RYEY – Chapter 45 Sharing a Secret

“Brother Dawei, what do you mean by that?”

Sun Dawei shook his head. His sixth sense had always been sharp—whenever he saw Cheng Qiao, he felt that there was some mysterious power surrounding this woman. As for what kind of power, he couldn’t say.

But these were tense times. Some words could be spoken, others absolutely could not. He waved them off, then turned and left, leaving Cheng Qiao and Li Huan staring at each other in confusion.

Li Huan took Cheng Qiao to the state-owned restaurant for lunch. By chance, the restaurant had put out a rare dish that day—radish stewed with lamb. Cheng Qiao quickly bought two portions, packed them into lunch boxes, and prepared to take them home.

“Cheng Qiao, just how many lunch boxes do you actually have?”

Li Huan couldn’t hold back his curiosity. He already had two of hers left behind at his place. His mother and younger sister had brought back another one. And now, Cheng Qiao was holding two more.

“Not telling you. Anyway, I’ve got plenty.”

Cheng Qiao answered with a grin. She remembered how she had once dug up a whole box of lunch boxes in the grocery store’s warehouse. Counting the one she already had, she now owned dozens.

“How on earth do you have so many lunch boxes?”

“When my dad put me on the train, he was afraid I’d starve, so he stuffed every bit of food from home into lunch boxes. That’s why I ended up with so many.”

Cheng Qiao suddenly recalled—when she first came down to the countryside, she really did bring three lunch boxes with her. Now she only had one left. The other two had definitely been taken by Xu Laidi.

But Xu Laidi had her own lunch box, which meant Cheng Qiao’s two were probably sold off. Lunch boxes weren’t expensive, but they needed industrial ration tickets to buy.

Even second-hand ones could fetch a yuan and eighty cents. That woman was desperate for money. No wonder—in her previous life, Cheng Qiao had never once seen the Xu family send Xu Laidi a letter, money, let alone a package.

“I see. Well, no need to buy lunch boxes in the future, then. Come on, let’s watch a movie. Afterward, I’ll bring the seeds home tonight.”

The two of them bought some peach crisps as snacks, watched a lively film with great excitement, and then returned to the courtyard residence. Waiting at the gate was a man in a Zhongshan suit.

“Brother Dawei, you came all by yourself? That’s too polite of you.”

Li Huan spotted a tricycle loaded with seven or eight large sacks next to Sun Dawei. He rushed over, opened the gate, while Cheng Qiao was even more surprised that he personally came to deliver goods.

“These two days, each commune is collecting public grain, so there aren’t many people on the road. I came early. If you need seeds in the future, just tell me. No need to be polite.”

“Brother Dawei, how much do I owe you?”

“No need for money. Just give me some pork, brown sugar, or fine grains when you have them.”

“I’ve got some right now.”

Cheng Qiao hurried into the room. In the blink of an eye, two strips of pork belly, two catties of brown sugar, and twenty catties of millet appeared neatly on the shelf.

Li Huan froze. There hadn’t been any supplies left here—the last batch had been completely cleared out. They usually waited until the villagers got their rations, then bought them cheap and resold at higher prices.

“These are what we have at the moment. We’ll send you more when we get some later,” Cheng Qiao explained apologetically. Trading so much seed for just these things did feel like taking advantage—after all, seeds weren’t easily obtained. They required a lot of paperwork.

“Oh, and here—this is radish stewed with lamb. The weather’s getting colder, take it back to eat.”

She pulled out another lunch box from her cloth bag and handed it to Sun Dawei. He accepted it with a smile, then gave Li Huan a meaningful glance, as if to say, See? I was right.

Of course, Li Huan didn’t expose anything. Smiling, he helped carry the seed bags into the house. Once everything was unloaded, Sun Dawei pedaled away on his tricycle.

“Wife, we can’t fit all of this on the bicycle. I’ll take it home in a few trips.”

“Li Huan, aren’t you curious where I got those things just now?”

“I… can I even ask?”

“Li Huan, would you ever betray me in this life?”

“I, Li Huan, swear—if I ever wrong Cheng Qiao, may I be run over by an ox cart, a donkey cart, or even a car when I step outside. May I choke to death while drinking water or soup, suffocate while eating, fall and die while walking, and after death, never be reborn in the cycle of reincarnation!”

Li Huan blurted out his oath quickly and urgently. Cheng Qiao barely had time to reach out and cover his mouth. She could only glare at him fiercely. In the next instant, the seven or eight bags of seeds on the ground vanished.

But Li Huan kept his eyes fixed on Cheng Qiao’s face, not even noticing that the seeds at his feet had disappeared. He was still waiting for her to reveal some secret.

“Let’s go, silly.”

Cheng Qiao took out the lock. Seeing Li Huan still staring dumbly at her, she laughed sweetly.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Li Huan hadn’t gotten any answers and felt a bit disappointed. He turned to hang the seed bags on the bike’s bar—but the ground was empty.

“Cheng Qiao, where are the seeds?”

He looked around in shock. Aside from Sun Dawei earlier, no one else had been here. So where did the seeds go? Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he looked at Cheng Qiao.

“Cheng Qiao, wife, I get it now! No wonder you never let me come here alone—the secret is hidden here, isn’t it?”

Cheng Qiao just smiled. The dimples at the corners of her lips completely captured Li Huan’s gaze. Unable to resist, he stepped forward and pressed his lips against her dimple.

“Mm~ Li Huan~ mm~”

“Wife, be good…”

The sunset cast its golden glow across the land, merging their shadows into one, inseparable.

“Wife, you smell so good. I really like you.”

“You have to help me keep this secret.”

“Of course. Wife, are you a little fairy who descended to the mortal world?”

“Yes. And this fairy will conjure lots of delicious food for you. Here, want a grilled sausage?”

“Grilled… sausage?”

Li Huan stared in amazement as a red sausage on a thin stick appeared in her hand. He repeated the words dumbly, then carefully took it and bit down.

It was still hot, the oil sizzling, carrying a hint of sweetness. So delicious that his tongue almost melted. In just a few bites, the sausage was gone, and he licked his lips, unsatisfied.

“Wife, that sausage was amazing. What else do you have?”

“Tons. Rice, flour, pork, seafood—anything you can imagine, I can bring out.”

Cheng Qiao then pulled out oden. Li Huan stared at the paper cup filled with skewered, unrecognizable things, completely petrified.

“Wife… these seeds—don’t tell me you have land inside your immortal body where you can grow food?”

It took Li Huan quite some effort to pull his tangled thoughts into order before he finally asked cautiously.