The attacker’s arm had been stabbed. He probably hadn’t expected Xiao Hongyao to be carrying a dagger.
While he was hesitating over whether to rush forward and take the knife from her, Xiao Hongyao kicked at him. He stumbled backward and nearly fell.
Unfortunately, the original owner’s body wasn’t strong enough. Otherwise, she would have kicked him senseless.
Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell came from the corner of the main road, followed by the beam of a flashlight.
“Help! Help!” Xiao Hongyao shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Third Sister? Is that you?!”
It was her eldest brother, Xiao Yuanyang.
The attacker froze when he heard Xiao Yuanyang’s voice. Realizing that he had to get away quickly, he still seemed unwilling to leave empty-handed. He snatched Xiao Hongyao’s small shoulder bag from the ground and then jumped onto the field ridge.
Xiao Hongyao didn’t dare follow him recklessly. She could only watch helplessly as he crossed the harvested rice field and disappeared into the small bamboo grove ahead.
Xiao Yuanyang rode his bicycle over at full speed. At the same time, another person came running from the opposite direction of the dirt road. It was Aunt Zhang’s husband, Uncle Jiang, whose name was Jiang Guoren.
“Third Sister, what happened?”
“A man robbed me and took my bag.” Xiao Hongyao picked up her flashlight and pointed toward the bamboo grove. “He ran that way.”
When Xiao Yuanyang saw that his sister’s collar had been pulled askew, he realized that the attacker might have wanted more than just her money. The veins on his neck bulged with anger.
“Did you see his face? What did he look like?”
“I couldn’t see clearly. He covered his nose and mouth with his clothes.”
Jiang Guoren asked her, “What was in your bag?”
There wasn’t much. She had left her money and the purchase order at home when she went back for dinner that evening.
There was a small notebook containing the prices for the different types of corduroy that she and Liang Zhen had discussed that night.
There was also a small coin purse with several yuan inside.
Xiao Hongyao answered honestly, “There was a fountain pen, a notebook, and seven or eight yuan in the purse.”
“Damn bastard.” Jiang Guoren cursed. Seven or eight yuan was quite a lot of money.
“What kind of person would dare cause trouble at our fireworks factory?”
“I stabbed him in the left arm with my knife when I was trying to defend myself.” Xiao Hongyao raised the dagger in her hand. “There’s still his blood on it.”
Xiao Yuanyang blamed himself. “It’s my fault. I ran into a coworker on the way and stopped to talk about work. That delayed me.”
“I thought Grandma had forgotten to tell you to come pick me up.”
Xiao Yuanyang wasn’t willing to let the attacker get away so easily.
“Uncle Jiang, go with my sister to the guard room and call the police. I’ll go to the security office and get some people. We’ll search the bamboo grove immediately.”
Jiang Guoren nodded. “All right. You’re faster on the bicycle, so go ahead.”
They split up and took action.
Xiao Hongyao followed Jiang Guoren to the guard room to report the robbery. Afterward, she stayed there to wait for the police, while Jiang Guoren went to the Xiao family’s house to tell them what had happened and reassure them that she would return home after giving her statement.
The police station wasn’t far away. About ten minutes later, the police arrived.
Since it was a robbery, four people came—two police officers and two members of the local security patrol.
It was currently a period of intensified law enforcement. When the security patrol members heard that the robber had been injured and fled into the bamboo grove, and that the fireworks factory’s security department was already searching the area, they immediately took it seriously and brought more people to help surround and search the grove.
Meanwhile, the police took Xiao Hongyao’s statement.
After listening to her account, one of the officers asked, “Did he pull at your clothes as soon as he attacked you?”
“Yes. That’s why I fought back in self-defense.”
That meant the attacker could potentially be charged with hooliganism as well as robbery.
At this time, even robbing someone of just one yuan could result in imprisonment. Hooliganism was an even more serious offense, with sentences starting at three years.
