The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 164 - 163: Jeans

He Lang returned three days later. It was the middle of the night again, and the children were already asleep. He brought Shitou and Little Chen with him. The three of them got off the train, hired a vehicle at the station, and brought the goods straight home.

This time, the shipment was more than double the last one, filling up an entire room.

Xue Yue saw that the three of them were covered in dust and dirt.

"You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"

He Lang caught his breath and shook his head. "No, we just had some dry rations on the train to tide us over."

At that, Xue Yue waved them over. "Then go get washed up. I’ll go make you all some food."

Xue Yue went into the kitchen. There were still leftovers from dinner, which she heated up before cooking three large bowls of noodles for them.

She quickly brought the food out and set down the chopsticks. "Hurry and eat."

Shitou flicked the water from his hands, wiped them on his clothes, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sister-in-law."

"Thank you, Third Aunt."

Xue Yue smiled at Shitou and Little Chen. "Don’t be so formal. You must have had a tough journey. Quick, sit down and eat."

He Lang looked at Xue Yue. "You have school tomorrow, so you should get to bed. Don’t worry about us. We’ll go to sleep as soon as we’re done eating. We’re exhausted. We’ll sort everything out tomorrow."

Xue Yue nodded. "Okay. By the way, I’ve already prepared Shitou and Little Chen’s room. You can show them to it."

"Mm-hm."

Xue Yue glanced one last time at the three of them eating, then went to her room to sleep.

Only after Xue Yue closed the door did Shitou ask He Lang in a low voice, "Third Brother, did you buy this house?"

"Mm," He Lang confirmed.

Shitou couldn’t help but click his tongue in awe. "Third Brother, that’s amazing. I’ve heard houses in Beijing City are very expensive. A house this nice must have cost a fortune. It would be great if I could have a house like this in the future. I’d bring my mother over too."

He Lang chuckled. "If you work hard and make good money, you will."

Little Chen’s eyes filled with envy as he looked at the courtyard. He made a silent vow: ’I have to work hard and make good money. Then my mom and little brothers can live in a house like this one day.’

Xue Yue was drifting off to sleep when He Lang came in after his shower.

She opened her eyes, staring dazedly at He Lang.

"Not asleep yet?" He Lang dropped the towel he was using to dry his hair and climbed into bed.

Xue Yue pouted. "When you’re not here, I can’t seem to relax. These past few days, I keep waking up a couple of times a night."

His heart ached for her as he kissed her forehead. "Sleep now. I’m here."

Xue Yue turned over, snuggled into He Lang’s embrace, and wrapped an arm around his waist before closing her eyes.

He Lang looked down at Xue Yue and nuzzled his chin against the top of her head, letting out a soft sigh. ’They say home is a sanctuary for the soul.’ Only now that he was home did he feel truly relaxed. These past few days—first carrying so much cash to procure inventory, then traveling with all that merchandise on a crowded train—had kept his nerves stretched taut. Now that he could finally let his guard down, he quickly fell asleep as well.

Early the next morning, the moment Daya stepped outside, she saw Little Chen sweeping the courtyard with a broom. She rubbed her eyes. Sure enough, she wasn’t seeing things.

She called out excitedly, "Brother Xiao Chen!"

Little Chen looked up to see Daya and replied with a smile, "Daya."

Daya ran up to him. "Brother Xiao Chen, how come you’re here too?"

"Third Uncle brought us."

Daya tilted her head. "Us?"

Little Chen pointed to the room where they had slept the previous night. "Uncle Shitou is here too. He’s still asleep."

Daya had met Uncle Shitou when she was a child, but she didn’t remember him.

"I’m so happy you’re here! I’ll go make you guys something delicious," Daya said before hurrying off to the kitchen.

When Xue Yue woke up, she saw He Lang was still sleeping. She watched him for a long moment, leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth, then got out of bed with a slow smile.

After she came out, she saw Little Chen sweeping the courtyard.

"Little Chen, good morning."

Little Chen blushed as he replied, "Good morning."

"Are you settling in okay?"

Little Chen nodded. "It’s very nice."

"That’s good."

When Xue Yue came out after washing up, she saw Little Chen holding Ruanruan as they talked.

"Why didn’t Brother Xiao Yang and the others come? I miss them all," Ruanruan said.

Little Chen answered her patiently, "They have work to do, so they couldn’t come. You can see them when we go back for the New Year."

"Oh, okay," Ruanruan said, disappointed.

He Lang was woken up by Shiyi. The little fellow had climbed into bed at some point and was lying beside him, poking at his nose and tugging at his eyelashes. He Lang’s face started to itch, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Shiyi smiling and calling out, "Daddy!"

He Lang let out a low chuckle and rolled over on the bed with Shiyi in his arms. "You little rascal, did you miss your daddy while I was gone?"

"I did," Shiyi said in his small voice.

The father and son roughhoused on the bed for a bit before He Lang carried Shiyi out.

"Daya, where are Little Chen and the others?"

Daya pointed to a room. "They’re inside, sorting out their clothes."

"Have they eaten?"

Daya nodded. "They have."

He Lang sat down to eat, and Shiyi immediately sat beside him, staring at his father without blinking, as if afraid He Lang would disappear.

"Third Brother, when are we going to set up the stall today?"

"We’re not going today. The main thing today is to take you to the department store to pick up some daily necessities. Afterward, we’ll walk around Beijing City so you can get your bearings. Daya, Shiyi, you two are coming too. We’ll eat out for lunch."

"Okay." Daya was always the most obedient one.

In the morning, He Lang took them for a walk around the nearby streets and parks. Shitou and Little Chen felt there was more to see than their eyes could take in.

For lunch, they went for roast duck again, returning to the same restaurant Zheng Guofeng had first taken them to. Little Chen finally got to taste the delicacy He Ziqing had described.

In the afternoon, the group went to the department store, where they bought a few outfits each for Little Chen and Shitou, along with some other essentials. Shiyi wanted a toy, so He Lang had Daya pick one out as well, and he bought another one for Ruanruan.

That evening, Xue Yue finally saw the clothes that He Lang and the others had brought back. It was now October, and the weather in Beijing City had begun to turn chilly.

He Lang had sourced a wide variety of clothing this time: sweaters, straight-cut skirts, trench coats, wide-leg pants, woolen overcoats, and even brand-new jeans.

This was the first time Xue Yue had ever seen pants made of this fabric. "They’re called jeans? I don’t think I’ve seen this kind of pants in the department store."

He Lang smiled and nodded. "The supplier told me this is a brand-new style. They haven’t started selling them here yet. We’ll be the first ones selling jeans in Beijing City."

He Lang handed a pair to Xue Yue. "Go try them on."

Xue Yue took them, giving them a quick look before heading into the room. A moment later, she came back out wearing the jeans.

"Aren’t they a little tight?" Xue Yue asked, touching her waist on both sides.

A glint appeared in He Lang’s eyes. "They look amazing. The fit is perfect on you. If you don’t believe me, just ask Ruanruan and Daya."

Nearby, Daya and Ruanruan were already staring, dumbfounded.

"Mom, they’re beautiful! They make your legs look this long—" Ruanruan said, spreading her hands far apart to show how long.

Daya nodded as well. "Aunt, they look really good. They make your legs look so long and slim."