“Who would have thought that in the time it took to eat a meal, the Hu family would stir up another commotion.”
Walking back to the screw factory in the gentle evening breeze, Bai Lan couldn’t help but remark on the gossip she had picked up before leaving. In the short time it had taken them to eat dinner, Aunt Wan had already spread the news far and wide that Hu Aihua didn’t want to date that Xiao Zhu.
This level of information dissemination made Bai Lan feel that being an ordinary auntie was a waste of talent. If Aunt Wan became a professional paparazzo, she would surely make a name for herself.
Xu Jianbei caught the teasing tone in Bai Lan’s voice and said cheerfully, “I’ve almost wrapped up the busy part of my work. I won’t need to do much overtime from now on. How about we move back to the compound this weekend?”
This was something Bai Lan was happy to hear. “Great. That way, if there’s any new news, we’ll be the first to know.”
Being at the forefront of the gossip was certainly the best. The reason they hadn’t moved back sooner, aside from Xu Jianbei’s heavy workload, was the whole Xu Jiandong and Su Xiaomei affair.
But nearly a month had passed since that incident, and any lingering awkwardness had faded. It was time to move back to the compound.
No one knew about this little plan of the couple’s. However, starting the next day, all sorts of dramas began playing out in the compound from time to time. Most of the time, it was Widow Hu and her family of three earnestly trying to talk some sense into Hu Aihua. Their efforts bore fruit.
By the time Bai Lan and her husband moved back to the compound on the weekend, word was that Hu Aihua had finally relented and agreed to properly date Zhu Cheng.
—
“Oh, you have no idea. That Comrade Zhu is such a good man. He goes to the recycling station every day, takes Hu Aihua out to eat at state-run restaurants, and takes her to the movies and for walks.”
Inside Xu Jianbei’s room, Bai Lan was organizing the things she had moved back. Qin Yan leaned against the doorframe, filling her in on the excitement of the past few days.
“Anyway, I’ve never seen such a patient man. Quite a few people in the compound secretly envy Hu Aihua! They say that Sister Wu’s doorstep has practically been worn down by visitors these days.”
The more Qin Yan spoke, the more exaggerated it became. Bai Lan laughed outright. She thought to herself that people in this era were still too innocent. Such small gestures had everyone’s attention. But if Zhu Cheng was genuinely sincere, then Hu Aihua’s compromise probably meant she was at least somewhat interested.
“Is Aunt Qin even more anxious now?”
At the mention of this, Qin Yan’s mood soured.
“Sigh, my mother spends all her time either going to see Sister Wu or hanging out with Aunt Wan, the two of them gossiping about Widow Hu together.”
Speaking of this, Qin Yan truly felt helpless. She had no idea what her mother was thinking. Wasn’t her original intention to find a match for her brother? Why, just because Hu Aihua had found a good prospect, did her mother get competitive and shift the focus entirely onto her?
Bai Lan couldn’t solve Qin Yan’s sighing and complaining. This wasn’t unique to this era—there was plenty of marriage pressure in later times too. She changed the subject and continued chatting with Qin Yan about the recycling station.
Just as they were talking, they saw Xu Jianbei and Da Tou walk in.
“How did it go? Did you get one?”
Xu Jianbei shook his head. “By the time we got there, the stoves were already gone.”
When they had moved to the screw factory apartment building earlier, the weather had been quite cold, so they had taken the stove from this room with them. Now that they were moving back, the stove was too heavy. Bai Lan had decided not to bring it and would just buy a new one here.
Coincidentally, Qin Yan had mentioned that the recycling station had received several sheet-metal stoves the day before. They weren’t anything special, but they were sturdy. Bai Lan had asked Xu Jianbei to go buy one.
Unexpectedly, they had missed out.
“Forget it. We can just buy a new one from the supply and marketing cooperative.” Without a stove in the room, boiling water was inconvenient, and always using the kitchen was a hassle.
Da Tou immediately said, “Brother Bei, let’s go buy a stove now. We have the day off anyway.”
Seeing how energetic he was, Bai Lan could tell that he had resolved the conflict with his mother. That was good. She looked around and saw that she had mostly finished organizing. So she said, “Let’s all go together. I need a few more things for the house—we can get them at the same time.”
There was a supply and marketing cooperative in their alleyway. It didn’t carry as wide or as high-end a selection as the department store, but it was more than enough for everyday needs.
Hearing that they were going to the supply and marketing cooperative, Qin Yan finally perked up.
Seeing this, Bai Lan shook her head. She thought to herself that Aunt Qin’s relentless push to find Qin Yan a match must be putting immense pressure on the girl.
