The two had just finished being intimate in the middle of the night when the sound of rain came from outside. Guang Sheng quickly got up and said, "I'll go pick up the clothes, otherwise it'll be a waste of time washing them."

The man moved quickly and returned in no time.

He laid the clothes out to dry on the clothes rack in the room before going back onto the kang (a heated brick bed). The clothes were only half dry, but he spread them out to dry before going back onto the kang.

Ning Yan had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

The man didn't speak again, but pulled the person into his arms from behind, draping a thin blanket around their waists. Gradually, only their soft breathing could be heard in the room.

...

The next morning, the rain that had fallen all night finally stopped, and Wang Cuiyun called the young couple to get up for breakfast around six o'clock.

This morning, unusually, I had a noodle soup made with wheat flour, with tomatoes, bok choy, and an egg.

They originally had two chickens, but because the wedding was arranged in a hurry, both chickens ended up on the table. There was no other way; buying chickens was too difficult, and no one was willing to sell their chickens at that time, so they had no choice but to kill their own.

Two days later, my wife tricked my wife into giving us two chickens from her parents' home, and we had chickens again.

Those two chickens were quite well-behaved; they managed to collect two eggs every day, which was also due to the meticulous care they received.

Guang Sheng knew his wife didn't like leftovers, so he served her a big bowl of dumpling soup and tore off a rabbit leg to eat slowly. "Dad, you and Mom should eat this. It won't taste good if we leave it any longer."

The captain tore off a piece of rabbit meat, his heart filled with emotion. Ever since he got married, life at home had really changed. Before, when there was good food, there wasn't enough to eat. Now, they were afraid that if they kept the food, it would go bad.

"You two are not working today. If you have nothing to do, you can go into town for a stroll."

Guang Sheng: "Sure, I just noticed we're running low on gas. We have two gas coupons left, so let's just exchange them. They'll expire if we don't use them."

Ning Yan looked up: "Mother, is there anything else we need to buy for the house? We can buy it for you while we're at it."

Wang Cuiyun said, "There really is. Let's buy some fabric for making autumn clothes, and we also need to buy some thread."

She noticed that her daughter-in-law hadn't brought many clothes with her when she married into the family. Not only was she lacking autumn clothes, but she also needed to buy new winter clothes. She had already arranged with the cotton fluffer to exchange grain for cotton, and she also needed to prepare long-sleeved autumn clothes for her.

Ning Yan thought of the baby in her belly and decided to get more cloth.

"Okay, I'll buy it back."

After breakfast, the young couple changed their clothes and rode their bikes into the city.

As luck would have it, when I arrived at the department store, I ran into Geng Jianguo, who had a gloomy face, locking his bicycle.

He was followed by a rather strong woman, and the two started arguing.

"I have to go to work today, but you insisted on dragging me to go shopping. What are you trying to do?"

"What am I making a fuss about? It's all my fault for being blind to fall for someone as good-looking as you. Turns out you're a black-hearted person."

My mother works like a slave for you every day at home, serving the elderly and taking care of the young. She does laundry, cooks, and works in the fields all day long. She never has a moment to rest.

I've worked so hard for your Geng family, and you, you scoundrel, still try to scheme against me!

"What secrets am I hiding?"

After Geng Jianguo finished shouting, he looked up and saw Ning Yan standing five or six meters away, looking poised, slender and beautiful.

To be honest, he almost didn't recognize him at first glance.

After staring at her for a few seconds, he realized that she was the blind date he had almost married.

She has changed in just two months. The person next to her is probably her husband. He looks dull and lifeless. How is she any better than him?

Immediately, he felt embarrassed, realizing that the woman beside him was making him look bad.

"What are you hiding? Don't think I don't know, Geng Jianguo. You make 42.3 yuan a month, but you only give me 20 yuan."

With this twenty yuan, I have to support a family of six: a baby who is only six months old, a sickly person who needs to take medicine every day, and three children who are not yet grown up. I dare not eat or drink, and I am exhausted all day long while still thinking about how to save a single bite to support your family of ancestors.

Aren't you trying to hide something from me?

"Today I'm going to make you take me on a tour of this department store. It's not over until you get my answers right!"

Geng Jianguo was embarrassed when his wife exposed him, perhaps also feeling a bit awkward for losing face in front of the person who almost became his wife. He locked the car and irritably patted Qiao Weihong.

Qiao Weihong was broad and strong, and when he was nudged, he only swayed slightly, but the fire in his heart was ignited by Geng Jianguo.

She raised her hand and pushed Geng Jianguo.

Caught off guard, Geng Jianguo fell forward and landed squarely on a bicycle, knocking it over. After a few struggles, Geng Jianguo managed to get up.

Qiao Weihong had a loud voice and didn't hold back when cursing Geng Jianguo, "You surnamed Geng, if you dare to lay a finger on me again, believe me, I'll kill you right now!"

Startled, Geng Jianguo turned around to avoid the fall, but he tripped over the overturned bicycle and fell onto the handlebars. He let out a scream and tried to grab the ground, but he couldn't move after several attempts.

Just then, someone shouted, "Ah, blood! He's bleeding!"

Qiao Weihong went forward and tried to move Geng Jianguo, but couldn't. It turned out that when Geng Jianguo fell, his neck hit the handlebars of the bicycle. The steel brake, which was less than a centimeter in diameter, pierced his trachea, and he died before he could even struggle for a moment.

Soon a large crowd gathered around the parking area.

After confirming that Geng Jianguo was dead, Ning Yan took Guang Sheng and left.

If I keep watching, the police will probably come and I'll be taken away for questioning.

The person who was usually very conscious of her image in public grabbed Ning Yan's hand and said, "Are you scared? Are you afraid? Don't be afraid, it's okay."

He did cover his wife's eyes in time, but since someone had died right under her nose, he was really afraid she would be frightened.

Some people would be so scared they'd lose their mind.

"I didn't see anything, it's okay."

"That's good. Let's buy what we need and head back quickly. It's not a good day to go out."

Ning Yan laughed, "Why have you become superstitious?"

Guang Sheng squeezed her hand tightly; he felt that being able to marry her made him superstitious.

It seemed that everyone in the store had gone outside to watch the excitement, and the crowding had decreased dramatically, which made things easier for the two of them. They bought everything they could with their tickets.

"There are also sugar coupons, let's buy them too, don't you women all love to eat candy?"

Before his wife could agree, Guang Sheng ordered a bag of brown sugar and a bag of White Rabbit candy, which cost him ten yuan and three mao.

As soon as Ning Yan got her hands on the White Rabbit candy, she tore open the packaging, took one out, peeled it, and popped it into the man's mouth.

Guang Sheng: "I don't want to..." Before he could finish speaking, the candy was already in his mouth. He had to admit, his wife's hand speed was truly impressive. (End of Chapter)