Chapter 35 Do you want to prove your back is okay?
Yan Ruyi has been busy lately and hasn't beaten her younger brother in a long time, so she suddenly felt a bit itchy to do so.
Yan Minghe was quick-witted; seeing that things weren't going well, he ran away in a flash.
Yan Ruyi plopped back down on the bed and saw the tape recorder on the bedside table.
She lost the confidence to beat up her brother.
She also took someone else's tape recorder; neither she nor Sihe should accuse the other.
Yan Ruyi was on her way to work when Director Chai called her over with a smile on her face when she reached the second floor. "Little Yan, I heard that this lecture on cultural relics was a great success. Director Liu said that you deserve at least half the credit."
Yan Ruyi said modestly, "It's because Teacher Qian spoke so well."
Following the principle that flattery will never fail, he praised Director Liu and the others one by one.
That's why this child is highly regarded; he has real talent and knows how to keep his brilliance hidden.
Director Chai took out two admission tickets. "These are your and Xia's social event admission tickets. Please take Xia's ticket with you too. Young people should participate in more of these kinds of activities. Even if you don't find a partner, it's good to meet more people and make more friends."
If Director Chai hadn't mentioned it, Yan Ruyi would have almost forgotten about it.
During this period, she was busy with lectures on cultural relics knowledge and also took some time to appraise a few antiques, earning a reward of nearly 1,000 yuan.
She saved them all.
Her dad's birthday is in two months, and she wants to buy him a bicycle.
Her father still doesn't own a bicycle.
He said it's only a short walk from the residential compound to the machine tool factory, so buying a bicycle isn't worthwhile; it's better to walk, which also gives him some exercise.
Anyway, he rarely goes anywhere else. If he really has to go somewhere, he'll just borrow Yan Mingtao's bike.
It's really just that they're unwilling to spend money.
Her eldest brother's family has two cars, her second brother's family has one car, and she has one car, but her father doesn't have one.
So, taking advantage of her father's birthday, she decided to buy him a car as a birthday present.
So that his dad won't always envy his mom.
When she got busy, she forgot about the social gathering.
Luo Huihui was also in a similar situation. She had originally planned to learn ballroom dancing from her second sister-in-law and then teach Yan Ruyi after she had learned it.
As a result, she also went to the countryside for research with the leaders and won't be back until tomorrow.
The social gathering is the day after tomorrow, and neither of them will have time to study.
Luo Huihui comforted herself, "Maybe no one will jump. Anyway, we're just going to broaden our horizons. We don't expect to actually find a partner at the social event."
Yan Ruyi thought her good friend's words made a lot of sense.
Not only can you broaden your horizons, but you also get free peanuts, melon seeds, and tea.
She changed into her newly bought dress and the high heels she had bought last time. Luo Huihui also applied hair wax to both of their hair, making them both smell wonderful.
After getting dressed up, they stood in front of the mirror, admiring themselves and spinning around a few times, then complimented each other.
Both of them thought they were really beautiful, and their confidence soared.
The social gathering started at 7 p.m. and was held in the district government compound, not far from the machine tool factory's residential compound; it only took about half an hour to get there by bike.
Yan Ruyi told her mother, and then she and Luo Huihui rode away on their bikes.
The district government compound is already covered with colorful lights, even the trees are decorated with them. You can see them from a distance, they twinkle and create a wonderful atmosphere.
When I arrived at the gate of the government compound, I ran into Xia Pengfei.
Xia Pengfei's hair was slicked back with hair oil, making it shiny and glossy.
He showed Yan Ruyi his new hairstyle, "Xiao Yan, what do you think of me?"
Yan Ruyi was very supportive, saying, "He looks energetic and handsome."
Xia Pengfei expressed his satisfaction, saying, "Let's all work harder tonight and try to find a partner."
Yan Ruyi, "..."
I didn't want to; I just came to join in the fun.
The three parked their bicycles in the bike shed. Xia Pengfei saw a familiar face, said goodbye to Yan Ruyi, and left.
Yan Ruyi and Luo Huihui also entered the venue.
Quite a few people had already arrived at the venue, standing in twos and threes talking together.
When the music started, everyone was a little shy, pushing each other, too embarrassed to go on stage and dance.
The mayor didn't come to today's get-together, but the district head did.
The district head was in his forties, wore glasses, was somewhat thin, and looked very refined.
Yan Ruyi can't dance. If she could, she would definitely ask the district chief to dance for her.
