TPW – Chapter 7 I’ll Take Care of You Both

No matter what, Xu Haizhou never expected Qiao Lu’s next sentence to be so straightforward. His heart seemed like a powder keg ready to explode, and even his ears felt hot and burning.

Originally, he had many things he wanted to say, but now it felt like his mouth was glued shut.

Looking at Qiao Lu again, she wore a faint, gentle smile—like being warmed by spring sunlight—with a focused and serious gaze.

Xu Haizhou asked her, “You’re not joking, are you?”

He didn’t think he was that charming—after just half a day together, a woman was already eager to marry him—but seeing the seriousness in Qiao Lu’s eyes, he knew she was sincere.

She said, “I’m serious.”

Xu Haizhou’s expression grew heavy: “Comrade Qiao Lu, marriage is no joke. Once you’re married, you can’t easily take it back. Have you thought this through?”

“A relationship without the goal of marriage is just fooling around. If you’re willing to date me, why not just get it done in one step? Isn’t that easier?” After all, the outcome is marriage, so better to fast forward to the last step.

Before time travel, Qiao Lu had lived 35 years unmarried. It wasn’t that she disliked men—she had plenty of dating experience and a handful of ex-boyfriends. But in the fast-paced era, love was mostly filled with desire and materialism, which felt corrupted to her. She longed for love and believed in it but never found anyone who inspired the urge to marry. Plus, with a busy and fulfilling career, she preferred to stay single and enjoy freedom rather than be controlled by a man.

The key was that traveling back to the 1980s, marriage suddenly seemed a very suitable choice. And Xu Haizhou’s appearance happened to match the ideal she had for a partner—he looked innocent and pure. Why not give it a try?

“Comrade Qiao Lu, if that’s your mindset, then I should say a few things.”

Qiao Lu quietly waited for his words. It was the first time she saw such determination on his face.

“If you really want to marry me, I will do everything I can to treat you well, and I will treat Qiao An as my own. But marriage is sacred; it’s not a game. Once married, you can’t just change your mind. Right now, I’m not sure if this is just a moment of impulse or…”

“I’ve thought it through carefully. Really.” Qiao Lu interrupted him. “If you think I’m just saying this in a moment of confusion, then don’t worry. My goal in dating has always been marriage. If you only want to date me without marrying, then sorry, we’re no match. But if you’re also thinking about marriage, then don’t waste time. Whether it works out or not, we have to try. I’m not afraid—why should you be?”

It was hard to imagine such bold words coming from a seemingly delicate woman, and Xu Haizhou couldn’t help but look at her again.

While they talked, Qiao An obediently held Qiao Lu’s hand, pressing it against her thigh. He understood every word the adults said, but not the meaning behind them. He looked confused, glancing from his mother to Uncle Xu.

“I’m a man; what do I have to be afraid of?” The words rolled to his tongue, but then he swallowed and added, “But you’re a woman, Comrade Qiao Lu—you could get hurt easily.”

He was worried that Qiao Lu’s decision might be impulsive, so he needed to be sure.

Qiao Lu smiled, “I already got hurt a few years ago. I’m very cautious now. Xu Haizhou, rest assured—I’m very clear-headed.”

Facing painful memories, she spoke lightly and cheerfully. Xu Haizhou found himself infected by her optimistic attitude, and the atmosphere suddenly grew lighter.

Since Qiao Lu boldly confessed, Xu Haizhou, as a man, couldn’t back down.

Now that they had cleared the air, there was no more hesitation. Qiao Lu was surprised by Xu Haizhou’s change—though he was introverted, when it came to important matters, he was truly decisive, giving off a very reliable and trustworthy vibe.

“Comrade Qiao Lu, since you’re serious,” he said, tense and serious, looking like he was taking an oath to the Party.

“I will never betray your trust! I will treat you well and treat Qiao An well, too. I hope that when I’m busy with my career, you can help take care of the family. When you want to pursue your career, I will take on more family responsibilities. We’ll support each other and understand each other.”

At that moment, the noisy surroundings suddenly fell silent. The once crowded street was now empty. The pale blue sky outlined his tall, straight figure with sharp edges.

Heaven, earth, and people—all aligned perfectly, as if even the heavens were helping to create a solemn and sacred atmosphere for the two of them.

“Qiao Lu, from now on, I’ll take care of you both.”

He said: I’ll take care of you both. Not just “you,” but “you both.”

For some reason, a phrase suddenly flashed through Qiao Lu’s mind:

“Meet a good man, marry first; meet a benefactor, establish a career first.”

