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墨書 Inktalez
As soon as the words were spoken, Xiaobinzi laughed, and his laughter made Yezhi blush. "Don't laugh!" She intended to strike a pose like a teapot to intimidate him, but Xiaobinzi, who had already seen through her, was hardly intimidated.
Meanwhile, Lin Haitao always believed that his wife was essentially gentle; she just liked to act tough. "There's a nice guesthouse next to the school. What about your luggage?" What luggage did she have?
"Ha~!"
"What are you laughing at?" Lin Haitao asked her, though he couldn't help but smile himself.
"I threw it away!" Yezhi said emphatically.
Then she added, "People from the province dress so stylishly. I want to buy a few nice outfits. Can you buy them for me, dear?"
Lin Haitao pretended to consider it. "Hmm~ It depends on your performance. However, I must seriously criticize your wasteful behavior of throwing things away." After saying that, he flicked her forehead.
Yezhi covered her forehead where he flicked her, indignantly saying, "I traveled mountains and rivers for you but had no heart to enjoy the scenery. I thought you would muster the courage to travel day and night, yet you ended up being abusive towards me. My heart is broken; I no longer love you..."
Lin Haitao watched Yezhi's performance with great interest; he thought his wife's acting was better than in movies.
...
With Xiaobinzi, a native of the province, leading the way, Yezhi not only settled in quickly but also soon visited the department store. The department store in the province was much larger than the one in their county and offered items that were definitely considered high-end for that era, with prices that were even more astonishing than those in their county.
After buying leather shoes and a top, her slim wallet quickly became empty. Xiaobinzi suggested going to withdraw some money, but Yezhi refused. He only had a little over 100 yuan in his savings book, which was leftover living expenses she had given him before school started; she couldn't bear to spend it. Besides, they didn't have any tickets on hand; without tickets, even buying another pair of leather shoes was impossible. The more they wandered around, the more disheartened they became.
"Let's go back!"
Carrying something back to the Guesthouse, just as they caught their breath, someone knocked on the door. It was the aunt from the Guesthouse. When she saw the couple sitting on the same bed, her expression turned sour. "The man shouldn't stay here; he should leave early. And don't lock the door."
Yezhi felt dizzy hearing this. They were a legitimate couple, for goodness' sake! Besides, they hadn't done anything shameful. The aunt's suspicious gaze was too much, and even worse, she was spying on them.
Without proof or a marriage certificate, she and Xiaobinzi couldn't even stay together, let alone have a passionate reunion. Yezhi thought about scratching the wall in frustration. She shot Xiaobinzi a fierce glare. What about the police? They hadn’t caught any adulterers or illicit couples? Why didn’t he remind her earlier?
In such a situation, Lin Haitao also felt it was best not to linger. He pulled Yezhi up and suggested they go eat.
Yezhi rolled her eyes at him. "I'm even hungrier now! I've been alone for months, and now I have to keep suffering."
They say women are like tigers at thirty; there seems to be some truth to that.
Trying to please Yezhi, Lin Haitao led her into a State-run Restaurant. The place was doing well and still had an old-fashioned handwritten menu.
Xiaobinzi introduced, "The dumplings here are good."
"Then let's get half a kilogram!"
Yezhi was quite interested in the oily shrimp and jelly noodles on the menu, which Xiaobinzi quickly ordered.
While waiting for the food, Yezhi told Xiaobinzi about Contracting the Mountain and mentioned her second reason for coming to the Provincial Capital. Why emphasize 'second'? Well, she couldn't just say she came to see her husband as an afterthought on her first visit. Yezhi added with a flourish, "Of course, the first reason is to see you."
Xiaobinzi stared at her with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, making her feel guilty. He then flicked her forehead and said, "I knew it."
Originally planning to go to the Forestry Bureau alone early the next morning, she was surprised when Xiaobinzi brought breakfast and suggested going together. In truth, she quite liked having Xiaobinzi accompany her, so she didn’t dwell on him skipping class.
Arriving at the Forestry Bureau, Guang Youxin found herself unable to enter. Fortunately, she had a certificate issued by Village Uncle, which took some effort to obtain, but she finally got through the door.
A tall and slender female staff member poured tea for the two of us. At that moment, Lin Haitao asked, "Is Ren Guomin here?"
The staff member smiled and replied, "Director Ren is out in the countryside for an inspection and will be back next week." After saying this, she elegantly turned and left.
Yezhi stared blankly at her retreating figure, captivated by such elegance and demeanor. She wondered when she would be able to embody even a fraction of that grace.
"She walks so beautifully," Lin Haitao remarked, completely oblivious to Yezhi's thoughts. He found it strange that Yezhi didn't ask him who Ren Guomin was.
"Who is that?" Yezhi asked, eager to listen. "Ren Guomin is my sister's father-in-law." Yezhi became excited; there was a connection, and it was family.
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Yezhi chided.
Lin Haitao's expression grew serious. "He has also worked under my grandfather." Upon hearing this, Yezhi understood, "Then we won't seek him out!"
She then turned to Xiaobinzi and said, "You are really great!" Lin Haitao lowered his eyelids, feeling an indescribable joy swell within him.
The staff member interrupted the strange atmosphere between the two with a light cough. "The Deputy Director wants to see you."
Yezhi handed Aunt Zhang's letter to Deputy Director Bao. The plump Deputy Director read the letter and looked up to say, "I already know your purpose for coming here, but this matter..."
"Is difficult to handle?" Such an answer was not surprising; if he were to say it was easy, Yezhi would have found that odd. "Uncle Bao!" Deputy Director Bao raised an eyebrow: quite familiar, aren't we? "Well, I understand what you're trying to say, but mainly there is no policy for this." Deputy Director Bao folded his arms in a difficult manner.
Yezhi thought for a moment and asked, "So the mountain we are in belongs to the Commune, the county, the Province, or the Forestry Bureau?" She recalled that in the 21st century, a relative of hers was a village official; their village had the authority to lease out their own mountain. If it fell under the Commune's jurisdiction, she doubted that money could easily secure it.
"Simply put, all the natural resources in the mountains belong to us at the Forestry Bureau," Yezhi said, feeling a bit hopeful.
After leaving the Forestry Bureau, Yezhi felt a bit shy. Xiaobinzi tugged at her cheek and said, "If you want to go back, just go. Remember to write often."
Yezhi jumped up with joy, "Long live understanding, long live my husband."
...
Lin Haitao bought Yezhi a ticket back to the county and helped her onto the bus. As they waved goodbye through the glass, his eyes turned red.
Yezhi felt sad as well and pressed her lips against the window with force. At that moment, she didn't care whether the glass was clean.
Xiaobinzi smirked and silently mouthed the word "pig."
Unaware that she had been called a pig, Yezhi continued to kiss the window... until Xiaobinzi was no longer in sight.
"Where is this girl from? Just got married? The way you two are acting is more domineering than we were when we were young." Initially feeling sentimental, she was suddenly embarrassed by the nearby Aunt's remarks and the strange looks from everyone on the bus, causing her face to flush.
When someone got off the bus, she quickly followed suit and found a secluded spot to drive her Hover Car.
As soon as she entered her home, Zhou Village Head was waiting for her. "Yezhi, I heard from Director Zhang that things aren't looking good."
Two people had already told her it was difficult today, but she had an idea in mind. "Village Uncle, I will go with you to the Commune tomorrow."
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