When they woke up the next day, the Duan family had already left for work.
Only Duan Pengyue and Li Qinkuai were still at home. Breakfast was ready and could be eaten after heating it up in the pot.
After finishing their meal, Duan Pengyue took Li Qinkuai out to buy clothes.
Li Qinkuai was from the south and had few winter clothes. Although it was already April, the weather was still somewhat chilly, so she needed to buy a few thicker items.
Duan Pengyue took Li Qinkuai directly to the department store to buy ready-made clothes.
Li Qinkuai bought two jackets and a pair of pants, then insisted that Duan Pengyue buy a set as well.
Duan Pengyue waved his hand in refusal. “No need, I have plenty of clothes. Save the money to buy clothes for you or whatever you want.”
Li Qinkuai thought about how Duan Pengyue had more clothes in the wardrobe than she did, so she didn’t insist.
“Will your parents and older brother come back for lunch at noon?” Li Qinkuai asked.
Since they were already out, if they were coming back, she would buy groceries and go home to cook.
Yesterday, Wu Yafang had given her a red envelope with a hundred yuan inside, which she could use to buy some groceries.
Duan Pengyue thought for a moment and said, “They won’t be back. They all eat in the cafeteria and will only come back for dinner in the evening.”
“Then let’s go to the state-run restaurant for zhajiangmian at noon,” Li Qinkuai suggested.
Beijing’s zhajiangmian was delicious and came in generous portions. Li Qinkuai loved it, as there was no zhajiangmian where she came from.
Duan Pengyue looked at her in surprise. “You even know about zhajiangmian?”
Li Qinkuai snorted. “Of course. I heard before coming here that Beijing’s zhajiangmian is delicious, so I have to try it. If you don’t want to eat, you can go back first. I’ll return on my own later.”
Duan Pengyue laughed.
Her tone made it sound as if she knew the way back.
But as soon as Li Qinkuai mentioned zhajiangmian, he realized he hadn’t had it in a long time. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
“Of course I want to eat it too.”
“Then let’s go. If we’re late, there might not be any left.”
The two arrived at the state-run restaurant, ordered two bowls of zhajiangmian and two bottles of Beibingyang soda, paid with money and coupons, and found a seat.
Soon, two large bowls of zhajiangmian were served. Paired with Beibingyang soda, it was pure comfort.
After finishing their meal, Li Qinkuai said she wanted to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy groceries for dinner. Duan Pengyue naturally had no objections.
However, before they reached the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, Duan Pengyue was stopped by an old male classmate. Seizing the opportunity, Li Qinkuai excused herself, saying she would go to the supply and marketing cooperative first to buy groceries, and left them to chat.
Although she said she was going to buy groceries, Li Qinkuai only bought some vegetables at the supply and marketing cooperative. When she came out, while Duan Pengyue wasn’t paying attention, she slipped into an empty corner, took two pounds of pork ribs and ten pounds of rice from her space, and returned.
“Was that really your wife? Are you really married?” Ling Yu asked Duan Pengyue, unable to believe it.
For the past two days, Ling Yu had heard rumors that Duan Pengyue had married a wife from the countryside. He hadn’t believed it at first, but just now, he saw Duan Pengyue walking around with a beautiful woman from a distance and decided to come over to ask.
If it was true, then he would have a chance to pursue Qing Shuangyun.
They had all grown up in the same compound and were around the same age. Everyone knew Qing Shuangyun liked Duan Pengyue.
The parents of both families had even considered arranging a childhood marriage for the two children, but no one expected that Duan Pengyue would get married after going to the countryside.
What was even more surprising was that Duan Pengyue, who usually looked down on everyone, married an uneducated rural wife. Who would dare believe it?
“Yes, how have you been lately? Which unit are you working at?” Duan Pengyue asked politely.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Ling Yu couldn’t hide the smile on his face, but he didn’t forget to answer Duan Pengyue’s question.
“I’m currently working at a machinery factory on East Road. It’s pretty good. What about you? What job were you assigned?”
