Chapter 7 His name is He Hongyuan

The "painful" lesson from the last blind date is still fresh in my mind.

Lin Xiang still remembers that before the blind date, Aunt Zhang praised the blind date's handsomeness and good looks, almost exaggerating him to be the most handsome man in Xifeng. But after meeting him, Lin Xiang deeply felt the difference in aesthetics and the gap between the times.

Therefore, we must listen to what Aunt Zhang says in reverse! Especially the more exaggerated she is, the scarier it is!

Lin Xiang gave a thumbs down to this child marriage candidate in her heart.

But she had to meet that lady this time. After all, it was a childhood marriage arranged by her original grandfather and mother. Now that the other party had come to her, she had to make things clear. Even if she refused or cancelled the engagement, it would be better to part ways amicably.

Feudal arranged marriages are unacceptable!

On this side, Aunt Zhang was still excitedly chatting with Lin Xiang about how handsome and energetic her child marriage partner was. On the other side, Aunt He heard the commotion and came out from a distant relative's house.

At that time, her youngest son's marriage was arranged by her grandfather. He said that the bride was the granddaughter of an old comrade-in-arms. However, the family lived in the city, and He Guifang only knew that the bride worked in a steel rolling mill. This matter was too far away from her child's marriage, so she did not take it too seriously. Until her father-in-law's old comrade-in-arms passed away, the two families had no contact, and then when her own father-in-law passed away, all contact was severed.

More than ten years have passed, and Aunt He has always been worried about her son's marriage. He Hongyuan joined the army at a young age, was brave on the battlefield, and was promoted quickly, but he had no partner. When he got older, Aunt He became worried. She urged him many times, but her son, relying on the fact that he was serving in the army thousands of miles away, would only say a few perfunctory words and never take any action. Aunt He was so angry that she spent money to call her son's unit to scold him.

Aunt He was so angry that her teeth itched: "If I had known earlier, I should have found you a wife right here in the village!"

But this boy wanted to be beaten, and said with a playful smile: "Mom, I didn't know this earlier. If you had decided at the time, you would have sent someone over directly, and I would have accepted it without saying anything."

How infuriating! I dare to say this because I know it is impossible.

As Aunt He was worrying, she suddenly remembered an old story. Her youngest son had clearly been engaged as a child!

She searched everywhere in the house, almost digging up the floor, before she finally found the childhood marriage certificate among a pile of junk. After all, it was something from nearly twenty years ago, and it had already turned yellow and was in a very old state. She had to be careful even when holding it in her hands, for fear of crumpling it.

Aunt He has always kept her word. She is from the country and cannot compare with the people in the city, but she has to come and ask. If the Lin family is willing, then the child marriage will be valid. The two children are not young anymore, so they can get married directly.

If the Lin family is not willing, she will not force it and will just annul the marriage certificate without delaying anyone.

So, she remembered that she had distant relatives in Xifeng City, so she asked the captain for a letter of introduction and came to the city.

Yesterday, at the gate of the steel rolling mill, she saw a young girl who claimed to be from the Lin family. She thought she was pretty, worthy of living in the city. She had much more delicate skin and flesh than the girls in the countryside who had to work all day facing the loess and back to the sky.

But at this moment, Lin Xiang who appeared in front of her shocked her so much that she couldn't move her eyes away.

He Guifang has never seen such a beautiful girl in his life!

Following the sound, Lin Xiang was standing under the eaves. Her pretty face was white and tender, her thick and long eyelashes trembled, her dark eyes were smiling, and her cherry-like mouth was curved. She was really more beautiful than a fairy!

When she was little, she heard her family talk about the daughters of capitalist families who studied abroad. They were all very beautiful, and most importantly, they had good temperament. Now that she saw it, she guessed that was the case.

"Aunt He?" Lin Xiang asked tentatively.

"Hey, you must be Lin Xiang, the daughter of Lin Guangming and Feng Huiling, right?" Aunt He had just heard Sister Zhang introduce her, so she had to confirm it again herself.

"Yes, I'm Lin Xiang."

The two of them sat under the eaves in front of Aunt Zhang's door and chatted casually about the child marriage between the He and Lin families.

Lin Xiang learned the whole story from Aunt He, and when she mentioned her attitude towards child marriages, she began to feel a bit of favor for her.

"After all, it's been too long. I just wanted to see if you're married. If not, would your family still be willing? If it counts, then get married. If it doesn't count, then we'll just cancel it. It won't bother each other."