When the district head saw that no one was jumping, he and the director of the Women's Federation took the lead and jumped for a while before people slowly started to jump.
However, most of the time it's men dancing with men, and women dancing with women.
Everyone is shy, and only a few people have the courage to invite their favorite gay man or woman to dance.
Those who went down to jump were all skilled at jumping. Those who couldn't, like Yan Ruyi and Luo Huihui, went up at the beginning. As expected, they stepped on each other's feet, making each other grimac.
Luo Huihui said she was giving up, and the two of them sat on chairs by the sidelines, eating sunflower seeds and drinking tea.
They drank Yan Ruyi's favorite jasmine tea, and she felt the trip was worthwhile. Luo Huihui added that it would be even better if there were grapevines; since it's Qixi Festival, they might even be able to hear what the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were saying.
Yan Ruyi saw Xia Pengfei on the field, who was jumping around happily with a round-faced girl with braids.
It was one of the few occasions where men and women danced together.
Yan Ruyi exclaimed, "Xia Pengfei can even dance!"
And he jumped pretty well; at least he didn't step on the other person's feet.
Luo Huihui encouraged her, "After this song is over, have him teach you another one. He's very skilled at it, so if he teaches you, you'll learn it very quickly."
Yan Ruyi hesitated, "This isn't a good idea. He's here to find a girlfriend, and I think he's a bit interested in that girl, otherwise he wouldn't have asked her to dance..."
Luo Huihui looked around and suddenly pointed to a young man not far away, whispering to Yan Ruyi, "That man keeps looking at you, he must be interested in you. I bet he'll come over and ask you to dance soon."
Yan Ruyi was wondering who was interested in her, but before she could turn around to look for anyone, she felt a darkness before her eyes as someone stood in front of her, extending his hand to her in a gentlemanly manner. "Comrade Yan, may I have this dance with you?"
Yan Ruyi looked up and saw that it was Song Yiping.
Song Yiping was dressed casually today, wearing a white shirt, blue pants, and a watch on his wrist.
She looked like she had just gotten a haircut, and overall she looked very energetic.
Why is he here too!
Yan Ruyi was still holding a handful of sunflower seeds in her hand, and she stammered, "I...I can't dance."
Song Yiping said gently, "I'll take you."
Luo Huihui pushed her, "Go quickly."
Yan Ruyi was dazed. Luo Huihui urged her to stand up, and she subconsciously reached out to take Song Yiping's hand.
Luo Huihui reminded her, "Hey, sunflower seeds."
Yan Ruyi then remembered that she still had melon seeds in her hand, and hurriedly put them down.
Luo Huihui, worried that there might be sunflower seed crumbs on her hands, took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped them off for her, saying with the loving kindness of an old mother, "Go on."
Yan Ruyi was still a little dazed and confused when Song Yiping led her to the venue.
Song Yiping placed Yan Ruyi's left hand on his left shoulder, then put one arm around her waist and gently held her right hand with the other, saying softly, "I'll guide you. Just follow my rhythm. Even if you can't dance, it's okay. Just think of it as a leisurely stroll here to relax."
Yan Ruyi had never been so close to Song Yiping before; she could even see his eyelashes clearly.
She then noticed that his eyelashes were very long, longer than hers, and slightly curled upwards.
Moreover, looking at him up close like this, Song Yiping seems even more handsome.
It's very impolite to stare at someone like that, so Yan Ruyi quickly looked away.
But the two were too close, their breaths mingling, his deep voice was right next to her ear, and their hands were clasped together.
Yan Ruyi felt like she couldn't breathe anymore.
My ears felt a little hot, and my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of my chest.
However, compared to these things, she was more afraid of stepping on Song Yiping's feet, so she kept her head down and looked at her feet.
It was also a way to cover up his own discomfort.
Song Yiping: "Don't worry about stepping on my feet, I can take it."
Before coming here, Yan Ruyi recalled that Luo Huihui insisted on cramming at the last minute and had dragged her around several times.
As a result, the two of them stomped on each other until they screamed in pain.
When she first signed up, Luo Huihui was ambitious and wanted to shine at the social event and attract everyone's attention.
As a result, Yan Ruyi's foot was almost crushed by her.
Of course, Yan Ruyi almost crushed her foot as well.
Thinking of their miserable state back then, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Song Yiping smiled too, "Not nervous anymore?"
