Chapter 52 (Combined)
Yan Ruyi thought back to the first time she saw Song Yiping. Besides the shocking little gold lettering, she was also amazed at how handsome he was.
Now that this handsome person has been snatched into his bowl, only he can see his unserious side. Others can only see his cold and aloof appearance and think they are so lucky.
She didn't reply to Song Yiping. Seeing that no one was around, she quickly went up and kissed him.
This already shows her attitude.
His girlfriend is sometimes as thin-skinned as a sheet of paper, and sometimes incredibly bold.
Regardless, Song Yiping liked him, especially now that she had taken the initiative to kiss him, which showed that she liked him too.
Song Yiping tried to rub her head again, but she quickly protected it, saying, "Don't rub it, I still need to see Grandpa later."
Song Yiping led Yan Ruyi to Grandpa Zhang's house with familiarity with the place. From a distance, they could hear people arguing in the yard, each one louder than the last.
Song Yiping was already used to it, so he remained calm.
The two walked to the courtyard gate and saw a small square table set up against the south wall of the main room. Two elderly people with gray hair were playing chess, and several people were watching the game.
The saying "watching chess without speaking" doesn't apply here, because the spectators are louder than the players.
Song Yiping and Yan Ruyi had both walked up to them, but no one saw them.
Song Yiping called out, "Grandpa."
Song Yuming looked up and saw that his grandson had arrived.
Looking next to her grandson, there was a young girl standing there. Needless to say, she must be her grandson's girlfriend.
Song Yuming said to Grandpa Zhang across from him, "My grandson and his girlfriend are here. Let's stop here for today and continue tomorrow. Let's make it clear that you can't move the board. I've memorized the position of every piece. If you move it, you lose."
Grandpa Zhang said, "Who do you think you are? I won't move a single piece. I'll checkmate you again tomorrow."
Song Yuming then stood up. He had just been arguing with Grandpa Zhang until his face turned red, but when he spoke to Yan Ruyi, he smiled warmly. "Is it Ruyi?"
Qian Dongcheng said that Song Yiping looks a lot like his grandfather. When the two stand together, they do look quite alike, both being tall with thick eyebrows and big eyes.
At Song Yuming's age, many elderly people unconsciously hunch their backs, but Song Yuming still maintains an upright posture.
Yan Ruyi thought that when Song Yiping got older, he would probably look like his grandfather.
She obediently greeted, "Hello Grandpa, I am Yan Ruyi."
Song Yuming cursed at Song Yiping, "You brat, you didn't even call before you came."
Song Yiping calmly replied, "I wanted to give you a surprise."
There was a surprise, but it was a bit embarrassing that his future granddaughter-in-law saw him arguing with someone.
Song Yuming didn't specifically explain why he argued with Grandpa Zhang. The lack of explanation meant that nothing had happened, and he remained the same warm and gentle Grandpa Song in front of his grandchildren.
Song Yuming led the two home.
He was accompanied only by one bodyguard named Zhou Hongyun.
Zhou Hongyun had already brought all the gifts inside. When Song Yuming entered the house, the first thing he saw was the basket of steamed buns containing meat buns.
Yan Ruyi said, "My mom just steamed these. She asked me to bring some over to Grandpa. My mom's meat buns are so delicious, even better than the ones sold outside."
Yan Ruyi often praises her mother, but after praising her, she becomes a little embarrassed, saying, "I don't know if it suits Grandpa's taste."
Song Yuming said, "I love meat buns. I was so busy playing chess at noon that I didn't eat enough. Xiao Zhou, could you heat up a few buns for me?"
Turning to Yan Ruyi, he asked, "Ruyi, how many do you want to eat?"
Yan Ruyi quickly said, "Grandpa, I don't want to eat. I already ate when we arrived."
Song Yuming then said to Zhou Hongyun, "Yiping isn't eating either, so I'll eat two. You can add as many as you like."
