The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 89 - 88: Do you have a significant other?

Aunt He said to Mrs. He with an envious look, "You know, your third son is truly blessed."

Mrs. He nodded. "Yes, he’s the one we worried about most, but now he’s the one doing the best and giving us the least to worry about."

Aunt He patted Mrs. He’s arm. "That’s also because you have good judgment. You found him a wonderful wife."

Mrs. He was also a hundred percent satisfied with her past decision.

When she turned and saw her eldest son and his two children, her heart ached terribly at the sight of how swollen He Nan’s face was.

Ziqing stood to the side in a daze while He Nan picked up Tuanzi, who was sitting on the ground.

Tuanzi, likely frightened by the earlier scene, clung to He Nan’s neck, crying and fussing.

Aunt He said to Mrs. He, "He Nan is still young. You should find someone else for him in the future."

"We’ll see!" Her eldest son and his wife had just divorced; Mrs. He was in no mood to think about that now.

"We’ll be heading back, then. You should focus on comforting the two children." After saying this, Uncle He’s family left.

Ziqing said to He Nan, "Dad, you’re so badly hurt. We should go to the hospital."

"It’s nothing, Dad’s not in pain. Were you scared just now?"

At fourteen, Ziqing was at a sensitive age.

Ziqing shook her head. "Dad, I’m not scared. From now on, I’ll help take care of my little brother and our family."

He Nan’s eyes stung with unshed tears. He tried to pull his lips into a smile, but it tugged at a wound, making his expression stiffen with pain.

Mr. He said to He Nan, "Since you’re divorced, just calm down and get on with your life. It’s not the end of the world."

He Nan nodded and went back to his room, holding his child.

Xue Yue saw He Lang come back, his pants covered in dirt.

"Did you get in a fight?"

"Mhm." He Lang changed out of his pants.

Xue Yue asked curiously, "Why did the Guo Family come back? Aren’t they already divorced?"

He Lang walked over, glanced at his sleeping daughter, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly before he slowly explained, "The Guo Family came to demand grain, and they also wanted to take Ziqing away."

Xue Yue pursed her lips. "How can the Guo Family be so shameless? They start a fight just because you won’t give them what they want?"

"Mhm."

He Lang didn’t go into detail with Xue Yue. He just picked up his dirty pants and went out to wash them.

Meanwhile, on the way back, Xue Xingzhou explained the dispute between the Guo and He families to Xiao Liu and Xiao Gao.

"No wonder you took their side. If it were me, I’d have done the same thing. That Guo Family is really out of line." Xiao Liu was a little indignant. He had previously thought Xue Xingzhou was being biased toward the He Family, but now he felt it was completely justified.

Xue Xingzhou smiled. "The He Family are my sister’s in-laws."

Xiao Gao said in surprise, "Xingzhou, your sister’s already married, so how come you’re still single?"

Xue Xingzhou paused. "I guess fate hasn’t brought the right person along yet."

The three of them had just returned to the police station when they ran into Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian had a camera slung over her shoulder and was dressed in androgynous clothing. Upon seeing Xue Xingzhou, she strode over to him.

"Our newspaper wants to gather some material on stories from the public. Can you help me?"

Xue Xingzhou raised an eyebrow, staring at Zhang Qian for a few seconds. "Did the leadership approve this?"

Zhang Qian shrugged. "My dad said I should ask you. If you help me, I’ll treat you to lunch!"

Without much thought, Xue Xingzhou agreed. "I’ll go let my chief know."

Zhang Qian nodded. "I’ll wait for you."

Xue Xingzhou saw Zhang Hongjie and was about to speak, but Zhang Hongjie said first, "The team isn’t busy anyway, so just go. Be mindful of confidentiality and the privacy of the public. Don’t say anything you’re not supposed to."

Zhang Hongjie doted on his daughter. He would grant most any request she made.

"Yes, sir."

The two left the police station, and Zhang Qian glanced at Xue Xingzhou out of the corner of her eye.

"Should we go eat first? We can find a quiet place to talk after we’ve eaten."

"Alright."

Both were on bicycles, and they rode together to the state-run restaurant.

While waiting for the food to be served, Zhang Qian asked Xue Xingzhou, "What do you think of being a police officer? People say it’s a noble profession, the work is stable, and the benefits are decent. What’s your take?"

Xue Xingzhou thought for a few seconds. "I wouldn’t go so far as to call it noble. Every profession is worthy of respect, and every profession has its pros and cons. Being a police officer is stable, yes, but it comes with a certain amount of risk, and your personal time is very restricted. I think if you love the job, then the pros and cons don’t really matter. But to most people, it’s just a job to make a living."

As the family member of a police officer, Zhang Qian had a unique perspective. Growing up, others had always envied that her father was a policeman, but he had also missed many moments of her life.

After lunch, Zhang Qian took Xue Xingzhou to a park. They found a quiet corner, and she took out a pen and paper to listen to his story.

Xue Xingzhou thought for a moment and then recounted the general story of the Guo family, though without using their real names.

Xue Xingzhou felt that the idea of favoring sons over daughters was too deeply ingrained in many people’s minds. Furthermore, he believed that behaviors like parents acting like vampires or forcing one child to support the entire family should be reported on and criticized by the newspaper.

Zhang Qian listened very intently and took careful notes.

Xue Xingzhou watched her as she looked down and wrote. She wrote quickly, yet her handwriting was very neat.

Her bangs covered her forehead, leaving only her long eyelashes visible. Xue Xingzhou’s fingers twitched slightly.

Zhang Qian suddenly looked up at Xue Xingzhou, and their gazes met.

Neither of them looked away; they just gazed at each other for a long moment.

Zhang Qian suddenly spoke. "Are you seeing anyone?"

Xue Xingzhou’s pupils trembled slightly. "No."

"Then what do you think about me being your girlfriend?"

Xue Xingzhou’s eyes widened slightly. He was surprised, but it didn’t feel abrupt.

He didn’t speak, but he also didn’t look away.

Zhang Qian stared at him, unable to read any expression on his face.

She slowly leaned closer to Xue Xingzhou, reaching out as if to touch his eyes.

Xue Xingzhou didn’t move. Not until a cool sensation touched his eyelid, making him blink.

Zhang Qian smiled.

"Has anyone ever told you? You have very deep eyes, like they’re hiding a lot of secrets."

Xue Xingzhou shook his head slightly. "No."

Zhang Qian pulled her hand back and took a deep breath. "Did you just reject me?"

Xue Xingzhou raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips turning up.

Seeing this, Zhang Qian quickly covered her eyes. ’I’m falling for him more and more,’ she thought.

「Half a month later.」 He Lang had returned to work, and Mrs. He came over every day to cook for Xue Yue.

One day, Ziqing came over with Tuanzi, a few eggs in her pocket.

The two children leaned over the edge of the kang bed-stove, both looking at Ruanruan.

"Third Aunt, little sister is so beautiful!" Ziqing said.

Xue Yue also smiled as she watched Ruanruan. The baby was awake, her big eyes looking from one person to the next, her little hands twitching from time to time.

People always say a newborn changes every day, and it’s absolutely true.

Ruanruan was different from one day to the next. Xue Yue absolutely adored her, and so did He Lang. He rushed home every day after work, and the first thing he would do was wash his hands and hold Ruanruan.

Xue Xingzhou, too, had been visiting quite frequently lately.