068 Really!
Sunday.
Guan Yuehe was woken up by Lin Sitian's knocking on the door.
She works six days a week and rests one day a week. When she comes home from work, she either helps Zhang Xinbi translate documents or studies English materials borrowed from her teacher.
Even if she were made of iron, she couldn't keep her brain working all the time. What's the difference between her and the donkey in the production team?
So, she plans to sleep in this Sunday morning during her day off.
"It's only 8:30, no rush." The social gathering starts at 10:00, and at her cycling speed, she can leave home by 9:50.
Lin Sitian thought the same thing, but she was also woken up by someone who came to deliver breakfast.
"My brother bought it." She put the lunchbox on the table, yawned, and decided to sleep a little longer.
The two of them lay back down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and continued sleeping. They didn't wake up until nine o'clock.
I was woken up by the heat.
I wish there was electricity in my house 24 hours a day someday. We have an electric fan, but it doesn't work. In the summer, my back gets so hot when I sleep that it's covered in sweat.
After Guan Yuehe finished washing up and changing her clothes, Lin Sitian asked her if she wanted to put on makeup.
Makeup? Guan Yuehe could only imagine what newlyweds looked like with makeup, and the red faces and red lips she wore when she and her factory colleagues participated in a cultural performance... It felt strange.
Lin Sitian was a little disappointed after being rejected; she actually really wanted to give it a try.
“My brother is dressed like this today too.” Lin Sitian clicked her tongue twice. “You two are really something. You still look so serious when you meet. No wonder my dad can’t figure it out no matter how hard he tries.”
Her father didn't think anything of it; he just assumed that he and his sister were close to Yuehe, so he gave Yuehe a share of the roast duck leg.
This is how young gay men dress these days; it's perfectly normal for them to wear the same thing. You might even find most people at a social gathering dressed the same way.
Guan Yuehe was right.
However, before she left, Jiang Guiying came to find her, saying, "Come home for dinner tonight."
Guan Yuehe found it amusing; her family was still wondering who she had taken a liking to.
If Guan Aiguo were home, he might be able to guess, since he's the most gossipy person in the family.
Jiang Guiying kept nagging, telling him that after attending the social gathering, he should go have lunch and watch a movie and then come back, and not stay out too late.
She wasn't worried that her little girl would be bullied; in broad daylight, most people wouldn't have that ability.
That's right...
"Give me a heads-up beforehand so I'm prepared." The more she kept it from her, the more she felt her little girl was up to something big.
"Oh dear, I'm going to be late! Mom, you'll see when I get back tonight!" Guan Yuehe hurriedly pushed her bicycle out the door and asked her to lock the door for her.
Jiang Guiying was so angry that she wanted to catch the person and twist their ear.
Just as he was about to get up and lock the door, he realized that Lin Sitian was quietly slipping away. He had been so preoccupied with his little girl that he hadn't even noticed Lin Sitian was there.
"Sitian, whisper a few words to your aunt, who is Yuehe interested in?"
Lin Sitian was too embarrassed to lie, so she told her to wait a little longer, and that Yuehe would definitely tell her when she came back in the evening.
He quickened his pace and slipped away.
"So secretive. Dating isn't like being a thief. What's wrong with telling your family?" Jiang Guiying muttered to herself.
Go home and help wash the diapers your grandson has changed in the ditch in the front yard, and chat with the people in the yard.
Zhang Desheng, who had just returned from outside, asked, "Lin Yiku from Engineer Lin's family went to a social gathering. Does our factory have any social gatherings?"
It was like a sudden clap of thunder in the summer, striking the front yard of Courtyard No. 3.
"Zhang Desheng, you must be mistaken. Lin Yiku went to a social gathering? Impossible!"
"That's right, his advanced studies program said that marriage is not allowed during the period. This violates the rule, so he should be sent back!"
Speaking of further studies, everyone only recently learned about it. Lin Yiku came back to visit relatives this time because she was recommended to study at a military academy for two years, after which she will be transferred back to Beijing. She has already handed over her original job and can stay at home for a while before the start of the semester.
