Factory No. 1 and Factory No. 2 of the Fireworks Factory stood right next to each other, with the workers’ residential compound directly across the road.
A narrow lane, only about three meters wide, separated them.
The man ahead hunched over as he walked, moving extremely quickly. He slipped through a small metal gate beside the entrance to Factory No. 1. By the time Xiao Hongyao rode after him, he had already disappeared.
It was Sunday noon, and there was hardly anyone around the factory entrance. She went to the guardhouse, where Uncle Zhong was sitting inside, listening to the radio while eating lunch.
She asked, “Uncle Zhong, a man just went into the factory. Did you see which way he went?”
“No one went in. I’ve been keeping an eye on the entrance the whole time.” Uncle Zhong clearly hadn’t noticed anyone, but he didn’t dare admit it. Otherwise, it would look like he had neglected his duty.
He added, “Maybe you saw wrong?”
Xiao Hongyao was speechless, but she couldn’t say anything. She could only ride her bicycle around the factory.
Apart from a few workers in the packaging workshop moving goods to the warehouse, there was no one else around.
And none of those workers was the person she was looking for.
Although she hadn’t found him, she wasn’t discouraged. At least she could now be fairly certain that the person who had robbed her really was an employee of the fireworks factory.
It was very likely someone the original owner knew.
There was also a good chance it wasn’t Madam Qian’s son. After all, her son had been too afraid to come home lately, and no one knew where he had gone.
On her way home, she ran into Madam Qian, who was carrying a basket full of wild green onions and happened to be passing by the Xiao family’s house.
Xiao Hongyao stopped her bicycle and pushed it into the courtyard as she greeted her, “Madam Qian, where did you pick so many wild onions?”
Madam Qian was delighted that Xiao Hongyao had taken the initiative to speak to her. She forced a smile and said, “On the hill behind the medicine-mixing room. Xiaoyao, do you want some? I picked a lot and can’t finish them all.”
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed a large handful and put them into Xiao Hongyao’s bicycle basket.
“They’re especially delicious stir-fried with eggs.”
No matter how Xiao Hongyao refused, Madam Qian insisted on giving them to her.
Afterward, she secretly glanced into the Xiao family’s courtyard. Seeing Tang Yueying standing at the kitchen door, Madam Qian gave an awkward smile and nodded before turning around and leaving.
After Xiao Hongyao parked her bicycle in the courtyard, she picked up the wild onions and handed them to her aunt.
“Madam Qian forced them on me.”
The two families hadn’t been in contact much lately. Tang Yueying was usually a gentle person, but she was firm about this matter.
“Throw them back at her door.”
Xiao Hongyao told her about what had happened on the road.
“That person should be an employee of our factory. There’s a very good chance he isn’t Madam Qian’s son.”
Tang Yueying grew worried.
“If the robber really is someone from the factory and he’s still wandering around freely inside, wouldn’t that be even more dangerous? Third Sister, you must come home before sunset from now on.”
But constantly being on guard like this wasn’t a solution either.
Xiao Yuanyang was standing at the doorway eating lunch from a bowl. He said, “Can’t you recognize him from his back? One of these days, I’ll take you around all the workshops. You can look at everyone and see if you can identify him.”
“Okay,” Xiao Hongyao agreed.
She glanced back at the three pieces of cured meat hanging in the courtyard. After lunch, she discussed it with Grandma and took two pieces.
When she returned to the Limin Bicycle Repair Shop, Master Liu was sitting outside eating rice noodles.
When he saw her stop, with two small pieces of cured meat hanging from the front of her bicycle, he stood up with a broad smile.
“Cured meat?”
Clearly, he liked it too.
Xiao Hongyao said, “You can’t buy cured meat easily these days either. Our factory slaughtered pigs two days ago, and our family got some. These two pieces were made from at least two jin of fresh pork. You can eat them right away or let them dry longer. Give them to your son—one piece a week, and they’ll last two weeks. It’s more economical than buying fresh pork.”
“I still prefer fresh meat,” Master Liu said.
Even as he said that, he had already reached out and taken the cured meat from her.
The fact that he accepted it meant he had agreed to the deal.
