CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: GOING TO TOWN

He Chen’s face was completely devoid of a smile.

He started a new round of panic again, the sense of crisis came again.

"Then"

"Shall we go get the certificate today? We’re just going to town anyway."

He Chen suddenly felt that Ye Manman wanting to go to town today was great, he must finish the work in the field and return quickly.

Ye Manman didn’t object, which was considered an agreement.

So that afternoon, everyone working in the field personally witnessed He Chen’s diligence. He usually worked fast, but today he was incredibly fast, stunning the older men and young men in the nearby field.

Until He Chen ran breathlessly to record his work points and go home, they were still in a daze.

Looking at the large area of their fields still untouched, while He Chen’s nearby field was already completed, both sighed and continued to work hard.

He Chen went home, took a cold shower, quickly washed his hair and face, carefully shaved clean, and then put on his shirt and ran to call Ye Manman.

Ye Manman was still wearing her new dress, but she had braided a modern fishtail braid thinking she would be taking a marriage certificate photo.

The double-pigtail braid was too rustic, although Ye Manman felt she braided it quite well, it didn’t match the dress.

"Your braid looks really nice."

It was the first time He Chen saw a girl braid her hair like this, and it looked quite pretty.

His sincere and straightforward compliment made Ye Manman feel better, her fair little face inadvertently showing a proud smile.

"Hmph, do you even need to say that? Let’s go～"

She had never sat on the back seat of a bicycle, not even before she entered the book, so she was a bit scared before sitting up, worried about falling.

However, not only did He Chen install a soft cushion seat in advance, but he also effortlessly held the bicycle steady with his long legs.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m very steady, won’t fall, just grab my shirt and climb up."

As this old bicycle type couldn’t be mounted from the front with someone sitting at the back, He Chen could only get on and wait for Ye Manman to climb up by herself.

Ye Manman gathered her courage and climbed up, whether it was because He Chen had one foot on the ground, it was particularly stable, and she unexpectedly sat up smoothly on such a high back seat.

One hand grabbed He Chen’s shirt, the other supported his back, she shifted her position, and after sitting securely she felt it was very refreshing.

"Alright, I’m sitting steadily, let’s go～"

She carried a handmade bag by He Chen on her lap to prevent her dress from blowing up, her little face smiling sweetly and strikingly.

As He Chen rode past the village, he happened to encounter many people returning from the fields, seeing He Chen cleanly dressed, riding a bicycle, taking his wife out, one by one full of envy.

"Tsk, tsk, this guy really doesn’t know what luck he has, being a twenty-three-year-old man and still managing to marry such a beautiful wife. Isn’t Ye Manman only nineteen? Ah, it’s like a flower stuck on cow dung."

"Yeah, I can’t tell if this young girl is really dumb or just got tricked, she actually gave all her dowry to He Chen, just bought a bicycle, what’s the use, running to town every day to and fro, doesn’t seem to do any good, usually such an honest chap, where has he learned to show off now."

"Seriously, whether it’s tricked or his wife gave it sincerely, He Chen has that capability, it shows he’s capable, I really admire him, works diligently and cares for his wife, heard his wife does nothing at home."

"What’s the big deal, if I married such a beautiful wife, I wouldn’t let her work either, just seeing her is enough to make me eat three bowls of rice."

"That Ye Manman keeps getting prettier, how does He Chen raise her, seriously."

"That dress is really nice, stylish, looks like city folk, I might buy one for my wife to wear."

"..."

The group of people discussed noisily for a long time, even after He Chen rode far away and out of sight, they continued to look in that direction as if still seeing that striking patch of red.

He Chen usually rode fast, but today taking Ye Manman, he rode steadily, not too fast nor too slow, occasionally asking if she was comfortable sitting.

Ye Manman felt more novel than anything else, she didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, instead felt cool with the breeze.

The temperature had dropped quite a bit recently, except for being somewhat hot at midday, other times were quite cool, especially comfortable when the wind picked up in the afternoon.

When they arrived in town, it was still early, He Chen rode straight to the civil affairs department, but it was already closed.

The two stood at the door, wide-eyed and small-eyed, He Chen was full of regret, blaming himself for wasting time showering and washing his hair.

But Ye Manman gestured for him to look at the notice at the door.

"Dummy, they’re resting today, whether we come early or late it’s the same. Let’s come another day, let’s go eat first."

He Chen carefully read the times on the notice, remembering their working hours before taking Ye Manman to the state-run restaurant.

Along the way, Ye Manman had many thoughts, it seemed she hadn’t been in this era long, yet the street had changed quite a bit.

First of all, the colors in the clothing stores became noticeably more vibrant, and there were many newly decorated shops on the street, not sure what they were for.

He Chen quietly told her.

"There’s some insider news, soon people can do their own business, many are renovating shops just to sell them at a good price later, I’m also preparing to save some money then open a store."

Ye Manman responded with an ’oh’, understanding.

So it’s that time, no wonder.

She didn’t think much of it, anyway, He Chen was able to earn so much money so quickly under restraint, he’ll only be even more capable in the future.

She just needed to support him well.

The two soon arrived at the state-run restaurant.

He Chen had never eaten at such a restaurant, feeling a bit nervous inside, but he wasn’t at all awkward.

Unlike when alone with Ye Manman, outside He Chen was mature and steady contrary to usual.

He led Ye Manman to find a seat, then went to the window to check the menu, came back to read it to her item by item, once she ordered the dishes, he went to pay with ticket, although the whole process wasn’t entirely smooth, there weren’t any mistakes.

Despite workers in the state-run restaurant were somewhat condescending, He Chen was so physically imposing sitting there, with that aura people couldn’t say much unpleasant.

Contrarily, seeing his large stature, the portions were quite generous.

Ye Manman ordered meat buns, along with two dishes not made at home, the braised fish was large with lots of meat, and the spicy tofu was bright red in color, looking mouthwatering.

"Looks so good to eat."

She took a bite of the meat bun, surprised to find it was full of pork filling, no gaps whatsoever, and because her mouth was too small, the oil from the bun dripped onto her chin.

"Mmm, so fragrant."

The truth may be delayed but never absent.

Ye Manman never liked meat buns, considering them too greasy, but coming to this era, she found them extremely fragrant.

Though the bun was too large and solid, she couldn’t finish it.

"He Chen, you eat."

Ye Manman shamelessly handed her half-eaten bun to He Chen, anyway, at home she rarely finished meals, all the leftovers were consumed by He Chen.

She simply made a habitual motion, but He Chen blushed.

Because they were outside, many tables nearby had people eating, some even kept peeking at them...

Nonetheless, he blushingly accepted the meat bun and devoured it in two bites, feeling shy yet filled with a sense of pride.

It was as if being the only one able to eat what Ye Manman had eaten was something worth bragging about.

This scene fell into the line of sight of two young men at the neighboring table, their hearts shattered to pieces.

They exchanged glances.

"Aren’t they siblings?"