Wen Quhua stared at the clock without blinking. When she heard the sound of the wind chimes downstairs, it was exactly ten minutes. She stood on the stairs with her arms crossed, looking down at him from above.
Facing her sunglasses and mask, Yang Qin’s expression twitched.
If he was not mistaken, it was noon right now, twelve o’clock. Yet she had wrapped herself up like a ghost. At this hour, it was hot, and there would not be any customers in the shop. She beckoned to him. “Come upstairs.”
Yang Qin followed her up in two steps to fix the meter box for this difficult woman. That day, Xiao Xin should not have lost his mind and taken this job. The unlucky one was him. She stood at the side watching him repair it, as if waiting to find fault at any moment.
Yang Qin could not stand it. “Stand farther away.”
“Why? I’m supervising the work.”
“Do you think you won’t be able to fix it just because I’m looking at you?”
It was not that he could not fix it. It was that her scent was too strong, drilling straight into his nose, fragrant to the point of making his head dizzy. He had no idea what she had applied.
“You smell a bit strong.” She did not move, so he could only tell the truth.
Wen Quhua: !!!
She looked as if she had completely shattered, staring at him in disbelief. Then she lowered her head and began sniffing herself. Had it not always been this scent? She had not changed her shampoo or body wash brands either.
“I use all light fragrances!” she said, a little aggrieved. It was the first time someone had said her scent was strong.
Yang Qin paused. No way… was she crying?
But she was wearing sunglasses, so he could not see anything.
“Sorry, I mean I get dizzy from fragrances,” he explained, trying to coax her.
Someone could actually get dizzy from fragrances? Wen Quhua took a few steps back. As the air circulated, he no longer felt so hot and irritable. Finally, he could focus on fixing the wiring.
After working for quite a while, it remained very quiet behind him. He turned the power back on, and the fan began to spin again with a whirring sound.
She sat on the sofa, scratching her arm for a moment, then scratching her chin under the mask. She looked very uncomfortable.
Bitten by mosquitoes again?
The next second, he saw her roll up her sleeve and scratch hard. Patches of red, bean-curd-like welts came into view.
He rushed over in one step and grabbed her wrist.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed.
Yang Qin confirmed it. He looked up at her eyes behind the sunglasses. “You’re having an allergic reaction.”
“I’m not someone with allergies.”
“Renovation materials can also cause allergies and rashes.” He had been doing renovation work for seven or eight years and knew this clearly. If it was not a spontaneous allergy, then it was caused by the renovation.
“Then what should I do? Will it leave scars?” She was genuinely worried about scars!
Yang Qin said helplessly, “If you treat it early, it won’t. Come on, let’s go to the hospital.”
“Will you go with me? I’m so itchy. The more I scratch, the itchier it gets. My arms, my neck, my chest—”
“I’ll go!” he cut her off in time, pulled her up, and left.
When they arrived at the hospital, even Doctor Chen felt sorry for her. She had come twice in a few days because of a skin condition.
“You shouldn’t stay in that house for now. Ventilate it morning and night and let it air out.”
Then where was she supposed to stay? She could not go back to the hotel again. Hotels were not clean either…
Wen Quhua felt troubled.
She felt that she had really sacrificed a lot for Yang Qin. Ever since she came to Langcheng, she had suffered quite a bit from not adapting to the environment.
Yang Qin took the medicine and led her out. “See if you can find a place to stay temporarily.”
“How long?”
“At least a month.”
“I don’t know anyone here. Where am I supposed to find a place to stay?”
“Rent a place?”
“Can I rent one right now?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the point of saying that? Help me think of something~”
She was so itchy that she did not want to think at all. She even leaned weakly against him, her voice unconsciously taking on the tone she used to act coquettishly with her family, soft and clingy.
Yang Qin’s whole body stiffened a little. Her fragrance drifted over again, making his head spin.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and pushed her upright. “There’s a dormitory at the construction site. You… just pay a little and stay there for a while.”
“How can I live in a construction site dormitory with a bunch of men!” she said in shock.
Yang Qin had a headache. “A women’s dormitory. There are female workers at the site too.”
