64: Chapter 64 “Distance 64: Chapter 64 “Distance Yang Peimin was going back to change her clothes.
She planned to wear that trench coat and re-style her hair, put on a hat, and wrap a scarf around her neck.
After checking her look from various angles and deeming it satisfactory, she finally left the room.
Zhang Minghua, beaming as she emerged from the house, admiringly watched her, “That outfit really suits you.”
Yang Peimin explained, “Isn’t it true that one is judged by their clothing?
When heading out to the county, of course, one must dress up nicely.”
Zhang Minghua glanced at Shen Yiguang, who had also come outside upon hearing the conversation, and smiled, “Indeed, one should dress up.”
Shen Yiguang’s gaze circled Yang Peimin’s face, his eyes growing even darker and more lustrous.
“Let’s go,” said Yang Peimin, feeling a bit uneasy under his gaze, tugging at the scarf in front of her chest as she led the way.
Shen Yiguang said goodbye to Zhang Minghua and the others before stepping forward to catch up with Yang Peimin.
Yang Peimin was planning to look for some high school textbooks and the like.
“At last, a breath of fresh air,” Yang Peimin joked as they walked out the gate.
“You have no idea, my mom dragged me out of bed before six this morning.
It looks like she’s determined to give me an intensive training, from cooking to sewing to social interactions.
It’s a good thing you came over.
I couldn’t bear to reject her, but couldn’t handle it all on my own without getting fat.
I was afraid of disappointing her.”
Shen Yiguang shook his head and chuckled, admiring her honesty and also curious about her past.
“How did you use to live?”
Yang Peimin had already thought up an excuse for this, “Well, who thinks about marriage when they’re still a child?
As a young girl, of course, I did whatever I pleased.
Being pampered by the family only made me lazier.
It wasn’t until that time I fell into the water and faced the feeling of near-death that I woke up realizing the value of people around me.
Life is unpredictable, and one is so fragile.”
“So, it was like an epiphany for me, repenting and starting anew to relearn my skills.”
Shen Yiguang let out a clear laugh, taking long strides to catch up to her side, then raised his hand and finally adjusted her hat for her.
Yang Peimin couldn’t help laughing herself; it sounded like a proclamation from someone who had just been released from prison.
“Don’t work too hard, do you drink Milk Essence every night?
What else do you eat at home?”
Shen Yiguang maintained a distance about a fist’s breadth away as he walked alongside her.
Yang Peimin had a condition where she felt a sense of oppression when people who were not very close to her came too near.
It wasn’t really a condition, but rather that everyone has their own sense of personal space with others.
His car should be parked on the main road at the entrance of the village; at the moment, they were still 30 or so meters away.
They had walked side by side before, but not as closely.
Yang Peimin subtly moved a bit further away while replying, “Yes, I drink it.
Our meals at home are pretty good: we alternate between corn pancakes, mixed flour steamed buns, and sweet potato meals.
Sometimes, the family even saves an egg for me.
Our crops did well this year, so we have three satisfying meals a day.”
The Milk Essence, which later on became part of the confirmed relationship with Shen Yiguang, was never returned.
Now the Milk Essence was fragrant, pure, and nutritious, completely incomparable to the additives-filled products of later times.
She would share it with Da Xiaoniu and Yingzi, drinking it every night.
Yang Dahai and Zhang Minghua should have joined them, but they refused to drink it.
Zhang Minghua hesitated to tell her that she should give more to Yingzi, sighing at her, “You’re not well; you need to drink more.”
“I need to thank you — have you noticed how much better my complexion is?”
Shen Yiguang leaned in to listen and tilted his head to glance at her face, “Mm, you do look rosier.
We’ll buy a couple more cans when we get to the county, and since we’re almost family now, no need to stand on ceremony.”
Whether it was from his earnest gaze or his last remark, Yang Peimin’s cheeks reddened; she turned her head and mumbled, “There’s no need to buy any.”
Fortunately, they quickly reached the entrance of the village.
Shen Yiguang opened the passenger door of the jeep for her.
The vehicle had a higher chassis than a sedan, and getting in required a pull on the small handrail above.
But before Yang Peimin could reach out, Shen Yiguang was already assisting her up.
Was this the special treatment for a disabled person?
Upon arriving at the county, Shen Yiguang first took her not to a shopping mall, but to a photo studio.
“Why are we at a photo studio?”
“Let’s take a photo together,” Shen Yiguang said, looking intently at her.
However, what flashed through Yang PeiMin’s mind was a wedding photo.
Could it be what she was thinking?
At that time, there was no such thing as wedding dress photography; a joint ID photo of two people sufficed.
The owner of the photo studio had already seen them and asked, “Are the two of you here to take wedding photos?”
It wasn’t just her idea after all.
Yang PeiMin also looked at Shen Yiguang to see what he would say.
Shen Yiguang nodded generously, “We are getting married in a few days and came here to take some pictures.”
“Minmin, you see, since we’ve come here, we might as well take care of this too.”
Yang PeiMin was somewhat stunned, looking around the photo studio which could be described as rudimentary.
The curtain was pulled aside, and you could see straight to the end, a single background wall, and only one large-format stand camera (the photographer would use a pneumatic bulb shutter with his head under a cover to take the picture), nothing more.
She knew that they really had to take wedding photos for their marriage, and that wasn’t an issue.
It was just that she wasn’t prepared, this outfit?
It didn’t match her expectations.
Shen Yiguang came over and pulled her gently, coaxing, “It’s alright, it’ll be quick.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
She had wanted to wear a military uniform for the photo; the two of them would have looked well-matched and complementary.
“I only just thought of it now, you look so pretty today, the photos will definitely look good,” Shen Yiguang whispered.
“Really?” Yang PeiMin glanced at him skeptically.
“I promise!” Shen Yiguang replied earnestly.
That satisfied Yang PeiMin’s girlish heart.
The two sat together, Shen Yiguang next to her.
The photographer was very pleased with the distance, nodding his head, without the need to remind them to scoot over as he had to with many other couples.
Shen Yiguang’s eyes were smiling, but he had to put on a serious face to match the military uniform.
Yang PeiMin, a selfie expert, knew which expression looked best on her.
So, she lifted the corners of her mouth and sat up straight, looking at the camera.
The photographer also wore a smile as he quickly took a good joint photo of them.
“Congratulations to both of you, you’re a perfect match,” the photographer couldn’t help but offer his congratulations and then highlighted the next important point, “The photo looks good too.”
Then they took two more full-length joint photos, as well as two full-length individual photos of Yang PeiMin.
After agreeing on a time to pick up the photos, they finally left the photo studio.
They then went to the department store.
The three-story Russian-style building looked quite impressive among the surrounding bungalows.
They had already planned what to buy when they came.
Quilts, pillows, washbasins, towels, cups, and other daily necessities, almost a full set, as if they were furnishing their new home with completely new household items.
Shen Yiguang said to her, “These are all for you to use, choose whichever designs you like.”