Chapter 30 After Marriage
November 12th, Panshui County.
Overnight, the sky seemed to lose its heat, and the morning mist filled the air, while the cold wind stung my face.
The weather turned cold suddenly, without any transition period.
"My dorm room has no other advantages except for the good view."
After getting off the bus, Chen Yun bounced around a few times to soothe her legs, which had been aching from the bumpy ride.
She knew about any changes in the weather in the mountains before anyone else.
The cold wind blew in through the cracks in the window, so cold that Chen Yun woke up in the middle of the night and had to sew up strips of cloth to stuff in the cold air and find a thick quilt to cover herself.
"Hold on for a few more days. I've already coordinated with the warehouse about the iron bars." Gao Ming patted Chen Yun on the back. "I'll have someone get them ready first thing tomorrow morning."
Gao Ming was wearing his old military uniform, which he had kept at the bottom of a box since his demobilization. Although it no longer had shoulder insignia, he still stood there with his back straight and his whole body full of fortitude.
The photo studio is only a few dozen meters away from the station, just a few minutes' walk away.
The road surface is paved with bluestone slabs, and the gaps are filled with garbage and debris that have accumulated over countless years. You can also faintly smell the odor of feces in the air.
Chen Yun felt that the county town's infrastructure was far inferior to that of the Hongri Machinery Factory.
This road is called Jiefang Road. The cement monument with quotations at the entrance has a cracked corner, and the large red characters "Serve the People" have been smeared with excrement by someone.
Several door panels removed from the supply and marketing cooperative were piled up by the roadside, and flies hovered over the bamboo basket of an old man selling vegetable seeds by the roadside.
Watch your step.
Gao Ming carefully pulled Chen Yun to avoid a pile of dog poop that suddenly appeared on the road. As soon as the two of them went around into the alley, a little boy in tattered clothes ran out and swept the dog poop into a colander.
For them, dog poop is already a rare good fertilizer; they usually have to spend money to buy manure to grow vegetables and irrigate their fields.
"Now you know why Sister Yang looks down on things from the county town... Life is much better in our factory."
Just now, Gao Ming only grabbed Chen Yun's wrist, but after saying this, their fingers slowly became intertwined.
The photo studio's window was covered with a thin layer of dust, and the right side of the glass had a crack, which was crookedly taped back together.
Chen Yun suddenly stopped, gently withdrew her hand, and looked up at her reflection in the glass window.
"What's wrong?" Gao Ming asked softly.
"I'm a little nervous." Chen Yun raised her hand to her chest and took a deep breath. Her palms were sweaty, and she didn't know whose sweat it was. She then looked up and asked Gao Ming, "Is my hair messy?"
A few years ago, when the "Destroy the Four Olds" movement was in full swing, people dared not use red for their weddings. In the last two years, with the relaxation of restrictions, the centuries-old tradition of using red for weddings to celebrate has gradually been restored.
Chen Yun wore a maroon Lenin suit for her wedding, with her two braids tied behind her head and the ends of her hair wrapped with two circles of red yarn.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Gao Ming nodded, a clear smile playing on his lips, his gaze lingering on Chen Yun for a long time.
Then he suddenly took a step forward and pulled a red plastic hair accessory out of his pocket: "I see that brides in the city wear this when they get married, so let's wear it too."
The two were so close that Chen Yun's eyelashes could brush against his wrist when she blinked. The barely perceptible touch made Gao Ming's heart pound wildly, and his breathing became heavy.
Unfortunately, this was on the street, so Gao Ming could only suppress the burning sensation in his chest, take two steps back, and clear his throat.
"Let's go inside."
The photo studio was dimly lit. A red velvet cloth hung on the wall in the middle of the room, and there were two stools in front of it.
"Are the two of you taking wedding photos?"
The photographer emerged from the darkroom, wiping his hands repeatedly on his apron.
Gao Ming put on his military cap and straightened his collar: "Excuse me, sir, let's take our wedding photos."
"Ladies, please sit here; gentlemen, please sit over there."
The photographer lifted the red velvet curtain, revealing a square box covered with a black cloth.
Once the preparations were complete, he directed the two to make expressions. This was Chen Yun's first marriage in both her past lives, and her expressions inevitably became stiff due to nervousness.
In the video, she looks like a doll wearing a fake smiling mask, showing eight perfect white teeth and trying to curl the corners of her lips.
However, the photographer was quite satisfied and kept praising the woman for her great expression.
"Come closer! We're all revolutionary partners, what's there to be shy about!"
On the contrary, the master was not satisfied with the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder. After several repetitions, Chen Yun was almost leaning into Gao Ming's arms.
