Chapter 47 (Combined)

When Yan Ruyi heard Xia Pengfei say that the person looking for her was a driver, she assumed it was Cheng Chao and quickly came downstairs.

Xia Pengfei told her, "He said that Commander Song sent him."

Yan Ruyi greeted Cao Shengde and returned to the office with Xia Pengfei.

A Dongfeng truck was parked on the side of the road next to the office. Xia Pengfei told her, "That driver brought it here."

The driver was standing next to the Dongfeng truck. Yan Ruyi took one look and realized it wasn't Cheng Chao; she didn't recognize him.

When the driver saw Xia Pengfei arrive with a woman beside him, he guessed that the woman must be Commander Song's girlfriend, so he came over to greet them. "Are you Comrade Yan? I'm from the lumber mill. Commander Song asked me to come and deliver timber, saying that he was here to see Comrade Yan."

Xia Pengfei asked in confusion, "Does our preparatory office need office furniture?"

I don't think so. Their preparatory office is dirt poor. Where would they get the money to make office furniture?

Besides, even if it were for making office furniture, it wouldn't be possible for Commander Song to send someone to deliver the timber.

Yan Ruyi had already guessed what the timber was for, and her face turned slightly red as she said to Xia Pengfei, "It's not for the preparatory office; I need it myself."

Xia Pengfei wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

Yan Ruyi said something to Xia Pengfei, then led the driver to Wutong Road and opened the courtyard gate.

The timber had already been cut up, and the driver didn't need Yan Ruyi's help. He carried all the timber to the yard and stacked it up by himself.

After unloading the timber, they took a tarpaulin from the truck, covered it with the tarpaulin, and weighed down the four corners with bricks before leaving.

When Song Yiping came over after get off work, he brought a handsaw, a plane, a chisel, a hammer, and sandpaper.

Some were already in the house, and some were newly bought.

It looks like they're about to make a big splash.

Yan Ruyi: "You really made it yourself?"

Song Yiping thought Yan Ruyi was worried about his skills, so he said to her, "I've loved doing handicrafts since I was a child. Although I've never made large items, the process should be similar. Once I've finished, you can try it. I guarantee it won't fall apart no matter how much you handle it."

Song Yiping said this without any other intention than to prove to Yan Ruyi that his craftsmanship was still trustworthy, and that Yan Ruyi didn't need to worry that the bed would be unusable and fall apart as soon as she lay down on it.

Yan Ruyi, however, misunderstood.

It was also because of Song Yiping that he took off his coat to make it easier to work.

It was already November, and Yan Ruyi was already wearing thermal underwear, but he was only wearing a green vest, revealing his strong waist.

Yan Ruyi involuntarily recalled her mother's words, and her face flushed red again.

Although Commander Song likes to tease people, he only talks a big game. At most, the two of them hold hands and kiss.

I haven't done anything too outrageous.

However, her mother's words still affected her. She couldn't look directly at the pile of wood, and she was embarrassed to keep staring at Song Yiping's waist, but she couldn't help but want to look.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the wood and Song Yiping.

If she kept looking like that, she felt she might get a nosebleed, so she changed the subject, saying, "Director Liu talked to me today and wants to arrange for me to go to Hong Kong for a period of study."

There was no existing experience to draw upon when setting up an auction house.

Yan Ruyi, the main person in charge, only had a superficial understanding of the subject, and her knowledge came from books. It was like crossing a river by feeling for stones.

Yang Siyuan suggested sending someone to the Gangcheng Auction House to learn how they operate.

If it can be arranged, the Yang Group will arrange for someone to go to Fortuna, the largest auction house in Hong Kong, to learn from them.

Director Liu communicated with the leaders of the relevant department and adopted Yang Siyuan's suggestion.

Yan Ruyi is the deputy director of the preparatory office.

Although she was called the deputy director, she actually did the work of the director, so the position naturally fell to her.

Director Liu spoke to her before she left work. After work, she originally wanted to tell Song Yiping as soon as possible, but she forgot about it after seeing Song Yiping.

Therefore, beauty can lead people astray.

Song Yiping was about to get to work when he heard Yan Ruyi's words and lost his focus. He looked up and asked her, "How long will you be studying?"

Yan Ruyi: "The initial plan is for two weeks."

Yan Ruyi agreed on the spot.

That's Hong Kong, and it's the most famous auction house, Fujitsu.

If it weren't for the Yang Group's connections, she probably wouldn't have even been able to get into Fuji. She didn't want to miss such a great learning opportunity.