Xiao Hongyao added, “That person probably knows me and my brother.”
“Why do you think so?”
“He didn’t say a single word the entire time. Maybe he was afraid I would recognize his voice. And when he heard my brother call my name, he immediately ran away.”
“If he heard someone coming and ran away, that’s perfectly normal.”
“He hesitated for a moment when he heard my brother. I think he knows us. He could be someone from our factory, or even someone from our residential compound. Also, I think he had been drinking. I could smell alcohol on him.”
“You smelled alcohol?”
“Yes. There was an alcohol smell, but it wasn’t very strong.”
The officer recorded everything she said.
They didn’t ask whether the Xiao family had any enemies. This didn’t look like an act of revenge. The criminal had apparently been drinking and hadn’t brought any weapon with him. It looked more like an impulsive attempted sexual assault that eventually turned into a robbery.
The officer asked, “Where were you coming from so late at night?”
Xiao Hongyao didn’t give any details.
“I was helping out at a relative’s shop.”
“Public security hasn’t been very good lately. Try to avoid being out alone so late in the future.”
Xiao Hongyao nodded.
The officer looked at the dagger in the evidence bag on the table.
“When you fought back, did the attacker touch this dagger?”
In other words, was there a chance that the criminal’s fingerprints were on the knife?
Xiao Hongyao thought about it.
“I’m not sure.”
“Then we’ll take the knife back and test the blood to determine the blood type. We’ll also check whether there are any fingerprints.”
After the statement was finished, the security patrol members, Xiao Yuanyang, and the others returned.
Uncle Xiao, the third brother of the family, had also rushed over, furious and eager to catch the culprit. Unfortunately, it was dark, and there was a mountain behind the bamboo grove where the criminal could easily hide and escape. They hadn’t found anyone.
The police could only investigate slowly. Since this wasn’t considered a major case, there was a good chance that it would eventually go nowhere.
Xiao Hongyao returned home with her third uncle and eldest brother.
No one in the Xiao family had gone to sleep.
Not only were they awake, they had seriously analyzed the situation and concluded that the biggest suspect was Pan Yunsong.
Even if it wasn’t Pan Yunsong himself, they thought he or someone from the Wang family must have hired the attacker.
Xiao Hongyao shook her head.
“It wasn’t Pan Yunsong. His build and the way he walked weren’t the same. Besides, the police said the attacker wasn’t carrying any weapon, so it didn’t look like revenge. It was probably just an incident that happened by chance.”
“An incident of what?” Grandma Xiao asked, looking confused.
Xiao Yuanyang explained, “Something that happened unexpectedly. It was an impulsive act, not something that had been planned beforehand.”
Xiao Ganjü was worried about her granddaughter’s safety and immediately refused to let Xiao Hongyao continue earning money on the side.
“We shouldn’t be earning this money. From now on, you’re not allowed to go out alone at night.”
“I already promised them. It wouldn’t be right to suddenly say I’m not going anymore. Grandma, I won’t go at night anymore. I’ll go at noon and in the early evening instead. Is that okay?”
Xiao Hongyao acted coquettishly toward her grandmother. She used to do the same thing with her older sister. Whenever her sister scolded her, she would act cute until her sister softened.
But this involved her personal safety, so Xiao Ganjü didn’t dare agree completely.
“You can go at noon, but don’t go in the evening. I’m worried that once you get busy, they won’t let you leave. At this time of year, it gets dark in the blink of an eye.”
Xiao Yuanyang suggested, “Set a time. You must be home before six in the evening. Also, let’s buy Third Sister a bicycle so she can get around more easily. We’ll have to buy one sooner or later anyway, so we might as well do it now.”
Money wasn’t the problem. The dowry money from the Song family was enough to buy a bicycle.
The problem was that they didn’t have a bicycle purchase coupon.
At the time, buying a bicycle required not only an industrial goods coupon but also a bicycle coupon.
