NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: More Than Meets the Eye
Chapter 36: More Than Meets the Eye
“It’s only mid-month, yet you’re already eating cornmeal?” Lu Yuan remarked, a fishing rod slung over his shoulder as he approached his home.
Across the way, Wang Xu was cooking in her makeshift kitchen—a small shed attached to her modest self-built house. Steam rose from a pot where cabbage stewed alongside cornmeal cakes clinging to the pot’s edge.
Wang Xu turned, catching Lu Yuan’s glance. “None of your business!” she snapped.
Unfazed, Lu Yuan smiled and held up his prize. “Caught a massive grass carp at Wild Lake today. My wife’s making spicy fish tonight.” The impressive fish must have weighed at least five kilograms.
As he walked toward his home, Wang Xu called after him, “Did I ask you?!”
Lu Yuan ignored her, entering his house to Su Liyan’s delighted exclamations.
“You’re amazing!” she praised, admiring his catch with genuine excitement. Their laughter echoed through the small home.
Soon after, Lu Yuan carried a table and bench into their courtyard, lit a cigarette, and settled in with a book. Su Liyan emerged with a basin, scissors, and the grass carp, heading to the backyard pond.
“Fish again at your house, Liyan?” asked a neighbor who was preparing her own dinner.
Su Liyan lifted the carp proudly. “Yes! Look what my husband caught today!”
The neighborhood women gathered around, examining the fish with skeptical eyes.
“Someone cast nets in Wild Lake recently and caught nothing this big,” one commented. “Did Lu Yuan actually buy it?”
Lu Yuan, overhearing this, choked on cigarette smoke.
“That’s impossible,” Su Liyan replied indignantly. “My husband is talented.”
The women exchanged knowing glances. This girl thinks her man is exceptional just for dressing himself, they thought.
“Eat plenty of fish tonight,” one advised. “Don’t let your husband have it all.”
As dinner neared completion, a visitor arrived—Lin Zhidong, a young translator pedaling a bicycle laden with peach cakes, biscuits, brown sugar, and dried dates.
The young man had searched the places Lu Yuan mentioned for foreigners but found none. Now he’d come seeking language practice, bearing gifts and addressing Lu Yuan respectfully as “Brother Lu.”
Though initially reluctant, Lu Yuan relented at the young man’s earnestness.
Just then, Su Liyan called from inside, “Dinner’s ready!”
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow at Lin Zhidong. “Haven’t eaten yet? You brought gifts, so join us—we’re having spicy fish.”
After dinner, they conversed in the living room while Su Liyan cleaned up, occasionally listening curiously to their foreign exchange.
Around eight, Lin Zhidong, mindful of the hour, prepared to leave. Lu Yuan and Su Liyan walked him to the door.
“It’s convenient having a bicycle here,” Lu Yuan remarked as Lin Zhidong unlocked the courtyard gate.
“Teacher, whenever you need it, the bike is yours to borrow,” Lin Zhidong offered immediately.
Lu Yuan smiled at the title “Teacher” but said nothing. Having his own transportation would be better.
“Teacher, Madam, I’m off now,” Lin Zhidong said, bidding them goodbye before pedaling away.
Lu Yuan took his wife’s hand, ready to return inside for some private time, when another voice called out: “Lu Yuan!”
Turning, he saw Liu Haizhu approaching. He whispered to Su Liyan, “Go draw the curtains and prepare the bed. I’ll send him away quickly.”
Su Liyan poked his waist playfully before hurrying inside.
“Working late today?” Lu Yuan asked as Liu Haizhu pushed through the gate.
Liu Haizhu planted his hands on his hips. “What you’re doing isn’t right!”
Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
Liu Haizhu launched into his complaint—how Lu Yuan stayed home while sending his wife to work. Had Liu Haizhu not been known for his good-hearted defense of others, Lu Yuan might have thrown him out. Why did this man think he needed to protect Su Liyan?
“I’m studying for the civil service exam,” Lu Yuan explained. “Once I pass, we’ll have two incomes.”
Liu Haizhu scoffed. “Give it up! We grew up together—I know your abilities. You’re not just a pig wearing glasses; you’re pretending to be college-educated!”
Lu Yuan frowned. “Haven’t you heard people can change? I’m not the same person anymore.”
“Listen to you using fancy language now,” Liu Haizhu mocked.
Before he could continue, Su Liyan emerged, having overheard the conversation. She quickly defended her husband.
After hearing her explanation about Lu Yuan’s language skills, Liu Haizhu looked confused. “Since when do you know foreign languages?”
Lu Yuan pulled his wife toward their home. “That’s none of your business. Go home!”
For the next few days, Lu Yuan enjoyed his leisure time, but he hadn’t forgotten his primary task—preparing for a proper wedding banquet in his hometown. They’d scheduled it for Monday, allowing Su Liyan to use part of her three-day marriage leave from the factory.
Friday morning, Lu Yuan chartered a small truck and purchased everything needed: wine, rice, noodles, oil, condiments, tea, and red paper for decorations. He bought beautiful new clothes for both his mothers-in-law, along with a live pig, a sheep, and a dozen chickens.
By noon, the truck was loaded and heading toward the countryside. When Lu Yuan arrived in Shigezhuang village, the locals stared in astonishment.
“What’s all this for?” they wondered. “Is the emperor getting married?”