Chapter 27 A Village Girl in the 1970s

Beijing City...

A strange feeling flashed through Miao Cuilan's mind.

But this wasn't the time to ponder it carefully. She continued with pleasantries, "It's not far, is it?"

It takes several days and nights to travel from Anyuan County to Beijing by train, but only two days and one night to travel to Huaixin City.

Xie Jingyue nodded vigorously and said in a deep voice, "Not far."

"Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend?"

Xie Jingyue realized something, and his eyes lit up.

No, I'm still single.

"You're not getting any younger, why aren't you married yet?"

"I haven't met the right one."

Xie Jingyue pursed his lips, and his other hand, which was under the table, unconsciously clenched.

He said in a low voice, "If I meet someone I like, I would really like to start a family with her."

"Indeed, when it comes to getting married, you should find someone you like to make life smoother."

Miao Cuilan asked a few more questions, inquiring about Xie Jingyue in every aspect.

Xie Jingyue felt extremely nervous, carefully considering every word before uttering it.

He wasn't stupid, and he knew Miao Cuilan's purpose in probing him, so he became even more cautious.

He didn't even dare to glance at Yao Yunzhen, his eyes fixed straight ahead, exuding an air of righteousness.

As for Yao Yunzhen, she's still busy fighting with her chicken leg and hasn't noticed the conversation at all.

The others, however, understood Miao Cuilan's intentions and occasionally glanced over, looking at him with scrutinizing eyes.

Thinking about the help he had given his family these past few days, he became more and more satisfied.

Miao Cuilan had learned enough about Xie Jingyue's situation, and after asking for his address, she stopped talking.

Xie Jingyue observed Miao Cuilan's expression and, seeing that she showed no aversion, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to look forward to it.

However, Miao Cuilan did not bring up the topic again until the end of the meal, which made Xie Jingyue both disappointed and anxious.

Is there something wrong with him?

He can change, really.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the initiative. The other party hadn't made it clear, and it was the right occasion for him to say these things.

As time slowly passed, Xie Jingyue still didn't receive any signal from Miao Cuilan.

Little did he know that Miao Cuilan had no intention of making a decision so quickly.

She said it all but meant it; she planned to find out more about the situation and have the two young people correspond with each other after they returned to the team, so they could reconnect.

If Zhenzhen doesn't object, then it's settled.

As for that so-called engagement, it's better to just ignore it.

Xie Jingyue was unaware of Miao Cuilan's plans, and not wanting to keep them too long, he had no choice but to get up and take his leave.

However, he was reluctant to leave and wanted to stay a little longer. Even if he couldn't talk to Comrade Zhenzhen, he would be satisfied as long as he could stay in the same space.

Unexpectedly, he remembered his friend's words of advice.

So he turned back just before he was about to step out the door.

"By the way, Auntie, do you know where Yao Daqiang lives? Someone asked me to talk to him about something."

Upon hearing this, the Yao family members were all a little surprised and looked over.

"What did you say? Looking for Yao Daqiang?"

Xie Jingyue was puzzled, but still said, "Yes, I need to talk to him about something."

In that instant, Miao Cuilan's heart trembled violently, as if struck by lightning. A glimmer of light flashed deep within her mind, piercing through layers of mist.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed, "Wait! You just said you're from Beijing and that you enlisted at 18, so you're 25 this year, right?"

Xie Jingyue nodded in confusion: "Yes, Auntie."

Do you know Lu Zhenguo?

Hearing the familiar name, Xie Jingyue became even more puzzled, but still answered honestly:

"I know him, Grandpa Lu is me..."

Miao Cuilan became excited and interrupted Xie Jingyue.

"Yes, yes, that's it. I never expected such a coincidence."

Miao Cuilan's reaction confused everyone else as well.

"Eldest sister, what are you saying?"

"Dad, Mom, isn't it a coincidence? Comrade Xiao Xie is Zhenzhen's fiancé!"

"What?"

The others were stunned, including Xie Jingyue and Yao Yunzhen.

Miao Cuilan voiced her guess:

"Comrade Xiao Xie is from Beijing. He joined the army at 18 and is 25 this year. He has been in the army for seven years. More importantly, he calls Lu Zhenguo Grandpa. They are the same age, and the time he joined the army is the same as what he said in their previous correspondence. And he came to the village to find you. What a coincidence! He must be Zhenzhen's fiancé!"

When the man turned 18, he sent them a letter saying that Zhenzhen's fiancé had joined the army and that there was no need to rush the marriage; they would wait until Yao Yunzhen grew up.

Yao Yunzhen was still young at that time, so the Yao family wasn't in a hurry and naturally had no objections.

Xie Jingyue's heart skipped a beat. Realizing what Miao Cuilan meant, he immediately widened his eyes, barely daring to breathe, and nervously stared at Miao Cuilan.

Is it really that much of a coincidence?

Yao Daqiang hesitated for a moment: "Are you sure about this?"

"Dad, have you forgotten Uncle Lu's name? His name is Lu Zhenguo, and Comrade Xiao Xie calls him Grandpa."

Miao Cuilan completely forgot that Xie Jingyue's address contained the character 'Lu'.

"But... Brother Lu's surname is Lu, and Comrade Xie's surname is Xie."

"Oh right, Comrade Xie, why is your surname Xie?"

Xie Jingyue hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Yao Yunzhen watching him curiously from the side, all his hesitation turned into determination.

He said slowly but firmly, "I will take my mother's surname."

"No wonder, so you really are Brother Lu's grandson?"

Although the Yao family found it a bit strange that he took his mother's surname, such things were common in their rural area, so they didn't doubt it and all accepted the explanation.

Xie Jingyue reaffirmed, "Yes, Lu Zhenguo is my grandfather."

The voice was firm and powerful.

Tan Guihua couldn't help but exclaim, "What a coincidence! So you're Zhenzhen's fiancé. No wonder you've helped us time and time again. It's all fate!"

Xie Jingyue smiled and said, "Yes, it's quite a coincidence."

Miao Cuilan praised, "Xiao Xie is a good person, and the two children are a match made in heaven, which is why they were able to get to know each other even though they had never met before."

Clearly, she was very satisfied with Xie Jingyue and had long forgotten her previous complaints and dissatisfaction with him.

Of course, her initial inquisitive mindset vanished, since she already had a general understanding of the Lu family's situation.

Now she looks at Xie Jingyue with the same eyes a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law.

The way they addressed each other changed from Comrade Xie to Little Xie, clearly indicating that the confirmation of their identities had greatly reduced the sense of unfamiliarity.

Yao Yunzhen lifted her head from the bowl, her eyes wide: "Are you really my fiancé?"

Seeing that Yao Yunzhen finally had him in her eyes, Xie Jingyue suppressed his excitement and said softly:

"Yes, I didn't expect it either. It's such a coincidence that the person I've been helping these past few days is actually my fiancée."

Finally, he and Comrade Zhenzhen had a deeper connection.

Jiaxing, don't blame me. Anyway, you didn't want this fiancée, did you?

So leave it to me. You won't have to worry about this anymore, and Zhenzhen will be happy too.