Chapter 174, Update 1742
The next day was Sunday, and Luo Yan and Zhou Weifang agreed to go pick out furniture.
She initially thought it was a carpenter's shop, but as she watched the motorcycle head towards the post office's residential compound, she asked curiously, "Are you going to get something from the house first?"
Zhou Weifang: "The craftsman also went to my home to take measurements."
Luo Yan let out an "oh" and swallowed a mouthful of air, then pursed her lips and remained silent.
Fortunately, the family compound is very close by; it's just around the corner.
Zhou Weifang had become quite a familiar face here, but when he tried to enter the hospital, he was stopped by the security guards.
He said, "Brother Wu, don't you recognize me?"
Angkor quickly explained, "I recognize you, I recognize you. This is a task from the neighborhood committee. They said all residents need to register. I couldn't find you when I went up yesterday."
The whole city is currently conducting registrations; those who don't know the situation might think it's a population census.
Zhou Weifang, holding a pen, asked, "I wrote it down where I rented the apartment, do I need it here too?"
Angkor: "The homeowner needs to be registered."
Zhou Weifang wrote it, but he couldn't figure out why they suddenly started doing this. After parking his motorcycle, he said, "Everyone's saying it's because they're cracking down on crime."
Luo Yan clapped her hands: "I forgot to tell you yesterday, our deputy director's bicycle was stolen while he was attending a meeting at the municipal party committee."
What kind of place is the Municipal Party Committee? These petty thieves are completely lawless.
Putting aside other things, Zhou Weifang said, "When I first opened my fruit shop, people wouldn't bother stealing even if they picked the lock and saw a few baskets of fruit. But now they've started stealing."
Fruit is heavy; a basket weighs only about a hundred pounds, and you can only sell it for ten yuan at most. If you're unlucky, it can take most of the day to sell it.
Thieves are all looking to make quick money, so they don't care about such things. Besides, he can usually sell out his goods on the same day, and the little left at night is not very good quality. Therefore, he has always been very casual about preventing the fruit shop from being locked up, unlike the car dealership which is very vigilant. After he moved out of the attic, he even hired a young man who provided him with food and lodging to watch over him.
Luo Yan knew immediately: "They broke into your house again today?"
Zhou Weifang rubbed his face and nodded: "That family in Dongsi, I guess they were furious because they couldn't steal anything, so they threw a basket of peaches all over the place."
Luo Yan, who loves peaches, put her hands on her hips in anger and said, "What kind of people are these?"
Zhou Weifang said helplessly, "We can't catch them anyway, and I can't possibly keep watch every night."
No, Luo Yan imagined bad people to be extremely vicious, saying, "Many of them carry knives, and they'll get you caught up in it all for a basket of peaches."
Ten years ago, Zhou Weifang might have dared to do it too.
But now he's quite timid, holding his girlfriend's hand as they walk: "Of course, it's not worth it. I'm still waiting to get married."
Since they were in the hallway anyway, Luo Yan let him do as he pleased.
When they reached the door of room 202, Zhou Weifang conceded and said, "You open the door."
Luo Yan subconsciously reached into her pocket, blinked at him, and said, "Oh no, I didn't bring my keys either."
All her keys are linked together, but she didn't ride her bicycle today, so she didn't remember them when she left the house.
Zhou Weifang shoved his keys into her hand: "I brought them."
What does that mean? You have to open this door yourself?
Luo Yan thought there was something inside, so she opened the door cautiously. But when she looked inside, she turned around in confusion.
Zhou Weifang laughed: "Don't you feel like after a month of hard work, it's still like a rough draft?"
Luo Yan nodded slowly twice: "There aren't even any tiles."
She only came once when she was buying the house; otherwise, she only gave progress reports.
When the topic of ceramic tiles came up, Zhou Weifang shook his head: "It's going to take a while. I think we should switch to imported ones."