Xiao Hongyao immediately called Dong Weiqiang over to act as her brother-in-law and sign the agreement.
The payment would be two jin of fresh pork or two jin of cured pork each month, for one year.
Master Liu went to the bookstore next door to borrow an ink pad so they could stamp their fingerprints on the agreement.
Dong Weiqiang whispered to Xiao Hongyao, “We have to sell that batch of fabric for a whole year?”
“Aren’t we going to sell other fabrics later?”
Dong Weiqiang suddenly understood.
“Right. You scared me. I thought you planned to sell this whole batch for a year.”
“I’m trying to sell the corduroy as quickly as possible. That’s why I thought of advertising.”
“This place is busy and crowded. I don’t know if your idea will work, but I hope it does. There’s that swine fever outbreak, after all. I want to free up the money as soon as possible. My cousin wants to take me to buy cured meat and sausages wholesale and resell them. The more capital we have, the better.”
Xiao Hongyao remembered that in the original novel, poor Dong Weiqiang had missed at least three opportunities to make money.
It seemed that reselling cured meat was going to be the second opportunity he missed.
If they could make a quick profit, why not?
Fresh pork was extremely scarce now. Without fresh pork, cured meat was the next best substitute. As long as they had stock, they wouldn’t have to worry about finding buyers.
Xiao Hongyao asked, “Where is your cousin getting the pork?”
“Xiangtao, Hubei. It’s not too far. His uncle is the director of the sales department at a cured-meat factory.”
“Is there a time limit?”
“Of course. The sooner, the better. Once we’ve gathered enough money, we’ll go buy it.”
“How much do you need?”
“If we take more than half a truckload, we’ll need at least two or three thousand jin. The cost is about 2.5 yuan per jin. Do the math—at least five or six thousand yuan. My cousin is raising money now. We’ll buy as much as we can afford.”
Maybe they could find a way.
Dong Weiqiang asked, “Didn’t Yang-ge give your family a huge bride price?”
“Most of it has to go toward my dowry. Whatever is left will be given to me.”
There probably wouldn’t be much left.
Just then, Master Liu returned with the ink pad, so Xiao Hongyao and Dong Weiqiang tactfully changed the subject.
Both sides pressed their fingerprints onto the agreement. Starting tomorrow, they could put an advertisement on half of the white wall.
The next problem was how to design the advertisement.
The simplest method would be to have someone write large characters on a poster and paste it up. But the best option would be something like a cinema movie poster, combining illustrations and text.
Dong Weiqiang said, “I don’t know anyone who paints posters for the cinema. But I do know someone who can draw, and his handwriting is amazing.”
“Who? Can you ask him to help?”
“Your man, of course. Yang-ge has beautiful handwriting, and he’s been trained in drawing since he was a child. He can definitely do it.”
Most of what Xiao Hongyao knew about Song Kuoyang still came from the descriptions in the original novel. He was skilled, capable of making money, and indifferent to personal favors. But as for what kind of person he really was, she still needed time to get to know him.
However, when they had eaten together at Friendship Restaurant, Song Kuoyang had mentioned that he enjoyed drawing blueprints.
Seeing that Xiao Hongyao seemed thoughtful, Dong Weiqiang assumed she was reluctant to ask him, so he volunteered.
“I’ll go ask him.”
Song Kuoyang might refuse to lend him money, but he would probably be willing to help with something this small.
“He should have moved into our new rental place today.” Xiao Hongyao gave Dong Weiqiang the address and told him to find Song Kuoyang on Xiaoyang Street.
Dong Weiqiang leisurely made his way to No. 27 Xiaoyang Street, the old government kindergarten building, and went upstairs to Room 204.
The door was open. Song Kuoyang was hammering nails into the bed frame, reinforcing the legs.
“Yang-ge, this place is really bright. Tsk, tsk.” Dong Weiqiang looked around enviously. “And it has a balcony and a bathroom. This is exactly the kind of place I’ve always dreamed of.”
“If you want one, rent one yourself.”
Song Kuoyang never indulged him.
Dong Weiqiang didn’t mind.
