Shen Zhixia pointed toward the corner of the counter.
“Just get two bottles of the most ordinary Red Sorghum Liquor. For cigarettes, get two cartons of Bai Furong. That will already be more than respectable.”
Lu Huaiyuan glanced at the plainly packaged Red Sorghum Liquor and still hesitated, his brows knitting slightly.
“Are you sure? Won’t it look a little too cheap? It’s not like we can’t afford it.”
Shen Zhixia answered firmly, “Of course it’s fine. Trust me.”
“Aren’t there still so many egg cakes? I can’t possibly finish them all by myself.”
“We can always get two more pieces of fabric.”
“The Shen family is a rural household. If you start this extravagant and wasteful trend, what will the other sons-in-law do? We should at least leave the neighbors and fellow villagers some room to breathe.”
One argument after another left Lu Huaiyuan completely stunned.
Looking at Shen Zhixia’s righteous and well-reasoned expression, he could not help laughing.
“Fine.”
“I’ll listen to my wife.”
His tone was casual, as though he were merely agreeing without giving it much thought.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, his heart felt a little itchy, as though a feather had lightly brushed against it.
He had met plenty of women before.
They were either concerned with appearances or obsessed with vanity.
But someone like Shen Zhixia was a first for him.
Lu Huaiyuan turned toward the saleswoman and jerked his chin at her.
“You heard her, right? My wife says we need to be hardworking and frugal.”
“Change it to Red Sorghum and Bai Furong.”
The saleswoman suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and turned expressionlessly to fetch the goods.
After buying the cigarettes and liquor, Shen Zhixia went to the fabric counter.
She chose quickly.
Two pieces of red fabric with floral patterns and a pair of red cloth wrapping covers.
The colors were festive and respectable, while the material was the cheapest available.
After buying everything, it looked like they had purchased quite a lot, but the total cost was not even a fraction of what that bottle of Moutai had cost.
Shen Zhixia was very satisfied.
The main idea behind these return gifts was simple: plenty of quantity, enough to fill the table, and all appearance with very little substance.
While Shen Zhixia was lowering her head to choose fabric, Lu Huaiyuan suddenly pressed a hand against his stomach.
“Wife, you keep choosing. I’m going to the restroom.”
He set everything he was carrying down beside Shen Zhixia’s feet, handed her a handful of money and coupons, and disappeared.
About ten minutes later, Lu Huaiyuan finally returned.
Seeing that Shen Zhixia had already packed everything and was waiting for him, he picked up the packages from the ground and spoke cheerfully.
“Let’s go home.”
By the time they returned to the Lu family’s old residence, it was already noon.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the newlywed room on the second floor with warmth.
They placed everything on the chest of drawers, and Lu Huaiyuan closed the door behind them.
“Sit down.”
He pointed toward the edge of the bed.
Shen Zhixia raised an eyebrow slightly but obediently sat down.
Lu Huaiyuan took several small boxes from inside his clothes and arranged them on the dressing table.
Two boxes of frostbite ointment, one box of Friendship brand Snowflake Cream, and a bottle of Yashuang cream in a white porcelain container.
Shen Zhixia froze for a moment.
“You…”
Lu Huaiyuan had already dragged over a stool and sat down in front of her.
He opened a box of frostbite ointment, scooped out a little with his fingertip, and directly took her hand.
Shen Zhixia instinctively tried to pull it back.
“Don’t move.”
Lu Huaiyuan’s voice lowered. His tone was not harsh, but it carried a hint of authority that left no room for refusal.
Shen Zhixia stopped moving and allowed him to spread the ointment over her hand little by little.
Lu Huaiyuan’s hand was large and warm, almost completely enclosing hers.
He kept his head lowered, his movements serious and careful.
Only then did Shen Zhixia notice how rough her own hands looked in his palm.
The backs of her hands were cracked and dry, with several frostbites swollen and bright red.
