Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Happiness

After the meal, He Lang asked about the new house.

Xue Yue said, “Dad is keeping track of the wages. The money hasn’t been paid out yet. Dad said that when we move, we’ll call everyone over, pay their wages, and give each family a pound of meat. As for the materials for the new house, I don’t know much about that. My older brother handled all the purchasing. They just finished plastering the walls a couple of days ago—my brother and the others did that too. You can go take a look later.”

“I’ve already seen it. It looks great. It must have cost a lot of money. Did your brother front the cash for it?” He Lang had left in such a hurry that he’d forgotten to arrange things for the purchases.

Xue Yue shook her head. “I gave my brother 500 yuan to handle things. He should have a ledger, so I’m not sure how much is left.”

He Lang smiled and said, “That’s great. You know, this house is even better than the ones in town.”

Xue Yue tilted her head and said proudly, “Of course it is! My brother designed it all. And the drain in the washroom—I just had to mention it and my brother knew exactly what to do. He did a great job. I also love the pantry in the kitchen. But we haven’t had the furniture made yet. My brother said he’d discuss it with you after you got back before starting.”

He Lang stroked Xue Yue’s hair. “Alright. I’m going to head over to the main house first. We can talk more when I get back.”

He Lang opened the bag he’d brought back and took out a bottle of liquor, two cartons of cigarettes, and a package of pastries.

“These pastries are called butterfly cookies. I heard they’re a specialty from Sea City. I bought three bags, so I’ll take one for Dad and Mom to try.”

He Lang went to the main house, handed the things he’d bought to Mrs. He, and started talking to his father about the wages.

Mr. He took out a notebook. “Shuanzi and Weimin worked for 30 days, so that’s six yuan each. Shitou and Zhendong stayed with us until the very end, so that’s 36 days total, which comes to seven yuan and twenty cents each. You don’t need to pay me or your older brother. Just give your brother an extra couple pounds of meat when you move. Then there’s your brother-in-law. He handled a lot of the work. From start to finish, he did more than any of us. He was the one who worried the most about building your house. As for his wages, you can decide what to do.”

“We’ll discuss my brother-in-law’s pay later. As for my brother, just pay him the same as Shitou and the others. It won’t save much anyway. My brother might not mind, but what about my sister-in-law? And of course, I won’t be paying you. Look, I went to Sea City this trip and brought you back the best liquor from there, plus two cartons of Sea City’s Phoenix brand cigarettes. I hear they even have filters.”

Mr. He smiled and nodded. “In that case, I’ll have to see how they differ from my usual smoke.”

“Dad, have you calculated an auspicious day for the move?”

Mr. He nodded. “There’s a good day in half a month. If you want to move then, you should start firing up the kang in the next couple of days to dry the house out. Also, the main gate and the furniture… have you thought about who you’ll get to make them?”

He Lang shook his head. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”

Mr. He thought for a moment. “Your Second Uncle is decent at carpentry. He made all the furniture in our house. Why not ask him? It would be a bit cheaper, too.”

“My Second Uncle’s carpentry is sturdy, which is fine for the main gate, but his furniture designs are uninspired. They’re all old-fashioned.”

Mr. He looked at him. “What’s all this about ’inspired’ furniture? As long as it can hold things, it’s fine.”

He Lang rolled his eyes. “Please don’t worry about it for now. I’ll discuss it with my brother-in-law first.”

When He Lang returned from the main house, he found Xue Yue already engrossed in a book.

“How is it? Is it good?” He Lang asked.

Xue Yue nodded. “What made you think of buying me more books?”

While unpacking the bag, Xue Yue had found two books: *Red Rock* and *Song of Youth*.

“I passed by a bookstore while I was shopping. And you know, these two cost six yuan.” He Lang couldn’t help but marvel at the price; the cost of a single book could cover a month’s expenses for some families in the village.

Xue Yue’s eyes widened. “That expensive? And you still bought them.”

He Lang chuckled. “Because you love to read. It’s worth every penny.”

A smile spread across Xue Yue’s lips. She suddenly threw her arms around He Lang’s neck and asked earnestly, “Really?”

He Lang nodded. “Really. As long as you like it, it’s worth any price.”

Xue Yue smiled and gave He Lang a firm kiss on the cheek. “Alright, I’m so happy to hear you say that. But… next time, let’s not buy from the bookstore. We can go to the scrap collection station. We could buy a lot more that way. They might not be new, but they’re cheap. Old newspapers would be fine too.”

“Okay, I get it. Have you seen what else is in the bag?”

“What else? I went for the books first.” Xue Yue glanced at the bag, which she had barely touched.

He Lang laughed in exasperation. “So eager to read your books, you didn’t even check what other goodies I bought for you.”

With that, He Lang took a small box out of the bag and handed it to Xue Yue. “I saw all the women at the department store buying this. They said it’s for your face, so I bought one for you too.”

Xue Yue took it. “Peach Bird. It smells so good.”

He Lang then pulled out two boxes of butterfly cookies and set them on the kang, before showing Xue Yue two items sealed in paper bags.

“This stuff, I heard it used to only be available abroad. They just started producing it in Sea City last year. It’s really hard to get—you even need ration tickets for it. I managed to snag two bags because I wanted you to try it.”

“’Hen Instant Noodles’… What kind of noodles are these? There’s even a picture of a hen on the package.” Xue Yue held it, looking it over with curiosity. She had never seen this kind of noodle before.

“The salesclerk said they’re called instant noodles. You just soak them in hot water and they’re ready to eat. We should try them tonight.”

“Okay.”

“I bought you two hair clips. All the girls in the city like to wear them. And this yellow patterned blouse… I saw one of the salesclerks wearing it, and I thought you would look beautiful in it, so I bought one for you too.”

He Lang chattered on as he continued to pull things out of the bag. Xue Yue watched him, a tide of happiness washing over her. Sometimes, happiness wasn’t a grand, spectacular event. It was like a gentle breeze on her face, an accumulation of small moments that felt utterly comfortable and heartwarming.

“Is all of this for me? Did you get anything for yourself?”

He Lang smiled and pinched Xue Yue’s nose. “Of course. When I was at the department store, I wanted to buy you everything I saw. If I’d had enough money, I would have even bought you a watch. But unfortunately, I couldn’t afford it.”

Xue Yue hugged He Lang tightly, murmuring, “Thank you, He Lang. I feel so happy.”

He Lang’s breath hitched. He tightened his arms around Xue Yue and kissed her hair.

“As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

For the first twenty-some years of his life, He Lang never knew that life could be like this: waking up every day to see the person you love, doing happy things together. Even the smallest things felt meaningful as long as they were together.

It turned out that one’s days weren’t all the same. Everything depended on the person you loved, and the person who loved you.

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