergarten and then visit Zhong Mei."
Auntie Shi nodded and said, "Okay, go ahead. I'll take care of the house."
After Qiao Lanshu went out, she went to look for Zhong Mei.
At this time, Zhong Mei was not in the food factory.
The food factory had an early half - day off. Together with the Mid - Autumn Festival tomorrow, they had a one - and - a - half - day holiday.
So Zhong Mei got off work early, and Lai Hongmao still pushed his bicycle and followed her.
Over the past two months, the two of them had become quite familiar with each other.
Lai Hongmao chatted with Zhong Mei and said to her, "Comrade Zhong Mei, can I visit your home today?"
He had proposed to visit Zhong Mei's home several times, but each time he was rejected by Zhong Mei.
Zhong Mei shook her head with a smile and refused, "Of course not. It's not appropriate."
Lai Hongmao then asked, "Why isn't it appropriate?"
Hearing his question, Zhong Mei felt a little unhappy.
She directly said, "Because there's only me at home, so it's not appropriate."
In fact, after getting along for this period of time, Zhong Mei already thought that Lai Hongmao was not suitable.
Lai Hongmao was always getting close to her and sending her home, but he never made their relationship clear. She didn't know what he really meant.
Zhong Mei had also tried to ask him a few times, but Lai Hongmao simply ignored her hints.
In this way, Zhong Mei knew that Lai Hongmao didn't really want to be in a relationship.
The smile on Lai Hongmao's face faded a bit. He said, "How could it be inappropriate? You live in a compound. There are other people living there. We're not really alone. Zhong Mei, it's okay. You're just too concerned about these things. I don't mind."
Zhong Mei: "..."
As they were talking, they had reached the alley entrance. Not far into the alley was the compound where Zhong Mei lived.
Although Zhong Mei had already rejected him, he still followed her.
Seeing that he still said nothing and was about to follow her here, Zhong Mei was immediately a bit unhappy. Just then, Qiao Lanshu came. She hadn't found Zhong Mei in the food factory.
After learning that the food factory was on holiday, she went to wait for Zhong Mei at the entrance of the compound where she lived. Sure enough, she waited for her. "Zhong Mei, so you're on holiday today?"
When Zhong Mei saw Qiao Lanshu, her eyes lit up. She quickly ran over and said, "Lanshu, you came to see me?"
She explained to Qiao Lanshu, "I originally planned to visit you this afternoon. I've been very busy at work before. I didn't dare to go out at night, so I haven't been able to visit you."
Qiao Lanshu hadn't come to see her for two months, but she wasn't worried. After all, Qiao Lanshu had married an officer and was a military dependant. Now there were guards at the entrance of the yard.
Qiao Lanshu glanced at Lai Hongmao. Lai Hongmao knew Qiao Lanshu. He nodded with a smile and said, "Comrade Xiao Qiao, long time no see."
Qiao Lanshu also nodded politely. Then she asked Zhong Mei, "Zhong Mei, what's going on here?"
Did Zhong Mei and Lai Hongmao get together during this time?
Zhong Mei shook her head at her and gave her a meaningful look.
After all, they were good friends. Qiao Lanshu almost immediately understood what Zhong Mei meant.
She was a bit surprised. After two months, Lai Hongmao still hadn't expressed his feelings to Zhong Mei?
He was really too dilatory.
What on earth was this Lai Hongmao thinking?
Zhong Mei didn't fall out with Lai Hongmao. Presumably, she was thinking that they both worked in the food factory and she was still a temporary worker. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes at work.
So she didn't dare to offend people casually.
But Qiao Lanshu didn't have to consider so much.
She took Zhong Mei's hand and turned to look at Lai Hongmao. She directly asked him, "Comrade Lai Hongmao, do you always send Zhong Mei home these days because you want to be in a relationship with her?"
Lai Hongmao didn't expect Qiao Lanshu to ask so directly.
He was stunned for a moment and then said awkwardly, "Well, um... you can put it that way."
Qiao Lanshu's face darkened. She looked at him and asked, "What do you mean by 'you can put it that way'? What does your words mean?"
Zhong Mei's face also turned cold. She looked at Lai Hongmao with a cold look in her eyes and had already imagined smashing Lai Hongmao's head a dozen times in her heart.
But thinking of her previous labor - reform experience, she took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in her heart.
Lai Hongmao leaned against his bicycle and said to Qiao Lanshu with a smile, "Comrade Xiao Qiao, to be honest, I really like Zhong Mei. I do want to be in a relationship with her. But, you know, such things have to go through both parents before they can be confirmed. Don't we young people have to listen to our parents? I can't make the decision on my own, and neither can Zhong Mei. We can only get in touch with each other privately first. We'll talk about these things after we get more familiar."
Qiao Lanshu: "???"
Hearing this, Zhong Mei couldn't help rolling her eyes. She sneered and said, "Oh, really? Then I'm really sorry. I'm an orphan and I don't have parents."
Hearing this, Lai Hongmao looked a bit surprised.
However, he quickly smiled again and said, "Zhong Mei, it doesn't matter. I don't mind that you're an orphan, and I don't mind that you don't have a proper job. Well, how about we be in a relationship first? We can meet my parents later when we think it's appropriate. After all, you can't tell in just one or two days about a relationship..."
With a "pop" sound, Qiao Lanshu directly slapped Lai Hongmao.
Lai Hongmao: "???"
Lai Hongmao was completely stunned. He didn't even know why Qiao Lanshu suddenly attacked him. He pointed at Qiao Lanshu with his finger, and his face was gloomy. "Comrade Qiao Lanshu! I was talking nicely. Why did you hit me?"
Lai Hongmao was very angry, but he didn't dare to fight back. After all, he knew Qiao Lanshu's identity.
Qiao Lanshu was so angry that her face turned red. She sneered and scolded him, "What do you mean by 'be in a relationship first'? A relationship without the intention of getting married is just playing around! You say nothing and just want to be in a relationship first. Then, later, are you going to..."
She originally wanted to say, "Kiss first, sleep together first. After sleeping together, when you don't want to be responsible, are you going to say it's not suitable and break up, so you don't have to meet the parents and get married?"
Qiao Lanshu thought that Lai Hongmao was simply coveting Zhong Mei's beauty.
But he looked down on Zhong Mei's conditions and didn't want to be responsible for her!
Qiao Lanshu pointed at him and shouted, "Scoundrel!"
Zhong Mei also stared at Lai Hongmao gloomily. She walked over and kicked his bicycle, scolding him, "Get out!"
