Chapter 133: In High Spirits

Lu Yan bit her hand lightly. Although the taste was as usual not to his liking, his mood was good, and a slight smile curved his lips. “Hmm, not bad.”

Shen Qingyi smiled. “Want me to pick another one for you?”

Lu Yan waved his hand. “No need.”

If it weren’t for wanting to treat An’an equally, he wouldn’t have taken a single bite.

After finishing the herbal tea, An’an smacked his lips. “Mom, can I have another cup? It tastes better than soda.”

Shen Qingyi laughed and poured him another cup.

Lu Yan had already eaten some preserved mustard greens, so more than half of the tea in the cup was gone. Shen Qingyi refilled his cup as well.

“I’m taking An’an to the city tomorrow to visit Sister Feng. She’s come twice to invite us,” Shen Qingyi said to Lu Yan.

Lu Yan hesitated briefly. “Let’s go on the weekend. I’ll drive you both.”

“I know how to take the bus. Xiao Wu taught me. We’ll stay there overnight and come back with Xiao Wu the next morning.”

Lu Yan took a sip of tea and decided, “I’ll have someone drive you there tomorrow and come pick you up in the evening.”

Since she usually got car sick even in a small car, she wouldn’t be able to endure the crowded buses and coaches.

He also recalled the man who had stolen her clothes, making the situation feel even more precarious.

Shen Qingyi hesitated a moment. “Alright.”

Early the next morning, after Lu Yan left for work, a young man drove Lu Yan’s car and parked it at the doorstep.

He got out and politely said to Shen Qingyi, “Lu Yan sent me to take you to the city.”

“Okay! Thank you!” Shen Qingyi replied, went back inside to grab her bag, locked the door, and then led An’an into the car.

An hour and a half later, the car arrived at the location Shen Qingyi had specified.

After the car left, Shen Qingyi held An’an’s hand and walked to a relatively new apartment building. She glanced at the door number before entering the stairwell.

On the second floor, she knocked on a door. Wang Dakui opened it and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

The woman before him was strikingly beautiful, her bearing and attire more fashionable and elegant than the actresses in magazines. She seemed from a completely different era than them.

The child with her was equally clean and lovely.

His instinct told him she must have knocked on the wrong door; there was no way such a person could be known to their family.

Shen Qingyi was momentarily stunned. “Isn’t this Sister Feng’s home?”

Wang Dakui suddenly realized, “Are you Erqiu’s benefactor?”

Benefactor? Shen Qingyi hadn’t expected Feng Erqiu to call her that behind her back, but the word sounded good. She accepted it gracefully without modesty. “Yes, are you Sister Feng’s elder brother?”

Wang Dakui hurriedly invited her inside, repeatedly wiping a chair before placing it beside her. “Yes, please sit. I’ll get you a glass of water.”

Upon entering, Shen Qingyi noticed his foot and felt it better not to trouble others too much. Smiling, she said, “No need, I just drank some in the car. Where’s Sister Feng?”

“She’s at the stall with Chun Ni. I just came back and was about to deliver the next batch of food,” Wang Dakui said, nervously avoiding eye contact. Then he hurried to the room and told his mother, who was trying to soothe Er’er, “We have guests.”

Old Mr. Feng had gone out to buy ingredients for the herbal tea.

Mrs. Feng, holding Er’er, came out quickly. She was stunned for a long moment upon seeing Shen Qingyi, who looked even more like a city dweller than the city people themselves, unsure how to speak. Wang Dakui said, “Mom, this is Erqiu’s benefactor.”

“Oh my!” Mrs. Feng was so moved she handed Er’er to Wang Dakui and clasped Shen Qingyi’s hands tightly. “Really! Truly, thank you so much.”

She was at a loss for words and turned to Wang Dakui. “What are you waiting for? Go get some buns for our guests.”

Shen Qingyi returned her grip gently. “Auntie, you and brother don’t need to bother. I ate some yesterday; if I eat more, it’ll have to wait until lunchtime.”

At the sound of “brother,” Wang Dakui froze. It stirred an indescribable feeling—back home, most people called him “the crippled one” outright, and behind his back, “dead cripple.”

He handed Er’er back to Mrs. Feng. “I’ll bring some steamed buns over and then bring Erqiu here.”

In the kitchen, he picked out ten buns. Usually, the family waited until unsold buns remained to eat, but hearing that Shen Qingyi preferred to eat later, he carefully placed these buns in the cupboard, planning to move the rest out for sale.

Passing through the living room, he told Shen Qingyi, “I’m going to fetch Erqiu.”

He then left.

At the stall, he placed the buns and urged Erqiu, “Comrade Xiao Shen came with her son. Hurry back to greet them.”

Hearing this, Chun Ni quickly grabbed Erqiu’s hand. “Mom, hurry back.”

Erqiu handed the just-received change purse to Wang Dakui. “I’ll be back after buying.”

She then led Chun Ni home.

As soon as they arrived, they saw Shen Qingyi holding Er’er, playing with An’an.

“An’an!”

Hearing his name, An’an immediately put Er’er down and ran joyfully toward her.

Chun Ni had a new hair ribbon, her hair neatly braided. An’an’s black eyes, like shining grapes, looked at her hair. “Did you learn to braid hair?”

“No, my mom did it for me. When we were at the base, she was too busy, so I just tied it roughly myself.”

The two children chatted back and forth happily.

Knowing Shen Qingyi was coming today, Feng Erqiu had specially bought fish, ribs, eggs, as well as lettuce and green beans.

After chatting a while, Feng Erqiu planned to cook. “Give Er’er to my mom. Don’t tire yourself out holding her.”

Shen Qingyi smiled. “I don’t have anything else to do. I can’t just sit around.”

Seeing how many times she had held Er’er and how fond she was of Chun Ni, Feng Erqiu laughed. “When do you and Engineer Lu plan to have another child?”

Shen Qingyi shook her head. “Not planning to have more.”

Given her current situation, having another child would leave her no energy to handle her father’s affairs.

“You have such good conditions. Look at An’an; it’d be a pity not to have more.”

Shen Qingyi didn’t want to dwell on the topic and replied vaguely, “We’ll see.”

Feng Erqiu went to the kitchen to prepare the meal. About an hour later, Wang Dakui returned. Sensing it was mealtime, the Feng family called everyone together.

Wang Dakui quickly reheated the buns in the kitchen, then placed them in front of Shen Qingyi and poured herbal tea for her and An’an.

Noticing a packaging on Chun Ni’s side he had never seen before, he asked, “What’s this?”

Chun Ni picked up the package and offered it to her uncle. “It’s candy! An’an brought it for me.”

“To package a single candy so delicately—this is the first time I’ve seen that,” Wang Dakui smiled.

Shen Qingyi looked thoughtful, glancing at the herbal tea in her hand. “Good packaging helps sell better because it distinguishes your candy from others. If the flavor is better and more unique, you can charge more.

Just like this cup of herbal tea—if it were bottled in a soda glass bottle, it could sell at soda prices. If you made the bottle distinct from others, the tea could become your family’s signature.

Once people recognize the taste, they’ll only buy your tea in that packaging.”