The Xiao family had one bicycle coupon. Xiao Yuanyang had received it from the factory as a reward for being named an outstanding worker. The family had already discussed using it to buy a bicycle when Xiao Hongmin got married.
Xiao Yuanyang didn’t think much of it.
“We’ll use my bicycle coupon first.”
Xiao Hongyao didn’t know about that arrangement, so she didn’t refuse.
Having a bicycle would indeed make things much more convenient.
Tang Yueying was a kind person. She usually took good care of her obedient and pitiful niece. But if her husband wanted to use her daughter’s benefit to help his niece, she couldn’t accept it.
She immediately pulled a long face and asked, “There’s only one coupon. What will we do when Second Sister gets married?”
Bicycle coupons weren’t something you could simply get whenever you wanted.
Since this directly affected her own interests, Xiao Hongmin remained silent.
Xiao Hongyao immediately realized that she was taking advantage of her second sister. She wasn’t sure whether there were bicycles available for purchase without a coupon, like some other goods that could be bought at a higher negotiated price.
She quickly said, “Are there bicycles that can be bought without a coupon? If there are, I’ll pay for one myself. If there aren’t, forget it. I can buy one later. It’s not urgent.”
Xiao Yuanyang said, “It depends on the model. Negotiated-price bicycles cost about thirty to fifty yuan more.”
Without hesitation, Xiao Hongyao said, “Then I’ll buy one at the negotiated price.”
Seeing how readily Xiao Hongyao agreed, Tang Yueying felt even more guilty. Her eyes reddened.
“Third Sister, it’s not that your aunt is being stingy. Your Second Sister’s future in-laws really… they can’t even afford a decent betrothal gift.”
Xiao Hongyao understood completely.
“I know. I’m sorry, Auntie. I didn’t think it through just now. I never meant to take advantage of Second Sister.”
“What do you mean, take advantage of me?” Xiao Hongmin nudged her younger sister with her elbow. “Don’t say things like that.”
Grandma Xiao said, “A mother is naturally the most sensitive about matters like this. None of us can make that decision for her. Yang, go to the store and choose two women’s bicycles. Use the coupon for one and buy the other at the negotiated price. I’ll pay the difference. The two sisters can each choose one.”
It sounded fair on the surface, but in reality, it still meant that Grandma Xiao would be using her own money to cover the extra cost of Xiao Hongyao’s bicycle.
Xiao Hongyao politely refused.
“No, Grandma. Don’t spend your money. Keep it for yourself, for emergencies and for your old age.”
In the end, after Xiao Hongyao insisted, the extra cost of the negotiated-price bicycle was paid from her own betrothal money.
Early the next morning, Auntie Qian brought over a bowl of sweet fermented-rice cakes she had made.
“I heard Xiaoyao was robbed last night. Is she all right?”
“She’s fine. She only lost a few yuan.”
Not long after Auntie Qian left, Aunt Zhang came over to borrow some vinegar.
She lowered her voice and whispered to Tang Yueying, “I heard Auntie Qian’s younger son came back a few days ago. From now on, make sure Xiaomin and Xiaoyao are careful when they go in and out.”
Auntie Qian’s younger son, Man Xiaopao, was a convicted offender who had served time through labor reform. He had recently been released.
Tang Yueying was frightened after hearing this. She quickly asked Xiao Yuanyang to go to the police station and have the police investigate Man Xiaopao.
Not long afterward, the police came to their home to investigate.
Man Xiaopao wasn’t there. Auntie Qian said he had come home the day before yesterday, eaten dinner, and then left. She claimed she knew nothing else.
People in the residential compound soon started spreading rumors.
They said Auntie Qian’s son had robbed the Xiao family’s Third Sister.
At first, the rumor was that he had stolen ten yuan from her.
But as the story spread, the amount somehow became more than a thousand yuan in betrothal money.
People even said that once Auntie Qian’s son was caught, he would definitely be executed.