Upon hearing that he could be transferred back, many people said they wanted to introduce people to Lin Yiku, but Grandpa Lin and Grandma Fang both declined, saying that Lin Yiku was not allowed to get married during his studies.
Zhang Desheng, however, said with certainty, "I ran into Lin Yiku at the entrance of the alley. He was dressed like he was going out on a date. I asked him a question, and he said he was going to a social gathering!"
Zhang Desheng had a smug look on his face: Look at you people, you're behind on the times again, aren't you?
Jiang Guiying had just been laughing along with everyone, thinking Zhang Desheng must have misheard, but then she suddenly thought about it carefully...
!
No wonder the young girl swore she would never get married in the next two years!
Given Lin Yiku's situation, it's no wonder she can't get married for two years!
Without even bothering to chat and laugh with her neighbors, Jiang Guiying sped up, scrubbed the things vigorously a few times, packed them up, and headed straight for her neighbor's house.
"Old Fang! Sister Fang, oh my goodness!" Jiang Guiying was excited for a while before she remembered her important matter, "Did your Yiku also go to the clothing factory's social event today?"
Aunt Fang knew that her old friend must have guessed it, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
After inviting her into the house, he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. He thought of making her a bowl of sweet soup, but Jiang Guiying stopped him, saying, "We've known each other for a long time, why are you being so polite with me?"
"Sigh!" Aunt Fang touched her hair awkwardly and said truthfully, "To be honest, I didn't know Lin Yiku had this idea before. When he came back to visit his family last time, he suddenly mentioned wanting to transfer back. Later, when his recommendation for further studies was finalized, I called him and he finally told me that he wanted to transfer back because he had someone he liked."
"Later, he wrote back saying he sent two military overcoats and specifically mentioned that Yuehe wanted them. I guessed that this guy might have taken a liking to our Yuehe. I observed him for a few days after he came back this time before I was sure."
"Sister Jiang, it's not that I deliberately kept it from him. I was afraid he was just infatuated. It's okay if it doesn't work out in the end, but it would affect our decades-long relationship. That would be terrible, wouldn't you say?"
Jiang Guiying was already beaming with joy. "No way! Whether they get together or not is up to them. We've known each other for so many years, how could we possibly fall out?"
"Oh my!" Jiang Guiying slapped her thigh with joy, then grabbed her old friend's hand and laughed, "I never thought we'd have this connection."
Aunt Fang laughed too, "Isn't that right?!"
"You have no idea, the night before last, Yuehe suddenly said she wanted to attend a social gathering. I thought she must have taken a fancy to some guy, and I was worried! You don't know how annoying that girl is, she just wouldn't say and made us guess!" As she said this, Jiang Guiying felt really stupid. There was a guy next door who fit the criteria, but she just couldn't think of it at all!
Lin Yiku was serving in the army in the south before, and even though she thought he was a good person, she never considered pairing him with her daughter. Now, everything's perfect—he's been studying for two years and is being transferred back! Lin Yiku's return won't delay Yuehe's promotion!
Since both families know each other well, she really doesn't need to worry at all about Yuehe's future in-laws coveting Yuehe's house, nor does she need to worry that Yuehe's future husband living in the house allocated to Yuehe would be seen as a case of marrying into the family and thus be disapproved of.
She knew exactly what kind of people her old friend and her husband were.
Jiang Guiying became happier and happier as she thought about it.
Aunt Fang was completely relieved when she heard Jiang Guiying praising Lin Yiku with a cheerful smile.
As for whether Yuehe had feelings for Lin Yiku, she didn't even need to ask.
Her own daughter runs back and forth between courtyards two and three every day to deliver messages. If Yuehe didn't have that idea, her daughter would have advised Lin Yiku to give up on it long ago.
Not to mention her, even Lin Yiku probably guessed it long ago, only her silly daughter happily pretends to be mysterious every day.
