The carpenter was an experienced hand. He immediately saw the cleverness in the design and said excitedly, “Yes, I can make this.”
After that, he eagerly asked, “Can I keep this blueprint? I’ll make one for you for free. If anyone asks, just have them come to me.”
He didn’t ask how Su Yueheng came up with it—he only saw a valuable skill.
Su Yueheng quickly understood. “I have no objections. It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea anyway.”
Lu Xingzhou paused slightly as he was about to take out a deposit. Seeing that Su Yueheng agreed, he didn’t say anything.
Given her background, it wasn’t strange for her to know these things.
The carpenter and Lu Xingzhou worked together to lift the sofa onto the roof of the car and secure it.
Just as Lu Xingzhou was about to get in, Su Yueheng darted forward and sat in the driver’s seat.
He coughed lightly and sighed helplessly. “A Heng, there’s a sofa on top—are you sure you can handle it?”
Su Yueheng had already figured out how to start the engine. Hearing him, she made an “OK” gesture.
After he got in, she said excitedly, “Xingzhou, fasten your seatbelt.”
The moment he finished fastening it, Su Yueheng slammed the accelerator all the way down. The car shot forward, and even the sofa on the roof shook violently.
Lu Xingzhou was stunned. Hearing the excited laughter of the two children in the back seat, he felt a bit dizzy.
Riding in the car felt like flying in an airplane.
Ahem—though he had never been on a plane, he was sure it must feel like this.
The jeep performed well. Su Yueheng felt like she was driving a sports car—no traffic lights, only the salty sea breeze drifting in.
She thought that after economic reforms, she might take up racing as a hobby.
What should have been a thirty-minute drive took her only ten minutes.
When she stopped, Lu Xingzhou’s tanned face had turned slightly pale. Once again, he realized how different Su Yueheng was from her appearance.
Lu Sangning and Lu Shengli weren’t scared at all.
Lu Shengli even asked excitedly, “Mom, can we do that again?”
Su Yueheng wanted to as well, but her rationality held her back. She shook her head. “We still have to bring the sofa back.”
Lu Xingzhou said in a low voice, “You two go play. A Heng, from now on, try to drive less.”
Too dangerous!
Fortunately, there weren’t many people on the road today. At that speed, if there had been more, something would have definitely happened.
Su Yueheng blinked. “I think it was fine. Xingzhou, are you… okay?”
Her tone was concerned. She glanced at the two children behind. “You two go play first. Your dad is fine.”
She switched the way she addressed him very smoothly.
Lu Shengli immediately pulled his sister away, not noticing that she wanted to ask their father something.
Lu Sangning had just gotten out and taken a few steps when she saw her father step out from the passenger seat, and her mother follow from the driver’s side looking like a wilted eggplant.
“Oh my, driving like that—it was Yueheng, right?”
“Looks like Yueheng’s family must have been well-off. She must have seen cars before.”
“Why does Commander Lu look unwell? Did they argue?”
Lu Xingzhou shook his head, a helpless smile on his lips. After living here for years, he was familiar with the neighbors’ temperaments.
“A Heng drove too fast and scared me,” he said briefly, without elaborating. Then he turned to Battalion Commander Yao next door. “Commander Yao, come help me unload the sofa.”
Su Yueheng smiled apologetically. “I’m not very familiar with this car. There was no one on the road, so I drove a bit fast.”
Her slightly flushed face, combined with their earlier interaction, made it seem more like playful flirting.
In the crowd, Fang Muping and Shen Mianmian stood at the edge, their resentful gazes strikingly similar.
Shen Mianmian spat, “Shameless. Aside from that face of hers, she has nothing.”
Fang Muping replied calmly, “They’re husband and wife now. What’s the point of being angry?”
“I—!”
Shen Mianmian snorted and changed the subject. “Did you find anything from the investigation into Su Yueheng?”
Fang Muping’s tone remained steady. “My father is still trying to pull connections in the capital. It won’t be that fast. But Su Yueheng… she doesn’t seem like she comes from a working-class background.”
She hated to admit it, but Su Yueheng’s temperament clearly showed she had grown up in wealth and comfort.
She had seen many women like that at her uncle’s place.
Shen Mianmian scoffed. “If you get any results, tell me. You may not have a chance anymore, but I still do.”
With that, she turned and left without looking back.
Fang Muping sneered. If she didn’t need to reconcile with that fool Shen Mianmian to deal with Su Yueheng, she wouldn’t bother with someone like her.
On the other side.
Only after confirming their parents were fine did Lu Sangning and Lu Shengli start playing at ease.
“A Ning, can I play with you?”
Yang Siya’s voice sounded.
Lu Sangning turned and saw her hiding timidly behind a big tree. She rolled her eyes rudely. “No, I don’t want to. You always tattle.”
She might be young, but she wasn’t stupid.
Ever since their mother ran away, she had seen it clearly—Yang Siya often went to complain to their uncle—no, now she should call him Dad. She didn’t like her at all.
Lu Shengli added, “Yeah, go ahead and tattle. Anyway, they’re our parents now. We’re much closer to them than you.”
He spoke proudly, and Yang Siya ran off crying.
Lu Sangning curled her lips. “So boring—she ran off just like that?”
“She’s definitely going to complain again. We’ll probably get scolded later.”
Lu Sangning didn’t care. “Now we have a mom, and we’re already Dad’s children. If Dad is still as fierce as before, I’ll just cry.”
She had already thought of a strategy. Yang Siya would never be her friend—they would always be enemies.
So pretentious and fake!
…
After placing the sofa, Su Yueheng asked Lu Xingzhou to refurbish the old one, set up a small shed in the yard, and plant wisteria vines so they could brew tea there when the weather turned cold.
Lu Xingzhou didn’t quite understand this kind of lifestyle, but it wasn’t an unreasonable request—just that finding wisteria might be a bit troublesome.
He agreed without hesitation.
They hadn’t lowered their voices, and just as they finished speaking—
A mocking chuckle came from next door. “Didn’t expect your taste to be this good.”
Startled, Su Yueheng turned and saw Zhao Ziling’s gloomy gaze. Her heart skipped, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Comrade, suddenly speaking like that to scare people isn’t right, you know?”
Battalion Commander Yao frowned. “Ziling…”
Zhao Ziling cut him off coldly. “I’m curious—what wealthy family do you come from?”
Seeing she wasn’t going to answer, Su Yueheng replied bluntly, “What does it have to do with you? No matter who I am, I’m still above someone like you—a rude landlord’s daughter—who has no place judging me.”
“You—!”
Zhao Ziling glared at Battalion Commander Yao. “What are you still standing there for? Come back and work in the fields!”
With that, she left without giving him any face.