Yan Ruyi: "I didn't discuss this with you beforehand, you won't blame me, will you?"

Song Yiping was reluctant to part with her, but reason told him that he couldn't hold his partner back.

After all, my partner has always been very enthusiastic about her work.

He said to Yan Ruyi, "How could I blame you for such a good learning opportunity? Just focus on your studies. When you come back, the bed might even be ready."

Honestly, we were just getting down to business, how did we end up in bed again?

The approval process for the travel permit to the port city was complicated. Even with Yang Siyuan's coordination, the permit was not issued until November.

Beijing had its first snowfall of the year, which lasted all night.

Yan Ruyi was awakened by the cold.

She's afraid of the cold, so before going to bed at night she fills two hot water bottles, one under her feet and the other in her arms.

It's warm before bed, but by the end of the night, the hot water bottle is cold.

She took her watch out of under her pillow and looked at it; it was 7:45.

It's Sunday, no work today. I was just about to snuggle under the covers and doze off a little longer when I heard someone talking outside. I recognized the voice as Song Yiping.

Why did he come so early? Is something wrong?

She jumped up, lifted the curtain, and saw that it really was him, sweeping the snow in the yard with a broom.

Yan Minghe followed behind him, chattering to Song Yiping about where to build the snowman later.

Ever since he officially entered into a relationship with the Yan family, Song Yiping has become a regular visitor to their home.

He would pick up Yan Ruyi from her house to go on dates, and promised to bring her back. Sometimes he would even have a meal at Yan's house.

Changing light bulbs, repairing stoves, fixing faucets, hauling coal, making coal briquettes...

When Yan Guoqiang gets into chess, he'll play a game or have a drink with his future father-in-law.

He's even more diligent than Yan Minghai, his proper son.

Yan Ruyi quickly got dressed and went out.

As I reached the door, the wind outside made me shiver.

Song Yiping saw her and told her, "Wear something warm before you come out, it's cold outside."

Yan Ruyi stood at the door, hands tucked into her sleeves, and asked Song Yiping, "Why are you here so early?"

Ye Hongzhen came out of the kitchen. "Xiao Song is here to deliver pork."

Song Yiping straightened up. "In the old man's village, a family had a wedding yesterday and slaughtered a pig. They couldn't use it all themselves, so the old man asked them for 20 jin and asked them to deliver it to you."

Ye Hongzhen said, "We can't finish all this meat. I'll make some sausage later, and you can take it to the old man later."

Song Yiping was only wearing a sweater on his upper body, and he was sweating profusely from the heat.

I wanted to take out my handkerchief to wipe my sweat, but then I remembered that I had left my coat inside.

Yan Ruyi trotted out and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "You've sweated so much, don't catch a cold."

Song Yiping: "No, we're almost done sweeping. It's cold outside, you should go back inside."

Yan Ruyi jumped around outside for a bit, but she couldn't take it anymore, so she quickly ran back inside and put on a thick cotton-padded coat.

This cotton-padded jacket was hastily made by her mother when she heard that she was going to the port city. It was made of freshly fluffed cotton and was soft and warm to wear.

Song Yiping said that the temperature in the port city was high, so she didn't need to wear such a thick cotton-padded coat and wore it at home.

After shoveling the snow, Ye Hongzhen also prepared breakfast.

Li Yan and Yan Mingtao came out of their room.

The family gathered around a table for a meal.

Li Yan kept giving Yan Mingtao meaningful glances, but Yan Mingtao pretended not to notice and just kept eating.

Li Yan was so angry she wanted to punch the man.

If you can't rely on men, you have to do it yourself.

Li Yan: "Xiao Song, I have a question for you. My nephew from my mother's side joined the army this year and will be assigned to a company. We don't know much about it. Which unit is the best for a new recruit to join?"

Ye Hongzhen asked in surprise, "Zhiyong went to join the army?"

It's no wonder Ye Hongzhen was surprised, because Li Yan, her nephew, was notoriously lazy.

He didn't do anything petty or thieving, he was just lazy and didn't do well in school. He didn't get into high school after graduating from junior high, so he stayed at home unemployed.

He's 18 already, but he doesn't go out to find work. He rents a bunch of comic books, and after eating, he lies in bed reading them. When he's done, he rents more.

It's likely that his family felt things couldn't continue like this, so they sent him to the military, hoping the army would give him a warning.

Moreover, after joining the army, they were assigned jobs upon their demobilization.

Li Yan: "I joined the army in the fall, and I just finished training. I'm about to be assigned to a unit."

