MGASC -Chapter 153 Lin Tianyue Is Becoming an Excellent Student

He carried a bulky black leather bag. He hadn’t even returned to the factory; he’d heard that Zhang Qiao was treating people at her shop, so he came straight over.

Yingzi was playing finger-guessing with a reporter, and Zhang Qiao sat properly at the table, chatting with her sister. When she looked up and saw a figure pass in front of her, she blinked, thinking she must have imagined it.

Then her sister said: “Brother-in-law? Qiao Qiao, look, isn’t that brother-in-law back?”

Only then did Zhang Qiao snap out of her daze. She stood up and waved at him: “Tianyue, over here!”

Lin Tianyue had already seen her. More precisely, from the moment he stepped into the room, his eyes were fixed solely on her.

Especially since she sweetly called him “Tianyue,” his heart practically melted.

He walked over, and following his wife’s introductions, shook hands with everyone there. With him joining in, the table grew livelier.

By the time they finished eating, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Lin Tianyue went to pay, but Zhang Qiao quietly followed him.

“You big oaf, did you bring all the things I asked you to?”

“What things?” Lin Tianyue leaned on the counter, looking at Zhang Qiao with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Qiao’s heart sank. “You… you forgot?”

But Lin Tianyue immediately grinned, and Zhang Qiao realized she’d been tricked by him.

“I brought them, I brought them—all in the bag. With such a capable wife at home, do you think I’d forget?”

Zhang Qiao gave him an exasperated glare and ran to the next room to rummage through the bag he’d brought back.

What had she found?

A digital watch—specifically a women’s model! The strap was sparkling and beautiful.

A calculator—she could use it for bookkeeping, since not having a computer these days would be inconvenient.

A game console—for the kids, capable of playing Tetris, though of course not every day.

Wow, what else? Zhang Qiao even found a Sony Walkman.

A real blast from the past! She had almost forgotten how, back in school, she carried a Walkman every day to listen to her idol’s tapes.

The Walkman was compact, with playback, radio, and recording functions. Zhang Qiao thought of the reporter who came today, still taking notes the old-fashioned handwritten way.

She wanted to gift the Walkman to them, but this thing was rare now, so she quickly abandoned that idea.

Lin Tianyue came in from behind, closed the door, and whispered to her: “The watches are for you, your sister, and Yingzi—one each. But there’s only one Walkman, so don’t give it away.”

Looks like it was meant just for her.

Zhang Qiao felt her heart melt: “This must be expensive, right?”

Lin Tianyue chuckled: “This is the most expensive one!”

Expensive wasn’t even the point—it was smuggled goods, impossible to get through regular channels. Gu Yu had tried to gift some, and Lin Tianyue only managed to snatch back one.

According to Gu Yu, why would you want it? Nobody would buy it where you live.

True, most people couldn’t afford it, but he could give it to his wife. She loved singing, and now she could carry it around and listen anytime. He had even brought a few tapes, all the popular ones from Gangcheng.

“Lin Tianyue, you’re finally smart! You used to be so clueless, I could never teach you anything. Now…”

“Now what?”

Zhang Qiao fiddled with the Walkman lovingly: “Now you’re almost an excellent student!”

Lin Tianyue beamed at the compliment. He stepped forward, put the bag on the table, and pulled a chair over for Zhang Qiao, guiding her to sit: “Here, wife, sit and take your time looking!”

Zhang Qiao happily found the curling iron, straightener, and various cosmetics she had asked him to bring.

“How’s it? The styles you asked for?” Lin Tianyue stood behind her, arms resting on the table edge like he was hugging her from behind. He smelled the familiar locust blossom scent on her and kissed her temple.

Zhang Qiao nodded frantically like a little girl: “All right! Perfect! Everything is exactly what I wanted!”

Seeing her so happy, Lin Tianyue relaxed.

Inside, he chuckled—Gu Yu’s girlfriend didn’t exist, but he still knew all about women’s things. These cosmetics and styling tools were all approved by Gu Yu, which is why he could successfully get them from the Hong Kong merchant.

Lin Tianyue didn’t know what all these colorful gadgets were for, but Zhang Qiao clearly loved them.

She stuffed all the cosmetics and styling tools into her bag, then happily kissed him at the corner of his lips.

“Great! I’ll tell the photographer to come to our house tomorrow and take a family portrait.”

After kissing him, she ran off. Lin Tianyue anxiously followed: “Slow down! You’ve got a big belly, and you’re running like this. Can’t you make it easier on me?”

Though he complained, nothing was more important than seeing his wife happy.

Zhang Qiao spoke with the photographer and saw the reporter off.

At home, she took out the digital watches and gave one each to Yingzi, Zhang Ling, and herself.

This time Lin Tianyue had truly excelled—he chose stylish models. The women’s watch had a rose-gold strap and a delicate small dial. It could serve as a bracelet and a watch, and Yingzi and Zhang Ling adored it.

Especially her sister Zhang Ling—after all these years of marriage, Xu Liang had never given her a decent piece of jewelry. Now, just after a few days at her sister’s house, she got a watch to wear.

It was both bitter and sweet, and her nose tingled.

She tried to take it off, saying it was so beautiful she didn’t want to wear it, wanting to save it.

Zhang Qiao firmly grabbed her sister’s wrist and put the watch on.

“Sister, your brother-in-law said it’s not worth much—the wholesale price is only two or three yuan. Wear it every day. Once we earn more, we can buy a nicer one!”

“Only two or three yuan?” Zhang Ling couldn’t believe it—such a beautiful watch for so cheap.

“Yes, but if sold on the market it would be expensive. Ordinary ones are five yuan, ours at least ten.”

Lin Tianyue, having just washed his face, chimed in: “Sister, wear it without worry. I spent over a thousand yuan—I don’t mind you and Qiao Qiao having a little!”

Zhang Ling’s heart raced. Over a thousand yuan on watches—even if each earned just three yuan, that was thousands of yuan, and Lin Tianyue also got other electronics: cameras, game consoles, and recorders. This trip was a fortune!

Since coming to her sister’s house, Zhang Ling felt like she had entered a new world. Every day was a whirlwind of novelty. She followed Zhang Qiao in learning how to speak and act, so busy she barely had time to think about Xu Liang or her terrible family.

The world outside had developed so much. Xu Liang earned seventy or eighty yuan a month, considered high in their county, but in Lin Tianyue and Zhang Qiao’s terms, money and goods were counted in the thousands.

The gap between people was massive—almost like comparing humans and dogs.