The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 182 - 181: I Don’t Think We’re That Familiar
A moment later, the main gate opened.
"Come in."
He Lang and Xue Xingzhou exchanged a look before stepping inside.
It was the same room as last time. Brother Hua was wearing a white robe and wasn’t wearing his glasses.
He recognized He Lang and Xue Xingzhou at a glance.
"Ah, it’s you two. Are you here to sell more ’small yellow fish’?"
He Lang nodded. "Yes."
Brother Hua gestured for them to sit down. Uncle Ming brought in a pot of tea.
"How many are you looking to sell this time?"
"That depends on your offer."
Brother Hua chuckled at his words. "Did you check the price of gold bars elsewhere on your way here?"
He Lang shook his head. "No."
Brother Hua smiled and nodded. "In that case, I’ll give you a fair price. If the quality is the same as last time, I’ll add another 200. How does that sound?"
"That’s fine." He Lang didn’t push for a higher price. This was within his expectations; the current market rate was probably around this much.
He Lang took out fifteen small gold bars and placed them on the table. Brother Hua, still holding his tea, glanced at them from the corner of his eye.
"Uncle Ming, go get their money."
The amount of money was far greater than last time—forty-eight thousand yuan. The table was piled high with stacks of "Great Unity" bills.
He Lang took out a woven plastic sack and started stuffing the stacks inside, one after another. The sight made Xue Xingzhou’s mouth twitch.
Brother Hua gave He Lang a phone number. "Just call next time. My men will come to you with the cash to pick them up."
He Lang smiled and said, "No need to trouble your men, Brother Hua. It’s no trouble for me." He took the phone number anyway. ’Who knows,’ he thought, ’it might come in handy later.’
Brother Hua watched He Lang sling the sack over his shoulder and chuckled.
"Suit yourself."
On the way back, Xue Xingzhou teased him, "To think a bag like that is stuffed with cash. You’re just carrying it down the street so brazenly. Aren’t you afraid of getting robbed?"
He Lang shot him a look. "It’s called being unpredictable. Besides, I’ve got you, don’t I? If someone really tries to rob us, I’ll run and leave them to you."
Xue Xingzhou was speechless. ’He’s right, he brought me along to be his bodyguard,’ he thought. ’But does he have to be so blunt about it?’
Now that they had enough money, they had to buy the shop immediately. Nothing was certain until the payment was made.
After the shop was purchased, Xue Yue went to see it again.
She couldn’t help but sigh with admiration. "Money really is a wonderful thing. It was expensive, sure, but selling clothes here... it feels like the class of the whole operation has just jumped a level."
Business was often like that. For the exact same item, even if the one in a shop was much more expensive than one from a street stall, people would still buy from the shop. They felt it had more class, or perhaps, a guarantee of quality.
With the shop secured, the next step was renovation.
He Lang left the market business to Shitou and Little Chen. He was now focused completely on the shop’s renovation.
Even the renovation crew couldn’t help but praise the design plans Xue Xingzhou had given him, saying they’d never seen anything like it before.
Lately, Xue Yue noticed that Song Wenli was being secretive all the time.
One day, upon entering the classroom, she saw Song Wenli wearing a striking red woolen coat.
When Song Wenli saw Xue Yue, she asked happily, "What do you think? Does it look good?" As she spoke, she stroked the fabric.
Xue Yue’s mouth twitched. "It’s very nice." ’It must have been expensive, though,’ she thought.
He Lang sold woolen coats just like it, and they went for over one hundred, close to two hundred yuan each.
Song Wenli covered her mouth and nodded. "It was a gift."
Xue Yue turned to look at her. "Did your husband come to visit?"
Song Wenli shot Xue Yue a glare. "Not him. Ugh, why did you have to bring him up? Forget it, I’m not telling you."
It seemed Xue Yue’s question had ruined her mood. The previous happiness vanished from her eyes.
Xue Yue was a little confused.
At lunchtime, when they went to the cafeteria, Song Wenli didn’t join Xue Yue as usual. Instead, she ran off to a table with other female classmates. Xue Yue saw this but didn’t think much of it.
She just didn’t expect to see Li Lanying’s husband in the cafeteria. ’What was his name again?’
Niu Hongjun saw Xue Yue too. He said something to the person next to him and, to her surprise, walked over to her, tray in hand.
"You eat in the cafeteria too?" Niu Hongjun said to Xue Yue with a smile.
The university wasn’t far from home, so for lunch, Xue Yue sometimes went home to eat. When she couldn’t be bothered to make the trip, she’d just eat in the school cafeteria.
Xue Yue nodded.
Xue Yue watched as Niu Hongjun sat down across from her as if they were old friends. She frowned. ’We’re not close, are we?’ she thought. ’Even though we’re neighbors, we’ve only met once.’
Niu Hongjun said, "So we go to the same school. I’ve never seen you on campus before. What class are you in?"
Xue Yue looked at him strangely. "Um... I don’t think we know each other very well, do we?"
"Hmm..." Niu Hongjun paused, then broke into a smile.
"It’s fine. We’re neighbors, so we’ll get to know each other eventually."
Xue Yue pressed her lips together and stood up. "Take your time. I’m leaving."
Xue Yue left the cafeteria with her meal box.
After Xue Yue left, a few other guys came over and sat down next to Niu Hongjun.
One of them slung an arm around Niu Hongjun’s shoulders. "Hongjun, you know that beauty from just now?"
Niu Hongjun just smiled.
"Introduce her to your bros."
Niu Hongjun didn’t say anything, but there was a meaningful look in his eyes.
Over the next few days, Song Wenli’s pockets were often filled with snacks, and she would sometimes sneak a bite or two during class.
A few days later, Xue Yue saw Song Wenli hugging a boy on campus. It was only then that she realized Song Wenli must be dating someone at school. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
But she clearly remembered Song Wenli saying she was married, with her husband and child back in her hometown.
Half a month later, Song Wenli was suddenly called into Ji Cheng’s office.
She returned a while later, looking dejected.
After sitting down, Song Wenli was silent for a long time.
Then she turned to Xue Yue. "Was it you?"
Xue Yue was confused. "What?"
SMACK. A sudden slap. Xue Yue was stunned.
Song Wenli shot to her feet, pointing a finger at Xue Yue. "You told the teacher, didn’t you? I only ever told you I was married! Are you jealous of me? Now I’ve been disciplined by the university. Are you satisfied?"
All the other students in the classroom stared at them, whispering amongst themselves.
Wei Yuyang frowned as he looked at Xue Yue, who was clutching her face.
Her cheek burned with a fiery sting. Listening to Song Wenli’s accusations, she understood what had happened. Someone must have reported her to the counselor for being married and dating a student. But that person wasn’t her. Even if Xue Yue knew, she wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s business.
"Who do you think you are? What I do is none of your business! Can’t you stand to see anyone else happy?" Song Wenli babbled on.
Once the initial shock wore off, Xue Yue slapped her back. There was no way she was going to be wrongly accused and hit without fighting back.
Song Wenli clutched her own cheek, staring at Xue Yue in disbelief. "After what you did, you still dare to hit back."