The master craftsman was finally satisfied.
"That's it...good...keep it up!"
Click—
Suddenly, a spotlight blazed on, freezing the moment in their smiles.
All the previous anxiety and restlessness vanished instantly, and in that moment of sudden enlightenment, my heart was filled with nothing but hope for the future.
Chen Yun narrowed his eyes and suddenly chuckled.
Who would have thought that the first thing you'd experience after time travel would be getting married?
***
Ten residential buildings of Hongri Machinery Factory.
"Maybe we shouldn't hang up the wedding photos?"
"It must be hung up, and hung in the very center and most conspicuous place!"
Dodging Chen Yun's outstretched hand, Gao Ming tiptoed and hung the photo frame at the highest point, ensuring it wouldn't be easily taken down.
"Go ahead and hang up if you want!" Chen Yun shook his head and gave up.
After returning from the county town with his marriage certificate, Gao Ming eagerly awaited the month to come so he could retrieve the wedding photos he had been longing for.
During this time, they moved into their new home.
After several days of creaking and groaning from the double bed, I had to return to my busy work schedule.
In her spare time from her busy work, Chen Yun would occasionally add something new to her new home.
Now that he has a small family, Gao Ming always brings back some food and drinks for his family whenever he goes to the provincial capital to deliver goods.
I used to go to the black market to buy things for other people, but now I'm thinking about buying them for my wife, and the feeling is really different.
The washing machine voucher was still locked in the drawer, never to see the light of day. Because Gao Ming patted his chest and promised that he would do the laundry in the future, Chen Yun still chose a refrigerator instead.
The refrigerator wasn't even as good as Chen Yungao's; its green plastic shell was so brittle that you could crack it if you pressed too hard.
The cabinet I bought before getting married now serves as a place to store my radio and thermos.
With their shared longing, the house gradually took on the shape of a home.
"After hanging up the photos and sweeping the doorway, I'll go wash the vegetables and cook. Ruanqiu and the others should be here soon." Chen Yun smiled and poked Gao Ming in the lower back.
After sharing a bed for more than a month, Chen Yun had figured out Gao Ming's first weakness.
This tall man curled up like a shrimp at the slightest touch. Every night before bed, Chen Yun liked to tickle him a few times before being pounced on.
"You go sweep the floor, I'll cook." Gao Ming nimbly twisted his waist to dodge, then chuckled and leaned in to give Chen Yun a quick kiss on the cheek: "The water's cold in winter."
Chen Yun had just planted two rows of scallions in the vegetable garden by the entrance a few days ago; the scallion heads were cut from Yang Juhua's own garden.
"It's so good to be newlywed... you're happy even when you're just drinking the wind."
Yang Juhua, who was sitting at the door, could hear the commotion inside the house. Chen Yun had just stepped out of the door when she heard her loudly teasing her.
“Sister-in-law and Brother Hu must have been much closer when they first got married than we were, otherwise where would Yue’e and Xiangyang have come from?” Chen Yun winked mischievously.
“Married women are different.” Sister Yang laughed, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the person diagonally opposite her. “If you hadn’t gotten your marriage certificate yet, you would have blushed so much you wouldn’t be able to show your face in public after just a few words.”
Chen Yun also looked over.
The pink floral curtains across the street were recently replaced with white ones with green bamboo patterns. Yang Juhua said that she sold the curtain fabric to someone to get money because she didn't have enough to eat.
"Hey! Is your boyfriend cooking dinner tonight?"
Gao Ming came out of the house carrying an enamel basin, which was overflowing with at least three or four pounds of pork belly.
Compared to the couple across the street who were too lazy to even cook snake, Yang Juhua felt that Gao Ming and Chen Yun were living a truly prosperous life.
The house was so tidy... I haven't been able to sleep for several nights since I got back.
That person built a second floor, which added dozens of square meters of extra space. They could sleep upstairs and roll around downstairs.
The couple lived in such a spacious house, with all four of them eating, drinking, and using the toilet all crammed together. Even at night, the couple had to tiptoe around when they wanted to be intimate.
“A friend is coming over for dinner tonight, and Gao Ming complained that my cooking wasn’t good,” Chen Yun said with a smile.
"Do you think your sister-in-law is hard of hearing?!" Yang Juhua stretched out her hand while picking vegetables, pushing Chen Yun so hard he swayed. "The water's cold!"
"If my sister-in-law heard that, why would she ask?" Chen Yun laughed heartily.
"I'd be content if my husband was half as considerate as Xiao Gao. He even complains about water being too cold for his hands!"