Song Yiping, "..."
He knew that Yan Ruyi was his grandfather's true granddaughter!
Song Yuming accepted all the gifts and said to Yan Ruyi, "Your mother is very kind. Please thank her for me when you get back."
Yan Ruyi took the Duan inkstone out of her bag and placed it in front of Grandpa Song. "Grandpa, this is a gift for you."
Grandpa Song's eyes lit up immediately; he recognized it at a glance. "Is this a Duan inkstone?"
Yan Ruyi said, "It's a Duan inkstone, which I found at an antique market."
She didn't dare say which antique market she found it in, but thankfully the old man didn't ask.
The old man examined the inkstone closely. “Judging from the shape and polishing technique, it looks like it’s from the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty. Most inkstones from this period are this kind of basket shape and are relatively small in size. The design of the inkstone foot is also more gentle compared to the earlier period.”
Yan Ruyi said, "This design is indeed more practical. The difference in height between the ink pool and the end of the pool in the early days was too great, making it inconvenient for grinding ink. It was not until the middle and late Tang Dynasty that the height of the inkstone feet was gradually reduced."
Therefore, modern methods of determining the age of Duan inkstones are basically based on this characteristic.
...
The two talked about Tang dynasty inkstones, She inkstones, Tao inkstones, and Chengni inkstones, and then about Ming dynasty porcelain, Tang dynasty porcelain, and Song dynasty porcelain...
Song Yiping was completely bewildered, and seeing the two chatting so enthusiastically that they didn't even bother to drink a sip of water.
Just then, Zhou Hongyun brought over the heated buns. Song Yiping wanted the two of them to rest, so he reminded the old man, "Grandpa, the buns are ready."
Grandpa Song said, "Don't interrupt."
He casually picked up a steamed bun and asked Yan Ruyi while eating, "Does this steamed bun have dried radish in it? It tastes so good... Where were we? It's all because of this kid, he interrupted me and I forgot everything."
"Grandpa was just talking about Song Dynasty porcelain."
"Yes, among Song Dynasty porcelain, my favorite is Song Dynasty celadon. I heard from Yiping that the ancient porcelain kiln in Zhaojiagang was discovered through you. I wanted to chat with you back then, but this kid wouldn't let me, saying it wasn't the right time."
...
Grandpa Song usually has a woman from the village come over to cook for him at mealtimes.
Grandpa Song has a very regular lifestyle. He usually eats dinner at 5:30 pm, takes a walk in the village after dinner, and goes to bed at 8 pm.
The cook's sister-in-law also had the surname Song, and Song Yiping always called her Sister-in-law Song.
Sister-in-law Song usually comes over at 4:30 to cook, and she arrived on time today as well.
She has a cheerful personality. When she saw that guests had come to her house, she asked Grandpa Song loudly, "Grandpa, we have guests. How are you going to cook today?"
Grandpa Song usually eats simple meals, mostly one meat dish and one vegetable dish.
The meat dishes were also to take care of Zhou Hongyun, a young man whose body couldn't handle not eating meat all the time.
Song Yiping usually comes here. Sister-in-law Song recognizes her, but she doesn't recognize Yan Ruyi. She thought Yan Ruyi was a guest and didn't know if she was eating here, so she asked Grandpa Song.
Grandpa Song glanced at his watch and realized it was already 4:30.
He was so busy talking to Yan Ruyi that he forgot to tell Zhou Hongyun to inform Sister-in-law Song in advance that he wanted to invite his future granddaughter-in-law to dinner and to ask her to prepare a few more dishes.
Instead of reflecting on his own actions, he scolded Song Yiping, "You brat, it's so late and you didn't even remind me."
Song Yiping, "..."
After scolding Song Yiping, he said to Song's sister-in-law, "I was so busy talking that I forgot to tell you beforehand that Yiping's boyfriend is coming today. You should cook a few more dishes."
