The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 165 - 164: What’s Wrong With Your Eyes, Kid?
"Really?"
Xue Yue looked down at her legs.
He Lang smiled and nodded.
Xue Yue did a little twirl. "Since these pants are so great, I’ll wear them to school tomorrow. I can be a model for you and do some advertising. But how much are you planning to sell them for?"
"Thirty-five yuan a pair."
"That expensive?"
He Lang nodded. "The wholesale price is over ten yuan."
Xue Yue was surprised. "No wonder."
Xue Yue was about to go change out of them, but He Lang stopped her. "Don’t take them off just yet."
Xue Yue looked at He Lang, confused. When her eyes met his dark, intense gaze, she suddenly blushed.
She glanced over at the children and saw they were all busy looking at the clothes.
After the children fell asleep, Xue Yue had just entered the room when He Lang wrapped his arms around her from behind.
His heavy breathing made Xue Yue’s heart pound wildly. The warm sensation against her ear made her feel like her face was burning up.
Xue Yue held onto the bed, remaining on her feet the entire time. Her knees nearly gave out a few times, but a large hand behind her held her steady.
Xue Yue lost track of when it ended. The next morning, it was He Lang who woke her up.
She opened her eyes and looked at He Lang, feeling as if she were still lost in the previous night.
He Lang gave her a doting kiss. "Time to get up, or you’ll be late."
Only then did Xue Yue groggily sit up.
He Lang went to drop off Ruanruan, while Xue Yue, dressed in a light-colored sweater and the new jeans, headed to the university.
Song Wenli’s eyes widened as she sized up Xue Yue’s outfit. "Xue Yue, does your family sell clothes or something? How do you have new clothes to wear every day? And today’s outfit is especially eye-catching. It looks great."
Xue Yue gave a lazy nod. "Yep, my family sells clothes."
Song Wenli shook her head. "You’ve got to be kidding. But this outfit... tsk tsk, it’s really, really nice. Especially your pants. Is this a new style? Where did you buy them?"
Xue Yue couldn’t help but laugh. "My family really does sell clothes. These are from our shop."
Song Wenli stared at her. "Are you serious?"
Xue Yue nodded. "I am. My husband sells clothes at the market. This is his newest shipment."
Song Wenli narrowed her eyes, thinking. "There’s only one person selling clothes at the market... Your husband couldn’t be that handsome guy I was talking about the other day, could he?"
Xue Yue shrugged. "Correct answer."
"What? So that’s your husband!" Song Wenli didn’t hold back her voice, and her shout made the entire class look over.
Wei Yuyang glanced up at Xue Yue for a moment before lowering his head again.
Huang Xinyi looked at Xue Yue’s clothes, a glint in her eyes.
Ever since that last incident, Xue Yue hadn’t spoken much to Wei Yuyang, or to Huang Xinyi for that matter. She avoided them whenever she could. ’When other people go crazy, getting too close just gets you dragged into it.’
Xue Yue didn’t want to get involved in other people’s business.
Xue Yue quickly pulled Song Wenli down into her seat. "Could you keep your voice down?"
Song Wenli covered her mouth, stunned for a long time. Not until the professor was halfway through the lecture did she suddenly lean close to Xue Yue again. "Is the guy selling clothes at the market really your husband?"
The corner of Xue Yue’s mouth twitched. ’So she’s been sitting still for half the class just thinking about that.’
"He is!!"
Song Wenli shot Xue Yue a dissatisfied look. "Then why didn’t you say so last time? You let me make a fool of myself in front of you."
Xue Yue pursed her lips and lowered her voice. "I was going to tell you, but you seemed so excited that I didn’t have the heart to interrupt."
"You—" Song Wenli’s face turned beet red. Remembering what she’d said last time, she let out an embarrassed "Waaah!" and buried her face in her arms on the desk.
Xue Yue glanced at her, the corners of her lips turning up, then focused her attention on the blackboard.
By the time He Lang arrived at the market, many vendors had already set up their stalls.
"Why haven’t you been here for so long? Several groups of people have come looking to buy clothes from you these past few days. They were all disappointed when they saw you weren’t here and left."
He Lang replied, "I had to go out of town for a bit."
Seeing that He Lang had brought two people with him, the vendor said, "Looks like you can’t handle it all by yourself anymore, huh? How come your wife isn’t here to help?"
He Lang said with a smile, "My wife is in university, so she doesn’t have time. These are my younger brother and nephew from back home. I asked them to come help me out."
"Oh, so your wife is a university student! You’re a lucky man."
He Lang nodded. "I am lucky."
As he spoke, he and Shitou and the others began to lay out the clothes.
The man who collected the management fees came by again. He Lang already had the money ready and also handed over a pack of cigarettes. He Lang had gotten to know the man, Zhou Wei, during this time. He was in charge of this section of the market. He was a decent guy, just not one to smile much.
"Brother Zhou, I brought these cigarettes back from Yangcheng. Give them a try. They taste different from the ones we have in Beijing City."
Zhou Wei glanced at He Lang. "You don’t even smoke. How would you know?"
He Lang chuckled. "That’s what the guy who sold them to me said."
Zhou Wei didn’t refuse. He took the pack, tore it open, and sniffed it. "Hmm, it is different." Then, as if asking casually, he added, "I thought you’d quit, since you weren’t here these past few days."
"How could I? I just went to get more stock. Look, this is all new inventory. Brother Zhou, want to pick out a couple of items for your wife? I’ll give you a discount."
Zhou Wei’s eyebrow shot up as he glared at He Lang. "What are you talking about, kid? I’m not even married."
He Lang froze for a second, then burst out laughing. The others nearby started laughing too. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
"What’s so funny? Is it hilarious that I don’t have a wife? Who says I have to get married?" Zhou Wei’s voice grew quieter and quieter until it trailed off completely.
"HAHAHA—" Another wave of laughter erupted.
Zhou Wei’s face darkened. With his beard, he looked older than he was, so everyone had assumed he was married. Turns out he was still a bachelor.
It turned out he was actually a year younger than He Lang. Zhou Wei looked at He Lang unhappily. "You’re actually older than me, and you’ve been calling me ’Brother’?"
He Lang waved a hand dismissively. "Can’t help it. I just look young."
This time, it was Zhou Wei’s turn to be speechless.
After he finished laughing, He Lang asked him seriously, "Brother Zhou, want me to introduce you to someone?"
"You’re still calling me ’Brother’? I told you, you’re older than me." Zhou Wei’s eyes darted around before he leaned closer to He Lang. "But... you know any good women?"
The corners of He Lang’s mouth lifted. "Not right now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look for one for you."
Zhou Wei pouted, shot He Lang a look, and straightened up. "You’re full of empty talk." He then walked away with his hands behind his back.
The first customers of the day arrived soon after. As He Lang introduced the new clothes, Shitou and Little Chen stood by, listening carefully to what he said.
Shitou was more outgoing and a smooth talker, so he got the hang of it quickly. He could coax the young women and new wives into a good mood, and they would always buy an item or two before leaving. Little Chen was more reserved. He would say a few words when it got crowded, but he couldn’t immediately pick up Shitou’s knack for it.
He Lang patted his shoulder. "Selling things is about salesmanship, but it’s not always about talking more. You’re just starting out. Don’t rush it. We’ll take it slow."