The rumors made Auntie Qian so furious and embarrassed that she didn’t even dare leave her house.
Relying on her memory, Xiao Hongyao wrote out another price list for the corduroy fabrics.
As soon as she arrived at the factory, she told the young women in her work group that a relative’s shop was selling good-quality, affordable corduroy.
When everyone heard that the prices were lower than those at the department store, they all said they wanted to go take a look after work.
Xiao Hongmin helped promote it as well. At lunchtime, she brought five or six people with her to Shiliu Street.
A sheet of red paper had already been posted outside Sister Zhen’s clothing shop.
Several large characters had been written on it in black ink:
CORDUROY — BETTER QUALITY THAN THE DEPARTMENT STORE, LOWER PRICES THAN THE DEPARTMENT STORE.
Inside, Liang Tian had brought in a long table from the factory, and various kinds of corduroy had been spread across it.
Two customers were asking about prices, another customer was paying, and Sister Zhen was busy cutting fabric while also introducing the prices of the different materials.
Although she was so busy she could barely keep up, Liang Zhen’s face was glowing with happiness.
Xiao Hongyao quickly put down her things and began helping greet the customers.
Young women all loved printed fabrics. Although they were relatively expensive, making a blouse required only about three chi of fabric, so it cost just a few yuan. Since they all earned wages, they could afford it.
“I want this printed fabric. What color pants should I wear with it?” asked Li Xiaoyan, the most lively girl in Xiao Hongyao’s work group. “Would black be too heavy?”
Xiao Hongyao picked up a piece of khaki-colored fabric.
“Try this. Pair it with the printed blouse, and it’ll look great on you.”
Li Xiaoyan held the fabric against her legs and compared it.
“It should look good.”
After choosing the fabric, Xiao Hongyao and Liang Zhen each took one end and pulled it taut.
The scissors came down with a sharp snip, and the fabric was cut.
Someone else asked, “I want to buy something for my parents. What would be suitable?”
“These darker colors would all work. They don’t show dirt easily and are durable. This one has thicker stripes, and it’s affordable too.”
Xiao Hongyao had already learned all the relevant sales terms. As she introduced the fabrics, the words came naturally and smoothly.
Huang Peiqin teased her, “Xiaoyao looks just like a saleswoman at the department store.”
Xiao Hongmin said, “My sister’s customer service is much better than those saleswomen’s.”
Li Xiaoyan added, “Much, much better. In movies, the saleswomen are always smiling and treating customers nicely. The saleswomen in our county act like we owe them money.”
Everyone laughed after hearing that.
When the workers noticed the sewing machine sitting nearby, they asked Liang Zhen, “Sister Zhen, can you make clothes here too?”
Liang Zhen didn’t have much time, and she was only good at basic sewing and mending. She said, “I don’t know how to make many styles. If it’s clothes for elderly people, I can make them. But if you young people want fashionable styles, you’d better find a professional tailor shop.”
Everyone gave up on the idea.
After Xiao Hongmin and her coworkers finished buying their fabric and left, Liang Zhen finally had time to eat lunch during a brief lull.
At that moment, two fashionable young women came into the shop. Xiao Hongyao told Sister Zhen to eat in peace and said she would serve them.
The long-haired woman looked around. She raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Your prices are cheaper than the department store’s. Does that mean the quality isn’t as good?”
“Our boss bought these fabrics from Guangzhou, and they’re all export-quality. If fabric is good enough for export, the quality can’t possibly be bad. Feel this fabric, Sister. And look at the patterns. The department store doesn’t even have designs like these.”
The long-haired woman pulled at one of the navy-blue fabrics.
“How much of this fabric do you have?”
“How much do you need, Sister?”
“We might need several bolts. Do you have that much?”
This was a big customer!
She was probably buying fabric for work uniforms.
Xiao Hongyao immediately answered, “Yes, we do. Sister, which organization are you from?”
The woman didn’t answer her question.
“Can you lower the price any further?”