“Oh.” She gave an awkward laugh. Right now, she did not dare go back to stay on the second floor anyway, so she could only follow his suggestion for now.
Yang Qin took her back to pack her things, then went to the construction site to pay at the finance office. With him leading, the rental process was quick, but she had to fill in some simple information. He asked for her name.
Everyone called her “the lady boss” behind her back, but no one knew her name.
While enduring the itch, she replied, “Wen Quhua.”
The name sounded complicated. Before he could ask further, she naturally added, “Wen as in Wen Ruyu, Qu as in lotus, Hua as in ronghua prosperity.”
Wen Quhua.
Every character sounded expensive.
Yang Qin silently repeated it in his mind, then raised his hand to fill it in on the form. After paying five yuan, he took the key and led her away.
“Only five yuan for a month? That’s so cheap.”
“The living conditions are average,” he said calmly.
When he opened the dormitory door and she saw the small space of only a few square meters, with just one window and a bunk bed, Wen Quhua finally understood what “average conditions” meant.
Was this average? This was poverty!
“The lower bunk is for sleeping, the upper bunk is for clothes and washbasins.”
She forced herself to stay calm as she asked, “What about the toilet and bathroom?”
“They’re all shared outside. Didn’t you see the water sink downstairs when you came up just now?”
She had thought that was for passersby to wash their hands…
Wen Quhua felt like she was falling apart.
Without even looking at her expression, Yang Qin knew she was disgusted, but he ignored it and explained one by one, “I’ll tell Aunt Zhu later to come up and help you apply medicine on your back. I’m leaving first.”
“Oh.”
She had no reaction to his departure. She simply stared at the bunk bed in front of her, contemplating a new philosophy of life.
Perhaps this one month would teach her what her father had said about the widening gap between rich and poor and differences in mindset brought about by reform and opening up.
She had returned from 2014 to 1988. She had to become a person with a broader perspective.
Wen Quhua took a deep breath, found something to pad the bed, and began applying medicine to herself.
Before long, an unfamiliar middle-aged woman knocked on the door. She went to open it, and the woman said her surname was Zhu.
Wen Quhua greeted her and invited her in.
There were also rashes on her back, and she really could not apply the medicine herself. When Aunt Zhu saw the fair and smooth back covered in red rashes, she also inhaled sharply.
“It’s this serious. Young lady, you have to be careful. Those of us who do renovation work know best. Some people have even gotten that… leukemia from renovation materials and died.”
Of course, Wen Quhua knew. She had only tested the data after the renovation and thought it was safe. Who knew that the testing data in 1988 was simply unreliable?
Aunt Zhu was quite warm-hearted. She helped Wen Quhua fetch water and tidy up the bed.
In the end, Wen Quhua took out a square scarf from the bag she had brought and gave it to Aunt Zhu as a thank-you gift. Aunt Zhu touched the fine material and refused several times, but in the end, she happily accepted it, because she could tell that Wen Quhua truly wanted to give it to her.
Wen Quhua did not mention that the scarf cost dozens of yuan. She would be staying here for a month and hoped Aunt Zhu could help her as much as possible. Aunt Zhu left with the scarf. Even without being told, she was already planning to come over often to help.
As soon as she went downstairs, she ran into Yang Qin, who was washing his hands at the sink. Aunt Zhu smiled. “Still haven’t left? Worried about her, huh?”
Yang Qin coughed. “I went to the construction site to check the progress. I just passed by here to wash my hands.”
Aunt Zhu smiled knowingly and said proactively, “Boss Wen looks delicate, but she’s actually easy to get along with. Quiet and gentle. She even gave me a scarf. It’s just that her condition is quite serious. It made my heart ache to see it.”
“Mm.” Yang Qin did not seem to be listening closely. He turned off the tap. “Aunt Zhu, I’m leaving first.”
Aunt Zhu looked at his tall back and clicked her tongue with a smile. Young people were just shy. Even when they cared, they had to pretend to be indifferent.
Over the years, quite a few girls had taken a liking to Yang Qin, but he had never shown interest in any of them. Yet as soon as Boss Wen from the sweet soup shop arrived, he had been following her around.
When Yang Qin returned to the dormitory, Xiao Xin looked up at him. “Brother Qin, you’re only back now? It’s almost four or five o’clock. Was it that hard to fix?”
