mtl008 Chapter 181: Red Eyes
Chapter 181: Red Eyes
When Cheng Shichang said he was leaving, Li Xiangyang immediately snapped out of his daze: "Wait, I'll take you home. It's so late, I can't let you walk alone."
"Oh, no need to be so polite." Cheng Shichang waved his hand repeatedly, but his eyes were full of smiles.
"Hurry up, you two," Ma Xiuying teased. "If you dawdle any longer, it'll be dawn."
The other educated youths also laughed and cheered.
Li Xiaoyun stood to the side, head down, lips pursed, a slight smile on her face.
The two walked out of the courtyard, laughter echoing behind them.
Li Xiangyang turned around and waved to Li Xiaoyun: "I'm leaving."
Su Yan, standing in the corner, silently watched all of this.
Watching Li Xiangyang's retreating figure, she felt a strange, indescribable feeling welling up inside her.
How long ago was it that the person I looked down on underwent such a dramatic transformation?
Not only is their life getting better and better, but they have also met many important people, and now they are even buying bicycles to give away as gifts.
But she couldn't even get a proper look from him.
Su Yan clenched the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white.
She remembered that day in the corn stalk stack; if she had let him take advantage of her then, perhaps…
As Li Xiangyang and Cheng Shichang disappeared into the night, Su Yan's gaze fell on Li Xiaoyun's brand-new Phoenix bicycle.
The car body gleamed softly in the moonlight, as if silently flaunting its owner's happiness.
"Xiaoyun," Ma Xiuying said, appearing beside Li Xiaoyun at some point, "You have such good taste! A husband like this is hard to find even with a lantern."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Li Xiaoyun blushed and pushed Ma Xiuying, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.
"What's there to be shy about? You'll be officially married to him in less than a month anyway, so it's only natural that he treats you well."
"That's right. After you get married, don't forget about us. Could you help him out and ask around in the city about job openings? No need to pull any strings..."
"Yes, Su Yan can help arrange it, so we don't want to put him in a difficult position. We'll just ask around..."
……
Listening to the discussions around her, Su Yan felt a tightness in her chest.
Indeed, Li Xiangyang kept his word and actually managed to get her an official acceptance certificate from her employer.
Now she just needs to wait for her files to be transferred and then complete the household registration transfer procedures before she can return to the city.
In the past, she would have been more than happy to accept it.
However, she was so unwilling to accept it now.
However, she also understands that she has no chance now.
She turned and quickly walked into the house, afraid that others would see her unpleasant expression.
By this time, Li Xiangyang and Cheng Shichang had already walked quite far.
Under the moonlight, the two chatted casually.
"Xiangyang, the city has developed quite well in recent years. If you have the money, I suggest you buy another house as soon as possible. I heard they're going to build a new road."
Li Xiangyang paused in his pedaling motion: "Really?"
"How could this be fake? My dad said it when he was drunk. He said they're going to build some kind of commercial road, stretching from our department store all the way to the train station. They'll be acquiring a lot of land."
Cheng Shichang's voice carried a hint of excitement, "Let me tell you, this information is money. Think about it, if there's demolition, they'll give you compensation..."
“That’s true…” Li Xiangyang smiled, “but I doubt your dad would do that, right? You’re right, you could make money if you got lucky, but if you got caught, it would be considered speculation…”
Cheng Shichang was silent for a moment, then said, "You're right. I was oversimplifying things."
As the two were chatting, they arrived at Yangjia Village.
"We've arrived. It's getting late, you should head back now."
After entering the village, Cheng Shichang jumped off the back of his bicycle, stood still, and patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder.
"Okay, see you later."
"See you later." Cheng Shichang raised his hand and waved.
After dropping Cheng Shichang off, it was already late at night when Li Xiangyang returned home.
The moon hung in the night sky, illuminating the tranquil courtyard.
Xuanmao and Xiaohu had already heard the commotion and were squatting at the door waiting for him.
Li Xiangyang got out of the car and pushed open the courtyard gate.
"You two are quite well-behaved." He smiled and patted the heads of Xuanmao and Xiaohu.
After setting up the bicycle, Li Xiangyang went inside, started a fire, and crawled into bed.
I've been quite busy these past few days, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to properly tidy up the house.
After all, they're about to get married.
Thinking of this, he yawned and went to sleep.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang didn't open his eyes until the sun was high in the sky.
He stretched, got off the kang (a heated brick bed), quickly washed up, cooked a simple meal, ate, and then began tidying up the house.
The heating system in our new house has frozen, which is a bit of a problem.
Li Xiangyang squatted in front of the radiator and carefully inspected it.
First, they lifted the iron plate, then took out some ice shards from the heating pot, and saw that the heating pipes were covered with a thick layer of ice.
Upon seeing this, he quickly boiled water, then added some warm water to slowly thaw it.
"Splash..."
Warm water poured onto ice makes a slight sound.
The melted ice water flowed down the pipes.
He quickly used a bucket to catch it.
As for the water on the ground, let's dissolve it all first.
This job can't be rushed, and there's no room for carelessness.
Seeing the ice melting little by little, he took a moment to boil water and slowly prepared it.
After working for about two or three hours until the ice had completely melted and he confirmed that the sheet metal had no cracks, he finally started a fire.
As the flames grew stronger, the sound of water finally came from the heated pot.
Li Xiangyang still dared not be careless and kept a close watch on the pot.
Only when he heard the gurgling sound of water flowing from the pipes did he dare to add more coal to the fire.
He thawed the radiators again before he started cleaning.
After wiping up all the water stains on the floor, Li Xiangyang carefully cleaned every corner of the house.
As dusk fell, the last rays of the setting sun streamed into the room through the window.
Li Xiangyang stood at the door, looking at the newly renovated house, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Coo coo..."
As his stomach rumbled, he realized that he hadn't eaten properly for several days.
He immediately took out a piece of frozen wild boar meat, put it in a pot of cold water, and slowly cooked it.
As the water temperature rose, the aroma of steaming meat filled the entire room.
Although doing it this way might affect the taste, it's quick. Take the meat out of the pot and cut it into pieces.
Then he found some other ingredients, fried them in oil until fragrant, and put them back into the pot.
Once everything was settled, Li Xiangyang, who was already starving, began to feast with Xuanmao and Xiaohu.
After finishing his meal, he turned the fire in the stove up a bit and boiled water again, preparing to take a proper bath.
Such simple shower devices are rarely seen in rural areas.
In winter, everyone boils a pot of water, wipes themselves with a towel, and that's it.
As for going to a public bathhouse, you have to go to the city, which is very inconvenient.
Fortunately, the heating has come on now, and the room is cozy.
Li Xiangyang adjusted the water temperature, took a shower, and felt refreshed all over.
It was already quite late, but the room was warm and cozy.