Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder — I Rise to Female Lead Through Hard Work-Chapter 121: Marital Residence

Red Flag Photo Studio, a name fitting for this era. As Yi Roujing walked in, she saw an elderly man behind the counter carefully wiping a camera with a cloth.

"Mr. Yan."

"Ding." Mr. Yan looked up and saw Ding Ancheng, his face softened, "Do you want to take a photo, Ding? I’ll be sure to make you look good."

"Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Yan, but first, help my wife with an ID photo." Ding Ancheng introduced Yi Roujing, and Mr. Yan’s eyes widened slightly, not because of Yi Roujing’s appearance, but because of Ding Ancheng’s previous address, "wife." It seems the rumors in the county were indeed unreliable.

They said Ding got married and then left for a three-month-long business trip to escape his wife, clearly not fond of her; they even said Ding’s thinking was vulgar and brash...

But the Yi Roujing that Mr. Yan saw with his own eyes was a completely different person.

"Ding’s wife is really quite pretty." Mr. Yan praised with a smile, "I’ll be sure to capture her well."

Although the setup was somewhat primitive, the ID photo experience wasn’t much different from later times. Mr. Yan asked Yi Roujing to smile, took two shots, and said that’s enough.

Afterward, Ding Ancheng stepped over to have a photo taken with Yi Roujing. Ding hadn’t mentioned this before, which made Yi Roujing a bit puzzled, but she cooperated well.

"Come pick up the photos in a week." Mr. Yan advised with a smile, writing a slip for them.

Yet, what astonished Yi Roujing was the price of photography in this era, it was indeed expensive. An ID photo cost a yuan including the negative, Ding Ancheng ordered five, so that was five yuan; the couple’s portrait was a larger photo, two yuan each including the negative, they had three taken, totaling twenty-two yuan. The extra half was because Ding requested them in color, which was almost equivalent to over half a month’s salary for a regular worker, hehe.

Leaving the photo studio, the two went to County First Middle School, where they met Huang Huimin by the stairs in the teaching building. She looked well, her demeanor warmer than before, and at least this time she wasn’t looking down her nose at Yi Roujing. It seemed because she was about to get married, for Yi Roujing noticed her gaze at Ding Ancheng was different too, she had truly let go.

"Hello, Ding." Huang Huimin greeted, "Mr. Ding, I’m getting married on June 15th, please you and Yi Roujing comrade come to the wedding banquet."

Ding Ancheng nodded at her words. Huang Huimin smiled at Yi Roujing before brushing past them.

"She’s changed," Yi Roujing laughed, "Oh, Ding’s charm has its limits, huh."

Ding Ancheng found it amusing, "I wonder how much charm I have in Yi Roujing’s eyes."

"Just about this much." Yi Roujing held out her right hand, thumb and index finger almost touching, squinted at the tiny gap, then glanced at Ding Ancheng, successfully catching the smile disappearing from his face.

Seeing this, Yi Roujing burst into laughter, "Ding, why no confidence?"

"This kind of confidence needs to be given by the other." Ding Ancheng looked at Yi Roujing with rare seriousness, a flicker of perseverance and determination in his eyes, "Though I might not do enough now, in the future, I want you to say you can’t do without me."

The way Ding Ancheng stared made Yi Roujing shift her gaze, her earlobes slightly warm, this man...

"Let’s go." Ding Ancheng took Yi Roujing’s hand up the stairs.

"Shouldn’t we mind the influence?" Yi Roujing tugged her hand, failing to pull free.

"Class isn’t out yet, no one will see." Ding Ancheng said earnestly, but let go before entering the office.

"Ding." As Ding Ancheng entered, he was greeted warmly by the teachers in the office, showing his popularity.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Xiao... this is my wife, Yi Roujing." Ding Ancheng introduced Yi Roujing to his colleagues, everyone shook hands and exchanged names.

Yi Roujing filled out the graduation exam application form, with approval, she only needed to attach the photo later. It was confirmed the exams would be on June 12th and 13th, and passing each subject would earn her a high school diploma.

For lunch, the two ate at the school cafeteria; though not as fancy as a state-owned restaurant, it wasn’t bad, the two ordered two meat dishes, one vegetable, and a soup.

"I’ll take you to see our couple’s quarters." After the meal, Ding Ancheng led Yi Roujing to the staff housing. County First Middle School was the best high school in Huaixi County, the largest school, and even the oldest one, so the staff dormitory conditions were relatively good.

However, most staff lived in dormitories, with only three standalone places having their own courtyards passed down, reserved for higher-ranking leaders. Recently though, the school leadership approved, allowing five new standalone houses with courtyards to be built on campus, and they’re two-story.

But not just anyone can apply to live in a standalone courtyard. Either you have enough rank, or a sufficiently reasonable justification.

The newly built two-story houses were reserved for high-ranking leaders, but that meant the original three one-story courtyard houses became available, and those were prioritized for people who made significant contributions to the school.

Since joining County First Middle School, Ding Ancheng was the only teacher to lead a student to the national math competition, so when he applied for couple’s quarters, the school generously allocated him a house with a courtyard.

As for whether it would be a two-story or one-story, it depended on their performance in the national math competition. If they placed, even a two-story wouldn’t raise eyebrows.

But Ding Ancheng refused, regardless of whether they placed or not, he only wanted a one-story to avoid standing out too much.

Previously, Yi Roujing had only been to Wang Bingzhi and Zhao Hanjuan’s house, but this time Ding Ancheng took her to see another one-story courtyard house, a section over.

"This house was where the principal lived with his family before, but now their new housing is ready for move-in, so they moved out, leaving it empty." Ding Ancheng took out the key and opened the door.

"This will be our couple’s quarters in the future." Ding Ancheng’s mood was a bit subtle now. This place might not be where they lived often, but it was the first meaningful house belonging to both him and Yi Roujing, their couple’s quarters.

The house they transferred in the morning, Ding Ancheng and Yi Roujing had discussed, once Ding Weihuo and Li Hongying came and settled in the city, they would transfer that house to them.

Though just one-story, the house didn’t have as many rooms as the one they saw this morning, the layout was more akin to Hu Heping’s house in the provincial government compound, although this was one-story.

Entering there was a large room combining living and dining areas. On the left was the kitchen, the right, the master bedroom; next to it was the bathroom, directly opposite the living and dining areas were two rooms, which could be a study or bedrooms.

"It’s quite spacious." Yi Roujing estimated it to be at least eighty square meters.

"You can add anything you like." Ding Ancheng said gently.