The last time they met in the villa district, the neighbor He Yanni, who had enthusiastically given her a ride out, also drove to Mingzhu Department Store. As soon as she saw Lin Wan, she waved and greeted her.
“Before I left the house, I went next door to take a look. I heard your nanny say you’d already gone out. I didn’t expect us to have such fate.” He Yanni familiarly linked her arm through Lin Wan’s.
Lin Wan naturally couldn’t refuse the neighbor’s enthusiasm, and walked into Jiangcheng’s largest department store with her.
Mingzhu Department Store was built five years ago, completed four years ago, and then officially put into use. It was the shopping holy land that Jiangcheng’s common people yearned for most.
Different from the old supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores, the goods here were mostly brands never seen before, many from Hong Kong, and even quite a few foreign goods.
The common people’s wallets gradually bulged after the Reform and Opening Up. With a bit of spare money to chase fashion, department stores became even more sought after, customers crowding the doors, an endless stream.
During her university years, Lin Wan had come a few times with roommates. She could buy some cheap little things, like hair ties and hairpins, a few cents or a yuan more expensive than outside, but the styles were indeed prettier and the quality better. As for the rest, she basically couldn’t bear to buy them, nor could a student like her afford them.
Setting foot in Mingzhu Department Store again, Lin Wan was momentarily dazed. It seemed there was some deviation from her memory of a year ago.
The complete sets of clothing in the store were fashionable in style, exquisitely cut, with delicate fabric and bold, bright colors—truly eye-catching. Many female comrades were slowly choosing. A random piece of clothing cost several times what she spent on buying cloth and sewing her own.
He Yanni spotted at a glance a dress identical to the one the female lead wore in this year’s Hong Kong movie—a bright red dress. She excitedly picked it up and held it against herself: “Lin Wan, quick, look, does it suit me?”
“It looks good.” Lin Wan saw that He Yanni was naturally pretty, and paired with red she was like a passionately blooming rose.
“What about you? What are you picking?” He Yanni was steady, accurate, and ruthless in shopping. In no time she picked three pieces of clothing and in a moment spent one hundred and eighty yuan, astonishing Lin Wan.
After all, Lin Wan’s monthly wage was over three hundred. Watching He Yanni spend more than half her wage in a few minutes truly made her heart ache.
“I’m just looking around casually.” Lin Wan really hadn’t come this trip to buy clothes—mainly to scout the enemy’s situation.
“Looking at what? Just buy.” He Yanni enthusiastically took down a pink dress and held it in front of Lin Wan. “Your husband earns so much money. How can you not help him spend it?”
Lin Wan really didn’t know how much money Fu Xiuhuai earned. Hearing this, her eyelid twitched. Did it really have anything to do with her?
As the two talked, He Yanni felt thirsty and bustlingly went to the beverage counter to buy drinks. For herself a can of Coca-Cola, for Lin Wan a glass bottle of coconut juice.
Lin Wan did quite like the coconut juice from the south. It was clear He Yanni and she did have some friendship, knowing even her preferences clearly. Lowering her eyes to scan the numbers “119” printed on the bottle, Lin Wan tilted her head and took a sip, then heard He Yanni say.
“If you ask me, just don’t save money for Fu Xiuhuai. The more you spend, the happier he’ll be—after all, he loves you so much.”
“Cough, cough.” Hearing the words “love you,” Lin Wan’s scalp went numb, and she nearly choked.
Her boyfriend’s uncle loved her? Just thinking about it was awkward.
Not to mention, carefully recalling these past few days, she hadn’t felt any love or lack thereof from that refined, elegant man’s words and actions.
Lin Wan deeply suspected whether something had gone wrong between her and Fu Mingjun, and the Fu family, to shut her up, or to shut up the troublemaking Lin Guofu, had Fu Xiuhuai marry her as compensation.
Thinking this way, it actually made some sense.
Fu Xiuhuai also had a lukewarm appearance, somewhat like someone forced by family to marry, only that this person had some sense of responsibility after marrying, not treating her too badly.