She was neither humble nor arrogant, and had no intention of taking advantage of anyone. After all, it was the older generation who decided the marriage, and Aunt He always wanted peace of mind. It would be a sin if the Lin family was waiting and her son got married first.

Lin Xiang felt that this lady was open-minded. She also saw that she always had a kind smile on her face and spoke sweetly. She was speechless for a moment. She really hadn't figured out how to deal with this child marriage.

"Sister Zhou, tell me about your son, and Xiangxiang, take a look at the photo!" Aunt Zhang, who had poured two cups of boiled water for the two of them, came over with an enamel cup and excitedly mentioned the photo again, "Anyway, I think they're a good match! Xiangxiang is pretty, and Sister Zhou's son is handsome. Oh my god, if these two stood together, they would look so well matched!"

Lin Xiang: "..."

Why does Aunt Zhang seem so excited?

Aunt He recognized Lin Xiang's face, which was really pretty and made her feel comfortable just looking at her. She had three sons at home, and she was sighing in her heart, wondering why she didn't give birth to such a beautiful daughter! The three sons were more annoying than the other! Especially the youngest one!

"Girl Lin Xiang, this is a photo of my son. It was taken when he was promoted to deputy head of the group three years ago. I asked him to send one back." Aunt He handed over the only photo of her son in the family and continued, "Let me tell you more about my son's situation..."

Lin Xiang was reluctant to refuse, so she prepared herself mentally before reaching out to take the photo. After all, he was the handsome guy that Aunt Zhang mentioned, so she knew what she was talking about.

result...

Lin Xiang looked down and saw the two-inch photo on her palm and was slightly stunned.

In the 1970s, photography technology was not well developed. There were only black and white photos, no color. But many times, black and white photos could not hide a person's handsomeness.

The background of the photo is a pier, with a vast expanse of sea water rising and falling, boundless. A ship is docked at the shore, picking up passengers, and on the pier stands a soldier in navy uniform, with his back to the sea, standing tall like a pine tree.

People were coming and going around him, and many passengers were carrying large and small bags to board the ship. Amid the hustle and bustle, it seemed that the soldier was not disturbed. He stared firmly ahead, looking straight into Lin Xiang's heart through the camera at that time and the photos at this moment.

In the future, Lin Xiang had seen many handsome men, such as the stars on TV, all of whom were tall and good-looking. But the man in the photo was different.

He was tall but not thin. He wore a military uniform neatly and buttoned it tightly. The only part of his tan-colored arm that was exposed from the cuffs was muscular and showed his strength and power. His handsome face was thin and his jawline was as sharp as a knife or an axe. He was full of the wildness and fierceness of a veteran. His eyebrows were slanted and his narrow eyes were slightly narrowed, with deep and firm eyes.

Lin Xiang had seen so many handsome men in later life, but at this moment, it seemed that no one could compare to the soldier in the photo.

Aunt He's voice was circling in my ears, introducing He Hongyuan's situation: "My son He Hongyuan joined the army when he was fifteen years old. He has been in the army for ten years and is now twenty-five. He is now the head of a regiment on an island. The place is remote and many people say it is quite desolate."

As she was talking, Aunt He no longer had any thoughts on the matter. How could a girl from the city who had a formal job fulfill her child marriage arranged 20 years ago and marry to an island thousands of miles away to join the army?

Lin Xiang looked up and asked in surprise: "Island?"

In her previous life, she saved up some money and returned to her hometown, Haicheng, to buy a house, and it was a house with a sea view.

Now looking at the handsome man in the photo, and thinking about the island he is on, the blue sky and white clouds, and the seafood dinner, it seems really nice!

"Yeah, I don't understand what island it is." Aunt He didn't hold out much hope. It was understandable that Lin Xiang didn't want to get married. She said casually, "This child marriage was indeed arranged by the older generation. If we want to cancel it, we can just say it to each other..."

"Aunt He, I'm willing to marry you." Lin Xiang thought of the monsters she had on a blind date a few days ago. Considering the torturous job at the steel rolling mill and the calculating minds of the Lin family, the man in the photo became even more attractive!

Before Aunt He finished her words, she was shocked: "Really...really?"

She had never thought that her son could marry such a beautiful wife!

"That is, does Captain He have a partner? Is he willing to have a child marriage?" Lin Xiang pondered this question.

Aunt He waved her hands and said, "He just refuses to talk about his partner! Don't worry, this is the marriage arranged by his grandfather, and we are trustworthy! How can he not be willing!"

"Okay, okay, I said Xiangxiang and Xiaohe are a good match!" Aunt Zhang seemed to be more excited than the two parties involved. She was even thinking about the future, "How handsome and beautiful the baby will be after they get married!"