On the other side, Guan Yuehe was completely unaware that she had been exposed, and finally entered the small auditorium five minutes before the social gathering was to begin.
More than sixty people attended the social gathering, including single workers from the factory, family members of factory employees, and single workers or family members from other units who had heard the news.
Everyone came here hoping to find a marriage partner, and each person brought out what they considered to be their most formal and appropriate attire.
Her guess this morning was correct; most of the participants were wearing polyester shirts and green military-style trousers. Some were wearing full-on sportswear, and some women were wearing brightly colored dresses.
Although there were quite a few people, Guan Yuehe spotted Lin Yiku at a glance.
She and Lin Yiku were both tall; if they craned their necks and turned around, it wouldn't be difficult to find each other.
Just as I was about to walk over, the union director called me back.
"Xiao Guan, come quick and help me take a look. This Comrade Lin Yiku filled out a form saying his parents are workers at the Five Star Automobile Factory, and that his family also lives in Ginkgo Hutong? Do you know this person?"
When the union sorts through the submitted application forms, they carefully check them. Those who do not write their own employer on the application form are basically unemployed.
At twenty-six years old, still unemployed and not going to the countryside, it all seemed a bit off. The union members pulled Lin Yiku's application form aside, planning to ask about the details when the other person arrived.
The union director was also worried that some people might falsely claim their identities to come to the garment factory looking for a partner. Some young comrades didn't think much of it and felt that they were a good match while chatting. What if they ended up getting engaged like that? Wouldn't that be harming someone?
Guan Yuehe leaned over to look at Lin Yiku's application form; the sections for "employer" and "position" were blank.
That makes sense; it would be difficult for him to fill in the name and rank of his former unit now. But filling in "training school" as the unit and "student" as the rank should be fine, right?
“He lives next door to me, and we’ve known each other for many years. I’m going to find him to fill in the missing information.” Guan Yuehe said, taking the registration form to go find him.
No, where are they?
Guan Yuehe was stunned. She stood there and looked around, but she really couldn't find it!
Just as she was wondering whether she should go outside the small auditorium to take a look, someone suddenly appeared next to her, and the voice was very familiar, "Yuehe".
Turning her head, she indeed saw the person she was looking for. Guan Yuehe breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself: Thank goodness, the duck that was about to be eaten didn't fly away.
The next second, she asked, "Where did you just go?"
Hand over the registration form, saying, "Your registration form is incomplete."
Lin Yiku took the registration form, folded it up, and put it in her pocket, feigning ignorance as she asked, "You're here for the social event too? Who's got your eye on?"
After he asked that question, Guan Yuehe, who was initially a little embarrassed and unsure how to begin, immediately found a way out. The next second, she looked up, her eyes wide open, staring straight at him.
That's just how she is.
Before the garment factory was built, she needed to hire people, so she found someone to teach her how to use a sewing machine. When she had the opportunity to go to university, she actively sought it out. When she got the chance to participate in the Canton Fair, she performed exceptionally well.
This time is no exception. If she thinks Lin Yiku is good, she will be one step ahead of others and win him over first.
Didn't he ask her who she had her eye on? Her reaction was obvious enough!
Seeing this, Lin Yiku's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and her face quietly turned red. She pretended to be calm and suppressed the corners of her mouth, but her eyes were shining.
"Can we be boyfriend and girlfriend?"
The last time he came back to visit his family, he and she got soaked in the snow at the entrance of the alley. She looked at him like that, and that's when he wanted to ask her this question.
But it wasn't the best time; she hadn't graduated yet, and he wasn't sure if he could transfer back.
Hearing her hearty laughter and watching her work with such energy fills me with joy. The thought of living with her gives me a sense of hope for the future, and I'm very happy.
Lin Yiku calmed her excited emotions a little, and when she spoke again, her voice was much more firm, "Yuehe, can we be boyfriend and girlfriend?"
When his sister is at home, her expression reveals everything. He was very relaxed when he went out today, and had even already decided which state-run restaurant he would go to with her for lunch.
