At closing time, Fei Ni didn’t rush to leave the factory, instead standing before the bulletin board reading the newspaper.

In a small line of text, Fei Ni again saw the name of the “Blank Answer Hero.” Three years ago, when universities had increased the weight of cultural examinations in admissions, just as Fei Ni had begun to see the hope of attending university, this “Blank Answer Hero” (who hadn’t submitted a blank paper) had extinguished it. Though the hero had failed the exam, his letter had earned him university admission. The newspaper text reminded her of that sensational letter, and she remembered one line word for word: “I refuse to accept, and am extremely disgusted by, these good-for-nothing bookworms who have spent years idling away their time. These test-obsessed people have monopolized the examinations.”

Because of the secondary effects of that statement, Fei Ni hadn’t attended university but instead stood reading newspapers outside the hat factory.

Estimating Fang Muyang would arrive soon, she walked toward the factory gate.

Ye Feng’s appearance at the factory gate wasn’t something Fei Ni had expected.

Ye Feng had assumed Fei Ni was just being petulant, thinking that after giving her the cold shoulder, she would naturally submit. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with Fei Ni—children hope their future spouses will please their parents, not only for future family harmony but also out of vanity, wanting parents to acknowledge their good judgment. But Fei Ni hadn’t shown her best side to his parents, which disappointed him. Though dissatisfied with Fei Ni’s family background, he still made an effort to placate his parents, but Fei Ni didn’t give him face, instead getting into a huff with him.

But after not seeing her for over a week, her good qualities had outweighed the bad in his mind. Coincidentally, the Radio Factory under his supervision had a quota for recruiting urban workers from the county where Fei Ni’s brother was sent down, and Ye Feng was willing to be generous and give Fei Ni a way out. This job opportunity was rare, and he believed Fei Ni would recognize that. He could even help arrange a transfer for Fei Ni’s job.

Looking at Ye Feng now, Fei Ni felt quite calm. She greeted him with a slight smile, then turned her gaze back to the direction from which Fang Muyang would come.

Ye Feng had intended to invite Fei Ni to a restaurant to talk, but she directly refused. Just as she was about to say she was married, Ye Feng brought up the solution for her brother’s employment.

If Fei Ni hadn’t been married, she might have agonized over this. But marriage had spared her this deliberation.

She knew Ye Feng certainly wouldn’t help a married woman.

She barely began saying “thank you” before adding, “I’m married.”

“You’re married? You must be joking.” Ye Feng couldn’t hide his surprise; they had only broken up the previous week.

“I have no reason to lie to you.”

“To whom?”

“My classmate.”

“Is it that classmate of yours I know?”

Fei Ni’s silence confirmed it.

Ye Feng couldn’t help asking, his voice unable to conceal his anger: “Were you wavering between us the whole time?”

Fei Ni understood his anger and explained: “Whether you believe it or not, I only started seeing him after things were completely over with you. Before that, we were just classmates.” She hadn’t been two-timing anyone.

Fang Muyang, hurrying as fast as he could, finally arrived at Fei Ni’s factory gate. Even more conspicuous than the factory gate were Fei Ni and a man.

He recognized that man.

He rode up to Fei Ni, didn’t dismount, kept one foot on the ground, and politely smiled at Ye Feng.

Ye Feng recognized both Fang Muyang and the bicycle he was riding.

“Fei Ni, so you married this kind of man, one who has to ride your bicycle?” The news was too difficult for Ye Feng to accept; his former good manners completely vanished, the mockery in his words obvious. But still mindful of his position, he limited himself to mere mockery. He had lowered himself to seek out Fei Ni, only to find she was already married, making him feel like a joke.

If Fei Ni had regretted her decision and tried to curry favor with him again, he would have despised her.

Since Fei Ni showed no regret, he despised her even more, thinking her foolish. Just to spite him, she had married such a man—she would surely regret it later. Even more stupid was that having already hit the wall, she still didn’t know to repent.

Fei Ni retorted, her words barbed: “What do you mean ‘this kind of man’? He’s wonderful. We have a good marriage—what’s wrong with sharing a bicycle?” Ye Feng had completely failed to understand the fundamental reason for their breakup, approaching her condescendingly, bestowing a job opportunity on her brother. She didn’t analyze the logic deeply, forcing herself to interpret it as goodwill. Even when he questioned her character, she could explain calmly. If it had ended there, they could have parted ways amicably. But Ye Feng had to boundlessly disparage her partner. She and Fang Muyang were married now—they shared glory and shame in front of others. Belittling Fang Muyang was belittling her.