Song Yiping said, "Most new recruits are assigned to combat platoons or squads, while a few may be assigned to technical units or administrative and logistics departments. As for which unit offers a promising future, it depends on individual ability. As long as one has outstanding abilities, one can achieve success in any unit."

Ye Hongzhen said, "That makes sense. Your Aunt Li's three sons have been raising pigs in the army, and they've made a name for themselves. They get praised every year."

Li Yan thought to herself, what's the use of being praised? Even if I'm praised every day, I'll still be raising pigs. When I'm discharged from the army, I might be assigned to a pig farm. What future can I have if I raise pigs my whole life?

Anyway, she didn't want her nephew to raise pigs.

Li Yan said, "My sister-in-law wants him to go to a government agency so that he can be assigned to a good unit after he is discharged from the army. Xiao Song, could you talk to him in the army and get him assigned to a government agency? If that doesn't work, he can go to a technical unit, learn to drive or something, and maybe he can become a driver for a car company when he is discharged from the army."

Her sister-in-law didn't want Zhiyong to go to the company, saying that it was too hard and he wouldn't learn any skills there.

It's best to go to a government agency, where you'll see high-ranking officials most often. You'll have more opportunities to work in front of them, and if one day a high-ranking official takes a liking to you, you might even become a military officer like Song Yiping.

The last time she went back to her parents' home, she told her sister-in-law that her younger sister had found a military officer, and now her sister-in-law has come looking for her.

I want to ask Song Yiping, my future son-in-law, for help with this.

Since Song Yiping was already family, she was sure he would help with this small favor, so she readily agreed.

Yan Ruyi could imagine that her second sister-in-law was bragging to her family again, saying that she had found a military officer.

I guess he even assured her family that if she needs anything in the future, they can just contact her.

Yan Ruyi said, "Yiping isn't in charge of this, so why would he go and greet them?"

Li Yan: "Even if Xiao Song doesn't care about this, his word still carries weight, right, Xiao Song?"

Song Yiping, "Which unit is he in?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan felt there was a chance and told Song Yiping which military unit her nephew belonged to.

Song Yiping said, “I have a comrade-in-arms who is an instructor there. I will tell him to ask Zhiyong what he wants to do. I will find someone to give him targeted guidance. However, he still needs to take the assessment as required. If he passes the assessment, I will make further arrangements based on the situation.”

Li Yan was initially quite happy, but then Song Yiping said she still had to take an assessment.

Does she not know what level her nephew is at?

He barely managed to graduate from junior high school, and it's been several years since then. He's long forgotten everything he learned in school.

According to his sister-in-law, his performance during basic training wasn't outstanding, and he would probably be assigned to the mess hall or a pig farm.

Otherwise, her sister-in-law wouldn't have come to her for help.

She had already boasted to her sister-in-law that it was all just a matter of a word from Song Yiping.

Who would have thought that Song Yiping would be so fair and impartial?

If it were just a business matter, would she need to ask Song Yiping for help?

Ye Hongzhen said, "Xiao Song is not wrong. They even found someone to tutor him, but he still failed the assessment. It means he is not cut out for it. Forcing him to pass will only make him more embarrassed if he is rejected in the end."

When Li Yan asked Song Yiping for help for the first time, he had to lose face.

Her husband didn't help her, and her mother-in-law didn't speak up for her either, so she was unhappy and stopped talking, lowering her head to eat.

Li Yan's family has three older brothers and two older sisters. With many siblings, there are many things to deal with.

Moreover, none of her nephews and nieces are any good; the house is always in chaos.

If you help this one, there will be another.

Ye Hongzhen didn't want Song Yiping to get involved in Li Yan's family affairs, so she deliberately changed the subject and asked Yan Ruyi, "Aren't you leaving first thing tomorrow morning? Have you packed everything?"

Yan Ruyi: "It's already packed up."

Ye Hongzhen said, "It's cold. Even if you don't bring a thick cotton-padded coat, you should bring several warm clothes. Otherwise, if you catch a cold, there will be no one to take care of you."

Yan Mingtao said, "Mom, they don't have winter there. It's probably around 20 degrees Celsius there now, so there's no need to bring thick clothes. It would just be a burden."

Ye Hongzhen said, "You should also bring a few warm clothes. What if the weather changes? Where will you find warm clothes to wear then? It's always good to bring extra things when you're on a long journey, even if you're poor.

Song Yiping said, “I have a comrade-in-arms who is a businessman and has an office in Gangcheng. I have already spoken to him and asked him to take good care of Ruyi. Ruyi also has the office’s phone number. If there is anything, she can call the office. He has already spoken to the staff at the office.”