But I never expected her to react like that!
Guan Yuehe frowned, urging him to take back what he had said, "Let me speak first."
Lin Yiku thought she was going to refuse, and the smile in her eyes was almost bursting out. But now she was left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at her answer.
That makes sense, she even rides in front when she's riding a bicycle, and she has to speak first when it's important.
Lin Yiku quickly composed herself, pretending nothing had happened, and asked, "You're here for the social event too? Who's got your eye on?"
Guan Yuehe: "......"
Guan Yuehe cooperated and repeated the staring motion, but this time she only lasted a few seconds before she couldn't help but laugh.
That one laugh completely ruined his composure, making it impossible for him to remain serious.
She seemed to be laughing indefinitely, which Lin Yiku found both funny and gave her a headache. She urged her, "Tell me quickly."
At this moment, the union director saw that everyone who had submitted their registration forms had arrived and gestured for the host to take the microphone and go up to start the event.
After the host tested the microphone a few times, everyone gradually stopped whispering and the noise gradually subsided.
While there was still some noise and no one else was paying attention to them, Guan Yuehe quickly asked, "Do you want to date me?"
Without giving anyone time to react, she immediately reminded her, "Lin Yiku, hurry up and agree!"
"..." Lin Yiku almost laughed again, but managed to maintain a serious expression. When she met her gaze, she solemnly replied, "Okay!"
None of the methods and strategies provided by my comrades were of any use.
"Hehe." Guan Yuehe was satisfied; she now found even the flirtatious glances between others amusing.
She would occasionally glance at Lin Yiku, only to have Lin Yiku look over at her, their eyes meeting, before she would subtly look away. This happened several times.
My heart was pounding, and I couldn't hear a word the host was saying.
It's a pity. If it were still a social gathering like when they were kids, she could be dragging Lin Yiku to dance now!
But after the initial excitement came a bit of awkwardness and embarrassment that was hard to describe.
They were the only ones lost in thought, while everyone else had already dispersed in twos and threes as instructed by the host. The two of them standing out starkly.
"Hey, how come you two are left out? Here's what we'll do: you join this group, and you join the group in front of you."
The two finally came to their senses and said in unison, "We're not participating."
The host was taken aback and looked at Guan Yuehe with difficulty: "Officer Guan, you... you have to support our factory's work. How can you come to the social gathering and not participate in the activities?"
Lin Yiku also looked at her. After all, this was her workplace, and most of the people around her were her colleagues. He observed her attitude and actions.
“We just started dating, so it’s not appropriate for us to participate in this activity.” Guan Yuehe pointed to Lin Yiku next to her and added, “Comrade Huang Wenlin, I’m sorry to have interrupted your work.”
Huang Wenlin looked at her, then at Lin Yiku, and to make sure they weren't joking, he immediately offered his congratulations.
Then, Huang Wenlin patted the microphone and turned to walk around to each group, helping to liven up the atmosphere.
The remaining two couldn't find a topic to talk about, so Guan Yuehe pointed to Huang Wenlin and said, "That was the most handsome guy in our factory before. When he first went on stage as an announcer, many aunties from the alley came to watch the show. After they went back, they all came to the factory to ask about him, wanting to introduce him to potential partners. If he hadn't gotten married and had a child, the union wouldn't have dared to invite him to be the host of the social event."
It's a pity that there hasn't been another factory hunk as famous since.
Lin Yiku followed her gaze to the host, who was handsome and refined, and seemed very popular with women.
"...How about we go out for a walk?"
"No, it's rare that the factory auditorium has the fans on today; it's cooler here than outside." Guan Yuehe had already found two stools and gotten two bottles of soda from her colleagues at the union. "Here you go!"
A little while later, someone called her over to grab some sunflower seeds, but once she was called over, she was pulled aside and asked questions.
Lin Yiku could tell that Comrade Xiao Guan could strike up a conversation with anyone in the factory.
Guan Yuehe, who had been pulled back, was being questioned by her colleagues: "That man doesn't look like a typical factory worker. Which company is he from?"
