Chapter 24: Director Lu? Old Man Lu

As soon as they stepped into the restaurant, the eldest brother, Chen Jian, stood at the entrance like a guardian deity. When Chen Liang entered with Miss Xiaoyu, he was visibly stunned by her beauty.

Who says honest folks don’t gossip!

Inside the private room, the two families—more than a dozen people—filled it to the brim. Once the couple arrived, they asked the waiter to begin serving the dishes. Both families chatted amicably over food and drinks, exchanging stories about daily life. It wasn’t until a good while later that the topic finally turned to the wedding, and the atmosphere grew even livelier.

All in all, things went harmoniously. Both families wanted the marriage settled quickly, so no one made any excessive demands. Every word hinted at urgency—faster, even faster! If it could happen that very night, they’d be overjoyed.

From the perspective of their families, both Chen Liang and Miss Xiaoyu were outstanding individuals, just terribly unlucky in finding a partner. They were, without question, the two most difficult cases in their families. At long last, they’d finally found each other, like two turtles seeing eye to eye. Naturally, everyone was eager to see the marriage come to fruition as soon as possible.

After agreeing on the dowry and bride price, and setting the wedding for the coming Sunday, both families breathed silent sighs of relief. Then, in high spirits, they urged each other to drink, celebrating with abandon.

When it was time to part, Chen’s father, who couldn’t hold his liquor, insisted on swearing brotherhood with Zhao’s father. In the end, it took Zhao’s mother herself to drag her husband away.

What a spectacle! Finally, Chen Liang carried his father on his back all the way home.

After a quick wash, Chen Liang lay in bed, unable to sleep. He couldn’t help but imagine the colorful, joyful life that awaited him.

First day of missing Miss Xiaoyu!

He awoke after a dreamless night, quickly got up to brush his teeth and wash his face, and once again slipped out without breakfast, escaping his mother’s nagging.

Today was Miss Xiaoyu's first day working at the library. He had to accompany her, of course—and bring a gift for the director to see if he could arrange a less strenuous job for his wife.

How could he bear to let such a lovely woman do manual labor?

He bought a basket of steamed buns on the way, eating as he walked. It was clear he needed to speed up his plan to earn money. He couldn’t stand the thought of his wife walking to work every day.

When he arrived at the Zhao house, Miss Xiaoyu had just finished breakfast and was packing up for work. He declined their eager invitation to eat, and the couple set off together, as the walk was quite a distance.

But for two people in love, the journey felt short. They arrived at the library just in time for work.

After finding Director Lu, Chen Liang asked Miss Xiaoyu to wait outside for a moment, then entered the office with his bulging satchel.

“Mr. Lu, how do you do!” He greeted the director, offering him a cigarette. After lighting it for the old man, he pulled out an unopened carton of cigarettes from his bag, along with two tins of unmarked pre-rain Longjing tea.

“Mr. Lu, this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope it meets your approval.”

Director Lu was clearly a shrewd character. He accepted the gifts without hesitation. “Heh, I’m just an old man with no authority. You’ve come to the wrong temple to burn incense!”

“Oh, but one must have a temple to burn incense, mustn’t one?”

“You’re a slippery one. Well then, what’s this about?”

“It’s a small matter—I’d like to see if my wife could be given a lighter workload.”

“Very well! But I’m curious—how did you manage to make young Li take such a loss?”

Seeing the old man’s eager curiosity, Chen Liang answered straightforwardly, “Li Yuanchao owed me a favor, so he let me have this job quota.”

“Well now, that’s not a small favor! He traded his father’s snuff bottle for that quota, you know!”

“Enough, I won’t ask anything more. Go on, call your wife in.”

Seeing that Chen Liang didn’t want to elaborate, Director Lu let the subject drop.

When Chen Liang brought Miss Xiaoyu in, the old man’s eyes lit up. “A beauty from the northwest, clad as if in clouds and mist,” he murmured appreciatively.

“That’s enough—one look is all you get!” Chen Liang said protectively.

“You rascal! Just looking doesn’t hurt anyone,” Director Lu chuckled, finding this young man amusing.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “There’s an unused office at the corner of the second floor. Go tidy it up, and you can be in charge of keeping track of book loans each day.”

He arranged for someone to take Miss Xiaoyu upstairs, then flashed two fingers at Chen Liang.

“Hey! Old man, didn’t I just give you a whole carton?” Chen Liang pulled out another cigarette and lit it for him.

Director Lu scoffed. “I meant you should bring another one tomorrow. How long do you think one carton will last?”

Chen Liang was taken aback. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?” He glanced at the old man, who looked utterly pleased with himself.

He threw the entire pack over. “I won’t have time to come by tomorrow—maybe in a few days.”

Seeing there was nothing more to be squeezed out of Chen Liang, Director Lu ignored him and went back to his newspaper.

Chen Liang said nothing, simply standing by to admire the wall of ancient books.

After a while, when he heard no sound, Director Lu thought Chen Liang had left. He put down his newspaper and took a sip of tea, only to see Chen Liang still gazing at the shelves.

That hit the old man’s weak spot—those books were his life’s work, his proudest achievement.

“So, can you actually read those old books?” Director Lu asked, his tone a little lofty.

“Nope!” Chen Liang didn’t indulge him, shooting down the old man’s expectation in a single word. Director Lu felt as if he’d punched a pillow—he almost spat blood in frustration.

What’s wrong with you! How can you say you can’t read them with such confidence?

If he’d shown even a hint of humility, the old man wouldn’t be half this exasperated.

“Then what are you looking at them for?” Director Lu complained, a note of grievance in his voice.

Chen Liang chuckled, turning back. “Nobody ever said you couldn’t appreciate something you don’t understand.”

“That’s nonsense—if you can’t read them, what’s there to appreciate?” Director Lu was skeptical.

“Come on, old man, do I have to tell you exactly what I’m appreciating?”

“I just want to know—can you actually read any of it? I bet you can’t even recognize all the characters.” The old man was truly desperate now, resorting to such a feeble goad.

“True, I can’t read them all. But that doesn’t bother me. I was just thinking, if I sold this heap of ancient books to the antique shop, how much would they fetch?”