The domestic glazed tile production line, which was only introduced this year, is still not in high demand. The goods he ordered through connections can only be delivered two months later. There are also imported tiles of the same type, but the price is double.
Luo Yan thought, "Let's just wait then," and teased, "We're getting married next year anyway, why spend this money?"
Zhou Weifang clutched his chest: "Yanyan, you've stabbed me in the back again."
The house is well-ventilated, with windows facing both north and south, and the interior is bright at this moment.
From Luo Yan's angle, she could see the balcony of the building behind them. She dragged him to the corridor leading to the room and pressed him against the wall.
Zhou Weifang's heart was pounding, but all he got was a kiss.
He wasn't saying it was bad, but he took two steps forward, pressing Luo Yan against the wall, and whispered as his lips touched her ear, "Yan Yan, next time, bring me here, like this, okay?"
Luo Yan, panting slightly from the kisses, turned her head away and said, "How could I possibly learn your manners, you little rascal?"
Zhou Weifang rubbed his chin against the top of her head, then casually patted the wall dust off her shoulder: "Yanyan, there's something even more lewd."
Luo Yan stared at him with wide eyes, and when she heard a knock on the door, she said, "They're here."
The carpenter arrived quite early, and while taking measurements, he said, "This year, wall cabinets and hanging cabinets are all the rage. I'll definitely make them look beautiful for you."
Cabinets and such are secondary. Zhou Weifang asked, "Master, what kind of desk looks the best right now?"
A desk? In all my years as a carpenter, I've only ever seen people care about dining tables; this is the first time I've ever seen someone worry about the style of a desk.
He said, "I can make any kind of design you want."
Reading is a quiet activity, and Luo Yan thinks that the tools should be clean and simple: "No need to be fancy, just simple, and a little longer and wider."
The master made a note in his notebook and then took out several more photos for them to choose from.
Luo Yan ultimately decided on the design, but when it came to money, she started staring blankly at the tree outside the window, thinking: If I try to negotiate the price, it might just get more expensive.
Zhou Weifang naturally handled all these trivial matters, including what kind of wood to use, when to deliver, who would pay for the shipping, and how much the deposit would be.
He was talking until his throat was dry, and Luo Yan finally realized he was useful, saying, "I'll go downstairs to buy some water, you guys chat."
She ran off in a flash, and Zhou Weifang only had time to shout, "Wear a hat, it's sunny!"
In such a large residential compound, everything is available. Luo Yan could buy soda just a few steps downstairs, and it was still ice-cold when she took it out of the styrofoam box.
She opened the lid in the shop and went upstairs, where the bargaining was basically in its final stages.
Luo Yan's only responsibility was to say "Thank you for your hard work" when handing water to her master, and only ask, "How much?" after the master left.
Zhou Weifang: "One thousand including labor and materials."
Luo Yan clicked her tongue: "Isn't it a bit expensive? You can buy all thirty-six legs at a furniture store with your marriage certificate for only 470 yuan."
This is after the price increase; it only cost four hundred a few years ago.
Of course there are cheaper options, Zhou Weifang said: "Those aren't as meticulously made as the ones made by a master craftsman."
Luo Yan couldn't tell good from bad, so she patted his shoulders and said, "You've worked hard."
Zhou Weifang squeezed her hand: "My bones are hard, be careful your hand doesn't hurt."
Luo Yan: "I'm not that delicate."
Zhou Weifang raised an eyebrow, his expression probably meaning "No?"
Luo Yan chuckled and showed him her watch: "You know I'm delicate, and you still haven't taken me out to eat at this hour. I can't stand being hungry."
Wow, it's already this late.
Zhou Weifang quickly said, "Come on, come on, what do you want to eat?"
Luo Yan actually had something she wanted to eat today: "Cold skin noodles and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)." That was easy. Zhou Weifang locked the door and took her out for lunch.
He had other things to do in the afternoon, so he asked, "Where are you meeting your friends?"