"Do you know Comrade Xiao Guan? How old are you? Where do you live? What do your parents, siblings, and other family members do...?"
"He has a girlfriend." As soon as this was said, no one cared about Lin Yiku anymore. They assumed he was just an unregistered person who came to see Guan Yuehe, or perhaps a relative of Guan Yuehe.
No one asked any further questions, but Guan Yuehe wanted to continue. Just then, the union director saw her and came over to ask, "Yuehe, has your neighbor filled out the registration form yet?"
Guan Yuehe chuckled at the director, finally giving her a reason to go public!
“He’s my boyfriend now, so I don’t need to submit an application form anymore, right?”
"Don't tell me you two just got together?"
Comrade Xiao Guan nodded, "Yes!"
"...Comrade Guan, you're not joking with me on purpose, are you?"
The union members spent all day yesterday speculating, going through all the men who were close to Comrade Xiao Guan, and concluding that none of them were someone he had his eye on. Their final conclusion: Comrade Xiao Guan just randomly signed up to have fun.
"I'm not kidding." Guan Yuehe retorted, when had she ever joked around with anyone?
Too.
The union director, intrigued, asked the same questions as the other union members, determined to understand Lin Yiku's personal and family situation.
Guan Yuehe turned around and glanced behind her. Lin Yiku was sitting upright and looked in her direction, smiling at her.
"The neighbor's family is great! We know each other well, they're both workers at the car factory. No wonder you refused to go on blind dates, Xiao Guan, it turns out there's a good match right next door!"
"Oh! A soldier?! Serving in the army is an honor, your background is definitely not bad. Many of our factory workers are military dependents!" Putting everything else aside, Comrade Guan's popularity among the factory workers will be even stronger from now on.
The union director used to praise Lin Yiku after hearing her say just a few words, but now his attitude has completely changed: "Not bad, she's quite a good match for our Comrade Xiao Guan."
She stopped worrying about the registration form and the union director urged her to hurry up and accompany the other person.
Seeing Comrade Xiao Guan jog over and the man smiling so broadly his eyes crinkled, the union director finally understood the situation.
—
"My colleagues at the factory want to know about you and introduce you to potential partners."
Lin Yiku looked at her and, going along with her, asked, "And then?"
"Of course I'll tell them that Comrade Lin Yiku is already my girlfriend, so they don't need to worry about her!"
Guan Yuehe gestured for him to look towards the staff, then covered her mouth and whispered to him, "They're definitely talking about us secretly. They might be saying, 'These two are hilarious, they've known each other for so many years and couldn't make it work, but they came to our factory's social event and started talking right at the beginning...'"
Lin Yiku's attention wandered as she listened, her eyes glancing at their arms pressed together.
Unexpectedly, she remembered the last time he attended a social gathering at the car factory, he rode the bus with her, and she was sitting so close to him. Then she asked him if he was using bar soap as regular soap to wash his clothes.
Suddenly, an outsider interrupted Guan Yuehe's voice.
Both of them looked up at the man in front of them, their eyes asking: Comrade, what's the matter?
"Comrade Guan Yuehe, hello, I am Zheng Chengxi from the machinery factory. May I invite you to dinner and a movie after the event?"
“That won’t do.” Guan Yuehe pointed to the person sitting next to her. “My boyfriend is here.”
Lin Yiku was secretly pleased, but then her hopes were dashed. After Zheng Chengxi repeatedly confirmed the news and left in disappointment, she finally asked, "What if the person isn't here?"
"...Haha, I still can't go." Guan Yuehe belatedly realized her words were ambiguous and quickly clarified her position: "I'm not the kind of person who's greedy and has my cake and eat it too!"
"The organization believes you can withstand the sugar-coated bullets from the outside, Comrade Guan Yuehe."
—
"Did you ask? How did it go?" Several workers surrounded Zheng Chengxi.
I heard that Comrade Guan Yuehe from the garment factory is also participating this time, and many people have signed up because of her.
