Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Three-party meeting in Shura Field
The small bed in the room was made by Lin Wan when she was in junior high school.
Lin Guoyou went up the mountain to find some materials. He cut down pine wood as thick as a bowl and brought it home. He made it into a bed and hung it out to dry. Then he carefully ground it all over with barbs. It became a solid bed. He covered it with straw and a bed sheet embroidered with peonies. Although it was small, it was quite comfortable.
But at this moment, Lin Wan felt that she was not sleeping well.
When she was at the Fu family's house, she occupied one side of the big bed and had no physical contact with Fu Xiuhuai.
However, at this moment, it was a bit crowded for two adults to lie down on the small bed.
Facing the wall, Lin Wan was covered with a quilt filled with freshly fluffed cotton. The fragrant and soft mattress could not make her ignore the warmth coming from her back.
There was wind and rain outside the window, and the cold air was pouring in, but Lin Wan didn't feel cold at all.
......
I slept very carefully all night.
When Lin Wan woke up in a daze, she found that she was facing outside. When she opened her eyes, she saw a man's face, so close that if she got an inch closer, she would touch his skin.
Fu Xiuhuai had his eyes tightly closed, his long eyelashes drooping quietly above his eyelids, and his thin lips slightly closed under his high nose bridge.
Lin Wan held her breath, her curled eyelashes trembling slightly. Seeing the man's eyelids moving, as if he was about to wake up, she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
It was dark and Lin Wan could no longer see anything. She could only hear rustling sounds and a burning gaze lingering on her face.
The air around was thin, so Lin Wan didn't dare to move. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the man next to her getting up.
However, after a moment, the man seemed to come back and gradually approached her. Even with her eyes closed, Lin Wan could clearly feel that the distance between them was close, and even their breathing gradually became entangled.
The man's slender, bony fingers gently scraped the tip of her nose, gently and softly, the slightly rough fingertips of the man bringing a slight tickling sensation that made Lin Wan's heart tremble. The familiar intimacy made Lin Wan clench her palms under the blanket, not daring to breathe.
Fu Xiuhuai's touch was fleeting. A moment later, the sound of a wooden door creaked. Lin Wan slowly opened her eyes, and the man was no longer in the hut.
***
After lingering in the house for a while, Lin Wan went to the main room and heard laughter coming from the kitchen.
On the wall under the eaves stood a familiar enamel pot with the words "Progressive Youth" printed in large red letters, and below it was a simple drawing of a flipping book.
Lin Wan was brushing her teeth while holding the enamel pot, thinking about how her uncle and aunt bought her a reward for her when she graduated from junior high school and was admitted to the best high school in town. It cost her one yuan and fifty cents, which was really not cheap.
This time when I got home, my family cleaned it again and put it back in its original place.
The kitchen was filled with smoke. Zhou Guihua was cooking corn porridge. Lin Chengwei was sitting in front of the stove, fanning the fire and chatting with his brother-in-law Huai Ge.
"Brother Huai, you don't know that Wanwan was actually quite naughty when she was little, but she became more and more gentle as she grew up."
"Wanwan has been able to study since she was young. I scored 20 points in elementary school, her second sister scored 50, and she can score 100!"
Lin Chengwei didn't say a word, and Lin Hong joined in: "Why did I get 50 points? I'm in junior high school after all."
"Yes, yes, I'm the one with the lowest education in my family." Lin Chengwei, who had just graduated from elementary school, said this to himself. Suddenly, he remembered something and his glasses lit up. "No, my parents are the worst. They can barely read."
Zhou Guihua stirred the soup in the iron pot with a spoon and laughed angrily: "You are the only one who can slander your own parents!"
Lin Wan washed her face with a smile, put the enamel plate back on the shelf, and was about to walk into the kitchen to join in when she heard her eldest brother's mean voice.
"Speaking of which, when we were little, we were playing house and were assigned to cook for the wedding, but Wanwan refused. She was only five or six at the time. The boys in the village looked down on her, saying she either blew her nose or drooled at the sight of candy. Look at their eyes!" Lin Chengwei looked at his brother-in-law, "Brother Huai is really capable. He has bewitched our Wanwan... Ouch!"
"Lin Chengwei!" Lin Wan quickly ran to the stove, grabbed her brother's arm, and glared at him fiercely, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
It's so embarrassing to tell others about your childhood.
"I'm telling the truth." Lin Chengwei leaned over from behind Lin Wan and looked at Fu Xiuhuai, grinning, "Brother Huai, it's true!"
Lin Wan glanced at Fu Xiuhuai who was standing at the door, and seeing his smiling eyes, she quickly turned her face away and warned her elder brother not to mention their childhood again.
......
The vacation lasted five days in total. Lin Wan had a rare opportunity to rest at home happily. When the neighbors heard that the college students had returned, many of them came to watch and chat.
Seeing that the newcomers were guests, the Lin family gave them candies and were very happy.
A group of children in the village had rarely seen a four-wheeled car, so they formed a circle and stared at it with sparkling eyes. They couldn't help but want to touch it.
"Your hands are so dirty, don't let others hurt them!" Eleven-year-old Tiehua was a big boy. She majestically ordered Goudan, whose hands were dirty, to leave.
