With He Lang around, Xue Yue got right onto the bicycle.
It even saved her a trip on the ox cart. Of course, He Lang had borrowed the bicycle from the production brigade.
The bicycle was much faster than the ox cart, but the ride wasn't very comfortable. By the time they reached town, Xue Yue's butt was completely numb.
They didn't stop until they were in front of the supply and marketing co-op.
"Why are we stopping here?"
Xue Yue glanced at the co-op's entrance and subconsciously covered her pocket. She didn't have any money to spare; everything she had was for her brother's medical bills.
He Lang glanced at her and, of course, noticed her clutching her pocket. He scoffed, then said languidly, "We're visiting a patient. Are we supposed to go empty-handed?"
Xue Yue thought it over. He Lang was, after all, the new son-in-law meeting her family for the first time. It really wouldn't look good to show up empty-handed.
Clutching her pocket, Xue Yue reluctantly walked into the co-op with He Lang.
Then, she heard a stream of... "This one... that one... I'll take a couple of pounds of that... and weigh out a couple of pounds of that one, too."
Xue Yue gritted her teeth, watching He Lang point out a pile of things like some big shot, as if none of it cost money.
When it was time to pay, she heard the salesclerk announce a total of 12.30 yuan, plus ration coupons for some of the items.
Xue Yue's hand trembled. 'My god, where did this big spender come from?'
With a trembling hand, Xue Yue prepared to pull out her own money, but then she saw He Lang take a thick wad of cash from his pocket, count out the amount, and hand it to the salesclerk.
Xue Yue froze. 'I've been so petty,' she thought.
On the way to the hospital, Xue Yue's face grew redder the more she thought about it. 'That was so embarrassing. Why did I just assume he expected me to pay?' She decided that rumors were truly damaging; they had given her a completely skewed image of He Lang.
When they arrived at the hospital, they found the room was empty.
"Hey, where is he?" Xue Yue glanced around but didn't see her brother. She was about to go look for him when her father walked in, helping her brother.
"Brother, why are you out of bed?"
Xue Yue went over and supported Xue Xingzhou's other arm.
Xue Xingzhou chuckled at Xue Yue. "I just couldn't lie down anymore. If I didn't get up for a walk, I think my limbs would start to atrophy."
"Have you two eaten?"
"We have."
Xue Xingzhou sat on the bed and finally turned his attention to the man who had been standing in the hospital room, watching them this whole time.
Xue Xingzhou's eyes scanned He Lang from head to toe, as if he were an X-ray machine.
"Ahem, Brother, this is He Lang," Xue Yue introduced.
Xue Xingzhou nodded. "Mm, have a seat."
He Lang didn't relax until Xue Xingzhou finally looked away. He couldn't help but sigh internally. 'Is this brother-in-law of mine really five years younger than me? He doesn't seem like it at all. That gaze is so sharp, it feels like it could pierce right through your heart.' If he hadn't heard that Xue Xingzhou had spent his whole life in the village, He Lang would have sworn he'd been a soldier.
How could He Lang have guessed that his brother-in-law was no longer the original person? That was the exact gaze he used to reserve for criminal suspects.
"Brother, Dad, I bought a few things. I got two sets, so Dad, you can take one with you when you head back." He Lang placed the items on the bedside table and sat down on a nearby stool.
"Ah, good," Xue Changlin replied, though his eyes also kept darting over to size up He Lang.
Xue Yue heard how He Lang addressed them and glanced at him.
It was only then that she realized He Lang had bought so much because he'd also included a share for her father. 'I really can't figure this man out,' she thought.
Xue Yue took Xue Xingzhou's dirty laundry and went to the washroom.
But when she returned, only He Lang and her brother were left in the hospital room, and they seemed to be getting along quite well.
Xue Yue was a little surprised. She glanced at He Lang and saw a faint smile on his face.