——

While the three people were discussing their child marriage in the big courtyard of Xifeng City, on Langhua Island, a thousand miles away from Xifeng City, the commander of the Second Brigade of the 119th Marine Division stationed on the island was having a lively meal at his home.

After a sumptuous dinner, a middle-aged couple greeted several young soldiers in military uniforms. Brigade Commander Yang sat at the head, with his lover on the right. They looked at the most handsome and promising young man at the table, then glanced past his body and made eye contact with the pretty female soldier from the art troupe on his left.

The two people's eyes met and they nodded.

Brigade Commander Yang's wife then slightly turned her head to look at her husband. With just one glance, Brigade Commander Yang felt something and said to his subordinate, "He Hongyuan, you will take Comrade Meng Jing back later."

Zhang Huafeng, who had just finished his last bite of food, looked up and said, "Yang Lu, Comrade Meng Jing and I are not on the same route...ah, it's our duty to send our female comrade back to the hospital."

Zhang Huafeng changed his words halfway through his speech because he saw Yang Lu and Yang Lu's lover frowning and he instantly understood something.

Today he was invited by He Hongyuan to have dinner. Logically, Brigade Yang only invited He Hongyuan to come, and Zhang Huafeng came along to have a free meal just because he was thick-skinned. However, when they arrived at the place, they found out that Meng Jing, a nurse from the military hospital, was also present.

How could he not understand at this point that Yang Lu and his wife wanted to arrange a blind date for the two of them, and when He Hongyuan approached him, he thought that this guy was kind enough to take him out for a meal, but he never expected that he was just a shield.

This He Hongyuan is really insidious!

After figuring this out, Zhang Huafeng turned his head and stared at his comrade-in-arms as if he was watching a good show. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "He Tuan, I will go back to the dormitory by myself later. Remember to send Comrade Meng Jing back to the hospital."

He Hongyuan sat at the square table, with broad shoulders and narrow waist, sitting upright, like a majestic mountain ridge, standing firm and resolute. When he heard the words of the brigade commander and his comrades, he stood up and saluted. He looked respectful, but his mouth was full of dissatisfaction: "Report to the brigade commander, is this a military order?"

Brigade Yang was choked by his subordinate's words: "During the break, how can there be any military orders?"

"Then I'll forgive you for not following my orders." He Hongyuan's brows were hard, and the words that came out of his thin lips were even more ruthless, "Our 119th Division should not be in any danger at seven o'clock in the evening."

"Hey, Captain!" Meng Jing couldn't bear to listen any longer. Her face fell, and she hurried out with her bag, saying, "You make a lot of sense. I don't need anyone to see me off. Uncle, aunt, I'm leaving first."

After that, the pretty figure quickly disappeared outside the door, causing Yang Lu to slam the table and glare at He Hongyuan, the troublemaker, "He Hongyuan, is there anyone as stubborn and heartless as you to treat female comrades?"

He Hongyuan curled his lips and said indifferently: "Yang Lu, since it is rest time, I have the right to disobey such an order. Besides, Comrade Meng Jing and I are not familiar with each other, so where does the friendship come from?"

Zhang Huafeng followed He Hongyuan and left Yang Lu's house. This banquet was truly breathtaking. The niece of Yang Lu and his wife had long had her eyes on He Hongyuan, but after several attempts to get close to this hard stone, she went to Yang Lu's wife to persuade her, and only then did she invite He Hongyuan to dinner on behalf of her superior, hoping to get closer to him.

But who could have expected that this troublemaker He Hongyuan wouldn't even give Yang Lu any face. It's so scary!

"Hey, buddy, you really are that kind of person." Zhang Huafeng gave him a thumbs up. "You even dared to say that to Brigade Commander Yang - this is not a military order that you can disobey. You are really too courageous!"

He Hongyuan didn't take it seriously. He curled his lips and said with a half-smile: "You want to listen to military orders? Go over quickly. Maybe you can still catch up and send the female comrade back now."

"No, no, no!" Zhang Huafeng waved his hands repeatedly, "Meng Jing has taken a fancy to you, how dare I do anything rash!"

However, watching He Hongyuan stride into the night without taking this Hongmen Banquet seriously at all, Zhang Huafeng was amazed. What a great guy! He deserves to be the first place in the military competition. He is so confident!

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't dare to say a word of opposition.

No, how could anyone reject Meng Jing, the most beautiful girl in the military hospital? He Hongyuan must be blind and sick!

He doesn't even like such a pretty girl, could it be that he wants to marry a fairy? !