On Monday, Xiao Hongyao went for a medical examination. Three days later, when she received the results, she followed her eldest brother to the factory office and filled out her application to return to work.
After completing the application, her brother went to work first, but Xiao Hongyao did not leave immediately.
She wanted to visit the library and look through newspapers and magazines. She hoped to find out the current exchange rate between the US dollar and the RMB.
The library was tucked away on the third floor. When she entered, only one man was sitting at a long table in front of the newspaper rack, reading a newspaper. She was not sure whether he was the librarian.
Xiao Hongyao walked over to the newspaper rack and quickly searched through it, but there were no newspapers or magazines related to finance.
There were only the Workers’ Daily, Youth Daily, Reference News, and the provincial and city daily and evening newspapers.
The newspapers were arranged in weekly bundles, with five days’ worth in each bundle, held together by long newspaper clips. Older issues had probably been put away, meaning she would have to ask the librarian to borrow them.
Xiao Hongyao flipped through all the newspapers she could access as quickly as possible, but unfortunately, none contained any information about the exchange rate.
After checking everything available, her eyes inevitably drifted toward the stack of People’s Daily in the man’s hands across from her.
Maybe the People’s Daily had the information she needed.
The man noticed her gaze and turned his head, looking up.
He had sharply angled eyebrows, eyes as cold and bright as stars, a straight nose, and a clean, well-defined jawline.
Xiao Hongyao immediately recognized him.
He was the man who had pulled her out of the river on the day she transmigrated—the handsome savior, or rather, the brave hero.
Later, when she woke up on the shore, she remembered that he was nowhere around.
Xiao Hongyao hesitated over whether to thank him. But thanking him out of nowhere would seem strange, and judging by his expression, he did not seem to remember her.
“Do you want to read it?” the man asked.
Xiao Hongyao nodded. “Just for a moment. I’ll be quick.”
The man placed the newspaper on the table and pushed it toward her.
“Thank you.”
Xiao Hongyao picked up the People’s Daily and quickly flipped through it. On page four of the first issue, in the narrow column between the economic news, she finally found the information she had been looking for.
October 21, 1985 official rate: US$100 = RMB¥320.00 (cash rate).
!!!
She had never expected the exchange rate during this era to be so favorable!
She had originally assumed it would be somewhere between five and eight yuan to the dollar. Instead, the exchange rate was only 3.2.
Three million US dollars was roughly 9.6 million yuan.
In other words, she only needed 9.6 million yuan to complete the mission.
Only needed…
She had actually used the words “only needed.”
Xiao Hongyao could not help mocking herself internally. In this era, forget 9.6 million yuan—even 96,000 yuan was an astronomical sum that ordinary people could only dream about.
Within just a few seconds, the expression on her face changed from calm to delighted, and then from delight to a complicated sense of melancholy.
The man sitting across from her noticed the changes in her expression, but did not seem particularly curious. He took the newspaper back when she handed it to him and merely asked, “You finished that quickly?”
Xiao Hongyao could not tell him the truth.
“I was checking something for my eldest brother.”
“Your eldest brother is Xiao Yuanyang, right?”
Xiao Hongyao was slightly startled.
Had she run into one of her brother’s acquaintances?
If he went back and asked her brother what she had been looking for, she would have to come up with an explanation.
She gave an awkward smile. “You know my eldest brother?”
“I’ve heard his name.”
Thank goodness.
She smiled.
Her eyes curved into beautiful crescents, making her smile especially charming.
Just then, a voice came from the doorway.
“Kuoyang, there you are. Your master has been looking for you for ages.”
“Got it.”
The man stood up and returned the newspaper clip to the rack.
Only then did Xiao Hongyao realize that the man who had rescued her was actually Song Kuoyang.
He had returned from the Northeast.
While she was still processing this, Song Kuoyang had already left the library.
Having spent years in the apocalypse and deeply understanding that survival mattered more than pride, Xiao Hongyao seized the opportunity and hurried after him.
She caught up with Song Kuoyang at the corner of the stairs.
“Um… Brother Song… Brother Song…”
Song Kuoyang turned around. “What is it?”
Xiao Hongyao sincerely bowed to him.
“Thank you for saving me and bringing me ashore that day.”
Seeing that she still remembered, the corners of Song Kuoyang’s lips lifted slightly.
“You don’t need to thank me. It was nothing.”
With that, he turned and continued downstairs.
Xiao Hongyao hurried after him.
“About my second sister wanting to break off her engagement with you… it was an accident. Our whole family feels very sorry about it.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“If you want to qualify for a housing assignment and urgently need someone to marry, I can go register our marriage with you.”
She went straight to the point.
They could enter into a marriage of convenience!
As long as they achieved their goals, there was no need to beat around the bush.
Song Kuoyang stopped in his tracks.
He turned and looked at Xiao Hongyao, apparently not expecting her to speak about marriage so casually and straightforwardly.
“You’ll go register your marriage with me?”