They formed a stark contrast with Lu Huaiyuan’s clean, strong hands and clearly defined knuckles.
“You had perfectly good hands,” Lu Huaiyuan said with a frown. “How did they end up looking like this?”
Although his words sounded critical, his movements were extremely gentle, as though he were afraid of hurting her.
Shen Zhixia lowered her head and looked at him.
“When did you notice?”
Lu Huaiyuan did not look up.
“The day I came to fetch you.”
So he had noticed back then.
Shen Zhixia pressed her lips together, but in the end she could not stop the corners of her mouth from lifting.
Lu Huaiyuan continued leisurely.
“At the time, I thought, these hands…”
“They’re bright red, just like those two pears.”
Shen Zhixia fell silent.
The smile that had only just appeared on her lips disappeared again.
The ointment was soon spread evenly.
Lu Huaiyuan then opened the Snowflake Cream.
“The shop assistant said to apply the frostbite ointment first, then the Snowflake Cream. It’ll heal faster.”
He kept his head lowered, speaking naturally as though he were discussing the most ordinary matter in the world.
Sunlight slanted across his face, and Shen Zhixia found herself staring at him for a moment.
In her previous life, she had lived to the age of thirty, yet she had never had a man hold her hand like this.
“Lu Huaiyuan.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you this kind to every woman?”
The moment she asked, Shen Zhixia regretted it.
What kind of suggestive question was that? Impulsiveness really was the devil!
Lu Huaiyuan raised his head, and their eyes met.
They were rather close, close enough for Shen Zhixia to clearly see the shadows cast by his eyelashes.
Lu Huaiyuan froze for a moment before smiling, his expression carrying a mischievous edge.
“What? Want to get to know me better?”
He closed the box of Snowflake Cream.
“I’m only nice to women I like.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Shen Zhixia quickly looked away, pretending to examine her own hand.
How could Lu Huaiyuan fail to notice her embarrassment? He was the first to stand.
“All right.”
“From now on, apply it every morning and evening.”
He pushed the box toward her on the table.
“Oh, right. Aunt Zhang from the courtyard next door will come over every afternoon to help with the laundry and cleaning.”
“Don’t worry about the heavy household chores.”
Shen Zhixia looked up at him.
Lu Huaiyuan pointed toward her freshly treated hands with his chin.
“Take good care of them. I don’t want to see them looking this ugly again.”
Whatever romantic or suggestive atmosphere had been lingering in the room disappeared completely.
Lu Huaiyuan had already turned and was walking toward the door.
When he reached it, he paused and looked back at her.
“Shen Zhixia.”
“Hmm?”
“This morning… thanks.”
After saying that, he opened the door and walked out.
The room fell quiet again.
Shen Zhixia’s gaze settled on the several boxes of ointment.
Frostbite ointment, Snowflake Cream, Yashuang.
She could almost imagine Lu Huaiyuan standing at the counter while the shop assistant recommended these products to him.
Yashuang was the most expensive one.
In this era, a full bottle of Yashuang was considered something of a luxury. Most people would bring an empty bottle to the store and have it refilled with the amount they could afford.
Shen Zhixia suddenly seemed to understand a little better why her coworkers in her previous life had been so excited to post even a single lipstick on their social media.
The ointment had already begun to absorb, and the sharp, painful dryness around her knuckles seemed to have eased considerably.
Shen Zhixia gently clenched her fist, then relaxed it again.
She remembered what he had said earlier.
“Looking this ugly.”
“He’s actually a good person,” she muttered softly.
“Too bad he has a mouth.”
As she thought about it, Shen Zhixia could not help smiling.
However…
Her smile gradually faded.
Tomorrow… she would be returning to her family home.
She had no idea what kind of trouble Zhao Meiyun, that snobbish woman, would stir up.
Shen Zhixia herself had nothing to fear.
She simply could not shake the uneasy feeling that came from knowing Lu Huaiyuan would be going with her.