Lin Chuxia knew nothing about these things and had slept until the sky was faintly bright.
She fumbled for Qin Yang’s watch beside her pillow, took a glance, and saw it was not yet five o’clock—just the right time to get up.
She had chopped the meat and mixed it with seasonings the night before. In the morning, she only needed to add some green onions and ginger, and the dough was already risen.
Lin Chuxia skillfully wrapped the buns, and as she got moving, Qin Yang also woke up and got out of bed to help her light the fire.
“Lin Chuxia…” he called out.
“Huh?” Lin Chuxia was busy with her tasks and didn’t raise her head.
Qin Yang pursed his lips and continued, “If it’s too much to work in the fields, don’t force yourself. My salary is enough to support you.”
“Oh.”
“My dad’s health isn’t good; please take extra care of him for me.”
“Okay.”
“If you encounter anything you can’t handle by yourself, you can go to my older brother and sister-in-law. The sister-in-law may sometimes be sharp-tongued, but she is actually quite nice, and since my brother and I have had a good relationship since we were kids, he won’t refuse you. Don’t be embarrassed.”
“I know.”
After a brief silence, Lin Chuxia had finished wrapping the buns and was placing them into the pot one by one and then went to tidy up the chopping board.
The man’s voice rose again, “I gave all the money to mom when I came back, but in about ten days, it’ll be payday again. It takes about five days for a letter to reach home from my side. You’ll have to manage for the next half month.”
Lin Chuxia finally looked at him, “What’s so hard about that? Didn’t sister-in-law say just yesterday? We can sell tomatoes today, and once the tomatoes are sold, we’ll have money.”
Besides, when he gave the money to his mother, she actually considered it as a betrothal gift for their family.
Another moment of quietude ensued, with only the crackling sounds of the fire in the stove heard in the room.
“That…” Qin Yang raised his head, only to see Lin Chuxia smiling at him, and for a moment didn’t know what to say.
He averted his eyes slightly and coughed lightly, “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
Lin Chuxia thought for a moment, and it seemed she really didn’t, but seeing his expectant eyes, clear and bright, she still fulfilled her wifely duty and admonished him, “The house is well looked after, so you don’t have to worry. Just do your job well there, get along with your colleagues, and most importantly, be safe at all times, remembering that someone at home is waiting for you.” She wasn’t blind to the concern Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin had for their son.
Qin Yang’s eyes shone brighter, and he spoke with gravity, “I will be careful.”
The buns were ready, and Lin Chuxia and Qin Yang had breakfast together. Then she packed the remaining buns into a cloth bag, and it was about time to leave.
When Qin Yang came back, he had only carried a small cloth bag, but when he returned, besides the bag he carried over, he also had a large one, filled with food.
He tied the bag to one side of the bicycle and said goodbye to the already awake Qin family before taking Lin Chuxia to catch the train.
Though early, the train station was bustling with people.
Ancheng County’s geographical location was good, being considered a large county city, with the train station being a major stop as several trains docked daily.
This was still the early 1980s, and Lin Chuxia knew that in a few more years, Ancheng County would be upgraded to a city, and by then, there would be even more trains stopping at this station.
Qin Yang glanced at the time; the train was due to arrive soon.
Lin Chuxia handed him the small bag she had been holding, “Have they started checking tickets yet? You better hurry over.”
In this era, taking a train was akin to a disaster. When the train arrived, everyone surged aboard, and if one was late, their seat could very well be taken by someone else.
But Qin Yang was not in a rush. He pulled out two tickets from his pocket to show her, “I bought a platform ticket.”
Lin Chuxia found that sometimes Qin Yang could be somewhat childish. Like now, with the train stopping for only about five minutes, he still bought a platform ticket insisting she see him off.
It was totally unlike the cold and indifferent man Lin Jiayi described him to be.
Since he had bought the ticket, naturally, Lin Chuxia had no reason not to go with him. They checked their tickets together and entered the platform. The train arrived just as they found a place to stand.
Lin Chuxia had seen his ticket and craned her neck to help him locate his carriage, while Qin Yang’s eyes stayed on her.
“What are you looking at me for? The train is here, your carriage is over that way. Go, quick.”
Lin Chuxia pulled his arm to rush him onto the train but was instead firmly grasped by the man.
“Lin Chuxia…” he looked at her, “I may not be able to return before the end of the year. I know this is unfair to you, but this is my job. All I can say is I’ll try my best to fulfill my responsibilities as a husband…”
“You don’t need to explain, I already know. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
Lin Chuxia interrupted him with a smile, her eyes sparkling brilliantly.
In later times, the country’s infrastructure would become incredibly powerful, whether through mountains, gobbets, deserts, or even across seas…
Having seen the prosperity of later times made Lin Chuxia feel even more respect and admiration for these people.
They devoted their youth and sweat to the nation’s construction, overcoming difficulties unimaginable to ordinary people.
She couldn’t do those things, but she could give this man peace of mind; she was willing to guard this man.
She straightened his collar for him, “You don’t need to say any more, I know. I will write to you.”
The anxiety in Qin Yang’s eyes finally dissipated, “Good, I will also write to you.”
“Alright, you’d better go now.”
Then Qin Yang, carrying his luggage, hurried toward the train.
The crowd continued to jostle onto the train. A lady juggling a child and luggage was being pushed this way and that, and Qin Yang went over, took the child in his arms, and didn’t return the child to the lady until he boarded the train.
An elderly grandma’s bag had been pushed to the other side, and she was yelling while tugging on it; Qin Yang helped her carry the bag over to the side of her seat…
“Whoo—”
The train sounded its horn and slowly began to move. Lin Chuxia could no longer see the man’s figure and withdrew her gaze, following the crowd out of the platform.
“Lin Chuxia—”
She turned abruptly and saw a head poking out of a window, waving energetically at her, eyes dark and clear.
Lin Chuxia smiled, raised her hand, and waved back on tiptoes…
……
After leaving the train station, Lin Chuxia didn’t rush home and wandered around the area instead.
The country had introduced new policies on individual economy, but many issues were still unrefined.
Especially since there had been many years of a system of central planning and control, individual economic activities were still very cautious, fearing any sudden policy changes.
This also explained why there weren’t many individual entrepreneursnear the train station—the only state-owned restaurant close to the train station was booming with business.
In her previous life, she and Li Guangyuan started by selling vegetables. They would buy vegetables from the rural areas in the morning and sell them in the city’s night market at night, truly one of the toughest and most toilsome jobs.
Later, with savings, she went into catering.
In this life, she wanted to take fewer detours, and the geographical location of the Qin family was much better than that of the Li family, which she couldn’t waste.
With a plan in mind, Lin Chuxia eventually headed home.