Yan Ruyi stubbornly replied, "I wasn't nervous, I just didn't expect you to come to the social gathering."
They even asked her to dance. She wasn't prepared for this, and it's normal for her to be nervous in such an unexpected situation.
“I am unmarried, which meets the requirements of the social club.”
Why emphasize being unmarried at this point? It's like everyone is unmarried.
Yan Ruyi decided to end the topic and praised him, "Commander Song, you danced really well."
Actually, Yan Ruyi didn't know whether Song Yiping's dancing was good or not, but when Song Yiping led her in dancing, she didn't step on his feet.
She categorized Song Yiping as one of the best dancers.
"The people of Sukhomlinsky like to hold social gatherings, so the organizers hired a teacher for us to teach us to dance, which is also part of our social etiquette."
When he mentioned the State of Su, Yan Ruyi thought of his recordings in Su language.
She has already listened to it from beginning to end once, and is now listening to it for the second time.
It wasn't that she learned quickly; it was simply that she thought Song Yiping's reading was very pleasant to listen to, so she kept playing it. She didn't even look at the book; she just lay on the bed, propped her chin up, and listened. The more she listened, the more she liked it.
Of course, she wouldn't tell Song Yiping any of this, and instead praised him, saying, "Your Su language is also very pleasant to hear."
Song Yiping laughed, "Why have you been praising me all day?"
Yan Ruyi didn't know why; perhaps she lost her mind because of the handsome man in front of her.
Of course, she couldn't say this out loud. She had a sudden idea. "Because Sihe wants me to ask him if the shell-carrying tank you promised him has been made yet."
He regretted it as soon as he said it, his tone sounding like he was urging someone.
They've already made a slingshot for me, aren't they just pushing their luck?
He quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Thank you for making the slingshot for Sihe. He's very playful. You made him a shell tank, and next time he'll ask you for something else. Just ignore him."
Song Yiping also felt somewhat uncomfortable.
After all, he coaxed Yan Minghe to call him brother; this was the first time in his life he had done something so shameless.
I don't know if Yan Minghe told his sister.
He coughed lightly. "He didn't ask me for it. I made it for him myself. Boys like these things. I can make them too. It's not much trouble. I've already finished the tank. I'll bring it to you tomorrow. Can you take it to him for me?"
Just as Yan Ruyi was about to thank Song Yiping, she heard Luo Huihui call out to her, "Ruyi."
She turned her head toward Luo Huihui, who was gesturing to her to look around.
Yan Ruyi looked around and realized that the music had stopped sometime earlier, and those who had been dancing on stage just moments before had all left.
She and Song Yiping were the only two people still dancing in the entire venue.
A group of people watched them and secretly laughed, even the district head and the director of the Women's Federation looked at them with smiles.
Yan Ruyi's face flushed red instantly. She let go of Song Yiping and ran to Luo Huihui.
Luo Huihui: "What are you two talking about? You were so engrossed in your conversation that I called you several times but you didn't hear me."
Yan Ruyi whispered, "They're talking about tanks."
Luo Huihui was shocked.
Commander Song is such a terrible conversationalist. Who talks about tanks while dancing with a woman at a Qixi Festival social gathering?
No wonder Yan Ruyi could resist the temptation of beauty and was unwilling to date Commander Song.
But then again, when did Ruyi become so interested in tanks that she didn't even notice the music had stopped?
Song Yiping came over and sat down next to her.
Yan Ruyi whispered, "Why didn't you remind me?"
Song Yiping said frankly, "I don't know when the music stopped."
He truly didn't know that if Luo Huihui hadn't called out to Yan Ruyi, he would have continued jumping with Yan Ruyi.
I estimate I can skip until the end of the social gathering.
Many people were looking in their direction, chuckling quietly.
She and Luo Huihui finally realized Luo Huihui's previous dream and became the focus of the entire event.
Although her snickers were well-intentioned, Yan Ruyi still felt a little embarrassed, fearing that Song Yiping would ask her to dance a second time. Before the next song started, she whispered to Luo Huihui, "Let's go back."
Luo Huihui was actually still somewhat unsatisfied.
Although she can't dance, and she hasn't left the stage yet.
But she loved watching. She ate free peanuts and melon seeds, drank free tea, and watched the people on stage dance gracefully. She could even learn as she watched, observing how they danced and dreaming of dominating the stage next time.
She seemed quite pleased with herself.
But if a good friend wants to leave, then let them go. Without hesitation, I said, "Okay, let's go."
