The department store was bustling with people, and many were drawn to the strikingly attractive pair of a man and a woman—Zhou Yinghuai and Cheng Fangqiu.
However, Zhou Yinghuai seemed oblivious to everyone else, his gaze fixed intently on the woman before him. He stared at her so intensely that she blushed with embarrassment. Only then did he slowly lean forward, his eyes filled with warmth and anticipation.
“Say it again.”
Cheng Fangqiu’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her heartbeat pounding wildly. She had just spoken so many words, yet she instinctively knew exactly what he wanted to hear.
It was the form of address she hadn’t managed to call out last night in bed.
“Qiuqiu?” His deep voice carried an unmistakable allure, and when paired with his deceptively handsome face, Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but swallow nervously. Unconsciously, she stuck out her tongue to lick her popsicle, the faint taste of orange spreading through her mouth.
Sweetness seeped into the depths of her heart.
“Husband.”
She blurted it out quickly, then turned and walked away as if fleeing.
Zhou Yinghuai suddenly broke into a smile, his brows arching with delight. With his long legs, he took just a few strides to catch up with her, taking the soda bottle from her hand. The icy sensation felt pleasant in his palm at first, but after holding it for a while, it would inevitably turn too cold.
Seeing his thoughtful action, the slight discomfort in Cheng Fangqiu’s heart dissipated significantly. She reached up to cover her ears with her hands, letting the coolness of her palms bring down the heat burning at the tips.
It was just calling him “husband”—perfectly reasonable and legal.
But precisely because he liked it so much, she couldn’t say it every day. Rarity makes something precious. If she said it too often, it would lose its specialness. She had to reserve it as a reward for whenever he did something that pleased her.
That way, it would be meaningful. That way, he would be motivated to treat her well.
However, this grand ambition completely crumbled when it came to their nighttime activities. At that time, she called him “husband” so smoothly, over and over again.
But that was a matter for later.
“Do you want some?” Cheng Fangqiu pushed her half-eaten popsicle toward him. Zhou Yinghuai merely glanced at the unevenly bitten edges before taking it without hesitation, eating the rest with ease.
She suddenly felt a little self-conscious.
She had only bought the popsicle out of curiosity, but after two bites, she realized it didn’t taste that good. However, since she had spent money on it, she didn’t want to throw it away. After some thought, she decided to casually ask him if he wanted it. If he refused, she could then toss it into the trash can up ahead, easing her conscience at least a little.
She had been certain that Zhou Yinghuai wouldn’t eat it—after all, when they bought it earlier, she had already asked him, and he had said he didn’t like these overly sweet things. That was why she only bought one.
Besides, she never imagined he would actually eat something she had bitten so messily.
But to her surprise, Zhou Yinghuai didn’t mind at all.
“What are you thinking about?” Zhou Yinghuai finished the popsicle in just a few bites, tossing the wooden stick into the trash can. When he turned back, he saw Cheng Fangqiu staring at him in a daze. Instinctively, he reached up to touch his face. “Do I have something on my face?”
His mouth still had some ice shards in it, making his words a little muffled.
Cheng Fangqiu snapped out of her daze and shook her head. She only felt a warm sensation spreading in her chest, so she changed the subject. “Where’s the furniture section?”
Zhou Yinghuai had already looked into it beforehand. Leading Cheng Fangqiu through a few stores, they soon arrived at the furniture shop. The place was enormous, covering almost the entire first floor. It was divided into different sections, neatly displaying all sorts of finished furniture for customers to browse.
The store was quite crowded, mostly with young couples shopping around—either preparing for marriage or already married newlyweds.
No matter the era, furniture has never been cheap. Unless necessary, most people wouldn’t casually replace their household furniture. Marriage, however, was one such necessity—after all, both the betrothal gifts and the dowry were incomplete without furniture to enhance the occasion.
At the moment, Cheng Fangqiu and Zhou Yinghuai had a clear goal. As soon as they entered the store, they headed straight for the bed section. The salesperson in charge of selling beds was a young man in his twenties, with an honest and simple appearance. When he smiled, his eyes squinted into thin slits, making him seem very approachable.
And indeed, he was. As soon as the two of them stopped in front of a bed, he eagerly came over, introducing himself with enthusiasm: “Hello, comrades! I’m a salesperson here, you can call me Xiao Huang.”
Zhou Yinghuai shook hands with him. “Hello.”
Cheng Fangqiu gave a polite smile and greeted him as well. “Hello.”
“Do you have any specific requirements for the bed? Let me know, and I’ll help you find the right one,” Xiao Huang asked cheerfully.
Cheng Fangqiu didn’t hold back and thought for a moment before replying directly, “Comfortable, breathable, aesthetically pleasing.”
Just as Xiao Huang was about to respond, a voice beside her added in a calm and steady tone: “Good weight capacity, sturdy, doesn’t make noise.”
As soon as those words fell, an awkward silence settled over the scene.
Cheng Fangqiu’s ears burned with heat. She immediately pinched Zhou Yinghuai’s waist in secret—did he have to make it so obvious why they were buying a bed?!
She hadn’t controlled her strength, and Zhou Yinghuai winced slightly from the pain. He lowered his eyes to look at her, his expression filled with grievance, as if silently asking: Did I say something wrong? He was merely expressing a reasonable need.
Cheng Fangqiu glared at him. Only then did Zhou Yinghuai obediently withdraw his gaze and close his mouth.
Fortunately, Xiao Huang was experienced and kept a straight face as he smoothly continued the sales pitch: “This iron-frame bed has been selling particularly well lately. It’s stylish, elegant, and extremely durable. Many female comrades like it, though it is slightly more expensive than regular solid wood beds.”