Song Yiping said to Grandpa Song, "It's too late, and Ruyi and I have to go back to the city, so we won't have dinner here."
Winter days are short and it gets dark early, so driving at night is indeed unsafe. Grandpa Song had no choice but to let Song Yiping and Yan Ruyi leave.
"Wait a moment before you go."
After Grandpa Song finished speaking, he went into the bedroom, took out a red envelope, and gave it to Yan Ruyi, saying, "I prepared it a long time ago, but I never had a chance to give it to you."
The old man had a typical military style; he was straightforward in his actions and words and disliked people who were hesitant or indecisive.
Yan Ruyi didn't refuse and accepted the red envelope directly, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa."
Grandpa Song was even more satisfied. "It's getting late, so I won't keep you any longer. When you're free, I'll have Yiping bring you over to play. If Yiping isn't available, you can come by yourself. Just call ahead and I'll have Xiao Zhou pick you up."
Song Yiping: "Understood."
Grandpa Song said, "I was talking to Ruyi, not you."
Yan Ruyi suppressed a laugh, said goodbye to Grandpa Song, and left with Song Yiping.
Yan Ruyi only realized she was thirsty after getting into the car.
She talked with Grandpa Song for almost the entire afternoon, barely having time to drink any water.
As if by magic, Song Yiping took a thermos from his coat pocket and handed it to Yan Ruyi, saying, "Are you thirsty? Have some water."
Yan Ruyi asked in confusion, "Where did you get this thermos?"
Song Yi: "Grandpa, I asked Xiao Zhou, and Xiao Zhou said it was just issued by the army. Grandpa hasn't used it yet."
Yan Ruyi thought that her commander Song was really beautiful, kind-hearted and considerate.
The water in the cup was neither too hot nor too cold, just right for drinking. She gulped down half a cup before screwing the lid on.
She held the red envelope that Grandpa Song gave her the whole time.
I put the red envelope on my lap while I was drinking water.
After drinking the water, he picked up the red envelope and found it to be much thicker than the red envelopes given by Song Yiping's parents.
I opened it and counted the money; there was a whopping 5,000 yuan!
Yan Ruyi murmured, "This is too much."
Including what Song Yiping's parents gave him, it's almost ten thousand yuan.
Song Yiping said, "Just take it. They don't spend much money anyway, so it's better for you to spend it for them."
They are all military personnel, so they don't have many places to spend money on daily life. In addition, they are usually busy with work and don't have time to go shopping. They deposit their salaries directly into the bank.
They themselves probably don't even know exactly how much they've saved.
Moreover, the family rarely buys gifts; they prefer a simple and direct approach, giving money directly.
Buying what you like is better than receiving an undesirable gift.
Anyway, he has almost never received gifts since he was a child; he has always received money.
By the time Yan Ruyi arrived home, it was already dark.
Hearing the noise, Luo Huihui ran out of the house, "Ruyi!"
Ye Hongzhen also came out of the house and looked behind her. "Where's Xiao Song? Didn't she come back with you?"
"It was too late, so I sent him home."
Ye Hongzhen said, "I left him a few meat buns, which are still warming in the pot."
After saying that, she went to the kitchen and took the buns out of the pot.
Luo Huihui whispered, "She's been saving steamed buns for her son-in-law until now. No wonder they say a mother-in-law likes her son-in-law more and more the longer she looks at him."
It was cold outside, so Yan Ruyi pulled Luo Huihui inside. "Why are you here?"
Luo Huihui, "I miss you."
After saying that, he smiled and pulled her into the inner room, then closed the door.
"Let me show you something good."
Yan Ruyi noticed that she wasn't holding anything in her hands and asked, "Where are you?"
Luo Huihui mysteriously took something out of her cotton-padded coat pocket. "Here it is."
After saying that, he gestured on his own body to show Yan Ruyi, "Can you tell what it is?"
Yan Ruyi realized it was a bra.
