Beautiful.
That was the first word that came to mind when many people first saw Xia Xiao Lan. No fancy adjectives came to mind – her beauty was indisputable. Current trends might not favor such beauty, but beauty was a beauty – simple and direct, leaving no room for argument.
A row of willow trees stood at Zhou Cheng’s unit entrance, their thin March leaves and branches swaying in the wind.
Xia Xiao Lan wore a green wool coat that reached her knees, with a white sweater underneath and what appeared to be a simple pair of black pants with narrow ankles, her legs long and straight.
Green was a difficult color for most people to pull off, often making faces appear sallow.
But it suited Xia Xiao Lan perfectly.
Not only was she beautiful, but her figure was graceful, like those rows of willows – when the wind blew, the thin branches seemed to caress one’s heart.
Those who had eagerly come to see their “sister-in-law” now fell silent upon seeing her. Would their rough manners frighten her? Lao Fang and Gao Fei stayed at the back of the crowd, neither speaking a word.
How could someone be so beautiful?
She looked like a movie star from posters, but unlike distant film stars, Xia Xiao Lan stood right there before them.
Feeling both jealousy and embarrassment, Gao Fei wanted to find a hole to crawl into. No wonder Zhou Cheng wasn’t interested in others with such a girlfriend.
She had to admit that not only her fake cousin but even she couldn’t compare to Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend.
Then she thought bitterly, what good was beauty when she was still just a woman from another province!
Gao Fei scrutinized her from head to toe, trying to find signs of provincial poorness or rusticity, but instead found Xia Xiao Lan more fashionable than herself. Embarrassed and angry, Gao Fei thought: She must have starved her whole family just to show off here today!
This thought restored some of her pride.
Heaven was fair – it couldn’t make someone perfect in every way. With looks that attracted men like a vixen, how could she also have a good family background? Zhou Cheng was too young, being enchanted by looks alone – how could that be enough when choosing a partner?
“Just an outsider woman, look how smug Zhou Cheng is.”
Lao Fang muttered.
People were visual creatures. In the isolated, backward village, Xia Xiao Lan’s face had been called improper and flirtatious. Though leaving Da He Village hadn’t suddenly given her a righteous appearance, people here cared less about propriety. The pursuit of beauty was instinctive, and having such a stunning girlfriend made Lao Fang jealous.
Gao Fei wasn’t inadequate, but if she could trade looks with Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend, Lao Fang would feel his life complete.
“Why are you all standing there? Greet your sister-in-law! This is my girlfriend, Xia Xiao Lan.”
Zhou Cheng broke the silence. His men, conditioned by training, immediately straightened their backs and saluted:
“Hello, Sister-in-law!”
“Welcome to inspect our work, Sister-in-law!”
“Sister-in-law, I am…”
Zhou Cheng’s face darkened – what nonsense were they saying? He asked them to say hello, not give detailed self-introductions. Were they trying to steal his girlfriend? Zhou Cheng made mental notes of those few men, planning to “deal” with them after Xia Xiao Lan left.
Xia Xiao Lan giggled, “Hello everyone, nice to meet you all. Please don’t be so formal – I should thank you for taking care of Zhou Cheng!”
Hah, who took care of King Yama Zhou? He never needed their care. But Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend spoke so pleasantly – not just her voice, but her words made people happy. Pleasantries depended on who spoke them – some people sounded fake, but Xia Xiao Lan was genuinely sincere.
Zhou Cheng looked at Xia Xiao Lan with immense pride.
Xia Xiao Lan wasn’t showy – when sending things, she always sent extra for Zhou Cheng to share with others. It wasn’t about money – neither Zhou Cheng nor Xia Xiao Lan lacked funds. She wanted Zhou Cheng to have good relationships at work and live comfortably, considering even such details.
This was his wife!
Zhou Cheng’s heart nearly burst from his chest.
But someone had to inappropriately break the atmosphere. Gao Fei, acting overly familiar, asked, “Zhou Cheng, which province is your girlfriend from? I can’t hear any accent at all.”
“This is…”
Among all the men, there was a young woman in civilian clothes – must be a family member of someone in the unit?
Xia Xiao Lan waited for Zhou Cheng’s introduction. When she focused her attention on someone, her eyes were particularly expressive, as if filled with water. Under such a gaze, Zhou Cheng forgot his previous irritation and casually introduced, “This is Comrade Fang’s girlfriend, Gao Fei, you can call her sister-in-law too.”
Xia Xiao Lan always showed respect for Zhou Cheng in public, obediently greeting:
“Sister-in-law, I’m from Yu Nan Province.”
Yu Nan Province? That’s quite a poor place, Gao Fei secretly scorned. Xia Xiao Lan’s voice was natural, just like her looks, soft and delicate. First-time acquaintances might mistake her gentle voice for a soft personality. Gao Fei thought she’d be easy to bully and couldn’t resist trying to embarrass her:
“Yu Nan Province? I’ve never been there – what does your region produce?”
Her question was meant to trap Xia Xiao Lan. No matter how poor Yu Nan Province was, it must have some specialties. Coming to visit the unit from Yu Nan Province without bringing anything for others, not even for Zhou Cheng? Gao Fei wanted to embarrass Xia Xiao Lan in front of everyone, hoping Zhou Cheng would lose face too. If this created tension in their relationship, Gao Fei would be satisfied.
It wasn’t particularly malicious – young women often did ungraceful things in moments of weakness.
Zhou Cheng frowned, wondering what was wrong with Lao Fang’s girlfriend, constantly pestering his wife with questions. Such tactlessness was annoying – and she claimed to have a good family background?
Zhou Cheng was starting to forget what “good family background” even meant!
Xia Xiao Lan seemed oblivious to Gao Fei’s ill intentions, answering honestly: “Xinzheng produces dates, Jiaozuo produces Iron Club yams, Xinyang’s Maofeng tea is quite good… Yu Nan is a major agricultural province with excellent produce.”
Gao Fei smiled, feigning longing:
“You’re making everyone hungry, but too bad I haven’t tried any of those.”
Gao Fei implied it was unfortunate Xia Xiao Lan hadn’t brought any. Xia Xiao Lan had come empty-handed, but Zhou Cheng hadn’t expected her to lug specialties from the commercial district – why should his wife do such heavy work?
Gao Fei’s malice made Zhou Cheng’s men uncomfortable.
They had enthusiastically called her sister-in-law, not to get food. With two to three hundred people, who should Xia Xiao Lan give food to? Those who received some would be happy, but what about those who didn’t?
Xia Xiao Lan finally seemed to catch Gao Fei’s implication. She turned to Zhou Cheng apologetically:
“Those agricultural products would be difficult for me to carry alone, I…”
They weren’t far from the gate, and just then, the delivery person from Dong Lai Shun arrived with the lamb. Kang Wei had advanced the payment, but the guards wouldn’t let them in without authorization. They ran over:
“Leader, someone’s delivering lamb at the gate, says Sister-in-law ordered it.”
Xia Xiao Lan smoothly continued:
“…so I thought I’d treat everyone to a whole roasted lamb instead.”