The Engineer Falls for His Sweet-Scented Maid - Chapter 33: Keeping the Appointment

Only after Qiang had fled, stumbling in his haste, did Nianhe lower the cleaver with trembling hands.

Beyond the iron gate, all was empty. Only the cicadas still called.

She leaned against the gatepost and drew great gulps of air.

His filthy words had left her badly shaken.

Huai had been drunk last night. He had mistaken her for someone else.

Heaven knew it, earth knew it, and she knew it. If anyone else suspected a thing, she would never be able to remain in this household.

Nianhe returned to the kitchen, set the cleaver on the chopping board, and went on washing vegetables.

Water ran over the backs of her hands, but nothing could wash away the burning sensation left in her palms from last night.

Before noon, heels clicked over the paving stones outside.

For once, Liping had come home from work unusually early.

She crossed the courtyard in her leather shoes, went upstairs, then came into the kitchen carrying a brown paper bag.

“Nianhe, stop what you’re doing.” She put the bag on the stove, her voice unusually eager and excited.

Nianhe wiped her hands on her apron, bewildered. “Sister-in-law Wang, why are you back so early? Lunch isn’t ready yet.”

“Auntie Wang can cook with Ping’an on her back.” Liping seized her arm and pulled her toward the door. “Hurry and wash your face. You’re coming out with me.”

Dragged toward her room, Nianhe began to panic. “Where are we going?”

“The state-run restaurant.” Liping pushed her inside and lowered her voice. “I asked at the union today. Yi Lu is very pleased with you and wants to get to know you better. A chance like this doesn’t come twice. Strike while the iron’s hot. I’m treating you both to lunch today. You can sit down together and settle things.”

Nianhe’s head buzzed.

Huai’s words in the alley last night still rang in her ears.

He had told her not to agree too quickly. Not to give herself to someone so easily.

But before she could voice a refusal, Liping’s expression hardened.

“Don’t be ungrateful.” Her tone turned cold as she thrust the brown bag into Nianhe’s arms. “A man with such good prospects taking an interest in a country girl like you? You must have earned that blessing in a previous life. You think you can cling to the Shens forever? Marrying into a decent family is your proper way forward.”

Nianhe held the bag, her fingers picking absently at its edge.

She did not want to go. But she knew she had no right to refuse.

Liping was one of her employers. If she refused, Liping had a hundred ways to make her position in this house impossible.

Besides, Huai had only mistaken her for someone else in his drunkenness. That morning, he had been ice-cold toward her.

She could not sacrifice a chance to establish herself in the city for an impossible dream.

“Put it on.” Liping pointed at the bag.

Inside was a red dress scattered with small white flowers.

The fabric felt soft. It was even more fashionable than last night’s pale yellow Dacron dress, with a tightly fitted waist and a slightly rippling hem.

“I bought it before I had the baby. It’s never even been washed.” Liping folded her arms. A flicker of reluctance crossed her eyes, but she was prepared to pay dearly to be rid of Nianhe. “My waist is too thick for it now, so you get a bargain. Wear this to see Yi. I guarantee he won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

Nianhe bowed her head. “Thank you, Sister-in-law Wang.”

Liping went out to wait.

Nianhe closed the door, removed her old blouse, and changed into the floral dress.

This dress, too, had a fitted waist. Once zipped, it hugged her middle, but its bodice stretched over startling curves.

The red-and-white fabric made her skin look dazzlingly fair.

She undid her two braids, plaited them afresh, and brought them forward over her chest.

When she emerged, Liping was drinking water in the sitting room.

Liping looked up at the sound and nearly choked.

She knew Nianhe was pretty. But in the new dress, that fresh, lovely face and provocative figure had an effortless allure.

Jealousy soured Liping’s stomach, strengthening her resolve to get the girl out of the house as soon as possible.

Let this little vixen stay, and sooner or later she would bewitch every man in the family. Yet Huizhen insisted that as long as Nianhe looked after Ping’an well, she could remain.

“Come on.” Liping set down her glass and led the way.

The state-run restaurant was not far from the compound.

It was lunchtime. Voices filled the dining room, and the smell of food drifted all along the street.

Liping had reserved a small private room. She took Nianhe inside.

Yi Lu was already there.

He had made a special effort to wear a clean white shirt and comb his hair neatly. He sat looking rather ill at ease.

When the door opened, he stood.

At the sight of Nianhe behind Liping, he froze.

Nianhe kept her head down, clutching her skirt in both hands.

The red floral dress made her look like a blossom just opening. Her two braids lay over her chest, where the neckline was stretched full, her movements setting off breathtaking curves.

Yi could not tear his eyes away. His palms grew sweaty, and he forgot how to speak.

Liping was delighted. This was as good as settled.

“Comrade Lu, have you been waiting long?” Smiling, she pulled out a chair for Nianhe.

Yi came to himself, red-faced, and hurried to pour tea. “N-no, not long. I only just got here.”

Nianhe sat. The tight waist forced her to hold her back straight, making her full bust all the more prominent.

She dared not look at Yi and stared at her teacup instead.

“Our Nianhe is shy,” Liping said, helping things along. “When she came home yesterday, she told me what a good man you were and how well you looked after her.”

Yi scratched his head and smiled with simple warmth. “Comrade Su is very nice too.”

The dishes soon arrived. There was fish and meat—a lavish meal by any measure.

As they ate, Liping steered the conversation toward business.

“Comrade Lu, you know how difficult it is for Nianhe, all alone in the city. Your family is comfortably off. If you truly like her, let’s settle this soon.”

Yi put down his chopsticks and looked earnestly at Nianhe. “Sister-in-law Wang, if Comrade Su agrees, I can submit a marriage application tomorrow.”

Nianhe nearly dropped her chopsticks.

Too fast.

She had met him for the first time yesterday. Now they were supposed to settle a marriage today?

“But…” She raised her head, her voice trembling. “Brother Lu, this is much too soon.”

“It isn’t.” Beneath the table, Liping kicked her, all smiles above it. “With these things, you have to make a clean decision. Comrade Lu is so sincere. What is there to hesitate over?”

Seeing the red rims of Nianhe’s eyes, Yi thought Liping must be pressuring her. He spoke quickly. “Comrade Su, don’t be frightened. I’m not trying to force you. If it feels too soon, we can spend more time getting to know each other. I only came today to make my intentions clear. I’ll treat you well.”

He spoke honestly, without a trace of pretense.

Nianhe looked at him, her thoughts hopelessly tangled.

Say yes, and she could leave the Shens and those days of constant anxiety. She would no longer have to fear Qiang’s harassment or tremble whenever Huai came near.

Yet when Yi promised to treat her well, what flashed through her mind was last night’s liquor-scented kiss—and the white shirt draped over her shoulders in the alley.

“I…” She bit her lower lip, at a loss for words.

Seeing her predicament, the older woman sitting beside Yi intervened. “Xiao Lu, have you spoken to your parents? Marriage is a major decision. You need their approval.”

She was a union officer who had helped organize the previous night’s dance. Arranging marriages for the workers was part of her job, and she knew what Yi’s parents were like. Liping might have introduced Nianhe at the dance, but she was still only the Shens’ domestic helper, a girl from the countryside. The Lu couple would probably consider her beneath their son.

Just then, someone abruptly pushed open the private room’s door.