Chapter 3: Transmigrating into a Historical Novel 03 A character like her should…

"What?!" The captain nearly bit his tongue. "No, you're marrying him?"

It's not that Lu Zhenhai is prejudiced or has bad intentions; Lin Tingyue's family is so well-off, what kind of man couldn't she have? Besides, would her family even agree to this...?

Lu Zhenhai quickly pulled the man aside, glancing back at Yu Xingzhou, who hadn't followed, and said, "Marriage is such a big deal, have you discussed it with your family? It's not that I'm meddling, but Xiaozhou is a good person, but he's not a good match for you, so it's not appropriate!"

"I know, I'll call home tomorrow and tell them, Captain, don't worry."

Lu Zhenhai was still very worried, but he had no choice but to write the certificate himself. He had to go inside and write it on the spot, and then he had to run to the brigade office to get it stamped.

The two didn't go inside, but waited in the courtyard. At this moment, the road team leader's mother, Old Lady Wang, couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Has the date for the banquet been set?"

Lin Tingyue exchanged a glance with the man beside her, and seeing that he didn't intend to speak, she answered herself, "Let's not do it for now. We don't have much money right now, and Xingzhou's father and my family aren't here either. It's better to hold it later, so it will be more formal."

"That's true, we don't know when Xiao Zhou's father will be back. It's just that poor Xiao Zhou is suffering. If only it were two years earlier, when his grandparents were still alive..." Old Mrs. Wang looked at Yu Xingzhou, who was as thin as a bamboo pole, with a pained expression. Because of his class background, not many people in the village usually interacted with him. Only the village head's family would invite him to a New Year's Eve dinner. If they really held a banquet, they didn't know how many people they could invite.

While the two were waiting to get their certificates, Old Lady Wang asked Lin Tingyue a lot of questions about her family. Lin Tingyue responded casually, pretending not to know the answers to difficult questions. Yu Xingzhou would occasionally chime in to change the subject. After a few rounds, Old Lady Wang finally shut up.

Fortunately, Lu Zhenhai had already written two certificates, so the two of them went directly to the brigade office with him. Lin Tingyue then mentioned that she needed to take a day off the next day to get the certificate and buy some things.

Fortunately, it's not the busy harvest season, otherwise it would be really difficult to ask for this leave.

On the way home after getting the certificate, Lin Tingyue explained about the banquet she had just mentioned, "We're going through a special time right now, so let's keep everything simple for now. Don't mind."

Yu Xingzhou stared at her for a moment, then lowered his head, his hair obscuring his eyes. In the twilight as the sunset faded, his expression became even more inscrutable. "I'm fine. I'm more worried that you'll mind."

In this day and age, wedding banquets are still very important. Lin Tingyue really didn't care, so she was especially considerate of the other party's feelings at the moment, saying, "Let's have a proper banquet when the situation is better and our family is reunited."

Yu Xingzhou nodded, but he didn't have any expectations for this empty promise.

On the way home, we would occasionally run into fellow villagers who were out for a stroll. Seeing the two of them walking together reminded us of what happened that morning, but no one dared to gossip about it.

However, some well-informed people had heard about the two getting married, and seeing them walking together towards Yu Xingzhou's house, they confirmed that the news was true.

Song Xue, who was leaving the educated youth settlement, also happened to see the two of them. She had just heard from Xu Xingyi that Lin Tingyue was going to marry Yu Xingzhou. Most importantly, Xu Xingyi was apparently a womanizer; it seemed that Lin Tingyue had been the one paying for everything during their time in the countryside. What about all the gifts Xu Xingyi had given her before…?

Song Xue ran a few steps to catch up with him, "Lin Zhiqing, can I talk to you?"

Upon recognizing the visitor, Lin Tingyue gestured with her chin, indicating that Yu Xingzhou could go back first and not wait for her. After he left, Lin Tingyue asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

"I heard about what happened between you and Xu Zhiqing today. I think there's been some misunderstanding between us, and I want to clarify things with you. I didn't know he accepted so many gifts from you, or the money you spent on him. He said your pursuit was all one-sided, and that everything between you and him is completely innocent..."

“He’s right. It was indeed wishful thinking on my part in the past, but I’ve been sober since last night. This person isn’t worth it.” Lin Tingyue suddenly interrupted her, mainly because she didn’t want to continue listening to the story of the male and female protagonists. Someone like her should stay as far away from people with protagonist auras as possible. “Xu Xingyi and I have settled our differences and will have no relationship in the future. The only thing I feel guilty about is that I did have ulterior motives in inviting you last night. I apologize to you.”

Song Xue felt no relief when she saw the female educated youth in front of her, who always held her chin high, finally lower her head and apologize to her.

The sense of superiority she had built up because of Xu Xingyi's affection for her, and Lin Tingyue's infatuation with him, made her feel that no matter how good her family background was, it was not as important as her own clarity and excellence.

Has Lin Tingyue really come to her senses so easily? Then why did she marry Yu Xingzhou? Was it to provoke Xu Xingyi? That's too high a price to pay...

Song Xue couldn't understand it, but seeing that the other party didn't seem to want to argue with her about the money Xu Xingyi had spent, she felt relieved.

The next day, before dawn, Lin Tingyue got up.

She slept alone in the east room last night, while Yu Xingzhou went to the west room. Before she went to wash up, she knocked on the door, afraid that the person inside might not have woken up yet.

She waited for a while, but the door in front of her didn't open; instead, the main gate opened.

Yu Xingzhou carried two buckets of water back and went straight to the bathroom, filling the large water vat in the room.

"I've washed it, you can use it."

