The old man chuckled happily.
“Looks like this really is fate. In that case, we old folks have to repay your kindness.”
“Grandma, it was only a small favor.”
A trace of sadness welled up inside Qin Man.
The one who had helped the old woman wasn’t her.
It had been the original Qin Man.
She had truly been a kind and beautiful soul.
She should have met a good man and enjoyed a happy marriage—not been trafficked, chained up, and stripped of every ounce of dignity.
Now that Qin Man had taken her place, she would live a brilliant life—for both of them.
“You’ve already solved my biggest problem by renting me your house. If you refuse to take any money, how could I possibly live here with peace of mind?”
After much persuasion, the elderly couple finally agreed to accept rent at the local market rate—ten yuan per month.
A bright, spotless, newly built two-bedroom apartment with a living room wasn’t cheap.
Especially one on the ground floor, where an extra front room could easily be added in the courtyard to increase the living space.
But the old woman stubbornly refused.
“All our belongings are piled into one bedroom. You’ll only be using the other bedroom. Three yuan a month, or we won’t rent it to you at all!”
No matter how Qin Man tried to persuade her, the old woman wouldn’t budge.
In the end, they compromised.
Qin Man paid six months’ rent in advance—a total of eighteen yuan.
By the time she escorted the elderly couple to the train station, it was already nine o’clock at night.
After returning to the Postal Street residential compound, Qin Man immediately entered her space.
Now that she finally had somewhere to stay, she could gradually start bringing out more of her personal belongings.
Underwear and other close-fitting clothes weren’t a problem since no one could tell their style.
As for outerwear, after searching through everything she owned, she found only a gray wool coat that barely matched the fashion of the era.
Until she could buy new clothes, she’d have to make do with a single cotton-padded jacket.
Perhaps because of the transmigration, or perhaps because her body needed better nutrition, Qin Man’s appetite had become much larger than before.
After running around all day, she was both exhausted and starving.
The donkey meat dumplings she’d eaten at the state-owned restaurant had long since been digested.
Fortunately, her space had a fully equipped kitchen, so she didn’t have to worry about cooking smells drifting outside and attracting attention.
She caught some live shrimp from the seafood section, boiled them, and mixed a simple seafood dipping sauce.
Halfway through the meal, she suddenly found it a little too light and plain.
Craving something richer, she made herself another meal of fried chicken and French fries to satisfy her appetite.
After eating, washing up, and tidying herself, Qin Man carried her own bedding set out of the space, made the bed, and lay down.
Sure enough, having a place of her own meant she could finally enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.
It was far more comfortable than squeezing into a hospital ward.
Without computers or smartphones, people in this era kept regular hours.
By ten o’clock that night, the Municipal Government residential compound was already shrouded in darkness.
Only a handful of homes still had their lights on.
In a shadowy corner downstairs, Tian Dan stood with a large scarf covering most of her face, quietly following behind Zhou Huaimin.
“My wife.”
Zhou Huaimin suddenly stopped walking and pulled Tian Dan into his arms.
They hadn’t seen each other for two days.
Tian Dan seemed noticeably thinner.
Even her chest looked flatter than before.
Tian Dan immediately pushed him away in annoyance.
“What are you doing here?”
Ever since their engagement banquet had been ruined, she’d been arguing with her parents every day.
She only wanted to give Zhou Huaimin one chance—to hear the truth from him in person.
In her eyes, Zhou Huaimin had always been disciplined.
He could never have written those explicit love letters.
No matter how much she tried to explain, Tian Jinrong and Chen Yuxiu refused to listen.
Chen Yuxiu had even taken leave from work and started watching her from the moment she woke up every morning.
After finally finding an opportunity to slip away, Tian Dan secretly ran downstairs and happened to meet Zhou Huaimin waiting for her.
Standing outside in the freezing weather, no one knew how long he’d been waiting.
The moment she saw him, her heart softened.
“My wife, the army has strict discipline. We’ve been busy with training lately. I only managed to get leave tonight, and I have to return before dawn.”
Over the past two days, Zhou Huaimin hadn’t rushed to comfort her.
First, he’d been borrowing money from fellow soldiers to gather the two thousand yuan Qin Man demanded.