Speaking of Hu Gangtie, Chen Yun remembered that he had asked Gao Ming about building a second floor a couple of days ago, and hurriedly asked, "Brother Hu, have you spoken to the people in the warehouse yet?"
"Just thinking about it makes me angry!" Yang Juhua angrily slammed the vegetables on the ground, her eyes flashing like knives as she glared at the person across the street: "Your brother Hu is such a stingy old man, he complained that the iron bars were too expensive, and when he came back he said that our family has enough space and we don't need to build a second floor."
Since Chen Yun's family built their second floor, many families in this residential area have come to inquire, but most of them gave up the idea after learning the price.
Everyone's life is a struggle, and it's hard to come up with the idea of building a second floor for just a few hundred yuan.
“Your Yue’e is a seventeen-year-old young lady. It’s not good for her to always sleep with her parents.”
Hu Yue'e repeatedly expressed her envy for the second floor of Chen Yun's house, thinking, "Who wouldn't want a separate room?"
“Who says otherwise?” Yang Juhua sighed, gritted her teeth and stamped her foot, making a decision in her heart: “We must build this second floor. If we don’t have enough money, we’ll go back to our parents’ house to borrow. We can’t let the two kids sleep next to us all the time.”
"Xiangyang is still young and can barely sleep soundly now, but what will happen when he gets married..."
Despite being only fourteen years old, Hu Xiangyang has long been dreaming of starting work and getting married as soon as possible, and has even revealed the name of his child to Chen Yun.
“It makes me so frustrated. My husband and I have been married for so many years and we’ve been so frugal that we can’t even afford a decent piece of clothing. In the end, we can’t even come up with 500 yuan. Look at other people…” Yang Juhua pointed to the window across the street: “That couple eats and drinks well every day, and they have more money in their pockets than we do.”
Zheng Wen and Song Shiwei, whom Yang Juhua always looked down upon, were the only families who paid for the construction of a second floor.
They also used an iron frame, and the welder they hired spent two days working inside and out to set it up. It was an even bigger setup than Chen Yun's house.
Chen Yun didn't believe Yang Juhua couldn't come up with 600 yuan, but it was even more surprising that Zheng Wen took out several hundred yuan to build the second floor.
Where the money came from... remains unknown.
“If you really don’t have the money, then sister-in-law, just build a wooden one for now, and replace it when you have the money later.”
Chen Yun didn't want to investigate where Zheng Wen's money came from; she swept the doorway clean and hung the broom on the wall.
The water room for Building 10 is located between two rows of houses. There is no tap water, and the water is pumped from two wells.
"That kid Li Huguo likes fatty meat, so I'll stir-fry some leaner lettuce for you."
As Gao Ming passed by Chen Yun carrying the basin, he made a point of mentioning it to Chen Yun.
Just as Chen Yun discovered that Gao Ming was ticklish, he also discovered that Chen Yun liked to eat leaner meat, and insisted on having plenty of dried chili peppers added.
"I'm eating what's served, so I wouldn't dare have any complaints." Chen Yun leaned halfway into the room and scratched Gao Ming's lower back.
Gao Ming laughed and dodged, then reached out his cold hand to the back of Chen Yun's neck.
"The honeymoon is still the best!" Yang Juhua sighed, looking up at the sky.
Just as the young couple were playfully bickering, Ruanqiu and Li Huguo walked over carrying bags of fruit.
Ahead of them walked another family, looking weary from their journey.
The family of four looked like they had traveled a long way; the elderly couple's cotton-padded trousers and shoes were covered in mud, and every step they took looked heavy.
The two younger women were very pale, one of them even had white lips, and they were panting heavily as they walked.
"I think Liu Jianjun from your group is deliberately targeting you. Everyone else only works one night shift a week, but you... you've worked four night shifts this week!"
Li Huguo's complexion was not much better than that of the female comrade. He suddenly staggered two steps while walking, and only managed to keep from kneeling down thanks to Ruanqiu supporting his arm.
Gao Ming had previously said that the interpersonal relationships in the security department were complicated and not suitable for a hothead like Li Huguo.
I had the opportunity to join the transport team but I was too embarrassed to go. As a result, a few years later I encountered a team leader who liked to make things difficult for me and suffered a great loss in silence.
"You can't think straight. If you had listened to a wise person, you wouldn't be where you are today."
"Chen Yun will have to check your pulse tonight to see if you need any tonics to help you recover."
"With your physique, how can you work in the security department...?"
Li Huguo was getting a headache from Ruanqiu's incessant complaining. It wasn't that he found it annoying... he just felt incredibly embarrassed.