Goudan's mouth drooped, and he looked extremely depressed.
Lin Wan watched from afar, a slight smile on her lips, but since the car wasn't hers, it was hard to say anything...
Until the sound of footsteps approached from afar, Fu Xiuhuai called out to the group of children: "You can touch the car, but wash your hands."
Goudan was pleasantly surprised, his eyes shining like the stars in the sky: "Can I really touch it?"
"Your sister Wanwan agreed."
Cheers erupted from the group of children, and they all rushed to wash their hands. After washing them thoroughly, they wiped them dry on their clothes, and then they reached out their hands cautiously, as if they were handling some rare treasure.
Goudan touched the car's body three or four times, then hopped away with a look of enjoyment on his face: "Sister Wanwan, this car is amazing! It feels different from a tractor!"
Lin Wan rubbed Goudan's little head, thinking of the time when she left the village for college and the three-year-old Goudan stuffed her with orange candies. She couldn't help but smile: "Why don't you go and thank me..."
After all, this car belonged to Fu Xiuhuai, and he was the one giving him face. Lin Wan was just about to ask the children to express their gratitude when she saw Goudan jumping and skipping in front of Fu Xiuhuai.
A bright smile blossomed on his dark face. Goudan tried hard to act well-behaved and polite, following his parents' instructions and not embarrassing Sister Wanwan. "Thank you, uncle. Sister Wanwan asked me to thank you."
Lin Wanzheng looked relieved, but suddenly froze, especially when she saw Fu Xiuhuai's stiff face. She really couldn't hold back her laughter, so she had to lower her head and tried hard to suppress the corners of her mouth that were unconsciously rising.
Fu Xiuhuai pursed his thin lips, looked at the little kid in front of him, and suddenly became speechless.
Sister Wanwan, uncle...
Goudan didn't think there was anything wrong at all, and he skipped away again. In the sunset, only the depressed Fu Xiuhuai and the laughing Lin Wan were left.
The light was faint, outlining the corners of Lin Wan's eyes and eyebrows. Dots of gold spread the smile at the corners of her mouth. The golden crow was hanging, as if coating the woman in the field with a ray of light and shadow.
Fu Xiuhuai took a few steps back and stopped in front of the woman who was trying hard to hide her smile. He raised his thin lips slightly and said, "Our children must not say such irritating words in the future."
The teasing smile disappeared in a flash. Lin Wan raised her eyes and saw the man in a straight black suit. Her gaze moved upwards inch by inch, only to see Fu Xiuhuai's deep eyes slightly lit up, and the words "our child" in her ears... made her cheeks slightly hot.
Lin Wan turned around suddenly, no longer wanting to make fun of Fu Xiuhuai who was called old, and quickened her pace to leave in a hurry.
......
It seems to rain every day during the National Day holiday.
In the evening of the second day after returning home, Lin Guoyou was busy in front of the stove, boiling a large pot of hot water. Lin Wan and Fu Xiuhuai went to the side room one by one to take a bath.
After changing into the pajamas she brought back, Lin Wan threw the clothes she had taken off into the enamel basin, preparing to wash them later. She turned around and took down the towel hanging on the rope under the eaves, wrapped it around her wet hair and rubbed it dry.
The Lin family didn't have a hair dryer, so they had to let their hair dry naturally. Lin Wan sat on a wooden chair in the yard, rubbing her hair with a towel, occasionally lowering her head to brush it...
Her black hair was like a waterfall, gradually dried by the wind. A shadowy figure passed by among the strands of hair. Lin Wan didn't take it seriously at first. After a while, all her clothes were washed and hung on the long bamboo pole in the corner of the yard, accompanying Fu Xiuhuai's clothes. When they fluttered in the wind, Lin Wan's face turned red.
After Fu Xiuhuai finished washing the clothes, he put the enamel tray back to its original place and slowly walked towards Lin Wan: "There is no hair dryer at home, shall I dry your hair for you?"
Lin Wan clenched the towel tightly and shook her head: "No, it's almost dry."
While speaking, Lin Wan's eyes never fell on Fu Xiuhuai's face, and she didn't even dare to look at the dress and underwear she had been wearing for the past two days on the clothesline.
***
Time seems to be speeding up, and five days of vacation always pass much faster than five days of work.
On October 5th, Lin Wan and Fu Xiuhuai prepared to return early in the morning, and the back seat of the Santana was piled with various local specialties.
"Uncle, aunt, we really can't take so much." Lin Wan tried to stop them, but failed.
Behind him, Lin Chengwei and Lin Hong helped put it into the car.
The car was packed. After Fu Xiuhuai and Lin Wan said goodbye to the Lin family, they were about to sit in the front row. The wheels of the Santana rolled, stirring up a new round of dust.
When the car drove to the entrance of the village, Tiehua, Tiedan, Goudan and a few others followed to join in the fun and waved to the familiar big sister.
"Sister Wanwan." Goudan ran after the slowing car and shouted, "Sister Wanwan, you and your husband should come back together next time!"