It's too hot outside, and there's nowhere good to talk.
Luo Yan: "She came to my house to play."
So after dinner, Zhou Weifang took her home. A while later, he brought over a bag of snacks and fruit, saying, "Eat with your friends."
Luo Yan thought he had left something behind, so she took it and called him by his full name, "You're so kind."
From Zhou Weifang's angle, he could see his future mother-in-law sitting in the living room watching TV, so he could only pat his partner's head and say, "Whatever makes you happy, go inside."
Luo Yan cut the fruit and waited for Wu Huifang to arrive. She kept looking towards the door and noticed that Huang Laishun was acting strangely, so she called out to it, "Laishun! Don't bark."
This made Huang Laishun realize that the person who came was not a bad guy; he just had small eyes that were constantly staring at the gate of the courtyard.
Luo Yan took two steps out to greet her friend and led her into the room to sit and chat.
Wu Huifang wished she could crawl into the fan and said, "It's so cool! I don't even know what kind of awful weather this is."
Luo Yan fanned her vigorously: "I'll come find you next time."
Wu Huifang shook her head: "There are too many family members in our family. If I say anything bad about anyone, they will hear it."
Unlike here, where you can say whoever you want.
Luo Yan could tell from her voice that she had been having a lot of troubles lately, so she gestured for him to eat a piece of watermelon to cool down and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wu Huifang pouted: "Our workplace has dormitories, but my sister-in-law wants me to move out."
Luo Yan was unhappy: "Why should I?"
Wu Huifang has her own room at home, although there isn't much space after putting down the bed and table.
But that is still her home, and she is very indignant about it: "My parents didn't agree, saying it's not safe for a girl to live outside."
While Wu's parents certainly held many outdated ideas, they had always doted on their daughter.
Luo Yan said, "That's right, didn't two criminals break into the textile factory dormitory last time?"
Fortunately, it was an attempted crime, but it was still a major case, prompting many workplaces in the city with a large number of female employees to conduct thorough investigations.
Wu Huifang was also afraid of such a thing happening, saying, "I always have my dad pick me up when I work overtime."
Luo Yan praised her for doing the right thing, and joined in her scolding for a few minutes. The conversation then drifted off to all sorts of random topics.
The two ate and talked until the sun was about to set. Wu Huifang said, "I'll get my first month's salary soon, and I'll treat you to a French restaurant!"
France? Luo Yan, who has eaten at many restaurants of all sizes throughout Beijing, said, "When did it open? I've never heard of it."
Wu Huifang works at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, where they are in charge of foreign exchange and are very aware of any changes in foreign investment.
She said, "If things go smoothly, it'll be by the end of next month. We'll go and see what it's like."
Luo Yan nodded in realization and said expectantly, "I'll get paid soon too, I'll treat you to creamed fruit stew."
Everyone gets excited when it comes to their first paycheck.
The two girls were whispering to each other, and Luo Yan even talked for a long time after seeing them off at the gate of the courtyard.
Huang Laishun also wagged its tail in farewell, making it seem to anyone who didn't know better think that it had a deep friendship with the other person.
After everyone left, Luo Yan squatted down and said to it, "Next time you see Huifang, don't bark. Do you understand?"
Huang Laishun only heard the word "woof" twice, which attracted the stray dogs in the alley.
Luo Yan was still a little afraid of stray dogs, and seeing its fierce look as if it was about to bite, she quickly closed the door. But Huang Laishun felt he could fight back and barked back at it through the door, unwilling to give up.
Luo Yan had no choice but to teach it: "Fighting is not acceptable. Dogs should also live together peacefully."
Huang Laishun didn't understand what peace was; he only knew that he couldn't lose face.
Luo Yan couldn't understand dog language, but seeing that it seemed to be swearing, she patted it and said, "You should learn something good from Luo Hong."
After saying that, she looked around nervously, afraid that her brother would hear her.
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Author's note: Good night!
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