"I'm a pretty good person."
Xu Tangmian had classes for the first two periods this morning, and after her classes ended, the head teacher had to go to teach another class.
Finally, when neither of them had class during the fourth period, Xu Tangmian found a quiet time when no one was around and went to the dean's office to apologize.
The head of the teaching department was petty and still held a grudge about being humiliated by Xu Tangmian in the office that day, so he deliberately made sarcastic remarks to her.
Xu Tangmian, thinking that she still had to work here to earn money, could only swallow her anger and laugh it off, saying, "Director is joking. I was ignorant a few days ago, but I'm more sensible now."
The head of the teaching department had some bald patches, and his large belly couldn't be hidden by his oversized stand-up collar shirt. Seeing Xu Tangmian's timid appearance, he felt pity and was about to say a few words of comfort when a teacher suddenly burst in from outside the door.
Li Yutao walked in with her hands in her pockets, nodded to the head of the teaching department, and said, "Head of the department, I need to talk to Teacher Xu about something."
Xu Tangmian was taken aback, "Me?"
What could possibly happen between her and Teacher Li?
Li Yutao nodded and stepped aside. "Your husband needs to speak with you."
The head of student affairs suddenly straightened his face and asked, "When did you get married?"
Yu Chunsheng emerged from behind Li Yutao and said somewhat apologetically, "It's nothing serious. If you have something to say, you can talk first." Then he nodded to Xu Tangmian and said, "Teacher Xu, I'll wait for you under the banyan tree by the door."
Before Xu Tangmian could even figure out why he had come today, Yu Chunsheng had already slipped out again, leaving the three of them standing in the office staring at each other.
Seeing that there was a third person present, the head of the teaching department didn't say much. He just walked back to his workstation expressionlessly, raised his hand to signal the two of them to leave, and muttered, "Alright, go back and pay attention to your work attitude. If any parents complain again, I will definitely not let you off the hook."
This apology can be considered effective, at least her job is safe! Xu Tangmian couldn't suppress her excitement and smiled at Teacher Li, forgetting that she wasn't familiar with her, to share this joy.
"Thank you, Director! I won't disturb your work any longer!"
As soon as she left the office, she ran straight there happily, and even Li Yutao next to her looked at her with a smile.
"Teacher Xu, Teacher Xu!" Li Yutao raised her hand to interrupt her excitement and pointed to Yu Chunsheng standing under the flower bed, "Your husband is still waiting for you over there."
Xu Tangmian then remembered that Yu Chunsheng had come over. Looking at his tall figure from afar, Xu Tangmian's mind was filled with the image of him naked last night, and for a moment she didn't know how to face him or what to say.
What's he doing here? Is he coming to interrogate her after sobering up? There's no need to chase her all the way to the school; it's not like she's not going home that night.
Xu Tangmian couldn't figure out his thoughts for the time being, so she stood still without moving.
Li Yutao looked at her with a gossipy expression: "Did you have a fight?"
"No." Xu Tangmian didn't know how to explain, so she stammered and didn't say anything.
"Teacher Xu, you're really good at keeping your mouth shut." Li Yutao said, arms crossed, watching the commotion. "You said you were moving, but it turns out you got married. As soon as he said he was your husband, I immediately thought of what you told me about moving the other day."
"I initially thought you didn't seem like such a worldly person, and that marrying just to have a place to live seemed like a huge waste. But then I thought about your husband's face... well, it's really..."
"You like him?" Alarm bells rang in Xu Tangmian's mind.
Most women would find Yu Chunsheng's face attractive, especially since it's considered mainstream beauty in this day and age. Although Xu Tangmian hadn't officially started a relationship with him, the thought of her nominal husband being coveted by others still stirred up some strange feelings in her.
"Don't worry, I have no interest in ruining other people's relationships." Li Yutao patted her shoulder. "You must tell me how you two met sometime. I've never seen such a handsome man in the north... I've never seen such a handsome man in Hebei."