“I heard the newly built workers’ apartments are even better. I just can’t find a wife. If I did, I’d line up for one of those apartments too.”
Song Kuoyang straightened up.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Xiaoyao told me.”
“You need something?”
“Can’t I come see your new home if I don’t need anything?”
As he spoke, Dong Weiqiang tried to sit on the bed. Before he could even lower himself onto it, Song Kuoyang grabbed him and pulled him back up.
“This isn’t my bed alone.”
The implication was obvious: this was his marital bed, and another grown man had no business sitting on it.
Annoyed, Dong Weiqiang dragged over a nearby chair and plopped down.
“I can sit here, right? Honestly, you’re so particular.”
Song Kuoyang put away the hammer and nails, then poured a cup of tea for himself and another for Dong Weiqiang.
They chatted for a while before Dong Weiqiang finally revealed why he had come.
Song Kuoyang looked at him coldly.
“You want it?”
“I want it.”
“Whoever wants it can come ask me themselves.”
“Yang-ge, I really do want it.”
“Don’t take me for a fool.”
Dong Weiqiang gave an awkward smile.
“You know who wants it, so why don’t you just hand it over?”
Song Kuoyang narrowed his eyes at him over the rim of his teacup.
“You refuse to hand it over yourself.” Dong Weiqiang pointed at the bed and teased him. “I can’t sit on this bed because it’s yours, but I’m afraid you might not even be able to—”
“Get lost.”
Dong Weiqiang shamelessly begged him several times, but in the end, Song Kuoyang still drove him out.
Back at the shop, Dong Weiqiang angrily complained to Xiao Hongyao.
“Your man really doesn’t know how to cooperate! He’s arrogant because he’s talented! He doesn’t care about favors! And he has such a terrible temper!”
After hearing the whole story, Xiao Hongyao understood.
Song Kuoyang had probably already guessed that she had a share in the fabric business.
After all, he had heard Wang Jing accuse her of extortion at Fat Brother’s Rice Noodle Shop. Naturally, he would have put two and two together.
Since he had already figured it out, there was no point hiding anymore. It might be better to tell him honestly. Perhaps they could even cooperate sooner.
After thinking about it, she decided to talk to him after they registered their marriage the next day.
When Xiao Hongyao walked out of the Marriage Registration Office at the Civil Affairs Bureau, she had a small marriage certificate with a bright red cover in her hand.
From today onward, she and Song Kuoyang were husband and wife.
It felt strange.
The original plan had been a fake marriage, but somehow it had become real.
At least from the man’s perspective, this was supposed to be a major event for the rest of his life.
If she eventually caused him to become a widower, Xiao Hongyao felt a tiny bit guilty.
But she might not even be able to complete her mission.
At this point, it seemed very difficult.
Perhaps she would simply stay with him and spend the rest of her life in this novel.
She tucked the marriage certificate into her shoulder bag. The two of them each pushed a bicycle as they walked out of the government compound.
Today was the day she registered her marriage. Her section leader had specially allowed her to do it without taking leave, but she had to hurry back to work afterward.
Song Kuoyang also had to return for a group discussion.
“Song-ge, are you in a hurry?”
She still called him Song-ge.
Song Kuoyang glanced at her, apparently guessing what she wanted to say.
His expression remained calm.
“I still have more than an hour before the meeting.”
In other words, he had time.
Instead of taking the main road, they went around the back of the city, taking a small path toward the fireworks factory.
Apart from the occasional children and dogs running around, there was hardly anyone else on the road.
They walked side by side, pushing their bicycles.
Xiao Hongyao didn’t bother testing the waters.
“I want to confess something to you.”
“What?”
“That batch of corduroy Dong Weiqiang brought back from Guangzhou…”
As she spoke, her voice gradually became quieter.
“I have a share in it too.”
“How much?”
His question was concise and went straight to the point.
Xiao Hongyao didn’t dare lie.
“I’m the major shareholder, and he’s the minor shareholder. I own ninety percent.”
Ninety percent?
Song Kuoyang looked at her carefully.
Firecrackers sounded in the distance, followed by barking dogs and, from time to time, the cries of children.
The two remained silent for a while.