However, it uses far less material than what they are wearing now; what they are wearing now is almost like a half-up vest.
The one Luo Huihui was holding only had two pieces of fabric in the front, at the crucial parts, and the shoulder straps and back straps were two thin, narrow straps.
There are two buttons at the very back; fasten them when you put it on.
Yan Ruyi said, "It would be embarrassing to wear something that shows so much skin."
Luo Huihui rolled her eyes. "You're wearing it underneath, and you're not showing it to anyone, so what's there to be embarrassed about? Let me tell you, I tried it on, and it's more comfortable than what we're wearing now. At least when we run, my breasts won't bounce around with us."
Luo Huihui has a large bust, and the tank tops she wears now can't contain it at all. She feels uncomfortable when she runs and jumps. Because of this, Luo Huihui didn't like to go to physical education class when she was in school.
"Then where did you get this from?"
“My second sister-in-law made it for me. She already wore it herself. I brought it over to show you. If you want some, I’ll ask my second sister-in-law to make a few for you too.”
Yan Ruyi was somewhat tempted, "Does your second sister-in-law not know what size suits me?"
This isn't a shirt or pants; you can't just take measurements and make it according to the measurements.
Luo Huihui said, "Take off your clothes and let me use my hands to measure. When we get home, I'll show them to my second sister-in-law. She's made several of them before and has experience. She can tell the right size at a glance."
Yan Ruyi covered her cotton-padded coat, "No, it's too embarrassing."
Luo Huihui was speechless. "When we went to the bathhouse, we were both completely naked, and you still asked me to scrub your back. You didn't seem embarrassed at all."
"That's different."
When you go to a public bathhouse, everyone is completely naked, so it's not unusual.
This isn't a public bathhouse. If you asked her to strip naked and show Luo Huihui her breasts, she'd never do it, even if you beat her to death.
Luo Huihui was at a loss. "Then I'll have my second sister-in-law do it my way. You just need to be one size smaller than my estimate."
After saying that, he muttered to himself, "Let's see what you do after you marry Commander Song."
Yan Ruyi's face turned red from her words. She pinned her to the bed and tickled her, saying, "I'll teach you to talk nonsense!"
Luo Huihui was ticklish all over and laughed so hard she rolled around on the floor, saying, "I'm not going to talk about it anymore."
Yan Ruyi then released her.
The two lay side by side on the bed.
Luo Huihui nudged her, "Aren't you going to receive your award next Tuesday?"
Speaking of this, Yan Ruyi got excited and said with a look of anticipation, "Next Tuesday morning, the mayor will personally present us with the awards. Hey, is your second sister-in-law going to the event too? When the mayor shakes hands with me, ask her to take a picture of me. I want to enlarge it and hang it in our office."
The mayor is not only refined in appearance, but also very capable, especially in business. Under his leadership, Beijing has developed particularly rapidly in recent years.
A few days ago, she met He Zaixian, who said that Beijing is changing every day.
The mayor deserves much credit for the tremendous changes in Beijing.
He is now Yan Ruyi's idol.
Luo Huihui: "Okay, I'll tell my second sister-in-law to take a few more pictures of you. Oh, our Ruyi is so lucky, let me get a few shots and share in some of her good fortune."
Yan Ruyi also felt that she was lucky, but occasionally someone would give her a hard time.
Every Monday, Yan Ruyi would report to Director Liu on the previous week's work and the work arrangements for the following week.
This time, she also brought her prepared speech to show Director Liu.
Luo Huihui said that their section chief was particularly fussy. No matter what the report was, as long as he reviewed it, he would always find something wrong with it. And it wasn't just once, but at least two or three times, and he would find something wrong with it each time.
The report I wrote was always revised again and again.
Luo Huihui said she always wanted to smear the report in their section chief's face.
Yan Ruyi was much luckier; none of the three leaders she encountered—Xu Licheng, Jiang Dongming, or Director Liu—had this problem.