My daughter has never been this far from home in her life, and she's all alone. I heard that she can't understand the language there, and the food is different from what she eats here.

Ye Hongzhen has been worried about this for the past few days.

Song Yiping said that he had acquaintances to look after him, which made Ye Hongzhen feel much more at ease. She told Yan Ruyi, "Don't wander around in unfamiliar places. If you encounter any problems, don't try to tough it out. Make a phone call if you need to. If it really doesn't work out, we'll just quit and come back early."

...

The family discussed Yan Ruyi's trip to Gangcheng in a lively atmosphere.

Li Yan felt very uncomfortable.

Because of the distance between them, she made a big fuss about helping her nephew with a small favor.

When it came to Yan Ruyi, she greeted acquaintances, asked them to look after her, and gave them her phone number.

They all wished they could go and take care of him themselves.

Although this prospective son-in-law comes from a good family, it seems unlikely that I will benefit from his influence in the future.

My daughter is going to Hong Kong tomorrow, and she won't be able to see Song Yiping for at least a week.

Couples deeply in love wish they could be together 24/7.

Ye Hongzhen, having been through similar experiences, understood perfectly and let them go out on their date after dinner.

He repeatedly reminded Yan Ruyi to come home early that night.

She already knew that Song Yiping had bought a house on Wutong Road.

Buying a house is a good thing, but both of them are young and impetuous, and with the separation imminent, what if they lose control and do something outrageous again...?

She doesn't want to become a grandmother prematurely.

Yan Ruyi: "I understand."

Song Yiping picked up the satchel, and Yan Ruyi looked at the bulging contents inside, reached out and touched it; it was hard and stiff. She asked him, "What's inside?"

Song Yiping, "camera".

Yan Ruyi, “!”

Upon opening the bag, I found a Seagull brand camera, and it was brand new.

Yan Ruyi had seen this kind of camera at Luo Huihui's house; it was the one Liu Yunmin used to take pictures.

The cameras in photo studios are the kind that stand upright on the ground, with a big head on top and a tripod underneath.

This kind of portable device is much more convenient than the kind you get at a photo studio.

However, she had only seen it, but never used it herself.

Song Yiping said, "Since you've come all the way to the port city, bring your camera and take lots of pictures so that your aunt and uncle can see the scenery there when you get back."

Yan Ruyi has always been enthusiastic about new things.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Wait for me."

After saying that, he rushed back to his room like a whirlwind.

She was originally wearing a large floral cotton-padded jacket made by Ye Hongzhen, but when she came out again, she had changed into a woolen overcoat, saying she was going to take pictures in People's Park.

Ye Hongzhen said, "I was shivering just now while wearing my cotton-padded coat, but I'm not cold anymore."

Yan Ruyi felt that her mother didn't understand. Taking pictures was all about looking beautiful; who would complain about being cold?

He grabbed Song Yiping and ran away.

Song Yiping arrived by car. After getting in, he took a military overcoat from the back seat and wrapped it around Yan Ruyi.

Yan Ruyi loves beauty and would absolutely not like taking photos while wearing a cotton-padded coat.

He kept a military overcoat in the car, wearing it when not taking photos and taking it off when taking photos.

We soon arrived at People's Park.

The weather was cold, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the lake.

Yan Ruyi got out of the car, wrapped in a military overcoat.

The military overcoat was big and thick, making it difficult to walk in, but it was really warm.

In contrast, Song Yiping was wearing a thin woolen coat over a sweater.

The two of them didn't seem to live in the same season.

Yan Ruyi was very envious, suspecting that he was made of iron, with hard pectoral muscles and no sense of cold.

The camera Song Yiping bought was a point-and-shoot; anyone who could move their fingers could learn to take pictures.

He just got the camera yesterday, and he fiddled with it for a while with the instruction manual.

Just to be on the safe side, I went to get some money to do some work as practice, and forced him to do it while I took a few photos of him.

The publicity department had a darkroom. After taking the photos, we would take them to the darkroom to develop them. After developing them, I felt that the photos turned out pretty well.

At least the people in the photos are complete and not blurry.

I'll put what I've learned to use right away and take pictures of Yan Ruyi with my camera.

In the past, we would go to a photo studio to take pictures, and at most, a background would be added when the picture was taken.

Today was Yan Ruyi's first time shooting on location, and it was a whole roll of film, so she could shoot however she wanted. Naturally, she had to take a picture in front of every beautiful scene she thought was beautiful.

