Master, That's My Wife and My House! - Chapter 12

“Master’s wife, look at these.” After putting away the safflower oil, Chen Feng opened the net bag and placed the lunch boxes in front of Lin Youwei.

Lin Youwei was still somewhat dazed, but her attention was quickly drawn to a row of aluminum lunch boxes in front of her.

“Why are there so many lunchboxes? Xiaofeng, are you going to bring your own lunch to the factory from now on?” Lin Youwei asked in confusion.

“Where!” Chen Feng lifted the lids of each lunchbox, revealing steaming hot food inside.

It’s only a half-hour drive from the Wanhuai Coal Mine to the machinery factory, and with the weather in June, the food won’t be too hot or too cold.

“Look, this is braised chicken, this is osmanthus-scented lotus root, this is braised beef, this is steamed sea bass, and this… braised pork belly. So that guy took the fried peanuts too.” Chen Feng stroked his chin. Little Sun’s blind box opening wasn’t lucky enough!

“How come there are so many delicious foods?” Lin Youwei couldn’t believe her eyes. If this food were in a state-run restaurant, it would cost three to five yuan, enough for several days’ wages.

Chen Feng said with a smile, “Today I went to the Wanhuai Coal Mine with our Section Chief Lin. They treated us to a working meal and even brought some back with us before we left.”

“That’s good?” Lin Youwei couldn’t believe it, but then she thought about it again. Chen Feng was a vocational school student, so it was certain that he was quite capable.

“Put it away! I’ll cook some rice for you to take to the factory tomorrow.” Lin Youwei was about to put the lunchbox away.

“No!” Chen Feng grabbed Lin Youwei’s hand, then grinned, “I’m hungry, let’s eat now, let’s eat together!”

Lin Youwei wanted to refuse. In her mind, such good food should be given to Chen Feng, the head of the household, while she could just eat some steamed buns and porridge.

But when Lin Youwei saw Chen Feng’s determined eyes, she couldn’t even bring herself to refuse and could only obediently nod.

“Master’s wife, try this, it’s delicious.” Chen Feng took the initiative to serve food to Lin Youwei, and then said with a dream: “Once the house is allocated, I will take you back to my hometown to meet my parents, brothers and sisters. They are all very nice people, and you will definitely get along with them.”

As Lin Youwei listened, she started to cry, which startled Chen Feng. He quickly comforted her, “What’s wrong? Is it not good? Why are you crying?”

Lin Youwei shook her head sadly, “No, it’s delicious, but… I have to leave once the house is ready.”

Chen Feng chuckled, took Lin Youwei’s hand, and whispered, “Don’t worry! I have a plan. From now on, you can stay as my wife, okay?”

Lin Youwei didn’t know why, but she nodded as if possessed, making Chen Feng look at her with a smile.

That night, the two still squeezed together, but unlike before, this time Lin Youwei did not reject Chen Feng’s embrace.

Early in the morning, Chen Feng opened his eyes and found that his side was empty. Lin Youwei was used to getting up early to prepare breakfast.

Before, when she first arrived at Chen Feng’s place, she couldn’t touch anything. But now, Lin Youwei told herself that even if she had to go back after they were assigned rooms, she had to take good care of Chen Feng during this time.

“Xiaofeng, you’re awake! Quickly brush your teeth and wash your face, it’s time to eat.” Lin Youwei was busy and greeted Chen Feng as he got out of bed.

Chen Feng used to eat in the cafeteria most of the time, and he hardly ever used the kitchen at home.

Speaking of this house, it belongs to Wanhuai Machinery Factory. Because I entered the factory as a vocational school graduate and was treated as a technician, the factory rented this house to me.

It costs 1.5 yuan per month, deducted directly from your salary. Of course, if you don’t want to live like this, you can live in the factory dormitory, which is free, but there are eight people in one room, and they are bunk beds.

Chen Feng hesitated between staying in the dormitory and staying there, but after only one night, he quickly moved here.

Goodness, eight people in one room, it gets so lively when the lights are turned off at night.

Some snored, some farted, some ground their teeth, some talked in their sleep, and some even got up in the middle of the night to pee, then went to the wrong bed and crawled into Chen Feng’s bed.

It’s no exaggeration to say it’s even more bustling than a vegetable market. Compared to that, paying a small fee each month to get some rest makes it all worthwhile.

After getting up, washing her face and brushing her teeth, Lin Youwei had already brought out the food by the time she sat down on the stool. The dishes from yesterday were barely touched, and two of the boxes were still fresh.

Today, I also had some steamed buns and cooked some porridge. This breakfast was quite luxurious; most people wouldn’t be willing to spend money like this.

“I’ve chopped up the braised chicken pieces for you and cooked some rice to put on top. Take it with you for lunch,” Lin Youwei said as she served the rice.

“And you?” Chen Feng took a steamed bun, took a bite, and asked.

“I… I’ll just grab something to eat at the cafeteria for lunch,” Lin Youwei smiled.

Chen Feng waved his hand and said, “No, that won’t do. The weather is getting hotter and hotter. If we don’t finish the leftovers soon, we won’t be able to eat them again. I see you really like fish. Take the steamed sea bass with you, and add some braised pork to it.”

“I…really don’t need it.”

“It’ll spoil if we don’t eat it, and it’s a waste to throw it away,” Chen Feng said with a smile. Seeing that Lin Youwei still wanted to say something, he said directly, “Be good, listen to me!”

For Lin Youwei, Chen Feng’s words were like magic; as soon as Chen Feng said them, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse and could only obediently listen.

After finishing breakfast, the two prepared lunch. The weather wasn’t too hot yet, so they could bring their own lunch for the next couple of days. After that, they would either have to come back to cook lunch or eat at the cafeteria.

The two went to work together, and just as they were about to part ways at the factory, they were notified to go to the factory office.

The factory’s staff office was a department established by the Wanhuai Machinery Factory to handle employee issues; to put it bluntly… housing allocation was their responsibility.

Since I was called in, the matter became clear: it was for registration and inquiry. After all, housing allocation would be in a month, and according to the rules, dual-income couples would have priority.

As for some people getting married in order to get housing, the factory office is aware of it, but generally they don’t interfere, nor can they. If people are happy, what business is it of yours?

Furthermore, in the 1970s, divorce was not as simple as going to a public toilet as it would be decades later.

In this day and age, if you get divorced, you have to be prepared for gossip. No matter if you’re male or female, once you’re divorced, you can’t escape it.

Therefore, many people, even if they can’t make it work, continue to torment each other rather than get a divorce.

This is why when Chen Feng asked Zhou Zhenglong for money, Zhou Zhenglong had nothing to say when Chen Feng mentioned that it was difficult to find a second marriage; such is the prevailing social attitude.