"Yue'er, I'll be discharged in a few days. Then our two families can meet and hold a proper wedding banquet for you," Xue Xingzhou said.
He Lang sat without saying a word.
Xue Yue nodded. "Okay. But Brother, has the doctor said you can be discharged?"
"It should be soon. My head isn't so dizzy anymore. I'll stay for another two days and then go home to recover. Every day in the hospital costs money."
"Brother, I have money. You can't leave until the doctor agrees." Xue Yue had been terrified by what happened to Xue Xingzhou before; after all, he had lost so much blood, and from his head no less.
He Lang raised an eyebrow when he heard Xue Yue's words.
Xue Yue glanced at He Lang, her eyes meeting his ambiguous, half-smiling gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and her ears turned red.
He Lang stood up and said to Xue Xingzhou, "Brother, I'm going to head back then. Let me know which day you're being discharged, and I'll come pick you up."
"Okay."
After seeing He Lang out of the hospital room, Xue Yue finally let out a sigh of relief. 'For some reason, I can never quite relax around him. Maybe it's just because we were strangers who suddenly became husband and wife. I'm just not used to it yet.'
Xue Yue turned back to see Xue Xingzhou looking at her with a teasing expression.
Xue Yue's gaze flickered, and she scratched her head.
"What's wrong?"
Xue Xingzhou chuckled. "Nothing. It's just... I feel like you've grown up. You're someone's wife now."
Xue Yue smiled, sat on the edge of Xue Xingzhou's bed, and leaned in close. "Brother, are you seeing everyone else in pairs and starting to think about getting married yourself?"
Xue Xingzhou poked Xue Yue's forehead with his index finger, pushing her back a little.
"Don't drag me into this. We're talking about you. I got a general sense of him, and He Lang seems like a decent guy. You two should live well together in the future."
Xue Yue twitched the corner of her mouth. "Tsk, you've only known him for a little while, and you already think he's a decent guy?"
Xue Xingzhou smiled. "You wouldn't understand. It takes a man to know a man."
Xue Yue: "..."
In the afternoon, when Xue Yue was about to go back on the ox cart, there were already three young women sitting on it.
Xue Yue glanced over and, listening to their conversation, guessed that they were the "educated youth" from the village.
The three young women only glanced at her when she got on the cart. A flash of admiration crossed their eyes, and then they went back to their own conversation.
"Yuwei, you get a package mailed to you every month. Your family must be well-off, right? So why did you come to the countryside to be an educated youth?" The girl who spoke kept staring at a large package on the cart, her eyes filled with greed.
The prettiest of the three smiled and said, "We're doing alright. Coming to the countryside is my contribution to the development of our nation."
"I'm so jealous. Not like me, my family didn't have enough to eat, so I had to come to the countryside."
"Don't be jealous. When we get back, I'll share some of my food with you."
"Thank you, Yuwei! You're so kind."
One of the three girls hadn't said a word, but Xue Yue noticed her face was full of scorn.
Xue Yue blinked. 'Sigh, wherever there are people, there's conflict. City folks are no exception.'
...
The He Family's home was lively today. It turned out that the second son, He Ze, and He Ziqing from the main branch had both returned.
Xue Yue glanced at the second son, who was sitting cross-legged on the kang bed, talking with Mr. He. He looked a lot like He Nan, just with fairer skin.
Just now, Mrs. He had introduced them. Xue Yue had called him "Second Brother," but He Ze had only glanced at her, nodded, and said nothing.
Xue Yue was good at reading people. She could tell from He Ze's glance that he looked down on her, at least a little.
He Ze had just returned this afternoon when his wife, Gao Cuiyun, pulled him into their room and grumbled for a long time about the third brother's wife.
He Ze also felt that a 500-yuan bride price was indeed a lot. And since most of that money was what he himself had earned, he felt even more displeased.
Now, seeing Xue Yue, he felt that although the girl was beautiful, her actions had been quite unseemly.