Su Tian got up early and went to a noodle shop near the guesthouse to eat a bowl of fish soup noodles. They were fresh and delicious, and with a salted duck egg on the side, the flavor was very good. She finished the entire bowl and even ordered another one to take away. Yesterday, she had bought a large enamel mug at the supply-and-marketing cooperative, just right for holding noodles. Even with soup in it, there was no worry about spilling.
Besides the noodles, she also bought ten meat buns with thin skin and generous, juicy filling, rich with a bit of meatiness, planning to save them for lunch. To keep track of time, Su Tian had wanted to buy a wristwatch at the cooperative yesterday, but she didn’t have any industrial coupons, so she couldn’t buy one. She could only think about stockpiling some industrial coupons later.
Not knowing the exact time, Su Tian waited early at the entrance. When the fish soup noodles were almost getting cold, Qin Yan’s delivery truck arrived, kicking up a lot of dust. Su Tian recognized him and smiled as she waved. Qin Yan saw her waving from afar and, excited, lifted his head. A bright smile bloomed across his face as his eyes sparkled. He stopped the truck beside her. Before getting out, he opened the passenger door and handed over the fish soup noodles and meat buns.
“I don’t know what you like to eat, so I bought fish soup noodles and meat buns. You eat first—I’m not in a hurry.”
Qin Yan glanced at the chopsticks that were handed to him. They were clearly new, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
Su Tian urged him, “Hurry up and eat. It won’t taste good once it gets cold.”
Qin Yan had already had a bowl of porridge at home, but at her prompting, he opened the lid. Smelling the rich aroma of the fish soup noodles, he picked up the chopsticks and began to eat. The noodles were a bit clumped together, but the taste was decent. As for the meat buns, after finishing the bowl of noodles, he couldn’t eat anymore and pushed the buns back to her.
Su Tian put her own things away. Seeing the buns pushed back, she smiled. “I bought quite a few. Leave these four for you to eat at noon. It’s hot, but they won’t spoil easily.”
Qin Yan glanced at the buns that had been pushed back to him again, said nothing, started the truck, and drove toward Su Tian’s hometown.
When Su Tian first got into the truck, she awkwardly tried to make conversation, asking about his work. Qin Yan was a man of few words, answering briefly—either “mm,” “yeah,” or a few concise words. He was the embodiment of ‘silence is golden.’ Seeing that he had no desire to chat, Su Tian stopped forcing conversation. She found a comfortable position, leaned back for a while, and soon began to feel drowsy.
From the city to the town, it took more than two hours to drive. He also had to unload goods at two places, so they would probably reach the town in about three hours—around eleven o’clock.
Qin Yan noticed that the person beside him had suddenly gone quiet. He turned his head and saw her leaning against the window on his side, already asleep. Her delicate, pretty brows were slightly furrowed, as if she wasn’t sleeping comfortably. That made sense—sleeping while sitting in a vehicle could never be as comfortable as sleeping at home.
Those beautiful eyes were now only thin slits. Her slender, graceful neck was fair and flawless, like a swan’s neck. Her nose bridge was high and well-shaped, her lips rosy and moist, gently pressed into a lovely curve. Just beneath the elegant line of her jaw, her neck looked slender and white.
With just one glance, it felt as if the image was branded into his heart.
Qin Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He fixed his gaze on the road ahead and silently warned himself to drive carefully and pay attention to safety—don’t stare at a sleeping girl. That would be rude.
Su Tian woke up a few times along the way. When he stopped to unload goods, she even asked if she should help. Qin Yan shook his head. After unloading, he noticed her staring at the loquats hanging at the entrance of a house. He exchanged a few words with the owner, gave them an extra packet of salt, and picked a handful of early-ripening mulberries, placing them in the enamel mug she had given him. He had already taken the mug off the truck and washed it clean, so it was just right for holding mulberries.
After getting back into the truck, he handed the mug to Su Tian. Seeing her hesitate, Qin Yan said, “They’re not sour.”
Once she was sure they were for her, Su Tian smiled and took them. “Thank you.” She also asked, “Do you want some?”
Qin Yan shook his head. He didn’t like these things. “I need to drive.”
Su Tian thought that made sense—safety came first.
On the rest of the journey, bored, Su Tian ate mulberries while trying to make conversation. Without realizing it, she finished the entire mug of mulberries. Her tongue turned dark, and her teeth turned dark too. She didn’t notice it herself. When she talked to Qin Yan and opened her mouth, her stained lips and teeth were revealed. Even someone as cool and taciturn as him, who rarely smiled by nature, couldn’t help but curve his lips upward when he saw her like that.