"Thank you. Do you usually get up this early?" Lin Tingyue was a little surprised. The water vat was quite large, but after Yu Xingzhou poured out the two buckets of well water he had just brought back, the vat was already full. He must have made several trips back and forth before that.

"No, last night I saw that there wasn't enough water, so I thought I'd go get some water early this morning when there aren't many people around."

The water, freshly drawn from the well, was still a bit cold. Lin Tingyue lowered her head and sank into the basin for a moment, which dispelled the lingering drowsiness.

The mirror she brought was hanging on the wall behind the washbasin stand, but she had only placed it there last night; Yu Xingzhou had already hung it up for her.

This man is more attentive than she expected, and he's observant. The experience of living together in the future shouldn't be too bad.

The two ate a simple breakfast as usual, each with an egg and a steamed sweet potato, and then they packed their things and prepared to go to the village entrance to take an oxcart.

Donghe Village is not too far from the county seat; it takes just over two hours to get there by oxcart. The cart departs at six o'clock every morning and then waits in the county seat until noon before heading back.

With no cell phone to pass the time, Lin Tingyue couldn't talk to the older women in the car, so she simply closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

But when I close my eyes, my hearing becomes more focused.

"...They're going to the county town to get their marriage certificate. Young people these days are strange; they don't even have a wedding banquet."

"I guess she didn't want her family to know, so she got the marriage certificate first. Lin, the educated youth, comes from such a good family, why did she have to find a poor country boy with a bad class background?"

"Well, that's what happened. I guess they felt their reputation was ruined. And that Xu educated youth wasn't very nice either, keeping her hanging on for so many years without giving her a straight answer."

"If you put it that way, I think the Yu family boy is alright. He's a good person, but his family background is a hindrance. When he was little, every family wanted to arrange a marriage between him and their children."

...

There aren't many forms of entertainment these days, and the neighborhood's favorite pastime is gossip. So last night, rumors started circulating that a young educated youth from the city was going to marry Yu Xingzhou, a villager with a bad class background.

Along the way, Lin Tingyue listened to them talk about how they weren't holding banquets, which family was about to hold one, and whose baby was about to turn one month old and was going to have a full-month celebration...

However, the last thing mentioned made her open her almond-shaped eyes slightly and join the conversation: "Is it that our village is going to build a new primary school?"

Several people looked at her, and one of them, being straightforward, explained to her, "It's all built already, the only thing left is to recruit teachers. Registration should start in a few days."

"You educated youth will definitely all have to go, right? I guess some educated youth from the next brigade will also come."

"I heard there's going to be an exam, and they need to find teachers from the county to grade the papers."

The aunties chattered amongst themselves, steer the conversation away from the topic.

Lin Tingyue got the answer she wanted. After a moment's thought, she turned her head slightly to Yu Xingzhou beside her and lowered her voice, saying, "Let's try that elementary school teacher together sometime."

"Hmm..." Yu Xingzhou responded softly. She had been too close just now and could smell her fragrance. He wondered if it was the almond honey she had placed in the bathroom.

After receiving an affirmative answer, the woman sat up straight, and the fragrance seemed to drift away with her.

Lin Tingyue was unaware of the thoughts of those around her and was still trying to recall the plot.

The job of a primary school teacher is quite good. Not only can you accumulate work points, but you also get a few yuan in salary every month. Teaching children in the classroom is much easier than working in the fields, so the educated youth who come to the countryside will definitely apply for the job.

The fact that the male and female protagonists successfully become elementary school teachers is also an important plot point in the book. The two of them manage to balance their love and work. The next step is to wait for the announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination the following year. They study together in their spare time and also slap the villains in the face. And she is definitely one of the villains. So such a good job is not so desirable to her.

But this job was perfect for Yu Xingzhou. He was also a high school graduate and more than qualified to teach elementary school students. I don't know why he didn't apply for the job in the book.

Her thoughts didn't wander too far, because the oxcart had already entered the county town, and her attention was drawn to the surrounding buildings and pedestrians.

Due to her professional habits from her previous life, Lin Tingyue would make a point of memorizing the terrain and landmarks of her location. In addition, since they only had a few hours, it would be best to plan their route in advance.

Uncle Zhao, who drove the oxcart, parked it under an old tree and told them to come back before noon. He said he would wait ten more minutes if anyone didn't arrive, and if they still didn't come, he would leave immediately.

Yu Xingzhou asked, "Shall we go to the post office first?"

Marriage is no small matter. Not only did Lin Tingyue need to inform her family, but Yu Xingzhou also had to tell his father, who was at the farm.

"Let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau first; there's no rush to make a phone call."

The original owner went to the countryside against her family's wishes, and now she has to tell them that she got married in the village. Even if she doesn't drive her family crazy, she'll still get a scolding. It's better to finish everything first before going to the countryside to avoid affecting her mood.

Yu Xingzhou hesitated for a moment, but ultimately remained silent, following Lin Tingyue to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Whether it was due to the plot or something else, there weren't many people when they arrived, and they got everything done smoothly. There was a photo studio nearby, and Lin Tingyue suggested taking a group photo.

These days, marriage certificates are less like certificates and more like awards. They don't have photos on them; people just go to a photo studio and have a black and white photo taken as a keepsake.

"Let's not take the photos then." Yu Xingzhou stopped outside the door, his gaze darting away.

Lin Tingyue didn't know why he didn't want to film, but she didn't want to keep guessing to herself. "Why? Is there something you're worried about?"

"It's too expensive, there's no need."

Hearing that this was the reason, she breathed a sigh of relief and took Yu Xingzhou's hand, saying, "Let's go, we still have the money for the photoshoot."

A note from the author:

----------------------

Lin Tingyue: Looking for a job! Looking for a job!

Yu Xingzhou: My wife smells so good, my wife smells so good...