Second, he knew the Tian family was still furious and needed time to cool down.
Tian Dan still felt miserable.
Lowering her head until her chin nearly touched her chest, she murmured,
“Don’t call me your wife. My parents don’t agree to our marriage.”
“So you’re just going to give up?”
Zhou Huaimin gently took her icy hands into his own to warm them.
While Tian Dan wasn’t paying attention, he quickly stole a kiss on her cheek.
The unexpected intimacy left Tian Dan frozen for a moment before her cheeks flushed bright red.
“Xiao Dan, Chairman Mao once said, ‘Be determined, fear no sacrifice, overcome every difficulty, and strive for victory.'”
“If we’ve decided to be together, then we should fight for it.”
Even if the Tian family objected, Zhou Huaimin would keep proving himself until they finally accepted him.
“I’ll restore the reputation you’ve lost. I’ll make sure you live better than anyone else, until everyone envies you.”
Holding her hand tightly, he made his solemn promise.
His words and actions deeply moved Tian Dan.
Much of her hurt and hesitation melted away instantly.
She looked up with tears glistening in her eyes.
“I believe you.”
Acting on impulse, Tian Dan pulled out a thick stack of large-denomination bills from her handbag and stuffed them into Zhou Huaimin’s hands.
“My brother told me you’ve been borrowing money around the army. This is my personal savings.”
As far as Tian Dan was concerned, any problem that money could solve wasn’t really a problem.
She simply wanted Qin Man to accept the money, keep quiet, and stop causing trouble.
The thick stack contained at least several hundred yuan.
Zhou Huaimin’s heart stirred with temptation.
After a fierce internal struggle, however, he refused sternly.
“My wife, I can’t take your money. From now on, every penny of my salary and military allowance will be handed over to you.”
You had to cast a long line to catch a big fish.
He couldn’t sacrifice future gains for such a small profit.
Within just a few words, Tian Dan was smiling again.
All the distance between them disappeared.
She wanted nothing more than to marry such a responsible, dependable man as soon as possible.
“But if you’re returning to the army, how will Qin Man get the money?”
Money could always be earned again.
Putting the cash back into her handbag, Tian Dan began considering buying some gifts and privately asking her uncle for help.
No matter what happened, she wanted to help Zhou Qiaohong secure her job first.
“I’ll have my mother and little sister deliver it.”
Thinking of the trap he’d already prepared, Zhou Huaimin knew he had to stay completely uninvolved.
Only then could he attack or retreat as circumstances required without getting dragged into the consequences himself.
“Xiao Dan, it’s freezing outside. Why don’t we go to my house for a while?”
He looked at her, asking for her opinion.
Tian Dan hesitated.
“It’s already so late. Won’t we wake your family?”
“It’s fine.”
They certainly couldn’t go to a guesthouse instead.
Suddenly, Zhou Huaimin crouched down in front of her.
“Get on. I’ll carry you.”
The cold weather made Tian Dan walk slowly.
If they stayed close together, they could keep each other warm.
For someone accustomed to running with heavy packs, Tian Dan felt almost weightless on Zhou Huaimin’s back.
His broad shoulders only made her appear even smaller.
The north wind howled like knives slicing through the night.
The dim streetlights stretched their shadows into long silhouettes across the road.
Lying against his back, Tian Dan felt strangely safe.
She untied her scarf and wrapped it around both their necks.
“Huaimin, I’m tying you to me with this scarf. From now on, you belong to me.”
“All right.”
His voice was unusually deep.
After walking for more than half an hour, Tian Dan glanced at her watch.
It was already eleven o’clock when they arrived at the Cotton Textile Factory residential compound.
The Zhou family’s apartment was completely dark.
Moving quietly, the two climbed the stairs.
When Zhou Huaimin opened the door and switched on the light, they discovered the house was completely empty.
“No one’s home?”
Tian Dan looked surprised, while secretly feeling a little delighted.
Without elders around, she could relax much more.
A calculating gleam flashed across Zhou Huaimin’s eyes.
But his face displayed just the right amount of sudden realization.
“Now I remember. We’re supposed to deliver the money to Qin Man tomorrow afternoon. My parents probably worried they wouldn’t be able to gather enough, so they took Qiaohong to visit relatives and borrow some.”