Xiao Hongyao didn’t agree right away.
“If you need a large quantity, I can ask the boss to give you some discount.”
The short-haired woman glanced at Liang Zhen, who was eating nearby.
“Isn’t she the boss’s wife?”
Liang Zhen immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks and walked over.
“These fabrics belong to another boss. But our prices are already quite low, and our profit margin is very small. Even if you buy a large quantity, I’m afraid we can’t reduce the price by much. However…”
Liang Zhen lowered her voice.
“If you buy a large quantity, we can give you two young ladies some pretty printed fabric to make clothes. The ordinary medium-stripe fabric is only ninety cents per chi, while the prettier printed fine-stripe fabric costs one yuan and fifty cents per chi. Clothes made from it will look fashionable and attractive. They’ll suit you very well.”
You could do business like this?
Surely this wasn’t quite considered bribery, right?
Several words immediately flashed through Xiao Hongyao’s mind:
I’ve learned something new.
After hearing Liang Zhen, the two women seemed tempted.
The long-haired woman said, “We can’t possibly take such expensive fabric from you for free. Just give us a lower price.”
“Of course. Your organization is buying fabric for work uniforms, right? Which colors do you need? And how much? It would be best if you could decide soon. I’m worried that if you wait too long, we’ll sell it all and won’t have enough left for you.”
The woman didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
“We’ll go back and ask first.”
Xiao Hongyao really wanted to secure this big customer.
“Sister, you can take some fabric samples back and show them to your leaders.”
The woman hadn’t expected that.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course. Which designs would you like? I can cut some samples for you.”
The woman chose five or six designs.
Xiao Hongyao cut a piece about half the size of her palm from each fabric. Liang Zhen then used the sewing machine to stitch the six fabric samples together like the pages of an exercise book.
A small piece of paper with the shop’s address was also attached to the samples.
When Xiao Hongyao was about to write the prices on it, Liang Zhen stopped her.
Only after the two women had left did Liang Zhen explain.
“Who knows what price they’ll quote to their leaders when they go back? If we write the price down, it might make things difficult for them. They might even decide not to choose us.”
Xiao Hongyao suddenly understood.
“Sister, you really know a lot about business.”
“I make a living doing business, so it’s normal that I know these things. But you’re clever too. I never would have thought of cutting small fabric samples for them to take back.”
Fabric samples were very common in the later generations.
Xiao Hongyao smiled.
“Since we’ve already cut a corner off those bolts of fabric, why don’t we cut them into several more samples and keep them here? They might come in handy later.”
“Good idea. I’ll prepare them later. By the way, that Tong fellow didn’t come last night. Why hasn’t he come today either?”
Xiao Hongyao didn’t know either.
If Tong Weiqiang didn’t show up at all today, she would definitely have to go to his home tomorrow and check on him.
“He might be working the morning shift today. Let’s see if he comes this afternoon.”
Sure enough, when Xiao Hongyao finished work in the evening and arrived at Shiliu Street, she saw Tong Weiqiang’s bicycle parked by the shop entrance from a distance.
As soon as Tong Weiqiang saw her, he began complaining.
“Your man got me completely drunk last night. I didn’t wake up until this morning. I was working the morning shift today, so I had to rush to work. I only had time to come over this afternoon. I’m really sorry.”
Xiao Hongyao scolded him, “You’re so unreliable.”
“Tonight, I absolutely, definitely won’t leave the shop unattended. Oh, I only heard toward the end of my shift that you were robbed last night. Did the police catch the guy?”
“No news yet.”
“I heard even the betrothal money Brother Yang gave you was stolen?”
Xiao Hongyao was speechless.
“…”
“Really? They stole that much?”
“Who would walk around outside late at night carrying their betrothal money? Who told you that?”
After learning that it wasn’t true, Tong Weiqiang breathed a sigh of relief for her.