At first, when she noticed him smiling, Su Tian didn’t realize what was going on. It wasn’t until she caught him glancing at her mouth several times that she stuck out her tongue to look—and saw that the tip of her tongue was dark purple. Realizing what had happened, she cried out and covered her mouth. “Did it stain?”
Qin Yan gave a low “mm,” eyes on the road, hands gripping the steering wheel, as if nothing had happened—so that he wouldn’t burst out laughing and embarrass her.
Su Tian couldn’t help laughing and crying at the same time. In any case, he had seen her in far more embarrassing states in her previous life. A stained mouth and tongue were nothing. She quickly got over it.
When the truck reached the town, Su Tian grabbed her things and jumped down. Smiling, she said to Qin Yan, “Thanks for today. When you come into the city, I’ll treat you to noodles.”
Qin Yan didn’t refuse. Thinking of something, he asked, “Do you still collect Monkey stamps?”
Su Tian raised her eyebrows. “You have some?”
Qin Yan nodded. “A full set. If you’re collecting, I’ll bring them to you next time I pass by.”
If it had been someone else, she would have nodded without hesitation. Qin Yan was a good person, so Su Tian advised him, “If you’re not short of money, you could keep them yourself. They have collectible value.”
“No need. My mom doesn’t like Monkey stamps and wants me to sell them. Are you buying or not?” Qin Yan looked at Su Tian, waiting for her reply.
This time, Su Tian didn’t try to persuade him again. Being a good person once was enough. Business that came right to her door shouldn’t be turned away. “I’ll buy them. A full set—I’ll give you one hundred yuan. How about that?”
Qin Yan frowned, looking at her as if she were the one being taken advantage of. “Right now, Monkey stamps on the market are being bought for only thirty to fifty fen each. At your price, it’s over a yuan per stamp. Are you sure you’re not losing money?”
Su Tian: “???” Three to five mao per stamp? Then wouldn’t I be losing money?
Determined never to suffer a loss no matter what she ate or bought, Su Tian asked, “So how much are you planning to sell them for?”
“Five mao per stamp. A full set has eighty stamps. You can just give me forty yuan.”
Speaking of it, he was still making a profit. He had only spent eight yuan when he bought them. Selling them now for forty meant he was earning thirty-two yuan.
Su Tian hesitated. After all, when she bought from Old Lady Li, it was five yuan for four stamps. A complete set was different—complete sets were the most valuable. Giving a hundred yuan would already be a huge bargain for him, and now he was asking for forty. That was simply an enormous profit for her.
Still, as the saying went, one was willing to sell and the other willing to buy. Since he himself said forty, how could Su Tian refuse?
“Alright, forty it is.”
As she spoke, she withdrew twenty yuan from her space and handed it to him. “This is a deposit. When are you coming next time? I’ll wait for you here.”
Qin Yan accepted the deposit without hesitation. “This day next week, at the same time…”
Seeing that her wrist was bare, Qin Yan added, “Around eleven o’clock. I’ll wait for you here for five minutes.”
Su Tian nodded. Then she thought of something and asked, “You’re often on the road—do you know where I can buy a wristwatch without needing industrial coupons? I want to get one. The price just needs to be reasonable.”
Qin Yan glanced at her fair, slender wrist, much smaller than his own, dazzlingly white, looking as if it might snap with a light squeeze.
“I know,” he said. “I’ll bring one for you next time.”
Su Tian immediately stuffed another twenty yuan into Qin Yan’s hand as a deposit, afraid he might not bring it otherwise. Besides the money, she also gave him a handful of White Rabbit milk candy.
“Sweeten your mouth on the road. I’m leaving now. See you next Monday—don’t be late!”
Qin Yan stood there for a moment, watching the woman with a bag on her back trot away, clearly afraid he might not accept her White Rabbit candy. The corners of his lips lifted, the cool lines of his brows and eyes softening, tiny sparks of light shimmering in his gaze.
After Su Tian had walked farther away, she turned back and watched the little truck drive off for two seconds before finally heading toward the village. If she’d known, she would have asked him to drive her straight home! Sigh—she’d been afraid of causing misunderstandings, so she had no choice but to walk.
She’d bought too many things. They were so heavy!
Qin Yan drove for quite a while and only after reaching another town did he realize that Su Tian had forgotten to take her enamel mug.