Chapter 38. And that man, he found it sweet. ...
Chapter Thirty-Eight: And that man, he found it sweet.
Outside, snow was falling heavily, and Ling Jianwei was driving his jeep slowly along the road.
Li Yue said it's still early before dinner, how about we go for a walk somewhere?
Ling Jianwei asked, "Is there anything you want to buy?"
She thought for a moment and said, "There's nothing in particular I want to buy, but I can get some small things for the house. Also, could you go to the farmers' market to buy some vegetables? I can cook for myself at home these next few days. You only used the pot last time to cook noodles, and you haven't used it since."
The man has been quite busy lately, busy building houses, and hasn't had time to learn to cook in the mess hall. Li Yue is also on her period, and the water for washing vegetables is too cold, so she said she'd cook when she got tired of the cafeteria food.
They bought some apples, oranges, Chinese cabbage, yams, eggs, pork belly, ribs, etc., and put them in a cardboard box in the car.
There was also a supply and marketing cooperative nearby, and Li Yue said, "Why don't we go and buy some melon seeds, biscuits, and candy?"
Ling Jianwei nodded: "Get in the car and drive to the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative."
At this moment, Xu Lamei, the protagonist of this book, accompanied her awful sister-in-law to the county for a blind date. Walking on the road, Xu Lamei shook her head and sighed, complaining about her awful sister-in-law: "You have a perfectly good job, and now you say you don't want to work there anymore. I don't know what you're trying to do?"
Zhong Xuelian said arrogantly, "I get annoyed just looking at those people. I have to serve them tea and water."
"What's wrong with you pouring tea during company meetings? That's your job, why can't you improve?"
"Anyway, I don't want to do this. Besides, I'm just a temporary worker, and anyone can order me around."
"When I asked you to be a primary school teacher, you said you didn't have the patience. When I asked you to learn accounting, you said it was too much trouble. Now that you've joined a company, you don't want to work there anymore. You were picky about the blind date you went on today. You're over twenty, what kind of person are you looking for?"
Zhong Xuelian had been told this by her sister-in-law too many times, and she said numbly, "I don't want to do anything, I don't want to find a partner, and I don't want to get married."
Xu Lamei gave a cold laugh: "In the end, I think you just want to find someone like Deputy Battalion Commander Ling."
Zhong Xuelian fell silent.
"But are you even close to him? He's already married. You should hurry up and find someone decent enough to marry too. Still not giving up?"
"Stop talking, it's annoying to listen to," Zhong Xuelian said.
"You think I care to talk about you? You've become a negative example in the whole courtyard."
Just as the argument was raging, Li Yue got out of the car. The moment she saw the two of them, both of them were stunned.
Xu Lamei reacted quickly and immediately greeted, "Xiao Li, what a coincidence."
Li Yue had met Xu Lamei once before, and greeted her as "sister-in-law," then replied, "Yes, what a coincidence, you two are shopping?"
She glanced at Zhong Xuelian, only to find that the other woman looked at her with disdain, her eyes practically rolling to the sky.
Li Yue couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. This girl was really arrogant.
Xu Lamei said, "We're just taking a walk," then glanced at Ling Jianwei, who was getting out of the car and closing the door, "Are you two going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy something?"
Li Yue nodded: "Yes, let's buy some things."
“Alright, then you two go ahead with your work.” Xu Lamei said, and left with her sister-in-law.
After walking for a while, Xu Lamei said, "Look at Ling, the deputy battalion commander—no, he's acting battalion commander now—his wife is so beautiful, so polite, and so worldly-wise. You should just find someone suitable. I think the one you met today is about right. I'll talk to your brother about it later."
Zhong Xuelian said angrily, "I already said I don't like that person, so don't try to set me up with him."
"You don't like this, you don't like that, the one you like is already married, what more do you want?"
"Who said I liked him? I didn't like him at all!" Zhong Xuelian said indignantly.
"Fine, fine, no one in the world is good enough for you, okay?"
...
At the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Yue's mood remained unaffected, and she didn't mention her awful sister-in-law. She asked the sales clerk for some melon seeds, biscuits, and candy, and bought some odds and ends, including a bottle of clam oil for hand cream.
During lunchtime, Ling Jianwei took her to eat mutton. The mutton at this restaurant was all cooked; it was simply sliced, cooked with vegetables, and boiled. It tasted very delicious.
Li Yue suddenly had a question and asked the waiter, "Do you sell mutton separately?"
The waiter said, "If you want, you can buy it separately."
So Li Yue happily bought a pound, saying that tomorrow she could just slice it and cook it with cabbage, and it would be delicious.
Ling Jianwei looked at this person who could be overjoyed with just a few slices of mutton and shook her head with a smile.
