Chapter 6 Dating even has a time limit...

That night, Jiang Suining lay in bed in a daze. In her previous life, she was so busy that she didn't even have time to date. She never imagined that she would be getting married after transmigrating into a book. She couldn't describe the feelings in her heart. She was looking forward to it, worried, and a little excited...

“The author of this book is Lu Ye, deputy chief of staff of the third detachment of the **fleet,” Jiang Suining read aloud, stroking her chin and muttering to herself, “So he’s the chief of staff.” The original book only repeatedly emphasized that he was busy, but never explicitly introduced his work.

"...In order to establish a revolutionary comradeship, this agreement is hereby made..." She covered her face with the guarantee and smiled foolishly, an inexplicable joy bubbling up from her heart.

Lu Ye's guarantee was written in great detail. He promised to hand over his salary and take care of all the housework. These two points were even broken down into specific items, such as military allowances, sea allowances, meat coupons, cloth coupons, and other receipts, all of which were to be handed over in full and disposed of by Comrade Jiang Suining.

The housework is fully taken care of in a more detailed way, from what time to prepare three meals a day, to what day of the week to wash clothes and clean, and even the date and time to air out the quilts every month are set.

In addition to listing the three points mentioned by Jiang Suining, the three-point agreement also specifically stated that every Sunday from 19:00 to 21:00 was the time for dating, and the activities would be designated by Comrade Jiang Suining.

Jiang Suining couldn't help but laugh every time she saw this. Who sets a time limit for dating? Does that mean that if the relationship doesn't fall within this time frame, they'll pretend to be strangers and stop dating?

"What are you looking at, laughing like that?" Jiang's mother pushed open the door and saw her daughter holding a piece of paper and grinning foolishly.

"I didn't read anything." Jiang Suining hurriedly folded the guarantee and stuffed it under her pillow. "Mom, you're still awake?"

“I can’t sleep,” Jiang’s mother said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Tomorrow you and Xiao Lu will get your marriage certificate and you’ll be someone else’s wife. Once you go to the island, I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again.”

“I can’t bear to leave you, Mother, and I don’t want to be separated from you,” Jiang Suining said, clinging to her mother’s arm and resting her head on her shoulder. “Maybe I should stay single and stay with you for a few more years.”

Her parents divorced when she was young, and her biological mother immigrated overseas after she graduated from university. They rarely saw each other. After transmigrating into the book, she felt maternal love from Jiang's mother and really couldn't bear to part with her.

"Nonsense!" Jiang's mother was afraid that her daughter would throw a tantrum. "Lu Ye is a responsible man. You won't lose out by marrying him. Just be a good girl and listen to me. After you have the baby, I will go to the island to help you take care of the child."

"Don't worry, Mother, I will come back to see you." Jiang Suining thought to herself that she was only twenty years old now, and it would be at least four years before she could have a child. She could deal with the future later. Who knew that by then her brother Jiang Fengnian would already be married and have children, and her mother would be busy taking care of her grandchildren.

"Alright, Mother will wait." Jiang's mother gently pushed her away, took out a neatly folded blue cloth handkerchief from her pocket and unfolded it: "This is the betrothal gift that Xiao Lu gave me the day he came."

Jiang Suining took a look and exclaimed, "Wow, a thick stack of ten-yuan bills and some receipts, quite a lot!" She asked, "How much money is this?"

"Five hundred in total, plus ten nationally valid grain coupons. I won't keep a single penny for you; take it all back with you," Jiang's mother said, wrapping a handkerchief and handing it to Jiang Suining.

"Mother, this, this I..." Jiang Suining subconsciously declined, but then she thought that she would need some money to go to the island. Although Lu Ye promised to hand over his salary, he had given Jiang's mother five hundred yuan as a bride price, so he probably didn't have much money left in his pocket.

“You’re going to the island with Xiao Lu. Besides the blankets and towels that I’ve saved over the years, I won’t prepare any more dowry for you. It’s not convenient for you to take them anyway.” Jiang’s mother took out a wad of crumpled banknotes from her pocket. “This is two hundred yuan. If you need anything, go to the commune tomorrow and buy it yourself. Keep the rest of the money and buy new things when you get to the island.”

"I don't want it!" Jiang Suining decisively pushed the two hundred yuan back, counted out twenty bills from the fifty ten-yuan bills, took two national grain coupons, and wrapped the remaining money and grain coupons in a handkerchief. "I only want two hundred. Consider the rest as a gift from Lu Ye and me to you."

"A poor family needs to be frugal on the road. I'm worried about you going to the island alone. Take extra money with you for protection." Jiang's mother refused to accept the money no matter what.

"If you don't want me, I won't marry you." Jiang Suining used her trump card.

This trick worked. Jiang's mother quickly grabbed the money wrapped in a handkerchief: "Okay, Mother won't argue with you. Mother will save this money for you. If you ever need it urgently, just send Mother a telegram and I'll wire it all to you."

“Okay,” Jiang Suining agreed, but she was determined not to use the money.

Jiang's mother, worried that Jiang Suining would be disturbed while they were getting their marriage certificate the next morning, gave her a few more instructions and urged her to go to sleep before leaving.

***

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Jiang Suining was dragged out of bed by her mother. After washing up and having breakfast, Lu Ye rode the family's old-fashioned bicycle, taking Jiang Suining to the commune.