This brought up a lot of things that Xu Tangmian had to say. Anything was fine, let's just say we were talking about serious matters; she really didn't want to go and face Yu Chunsheng right now!
Xu Tangmian disliked people who were two-faced, so instead of harboring resentment towards Li Yutao for her words, she appreciated her straightforwardness and recounted in detail how she met Yu Chunsheng.
She had no acquaintances or friends here, and she had so much to say but no one to talk to. She was going crazy with all the pent-up emotions!
Gossip may be fun for a while, but it can lead to trouble later. After finishing her story, Xu Tangmian felt a little scared. To avoid unnecessary trouble, she added, "Don't tell anyone."
Li Yutao patted her chest and readily agreed: "Don't worry, I'm tight-lipped."
"Actually, this is quite a coincidence for you two. At least from your description, I think he treats you very well."
Li Yutao led her to look at the man sitting upright on the flower bed in the distance. "Anyway, if it were me, I would try to get along with him. He's so handsome! Could you resist the urge to kiss him?"
The word used... Xu Tangmian was shocked.
Were all people in the 1980s this unrestrained?
However, thinking about how it felt last night, Xu Tangmian was indeed a little itchy. This man's chest size was probably larger than hers.
Li Yutao added, "You should go quickly. They came specifically to see you. What if it's urgent?"
Xu Tangmian nodded in agreement and walked towards Yu Chunsheng.
The closer she got to him, the heavier her steps became.
When she was about a meter away from him, Yu Chunsheng heard her and got up to greet her.
He was so self-righteous when he did bad things, but when they actually met, he had nothing to say. Xu Tangmian looked at the man who was also silent, and all she could think of was the image of him with his clothes off. Her face turned red, and she quickly pretended to turn away.
She didn't dare look at him, pretending to be nonchalant, and said, "Why did you come all this way? Is something wrong?"
After the lid was opened, the aroma of braised pork wafted over.
Xu Tangmian couldn't help but turn around and see him holding the lunchbox in one hand like he was presenting a treasure, asking for a reward.
Even though she had done something wrong to him, he still… Xu Tangmian was somewhat flattered, “For me?”
"Of course it's for you. Who else do I know in this school?" He smiled as he placed the lunchbox on the flower bed, handed her the chopsticks, and said, "Eat up."
"Didn't you say the food was over-rationed? Where did the meat come from?" Xu Tangmian took the chopsticks and mixed the rice and dishes, making sure the rice fully absorbed the broth.
"Then let's use next week's allowance in advance," Yu Chunsheng said with a smile, squatting down beside her to watch her eat. "How is it? Is the food alright today?"
Xu Tangmian nodded. "Have you eaten?"
“I’ve already eaten at home.” Yu Chunsheng couldn’t help but reach out and brush her ponytail, which had fallen over her shoulder, behind her back.
Sensing his movement, Xu Tangmian suddenly stopped and looked at him.
The two of them froze and looked away. Xu Tangmian secretly glanced at Yu Chunsheng, whose ears had turned red.
Actually, she wasn't the only one who fell for him, was she?
Xu Tangmian's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, but she was too embarrassed to expose her little thoughts, so she hinted at him again: "You took leave but didn't rest properly, why did you make a special trip over here?"
Yu Chunsheng seemed to be in a good mood. He turned around, sat on the flower bed, leaned back with his hands supporting him, and looked at the sky. "I can't stay idle. I always want to find something to do."
"Can't sit still?" Xu Tangmian's lips curled into a smile. "If you can't sit still, go and turn over the soil in the corner. I want to plant some..."
“Rose.” He turned to look at her. “I’ve already turned the leaves. There are no roses this season, so I went to town and bought some poppy seeds. We’ll plant them together when you get off work.”
Xu Tangmian was suddenly in a daze for a moment.
This person is really... what are they saying with that face?!
She forced a smile, shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into her lunchbox, and then began to nitpick: "Why did you only buy poppies? Why didn't you buy some..."
"Crabapple blossoms," Yu Chunsheng blurted out, "I bought some too."
