The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 77 - 76: Take It to the Grave

"You shut the fuck up," Xue Changlin said, his face contorting with rage as he glared at Liu Hongxing.

"I’ll say what I want! Back then, she wasn’t even dead yet when you came to seduce me— WOO WOO— Le... let go—"

Xue Changlin’s hand shot out and grabbed Liu Hongxing by the neck, squeezing relentlessly.

Liu Hongxing flailed at Xue Changlin’s hand until her eyes rolled back in her head. It was only when Xue Xingjun’s cries startled him that Xue Changlin snapped out of it.

Only then did Xue Changlin release Liu Hongxing.

Then he said to her, "I told you a long time ago to take this secret to your grave. If I ever hear you mention it again, I’ll choke you to death."

Xue Changlin’s voice was flat, but Liu Hongxing found his words utterly chilling. She shrank back, trembling all over.

She hastily promised, "I won’t say it again, I won’t."

The couple didn’t bother Xue Xingzhou again after that.

Liu Hongxing, for her part, didn’t even leave the house. Xue Changlin had left a livid red handprint on her neck.

She no longer dared to shout at Xue Changlin. Her days passed in a daze, and she felt that after all these years, she had never truly known the man she slept next to.

One day, Xue Xingzhou didn’t go home after work. Instead, he went to the black market.

The moment he entered, people scattered in terror. Some were in such a hurry they even abandoned their things and ran.

He went to Wang Hai’s place and knocked. A flurry of footsteps sounded from within before the door opened from the inside.

The people in the courtyard saw him and their faces instantly changed. They all stared at him, their eyes wide with vigilance.

"Boss, the cops are here!" someone shouted toward the house.

Two men came out of the house, with Wang Hai in the lead.

When Wang Hai saw Xue Xingzhou brazenly show up in his police uniform, the corner of his mouth twitched.

But he still went forward to greet him.

"I say, brother, you just came dressed like that? This is a black market. Who are you trying to scare to death?"

"Sorry, I forgot to change." It was only after entering the black market and causing a commotion that Xue Xingzhou remembered he was still in uniform.

Wang Hai looked at him. "The meat and the He Shouwu have been sold. Are you here for the money?"

Xue Xingzhou: "Besides getting the money, I also want to buy a bicycle, but I don’t have a bicycle ticket."

Wang Hai smiled. "Come, come, let’s talk inside."

Under the gazes of the crowd, Xue Xingzhou followed Wang Hai into the house.

Wang Hai poured him a cup of tea and handed it over.

"Try it. Top-grade Tieguanyin, this year’s new tea."

Xue Xingzhou took a sip and nodded. "Not bad."

Wang Hai gave the money to Xue Xingzhou.

"I’ve already taken my cut. This is yours. 306 yuan for the wild boar, 120 yuan for the He Shouwu."

Xue Xingzhou took it and counted it.

Then he said, "I want to buy a bike."

Wang Hai nodded. "We have them. A new one is 200 yuan, no ticket needed. But we also have a used one. It looks pretty new, only 120 yuan, also no ticket needed."

"I’ll take the used one. Can I ride it away now?"

Wang Hai nodded. "Of course."

Xue Xingzhou counted out 120 yuan and handed it over.

Wang Hai took the money, led Xue Xingzhou to the backyard, and had someone wheel the used bicycle over.

"What do you think? It’s pretty new, right?"

Xue Xingzhou got on and tried it out. "Yeah, this will do."

After seeing Xue Xingzhou off,

one of Wang Hai’s underlings said to him, sounding wronged, "Boss, didn’t you say you were saving that bike for me? How come you let that kid ride away with it?"

Wang Hai shot him a glance. "What do you know? That kid is He Lang’s brother-in-law. And he just joined the police force a few days ago. I heard from my uncle that this kid is exceptional in every way. The Public Security Bureau is going to be paying special attention to him. This is exactly the kind of person we should be doing a favor for, to build a connection."

"Boss, isn’t your uncle also at the Public Security Bureau? Why do we need to suck up to him?"

Wang Hai sighed. "My uncle is retiring in a few years. When that happens, we’ll need to find a new backer."

"If that’s the case, then why not just give it to him for free?"

Wang Hai started walking back. "You don’t know shit!"

The underling pouted and muttered under his breath, "He’s yelling at me again, and he won’t even explain. Was I wrong?"

That night, Xue Yue was woken from a deep sleep by a sharp pain shooting through her leg.

"AHH—"

Xue Yue cried out in pain.

He Lang was instantly jolted awake. "What’s wrong?"

Xue Yue gritted her teeth against the pain. "Leg cramp. It hurts so much."

He Lang quickly sat up and felt Xue Yue’s leg. Her calf was incredibly stiff. He gave it a squeeze.

"AHH! That hurts."

"Just bear with it. It’ll get better after I knead it for a bit." He Lang cupped her leg with both hands and began to gently massage it.

Xue Yue’s hands clenched the bedsheets as pained cries escaped her lips from time to time.

After a while, the pain finally began to subside, replaced by a dull ache.

"Okay, it doesn’t hurt anymore," Xue Yue told He Lang.

He Lang let out a soft breath of relief and released her leg.

"Why would you suddenly get a leg cramp?"

Xue Yue shook her head. "I don’t know."

"Let’s go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow. We can check on the baby, and I need to get the dressing on my arm changed anyway."

"It’s just a leg cramp. I used to get them all the time when I was little. It’s probably nothing, right?"

He Lang stroked her belly. "Let’s go get it checked out. I’m worried the baby isn’t getting enough nutrients."

The moment Xue Yue heard it might be a problem with the baby, she quickly said, "Then let’s go first thing tomorrow morning."

It was still the middle of the night. "Let’s get some sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."

"Mmm."

The next morning, the two of them ate breakfast early and went to the village entrance to catch the ox cart. Xue Xingzhou hadn’t brought the bicycle back yet.

They arrived early, just in time to see Gu Yuwei hop onto the back of He Ze’s bicycle as they rode off into the distance.

Xue Yue’s eyes widened slightly. "Was that your second brother and Gu Zhiqing?"

He Lang’s face darkened as he nodded.

Xue Yue was in disbelief. From the way they acted, it clearly wasn’t the first time.

He Ze was a married man. In this day and age, everyone was careful to avoid overly intimate contact between men and women, but those two didn’t seem to fear being seen at all.

After a short wait, the ox cart arrived.

"He Family boy, what are you doing taking the ox cart today? Where’s your bicycle?"

He Lang smiled and said, "Uncle Yougen, I just haven’t ridden your ox cart in a while, and I was starting to miss it."

"Haha, you sure know how to talk, kid."

He Lang helped Xue Yue onto the cart. A few other villagers who were also heading to town arrived.

The journey was quite lively. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"He Lang, why aren’t you at work?"

"I have the day off today."

"Then why aren’t you riding your bicycle?"

"Yeah, and your second brother bought a bike, too. I have to say, your family is really something, buying two bicycles. You don’t see that often in the village."

"How many months along is your wife? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"So what are you two going to town for?"

He Lang only answered one question, then listened as the others chattered away on the cart.

Xue Yue turned her head to the side, feeling a smile wanting to break through.