An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 223 A Strange Encounter in the Hutong
The long-awaited "Asia-Pacific International Art Exhibition" is about to open in the capital, and the entire Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been extremely busy lately.

Meng Youyou worked an extra hour, and when she came out, there was hardly any light left in the sky; it was half bright and half dark.

The compound where she lived was very close to the office area; Meng Youyou could walk home in less than ten minutes.

But Meng Youyou didn't go straight home. Instead, she walked in the opposite direction. Her tape recorder had broken a few days ago, and her father's driver recommended an old appliance repairman to her. He was said to be a first-rate repairman who charged fair prices and lived in a hutong (alleyway). He had set up a small stall at the entrance of the hutong.

For the past few days, by the time she came out of get off work, it was already completely dark, and I figured she had already packed up her stall, so I hadn't gone looking for her. Fortunately, it was still early today.

When she reached the alley entrance, she couldn't see the repair stall and sighed inwardly that she was too late.

At the entrance of the alley, a few elderly men and women were taking a stroll after dinner. Meng Youyou walked up to them and, since she was already there, asked one more question: "Grandpa, is there an appliance repairman here during the day? What time does he usually close up shop?"

The old man replied in the most authentic Beijing accent, "He just left not long ago, young lady. What do you need repaired? Go to his house to get it fixed. I'll take you there!" The old man was very enthusiastic.

Meng Youyou waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "It's fine if they've already packed up. I'll come earlier next time."

An older woman standing nearby chimed in, "It's alright. Master Yang's stall hours are very flexible. You might not even see him setting up next time you come. If anything in our neighborhood breaks, we just take it to his place and pick it up after it's fixed."

As he spoke, he walked into the alley and warmly invited, "Your uncle and I will take you there. We just finished eating, so let's take a walk and digest our food. Hey, girl, you've come all this way, don't make a wasted trip."

Unable to refuse such hospitality, the Chinese mentality of "since we're already here" is ingrained in their very being.

……

She wasn't the only customer who came to Master Yang's shop. Ahead of Meng Youyou in line were a radio and a women's watch. Just as the elderly folks had said, Master Yang's main battleground for his repair stall was at home.

His skill level lived up to his reputation. When it came to Meng Youyou's tape recorder, Master Yang tinkered with it for less than half an hour and fixed it.

After paying, Meng Youyou walked out of the courtyard with a tape recorder in her hand. When she looked up again, the streetlights in the alley were on, and it was already dark. This trip took longer than she had expected. She wondered if Hu Shulan would be waiting for her to eat.

Meng Youyou followed her memory and walked back, but she got lost. All around her were gray brick walls covered with ivy that looked no different from each other. In front of every house hung the same red lanterns. She wondered if the blue stone paving stones under her feet were the first time she had ever stepped on them.

The ancient alleyways twisted and turned, and Meng Youyou felt like a mischievous child who had wandered into a maze. She wandered around and around, and the scene in front of her had no sense of familiarity with the way she came. It was as if she had wandered into the deepest part of the alley. She was getting a little restless from all the trouble.

Meng Youyou found a step and sat down, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed two black figures suddenly disappear into the alley she had just walked through.

When people encounter danger, they have an intuition that has no scientific basis, but once this intuition appears, it is often frighteningly accurate.

Many families live in this alley. Although it was quite late, it was normal to encounter people passing by on the road. However, Meng Youyou felt that the two people were following her.

Meng Youyou slowly stood up and walked forward, reaching into her bag to take out a makeup mirror. Her pace quickened unconsciously, but she tried her best to appear relaxed and natural.

She discreetly adjusted the mirror in her hand, revealing the silhouettes of two tall, muscular men. Meng Youyou's heart pounded even faster. Without hesitation, she dropped the tape recorder and took off running. Her heart was in her throat. She didn't have time to check if the men were following her. Meng Youyou just ran blindly through the winding alleys. When she saw that there was no road ahead, she looked left and right and spotted a door slightly ajar, not fully closed.

Without hesitation, Meng Youyou made her decision after only a moment's hesitation.

The old-fashioned red lacquered wooden door creaked shut and then quickly closed. Meng Youyou leaned against the door, her gaze meeting that of a shirtless young man in the front yard.

The man looked in surprise at the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared in his yard. The next second, he seemed to realize that his attire was inappropriate, so he hurriedly turned his back, put down the claw hammer in his hand, grabbed the black vest draped over the back of the chair, and put it on.

Just then, an old man, perhaps having heard the commotion in the front yard, came out of the house. He looked at the girl in the red dress, who was standing stiffly with her back pressed against the door, then at his grandson, and asked, "Mu Chen, do you know this girl?"

Several seconds passed before Shan Muchen reacted, turning to his grandfather and saying, "...Know...it." His tone was uncertain.

……

Meng Youyou followed Grandpa Shan into the house, borrowed a phone to call home, and told Hu Shulan that she had gone to a friend's house after get off work and didn't need to wait for her to eat together; she would be back later.

Stepping out of the house, she saw Shan Muchen still hammering nails. Moonlight, like water, streamed into the yard, casting a soft, shimmering glow. In this light, the man in the black vest swung his arm, engaging all his muscles, especially his exposed right arm, which was taut and taut. A patch of sweat soaked the back of his shirt. The continuous clanging of nails made the ground tremble. When she had barged into his yard, he was hammering something.

Meng Youyou walked over, glanced at her curiously, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Repairing furniture," Shan Muchen paused for two seconds, looked up at her, "These are all Grandma's dowry from when she got married, dressing table, chairs and desks, etc. They've become loose after being used for a long time, and now they're almost falling apart. The old lady is sentimental and can't bear to throw them away. I just happened to be back, so I'll fix them and reinforce them so they can be used for a few more years."

"You're really amazing, so skillful!" Meng Youyou casually praised.

As she continued the conversation, she bent down and leaned closer to see the carved patterns on the dressing table's drawers.

Dan Muchen felt a sweet fragrance suddenly enter his nose. He couldn't describe what the smell was, but he thought it smelled very nice. A heat gradually rose up on his neck for some unknown reason.

He heard the girl speaking again, so she squatted down next to him, very close. "...What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly," Shan Muchen heard himself ask.

Meng Youyou repeated: "I said that these things you have will be very valuable in a few decades, but if you hammer so many nails into them, they will be greatly devalued."

Shan Muchen thought she was joking with him, but still asked her with a smile, "Are you serious? Don't lie to me."

Meng Youyou looked into his eyes and nodded seriously: "I'm serious."

Dan Muchen didn't know what was wrong with him. Those beautiful eyes were looking at him like that. He didn't really believe the story, but he just couldn't bring himself to refuse.

He heard himself say, "Then let's not repair it, let's keep it as a family heirloom!" His stance shifted all too easily.