After all, every complaint he made was valid, and he couldn't find any fault in his rebuttal.
After talking about Li Huguo's work, Ruanqiu thought of the couple who had recently moved next door, and she was even more annoyed.
The couple didn't seem to have any major problems with their conduct.
It's just that... the newlyweds make a lot of noise every night, making it impossible for Ruanqiu, who is already alone in her room, to get a good night's sleep.
"If only Chen Yun still lived next door to us." Ruanqiu kicked a pebble away from the roadside. Looking up, she saw the woman who was panting heavily suddenly swaying, as if afraid that the pebble had hit her.
Fortunately, after swaying a few times, she continued walking forward, seemingly heading in the same direction as them.
After crossing a stone bridge, Chen Yun's new home came into view.
Ruanqiu was incredibly envious: "There's no upstairs or downstairs, and there's even a vegetable garden in front of the door."
They live in a tenement building, and if you walk a few more steps at night, the people downstairs will come looking for you. Even if you fart a little loudly, the neighbors can hear you.
Unlike here—there's sky, land, and a small river behind it.
"It's much warmer here than where we're from."
This warehouse was built at the foot of the mountain, and with the surrounding trees providing shelter, the cold wind on the mountainside was not felt at all at the foot of the mountain.
Ruanqiu took off her gloves and hung them around her neck, then curiously broke off a piece of thin ice from the river and rubbed it in her hand.
"Li Huguo, you should try your best!" Ruanqiu smiled and took a sip of ice. "So that I can live in such a nice house soon."
Li Huguo smiled and nodded: "Then it would be better if you were promoted to director of the finance office as soon as possible, so we can apply to move."
"Get lost," Ruanqiu said with a laugh.
Yang Hua needed her father-in-law's help to get the position of deputy director. How could she, who was almost labeled a capitalist's daughter, dare to dream of that position?
"Have confidence." Li Huguo pointed to Chen Yun, who was walking out of the house not far away, and said with a smile, "Look at your sister-in-law, she is now the director of the internal medicine department of the hospital. How can you not dare to dream of it?"
"How can that be the same!"
Ruanqiu thought to herself: That's a skill that heals and saves lives, how can it compare to her dabbling in abacus?
"Chen Yun".
"You've arrived!"
At the same time, Chen Yun not only saw Ruan Qiu and the other two, but also noticed the four people who looked exhausted and stopped in front of the first house across the street.
They piled their bags and packages at the doorway, then collapsed onto the floor as if they could no longer hold on.
"Quickly show me your new home." Ruanqiu shoved the net bag into Chen Yun's arms and eagerly pulled her into the house: "We didn't want to disturb you during your wedding, but now we can finally relax, wow—"
Before she could finish her teasing remark, Ruanqiu opened her mouth in surprise.
The room was bright, and the window facing the door offered a view of the babbling river outside.
A brand-new bicycle leans against the wall next to a five-drawer chest on the left, and several photos of different sizes hang on the wall.
The largest photo is their wedding photo, and Chen Yun is smiling very happily.
The remaining photos are propaganda photos taken by the propaganda department for Gao Ming and Chen Yun during their work, and there is also a black and white photo of Gao Ming when he was still serving in the army.
Surrounding these photos are... certificates of merit.
"Looks like I'll be getting another Outstanding Individual Award from the staff hospital this year." Ruanqiu chuckled and turned in another direction: "Can you even get out through this window?"
It looks like a glass window, but the window sash has a door handle.
Through the window, you can see two long tables set up outside, with uncut vegetables and meat still on them.
“We cook outside, and when it rains we cook inside.”
Next to the window were two desks side by side; you could immediately tell who was using them just by looking at what was on them.
Chen Yun kept her green desk lamp in its old spot and was still using the same desk she had before she got married.
Ruanqiu asked casually, and then turned and went to the right side of the house.
Against the wall to the right is a wooden ladder leading to the second floor. In front of the ladder are a black and white cabinet and a refrigerator. The clothes rack in the corner is already full of clothes and bags.
Ruanqiu's favorite spot was undoubtedly the large round table in the middle.
Unlike their family, who has to put the table away after meals, this round table that can seat six people doesn't feel crowded at all.
All things considered... the house is still the most spacious.
"Can I go upstairs and take a look?" Ruanqiu winked at Chen Yun: "I have to take a good look at the newlyweds' room."
"Feel free to visit anywhere," Chen Yun smiled.
"Then you two go upstairs to talk, I'll cook for Gao Ming."
Feeling a sense of duty, Li Huguo resigned himself to his fate, rolled up his sleeves, and pushed Gao Ming to continue cooking.