Thinking this, Bai Lan glanced subtly at Da Tou. Seeing that he was still just grinning goofily, she couldn’t help but sigh.
These two—one oblivious, the other too afraid to confess.
After locking the door, the four of them headed outside.
There were quite a few people in the alleyways on the weekend—children running around everywhere, older women and young wives strolling through the streets chatting about gossip, and even some men who loved a good rumor, gathered in groups talking about family matters.
Bai Lan quite enjoyed this atmosphere. She walked along, ears perked up, listening in.
Seeing this, Xu Jianbei couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up. He could clearly see that Bai Lan didn’t like living in the apartment building. Aside from the small space, another reason was that the apartment building lacked the lively atmosphere of the alleyways.
But their half-room at home was still too small. Xu Jianbei calculated in his mind that he should save more money and then see if they could buy a larger house nearby in the future.
Bai Lan had no idea that Xu Jianbei was already thinking about housing. By now, they had reached the street where the recycling station was located. The supply and marketing cooperative was about two hundred meters further ahead.
But before they even reached the recycling station gate, Bai Lan saw Bai Ping again. She had come to the recycling station last week, and now she was back again this week.
Bai Lan couldn’t help but wonder if there was something good here. But that notebook hadn’t recorded anything else of value at the recycling station.
This puzzled Bai Lan greatly.
But then, she saw that young man named Zhu Cheng, riding a bicycle with Hu Aihua on the back, also stop at the recycling station gate. Immediately after, she saw Zhu Cheng actually start talking to Bai Ping. And Hu Aihua looked completely unsurprised.
Bai Lan immediately realized that Bai Ping and Zhu Cheng—and the couple Fang Baoguo behind Zhu Cheng—probably had some kind of connection.
Sure enough, when they got a little closer, she could hear the two of them speaking familiarly, clearly acquainted.
Seeing Bai Lan and the other three approach, Bai Ping and Zhu Cheng immediately stopped talking.
Seeing this, Bai Lan raised an eyebrow. These two were acting rather strangely.
Hu Aihua, however, greeted Bai Lan. Bai Lan smiled and urged the others to keep walking. Bai Ping and that Zhu Cheng ignored them, so they in turn treated the two as if they were invisible.
—
“How annoying.”
Watching Bai Lan and the other three leave, Bai Ping couldn’t help but curse.
Zhu Cheng said helplessly, “You have no connection to them anymore. There’s no need to keep thinking about them.”
“Sister Zhu, you don’t understand…”
Zhu Cheng shook his head again. “I came to Beicheng to work, and Uncle Fang asked me to keep an eye on you. Don’t keep pestering them anymore. The Song family is a good match, and Uncle Fang sends you money every month.”
They hadn’t walked far, so the four of them overheard this conversation clearly.
Qin Yan couldn’t help but remark, “Listen to that Comrade Zhu—doesn’t he speak so reasonably?”
Da Tou wasn’t happy about that. He curled his lip. “What’s so reasonable about it? Bai Ping has no connection to Bai Lan’s family. Not pestering them is just normal behavior.”
Qin Yan immediately shot back, “If he weren’t reasonable, why would he tell Bai Ping not to bother Lanlan…”
Such a simple matter, and these two could start bickering over it. Bai Lan found it quite amusing. She and Xu Jianbei exchanged a glance, both thinking how funny these two were. Of course, if Bai Ping actually listened and stopped stirring up trouble, they wouldn’t go out of their way to antagonize her.
After the four of them went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a bunch of things, Bai Ping had long since left. But when they returned to the compound, they saw Zhu Cheng talking to Widow Hu. Hu Aihua was listening nearby.
Anyone looking at them would have thought Zhu Cheng was Widow Hu’s own son. That’s how warm and affectionate he was…
Many of those who usually couldn’t stand Widow Hu refrained from being sarcastic when Zhu Cheng was around. They just gathered together and muttered quietly.
Seeing this atmosphere in the courtyard, Bai Lan pulled Xu Jianbei aside and said, “See how charming this guy is?”
Xu Jianbei smiled and shook his head. “But I think I’m better than him.”
Bai Lan raised an eyebrow. “You’re right. You’re the best.” If he weren’t, Bai Lan wouldn’t have married him. As for Zhu Cheng, he seemed nice enough. But just because everyone said he was good didn’t necessarily mean he truly was.
Anyway, Bai Lan had no interest in such a central heating system—someone who radiated charm to everyone equally.
But just as Bai Lan was thinking this to herself, Zhu Cheng walked straight toward the Bai family’s house. Widow Hu walked alongside him. It looked like they were going to the Bai home to discuss something.
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