It was already dark on their way home. Although the snow had stopped, the road was still slippery. Ling Jianwei drove slowly. When they got back to the family compound, the snow started falling again. They each carried a cardboard box home.
After putting her things down, Ling Jianwei brushed the snow off her clothes. Li Yue suddenly realized that she quite liked this kind of lifestyle.
Although there was no TV, computer, or mobile phone, and fewer entertainment options, he was more focused on his work. So, when it was time for bed, Li Yue urged him, "Tomorrow, could you inquire about getting a job at the ceramics factory for me?"
Ling Jianwei said, "What's the rush? The New Year is just around the corner. They can go back to work after the New Year. It's the dead of winter now, and they don't have much work to do."
That's true. Winter is really cold, and all kinds of clay harden, making it really difficult to make clay blanks. Assigning her there would probably put the factory in a difficult position. Li Yue said, "The main reason is that the Spring Festival is late this year, in mid-February. It's better for me to go in and learn earlier, otherwise how am I going to pass the time?"
Ling Jianwei thought for a moment: "Knit a sweater?"
"Your piece is almost finished."
Do you know how to use a sewing machine?
"No," Li Yue said. "Besides, we don't have a sewing machine at home."
"I'll buy you one, and find a sister-in-law to teach you. You'll need it in the future."
That seems like a good idea. I can also learn how to make clothes while I'm at it, so Li Yue nodded: "Okay."
Finally, things calmed down. Ling Jianwei sighed, "You're always nagging about going to work; you can't seem to find a moment of rest."
After calming down and thinking it over, Li Yue realized there was no need to rush. In the real world, the attempt to recreate ancient Ru ware was a failure; it was impossible to recreate it exactly the same. No matter how well she tried, under a high-powered optical microscope, it would be clear that the bubbles in the later-fired porcelain were different from those in the ancient ones...
So what's the rush? She decided to comfortably while away the time at home first.
It was still early, and neither of them felt sleepy, so they lay in bed with the lights on, chatting under the covers.
Li Yue was playing on his chest when she suddenly muttered, "Has my sister's letter arrived yet?"
"If I had it, I would have given it to you already."
"Won't they get into trouble in the Great Northern Wilderness?"
"How about I ask someone to help you find out?"
"Hmm. I bet they're freezing and starving."
Ling Jianwei touched her face: "It's a good thing you didn't go, otherwise I would have been worried to death."
Li Yue asked curiously, "If I really go, will we still be together?"
He said with certainty, "Of course."
Li Yue: "If you're so sure, maybe I won't even bother writing to you. If I don't want to write to you, we'll just cut off all contact."
Ling Jianwei looked at her with his dark eyes and calmly said, "If you don't turn back, I will come looking for you."
"What?" Li Yue exclaimed in surprise, "You're coming to find me?"
The man's smile was very faint: "No matter where you were assigned, I was planning to apply for a transfer to the corps where you were."
Li Yue stared at him dumbfounded. Under the orange light, the man's handsome features were impeccable, and the deep affection in his eyes was irresistible to Li Yue.
Did he give up everything stable and promising here to go to the Great Northern Wilderness to manage the Production and Construction Corps just so he could take care of her?
It seems like something he would do.
Li Yue fell silent, resting her face against his chest, listening to his rhythmic heartbeat. After a long while, she whispered, "Ling Jianwei, you're so silly."
He laughed dismissively: "If I don't come looking for you, am I supposed to just watch you fall into someone else's hands? With your delicate skin, how many wolves are eyeing you?"
"What? I won't just randomly pick a partner," Li Yue said, annoyed.
"Once you get to that kind of place, anything can happen. No matter how strong your will is, there are people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals."
What he said was true.
Li Yue fell completely silent.
The man stroked her back and said nothing more. The warm and cozy bedroom fell silent instantly.
After a long while, he broke the silence: "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
Li Yue raised her head: "What are you thinking about?"
The man looked back at her with a smile in his eyes: "Your image is all I can think about."
Li Yue: "Oh."
"While taking a shower."
Li Yue couldn't stand it and slapped him, but he grabbed her wrist and casually played with her fingers, then suddenly laughed: "Can I kiss you?"
Li Yue found it strange: "It's not like you haven't kissed me before."
His voice was low and indifferent: "I mean, there."
Li Yue was stunned.
He didn't say anything more, but just gazed at her deeply with his gentle eyes.
Although she felt a little embarrassed... the atmosphere was right, and Li Yue seemed to respond subconsciously, nodding very lightly.
He said it was beautiful.
He said it was very sweet.
But Li Yue felt as if thousands of ants were gnawing at her, a bone-deep, soul-stirring sensation that she could not bear. She twisted her waist, trying to refuse, but it was no use; he sucked hard.
As Li Yue's supple waist arched, creating a space between herself and the sheets, she finally couldn't suppress the warm current...
And that man, he was happy to accept it.
...
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