Just as Xiao Hongyao thought he was going to question her relentlessly, he casually said,
“Got it.”
So he simply wanted her to come and ask him for help?
Fine. She could ask.
Saving face wasn’t that important to her.
“Yang-ge, when you have time, could you draw an advertisement poster for me?”
Song Kuoyang turned his face toward her and finally couldn’t help asking,
“What did you just call me?”
“Yang-ge.”
Was that wrong?
She suddenly realized that if her older sister were here, she would probably knock her on the forehead and scold her for being so clueless.
Xiao Hongyao immediately corrected herself.
“Kuoyang…”
Perhaps Song Kuoyang also felt that he had been a little petty. After a moment, he said,
“Just call me by my name. Come over after work at noon and tell me exactly what you want me to draw.”
“At noon today? Sure. I’ll come find you after work.”
Thinking that she was asking him for a favor and shouldn’t be too stingy, she asked,
“What would you like to eat for lunch? I’ll bring something for you.”
“I don’t need anything. I’ll eat at the cafeteria.” With that, he got on his bicycle and rode off first.
Xiao Hongyao followed behind him. Once they entered the factory compound, he turned left while she turned right.
The past few days had been sunny and windy, so the paper tubes dried very quickly.
Xiao Hongyao spent the entire morning working at the drying yard.
At lunchtime, she left work on time. Without waiting for her second sister, she rode her bicycle home.
Tang Yueying had just finished making scrambled eggs with wild scallions and was still preparing the other dishes. Since Xiao Hongyao was in a hurry, she served herself some rice and started eating first.
Xiao Gangu asked about her marriage registration that morning. “Did everything go smoothly?”
“Very smoothly. We were the first ones there, so everything was done quickly.”
Xiao Hongyao took out the marriage certificate and showed it to her grandmother. Under the bright sunlight, Xiao Gangu held the certificate farther away to see it clearly through her aging eyes.
The old woman was very pleased with her new grandson-in-law. The photo on the marriage certificate consisted of two separate portraits, so she sighed, “You two should find some time to have a proper wedding photo taken. You’re married now. You can’t go through life without even one photo together.”
Their original plan to register on Friday would have given them enough time to take a photo together, so Xiao Hongyao could only casually agree. “We’ll find some time to do it.”
Xiao Gangu said, “The furniture that Carpenter Zhang is making will be delivered on the tenth day of the lunar month. Just have it taken directly to Xiaoyang Street.”
Xiao Hongyao glanced back at the calendar on the wall. Today was the seventh day, which meant the tenth would be Thursday.
She nodded. “I’ll tell Song Kuoyang.”
Xiao Yuanyang came home from work. When he saw Xiao Hongyao hurriedly eating, he assumed she was rushing to the shop and could not help scolding her. “You keep making yourself so busy every day. How much money can you actually make? When do you have time? Come with me to walk around the different workshops and see if we can find that guy.”
“Tomorrow. Big Brother, whenever you have time tomorrow, come find me at the drying yard.”
“Okay, then it’s settled.”
After eating, Xiao Hongyao went to the shop to pick up the curtains Sister Zhen had made for her, then headed to No. 27 Xiaoyang Street.
At noon, the door to Room 204 was tightly shut. She knocked, but no one answered.
Just as she turned around, she saw Song Kuoyang coming from the direction of the communal kitchen, carrying a thermos.
He had probably gone to the kitchen to boil water.
She instinctively wanted to greet him, but she almost called him “Big Brother Song.” She stopped herself just in time and swallowed the words before they could come out.
As a result, neither of them said anything when they met.
A strange atmosphere settled between them, carrying half familiarity and half unfamiliarity.
Song Kuoyang took out his key and opened the door. He put the thermos away first before taking the curtains from her.
“I’ll hang them later,” he said.
“I listened to you and chose thicker fabric. It blocks the light better.”
Although their new home was still simple, it looked completely different from before.
In front of the army-green bed hung a cloth curtain decorated with bamboo and pandas, dividing the small room into two areas—one for living and one for resting.
The outer area could be considered the living room. Besides the original square table and stools, there were now three Chinese ink paintings hanging on the wall.
