After arriving, Su Su followed Wang Defang straight to the largest supply and marketing cooperative.
The place was crowded; as far as the eye could see, it was a sea of dark heads.
After finally pushing her way inside, Su Su noticed that although the products at the Heicheng cooperative weren’t as varied as those in Shanghai, they were quite unique.
The food section, in particular, caught her eye. The counters were filled with canned sweets and a variety of pastries and candies: candied fruits, banana crisps, ox-tongue biscuits, animal-shaped cookies… even fruit candies sold ten for just a dime.
There were also staple goods like grains, oil, and condiments, as well as loose kerosene, vinegar, and liquor. The liquors included classic Red Star Erguotou and Bamboo Leaf Green.
The household goods section offered textiles, enamel and aluminum products, cleaning supplies, and lighting items. Toothpaste was much more expensive than tooth powder—but luckily, she had plenty in her space and didn’t need to buy any for now.
The stationery and toy section had ink, brushes, paper, notebooks, clips, and bullet pencils, along with simple toys like small comic books.
The high-end consumer section stocked sewing machines, watches, radios, and tape recorders—prices even higher than in Shanghai!
Suddenly, Su Su remembered she had forgotten the watch she bought in Shanghai for Qin Xutao. She’d have to give it to him tonight.
After browsing, Su Su bought a lot of items. Outside the cooperative, she handed the pastries and candies to Wang Defang.
“Fang Jie, take these back for the kids.”
Wang Defang waved her off. “Little sister, I can’t take them!”
Su Su pretended to be annoyed. “Fang Jie, I still want to ask you a favor. If you don’t take this, how can I trouble you?”
Only then did Wang Defang accept the sweets, smiling. “Little sister, tell me what you need!”
Su Su said, “I want to find a carpenter to make some furniture.”
Hearing this, Wang Defang got excited. “Perfect! My family are carpenters—we can make any furniture you need! Come with me.”
She led Su Su down an alley.
“This is my family’s place. Come on in.”
Pushing open the door, Su Su saw the courtyard filled with all kinds of furniture, the floor covered in wood shavings.
A young boy, shirtless and sweating, was working in the middle of the yard. Hearing the door, he didn’t even look up, casually asking, “What furniture do you want made?”
Wang Defang smacked him on the head. “Your sister brought you business!”
Only then did Wang Guoping look up and see the beautiful girl at the gate. His face instantly flushed, and he covered his chest with both hands, stammering, “Wait a moment.”
Then he dashed inside.
Wang Defang laughed. “My brother is shy; he’s never seen such a pretty girl before.”
Su Su smiled.
A short while later, Wang Guoping came out, ears still slightly red.
Wang Defang saw what was on his mind and said bluntly, “This is Captain Qin’s fiancée. She wants a two-meter bed.”
Already engaged!
Wang Guoping pushed aside his disappointment and asked, “Do you have any specific requirements? If not, we have ready-made furniture in the warehouse.”
Su Su didn’t want to sleep on that iron bed again. She immediately picked a two-meter bed from the warehouse, along with a dining table, a dressing table, and two cabinets for her skincare and clothes.
After Su Su finished selecting, Wang Defang said, smiling, “Great! My brother provides furniture to the army. He can deliver it today, and we’ll go back with him.”
Su Su couldn’t help but look forward to seeing Qin Xutao’s reaction to the new bed tonight.
Once Wang Guoping loaded the furniture, Su Su and Wang Defang got in the car and headed to the military housing.
At the gate, Wang Defang called two orderlies to help carry the furniture inside.
“Thank you for your hard work. Bring these to Captain Qin’s dorm. Take it slow and be careful not to bump or scratch anything.”
The two young orderlies were thrilled to see Captain Qin’s fiancée up close; it didn’t feel like hard work at all!
The noise of moving furniture caught the attention of the military wives, who stared in amazement and whispered:
“My goodness, how much would all this cost? That capital girl really knows how to live!”
“Brother Qin is willing; didn’t you hear? He even gave her his wallet.”
“Tsk tsk, what a little vixen…”
Meanwhile, Su Su was busy storing the old bed and table in her space and setting up the new furniture neatly.
Once done, the entire dorm looked completely refreshed. Su Su nodded in satisfaction—this was what comfort felt like!
She curled up on the soft sofa, wrapped herself in a blanket, and sipped coffee while reading.
When Qin Xutao returned, he saw Su Su curled up on the sofa, sleeping soundly, as if she had been waiting just for him. Though he knew that couldn’t be true.
The noise of the door opening had woken her from light sleep. She rubbed her eyes and mumbled, “You’re finally back… I’ve been waiting for you so long.”
Was she really waiting for him?
Qin Xutao felt a small part of his heart sink.
Seeing no reaction from him, Su Su pouted. “I worked so hard today to make the place look nice, and you don’t even compliment me.”
Qin Xutao pursed his lips. She really treated this place like home… How was he supposed to compliment her? Usually, he was expressionless when scolding people.
Before he could think of what to say, Su Su continued, “I spent quite a bit of your money and ration tickets today—you’re not mad, are you?”
Qin Xutao shook his head. He rarely had places to spend his money, and since Su Su was his fiancée, it was only right for her to use it.
With that in mind, he opened a drawer and took out a metal box. Inside were a passbook and a pile of tickets.
“This is for you.”
Su Su took it, opened the passbook, and saw that he had quite a bit of savings.
Smiling, she said, “All this for me? In that case, I’ll give you a gift too. This watch is what I bought for you in Shanghai.”
She lifted Qin Xutao’s hand and fastened the watch around his wrist.
She nodded in satisfaction. “Fits perfectly!”
Later, when Qin Xutao went to take a shower, Su Su lay on the large bed, thinking about his slightly red ears from earlier, and gleefully wiggled around in excitement. This man was quite fun to tease!
Soon, Qin Xutao finished his shower and came out. He noticed the blanket on the sofa was gone.
Frowning, he pushed open the bedroom door. The old iron bunk bed had been replaced by a two-meter bed, with his blanket placed outside the bed.
Qin Xutao picked up the blanket, intending to sleep on the sofa.
“Not allowed!” Su Su immediately protested.
Seeing him still moving forward, she panicked—this man was stubborn! It seemed she needed to use some tactics.
Tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked pitiful and asked, “Do you still dislike me? Don’t want to marry me?”
Qin Xutao frowned. “This isn’t good for you.”
Su Su asked, “What’s not good about it?”
“We’re about to marry. Sleeping on the same bed early, with separate blankets, isn’t a big deal. Do you plan to bully me in the middle of the night?”
Qin Xutao shook his head.
“Then that’s fine!”
In the end, he lay down beside her, hands folded on his stomach, with no overstepping at all.
Mission accomplished, Su Su happily drifted off to sleep.
Qin Xutao, sensing her breathing, gradually relaxed his stiff body.
He looked at her face, eyes like whirlpools.
In truth, he knew he had lied. He wasn’t sure whether he would ever “bully” her.
Suddenly, Su Su turned, kicking off the blanket and revealing her smooth, fair shoulders.
Qin Xutao reached to cover her with the blanket, only to have her wrap her arm around him.
Touching her softness, he instantly tensed, remaining frozen until morning.
It wasn’t until Su Su turned over and released his arm that he closed his bloodshot eyes.