“Stop talking nonsense.” Lin Wan was certain that if He Yanni knew Fu Xiuhuai was actually her boyfriend’s uncle, she would be badly frightened, and wouldn’t say anything about love or not.
He Yanni took it that Lin Wan was shy, and didn’t say more, turning to continue shopping.
With several paper bags in hand, quite a bit of money spent, He Yanni had a shopping spree, while Lin Wan was quite restrained. The two were about to go out to find a place for lunch. Just as they reached the corner of the stairs, He Yanni suddenly tugged Lin Wan’s arm.
“What…”
“Shh.” He Yanni made a silencing gesture at Lin Wan, pulled her arm, and pointed toward the front left. “Look who that is!”
Lin Wan hadn’t noticed that a line of men in suits and leather shoes was walking along the corridor ahead. In the center, tall and imposing, was precisely Fu Xiuhuai.
Voices from not far away drifted over, accompanying several people discussing the mall’s construction situation, as well as the plan for the high-end department store Jiangcheng had just put out for bidding.
“President Fu, have one?” A man beside him took out a Zhonghua cigarette and offered it in front of Fu Xiuhuai.
Fu Xiuhuai didn’t take the cigarette, only politely declining: “Quit.”
“Why did President Fu quit smoking?” The people around him all found it strange. Who didn’t light a cigarette these days, especially those doing business—offering cigarettes and drinking were commonplace.
Lin Wan pulled He Yanni to continue downstairs, lowly stopping her from going up to greet them: “They’re discussing business. Let’s go first.”
Turning to leave, the sound of the man’s faint response drifted into Lin Wan’s ears from behind.
“My wife is pregnant and can’t stand the smell of smoke. No choice.”
Lin Wan thought, this man got into character quite quickly.
++++
Back at Cuihu Villa District from the department store, He Yanni drove her Santana into her own parking area.
Getting out of the car, He Yanni didn’t forget to invite Lin Wan: “Come over for dinner with your husband sometime. Our Old Sun said that the recent project was all thanks to Fu Xiuhuai’s guidance—we must treat you two to a meal.”
How could Lin Wan agree on Fu Xiuhuai’s behalf? Naturally she could only be vague: “We’ll see his schedule.”
Having just been vague and perfunctory on this end, Lin Wan went to He Yanni’s house as a guest that same evening.
At that time, Fu Xiuhuai had returned home in the afternoon and instructed Auntie Wang to prepare less food for the two of them. Then he turned to Lin Wan and said: “Sun Hongbo and his wife invited us to dinner, right next door.”
Lin Wan hadn’t yet adapted to her married status and blurted out: “I’m going too?”
Fu Xiuhuai was loosening his tie, and took off his black suit to hang on the rack. Hearing this, he tugged the corner of his mouth: “If I go alone, those two will definitely laugh at me.”
Lin Wan: “…”
After all, it was her first time visiting as a guest after the bizarre events. Lin Wan was somewhat troubled about what gift to bring. In the end, Fu Xiuhuai cut through the mess quickly, taking a bottle of Maotai from the cabinet: “This one. Sun Hongbo loves drinking. It’ll hit the spot.”
The two walked a few minutes from their own villa to the next door. Sun Hongbo and He Yanni’s villa wasn’t much different from the Fu family villa—the exterior design largely the same, only the interior structure differed.
It was dinnertime. The nanny was busy in the Sun family villa’s kitchen. Lin Wan and Fu Xiuhuai were welcomed into the living room together, where they met He Yanni and her husband.
Sun Hongbo was from the north, quite tall, close to 1.8 meters, big and sturdy, with a gold chain around his neck—carrying a bit of the nouveau riche flavor of the times.
Lin Wan recalled that on the way over, Fu Xiuhuai had briefly mentioned Sun Hongbo’s rise: in ’85, he came out from the countryside alone and went south to run transport, encountering many bandits and road bullies, nearly losing his life several times. In ’90, he established his own transport team—quite a character.