Although Xiao Hongyao knew little about calligraphy or painting, she could still tell that the paintings were quite skillfully done.
Song Kuoyang took out a brand-new enamel mug and poured half a cup of hot water for her.
Xiao Hongyao politely reached out to take it.
“It’s hot.” He placed the enamel cup on the table instead.
Xiao Hongyao praised him. “You’ve made the room feel really cozy.”
He pointed to the space beneath the landscape paintings. “My aunt said she’s giving us a sofa. It’ll be delivered tomorrow.”
Since transmigrating into this era, Xiao Hongyao had only seen a sofa at Xiao Dejin’s house. Most other families did not have one. In this era, a sofa was definitely a rare luxury.
She asked, “Will it fit?”
“It will. It’s only a two-seater, so it isn’t very big.”
“The furniture we ordered for our family will be delivered Thursday at noon.” She looked around. “We’ll have to figure out how to arrange everything.”
She had already told him what furniture they were getting, so he had a general idea. The two of them discussed the arrangement.
The dressing table would go beside the bed, the wardrobe in the innermost corner, and the large writing desk would go opposite the sofa.
His arrangement was quite practical, and she had no objections.
After that, they finally began discussing the advertisement.
He took out paper and a pen and asked, “Should I paint it on a wooden board and hang it up afterward, or paint it directly on the wall?”
“Which would be more convenient?”
“A wooden board would be easier.”
“Then let’s use a wooden board. I’ll find Carpenter Zhang and buy one.”
“No need. The wood the carpenter has is too good for this. Plywood will do. I’ll find a piece at the lumber mill.”
“What should you use to paint it?”
“Poster paint. I’ll buy some.”
Although he did not seem particularly enthusiastic, he was dependable and thorough, which made her feel reassured.
“Then I’ll trouble you with this,” Xiao Hongyao said gratefully.
He did not say “You’re welcome.” Instead, he asked, “What should I paint?”
Xiao Hongyao had already thought it through. She took a small piece of dark red printed fabric from her shoulder bag.
“This is one of the printed fabrics that sells particularly well. We can use the pattern as the background design on the board.”
That would not be difficult to draw.
He gave a slight nod, indicating that it was no problem.
The advertising information would then be written over the background.
“Write: ‘Guangzhou Corduroy, Beautiful Prints, High Quality at Low Prices. Buy three meters, get one chi free.’ Then put the address underneath.”
Song Kuoyang frowned slightly. “Why write ‘Sister Zhen’s Corduroy’?”
“We’re selling the fabric through Sister Zhen’s shop. If we use her name, it’ll be easier for people to remember.”
Although Song Kuoyang had never done business himself, he was very perceptive about these things.
“By helping someone else establish their name, you won’t gain much from it in the future.”
That reminded Xiao Hongyao that he was right.
If she directly advertised Sister Zhen’s corduroy, she would essentially be tying herself to someone else’s business. She was not planning to make just one sale. She intended to keep selling other fabrics in the future.
But she did not have her own brand yet, and she could not create one in such a short period.
After thinking for a moment, she said, “Then how about we write ‘Guangzhou Corduroy’?”
In this era, Guangzhou had a special aura in the eyes of people in Hunan Province. It was a major city that everyone admired and aspired to visit.
“That works. By using ‘Guangzhou Corduroy,’ you’re borrowing some of Guangzhou’s reputation.”
Song Kuoyang wrote all the key points down in his notebook.
Then he continued, “Buy three meters, get one chi free. That’s basically a ten-percent discount. Isn’t that a little too much?”
It was indeed a substantial discount, but because her purchase price was low, she could afford it.
Xiao Hongyao explained, “The main purpose is to attract the first wave of customers. Once we have more customers, we can remove that offer. Or change it to ‘Buy three meters or more and get one chi free.’ No repeat gifts.”
“Then explain the conditions in smaller writing underneath. But people will still misunderstand it. Some might even go to the shop and cause trouble.”
Song Kuoyang looked up at her. “There will be people like that. Quite a few.”
Never underestimate how unreasonable some people could be.
Xiao Hongyao understood. She had encountered people like that before.
