Chapter 57 Getting the Certificate

On the morning of the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the sea fog had not yet dissipated, but Geng Yunye had already taken Cheng Xin to the commune.

The crisp sound of a car bell broke the tranquility of the early morning. The bamboo basket that Cheng Xin was carrying contained two packages of wedding candies tightly wrapped in red paper, with bows tied on them with red ropes.

The red-painted door of the commune compound was half open, and the slogan "Serve the People" on the wall was covered with a layer of gold powder in the morning light.

In the office of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Wang was sorting documents at his desk. The room was filled with a faint smell of ink. On the wall was a poster promoting the latest marriage law, and next to it was the commune's duty roster.

"Secretary Wang, we are here to get the marriage certificate." Geng Yunye knocked on the door. He was wearing a black Mao suit with a camel-colored turtleneck sweater underneath. Cheng Xin was wearing a red scarf and an orange corduroy jacket she bought at the department store yesterday. She had two black braids hanging down her chest, with bright red hair strings tied to the ends of her braids.

Secretary Wang pushed up his glasses that had slipped to the tip of his nose and smiled: "You're here, please show me your letter of introduction and your ID."

Cheng Xin took out all the materials from the cloth bag, Geng Yunye's discharge certificate, the two people's physical examination forms, and the letter of introduction issued by the brigade were neatly stacked together.

On the table was a marriage registration form with gold letters. Officer Wang pointed at the form with a pen and said, "Fill in the names, ages, and social status of both parties slowly. Don't rush."

After filling out the form, Secretary Wang carefully reviewed each item. After confirming that everything was correct, he solemnly took out the marriage certificate wrapped in red silk cloth from the drawer. The outer cover of the marriage certificate was a festive red color, and the gold-plated "Marriage Certificate" words sparkled in the sun. The inner page was printed with a bright peony pattern border.

Geng Yunye and Cheng Xin handed him the photos they had taken in advance, and Secretary Wang pasted the photos on the marriage certificate.

"Come, put your fingerprints." Secretary Wang took the ink box from his colleague's desk.

Cheng Xin and Geng Yunye pressed their bright red fingerprints on the marriage certificate in turn, and Secretary Wang dipped his finger in ink and put the commune's official seal on the marriage certificate.

The moment they received the marriage certificate, Geng Yunye and Cheng Xin looked at each other with smiles in their eyes. All those sleepless nights and anxious waiting finally had a satisfactory answer.

After leaving the office, Geng Yunye opened a bag of wedding candy and distributed it to everyone he met: "My wife and I got our marriage certificate today. Please have some wedding candy!" The bag of wedding candy quickly spread throughout the commune compound, with blessings coming one after another.

Geng Yunye carefully put the marriage certificate into his pocket. Cheng Xin sat crookedly on the back seat of the bicycle and could hold his waist openly.

The yellow mud road made the bicycle frame rattle. Geng Yunye rode his bicycle past the Gengjiawan grain drying field. An acquaintance shouted to him from a distance: "Hey! Have you got your license to work?"

Geng Yunye held the handle with one hand and used the other hand to throw the wedding candy: "Uncle Zhao, eat some candy to get some good luck!" Cheng Xin smiled behind him.

When she got back to Cheng's house, no one was in the house. Cheng Xin guessed that her mother was taking classes in the bamboo weaving workshop. She went to the kitchen and filled two bowls of the longan and red date tea that she had simmered on the coal stove before leaving.

Geng Yunye held the tea bowl, the hot steam fumigated his eyes, and he suddenly remembered the day he got married in his previous life, when he and Cheng Xin shared a bowl of cold plain noodles in a small restaurant in the village in the city. At that time, he vowed in his heart that he would make her live a good life, but in the end he only cared about expanding his business territory and violated his original intention.

At this moment, the aroma of tea mixed with the faint scent of vanishing cream on Cheng Xin's body filled the entire room, and he finally experienced the feeling of happiness again.

"It's time to see your gift." Cheng Xin's cheeks flushed, and she turned back to the house and took out a package from the camphorwood dowry box. The moment she unfolded the package, a navy blue suit appeared in front of her, with a straight lapel, exquisite hidden pockets, and two shell-polished cufflinks.

Geng Yunye's breathing suddenly became rapid, and his memories surged like a tide. In his previous life, when he first attended a formal business event in Shanghai, the custom-made suit he wore was exactly the same as the one in front of him. He asked a tailor to make it for him on an expedited basis.

