Finally, Director Zhu of the neighborhood committee spoke up to defuse the situation: "It's good to keep weddings simple. Our leader advocates diligence and thrift. You are fully following the leader's instructions. This level of awareness is unmatched by ordinary people. We should all learn from you."

"Yes, Ming Shu has a high level of awareness, we must applaud!"

The neighbors all agreed, and amidst applause, the matter seemed to be settled.

It was getting dark outside the window, and it was time for dinner. The neighbors didn't want to linger, so they said goodbye and left.

Zhou Jinshan stayed for dinner, which consisted of braised pork noodles with dried tofu, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, eggs, and peanuts. Finally, he added a few drops of Duliu aged vinegar and served a plate of Laba garlic.

Zhou Jinshan ate two large bowls of noodles in one go and chewed five or six cloves of garlic, which made the twins' eyes widen. He then drank the soup at the bottom of the bowl and put down his chopsticks.

"There's still plenty of noodles, Xiao Zhou, have another bowl," Yu Jingqiu said with a smile.

"Auntie, I'm full, I can't eat anymore," Zhou Jinshan hurriedly replied, then picked up the serving chopsticks and put a large spoonful of egg into Feng Mingshu's bowl.

Feng Mingshu, who was already full and struggling with the last few noodles, was speechless.

Seeing that she wasn't eating, Zhou Jinshan advised, "You've lost some weight, eat more."

Everyone at the table looked over, and Feng Mingshu felt an urge to dig her toes into the ground again. Seeing that Zhou Jinshan was about to put more food on her plate, she quickly picked up her bowl and said, "I've had enough. I'm quite full. Don't put any more food on my plate."

Zhou Jinshan put down his chopsticks with some regret, and a small bowl was handed to him. It was Xiao Mingxue, who said sweetly, "Brother-in-law, I want to eat more so I can grow up faster."

Zhou Jinshan was pleased by the "brother-in-law" address and quickly filled the small bowl with food. Xiao Mingxue thanked him sweetly and ate with a satisfied expression.

Mingyu secretly glared at his sister, but his mother caught him. He immediately sat up straight and obediently ate his noodles.

After the family finished eating, Zhou Jinshan insisted on washing the dishes, taking over the task from the twins.

Xiaomingxue happily helped out, while Mingyu pulled his sister into the living room.

"Sister, are you really going to marry that man?" Mingyu frowned. "Is it because Mom won't take you with her? Why don't I stay here with you, so you don't have to marry that man?"

Hearing her younger brother's naive words, Feng Mingshu couldn't help but chuckle. She raised her hand and ruffled his hair, saying, "Your sister is getting married because she's reached marriageable age, so there's no point in you staying. From now on, you should be a good girl and listen to Mom and Uncle Li."

"But I don't want to be separated from my sister. Sister, please wait for me for a few more years. When I grow up, I will be able to protect you." Mingyu said eagerly, puffing out his chest. He had said when he was a child that he wanted to marry his sister. Later, when he grew up, he learned that siblings could not marry, so he changed his goal, thinking that he could grow up as soon as possible and protect his sister.

Feng Mingshu's eyes stung a little. She patted her younger brother's thin shoulder and said with a smile, "Xiaoyu, don't worry, your sister can protect herself. But when we get to the north, you have to take good care of Xiaoxue."

She gave him many more instructions, which clearly displeased the little boy, but he still agreed to them all.

Later, Xiaoxue joined in, and the three siblings had endless things to talk about.

Yu Jingqiu did not disturb them, but called Zhou Jinshan, who had finished washing the dishes, to the study for a talk.

"Xiao Zhou, are you unhappy because Zhuzhu doesn't want to have a wedding?" Yu Jingqiu asked bluntly.

Zhou Jinshan, who had just sat down, quickly stood up and denied it: "Auntie, I am not unhappy. Everything is based on Zhuzhu's wishes."

"Sit down." Yu Jingqiu gestured for him to sit down, shook her head and smiled, "Zhuzhu is a bit spoiled, you have to be more tolerant of her, but I forced her to make these decisions today."

Hearing her last sentence, Zhou Jinshan was stunned and murmured, "Is marriage the same?"

Yu Jingqiu nodded: "Yes, if I don't put pressure on her, she might not get married for eight or ten years. It's not because you or other men are bad, but because we parents haven't set a good example."

At this point, Yu Jingqiu paused, her thoughts drifting back to more than ten years ago, when Zhuzhu was only five or six years old. Her relationship with Feng Qiyuan had already broken down. Even though she tried to cover it up, Feng Qiyuan was never home, and the servants at home were secretly gossiping. Later, she changed a group of servants, but it was no use. Zhuzhu's personality changed from lively to quiet, but the old lady liked it very much, saying that this was the demeanor of a well-bred lady.

But Yu Jingqiu would rather her daughter remained the wild girl who climbed trees to steal bird nests and climbed onto roof tiles.

"Auntie, after I marry Zhuzhu, I will not let her suffer the slightest grievance," Zhou Jinshan said solemnly as he stood up again.

He had a general understanding of Feng Mingshu's parents' unhappy marriage. It wasn't that he was intentionally trying to pry, but the political vetting process required checking three generations of family history, which was unavoidable.

He didn't think too much about it at the time, but now he feels a pang of tenderness for that little girl.

A sense of relief welled up within her; she was glad that she had stayed by her side all these days, so that when she wanted to get married, the first person she thought of was her, not someone else.

Unaware of what he had missed, Zhai Qingping was engrossed in reading "leisure books" when he suddenly sneezed.

When the clock struck eight, Zhou Jinshan had to leave, and Feng Mingshu was also sent out by his mother to see him off.

When they reached the streetlight in front of the courtyard gate, Zhou Jinshan stopped and turned to his girl, saying, "Mingshu, I'll be waiting for you here at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

The night was cold, and her breath turned into white mist. Feng Mingshu took a half step back imperceptibly, lowered her head and said, "No need to come so early. I need to go to the neighborhood committee to get a certificate tomorrow morning. I've already talked to Director Zhu, and I should be able to get it around nine o'clock. You can come over then."

Once she was truly certain of getting married, Feng Mingshu could no longer face this man with the same composure as before.

Zhou Jinshan probably realized that he had agreed to the time, but before leaving, he suddenly reached out and tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear, then lowered his head and whispered, "Ming Shu, I'm so glad you chose to marry me."

His breath and the warmth of his fingers lingered on Feng Mingshu's delicate and sensitive ear, sending shivers down her spine. Meanwhile, the annoying man had already mounted his bicycle and sped away.

Feng Mingshu rubbed his ears vigorously several times before turning back into the house, but Xiao Mingxue still noticed something was wrong.

"Sister, your face is so red, and your ears are red too."

Seeing that her mother was looking over, Feng Mingshu quickly explained, "It's because it's too cold outside, and my skin is red from the cold."

The person who benefited was in high spirits, and the time it took to cycle back to the military academy was reduced by a third.

He used the extra time to go to Political Commissar Lin's house and ask for leave for the next day.

When Political Commissar Lin inquired about the reason and learned that he was getting married, he exclaimed in surprise and immediately granted him leave, and not just for one day.

When the news reached the dormitory, the whole place was buzzing with excitement, and many comrades were thinking about how to furnish a new house for Lao Zhou.

No problem if we don't get a new apartment; we can just free up a dormitory room.

We can't let Lao Zhou get married and still be a bachelor, can we?