“I thought about that. We could make discount coupons. Customers would have to show a coupon to get the discount, which would reduce misunderstandings. And people who have the coupons would be more motivated to come buy fabric. The problem is that printing the coupons might be troublesome.”
“What kind of discount coupons?” This was something he did not understand.
“Coupons for buying three meters and getting one chi free. Each person can only claim one. We can leave them at Limin Repair Shop. We can also print the shop address on them, so people can find us more easily with the coupon.”
Song Kuoyang understood immediately.
“My uncle-in-law works at a printing factory. I can ask him to print some. It’ll be easy.”
“That’s great! How much will it cost? I’ll pay.”
“It shouldn’t cost much. We’ll talk about it later.”
Song Kuoyang roughly sketched the design in his notebook.
“Add an arrow here, telling people to go to the repair shop to get a coupon. First come, first served. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Xiao Hongyao nodded. “Yes, put that on there.”
After discussing everything, they decided that Song Kuoyang would first go to the printing factory to ask his uncle-in-law to print the coupons. Then he would buy the necessary materials. He would finish painting the advertisement that evening and let it dry. By noon or afternoon the next day, they should be able to put it up.
Since joining the special competition team, he no longer had to work in the explosive-making workshop or report to the mixing room, so his schedule was relatively flexible.
“Come tomorrow at noon to check the finished product. If it’s okay, we’ll hang it up.”
What a wonderful man. She really had struck gold.
Xiao Hongyao was deeply grateful. “Thank you, Yang-ge. It’s lucky that I have you to help me.”
She still could not help calling him “brother.” It felt more polite that way.
Song Kuoyang put away the paper and pen and stood up.
“Do you plan to thank me every time I do something for you?”
Apparently, he did not like her being so formal.
Xiao Hongyao was good at adapting. She immediately obediently replied, “Got it.”
Then she quickly changed the subject. “Let’s hang the curtains together.”
The window faced the corridor. It was a fairly large double-panel window. A piece of wire was strung above it, probably something the previous landlord had used to hang curtains.
Song Kuoyang removed the wire and threaded it through the curtain. Then he stepped onto a stool and hung it up, using pliers to twist the wire securely around a nail.
Xiao Hongyao stood on another stool, holding up the curtain to reduce the weight on the nail.
Suddenly, a muffled banging sound came from next door, as though someone were pounding against the wall.
Then came several more dull thuds, rhythmic and repetitive, like wood striking a wall.
Xiao Hongyao was about to say something when she heard a woman’s soft moan.
Back in college, she had watched plenty of movies with her roommates, so she immediately understood what that sound meant.
The older woman who had shown them the apartment had mentioned that Room 205, at the very end, was also occupied by a newlywed couple.
People in a small county usually went home for lunch. After eating, if a young couple had the mood and energy for a little exercise, that was understandable.
What she had not expected was how thin the walls were and how terrible the soundproofing was.
Xiao Hongyao did not dare say anything. She pretended she had heard nothing.
Beside her, Song Kuoyang continued working smoothly without pausing at all. She had no idea whether he had heard it.
But they were both young. It was not as if his ears were that bad.
Even if he had heard, all he could do was pretend he hadn’t.
They were not close enough yet to gossip together about the newlywed couple next door.
Song Kuoyang finished tightening one side and turned to secure the nail on her side. The two of them were quite close now. The tip of his nose was only about half a foot from her forehead, and they could smell each other’s presence.
Suddenly, there was a loud thump from next door, followed by the woman’s voice rising sharply.
The sounds continued without interruption.
Xiao Hongyao silently lowered the curtain and climbed down from the stool.
She could not stay here any longer. She was already preparing to find an excuse to leave.
Song Kuoyang, however, acted as though he had heard nothing. He picked up the hammer and firmly drove the nail farther into the wall.
The pounding from their side startled the couple next door, and the room finally fell quiet.
Xiao Hongyao suppressed a laugh and moved the stool back to its original place.
Once they moved in, would they have to unwillingly listen to the neighbors’ intimate activities every day?
With walls this thin, would they eventually have to respond to each other through the walls?
Terrifying!