Chapter 156 Educated Youth in the 1970s (20) I Want to Build! I Want to Learn...
The next morning, Jian Fangning was pleasantly surprised to find that it had started snowing lightly outside her window. She tiptoed to open the window, and as soon as her fingertips touched the temperature of the snowflakes, the slight chill melted away with her body heat, slowly seeping into her palm.
"Brother Song, look!" Jian Fangning suddenly turned around, grabbed Song Ce's wrist, and pulled him towards the window. "It's the first snow of the year!"
Song Ce didn't look at Xue; instead, he lowered his eyes and stared at the tip of her reddened nose.
"I...Is there something on my face?" Jian Fangning asked, a little embarrassed by his gaze.
"No, it's very beautiful."
Jian Fangning couldn't bear to look directly at her husband, whose presence was making her heart race. She quickly let go of his hand to close the window, but Song Ce pulled her into his arms instead. His pajama collar brushed against her cheek, carrying a warm and intoxicating scent.
"You rest, I'll go turn it off."
Jian Fangning pressed her face against his chest, listening to his rapid and powerful heartbeat, and couldn't help but smile softly.
It turns out... his heart was beating just as fast as hers.
Song Ce held her close for a while before gently releasing her and turning to close the window. The glass window was frozen solid, so he pushed it hard before it clicked shut.
"Are you hungry?" Song Ce's eyes were very gentle. "Do you want me to go buy you a bowl of wontons?"
Jian Fangning shook her head, stepped forward and took his hand, smiling as she said, "Let's go out for a walk, eat whatever we find, and buy some things for my aunt, uncle and brother while we're at it."
"Okay, let's go then!"
"Um!"
After reaching an agreement, the couple spent most of the day shopping in Qing City and bought a lot of things. Rare items like fruit candies were bought by Song Ce secretly taking Jian Fangning to the black market. Although the prices were higher than at the supply and marketing cooperative, no sugar coupons were needed, making it a bargain.
As a result, the two of them visibly had much more luggage. Song Ce glanced at the time, carried most of the things himself, and only let Jian Fangning carry the lightest backpack.
Jian Fangning paused for a moment, then looked at her thin man with heartache. Without saying a word, she snatched a handbag from his hand and held it in her own, gesturing for him to follow her.
The guesthouse was very close to Qing City Railway Station, and the two arrived at the station in less than half an hour, had their tickets checked, and boarded the train. Mayor Du gave Song Ce two lower berth tickets. Although the space inside the train wasn't spacious, it was still much more comfortable than the cramped hard seats outside.
Although there are still ten days until the Chinese New Year, people who have been busy away from home for a year are already heading back home one after another.
Mayor Du made sure to show his appreciation to this young contributor from the agricultural machinery institute. When buying tickets for Song Ce and his wife, he had already spoken to the train conductor beforehand, instructing them not to mistreat the couple. The conductor, understanding the unspoken message, immediately instructed the train staff not to accommodate any other passengers.
Seeing the train attendants coming over to ask if they needed anything, Jian Fangning felt a little guilty and immediately took out some fruit and snacks from her bag to give to them as a token of her appreciation. At first, the train attendants repeatedly refused, saying they didn't want any, but Jian Fangning insisted on putting them in their pockets, and they accepted them with blushes.
People in this era were still very simple and honest; after all, fruit and snacks were rare treats for most people. Jian Fangning's gesture made the train attendants even more enthusiastic.
Just as lunchtime arrived, they brought out two large bowls of steaming hot shredded pork noodles, each topped with an egg.
"Comrade, would you like some more noodles? We still have some in the pot!"
"That's enough, that's enough." Jian Fangning quickly waved her hand and said with a smile, "This portion is more than enough, there's no need to add any more."
"Okay, comrade, if you need anything, just go out and let us know."
"Why!"
After the two finished their noodles, Song Ce looked at the sky outside the window and said gently, "Fang Ning, this train goes directly to Beijing. It will probably take fifteen hours. You should get some sleep first. I'll wake you up when we arrive."
"Um……"
Jian Fangning responded softly, then leaned on her husband's shoulder, listening to the rhythmic swaying of the train beside her, and gradually became drowsy. In her hazy state, she seemed to see a spacious courtyard, with a pomegranate tree in the middle, laden with bright red pomegranates…
I had a good night's sleep.