The nanny prepared five meat dishes, one vegetable, and one soup, and called everyone chatting on the sofa to eat.
“Let’s go. Today we’re opening this Maotai and drinking it.” Sun Hongbo indeed loved his liquor.
The dishes on the table were all home-style, good-tasting, and nothing Lin Wan couldn’t eat. Right at mealtime, Lin Wan’s appetite opened wide. While the two men discussed engineering, He Yanni leaned over and whispered to her: “Fu Xiuhuai specifically told our Old Sun not to serve fish or meat. Look at that… what awareness.”
Lin Wan: “…”
Lin Wan noticed He Yanni especially loved teasing her and Fu Xiuhuai. After dinner, when the two were chatting in the villa garden, Lin Wan said directly: “Sister Yanni, you do love teasing me and Fu Xiuhuai.”
“Of course.” He Yanni’s smiling eyes curved into crescents. “Fu Xiuhuai never had any woman by his side before. Everyone said this big boss lived like a monk. Then out of the blue he got married, to such a pretty young girl. Who wouldn’t be surprised?”
Following the conversation to this point, Lin Wan seized the opportunity and followed along: “Then didn’t you ask him at the time what he was thinking?”
He Yanni leaned in mysteriously, lowering her voice: “Of course we asked! Before you two got married, Old Sun and I attended a project celebration banquet. At the dinner table, quite a few people asked Fu Xiuhuai why he suddenly wanted to get married.”
Lin Wan listened attentively: “What did he say?”
“He said, it’s time to get married.” He Yanni felt it was romantic—this clearly meant he had finally met the right person, the one he loved, and that’s why he wanted to marry.
Lin Wan silently savored this sentence, increasingly feeling that this marriage hadn’t come from his heart either—just at the age to marry, forced by family.
The golden crow sank in the west, the horizon spreading like fiery clouds. Lin Wan and Fu Xiuhuai said goodbye to He Yanni and her husband. By the time they returned home, the Fu family members had also gone out.
Back in the bedroom to rest, in Lin Wan’s ears seemed to echo still that sentence she had heard from He Yanni’s mouth. Had Fu Xiuhuai really said that?
She stared blankly at the man who was lifting the thermos to pour water into a glass cup. In a moment, a cup of warm water was handed before her.
Fu Xiuhuai slightly raised his chin, saying nothing more.
Lin Wan held the water at a suitable temperature and drank most of it. Sensing the gaze clinging to her face hadn’t dispersed for a long time, she quietly turned slightly.
Fortunately, the man drank a large cup of warm water in big gulps, then turned and left, walking straight to his side of the bedside table, taking out a yellow-skinned passbook and handing it over, saying casually: “The company just successfully won a new project—building Jiangcheng’s first fifteen-story building. There’ll be several hundred thousand in profit. Plus the payment collected from the previous project, I have about a million in liquid funds on my account. As for the company’s assets…”
“Why are you suddenly telling me this?” Lin Wan clutched the water cup, somewhat astonished.
In her heart, the two were still strangers—strangers who merely had to live under the same roof.
“Worried you’d forget, and go out to the mall unable to bear buying even a piece of clothing.” Fu Xiuhuai’s eyes were spread with faint laughter.
Lin Wan guessed it must have been He Yanni and her husband who mentioned it in front of Fu Xiuhuai. She couldn’t help but flush: “Yanni was talking nonsense. I didn’t want to buy clothes in the first place.”
“The passbook I gave you last time has a hundred thousand in it, and there’s cash in the drawer too. Don’t leave them there as decorations.”
Lin Wan truly didn’t know these things existed. Taking the passbook Fu Xiuhuai handed over, she saw the account name written was her own, with a total of one hundred thousand in savings.
And in the drawer was a stack of money in an envelope. Looking at the thick bills, there seemed to be over a thousand in cash.
Lin Wan didn’t understand—was it necessary for Fu Xiuhuai to go this far?