Jiang Mian immediately recognized Lu Heng’s voice.
Even though it was just a single “Hello.”
Not daring to waste time, Jiang Mian spoke rapidly like a machine gun:
“Phone calls are expensive, so I’ll be quick—return my certificate to me!”
“I’ll cover the phone bill.”
Jiang Mian let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, those words sounded… unexpectedly comforting.
She relaxed, changed her tone, and spoke more slowly, adding a polite address:
“Professor Lu, could you please return the certificate to me? It’s very important.”
The other side didn’t make things difficult and replied in a low voice:
“Alright. Let’s meet—I’ll return it to you in person.”
“Where?”
“How about we have a meal together?”
Jiang Mian refused righteously:
“That won’t be necessary. It might cause misunderstandings.”
“Donglaishun.”
“……”
Jiang Mian froze for a moment.
Donglaishun?
She remembered now. Back at the farm, she often heard those educated youths from the capital brag about having eaten at Donglaishun.
It always stirred envy among the other youths from the capital.
It seemed Donglaishun was a very high-end place—so prestigious that one visit was enough to brag about for years.
After marrying Lu Heng, Jiang Mian had once specifically asked him:
“Heng-ge, what kind of place is Donglaishun? Why do those educated youths think eating there is such a big deal?”
Lu Heng explained to this inexperienced country girl:
“Donglaishun is a time-honored restaurant in the capital. Their instant-boiled mutton is very famous. And when you eat there, you don’t need grain coupons or ration tickets—you just pay and eat as much as you like.”
Jiang Mian had been stunned at the time:
“There are places where you can eat without using grain coupons?”
“Yes. No grain coupons needed, but it’s very expensive. One meal can cost a whole month’s salary.”
Jiang Mian’s eyes nearly popped out as she exclaimed:
“No wonder, no wonder those youths keep bragging over and over about eating at Donglaishun. If one meal costs a whole month’s salary—if it were me, I’d brag about it for a lifetime!”
Lu Heng had laughed then.
He flicked her lightly on the forehead:
“When we have the chance to go to the capital in the future, I’ll take you there—so you can brag about it for a lifetime.”
Jiang Mian’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“Really?”
But after thinking about it, she shook her head.
“Better not go. It’s too expensive. How can we live like that? Spending a whole month’s salary on one meal—what would we eat for the remaining twenty-nine days?”
For some reason, those words made Lu Heng laugh nonstop.
Then he pulled her into the blankets.
She hadn’t expected that Lu Heng would still remember that moment.
Was he planning to fulfill that promise now?
But Jiang Mian’s heart resisted.
Even if her mouth didn’t quite listen:
“Th-then… okay…” she said reluctantly.
“Five in the evening. See you there.”
“Alright,” Jiang Mian quickly added before hanging up, “don’t forget the award certificate—and reimburse the phone bill too.”
“…”
After ending the call, she paid for the phone fee.
Thinking about how she was about to eat at Donglaishun—the place the educated youths always talked about—Jiang Mian felt that this trip to the capital had not been in vain.
If she hadn’t divorced Lu Heng, she would never have been willing to spend that much money to eat there.
But now, she was divorced.
Then of course she was going to make him pay big!
If she didn’t eat, it would be a waste.
After eating, she could even brag about it when she got back.
Walking out of the post office, Jiang Mian suddenly realized something.
Oh no—how do you get to Donglaishun?
Is it far?
Do I need to take a bus?
Bus fare costs money too!
Could Professor Lu reimburse the travel expenses as well?
However, before going to Donglaishun, Jiang Mian still had to go somewhere else.
She bought a bag of apples and a bag of pears from a roadside stall.
Then she asked the elderly fruit vendor how to get to Huaqing University.
The old man was very kind and told her which bus to take, where to get off, and how to transfer.
Jiang Mian remembered everything.
Then, carrying the fruit, she headed to Huaqing University.
She wasn’t going there to find Lu Heng—although she knew he probably lived there.
She was going to find someone else.