After saying goodbye, she jumped onto the bicycle’s back seat, wrapped her arms around his waist, and urged him to ride faster.

Only after turning the corner did she remove her hands from Fang Muyang’s waist.

“Aren’t you usually quite talkative? Why didn’t you defend yourself when he spoke about you that way?”

Fang Muyang smiled and said: “Victory makes one tolerant, and besides, didn’t you defend me? Why did he come looking for you again?”

“How would I know? Anyway, now that he knows I’m married, he won’t come again.” Undoubtedly, he still thought she had married above her station, and if she recognized her situation and went back to him, he would come to remind her.

“I think I can get a TV voucher tomorrow, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

“How did you manage that?”

“When you want something, you can always find a way.”

“Why do you always say that?” The joy came so suddenly that Fei Ni could hardly believe it. “You must have incurred quite a favor for this.” Fei Ni knew that favors were a non-renewable resource—once used, they were gone. Nobody likes dealing with greedy people. Fei Ni herself tried to avoid troubling others when money could solve the problem, but there were times when money wasn’t enough.

“It’s not that big a deal, just mutual help.”

“Thank you.”

“We’re so close, why be so formal?”

Fei Ni knew Fang Muyang was deliberately using her earlier words to Ye Feng to embarrass her, so she pretended not to hear.

“Let’s buy some noodles. My parents don’t know we’re coming for dinner, they haven’t prepared anything for us.” Fang Muyang said that since he’d told Fei Ni they’d stay at the guesthouse for a few days, her parents probably thought she was eating out and wouldn’t return home.

Fei Ni bought noodles, and to thank Fang Muyang for his help, she specifically bought him some char siu.

When they returned, sure enough, the elderly couple hadn’t prepared food for them—just rice porridge, steamed buns, and stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings.

Seeing Fei Ni return, her mother complained to her father: “I told you they might come back, told you to prepare some dishes, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“You didn’t insist either, did you?”

Since both were at fault, they stopped blaming each other.

“Mom, don’t worry about us, I’ll cook the noodles myself.”

Fei Ni plated the char siu and had Fang Muyang take it inside while she stood in the corridor cooking noodles.

Fang Muyang urged her inside, “Go rest a while, I’ll cook.”

Fang Muyang inwardly snorted—he had been cooking far longer than Fei Ni. When he first went to the countryside, he had been the part-time cook at the educated youth station. Everyone loved his cooking—it was oily enough and varied, but he was soon voted out because he could only ensure good meals for the first few days of each month, leaving everyone alternating between hunger and fullness for the remaining days.

Fei Ni didn’t go inside, instead supervising Fang Muyang’s cooking from the corridor. Though his scallions weren’t cut very neatly, his soy sauce portioning was precise—when he said three drops, it was exactly three, no more, no less.

Fang Muyang placed the only egg in Fei Ni’s bowl. When the noodles were served and they began eating, Fei Ni moved the egg to Fang Muyang’s bowl, saying she couldn’t eat so much in the evening.

Fang Muyang didn’t refuse but took out the yolk and gave it to her.

In front of Fei Ni’s parents, the couple amicably exchanged an egg.

Fang Muyang asked the elderly couple if they had received a delivery note today. He had listed Fei Ni’s home as the delivery address for the lumber since his residence kept changing.

Old Fei slapped his thigh, “I forgot to tell you, it arrived this afternoon. I’ll find someone to transport it tomorrow and stack it under our building.”

Mrs. Fei asked, “Will that be safe?”

“How could it not be safe? Our neighborhood’s bound-foot investigation team is incredibly capable—they know even when an ant carries away a grain of rice, let alone a pile of wood.”

Fang Muyang said, “I’d better find someone myself to transport it. You should rest at home.”

“Don’t you have work? This little matter is no problem for me.”

After dinner, Fei Ni pulled Fang Muyang to the water room to wash dishes.

Fang Muyang told Fei Ni to rest, saying he would wash them.

Though Fei Ni didn’t trust him, she didn’t stop him—the more incapable someone was, the more they needed practice, and if they weren’t clean enough, she could always wash them again.

There were others in the water room, so Fei Ni spoke very quietly: “I won’t go to the guesthouse tonight, you can leave by yourself later.”

“That doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s decided then.”

“I’m tired today too, don’t feel like cycling. Your parents would probably agree to let me sleep here, right?”

“Just go, the cycle ride won’t take long.”

Fang Muyang smiled and said: “When you’re tired, you don’t want to take even one step.”