Yan Ruyi turned to Song Yiping and asked, "Commander Song, Huihui and I are going back now, what do you want to do?"
She wanted to ask Song Yiping if he wanted to find someone else to continue dancing, but before she could finish, Song Yiping replied, "I'm not dancing anymore, I should go back too."
Luo Huihui wanted to poke her best friend's head: Commander Song is obviously after you, Yan Ruyi. If you leave, will he stay?
Song Yiping greeted the district head, and then the three of them left under the watchful eyes of everyone present.
The route from the district government compound to the Sany Machine Tool Factory residential compound is as follows: first, the electrical appliance factory residential compound, then the fertilizer factory residential compound, and finally the machine tool factory residential compound.
When they arrived at the factory's residential compound, Luo Huihui naturally handed over the task of taking Yan Ruyi home to Song Yiping, and went home with a clear conscience.
Just now, Luo Huihui was here, and Yan Ruyi was chatting away with her.
After Luo Huihui left, Yan Ruyi fell silent.
Song Yiping noticed her discomfort and started a conversation, "I heard that your last lecture on cultural relics was very successful."
Yan Ruyi gets excited when this is mentioned, after all, this event could be recorded in her 22-year history of glory.
“There were so many people that day that the courtyard of the street office was overflowing and people were standing on the street outside. Later, we collected a lot of good things. The most precious thing was a set of teaware, Jian ware black porcelain. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but it’s extremely precious. Although it’s from the early Qing Dynasty, this set of teaware is very well preserved. Teacher Qian said it came from the official kiln of Jian kiln.”
Song Yiping naturally knew about Jian kiln black porcelain; he had a set at home.
He didn't understand these things; he only remembered showing it to him when he was a child, saying that the tea set was called Wujinzhan, the most precious type of Jian kiln tea set.
The tea set had silver clasps around the rim and the words "for imperial use" engraved on the bottom. His grandfather said it was for the emperor.
He didn't think it was any good at the time. He just thought it was pitch black and the teacup was too small, so drinking tea wasn't satisfying. It was not as good as the big tea mug his father gave him, which could fill him up in one mug.
That really angered his grandfather.
But Yan Ruyi will definitely like it.
His family has a long history of collecting antiques, but the lineage is in danger of ending with his father's generation.
His father at least had some refined tastes, but he was not as good as his father.
His grandfather often lamented that there was no one to carry on the family line. If he married Yan Ruyi, this lineage would be continued. Yan Ruyi and his grandfather would surely appreciate each other, like kindred spirits meeting.
While talking to Yan Ruyi, Song Yiping was lost in thought and didn't realize that he had walked past. It wasn't until he saw that Yan Ruyi hadn't followed that he realized they had reached the gate of the machine tool factory's residential compound.
He went back down again.
Yan Ruyi got off her bicycle. "Commander Song, I've arrived. It's still early, so there's no need to see me in."
Song Yiping nodded, but didn't leave.
"Commander Song, I'm going in now."
Song Yiping called out to her, "Xiao Yan, can we give it a try? I like you and I hope you can give me a chance. If we spend some time together and you still feel that we can't get along, you can call it off anytime. Or if you think there's anything I'm doing wrong, you can tell me and I can change."
After thinking for a moment, he added seriously, "I don't smoke, I don't drink unless necessary, I have no other bad habits, the army gives me a physical examination every year, I'm healthy, I can do a thousand push-ups in one go. If we get married, I'll hand over my entire salary, and you can just give me some pocket money. You don't need to give me much, four or five yuan is enough, and I might not even use it all."
His original plan was to spend more time with Yan Ruyi and confess his feelings to her after she had gotten to know him well enough.
But tonight, he saw that several young men were interested in Yan Ruyi. If he had been any later, someone would have already taken Yan Ruyi away.
This made him feel a sense of crisis, and he decided to confess his feelings again. If he failed this time, he would try again and again!
Yan Ruyi's face flushed red again.
Who cares how many push-ups you can do in one go? Are you trying to prove your back is strong?
Besides, I haven't even agreed to date you yet, so how can I be so quick to talk about how much pocket money I'll get after we get married?
A handsome guy stands in front of you and says, "I like you. Let's be boyfriend and girlfriend. After we get married, I'll give you all my salary. I'll only need a little pocket money."
It's hard to refuse that.
Last time she could use "not being familiar with Song Yiping" as a reason to refuse, but now that they are quite familiar with each other, this excuse is a bit untenable.