She suddenly found his face becoming blurry, but that resolute, weighty phrase echoed over and over in her mind.

So firm, so reliable.

What he offered Qiao Lu was not just a hand reaching from the shore, but a motorboat that could carry her far away from the mud.

The craziest thing Qiao Lu ever did in her life was undoubtedly agreeing to a marriage proposal after meeting a man only once. If it had been the old Qiao Lu before time traveling, she would have been more shocked by this than discovering aliens on Earth.

Just handing herself over like that?

But… a pure and fresh young man—who could resist?

She couldn’t help but marvel at how love in this era was both slow to warm up yet came quickly. Truly strange.

“Although I’m in a hurry to get married because I really want to move out of my sister’s house, I do have a pretty good impression of you. I’m not just casually… well, I’m not a casual woman, you know?”

Xu Haizhou smiled and nodded: “I understand.”

Qiao Lu curled her lips with satisfaction: “Anyway, I’m sincere. Don’t overthink.”

He nodded again: “I won’t.”

Such a well-behaved, obedient little puppy—really nice.

Xu Haizhou rode the bicycle carrying the mother and son home. His steps were light and carefree, as if carrying the two of them was no burden at all. The cold wind along the way felt warm to him, and even every strand of his hair was excited.

Passing by a grocery store, he purposely stopped and went in to buy snacks. He bought a big pile as if they were free, then handed them to Qiao Lu, which made Qiao An very happy. He quietly asked her: “Mom, whose are these?”

Qiao Lu rubbed the top of the little guy’s head: “Uncle bought them for you.”

The little guy was both happy and shy, which was quite rare. Once on the back seat, he quietly said to Xu Haizhou’s back: “Thank you, Uncle.”

This change was something neither Qiao Lu nor Xu Haizhou expected.

Now, Xu Haizhou’s riding was even lighter and quicker, and before long, they arrived under the old apartment building.

Carrying a pile of snacks, he saw Qiao Lu and her son safely home. At this hour, most people were at work in the factories, and they didn’t meet anyone familiar along the way.

After dropping them off, Xu Haizhou didn’t stay long. He turned to leave, but Qiao Lu laughed and pulled him back.

“What’s the rush? At least have a sip of water before you go.”

Xu Haizhou wasn’t really in a hurry; he was just nervous. He was eager to find a private place to release his excitement.

But in front of Qiao Lu, he had to restrain himself, had to act natural… His eyes didn’t even dare to dart around the room.

Sweating profusely, Xu Haizhou calmly said, “Ahem, well, then I’ll have a sip.”

Qiao Lu laughed, her eyes curved like a playful little fox, and her clear laughter tickled his ears.

To be honest, Xu Haizhou hadn’t been this nervous in all his 24 years of life. The more he saw her smile, the stronger his desire grew.

He wanted to marry her now, to hold her hand, to embrace her. He couldn’t wait for everything to settle, not even for a second.

But he couldn’t yet—they had just met for the first day… It was a feeling both fast and slow, torturous but enjoyable.

After gulping down a bowl of cold water, the fire inside Xu Haizhou’s body slightly cooled.

He straightened his posture and stood in front of Qiao Lu. His tall figure was like a wall, staring straight at her.

Qiao Lu felt her face heat up and decided to let him go quickly.

She lowered her eyes and patted Qiao An’s shoulder: “An An, say goodbye to Uncle.”

The little guy was very obedient today, softly waving his hand: “Goodbye, Uncle.”

Xu Haizhou finally came back to himself, swallowed, and smiled: “Goodbye, An An.”

He turned and walked slowly out of the room. When he reached the door, he suddenly turned his head and said to Qiao Lu: “See you tomorrow.”

Qiao Lu smiled faintly, watching him leave.

At the stairwell entrance, Xu Haizhou inexplicably glanced back one last time. His dark eyes locked onto her face; mother and son were standing at the doorway, watching him walk farther and farther away.

Xu Haizhou’s heart softened. His chest was suddenly filled with a strange feeling—too wonderful to describe.

The sky turned a purplish-red wave at the horizon, casting a scorching orange-red glow on the walls.

Inside the chemical factory’s production workshop, Qiao Yan sat by the window staring blankly at the dusk. She wondered how Qiao Lu was getting along with that man. If they really liked each other…

The more she thought about it, the more restless she became.

There were still thirty minutes until the end of her shift, but she sneaked out early for the first time.

Qiao Yan didn’t go straight home; she headed instead to a free market about one kilometer from the factory.

