Chapter Ninety-Three — Plans for the Future

From June to November, nearly half a year had slipped by. The height of summer had given way to the depths of winter, and the world was seized by a biting cold.

Yan Lu and Lu Xugao were kept dizzyingly busy every day, buried beneath mountains of goods. Only recently had they managed to hire a few strong young men, finally sharing out some of the heavy lifting and unloading. As Double 11 approached, it was not only a grand occasion for online platforms fiercely competing against each other, but the fever even spilled over offline. In Yunbei’s industrial district, orders flooded in like a river each day, so much so that a team of temporary workers had to be brought in for relief.

Fengche Logistics had already ranked among the nation’s top logistics companies. Since Lu Xugao took over operations in Yunbei, the business had flourished further. Any new logistics company wishing to establish itself quickly could only rely on visible, tangible factors: service, pricing, after-sales support, speed. Lu Xugao knew this well. In the early days, he had lured in a host of small and medium enterprises by slashing transportation fees, offering discounts for large volumes, and waiving a month’s fees for annual contracts. After half a year’s evolution and relentless effort, the business had achieved a certain scale.

Not long ago, Lu Xuyang had called to ask how his cousin’s logistics shop was faring. At first, he suspected a bit of bragging; but listening to Xugao’s calm, methodical explanations, he had no choice but to believe it—his little cousin, once always trailing with a runny nose, had finally grown up and even overtaken him.

Yet Lu Xuyang took this in stride, feeling not the least bit jealous. Each person has their own way of life, their own fate—he understood this clearly. His own life was somewhat modest now; his wife was expecting twins, and soon he would be the sole breadwinner for a family of four. After more than a decade as a shipping clerk, he found it hard to adapt to other jobs. He’d tried working at a computer company, coding, but was dismissed in less than three days. As a nearly forty-year-old man, even applying to be a waiter saw HR shake their heads. In the end, he found work as an attendant in the underground parking lot of a large mall, collecting parking fees—four thousand a month, twelve-hour shifts, switching every other day.

At night, when the world was quiet, he would often gaze out the window, turning over in his mind whether, if he had chosen to start his own business, he might have become what Lu Xugao was now. But that was only fantasy; cautious by nature, he would rather work for others his entire life than step out on his own.

Yan Lu held a scanner, meticulously scanning each item as it passed in and out, confirming everything on the computer. She wore a denim jacket lined with lambswool and joggers cinched at the ankles for ease of movement. Her hair, neglected for a haircut in months, was simply tied up in a knot with an elastic band.

She picked up her insulated mug, took a sip, then blew forcefully into it, letting the steam moisten her dry cheeks.

Once upon a time, she would put on a face mask every day, winter or summer—two a day come winter. She’d stockpile hundreds of them during online sales, enough to last the year. She always said a woman’s face was her weapon for survival. Now, her weapons were her career and love. Different times brought different values.

Looking back, her old beliefs made her blush. Yet perhaps it was a path everyone had to walk.

When the newly hired employees called her “boss’s wife,” she couldn’t help but feel a secret delight.

When Lu Xugao handed her the collected payments, she would be stunned for a long moment, unable to come back to herself.

When she saw Fengche Logistics steadily moving onto the right track, her eyes would fill with tears.

Some things demand a leap of faith. Failure is possible, but so is success.

They were busy until nearly ten every night, and it seemed things would only get busier, the nights ever later. Even finding time to have a chat with Yishu had become nearly impossible. The last time they gathered was when Yan Lu had stumbled upon Yihui working part-time after quitting university, at Zhishu Café.

Once, they could talk endlessly about anything. Now, on the phone, all they could hear were faint currents, the wind, each other’s breathing—no words would come. No matter how close, people leading different lives run out of conversation. When all that could be said was said, silence fell over them like a third presence, leaving only a soft “goodnight.”

“So, when do you plan to marry me?”

After an evening meal that doubled as a late-night snack, Yan Lu sat up in bed and asked Lu Xugao.

This question had lingered in her mind for months, especially after she’d broken her own rule by sharing a bed with him before marriage. Its urgency had multiplied.

Lu Xugao had drifted off to sleep just a second earlier. The one blessing of chronic exhaustion was never suffering insomnia. He snapped awake, his dark eyes wide in the gloom. He had thought about this question—almost constantly. But Fengche Logistics was just finding its feet; there were countless matters to resolve. Talking marriage now, the timing seemed off. After all, marriage wasn’t just a certificate. He wanted to give her a grand wedding, unforgettable memories.

Yan Lu didn’t care about any of that—not even the certificate.

Did she really not care? The truth was, she did. That’s why she set aside the shyness and reserve a woman was supposed to have, and brazenly brought up marriage herself.

Lu Xugao sat up, leaning against the headboard, and after calmly thinking it through, he decided they’d consider marriage next spring.

He had long since become inseparable from Yan Lu, just as she was from him.

When Yan’s father heard his daughter was about to marry, he slipped out of the house without telling his wife. To save a few dozen yuan in taxi fare, he switched buses three or four times from Lanhai City to Yunbei.

In those days when Yan Lu had gone missing, he and Lu Xugao had searched for her together. After nearly a month spent together, the two men had come to understand and admire each other. Seeing Xugao’s devotion to his daughter moved him deeply. As a father, he didn’t ask his daughter to marry a wealthy man or live in luxury. As long as it was the life she wanted, and the path was right, he had no reason to stand in her way.

After touring their workplace, Yan’s father was moved to tears. Of course, he wouldn’t let anyone see him cry—he needed to preserve his dignity as an elder.

Lunch was settled in the canteen behind the warehouse. The nearest restaurant was a twenty-minute drive away, and Yan’s father, after a ninety-minute journey, was already dizzy and worn out.

He could see the fatigue on his daughter’s face, but what mattered more was the satisfaction and joy that shone through. To him, she had truly grown up.

Lu Xugao was a man worthy of entrusting one’s life to.

When her father wasn’t looking, Yan Lu pinched Lu Xugao, blaming him for his impulsiveness in telling her father about their wedding plans too soon. If her mother found out and objected, there would be quite a storm.

On the way back, Yan’s father insisted that Lu Xugao not drive him. With the warehouse full to bursting, a round trip would waste at least another hour and a half. Not wanting to make things harder for his future son-in-law, he said he had a senior transit card, so the ride was half price, and besides, he could enjoy the scenery.

In the end, unable to sway the old man, Yan Lu flagged down a taxi herself, handed the driver a hundred yuan, and all but forced her father into the car.

Leaning against Lu Xugao’s shoulder as the taxi drove off in a cloud of dust, Yan Lu felt her eyes fill with tears, and a strange sensation welled up inside her.

Lu Xugao held her roughened hand tightly—in that moment, he felt as if he owned the world.

Yan’s father sat in the cab, while the middle-aged driver kept praising his daughter and future son-in-law. At first, he replied politely, but soon grew tired and fell silent.

When he arrived home, he found the living room empty. He searched the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom, the balcony—no sign of his wife. Just as he was about to go downstairs to look for her, he opened the door and nearly collided with her. When he asked where she’d been, she only replied she’d gone to the market to buy ingredients for dinner.

Glancing at the clock on the living room wall, he saw it was just after two. She usually didn’t head to the market until four, so this was unusual.

Stranger still, before he left, she’d grilled him repeatedly about where he was going, but after she returned, not a word was mentioned.