“Although almost all the workers in our explosives and ammunition room are men, you wouldn’t believe it—men can gossip even more than women.”
Seeing the disgusted expression on Xiao Hongyao’s face, Tong Weiqiang quickly defended himself.
“But don’t worry. Brother Yang and I aren’t like that. Brother Yang is a man of few words. He doesn’t like getting involved in other people’s business. I may talk a lot, but I don’t like gossiping either.”
They had originally expected quite a few customers to come after work, but in the end, only one group showed up.
After calculating the first day’s earnings, they had made thirteen sales in total. Several customers had also bought fabric for their family members, so the total was quite good.
They had earned 92.6 yuan in total.
It was higher than expected.
Liang Zhen had earned nearly three yuan in commission. If business stayed this good every day, she could make more than eighty yuan a month just from selling fabric.
She was happy, but still worried.
“Today, most of our customers were neighbors and the coworkers of you two sisters. I’m just worried we won’t have so many customers later.”
Tong Weiqiang was full of confidence.
“I haven’t even started promoting the shop yet. Don’t worry. Tomorrow, my mother, my sister, and all the neighbors around us will come.”
Xiao Hongyao said, “Our relatives and neighbors don’t even know about it yet.”
She believed in the power of word-of-mouth.
Things might be difficult at first, but business would definitely get better and better later.
For the next few days, everyone worked together to promote the shop, and the daily fabric sales stayed around eighty yuan.
But on the fifth day, sales suddenly dropped.
They made only a little over twenty yuan that day.
After calculating the accounts, the three of them all looked miserable.
Tong Weiqiang knew the cost price, so he knew they had quite a bit of room to lower the price.
“How about we lower our prices?”
If they had started with lower prices, that would have been fine. But Xiao Hongyao thought lowering them now would be inappropriate.
“Most of the people who bought our fabric earlier were relatives and friends. If we lower the price right after they bought from us, what will they think?”
Liang Zhen agreed.
“Our prices really aren’t high. The main problem is that this shop is in a relatively remote location, and not many people know about it yet.”
Word-of-mouth took time to build.
Xiao Hongyao comforted them.
“It’s only one day of lower sales. Don’t panic. Don’t worry so much. Maybe today was just an exception?”
“That’s true. We can just sell slowly. We’ll eventually get rid of everything. Especially before the New Year, when lots of people will be making new clothes. The fabric will definitely become popular then.”
Liang Zhen sighed.
“Those two women who took our fabric samples on the first day haven’t contacted us either. If I had known, I should have given them a better price.”
There was no such thing as knowing beforehand.
Xiao Hongyao comforted them while secretly becoming anxious herself.
Even if they made eighty yuan a day, it would still take four or five months to sell all the fabric.
And they couldn’t even maintain eighty yuan in daily sales right now.
Wouldn’t that mean the fabric would take half a year to sell?
They had to think of a solution.
They couldn’t just wait around and do nothing.
With no customers in the shop, Xiao Hongyao left early on the women’s bicycle her family had just bought for her. She rode around the county town for a while before finally heading home.
Liang Tian’s parents came to the Xiao family together with him to formally ask for Xiao Hongmin’s hand in marriage.
In the end, the betrothal money was set at 500 yuan.
The Xiao family also forced Liang Tian to agree to several rules.
After marriage, Liang Tian’s salary would be managed by Xiao Hongmin. He would no longer financially support his parents or younger brother.
They would register their marriage first and hold the wedding banquet in March of the following year.
They would move directly into their new home.
Xiao Hongmin wouldn’t have to move in with her future in-laws beforehand and squeeze into those two small rooms with her sisters-in-law.
Once everything was settled, Xiao Hongmin’s mood improved tremendously.
One day, Xiao Hongyao was riding her bicycle home when she encountered her second sister humming a song as she went out to buy soy sauce.
When Xiao Hongmin saw her younger sister riding home, she smiled and stopped her.
“Hey, I have some good news for you.”