I took a walk around People's Park and used up more than half of the film.

Song Yiping wanted to take a photo with Yan Ruyi when he saw a woman walking towards them.

The woman had a camera hanging around her neck, so she seemed to be there to take pictures as well.

Yan Ruyi also saw the woman and called out to her, "Second Sister-in-law!"

After calling out, he said to Song Yiping, "This is Huihui's second sister-in-law. She works at the Daily News and is a photojournalist."

When Liu Yunmin arrived, Yan Ruyi introduced her, "Second sister-in-law, this is my boyfriend, Song Yiping."

Song Yiping and Liu Yunmin greeted each other.

Yan Ruyi: "Second sister-in-law, are you still working today?"

Liu Yunmin: "It's not work, I just came to take some pictures of the snow scene."

She loves photography; for her, taking pictures is not just a job, but also a hobby.

Yan Ruyi: "Second sister-in-law, could you take a picture of me and Yiping together?"

She originally just wanted to pick up a random passerby, but she was lucky enough to run into a professional.

Liu Yunmin laughed and said, "Why not? Give me the camera."

Song Yiping handed the camera to Liu Yunmin.

Yan Ruyi asked professionals to choose a background for her, and Liu Yunmin thought the small bridge next to it was nice.

Yan Ruyi listened to Liu Yunmin and leaned against the bridge railing with Song Yiping.

If Luo Huihui were to take the photos of her and Song Yiping, Yan Ruyi would shamelessly pose in even the most intimate ways.

If Luo Huihui dares to laugh at her, she will beat Luo Huihui up.

However, she wasn't that familiar with Liu Yunmin. In front of Liu Yunmin, she felt a little awkward and embarrassed to get too close to Song Yiping. The two of them were shoulder to shoulder, which was the most formal pose for a photo.

Liu Yunmin glanced at the camera and directed them, "You two, stand closer, even closer. Ruyi, either stand sideways in front of Commander Song, Commander Song, put your right hand on Ruyi's shoulder, and Ruyi, move your head a little closer to Commander Song..."

Yan Ruyi moved closer to Song Yiping little by little, and Song Yiping simply pulled her into his arms.

Yan Ruyi's face flushed red instantly. She tried to pull away, but couldn't.

She decided to go for it; it was just taking an intimate photo. Her sister-in-law was experienced and wouldn't laugh at her.

He leaned directly into Song Yiping's arms and grinned at Liu Yunmin.

She also whispered a reminder to Song Yiping, "When your second sister-in-law is filming later, remember to smile."

She had seen Song Yiping's old photos; he always had a serious face, and not a single one showed him smiling.

However, those are mostly work photos of Song Yiping, who is very serious when he is working.

This time it's different. This time it's a candid photo shoot, and it's their first photo together. They need to smile to look good. Once it's developed, she wants to put it in her wallet and look at it every day.

Even without Yan Ruyi's reminder, Song Yiping's lips were already curled up.

Of course, he had to smile when taking the first photo with his partner.

Liu Yunmin: "This is good. Just stay in this position and don't move or blink. I'm starting to film."

Yan Ruyi then selected a few more scenic spots and had Liu Yunmin take some photos.

Song Yiping had already taken a lot of photos of her, and the film was almost used up. Liu Yunmin then took a few more photos of the two of them together, and the whole roll of film was gone.

Liu Yunmin: "Are you still going to film? If so, I still have some film here."

Yan Ruyi had already had her fill of taking photos, and Song Yiping still had several rolls of film in his bag.

He then said to Liu Yunmin, "I'm not filming anymore, thank you, Second Sister-in-law."

Liu Yunmin stopped bothering the young couple and told them she wanted to go to the other side of the lake before leaving.

Song Yiping asked Yan Ruyi, "Are you really not going to film anymore?"

Yan Ruyi fiddled with her camera, beaming, and said, "I'm not taking any more pictures. I'm saving the film to take in Hong Kong."

She heard that the night view of Hong Kong is beautiful, and she wants to take more pictures of it.

The two played outside all day, and it was already dark when Song Yiping drove Yan Ruyi back home.

They parked the car on the side of the road, and the two got out. Yan Ruyi was a little reluctant to leave.

She turned her head, wanting to say something tender to Song Yiping, only to find him staring intently at her.

Although they had already kissed, she still felt a little shy being stared at by Song Yiping and whispered, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He reached out to cover Song Yiping's eyes.

Song Yiping took her hand, gently pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.

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Author's Note: Happy National Day, everyone! Did you go anywhere crowded today?