Even if it's poorly written, I'll point it all out at once, and at most I'll have to revise it once.
Director Liu praised her for writing the speech well, and didn't ask her to change a single word.
She left Director Liu's office, intending to take a bus to Yanjiang Road.
Just outside the Cultural Relics Bureau compound, I came face to face with Shen Zhimin.
She didn't intend to speak to Shen Zhimin, but Shen Zhimin called out to her, "Ruyi, it's been a long time since I've seen you. I heard you and Commander Song are dating."
Yan Ruyi said, "What does this have to do with you? Let me tell you, Yiping and I are in a military marriage, and breaking up a military marriage is illegal."
Shen Zhimin said, "Ruyi, don't be so hostile towards me. I did not approve of you dating Commander Song before, but now that you are together, I will not bring up the past anymore. I will only wish you well."
Who cares about his blessing?
That's not bad enough.
Shen Zhimin said, “Ruyi, I heard that your preparatory office is recruiting people. Could you transfer me there? As you know, my grades were pretty good when I was in school, and I’m also very interested in the auction industry. I’d like to work with you. If you’re worried that I won’t be able to handle it, you can temporarily transfer me there first. After I’ve worked there for a while, you can decide whether to keep me or not.”
Shen Zhimin was assigned to an archaeological team when he graduated.
He found the archaeological team's work too tough, so he stayed at the appraisal center through Tang Yanna. Later, after being reported, he went from the appraisal center to the archaeological team.
For this reason, he was disliked by everyone in the archaeological team, and his situation was somewhat difficult. If he didn't find a way to leave the team, he would probably spend his whole life just brushing the walls of pits with a small brush.
The only chance for them to leave the archaeological team now is to go to the auction center.
After all, they had dated before. If Yan Ruyi were to remember their past relationship, she might transfer him there.
Yan Ruyi looked at him like he was an idiot. "Even if I were to recruit someone, I wouldn't recruit you. You're Captain Gu's right-hand man now. I can't poach you from Captain Gu's team. Besides, if I recruit you, you'll be hanging around under my nose all the time, and I'll feel uncomfortable too."
Shen Zhimin gave a wry smile. "Do you hate me that much now?"
Yan Ruyi: "I wouldn't say I hate him. Who would hate a complete stranger?"
It's better to just hate it.
Shen Zhimin: "Ruyi, I sincerely apologize for what happened before..."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard someone call out Yan Ruyi's name. He looked up and saw a green Jeep driving up.
The jeep stopped by the roadside, and Yan Ruyi happily ran over.
Song Yiping got out of the car. "Here to report on your work?"
"Yes, I just finished reporting and was about to head back. Are you going on a field mission?"
"I'm going to the Armed Forces Department to take care of some business. I can give you a ride up."
He opened the passenger door and let Yan Ruyi get in.
He glanced at Shen Zhimin before closing the door.
Shen Zhimin originally wanted to go up and greet Song Yiping.
As a result, a single look from Song Yiping made him back down.
The man's eyes were terrifying, and they carried a hint of contempt.
I heard this person has been to the battlefield. People like this usually have bad tempers. Don't be fooled by his sweet talk to Yan Ruyi now. Once they get married, his true colors will be revealed, and Yan Ruyi will have a hard time.
It's possible they could beat you three times a day.
Thinking about it this way, Shen Zhimin felt a little better.
The commendation meeting for outstanding workers was held in the auditorium of the municipal government.
Luo Huihui came over early in the morning and dug Yan Ruyi out of bed.
Yan Ruyi was so excited last night that she didn't fall asleep until very late. She felt like she had only slept for a few hours before Luo Huihui woke her up.
She checked her watch and it was only 7 o'clock.
The commendation ceremony doesn't start until 9 o'clock, so it's not too late to go there at 8 o'clock.
She yawned. "I went to bed late last night. Let me sleep a little longer."
He then started to slide into the blankets.