“What good news?”
“I just heard from Uncle Jiang that our factory’s team represented the province in the fireworks competition against the Jiangxi and Guangdong teams yesterday—and we won! Your Song Kuoyang is going abroad to compete!”
She knew he would win.
Xiao Hongyao forced a polite smile.
“Second Sister, you look very happy.”
“Of course I’m happy. They’re coming back tomorrow. There’s been an outbreak of swine fever recently, so isn’t the food station short of meat? The pigs raised by the factory are also at risk of infection, so the leaders decided to slaughter some pigs to celebrate. Every family will get some pork tomorrow.”
“Really?”
As soon as she heard there would be meat, Xiao Hongyao broke into a huge smile.
“Look at you!” Xiao Hongmin teased her. “I told you Song Kuoyang won the competition, and you gave me that forced smile.”
She imitated Xiao Hongyao’s earlier expression.
“Couldn’t look any more reluctant if you tried.”
Then she grinned.
“But the moment you heard there would be pork tomorrow, look at that smile! I can see your teeth, but I can’t even see your eyes anymore.”
Xiao Hongyao didn’t argue.
“Of course I’m happy when there’s meat to eat. Aren’t you happy too?”
Xiao Hongmin dismissed it.
“If it were Liang Tian who had won the competition, I’d be even happier.”
This was what a woman who had married for love looked like.
Xiao Hongyao wasn’t envious.
Having meat to eat still made her happier.
The next day at noon, Xiao Hongyao followed her second sister to the factory cafeteria to line up for their share of pork.
As soon as they arrived, they ran into Uncle Jiang.
Jiang Guoren told her that her eldest brother had already taken their family’s share of pork home.
“How much does each person get?” Xiao Hongyao asked.
Jiang Guoren replied, “There’s not enough pork for everyone. Each person gets three liang. Your family has so many people, so you got a little over one jin—almost two jin.”
There were many people in their family.
A little over one jin of pork was enough for stir-frying, but it would be a bit difficult to make a proper dish of braised pork.
Xiao Hongmin still had to wait for Liang Tian, so Xiao Hongyao went home by herself.
After leaving the factory and reaching the intersection, she saw a familiar figure beneath a persimmon tree.
He was sitting astride a bicycle, one foot planted on the ground.
A large piece of pork, streaked with both lean meat and fat, was tied to the front of the bicycle with a rope.
Xiao Hongyao immediately ran toward him.
Rather than saying she was running toward the man, it would be more accurate to say she was running toward the pork.
When she reached Song Kuoyang, she smiled sweetly.
“Brother Song, you’re back! Congratulations on winning the competition.”
Song Kuoyang got off the bicycle, removed the pork from the front, and handed it to her.
“I have dinners and other engagements at noon and tonight. Take this pork home.”
“This is so much. Shouldn’t you send some to your aunt’s family too?”
Although she said that, Xiao Hongyao had already accepted the heavy piece of pork and was holding it in her hand.
“I already gave my aunt a piece.”
Everyone in their special competition team had received ten jin of pork.
This piece alone was at least five or six jin.
Seeing the cheerful expression on her face and her dark, moist eyes sparkling with excitement, Song Kuoyang asked softly,
“What are you so happy about?”
Xiao Hongyao didn’t dare admit that it was because of the pork.
She gave him an answer she didn’t entirely mean.
“You won the competition. I’m happy for you.”
The kind of answer every man liked to hear.
The tension between his brows relaxed.
Then he asked her,
“Are you free tomorrow afternoon?”
Tomorrow was Saturday, so she didn’t have to work in the afternoon. Normally, she would go to the shop to help, but her schedule was fairly flexible.
Xiao Hongyao quickly nodded.
“I’m free.”
“Let’s go look at houses together.”
Once they chose a house, they could get married. After that, he would need to prepare for his trip abroad. Since work would be relatively relaxed for the time being, he could spend some time getting their new home arranged properly.