Xiao Hongyao explained, “If I register our marriage with you, we can qualify for a housing assignment too. We only need to register. It would be a fake marriage…”
Before she could finish, Song Kuoyang interrupted her.
“Your family doesn’t want to return the betrothal gifts?”
“No. My eldest uncle and aunt are waiting for the matchmaker to be free tonight. They’ll return the betrothal gifts to Aunt Song.”
“Then why do you want to marry me?”
“To help you qualify for the apartment.”
What she really wanted was to cooperate with the future tycoon and secure herself a powerful ally.
Xiao Hongyao was not good at flattering people, but she tried her best.
“You saved my life. In my eyes, you’re tall, brave, and strong—ten thousand times better than anyone else.”
Tall, brave, and strong…
Ten thousand times better than everyone else…
Song Kuoyang paused slightly.
“Does your family know about this?”
“I haven’t told them yet.”
The original novel never mentioned whether Song Kuoyang was stingy or not, but her second sister had said he was miserly and difficult to deal with.
To show her sincerity, Xiao Hongyao added, “I don’t want any betrothal gifts.”
Yet Song Kuoyang seemed completely unmoved. He simply assumed she had made the offer on impulse.
“Go home.”
Seeing him turn and quickly walk downstairs, Xiao Hongyao did not chase after him.
Instead, she stubbornly called after him, “Brother Song, if you don’t object, I’ll tell my family.”
There was no response.
But he had not objected either.
From beginning to end, he had never actually said no.
When Xiao Hongyao returned home, she told Grandma Xiao about it.
Of course, she did not mention that she only wanted to register the marriage and pretend it was real. She could discuss the terms with Song Kuoyang privately later. There was no need to tell her family.
Right now, all she needed was an opportunity to sit down with Song Kuoyang and seriously negotiate the terms.
After hearing her, Xiao Ganju hurriedly asked, “Song Kuoyang was the one who pulled you out of the river that day?”
Xiao Hongyao nodded. “I only found out today that it was him.”
“You said you want to marry him? Did he agree?”
Xiao Hongyao replied, “He didn’t object. I also told him I don’t want any betrothal gifts.”
She knew he had not actually agreed, but she had no problem being shameless about it. First, she needed to establish a connection. They could negotiate properly afterward.
Having just obtained three thousand yuan in compensation from the Wang family, Xiao Ganju no longer considered the betrothal gifts that important.
After all, Song Kuoyang was a skilled technician with a decent salary. Although he had neither parents nor family dependents, his circumstances were actually quite good. He was a decent marriage prospect.
At that moment, the only person at home besides them was her eldest daughter-in-law, Tang Yueying, who was in the kitchen.
Xiao Ganju immediately went to discuss the matter with her.
Tang Yueying naturally hoped the marriage could happen. That way, she could also explain the situation to Aunt Liu and Song Yanzhen.
That evening, Eldest Uncle Xiao, Third Uncle Xiao, and the others returned from work. After a brief discussion, the family immediately split into two sides.
Tang Yueying and Qiu Yulian, the two daughters-in-law, thought Song Kuoyang was a good match and suggested asking Aunt Liu to inquire about the Song family’s opinion.
Eldest Uncle Xiao and Third Uncle Xiao, however, believed Song Kuoyang had not objected simply because he thought the young Xiao Hongyao was joking.
After all, he had just been rejected by the Xiao family. No man would willingly stumble in the same place twice, so Song Kuoyang would definitely not agree to the marriage.
Asking him would only invite embarrassment.
Third Aunt Qiu Yulian immediately argued, “But Third Sister is beautiful. Why is it impossible?”
Third Uncle Xiao dismissed the idea completely.
“Can beauty put food on the table? A man’s pride matters more than anything. I understand men better than you do!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You only understand how old men think. When a young man meets someone he likes, pride is the last thing he cares about. Yuanyang, don’t you agree?”
Qiu Yulian turned to Xiao Yuanyang.
Xiao Yuanyang, who had remained silent until then, finally said, “There’s no harm in asking. The housing assignments are coming at the end of the year, and Aunt Song will have a hard time finding Kuoyang a suitable marriage partner on such short notice. Third Sister graduated from high school and is also a factory employee. Her circumstances aren’t bad.”
The biggest concern was that the Song family might worry that the injury to her head could leave her with long-term complications and therefore refuse to take the risk.
Everyone knew this, but no one said it aloud.
In the end, Xiao Ganju made the decision. Setting aside her pride, she would have the matchmaker, Aunt Liu, ask the Song family.
Outside, a steady drizzle continued to fall. The sky was gray and hazy, making it impossible to see the scenery in the distance.
Because of the rain, transporting gunpowder was inconvenient, so the workload in the loading workshop had to be reduced.
The workers in the loading workshop finished work before three o’clock.
Loading gunpowder into fireworks was a highly dangerous occupation, so the powder-mixing and loading workshops had been built in a relatively remote area, far from both the main factory and the residential area.
It took more than ten minutes to walk back to the dormitory, but by bicycle, it only took two or three minutes.