As a frequent customer in the business world, he was very familiar with suits. The cut and style of the suit in front of him were clearly a style that was popular in later times. He pretended to be calm, gently stroked the suit fabric with his fingers, and asked tentatively: "Why did you think of making suits? We all wear Zhongshan suits here."

Geng Yunye's heart was filled with turmoil. He wanted to ask, "Have you also been reborn?" But he swallowed the words back. He stared at Cheng Xin intently, trying to find the answer from her evasive eyes.

Cheng Xin lowered her head and twirled the corner of her clothes, her cheeks flushed. "I think it looks good. Last time I saw a picture album in the tailor shop, the suits on it were particularly impressive, so I thought of making one for you. I drew it according to the pattern, and I measured the size of your coat, and made it a little bigger according to the size of the coat. Try it on to see if it fits you."

Her voice trembled, and she dared not look directly into Geng Yunye's eyes. In fact, her inspiration came from the movies and TV series in her dreams, where the male protagonists all wore handsome suits.

Geng Yunye's eyes were sore, and he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. The rough wool of the suit rubbed his chin, but it made him feel warmer than the custom-made suit with silk lining. "Are you stupid? The suit is complicated, how many times did you pierce your hands?"

Cheng Xin buried her head in his chest, her voice muffled: "I'm not stupid, you bought me so many new clothes, I want to make the best clothes for you."

"Thank you, I like it very much. This suit is the best gift I have ever received."

Geng Yunye reached out to help her tidy up her scattered hair, and stared at her young face. He suddenly realized that some reunions do not require words, and some secrets may be revealed when the time is right.

Cheng Xin took Geng Yunye to the bamboo weaving workshop, and before they even entered the door, they heard hearty laughter coming from inside.

Cheng Xin pushed open the door holding some candy: "We are here to give out wedding candy to everyone!"

Everyone in the workshop stopped what they were doing and gathered around, making it extremely lively for a while.

Uncle Zhang, who was teaching everyone how to make a fruit plate, put down the bamboo strips in his hand and smiled: "The young couple came to tell us the good news right after getting the marriage certificate!"

Aunt Li held Cheng Xin's hand and praised her: "Look at the bride, she is more beautiful today than ever before!" Then she winked at Geng Yunye: "Young man, you must take good care of our commune's little flower! If you bully her, we will not forgive you!"

"I won't bully her. I'm glad she has everyone's support." Geng Yunye raised the corners of his lips and opened the wedding candies to distribute them one by one.

Xu Fengxia pinched Cheng Xin's cotton-padded jacket and said with a look of distress: "Don't wear more clothes when you go out. Don't catch a cold."

Zhao Tiezhu came in carrying half a bundle of green bamboo, followed by his wife Zhou Hongmei. "I heard that the couple got their marriage certificate today?"

Zhou Hongmei handed over a pair of bamboo magpies: "Auntie didn't prepare anything good, but this pair of magpies wishes you a happy marriage and a happy life!"

Cheng Xin happily took it: "It's so beautiful, thank you auntie!"

Geng Yunye walked to Grandpa Zhang's workbench, where a delicate bamboo fruit plate was placed. The bamboo strips were woven into exquisite patterns, and the edges were ingeniously woven with a circle of bamboo leaves. This was the content of today's teaching, and the people in the room had to learn how to weave a fruit plate from Grandpa Zhang.

He picked up the fruit plate and introduced it to everyone in the room: "The foreign trade merchants I met at the Canton Fair are in need of this kind of exquisite handicrafts. They specifically asked the master craftsman to take the lead. The first batch of orders is 3,000 pieces. If we set the price according to export standards, it will at least triple."

Uncle Zhang was a little embarrassed by the compliments, and waved his hand and said, "Young man, don't just say nice things. We only use our old skills to make a living."

"Grandpa Zhang, don't underestimate yourself." Geng Yunye said seriously, "Cheng Xin has contacted foreign trade merchants, and once the first batch of products is produced, it will be guaranteed to be sold!"

Geng Yunye's words made everyone present feel at ease, and everyone's eyes were full of anticipation and excitement.

Xu Fengxia leaned against the door frame and wiped the corners of her eyes with her hand.

Aunt Li nudged her with her elbow and said, "Fengxia, are you relieved now? Your daughter has found a good son-in-law for you. Your daughter is from our brigade, and your son-in-law is also a son-in-law from our brigade."