Yang Qin did not reply. He was actually a little tired, but it was not time to sleep yet, so he simply went to the canteen to get food. He also needed to buy a new lunchbox. With her like that, she definitely would not go out to find the canteen herself.
Xiao Xin was puzzled when Yang Qin came in and then left again.
Yang Qin got three dishes from the kitchen: eggplant, potatoes, and stir-fried shredded pork. He took a few steamed buns and went to deliver them to Wen Quhua first. He knocked on the door and heard a soft voice inside ask, “Who is it?”
“It’s me. I brought you food.”
The door opened quickly. She had already changed into another outfit, a light pink ruffled dress. The loose style looked soft and comfortable.
It was just that the neckline was a bit too low.
He frowned slightly. He did not know where she got so many strange dresses, all colorful and fancy.
Wen Quhua was already hungry. Smelling the food, she urged him, “There’s no table. How am I supposed to eat?”
“Hold it first. I’ll go get you a table.”
He worked efficiently and quickly brought over a rectangular table. He had even wiped the surface clean with water from the sink downstairs. It was quite clean.
Wen Quhua nodded in satisfaction, eagerly waiting for him to open the lunchbox so she could start eating.
She could not cook, so she was not picky. Holding a large steamed bun, she ate happily.
It was rare to see her not being delicate and fussy like this. There was a faint smile in his eyes.
After she finished one bun, he handed her another. She waved her hand and refused, her cheeks puffed up.
He asked, “You’re full already?”
Wen Quhua nodded. Northern steamed buns were dense and filling.
Yang Qin poured water from the kettle into the lid and handed it to her. “Drink it after it cools.”
He was also hungry. He quickly finished the remaining four buns and the dishes she had left.
She watched in shock. He ate four times as much as she did!
But she noticed a detail. He only started eating after she had finished, which meant he was eating her leftovers.
The corner of Wen Quhua’s lips lifted slightly.
He happened to catch that moment. The rashes on her face were fewer, but they were still there, which definitely reduced her appearance, so he could handle it.
But when she suddenly smiled like that, his heart thumped violently. He had to suppress it repeatedly before his expression returned to normal.
“I still want to take a bath.” She looked at him eagerly.
“So troublesome,” he said with disdain, but he still told her he would come back at eight to take her to the bathhouse. Hot water was only available between eight and nine.
He packed up the lunchbox and left. Wen Quhua lay on the bed and idly passed the time.
At eight, he knocked on the door on time.
She came out carrying her prepared change of clothes, shampoo, and body wash. The bathhouse was some distance away, but fortunately, it was dark, and no one could see them clearly. There were quite a few young couples at the construction site anyway.
The two of them walked to the bathhouse. Yang Qin looked at their shadows on the ground, one big and one small, and his mood was somewhat complicated.
He knew very well what foolish thing he was doing. Otherwise, why would he run to her side five times a day?
But he could not let her know. She was a flower drifting from the south. She would soon return to where she belonged and continue to bloom.
If he fell too deeply and she left, how unbearable would it be for him?
So he felt it was about time to rein himself in.
Just as he was thinking this, a sudden waft of fragrance came from beside him, along with her startled cry.
“There’s a bug!” She almost jumped into his arms, not daring to move. “Hurry and get it off me!”
Yang Qin stiffened at first. After a moment, he lowered his gaze and saw a small black-shelled bug on her shoulder.
“Is it gone?” Her voice trembled.
Yang Qin reached out and brushed it away. A low sound slipped from his throat. “Mm.”
Wen Quhua did not even dare to look. She was most afraid of bugs. The thought of it made her extremely uncomfortable. Uneasy, she moved half a step away from him and asked, “What kind of bug was it? A caterpillar?”
He curled his lips slightly. “A stink bug.”
A stink bug? That was no better than a caterpillar. She felt as if her shoulder and clothes were already dirty. She wished she could go bathe immediately. Subconsciously, she grabbed his hand.
“Walk faster!”
He lagged half a step behind, looking at her holding his hand. His gaze darkened slightly.
Did she just grab anyone’s hand whenever she felt like it?