Not all the people asking questions were there for Guan Yuehe; they just wanted to join in the fun.
Zheng Chengxi, his face expressionless, felt he might have been misled by false information. He glanced at Guan Yuehe and said, "Her boyfriend is sitting right next to her. Who said Comrade Guan Yuehe is single?"
"Huh?!" You have a boyfriend?
"They said it themselves, people from their garment factory!"
The people at Zhuoyue Garment Factory had only just found out, but the news spread like wildfire. Not long after the event ended, most of the residents in the factory's residential compound knew: Comrade Xiao Guan has a girlfriend, the older brother next door, who is in the army.
When the news spread, Xu Chengcai had just found a tricycle to take Qin Zilan to the workers' hospital at the car factory to prepare for childbirth.
Upon hearing this news, Xu Cheng stood there and exclaimed loudly, "It's still Yuehe Niu!"
The notorious troublemaker in Ginkgo Hutong was tamed by his childhood friend, Guan Yuehe!
Qin Zilan was also surprised, "Yuehe and Sitian's brother? Oh my god... Hey, Xu Cheng, my stomach hurts, am I going into labor?"
"Huh? Ah! Honey, don't get agitated, lie down, lie down, we're going to the hospital right now!"
Meanwhile, in another family compound, Gu Mannian came running back, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.
"Yuehua, do you know who Yuehe is dating? You'll be shocked when I tell you!"
Guan Yuehua didn't even look up, continuing to pedal the sewing machine, while he tried on the new clothes next to him to see if they fit.
This wasn't a good reaction, so Gu Mannian repeated, "I was talking about Yuehe, our sister. She's dating someone!"
"She and Lin Yiku reached an agreement in just one morning?"
"Ah, yes, you knew?" Gu Mannian was even more shocked. "How did you know? That shouldn't be possible!"
Although they are sisters, he and Yuehe see each other almost every day at the factory, and he didn't notice anything amiss. How did Yuehua know?
"She still wants to keep it a secret? Humph, I can tell something's wrong just by looking at her." Guan Yuehua was so angry that she didn't want to continue operating the sewing machine and packed up the wad of fabric.
She and Lin Yiku were the same age, but luckily Lin Yiku started school earlier and wasn't in the same grade, otherwise she would have been even more annoyed by Lin Yiku, that troublemaker.
"I think he's a good catch."
He had been to his father-in-law's house for meals, met Lin Yiku several times, and even chatted with him. He also knew about the Lin family next door, and he couldn't see anything wrong with them.
Soon, Gu Mannian realized that the two sisters were simply incompatible in their search for partners, as they both disliked the men the other liked.
But he still went along with Guan Yuehua's words, saying, "That's right! Yuehe could have found someone better; he got off too easy!"
"...Never mind, Lin Yiku is barely acceptable, and Guan Yuehe's taste isn't that bad either."
After Guan Yuehua finished speaking, she noticed Gu Mannian smirking. Enraged, she threw the new clothes on him from the sofa. "I told you to go try on these new clothes, so hurry up! If they don't fit, you can alter them yourself!"
"Let's go now." Gu Mannian finally broke into a wide smile after entering the house.
—
The two people being discussed were on their way to a state-run restaurant near the car factory.
Guan Yuehe sat sideways in the back seat, so happy that she couldn't help but swing her leg.
"Hey, Lin Yiku, what brand of soap did you use to wash your clothes?"
After asking the question, she leaned over and took a sniff. It was a light, refreshing fragrance, perfect for a hot summer day. Last time she attended the Canton Fair, she went to the daily chemical products exhibition area and smelled the soaps from various brands, but she couldn't find the one Lin Yiku used.
As she leaned closer, a breath of heat touched Lin Yiku's back, causing the car to sway uncontrollably.
Once the bike was stable, he was patted on the back to tell him to watch the road carefully while riding.
Guan Yuehe thought to herself: I knew I was more stable at riding a bike!
He even insisted on giving her a ride!
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