Lin Wan in the passenger seat: QAQ
Lin Wan quickly turned sideways to look at Fu Xiuhuai who was driving and was a little surprised. Fu Xiuhuai was a mature boss and he shouldn't bribe a little brat to say such things.
......
After returning to Jiangcheng, the Santana stopped at the Fu family villa. Aunt Wang heard the noise and came out to help. When she saw a lot of good things, her eyes lit up.
"Oh, these are all good things!" Aunt Wang came from the countryside to work in the city. Thanks to her good cooking skills, she became a nanny with a salary comparable to that of a state-owned factory worker. However, she had seen a lot of ingredients in the city, and many of them were still not as good as those in the countryside.
Lin Wan was also craving the taste of home. As she and Aunt Wang carried the food in, she kept worrying, "Mrs. Fu... Old Madam hasn't had a good appetite lately. She said she wanted the wild vegetables we used to eat in the village. I saw them when I got home this time, so I dug some for her."
Fu Xiuhuai's mother was kind to others, and Lin Wan always kept it in mind.
Aunt Wang smiled brighter than a flower: "You are so thoughtful. The old lady is thinking about you!"
The two walked into the kitchen one after the other and put the things into the cupboards and refrigerator. Fu Xiuhuai fell behind with the remaining packages. As he listened to Lin Wan's words, his brows softened.
That night, Fu Xiutong returned home for dinner, asked a few questions about his younger brother and sister-in-law's family, and then turned to talk about the steel plant with his second brother.
"The funds will be available next month, and I'll transfer the money to you then."
Fu Xiuhuai was not in a hurry to use the money. He only cared about what he heard: "Is everything okay behind the factory?"
Fu Xiutong smiled and said, "There are foreign investors ready to invest in us, which can solve our funding problem!"
It was a foreign company again. Lin Wan immediately thought of the situation in the garment factory and wondered what the result of the factory's discussions was.
The next day, when Lin Wan returned to the garment factory, Director Feng called her to the deputy director's office as soon as she arrived at the factory office.
"Comrade Xiaolin, we've held a meeting and decided to put Charles' investment aside for now." Deputy Director Wang considered carefully and ultimately chose a conservative approach. "We'll seek foreign investment instead."
Lin Wan was not surprised. Charles' investment conditions were harsh, especially the ambiguous traps in the contract. It was right to be cautious.
Deputy Factory Director Wang then assigned tasks: "Some Hong Kong business representatives will be coming to Jiangcheng soon. They're quite capable. I heard you can speak Cantonese?"
Lin Wan knew that she must have been noticed when she occasionally hummed a few Hong Kong songs in the office: "Deputy Director Wang, I was just singing along."
"Well, that's quite capable." Deputy Director Wang waved his hand, determined to try again. "It's good to be able to say a few words and get closer to people. Comrade Xiaolin, you should follow up. Don't worry, the last investment with foreign investors fell through, but your efforts have been recognized by the organization, and the bonus will still be paid."
Lin Wan, who had been lacking interest at first, suddenly became more energetic: "Thank you, Director!"
Feng Tianjiao almost blushed when she saw Lin Wan receive a fifty-yuan bonus from the finance department. However, due to her position as director, she felt compelled to praise her. "Comrade Lin Wan has made great contributions to the factory this time, and it's commendable that she has received this reward. However, she shouldn't become complacent and must continue to work hard."
After receiving the bonus, Lin Wancai didn't care about what others said. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Director Feng. I will continue to work hard."
All the other employees in the office congratulated him, except Feng Yan, who stormed out in anger.
After receiving the information about Hong Kong businessmen from the factory leaders, Lin Wan casually flipped through a page and glanced at the information before it was time to get off work.
It was time to get off work without delay. Lin Wan packed the materials into a cloth bag, ready to take them home and study them when she had time.
In recent years, it has become common for Hong Kong businessmen to invest in the mainland, especially large-scale investments, which are very popular.
Lin Wan had seen a lot of news on TV and in newspapers and magazines.
Hong Kong businessman, Cantonese...Lin Wan remembered that a few days ago someone asked her to teach him a few words of Cantonese, but later she put the matter on hold because she returned to her hometown.
Unconsciously thinking of Fu Xiuhuai, Lin Wan quickly drove him out of her mind and planned to wait until he brought it up again before talking about it. If he didn't ask, there was no need for her to take the initiative to teach him her mediocre Cantonese.
But that night, Lin Wan didn't have time to look at the Hong Kong businessman's information. As soon as she walked into the villa's living room, she heard her mother-in-law Jiang Yuehua greet her happily: "Wanwan, come quickly, Mingjun is back. You haven't met him yet. He is Xiuhuai's nephew."
Lin Wan looked up and saw the young man sitting on the sofa in the living room. Who else could it be but her boyfriend Fu Mingjun?
Fu Mingjun looked no different from the one in Lin Wan's memory, young and handsome, with a bit of youthfulness. However, when he looked at her, there seemed to be an indescribable emotion in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Wan..." Fu Mingjun's voice was stuck in his throat, making Lin Wan's heart rise to her throat.
Until Aunt Wang shouted from behind: "Hey, Mingjun, your uncle is back!"
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