She had never been here before and never cared to come, but this was her first visit. Previously, she had only heard about this place from colleagues. Now that she saw it herself, she realized the market in Li’an was livelier and busier than she imagined.

In the early 1980s, private trade was nowhere near as large as in later years. A small alley was the entire center for individual vendors in Li’an city. This free market was truly “free,” an unmanaged area where individual merchants spread out along the walls. The stall owners came from all over the country, speaking all kinds of dialects—a real chaotic mix.

Qiao Yan only understood the Li’an dialect and Mandarin; everything else sounded like listening to a foreign language.

“Selling leather shoes! Genuine cowhide and pigskin shoes!”

“Brooms! Hand-woven brooms!”

“Medicinal wine! Ginseng, deer antler, and goji berry medicinal wine! Special product from the Northeast, so nourishing it’ll make your nose bleed!”

“Authentic Erguotou from the capital — the only place in all Li’an to get it!”

The dazzling array of small goods made Qiao Yan’s eyes spin. From small items to big ones, wasn’t this basically the same as a department store?

“Wardrobes! Pure handmade wardrobes! Hey, come take a look! Handmade, brand new, not second-hand. I originally planned to use this as my daughter’s dowry, but since the wedding fell through, I’m selling it to get some cash. Hey, it’s never been used once, still in perfect condition! Made by an old carpenter, limewood, quality guaranteed!”

The more Qiao Yan looked at this pure handmade wardrobe, the more she liked it. The wardrobe had two front-opening doors, an empty top compartment, and two drawers at the bottom. The handles on the doors and drawers were made of copper rings, and the panels were decorated with auspicious cloud patterns. It could also be locked.

This wardrobe was really nice. If she bought it as Qiao Lu’s wedding dowry, it would really be impressive.

Noticing Qiao Yan’s admiration, the wardrobe vendor quickly called out, “Comrade, like it? If you like it, buy it! I’ll give you this price — definitely cheaper than at the department store! Delivery to your door, any problems just find me!”

The man showed the number two with his fingers. Qiao Yan was flattered but quickly stepped back, “Oh no, no purchase, thank you.”

Qiao Yan usually shopped at grocery and department stores, never got this kind of treatment. There, it’s more like ‘buy it or leave’—no way the salespeople were as enthusiastic as these stall owners.

Feeling a bit uneasy, Qiao Yan hurried inward and was attracted by a leather shoe stall.

“The styles are pretty fresh; haven’t seen these at the department store. Comrade, how much are these?”

The shoe stall owner was a burly middle-aged man wearing a dog fur coat, looking somewhat like a northerner. Hearing her, he scanned her with his eyes and raised two fingers, “Twelve yuan a pair, no bargaining. What size do you need?”

Qiao Yan hesitated, thinking the shoes were expensive, but instinctively replied, “My husband wears size 43.”

The man immediately threw a pair of size 43 shoes of the same style to her. Qiao Yan held them, feeling and examining, liking them more and more, but still didn’t say anything about paying.

Suddenly she asked, “Comrade, may I ask, how much can a stall like yours earn in a month?”

The owner instantly got wary, snatched the shoes from her hand, “I’m asking you, are you buying or not? Why are you asking about my income?”

Qiao Yan hurriedly waved her hand, “Don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean anything else. It’s just my sister, she also wants to get into this business, so I wanted to ask if this line of work can actually support you.”

“Female?” The man’s eyes shone like a spotlight, scanning Qiao Yan’s face, raising his eyebrows with amusement, “Do you see any women around here?”

Qiao Yan looked around. It was a shock to see that all the stall owners in this alley were men! Many were rough northern men, and some looked rather shady. Qiao Yan definitely wouldn’t let her sister stay in a den of wolves.

She was glad she didn’t agree to let Qiao Lu set up a stall!

Feeling a chill, she patted her chest and asked again, “Boss, if you don’t mind me asking, how much money can you make here in a day? Enough to support a family?”

“A family?” The man stroked his chin thoughtfully for a while, glanced at the “Li’an No. 1 Chemical Factory” badge embroidered on Qiao Yan’s work uniform, then suddenly curled his lips into a smile: “On slow days five or six yuan, on good days ten, twelve, even twenty.”

“That high?” Qiao Yan was very surprised.

The man tilted his head back and sneered proudly, “Of course, not worse than your iron rice bowl.”

Qiao Yan put down the shoes and quickly stood up, gratefully saying, “Thanks a lot.”

The boss waved his hand grandly. Only after she had walked far away did he realize, “Hey! You haven’t bought the shoes yet!”

But by then, Qiao Yan was nowhere to be seen.