Two rooms have been partitioned off on the second floor, one of which, about ten square meters, is currently vacant.
That big room is their bedroom.
"I love this recliner!"
There was a bamboo recliner next to the bed, and lying down there allowed you to see the view outside through the window.
If you open the window on a sunny day, you'll hear nothing but birdsong.
There wasn't much to see in the small bedroom, so Ruanqiu looked around and then lay down on the recliner.
"How about getting married...?"
This led to a private conversation between the two, who were still in the honeymoon phase of their marriage.
Two men were talking about completely different things by the river outside the same window.
Li Huguo picked up a slice of freshly cut lettuce from the table and popped it into his mouth. After chewing for a while, he reached out to grab another slice, but Gao Ming slapped him away, and he gave up.
"Arrest them if they haven't washed their hands."
"You didn't lend money to Zheng Wen, did you?"
"He still dares to borrow money from me?" Gao Ming asked with a half-smile. "He's shameless enough not to take a detour if he can't see me."
He asked me to lend him money, but I didn't.
Zheng Wen heard from somewhere that Li Huguo also worked at the factory, and after having drinks with him twice, he started borrowing money from him.
If Gao Ming hadn't reminded him beforehand, he would have actually lent it to him out of consideration for their past as comrades.
"It's good that you didn't lend it, otherwise Comrade Ruan would have fought you to the death."
“Ruanqiu is different from my sister-in-law; she really risks her life…you have to use a kitchen knife.” Li Huguo shook his head exaggeratedly.
Gao Ming smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“I know where he borrowed the money!” Li Huguo looked around to make sure no one was watching, then deliberately lowered his voice before saying the person’s name: “Fang Ping from my sister-in-law’s workplace.”
"who?"
"Is that the new doctor at your sister-in-law's workplace? Don't you know him?"
Gao Ming carefully recalled that a few days ago when he went to pick up Chen Yun from get off work, he seemed to have encountered a female doctor arguing with a patient's family in the lobby.
When patients came to her for headaches, she dismissed them by saying she hadn't found anything wrong. That very night, the patient suddenly convulsed and foamed at the mouth. When they were taken to the county hospital, they were diagnosed with an epileptic seizure.
The family members were furious and came to the hospital to make a scene, but in the end, the matter was dropped because there was no evidence.
"How did those two end up together?" Gao Ming wondered.
"It's quite a coincidence! Our security team found them last week while patrolling the bamboo grove in our factory's small garden. They were caught as thieves..."
Li Huguo might have made a mistake, but Zheng Wenhua could be recognized even if he turned to ashes.
At that time, Zheng Wen had not yet asked him for money, and Li Huguo did not expose the lie that the woman was not his wife, Song Shiwei, out of consideration for their comradeship.
He thought the woman looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was.
Later, when the loan was unsuccessful, the two broke up and stopped communicating, and he put the matter behind him.
"I never expected Fang Ping to come looking for me a few days ago." Li Huguo was still furious when he mentioned it, pointing in the direction of Zheng Wen's house and cursing, "That bastard actually told Fang Ping that the money was borrowed from me."
Li Huguo threatened that if they didn't lend him the money, he would report them for having an affair, causing them to be criticized and sent to a cowshed for reform through labor.
Fang Ping felt increasingly uneasy, so she secretly went to Li Huguo to ask for her money back.
After all, Li Huguo, who knew about it but didn't report it at the time, would have been punished as well if he had dared to report it.
"Upon hearing this, Ruanqiu couldn't stand it, and the couple went straight to the publicity department to demand an explanation..."
Zheng Wen was practically kneeling down and kowtowing to admit his mistake, and he even told Li Huguo and the others that he came up with that terrible idea because he wanted to find a doctor to treat his wife's infertility.
Ruanqiu is stubborn but soft-hearted. In the end, he only asked Fang Ping to explain things clearly and then he didn't pursue the matter further.
"And then what?"
“Ruanqiu explained the situation to Fangping, and how to resolve it later is their business.” Li Huguo shrugged and secretly took a piece of lettuce from the basin: “Anyway, if they still dare to come to me for money, I will go to the propaganda department leaders to explain the situation.”
After hearing this, Gao Ming gasped and was even more puzzled: "How come we knew nothing about such a big thing?"
Li Huguo: "..."
After clicking his tongue twice, he looked at the genius and spoke.
"Your lights were off a long time ago, how could I not know what you were doing... After all, I was once someone who couldn't wait to be with my wife every day."
clever:"……"
Young and impetuous people who have just tasted the first flavor of love are truly blind to everything else except their partner.
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