The three of them walked over to the iron-frame bed. It was primarily white, simple yet elegant, with intricate patterns carefully designed on the headboard, giving it the look of a bed that a young lady returning from overseas might have used in the old days.
It was certainly visually appealing, the kind of design that would attract young women.
But Zhou Yinghuai had no interest in aesthetics. To him, a bed had always served one purpose—sleeping.
Now, however, it had gained another purpose.
Sleeping with her.
As long as it met the requirements he had just mentioned and she liked it, the price was the least of his concerns.
Hearing Xiao Huang say that many female customers liked this iron-frame bed, he leaned down and whispered near her ear, “What do you think? Do you like it?”
Cheng Fangqiu was used to sleeping on wooden beds and had no desire to follow trends and pick an iron-frame bed. Besides, in her opinion, the disadvantages of iron-frame beds outweighed the advantages. She shook her head. “I don’t want an iron-frame bed. It’s uncomfortable to sleep on. Over time, the screws tend to loosen and make noise, and the paint will start peeling.”
Zhou Yinghuai gave her a surprised look. He remembered that people in rural areas usually had wooden beds. How did she know so much about the downsides of iron-frame beds?
“Please take us to look at wooden beds instead,” Cheng Fangqiu requested, her attention fully focused on choosing a bed, completely unaware of Zhou Yinghuai’s slightly puzzled gaze.
“Alright, this way.” Xiao Huang also gave Cheng Fangqiu a somewhat surprised glance. He hadn’t expected someone so young to know so much. Since they weren’t interested in the iron-frame bed, he immediately led them to look at solid wood beds.
In the end, they bought two reasonably priced solid wood beds, planning to replace both the master bedroom and guest bedroom beds. After all, it wouldn’t be long before Zhou Yinghuai’s younger brother would arrive from the capital to help with the wedding preparations, and he would definitely be staying at their home.
Just thinking about that gave Cheng Fangqiu a bit of a headache.
But her headache didn’t last long—her attention was quickly drawn to other furniture. Since there was still time, they went ahead and ordered a dressing table, wardrobe, cabinets, dining table, sofa, coffee table, office desk, and chairs all in one go.
It wasn’t an impulsive decision. The reality was that the styles of ready-made furniture in this era didn’t vary much, so there weren’t many options to choose from. They also had no intention of commissioning a carpenter to custom-make furniture, as that would take an uncertain amount of time. It was better to settle everything at once—saving time and effort.
Their big-spending approach caught the attention of the furniture store’s manager, who personally assured them that all the items would be delivered to their home before nightfall.
Solving the furniture problem felt satisfying, but their wallets weren’t quite as happy.
This shopping trip had wiped out almost one-third of Zhou Yinghuai’s assets.
No—now, it was one-third of their assets.
Cheng Fangqiu clutched her wallet tightly, feeling an acute pain in her heart.
Zhou Yinghuai looked at her scrunched-up expression, resembling a steamed bun, and barely resisted the urge to pinch her cheeks in public. Amused, he asked, “Heartbroken over it?”
“Hmph.” Hearing his question, Cheng Fangqiu let out a cold snort and pouted her red lips justifiably. “Of course! I haven’t even had the chance to warm it up yet.”
“In a couple of days, I’ll fill it back up for you.” Zhou Yinghuai patted her slightly deflated wallet with a mysterious air, his deep eyes brimming with laughter.
“Hm?” Cheng Fangqiu looked up at him in confusion. Then, as if realizing something, her brows suddenly furrowed. She narrowed her eyes, resembling a cat with its fur bristled, and put on a deliberately fierce expression. “You didn’t secretly stash away private money, did you?”
“What are you thinking?” Seeing her misunderstanding, Zhou Yinghuai shook his head helplessly, though there was a trace of indulgence in his eyes. He still didn’t reveal the truth to her. “You’ll find out when the time comes.”
Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t stand being left hanging like this and pestered him for an answer. But when Zhou Yinghuai didn’t want to talk, no matter what tricks she used, she couldn’t pry his mouth open.
In the end, she could only snort coldly, “Zhou Yinghuai, you’ve turned bad.”
“This counts as turning bad?” Zhou Yinghuai chuckled lazily, neither confirming nor denying it. Seeing that she still looked displeased, he gently changed the subject to coax her. “There’s prize money for the winners at tonight’s awards ceremony. I’ll use that to make up part of it first.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu’s droopy, beautiful eyes instantly brightened. “Really?”
After the initial excitement, she couldn’t help teasing him, “You’re that confident you’ll win?”
Zhou Yinghuai raised an eyebrow. He didn’t say anything, but the confidence in his expression made him appear even more sharp and spirited, as if everything was firmly within his grasp.
If it were anyone else, such confidence might come across as arrogance. But on him, it felt completely natural, carrying a unique charm that made it impossible to look away.
Cheng Fangqiu’s heart skipped a beat. How could she forget? He was a senior technician at the factory. If he didn’t win, who else could possibly win?
Immediately, she changed her tone, her eyes sparkling as she flattered him. “Then I’ll be waiting for your good news! Ah, as expected of the most, most, most amazing Technician Zhou! In the future, you’ll definitely rake in prize money left and right, and I’ll just follow along, eating and drinking the best—absolute bliss!”
She swayed her head from side to side, as if she was just one step away from putting him on a pedestal.
Zhou Yinghuai found her antics amusing. He reached out and flicked her forehead lightly. “Don’t get carried away. Remember to stay humble in front of others.”
In reality, he wasn’t blindly confident. The factory supervisor, Lei, had specifically reminded him to attend the awards ceremony today, which was already a subtle indication of the results. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hinted at it to her.
All of this was just to make her happy.