The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 98 - 97: My Brother Will Definitely Like Who I Like

Chapter 98: Chapter 97: My Brother Will Definitely Like Who I Like

"Yes! Here, let me show you how it works. Just like this—aim, then press this button."

Xue Yue watched her and replied, "Got it."

Zhang Qian ran over and looped her arm through Xue Xingzhou’s, not even caring if he agreed. He was still holding Ruanruan.

Ignoring whether he agreed or not.

"Brother, look here."

Xue Xingzhou looked up, and Xue Yue snapped a photo of them.

Afterward, Zhang Qian ran over, took the camera, and had a look.

"Not bad! Xue Xingzhou, why aren’t you smiling? You have such a straight face, it looks like I forced you into it."

The corner of Xue Xingzhou’s mouth twitched. "Weren’t you?"

Zhang Qian pouted. "You’re no fun at all."

But Zhang Qian was just teasing. Looking at the photo, she was incredibly happy.

"Zhang Qian, we’re going to the state-run restaurant for lunch. Why don’t you join us?" Xue Yue invited her warmly.

"Maybe not. It’s a family meal, I wouldn’t want to get in the way."

"Come on, the more the merrier!"

Zhang Qian thought for a moment. "All right, then. But let’s be clear, I’m not freeloading. I’ll pay with my own grain coupons."

"You don’t have to." Xue Yue’s original intention was to give Zhang Qian and her brother more time to spend together.

Zhang Qian waved her hand dismissively. "It’s settled."

It was time for Xue Xingzhou to get off work anyway, so he went straight to the state-run restaurant with Xue Yue and the others.

While they were waiting for their food to arrive, Xue Yue finally asked about the incident from earlier.

"What were you two bickering about at the door?"

Zhang Qian glanced at Xue Xingzhou. "I went to the provincial capital the day before yesterday. While I was at the department store with a friend, I saw a black shirt that I thought would be perfect for him, so I bought it. But this guy here didn’t want it! So much for my heartfelt gesture!"

Xue Yue raised an eyebrow at her brother, only to find him sitting there holding Ruanruan, perfectly calm and composed.

"Brother, those apples you brought me last time... you said someone gave them to you. Don’t tell me it was Zhang Qian, was it?"

Zhang Qian looked at Xue Xingzhou. "You gave those apples to your sister?"

Xue Yue chimed in, "Oh, was I not supposed to take them?"

Zhang Qian laughed. "You have no idea. Our work unit gave out those apples last time. I brought them to him, and can you believe he told me it was an act of bribing a public official and that I should take them back? Heh, but I deliberately left them there anyway. I thought he’d thrown them away. Turns out he took them home to you, so now I can rest easy."

Xue Yue teased her brother, "Brother, how could you treat a girl like that? It serves you right for being single at your age."

Xue Xingzhou rubbed his nose, not even looking up.

Zhang Qian watched him from the side, a wide grin on her face.

Then she grabbed Xue Yue’s arm. "Oh, my dear, I really like your personality! Can I come visit you sometime?"

Xue Yue nodded. "Of course! My house is at..."

Xue Yue was certainly forthcoming. Over the course of the meal, she not only gave Zhang Qian her address but also spilled all the details about her brother: his age, why he was still single, and even the story about him fighting a wild boar.

He Lang was snickering to himself on the side.

Xue Xingzhou had gone completely numb to the two of them. ’My sister has already aired all my dirty laundry,’ he thought. ’By the looks of it, she’s one step away from just packaging me up and giving me away.’

After they finished eating, Xue Xingzhou had to go back to work, and Xue Yue and the others had to head home as well.

Zhang Qian held Xue Yue’s hand. "I don’t want to say goodbye! I’ll come visit you another day."

"Okay."

On the way home, Xue Yue was still chattering away to He Lang. "I think my brother and Zhang Qian are a perfect match. Zhang Qian is pretty, has a great personality, and it looks like her family is well-off, too. If my brother marries her, he’d really be marrying up."

He Lang chuckled. "Just because you like her doesn’t mean your brother does."

