In the dead of noon, the two of them rode their bicycles from the meat processing plant staff quarters to the air force unit staff quarters.
Hechengming rode a heavy-duty bicycle, while Sutan rode a compact women's bicycle.
The man had a resilient and upright figure, and the woman had short hair and tanned skin, yet her back was straight and the confidence radiating from her was dazzlingly brilliant.
Fearing that Sutan might fall behind, Hechengming pedaled once for every two of Sutan's, casting glances at her from the corner of his eye every so often.
As a breeze blew by, it felt to him as if he were seeing the girl from over a decade ago who used to tie her hair in two braids and chase the wind with a military-green schoolbag on her back.
That girl was identical to the present-day Sutan, radiating a dazzlingly brilliant confidence no matter what she encountered.
Hechengming felt his heart, which had lain dormant for many years, begin to beat slowly once again.
With her mind entirely occupied by thoughts of a place to live, Sutan completely failed to notice Hechengming's unusual gaze.
Half an hour later, the two of them arrived at the air force unit staff quarters.
Upon entering, Sutan deliberately took a look and saw two soldiers guarding the entrance, meaning strangers could not simply walk in.
She planned to take advantage of the time before Zhou Jianfeng could react to move all their belongings over, knowing that Zhou Jianfeng would undoubtedly kick up a fuss once he found out.
If she could move in here, it would save her a great deal of trouble down the line.
Sutan had already made up her mind that no matter how high the rent was, she would find a way to rent the place.
Hechengming led Sutan in through the main gate, turned right, and walked all the way to the end of the alley before stopping.
"Right here!" Hechengming parked his bike and fished a small key out of his pocket to unlock the door.
Sutan was puzzled: "How do you happen to have the key to this place?"
Hechengming calmly explained: "A fellow soldier left it with me and asked me to help rent it out!"
Sutan felt something was amiss—how could such a coincidence possibly happen? The moment she wanted to rent a place, Hechengming had a ready-made house available.
To suggest Hechengming had romantic feelings for her? Sutan felt that happening was about as likely as the sun rising in the west.
Military men in the eighties were a very desirable match, and Hechengming was even a pilot, meaning his salary was certainly higher than that of ordinary soldiers.
Someone like him would have no trouble finding a partner; how could he possibly be interested in a divorced woman like her?
It all had to be sheer coincidence.
Sutan looked over the house. Just as Hechengming had described, it consisted of three rooms facing south, with a courtyard a circle larger than Zhou Jianfeng's. Near the kitchen area stood a hand-pumped water well, thoughtfully wrapped in thick, tattered clothes.
That was presumably to keep the water pipes from freezing.
While Zhou Jianfeng's home was still an adobe house with adobe walls, the buildings here were brick-and-tile houses, with walls built on stone foundations topped with red bricks.
They were about two meters high.
The privacy was excellent.
This way, whether she was drying clothes in the courtyard or doing other things, she wouldn't have to worry about being watched by others.
The windows of all three rooms were wooden, characteristic of this era, fitted with small panes of glass.
Hechengming unlocked all three rooms, and Sutan followed behind, inspecting them thoroughly. The layout of this house was identical to that of Zhou Jianfeng's.
Furthest to the east was the kitchen, in the middle was a bedroom with an inner chamber, and to the west was an empty room containing nothing at all.
The floors in the kitchen and the western room were rammed earth, packed down firmly enough so that sweeping wouldn't easily stir up dust.
The floor of the middle room was paved with bricks; apart from that, it was completely bare of any furniture.
"I'll take this one. Could you please help me ask the landlord how much the monthly rent is? If possible, I'd like to rent it for three years right now, and ideally move in tomorrow or the day after!"
Divorce was a variable, and Sutan did not know whether Zhou Jianfeng would tell their families about their impending separation.
Once the elders were dragged into it, emptying out their home wouldn't be easy.
Hearing the mention of three years, Hechengming's pupils dilated slightly, and a trace of an imperceptible smile flashed across the depths of his eyes.
"The rent is thirty-five a year, one hundred for three years!"
So cheap?
That came out to less than three yuan a month—it was practically a pie falling from the sky.
Hardly believing her ears, Sutan quickly pulled ten ten-yuan bills from her pocket.
"To ensure neither party backs out, I think we'd better sign an agreement!"
Feeling as though she had struck a massive bargain, Sutan felt her heartbeat accelerate relentlessly.
Hechengming's gaze landed on the hand Sutan held against her chest, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward: "Alright!"
Because he frequently attended meetings, Hechengming had a habit of carrying paper and pens with him. He took them out and handed them to Sutan.
Sutan leaned against the windowsill to write.
The midday sunlight pierced through the clean glass and spilled boldly across Sutan's face, allowing Hechengming to see the fine down on her skin.
Sutan's apricot-shaped eyes, as clear as mountain springs, were fixed on the small notebook, her curled fingers dancing swiftly across the paper.
Her cherry-like, small and cute mouth muttered softly, likely voicing the thoughts running through her head.
Hechengming found himself involuntarily captivated.
"Take a look and see if this is alright."
Not until Sutan handed the notebook over did Hechengming snap back to his senses.
As he pulled his gaze back, their eyes collided by chance, and Hechengming calmly shifted his focus to the notebook Sutan was holding out.
Her handwriting was even better than when she was in school—neat, elegant regular script that caught the eye.
At the very bottom were her signature and the date.
"Mm!"
Hechengming closed the notebook directly.
"I'll hold onto the keys for now. I'll have them clean it up tonight, and you can move in whenever you're ready!"
Sutan smiled so broadly her canine teeth showed: "I owe you another favor. Once I'm settled in, I'll treat you to a meal!"
Since Hechengming still had to go to work, he left first as it neared two o'clock.
Sutan stayed behind, thinking that after moving in, she would pave the kitchen and the currently empty room with bricks, or cement if any was available.
She planned to use the western room as a bathroom, and paving it with cement would make bathing much more convenient.
With a place to live secured, a large weight was lifted from Sutan's mind. She lingered here for a little while longer before heading back.
When she got home, she poked at the stove to get it going, intending to boil some hot water to drink.
He Chengfang knocked on the door.
Because Hechengming had been of great help to her, Sutan treated He Chengfang very politely.
She invited He Chengfang in, keeping a smile on her face the entire time.
"Sister Fang, is there something you need?"
As soon as she stepped inside, He Chengfang swept her gaze over Sutan from head to toe.
"I heard Zhou Jianfeng brought that woman back again today. He didn't hit you, did he?"
With such a commotion made today, neighbors surely must have seen Hechengming protecting her, and He Chengfang had likely come specifically out of concern that Sutan might entangle herself with Hechengming.
Sutan's voice was placid: "Thanks to Hechengming today, otherwise I would have taken a beating!"
"Chengming is a soldier; anyone in his position would step in to protect you if they saw it," He Chengfang said, looking at Sutan with a meaningful expression.
Sutan nodded: "Sister Fang, you don't need to worry. Even though Hechengming and I were classmates, there is absolutely nothing between us and never could be!"