Chapter 759: Feng Hui
Xiao Man stood on the curb for over ten minutes, scanning her surroundings with her Divine Sense. Once she was sure no one was watching her, she squatted down, lifted a corner of the newspaper, and touched the Mystic Iron Stone, storing it in her Treasure Pearl Space. Then, holding the bundle of empty newspapers, she hailed a motorized passenger tricycle and left.
The tricycle took her to the department store as she requested. Xiao Man got out, went inside, and casually bought a few things. She also bought a canvas travel bag and stuffed the empty newspapers inside. This made it easier to carry and also served as a bit of a disguise.
After wandering through the five-story department store, she started to feel a little hungry. It was well past lunchtime, and she doubted she would find anything decent at a restaurant. So, Xiao Man went to the food counter, bought two boxes of crackers, and put them in her travel bag. She walked out to the bus stop to wait. While there, she reached into her bag for something to eat. What she pulled out, however, was a snack she had stored in her space—small pork floss pastries. She ate three to tide herself over.
She was craning her neck, looking down the road for an approaching bus, when a black car pulled over not far away. The driver’s door opened, and a tall, sturdy young man stepped out. He was dressed fashionably and respectably. The man walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger door, and said to the person inside with a warm, smiling tone, “I’m really sorry. This meeting was called on short notice, and time is tight. Otherwise, I would have taken a detour and driven you there myself.”
A familiar local accent, and the voice was familiar too. Xiao Man took a closer look. ‘Hey, this guy is actually someone I know!’
A young woman got out of the passenger seat. She wore a watermelon-red blouse and light gray straight-leg pants. She had a full figure and fair skin. She had short hair with the ends permed to a slight flip, which complemented her very likable smile. The whole look made her appear playful yet alluring. When she spoke, her voice was gentle and sweet, and like the man, she used the Wancheng dialect:
“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’ve been promoted now, so you have to focus on your work and not let it get delayed. Anyway, I’m free right now, so I’ll just slowly browse the shops, go see my aunt, and then take the bus home myself. You get off work at five-thirty, right? You should be home a little after six. I’ll pick up Dongdong on time and have dinner ready and waiting for you!”
“I really feel bad. My mother-in-law is sick, so Qingqing had to go back to visit her. She’ll have to stay and care for her for a few days at least. And of all times, my parents went on a trip and haven’t returned. I can’t manage the housework, and there’s no one to look after the kid. It’s all thanks to you. Otherwise, I don’t know what I’d do. It would be a total mess.”
As the man spoke, he opened the back door and pulled out a mesh bag. Inside were some apples, pears, two bottles of liquor, and a few cans of food. He stuffed the whole lot into the young woman’s hands. “Take this to your aunt’s house. I didn’t know what to get. The liquor was a gift from someone—it’s quite good. Let your uncle try it.”
The young woman in red waved her hands, refusing it, but after a bit of back and forth, she smilingly accepted. But then, the mesh of the bag snagged on the zipper pull of the man’s jacket. They had to move closer, and after a moment of flustered fumbling, pulling and tugging, they finally got it untangled. Seeing that the man’s clothes were a bit disheveled, the young woman gently placed the bag on the ground and reached up to straighten them for him. She carefully adjusted his collar, then tugged the hem of his jacket straight. After checking him from the front and back, she brushed off his shoulders, and only then did she smile with satisfaction. The man bent down, picked up the mesh bag, and handed it to her. The young woman gave him a tender look, blushed, and whispered something before turning and walking away.
As the man closed his car door, he turned to watch the young woman’s retreating back, his expression a mixture of complex emotions and a slight daze.
Xiao Man stood a few steps away, arms crossed, watching the show. She had already let two buses go by, internally debating whether she should shout out to him.
Seeing that he was about to get in the car, Xiao Man sighed and finally called out, “Feng Hui! Brother Feng!”
That’s right. The acquaintance before her was none other than Xiao Feng, whose full name was Feng Hui. He was the same man who had followed Tang Qingyun around years ago.
Tang Qingyun had left his post in Wancheng for another region, but Xiao Feng had remained in Wancheng, assigned to a position in a lower-level county or township. Later, Tang Qingyun went away for further studies, and she’d heard that Xiao Feng had also been gradually promoted. Judging by the current situation, he must have just been transferred to the provincial city.
It had been two or three years. Xiao Man wasn’t surprised that she herself had grown into a young woman, but she was quite taken aback by the change in Xiao Feng. ‘This guy used to have a standard, neither-fat-nor-thin build. His crew cut made him look clean and capable. Now, he’s exceptionally burly, heading straight toward fat. He’s even got a bit of a potbelly. His face has started to get round and ruddy, and he’s grown his hair out, styling it with mousse into a slicked-back pompadour so shiny you can see reflections in it…’
‘This look is what people call “getting plump” or developing a “prosperous look.” But to Xiao Man, it just felt awkward. Getting heavier could be attributed to a happy and comfortable married life, but that greasy hairstyle is a real downgrade. Xiao Feng used to have pretty good taste. Why the sudden change in style? It feels so distorted.’
Xiao Feng stared at Xiao Man for a long moment before pointing at her in pleasant surprise. “You’re Mo… no, you’re Tang Manman, right? Wow! It really is Xiao Man!”
“It’s me! Hello, Brother Feng!” Xiao Man smiled and nodded. She disliked Tang Qingyun, but she had a very good impression of Xiao Feng. She’d received his help back then; it was thanks to him that she had been able to find Mo Jiabao’s family so quickly, allowing her Grandpa and Grandma to reunite with their biological son. They had fulfilled their lifelong wish and could pass on without regret.
“Hey, great, we’re all doing great! Xiao Man, are you back for vacation? Why are you here all by yourself? Who did you come to the provincial city with?” Xiao Feng asked, rushing over in a few steps to pick up the travel bag at her feet. He ushered her toward the car. “Come with me first. I can’t park here for too long.”
Xiao Man had no choice but to get into the passenger seat. As she closed the door, she watched Xiao Feng start the car and teased him deliberately, “I saw you, you know. You weren’t impatient at all when you were chitchatting with that young lady just now. How come as soon as it’s me, you suddenly can’t park for long?”
Xiao Feng realized that Xiao Man had probably seen his entire interaction with the woman in red. He couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed, but he brazenly played it off, avoiding her question. He just turned to look her over and chuckled. “A girl changes so much by the time she’s eighteen, it’s really true. How long has it been? In the blink of an eye, the little girl has grown into a young woman, a real beauty. I almost didn’t recognize you!”
Xiao Man rolled her eyes. ‘People who navigate the world of officialdom must all practice some kind of fox-spirit cultivation. This is how they become such crafty old dogs, isn’t it?’
“Brother Feng, you’re avoiding my question. Who was that young woman just now? Why was she so intimate with you?”
“What do you mean, intimate? We’re just ordinary friends.”
“Is that so? An ‘ordinary friend’ who says in a sweet, gentle voice, ‘I’ll have dinner ready and waiting for you’? Who gets right up close to straighten your collar for you and whispers, ‘Come home early tonight,’ before she leaves? You don’t call that intimate? You looked like you were enjoying it quite a bit. Does this happen often? I wonder what your wife, the Qingqing from back then, would think if she knew?”
“You little… you don’t understand. There’s really nothing between us. You can’t just say things like that!” Xiao Feng was getting flustered, his face flushed red. He wiped his forehead, though there wasn’t any sweat on it at all.