Chapter 818: The Persistent Sun Xuefei

On Sunday, Lu Xiaoya came again to Pengjiawanzhen to see Su Xinghui; when she arrived at the Zhenzheng Prefecture, everyone who saw her nodded and greeted her with "Hello, Reporter Lu."

Now everyone at the Zhenzheng Prefecture knew Su Xinghui had a girlfriend who was a reporter for the provincial newspaper, and since they respected Su Xinghui, they naturally extended that respect to Lu Xiaoya.

Lu Xiaoya nodded and smiled at each of them in return.

Though she was the daughter of a provincial standing committee member and a reporter for the provincial newspaper, and though she was beautiful, she never treated anyone with arrogance, no matter how low their social status; thus, she was even more courteous to Su Xinghui's colleagues.

But as she neared Su Xinghui's door, she saw a middle-aged man descending the stairs with a teacup; she smiled and nodded to him, yet he gave her a cold glance and ignored her entirely, hurrying down the stairs.

Lu Xiaoya was startled; she entered Su Xinghui's room, and he exclaimed with delight: "Xiaoya, you're here!"

Lu Xiaoya nodded and said: "Mm, I came to see you. By the way, did you see that man just now? Did he have a grudge against you? Why didn't he answer when I greeted him?"

Su Xinghui was also puzzled and asked: "What did he look like?"

Lu Xiaoya said: "Not tall, a bit fat, thinning hair, about fifty years old."

As soon as Lu Xiaoya described him, Su Xinghui understood—it was Tong Yuejin; he smiled and told her: "Oh, he's one of our vice town heads. He's just like that—don't take it to heart."

Lu Xiaoya wasn't one to hold grudges; having worked as a reporter for over a year, she'd met all kinds of people and knew some were just eccentric, so she immediately let it go.

She pulled out some things she'd brought for Su Xinghui and said: "Here, these are snacks I got for you."

What Lu Xiaoya brought were fruits and snacks unavailable in Pengjiawanzhen; back then, logistics weren't yet advanced, and some items easily found in Jiangcheng simply couldn't be bought in Pengjiawanzhen.

Su Xinghui took the items with a smile and said: "Xiaoya, you're the only one who truly cares for me."

Lu Xiaoya said: "I care for you, right? Then how are you treating me today?"

Su Xinghui said: "Sigh, Pengjiawanzhen has nothing fun to offer—I'm sorry to burden you."

Lu Xiaoya said: "It's fine, I'll just stay in your room a while. Got any dirty clothes to wash? I'll do them for you."

Su Xinghui shook his head: "No, I wash my dirty clothes right after changing."

Lu Xiaoya laughed: "You're such a clean man—makes me feel useless as your girlfriend."

Su Xinghui smiled: "You say that? Do you think I picked you as my girlfriend to be my housekeeper? When we marry, we'll divide the chores—we won't make you do it all alone."

Though Lu Xiaoya had been dating Su Xinghui for a long time, hearing him mention marriage still made her blush; yet hearing he planned to share household duties, her heart swelled with sweetness.

Lu Xiaoya said: "Enough with your grand promises—even if you let me do all the chores later, it's fine. How much housework can two people possibly have?"

Su Xinghui said: "What about when we have children?"

Lu Xiaoya blushed furiously: "Stop talking—don't say things like 'children'!"

Su Xinghui, captivated by her shyness, took her hand and said: "We'll definitely have a lovely baby one day—it'll be as beautiful as you!"

Lu Xiaoya lowered her head in embarrassment, yet couldn't help imagining: would their child be a boy like him? A girl like herself?

In the afternoon, Lu Xiaoya prepared to return to Jiangcheng; as Su Xinghui walked with her out of the dormitory, they met Tong Yuejin again; Su Xinghui greeted him: "Vice Town Head Tong."

Tong Yuejin gave a forced, insincere nod and hurried off again; Lu Xiaoya said: "Why is he like this? You're his superior!"

Su Xinghui said: "He's just like that—ignore him."

Outside the Zhenzheng Prefecture, the two waited by the roadside for the bus to Jiangcheng; Lu Xiaoya said: "Xinghui, Professor Qin's sixtieth birthday is next Sunday—when are you going?"

Su Xinghui said: "I'll go Saturday afternoon."

Lu Xiaoya said: "Good, I'll ask my mom to cook extra delicious food that day."

Su Xinghui nodded: "Alright, I'll try to get there early that afternoon."

That day, the weather changed abruptly, bringing a steady drizzle; for some time, it had remained hot, the autumn heat of the middle Yangtze still fierce, but this rain instantly dropped the temperature to around ten degrees.

As the saying goes: one autumn rain, one chill.

Of course, this autumn rain was beneficial to agriculture; vegetable farming requires ample water; though some farmers had drip irrigation, it wasn't yet universal, and many still relied on manual water-carrying for irrigation.

This rain significantly reduced the labor burden on vegetable farmers, delighting them; farmers toil all year long, after all, just hoping for favorable weather and timely rains.

Because of the rain, Su Xinghui didn't go to the villages; he stayed in his office working. As he read a report, someone knocked on his door; he didn't look up and said: "Come in."

The door opened, and Sun Xuefei entered; through the open door, Su Xinghui saw curious glances from outside, and he frowned: "Sun Xuefei, what are you doing here?"

Sun Xuefei was dressed beautifully today: a black blazer on top, a red woolen skirt—trendy for the time—underneath, black stockings, and red high heels.

This outfit was far better than her old foot-covering pants; clearly, her fashion sense had improved. With this look, her big curls and bright red lipstick no longer seemed garish; she appeared slender, tall, and radiant.

Sun Xuefei gave Su Xinghui a sultry glance, then turned and shut the door, blocking out the curious stares from outside.

Su Xinghui quickly said: "Hey, don't close the door—you'll cause rumors."