After changing clothes, Song Kuoyang ventured out into the light rain. He crossed the firebreak and arrived at the bicycle shelter at the foot of the mountain.
Most of his coworkers had not brought raincoats. Someone found a mold-covered straw hat at the guard post, and everyone jokingly fought over it.
Meanwhile, Song Kuoyang had already mounted his bicycle and coolly ridden straight into the rain.
“Brother Yang, wait for me!”
Someone hurried after him on a bicycle.
When Song Kuoyang reached the dormitory building, he parked his bicycle in the shelter and locked it.
Just as he straightened up, another bicycle came rushing over with a whoosh, nearly crashing into him.
“I’ve been chasing you all the way here! I kept calling you, but you wouldn’t answer.”
The person speaking was Tong Weiqiang, the son of Song Kuoyang’s master.
Tong Weiqiang did not live in the communal dormitory. He had followed Song Kuoyang here for another reason.
“Brother Yang, lend me some money. I really need it.”
Song Kuoyang glanced at him.
He had been back from the Northeast for a week and had already heard from others that Tong Weiqiang had been borrowing money from everyone lately.
He walked toward the stairs without answering.
Tong Weiqiang followed him, trying to tempt him with a promise.
“I really need it. Lend me a thousand yuan. I’ll pay you back 1,100 yuan in three months.”
“What do you need the money for?”
There was no one around, so Tong Weiqiang moved closer and lowered his voice.
“Reselling fabric. My uncle has a source.”
Song Kuoyang used his master as an excuse.
“Does your father know?”
“My dad… tsk. His judgment isn’t very good.”
In other words, Tong Weiqiang’s father did not approve of or support the business.
Song Kuoyang certainly had no intention of becoming a walking money dispenser.
“I can’t help you with this.”
“Didn’t the Xiao family break off your engagement? Once you get the betrothal money back, you can lend it to me. In three months, you’ll earn a hundred yuan in interest! You could have a very comfortable New Year!”
“For the sake of earning a hundred yuan in interest, I could lose a thousand yuan of principal. Do you think that’s a good deal for me?”
“I’ll definitely return your principal! Whether I make money or not, I’ll find a way to pay you back! Don’t you trust me?”
If the business made money, that was easy to say.
But if it lost money, how exactly would he find a way to repay him?
They might not even remain friends afterward.
Song Kuoyang had suffered enough hardship as a child that he never lent money easily. Even if someone was very close to him, he would not casually lend them money.
He patted Tong Weiqiang on the shoulder and threw the responsibility back to him.
“Get your father to guarantee the loan, and I’ll think about it.”
That was impossible.
Tong Weiqiang’s father would be more likely to beat him than guarantee his loan.
While they were talking, the two had already reached the fourth floor.
The door to Room 404 was open. Song Kuoyang walked inside, while Tong Weiqiang remained at the doorway, still unwilling to give up.
Lin Zhenhui, who was off work that day, was lying over the table adjusting a radio. The signal was poor because of the rain, and static crackled through the broadcast.
“If I had known it would rain today, I wouldn’t have taken the day off.”
Lin Zhenhui deeply regretted missing a rainy day when their workload had been cut in half.
There were two bunk beds against the wall of the dormitory, accommodating four people. Song Kuoyang slept in the lower bunk nearest the door.
He took his towel from the washbasin rack and quickly dried his hair and neck.
“By the way, your aunt sent someone to tell you to go to her house for dinner after work.”
“Today?”
“She said today.”
Song Kuoyang usually only went to his aunt’s house for meals on Sundays. He rarely visited on workdays.
Since his aunt was calling him over so urgently, he could already guess that it was probably about finding him a marriage partner again.
The factory was going to distribute housing at the end of the year, and his aunt was more anxious about his marriage than he was.
After hanging up his towel, Song Kuoyang opened the trunk beside his bed and took out a white undershirt and a shirt, putting them on one by one.
Tong Weiqiang, who still had not left, borrowed a Chinese chess set from the neighboring dormitory.
“Come on, let’s play chess.”
The moment Lin Zhenhui heard that, he immediately switched off the radio.
“Why play chess? Let’s play Run Hu Zi.”
As he spoke, he pulled a set of Chinese domino-like tiles from the drawer.
“Three people is perfect.”
“You two play.”
Song Kuoyang did not want to play chess or cards. He picked up a screwdriver instead, intending to repair the damp radio and get rid of the dust and static.
The other two had no choice but to play chess nearby.
Tong Weiqiang shifted his attention and began trying to win over Lin Zhenhui instead.
Song Kuoyang pretended not to hear and did not stop him.
Lin Zhenhui came from a rural family and had heavy financial responsibilities. There was no way he had spare money to lend.
At five-thirty, Song Kuoyang arrived at his aunt’s house.
Song Yanzhen worked at the neighborhood office and finished work at five. She had gone shopping for groceries at four-thirty and was now in the kitchen peeling potatoes.
She poked her head out, sounding rather displeased.
“Last night, the Xiao family had Aunt Liu send word that you agreed to marry that Xiao family’s slightly simple-minded third girl?”