The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 103 - 102: Xue Yue Travels Far

In late August, He Lang was planning a trip to the provincial capital.

"What? You want me to go too?" Xue Yue was a little surprised.

"That’s right. Didn’t you say you’ve never traveled far from home? This time, it’s just one truck, only Da Wei and me. We’re not hauling much, and we have plenty of time. The provincial capital isn’t too far; two or three days is more than enough for a round trip. When we get there, I’ll show you around."

Xue Yue was tempted. "But what about Ruanruan?"

He Lang glanced at his daughter. "Mom can watch her for a couple of days. We have formula at home, so we don’t have to worry about her going hungry."

"But what if Ruanruan misses us at night?" Xue Yue couldn’t bear to leave her daughter.

"Yue’er, it’ll be fine. We’ll be back before you know it."

Xue Yue was conflicted for a moment. "Alright."

When Mrs. He learned they were going to the provincial capital, she agreed without hesitation.

"Go on, it’ll be fine. I’ll watch her. Ruanruan doesn’t cry much, and besides, with so many other children in the courtyard, she’ll have playmates."

Mrs. He came over often, and Ruanruan was fond of her grandmother. Xue Yue felt at ease leaving the baby with her.

"Ruanruan needs milk before bed every night. In the morning, just feed her some millet paste, and later on, you can steam an egg custard for her. I’ve put all her things in this bag, along with a change of clothes. If you need anything else, just go to our place and get it—I’ll leave the key for you. We’re troubling you with Ruanruan, Mom."

Mrs. He waved her hand dismissively. "It’s no trouble. You two go on."

"Oh, right, there’s a bag of peach crisps in there. Mom, please share them with the children."

Mrs. He nodded. "I understand."

Ruanruan didn’t know her parents were about to leave. Thinking Xue Yue was playing with her, she even mimicked her mother and waved goodbye.

At the old family house, He Ze’s third child, who was only a few months older than Ruanruan, had just turned one. He was still unsteady on his feet and often crawled around the courtyard.

Ruanruan watched with curiosity, wanting to get down as well.

So, Mrs. He spread a few woven plastic sacks on the ground in the courtyard for her to sit on while she watched.

Tuanzi from the first household and the three children from the second all gathered around Ruanruan, touching her clothes one moment and her little hands the next.

"Little sister, you smell so nice."

"Little sister, you’re so cute."

"Little sister, hold hands."

The children all chattered at once as they surrounded Ruanruan.

Ruanruan just smiled and flapped her hands, which made Mrs. He burst out laughing.

"Does Ruanruan like her big brothers?"

Ruanruan babbled, "Ah... ah~."

"Hahaha." Her antics made Mrs. He laugh heartily.

Mrs. He took out a few peach crisps and gave one to each child.

"These are from your Third Auntie. Since you’ve eaten them, you have to take good care of your little sister, okay?"

"We will, Grandma! We’ll watch our little sister."

Meanwhile, He Lang had already gone to the brigade office the day before to get a letter of introduction for Xue Yue. Now, he was taking her to the transportation depot on his bicycle.

Li Dawei waved as soon as he saw Xue Yue.

"Ma’am."

Xue Yue nodded. "I won’t be in your way, will I?"

Li Dawei smiled. "Not at all. Brother Lang probably told you, this job is a piece of cake and our schedule is wide open. We can even wander around the city when we get there. Ma’am, the provincial capital has a department store that has everything. You should have Brother Lang take you for a look around."

Xue Yue nodded. "Okay."

This was Xue Yue’s first time traveling far from home, and her first time riding in a truck.

The feeling was completely new to her.

They left a little after nine in the morning and arrived in the provincial capital before four in the afternoon, having eaten some dry provisions in the truck along the way.

They delivered their cargo first. By the time they were done, it was a little after five.

They found a hotel and checked in, getting two rooms.

"Let’s go eat first, and we can go for a walk later."

Li Dawei said to He Lang, "Brother Lang, you and Ma’am go on ahead. It’s her first time here, so you should show her around. I’ve been here many times, I’ll sit this one out. I’m just going to grab a bite nearby and head back to rest. Don’t worry about me. We’ll all head back together the morning after tomorrow."

He Lang nodded. "Alright, then."

With that, Li Dawei went back to his room.

Xue Yue freshened up, changed her clothes, and went out with He Lang.

The streets were bustling with people. Bicycles were a common sight, and cars zipped back and forth.

He Lang took Xue Yue to a Western-style restaurant.

Music drifted out to greet them as soon as they stepped inside. The place looked incredibly luxurious.

"Is this really a place to eat?" Xue Yue could hardly believe it.

"Yes, it’s a Western restaurant." He Lang led her to a table, and they sat down.

"I’ve only been here once before; some colleagues brought me last time. But I thought the food was excellent, so I wanted to bring you to try it."

Xue Yue looked around at the décor, which was completely different from the state-run restaurants she knew.

A waiter quickly came over to take their order.

He Lang ordered several dishes, many with names Xue Yue had never even heard of before.

"Cream-baked fish, fried pork cutlet, pot-roasted beef, and borscht. Your order is complete. Please, enjoy your meal."

He Lang showed Xue Yue how to use a knife and fork. It was quite simple, and she picked it up after watching him once.

She took a bite, and her eyes lit up. It was delicious.

The price, however, was also steep. That one meal cost over ten yuan—a whole month’s salary for a worker back in their town.

After dinner, He Lang took her to a nearby park.

They spent fifty cents to rent a small boat and rowed across the water.

Then they rode a small sightseeing train, admiring the park’s beautiful scenery from their seats.

Later that evening, they went for coffee.

He Lang said it was what all the city folk drank, so they each ordered a cup.

After adding milk and sugar, Xue Yue found the taste strange at first, but it slowly grew on her until she thought it was quite good.

He Lang took one sip and set his cup down. ’What is this stuff? It’s horribly bitter.’

Xue Yue smiled. "Try it with some sugar and milk. It’s actually pretty good."

He Lang refused. "Nope, not drinking it. You can have it all."

Then he pushed his cup over to her.

Xue Yue finished her cup and then drank He Lang’s as well.

Seeing how much she liked it, and noticing the shop sold it in tins, He Lang bought one for her.

"You can enjoy this back home."

They left the coffee shop and returned to their hotel. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

After sitting in the truck all day, Xue Yue took a shower as soon as she got back to the room.

When He Lang came out of the bathroom, he saw Xue Yue lying in bed, watching him with wide eyes.

"Aren’t you tired?"

Xue Yue shook her head. "A little, but I’m not sleepy at all."

He Lang toweled his hair dry and climbed into bed.

Xue Yue lay in He Lang’s arms, savoring this quiet moment alone together.

"It feels like it’s been a long time since we were alone like this."

"Yeah. It suddenly feels like when we were first married."

"Time flies. In the blink of an eye, Ruanruan is already seven months old, and we’ve been married for two years."

"Yeah."

He Lang gently caressed Xue Yue’s face.

From her eyes and brows down to her red lips.

He lowered his head, kissing her softly on the lips as one of his hands slowly slid beneath her clothes.

The next day, they both woke up late, skipping breakfast and going straight to lunch.

In the afternoon, they went to the department store.