“I plan to join the military. Does your factory hire temporary workers?”
Duan Pengyue finally asked what he really wanted to know.
“Joining the military and looking for temporary work? What are you trying to…?” Ling Yu was a bit confused but began to worry inwardly.
If Duan Pengyue joined the military and Qing Shuangyun was a military doctor, wouldn’t the two of them meet again?
Seeing each other every day—what chance would he have then?
“It’s for my wife. She doesn’t have much education and is still registered as a rural resident, so she can’t be assigned a job. I’m thinking of finding temporary work for her. She can’t stand being idle at home alone.”
Duan Pengyue explained.
“Oh, I see. But our factory isn’t hiring temporary workers at the moment. I’ll keep an eye out for you. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know first. When I go back, I’ll also check if any nearby factories are hiring temporary workers. If there are, I’ll tell you.”
“Alright, thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal when I have the chance.” As soon as Duan Pengyue finished speaking, he caught sight of Li Qinkuai walking over with meat in hand. After exchanging a few polite words with Ling Yu, he left.
Ling Yu watched Duan Pengyue and his wife in the distance, thinking to himself that although Duan Pengyue had married a rural woman, she was truly beautiful and had a good figure—no wonder Duan Pengyue had taken a liking to her.
“What did you buy?” Duan Pengyue reached out to take the things from Li Qinkuai’s hands—they had some weight to them.
“I bought two pounds of pork ribs, ten pounds of rice, and some vegetables. I also picked up some sponge cakes and walnut cookies.” As she spoke, Li Qinkuai opened the paper wrapping of the walnut cookies, took one out, and naturally slipped it into his mouth.
After doing so, Li Qinkuai froze.
It was pure muscle memory.
In her past life, not long after they got married, Duan Pengyue had joined the military. Although he rarely returned, he would come back every two or three months. Each time he did, Li Qinkuai would drag him out to buy new clothes, cosmetics, or all sorts of snacks.
Walnut cookies were delicious—Li Qinkuai loved them, and so did Duan Pengyue. So every time he returned, she would buy some. But since Duan Pengyue was carrying her purchases and couldn’t free his hands, she would unwrap the cookies and feed them to him. Over time, it became a habit.
Fortunately, Duan Pengyue didn’t notice her odd behavior and even seemed pleased.
Li Qinkuai breathed a sigh of relief, took a bite herself, and then carefully rewrapped the cookies.
“Let’s go home first. We can come out again in the afternoon to see if there are any temporary job openings.”
Duan Pengyue nodded. “Alright, we’ll come out again in the afternoon.”
Just then, a middle-aged woman holding a child hurried past Li Qinkuai, looking flustered and anxious.
Li Qinkuai didn’t pay much attention at first, but then a scene suddenly flashed in her mind. It was from her previous life, two years after she married into the Duan family, when she was bored and reading the newspaper. She came across an article about a child being abducted by a trafficker, and the newspaper even published a photo of the trafficker.
Although the trafficker was eventually found, the child’s whereabouts remained unknown—whether alive or dead was uncertain. This trafficker had abducted not just one child, but more than a dozen, and even some women.
And the photo in the newspaper looked exactly like the middle-aged woman who had been holding the child earlier!
Li Qinkuai stopped in her tracks and urgently said to Duan Pengyue, “Duan Pengyue, that woman holding the child earlier is a trafficker! Hurry and catch her!”
She was so nervous that she misspoke. Before Li Qinkuai could clarify further, Duan Pengyue had already dropped what he was holding and ran in the direction of the woman.
He moved so quickly that Li Qinkuai couldn’t react in time. She hurriedly picked up the things he had dropped and followed, grabbing a wooden stick from the roadside as she ran.
By the time Li Qinkuai arrived, Duan Pengyue had already snatched the child into his arms, while the middle-aged woman sat on the ground, wailing loudly.
“Someone’s stealing a child! Someone’s stealing a child! Help! Someone’s stealing my child! My child has been taken!!”