“You…” Xu Tangmian turned to look at him, suddenly at a loss for words.
"Did you do something to betray me?" she suddenly asked.
Although he was a good person before, it's impossible for him to become so understanding overnight! Just because he secretly brought someone back without discussing it with her? She's not that petty. A night has passed, and she's already gotten her revenge on him. She doesn't care anymore.
Was it all because of last night's revenge? Xu Tangmian pursed her lips and remained silent. But she had stripped him naked and played with him... she was the one who wronged him. How could he then be making roast meat and buying flowers, saying such romantic things, like "let's grow flowers together" and such?
Yu Chunsheng didn't look at her or answer her question. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "No... who was that just now? You sounded like you were afraid of him."
Xu Tangmian, being rather oblivious, was quickly fooled and retorted, "Sigh, don't mention it. Isn't he that headmaster?"
She stopped eating, turned around, and said fiercely, "The day we met, you don't know, she gave me a real dressing down. I got so angry that I said I was quitting, and then I wanted to go back to Beiping to find my family."
"So, apologizing to him now...?"
"Didn't you say you were short of money?" Xu Tangmian sighed. "It's one thing to use your money normally, but how can I use your money to buy a train ticket? It's so hard to find a suitable job out there these days. It's just a matter of lowering my head a little; it won't cost me anything. Have you really eaten?"
Yu Chunsheng listened silently, nodding occasionally, until he heard the last sentence: "?"
Xu Tangmian picked up a piece of meat and held it to his mouth, "You eat too."
"I won't—" he said, and the meat fell off his chopsticks.
Yu Chunsheng quickly picked up the meat, but Xu Tangmian slapped it away, saying, "Hey, don't eat it, it's all dirty."
He looked at the meat with a pained expression, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
Xu Tangmian took the lunchbox and put another piece on his plate. "Don't worry about it, there's more." Afraid he wouldn't eat it, she added, "If you refuse me again, I'll throw this piece of meat away right now."
Yu Chunsheng then took a bite.
He said casually, "You still need to save money to buy a train ticket back to Beiping. Is life here still unbearable for you? Are you still going to get a divorce? Can't you be swayed at all?"
Xu Tangmian fell silent, a rare occurrence, and after a long while murmured, "What do you mean by that..."
Yu Chunsheng gazed at her silently, then slowly lowered his head. His hand cautiously moved closer inch by inch, wanting to hold hers but not daring to, until finally, as if gathering his courage, he decisively covered her hand with his.
He grabbed her finger to prevent her from pulling it back, his face flushed, and said, "I think I'm a pretty good person. Although we haven't known each other for many days, you can test me out. If possible, I hope you won't go back to Beiping... I will try my best to give you a good life."
Xu Tangmian didn't break free, but she didn't agree either.
She'd have to give up her comfortable life and live with him in this rural village for the rest of her life? Unless she's out of her mind.
But Yu Chunsheng's eyes were so sincere, and he was really handsome! Looking at that face saying those words with such deep affection, Xu Tangmian couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She was silent for a moment before asking, "How are you going to try?"
Yu Chunsheng lowered his head again and said honestly, "I haven't thought about it yet, but you're not in a hurry to go to Beiping, are you? I'll definitely think of a way before you save up enough money for the train ticket."
Xu Tangmian suddenly thought of the owner of the village store and said thoughtfully, "Actually, I do have a solution, but I don't know if you can agree to it."
Yu Chunsheng asked her, "What's the plan?" She then told him all about taking the goods and reselling them.
“No way!” Yu Chunsheng immediately refused. “That’s speculation and profiteering. I won’t do that kind of thing.”
Xu Tangmian didn't expect him to agree, but his attitude was too resistant. Coupled with his heartfelt words about working hard for her, it was a bit of a slap in the face.
She said coldly, "It seems your bottom line is higher than your effort, while I am obviously not within that consideration."
"That's not how it works!" Yu Chunsheng said urgently, "How can you confuse these two things?"
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