Yan Ruyi lowered her head and kicked a small pebble on the roadside. "I'm actually not that good. I love spending money. My mom often says that I spend twice what I earn. I'm also a bit of a money-grubber, especially fond of antiques. Who knows, all the money I earn in the future will probably be spent on antiques."
She does love spending money, and her second sister-in-law always brings that up, saying that no man could stand her spending so much money.
She didn't know if Song Yiping could accept it.
After all, most men really can't accept their wives spending money.
Song Yiping pondered for a moment, then said to her without responding, "I understand. It's getting late, you can go inside now. Tomorrow at 9 o'clock, wait for me at Chayue Tea House. I'll give you the shell-cased tank I made for Sihe. I'm leaving now."
After saying that, he got on his bicycle and rode away, pedaling very fast, as if he had something extremely urgent waiting for him.
Yan Ruyi, "..."
So you were scared away?
Or did they give up when faced with difficulties?
It seems he doesn't like me as much as he claims!
Actually, I don't like you either, not at all.
Yan Ruyi was about to go back in a huff, but before she could even get on her bike, someone came over from the base of the wall and called out, "Ruyi."
Yan Ruyi said irritably, "Shen Zhimin, why are you always haunting me?"
During dinner that evening, Shen Zhimin and his mother had another argument because of Tang Yanna.
His mother still insisted that he hold onto Tang Yanna, but he wanted to break up with her, and the two ended up arguing.
His mother said that he was still thinking about Yan Ruyi, and in order to make him give up, she said that Yan Ruyi now had a boyfriend, the famous Regiment Commander Song in the military compound, and that many people had seen the two of them walking together.
Some people also saw that late at night, Commander Song escorted Yan Ruyi back.
Wang Lanying said, "If the man surnamed Song wasn't dating Yan Ruyi, why would he care about her so much?"
Shen Zhimin: "You're still talking nonsense. Last time, you were even taken to the police station because of your rumors."
"This time I'm not spreading rumors; many people in the machine tool factory's residential compound are talking about it."
Shen Zhimin didn't believe that Yan Ruyi had found a partner so quickly, and he was even less likely to believe that her partner was the famous Commander Song from the military region.
He believed that Yan Ruyi still had feelings for him and it was impossible for her to fall in love with someone else so quickly.
Moreover, Yan Ruyi's father was only a level seven fitter, while Commander Song's father was a division commander. It was impossible for these two to be a couple.
He thought so, but he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. His mother kept nagging, so he left home. As he walked, he somehow ended up in the machine tool factory's residential compound.
Just as I was about to go back, I saw Yan Ruyi riding back on her bicycle in the distance, with a man in military uniform beside her, who was none other than Song Yiping.
His heart skipped a beat, and he almost went up to her and confront her about whether she was dating Commander Song.
Fortunately, he came to his senses before Yan Ruyi saw him and found a place to hide, wanting to see what the two of them would say.
Then he overheard their conversation, and his mood immediately improved. He knew that Yan Ruyi still harbored feelings for him.
He only emerged from the shadows after Song Yiping left.
Shen Zhimin: "I went out for a walk, and I don't know how I ended up here."
He gave a bitter laugh, "Maybe I still care about you."
Yan Ruyi rolled her eyes at him. "Shen Zhimin, don't you find what you're saying disgusting? I find it disgusting."
Yan Ruyi didn't want to talk to him, but Shen Zhimin stopped her from leaving, saying, "Ruyi, I heard what you two were saying. You were right to reject him. He's not suitable for you. His family is too high-class. If you two really get married, his family will definitely look down on you. In the long run, he will also look down on you..."
Shen Zhimin was afraid that Yan Ruyi would interrupt him and stop him from speaking, so he spoke without pausing.
Yan Ruyi looked at his hands gripping the handlebars, "I'll count to three, one, two..."
Shen Zhimin had experienced Yan Ruyi's fists before, and he let go of her hand before she could count to three. Yan Ruyi was quite satisfied, "If there's a next time, I'll give you a sack!"
Yan Ruyi rode away on her bike, still fuming. She thought to herself, "When we meet tomorrow, I'll definitely ask Song Yiping why he ran so fast. Is he a tiger?"
-----------------------
Author's note: So what was Commander Song in such a hurry to do?
Tomorrow is Saturday, I'll be sending out a bunch of red envelopes to wish all my little ones good luck!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