Luo Huihui pulled her back to sleep, saying, "You're going on stage to receive an award today, so you have to dress up nicely. This time it's not like last time when you were an announcer. Last time there was a makeup artist to do your makeup, but this time there isn't. You have to do your own makeup, otherwise you won't look energetic when the stage lights are on, and the photos won't look good either. That's what my second sister-in-law said."
Yan Ruyi has been so excited these past two days that she forgot about this.
"I don't wear makeup, and I don't have any cosmetics."
Luo Huihui: "I can. I asked my second sister-in-law to borrow a set of cosmetics from her sister-in-law. Her sister-in-law works in an arts troupe, so she has all the makeup products she needs. I'll do your makeup in a bit."
Yan Ruyi asked warily, "You're not going to turn me into a monkey's butt again, are you?"
When Yan Ruyi went on stage to sing at the university graduation party, it was Luo Huihui who did her makeup. She wore heavy makeup and had two blobs of blush on her cheeks.
When I went on stage, because of the lights, it was a bit exaggerated, but it was still passable.
However, once she stepped off the stage and the lights were off, Yan Ruyi's face looked exactly like a monkey's bottom, and her classmates laughed at her for a long time.
Luo Huihui: "Last time, I didn't have any experience. My second sister-in-law said I should wear heavy makeup, otherwise my face would look pale when the stage lights came on, so I just put on heavy makeup."
Luo Huihui didn't want to bring up this embarrassing history again. She patted her chest and assured Yan Ruyi, "This time I formally became an apprentice. I went to learn from my second sister-in-law and brother and sister-in-law for a few days. I also practiced on myself. Even my second sister-in-law said I have talent. I definitely won't fail this time."
Yan Ruyi decided to trust her good friend one more time.
After all, she didn't want to appear in the newspaper with a deathly pale face.
Yan Ruyi struggled to get out of bed, and after washing her face, Luo Huihui pressed her down into a chair.
Luo Huihui took the mirror from the table and shoved it into Yan Ruyi's hand. "Look in the mirror. If you think my makeup isn't good, you can smear the mirror on my face."
Luo Huihui opened her handbag and took out makeup tools one by one, introducing them to Yan Ruyi: "This is a powder brush, this is a pressed powder, this is blush, this is lipstick..."
It took Luo Huihui more than half an hour to finish doing Yan Ruyi's makeup. After finishing, she stepped back a few steps, admired Yan Ruyi's makeup, and gave herself a score of 99 out of 100.
Losing a little bit is leaving yourself room for improvement.
He then shoved the mirror in front of Yan Ruyi, saying, "Take a look and see if you're satisfied this time."
Luo Huihui is no longer like that, always wearing monkey butt makeup. She has now learned to apply makeup according to the occasion.
If Yan Ruyi were to continue working as an announcer, her makeup would need to be a bit heavier, because even after she leaves the stage, she's still backstage.
Today, Yan Ruyi was going on stage to receive an award. Before receiving the award, she was sitting in the audience, so it wasn't appropriate for her to wear heavy makeup, otherwise it would look too exaggerated. Therefore, Luo Huihui only applied a little powder to Yan Ruyi, a thin layer of blush, light pink eyeshadow, and a dusty rose lipstick instead of bright red.
At first glance, it looks like she's not wearing makeup, but it's also somewhat different from her usual look.
Yan Ruyi expressed her satisfaction and praised her good friend, "Huihui, you're amazing! You've only been learning for a few days and you're already doing such a good job."
Luo Huihui said proudly, "I knew I wouldn't fail this time. Let's make it clear that I'll do your bridal makeup when you and Commander Song get married. I'll also learn from my second sister-in-law and brother-in-law for a while, so I'll do an even better job then."
Yan Ruyi looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, admiring her beauty, and casually said, "Who said I was going to marry him?"
Luo Huihui scoffed, "You're just being stubborn."
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Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone!
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