Xue Yue wagged a finger at him. "No, no, no. If I like her, my brother definitely likes her. I know my brother. If he really didn’t like Zhang Qian, he would never have accepted her gifts. And he wouldn’t be bickering with her every time they meet. My brother is the type who likes someone deep down but has to act all nonchalant about it, making the girl chase after him instead."

"He’s just playing stoic," He Lang hit the nail on the head.

"Yes, yes! That’s it exactly!"

At that, they both burst out laughing.

Seeing her mommy and daddy laughing, Ruanruan broke into a wide grin and started giggling too.

「That afternoon, Yang Xiaoxia came to visit.」

She had already come by once in the morning, but Xue Yue and her husband hadn’t been home, so the main gate was locked.

Xue Yue noticed something was different about her right away. She was walking very slowly, cradling her stomach.

"You’re pregnant?"

Yang Xiaoxia nodded, her face turning red. "I went to the hospital yesterday. The doctor said I’m one month along. I’m still in a bit of a panic, so I wanted to come talk to you."

Xue Yue smiled. "But that’s wonderful news! What’s there to panic about? You’ve been married for less than half a year and you’re already pregnant. Tsk, tsk, that’s really impressive." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Yang Xiaoxia smiled too. "It just feels so sudden. Do you think there’s really a baby in my belly? How does it eat? How does it breathe?"

"Well, I don’t know about that," Xue Yue said. "But I was pretty clueless at first, too. It’s probably like this for everyone the first time. You don’t need to worry too much. Just make sure to eat and drink well."

Yang Xiaoxia nodded. "That’s what Zhen Dong said, too."

Xue Yue asked her, "Your aunt-in-law and the others must be overjoyed, right?" ’After all, they were always so worried about He Zhendong’s marriage, and now, not even half a year later, there’s already a baby on the way.’

"Mhm, Father and Mother are both thrilled. Mother told me not to do any chores and just get plenty of rest."

’Yang Xiaoxia had been married into the He Family for half a year. Her parents-in-law treated her very well, and He Zhendong was exceptionally good to her, too. She truly felt that she had married the right man. After he found out she was pregnant yesterday, He Zhendong was too excited to sleep all night. He went to her parents’ house first thing in the morning to share the good news.’

Xue Yue was happy for her too. "That’s wonderful. Is your morning sickness severe?"

Yang Xiaoxia shook her head. "Not yet, at least." As she spoke, she glanced over at Ruanruan, who was sleeping on the *kang*.

"I hope I can have a little baby as cute as Ruanruan. She’s so adorable, just looking at her makes my heart melt."

"I’m sure you will."

「A few days later, Zhang Qian came to visit.」

She arrived on a bicycle, and as soon as she entered the village, she saw exactly what Xue Yue had described.

"’As soon as you enter the village, the brick-and-tile house you see is mine.’"

’It was certainly conspicuous. She found it right away.’

When Xue Yue opened the door and saw Zhang Qian, she quickly invited her inside.

Zhang Qian was carrying a number of bags. "Here, I bought a toy for the baby. There’s an old man in our *hutong* who’s an amazing craftsman. He makes all sorts of mechanical birds. If you wind them up, they’ll even fly a little, though not very high. And these are some snacks—some local specialties I picked up on a trip. I brought them for you to try."

Looking at the dazzling array of gifts, Xue Yue was struck by the girl’s generosity.

"Sister Zhang Qian, you’re older than me, so I’ll just call you Sister. Coming all this way, wasn’t it heavy carrying all this stuff?"

Zhang Qian dusted off her hands. "It’s nothing! I’m pretty strong. Carrying this little bit was a piece of cake."

Xue Yue: "..."

’She’d meant that it was too much stuff for her to bring.’

’But Zhang Qian’s straightforward way of speaking was actually a bit similar to Yang Xiaoxia’s personality.’

’Having lived under her stepmother’s roof for many years, Xue Yue had a somewhat reserved temperament. She actually really liked cheerful people, like Yang Xiaoxia and, now, Zhang Qian.’