The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 144 - 143: Did I Interrupt Something Good?

Chapter 144: Chapter 143: Did I Interrupt Something Good?

"Expensive? That’s an astronomical figure! We’re talking ten thousand yuan! I was so scared I couldn’t even speak when I heard the four-thousand-yuan price for the last one." Zhang Qian felt that ten thousand yuan was a sum she had never even heard of, let alone seen. ’This is Beijing City, after all,’ she thought. ’Back in our town, everyone still spends in dimes and dollars. Are people here really talking in tens of thousands?’

Zheng Guofeng chuckled at her words. "Courtyard houses are on the pricier side. We can look at other options; they should be cheaper."

Xue Yue sighed. She still preferred the courtyard houses.

The brother-sister duo, Xue Yue and Xue Xingzhou, made dinner together.

"Big Brother, He Lang wants to go to the black market tonight. Could you go with him? He’ll be all alone in a new place, and I’m worried."

"Sure, just give me a call when you’re leaving." Xue Xingzhou didn’t ask what He Lang was going to do at the black market. ’He’s either buying or selling something,’ he figured.

"Wow, what a feast! It’s been so long since I’ve tasted Girl Yu’s cooking." Zheng Guofeng gazed at the table full of dishes. During those years in Da Liushu Village, Xue Yue often had He Lang bring him food in the evenings. Since coming back, he hadn’t had the chance. He was alone and usually just made do with meals at his work cafeteria.

Xue Yue picked up her chopsticks. "Uncle Zheng, hurry and try it. See if my cooking has changed."

"Alright."

"By the way, when are you all registering for school?" Zheng Guofeng asked.

"The day after tomorrow, probably. We can go scout out the route tomorrow."

Zheng Guofeng nodded. "Beijing City has a lot of fun places. you can check out the department store and the Friendship Store. I still have some Foreign Exchange Certificates, I’ll give them to you after dinner."

After dinner, back in their room, Zhang Qian opened the envelope Zheng Guofeng had given her that afternoon.

A stack of ten-yuan bills and a passbook fell out.

Zhang Qian opened the passbook and took a look. Her eyes instantly widened. "Fi... five thousand."

Stunned for a long moment, she put down the passbook and picked up the stack of cash to count it. A full two hundred yuan.

Zhang Qian figured this must be the "meeting money" Zheng Guofeng had mentioned.

But then she picked up the passbook again, checking to make sure she hadn’t misread it.

When Xue Xingzhou came out of the shower, he saw Zhang Qian sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze. A stack of ten-yuan bills lay on the bed, and a passbook was in her hand. A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes as he walked over.

"What are you spacing out about?"

Zhang Qian turned to look at Xue Xingzhou, stunned. She mumbled, "Your dad didn’t just give me his entire life savings, did he? I can’t help but feel uneasy about this."

Xue Xingzhou picked up the passbook. Seeing the number, he curled his lips into a small smile. "Didn’t he say? This is your betrothal gift. Just accept it. There’s nothing to be uneasy about."

Zhang Qian forced a stiff smile. "But this is too much for a betrothal gift. It’s enough to marry a princess. I’m not worth this much."

A doting smile appeared on Xue Xingzhou’s face as he ruffled her hair. "Who says you’re not? This isn’t even that much money. You’re worth far more than this. It’s fine. Put it away and spend it however you like. Don’t feel anxious."

Zhang Qian looked up at him. "I feel like I’ve fallen into a honey pot."

Xue Xingzhou raised an eyebrow. "There’s another chance to fall into the honey pot. Want to take it?"

Zhang Qian was bewildered. "What?"

Then she noticed Xue Xingzhou’s hair still dripping with water, his pajama top half-open, revealing his rising and falling chest. She swallowed hard and quickly stood up. "I’m going to take a shower." As she spoke, she had already dashed into the bathroom.

Xue Xingzhou paused, wanting to remind her that she hadn’t taken a change of clothes, but the bathroom door was already shut.

It was only after her shower that Zhang Qian realized she hadn’t brought any clothes in with her. She glanced at the clothes she’d taken off; they were already wet. With no other choice, she wrapped a bath towel around herself, then slowly opened the door. She peeked her head out and saw that Xue Xingzhou was already in bed, leaning back against the headboard with his eyes closed.

Only then did Zhang Qian boldly step out. But just as she reached the side of the bed, she saw that Xue Xingzhou had opened his eyes at some point and was now watching her with a burning gaze.

Zhang Qian felt her breath catch in her throat. "Uh... um, can you move over a bit?"

Xue Xingzhou narrowed his dark eyes, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. He let out a soft chuckle and shifted inward. With stiff movements, Zhang Qian slowly climbed onto the bed.

Just as she lay down, the lights suddenly went out. Before Zhang Qian could react, a dark figure was already pressing down on her, his hot breath fanning across her face.

As their lips and tongues met, Zhang Qian instinctively wrapped her arms around Xue Xingzhou’s head.

The atmosphere in the room grew hotter and hotter, and soon the bath towel was tossed out from under the covers.

Mmm~

While things were heating up for Xue Xingzhou, over in Xue Yue’s room, her two children had slept too much during the day. Now, they weren’t the least bit sleepy and were still bouncing on the bed.

"Mama, this bed is so soft."

Xue Yue said to He Lang with a helpless sigh, "Are you still going to be able to get any sleep? I already spoke with my brother, and he’ll go with you."

He Lang smiled as he watched the two children. "I’m not tired either. Let them play."

The two little ones didn’t get sleepy until almost eleven o’clock.

He Lang only managed to nap for about two hours before getting up to splash his face with cold water. He glanced at the soundly sleeping mother and her two children on the bed, then grabbed his things and quietly left the room.

He walked to the door of Xue Xingzhou’s room and knocked twice. The door opened quickly from the inside.

He Lang saw that Xue Xingzhou was still steamy, clearly having just showered. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and the corner of his brow lifted. "Did I interrupt something good? You know, I can go by myself if you want."

Xue Xingzhou shot him an indifferent glance, gently closed the door, and started walking downstairs.

He Lang followed him down, still teasing, "I’m serious."

Unfortunately for him, Xue Xingzhou paid him no mind.

Following the address Xiao Zhou had given them, they finally found the entrance to the black market. At this hour, it was bustling with people coming and going, just like a daytime market.

Inside, all sorts of things were for sale, and the variety was much greater than in their hometown. The two of them walked and browsed.

They came to a stall selling antiques. The seller was a young man leaning back in his chair, legs crossed, whistling, not even sparing them a glance.

He Lang crouched down, looked around, and picked up a small golden lock. "How much for this?"

Hearing his voice, the man shot them a look. "800."

He Lang bounced it in his palm. "This is hollow, isn’t it? And you’re still asking such a high price?"

The man squinted at He Lang. "Do you get it or not? It’s gold. That’s the price. Buy it or leave."

He Lang’s lips curled. "If a hollow gold lock is 800 yuan, then how much would a small gold bar cost?"

The man glanced from side to side, then sat up straight. He looked He Lang up and down, then leaned in closer and asked in a low voice, "You’re looking to buy a small gold bar?"

He Lang didn’t say yes or no, simply asking, "First, tell me, about how much do you sell a small gold bar for?"

The man sat up even straighter. "That depends on how many grams you’re buying."

He Lang thought for a couple of seconds. "What about a 50-gram one?"

The man held up four fingers. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He Lang was taken aback. "Four thousand?"