It had rained last night, and the roads were bumpy and difficult to travel on. Lu Ye slowed down and tried to ride on flat areas, but even so, Jiang Suining was still shaken quite a bit. She gripped the back seat tightly with both hands and leaned forward to maintain her balance.

"It's too bumpy, ride slower." She was so dizzy from the jolting that she felt like she was about to fall apart.

“Okay.” Lu Ye gripped the handlebars tightly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He was already riding very slowly to avoid potholes, and if he went any slower, he would lose his balance, but he did as Jiang Suining suggested.

"It's nothing," Jiang Suining shook her head, her voice a little dazed, "I bumped my nose."

"Let me see quickly." Lu Ye reached out and pulled at her hand that was covering her nose.

"It's okay, it's okay." She let go, the initial pain from the impact had subsided, but now she felt a tingling, numb sensation that brought tears to her eyes.

Lu Ye carefully checked and found no bleeding, only some redness, before he was relieved: "The road ahead is paved, but this section is difficult to walk on. I'll push you."

"No need." It wasn't out of politeness, but the road conditions were such that pushing it would probably be just as bumpy. "I'll walk myself." Jiang Suining decisively jumped off the back seat and rode alongside Lu Ye across the bicycle.

Fortunately, the bumpy section of road was not long. After about ten minutes, they entered the asphalt road and got back on their bicycles.

As Lu Ye listened to the song, the corners of his mouth turned up, his eyes lit up, and he seemed to have inexhaustible energy. He pedaled his bicycle quickly and steadily, and arrived at the commune in about an hour.

In the commune, Jiang Suining and Lu Ye explained their purpose, submitted the required materials, and after the clerk's routine inquiries, issued them a marriage certificate.

As the stamp fell, Jiang Suining stared at the words "voluntary union" on the marriage certificate, feeling a sense of unreality: We're married already?

As the two walked out of the commune, Lu Ye asked, "Shall we have lunch first, or go to the supply and marketing cooperative?"

"Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative." Without a watch, Jiang Suining could only judge the time by the sun. It wasn't even noon yet, and she didn't feel hungry. She had been packing the original owner's clothes last night, and none of them were suitable to wear out in public. She needed to buy a few outfits to take with her.

“Okay.” Lu Ye naturally listened to her.

"You wretched woman, you can't even give birth to a son and you still won't get a divorce! You're deliberately trying to kill off our Sun family line!"

In the crowd, a frail woman was dragged down to the ground by her hair by a burly man, while a two- or three-year-old girl next to her clung to the woman's leg, crying uncontrollably.

Jiang Suining's gaze fell on the red mole in the center of the little girl's forehead, and her heart stirred.

"Stop!" Lu Ye stepped forward and forcefully gripped the man's wrist.

"In broad daylight, you publicly insulted and assaulted a woman! This is a crime!" Jiang Suining helped the woman up and looked her over. "How are you? Are you injured?"

The woman shook her head bitterly, hugged the girl, wiped away her tears and snot, and coaxed her softly.

“You are…” Lu Ye looked at the woman with a shocked expression, then frowned and shook his head, muttering to himself, “No, no, I’ve mistaken her for someone else, but she looks too much like her.”

Jiang Suining heard his whisper and, after carefully recalling the contents of the original book, the thought that had just popped into her mind became clearer.

"This is my family matter, you two mind your own business!" The man grabbed the woman again, "Come on, let's get a divorce!"

"No, I won't leave." The woman struggled tremblingly, being pulled forward by the man.

"Let go of her!" Lu Ye grabbed the man's wrist again. "Try hitting her again!"

The man broke free from Lu Ye, daring not to speak his anger, and simply complained to the onlookers: "Comrades, it's not that I want to divorce her, it's just that her womb is useless and she can't give birth to a son. Our Sun family has only had one son for three generations, and we can't let the line end with me, that would be a great act of filial impiety!"

The woman held her child and wept softly. The little girl, understanding her mother's situation, wiped away her tears and comforted her in her tender voice, "Mommy, don't cry, Mommy, don't cry."

"What a tragedy! If you can't give birth to a boy, you should just accept your fate."

"Chairman Mao said that women hold up half the sky, you need to change your thinking!"

"That's right, my wife also gave birth to a daughter, and we still live a very prosperous life!"

"You can't say that. If a family doesn't have someone to carry on the family line, it's like the family line is dying out, and people will talk about you behind your back."

"The new society still uses those feudal old customs of divorce; I haven't even seen them on the commune's propaganda boards!"

"They can't get a divorce. How will a woman manage if she gets divorced and has a child in tow?"

"Boys and girls earn work points the same way. My three daughters are all skilled at carrying a hoe and calculating work points!"

The onlookers whispered among themselves, each expressing their own opinion.

The man was displeased upon hearing this: "What nonsense are you talking about? Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring! She's ruined her health, and the doctor said she can't have any more children. If I don't divorce her, how will I leave an heir for my Sun family!"

"Alright, shut up! With your pointy face and monkey-like features, who do you think you're worth? Go away!" Jiang Suining snapped at the man, helping the woman up. "Sister, shall we go over there and talk for a bit?"

The man wanted to get angry, but seeing Lu Ye's piercing eyes, he chickened out. He could only curse the two of them in his heart. He watched the woman and Jiang Suining walk to the steps and wanted to follow them, but Lu Ye blocked his way. He was disappointed and had no choice but to give up.

A note from the author:

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