"Fangning, Fangning, wake up, we've arrived at our station," Song Ce gently shook his wife awake and whispered.
Jian Fangning rubbed her eyes and sat up, lifting a corner of the blue curtain to look out. Sure enough, it was already bright outside.
The couple arrived at the aisle one after the other. Just as they stepped off the train, the heads of two train attendants peeked out from the window next to them, each holding an oil paper package.
"Comrades, be careful on the road! These are cornbread pancakes made at the restaurant; take them with you to eat on the road."
Jian Fangning smiled as she accepted the oil paper package, which was still warm to the touch. Without a word, she took two large, round apples from her backpack and placed them in their hands, smiling gently, "Thank you, and Happy New Year in advance!"
"Comrades, you too! Happy New Year!"
The train whistled again and started moving, carrying people from all directions to their respective destinations. Song Ce took Jian Fangning's hand and led her to the bus station.
The couple took another bus, which took more than two hours, before finally arriving at the bus stop outside Songjia Street.
"Brother Song... can you check if my clothes are wrinkled? Is my hair messy?" Jian Fangning nervously grabbed Song Ce's hand, looked at her reflection in the blurry glass window of the shop next door, and asked cautiously.
After all, she had just slept on the train overnight, so her clothes were bound to have some wrinkles. If her hair was also messy, that would be extremely impolite.
Song Ce smiled gently, turned around and held his wife's warm hand: "Your clothes are wrinkle-free, your hair is neat, and your smile is so charming."
Jian Fangning blushed and punched him lightly: "What are you saying..."
"I'm not going to argue with you anymore, let's go home."
Feeling her husband holding her hand tightly, Jian Fangning, who had been a little nervous, suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as the two reached the alley entrance, a woman wearing a blue apron came out of a house next door. She had just slung her shopping basket over her arm when she suddenly saw a young couple passing by in front of her house, who looked somewhat unfamiliar.
The people living in this alley have been neighbors for over ten years. Could this be a wealthy relative of someone?
"Hey? Who are you looking for?" the woman greeted her directly.
Song Ce stopped and smiled, "Aunt Zeng, don't you recognize me? I'm the second son of the Song family!"
Aunt Zeng was slightly surprised. She took a half step back and looked him over carefully. To make sure she hadn't mistaken him for someone else, she put down her shopping basket, grabbed Song Ce's hand, and looked him up and down. "It really is Ce! Oh my! You've changed so much! I almost didn't recognize you! You've lost a lot of weight these past few years! You must not have been eating well in the countryside, right? Xiao Feng was talking about it to me the other day. I didn't expect you to come back today!"
Song Ce smiled a little embarrassedly: "I ate a lot in the countryside. The villagers were very hospitable. I didn't go hungry at all!"
"Good, that's good!" Aunt Zeng said, glancing at Jian Fangning and asking with a smile, "What a beautiful girl! I wonder who she is..."
"This is my wife, Fang Ning. We just got our marriage certificate this year." Song Ce was unusually embarrassed, and his ears turned red.
Jian Fangning's cheeks flushed from his words, and she quickly stepped forward, greeting him generously, "Hello, Aunt Zeng."
"Hey, hey! Good child, come in and sit for a while!" Aunt Zeng greeted Jian Fangning warmly. "It's so cold today, you must have caught a chill on your way here." As she spoke, she took Jian Fangning's hand and tried to pull her into her house.
Seeing this, Song Ce quickly stopped Aunt Zeng: "Auntie, I haven't been back for several years. I have to take Fang Ning home first. We'll definitely come back another day!"
"Yes! Yes! Look at my terrible memory!" Aunt Zeng slapped her thigh and urged, "You two young people should hurry home! Come to my house for dinner in a couple of days!"
"Don't worry, Auntie!"
Watching the two of them walk sweetly towards the Song family's house, Aunt Zeng laughed heartily and quickly went back inside to gossip with her family.
The Song family lived at the northernmost end of the alley, and it was the most impressive family in the entire alley. Jian Fangning stared at the large brick house with five rooms for a few seconds, stunned.
"Brother Song, this...this is your home?"
Song Ce nodded and smiled, "Yes, there were originally only three rooms. After my grandparents passed away, my dad rebuilt the two courtyards together."
Jian Fangning: "..."
She had thought her husband's family wouldn't be too poor when she came, but she hadn't expected them to be this well-off. As she was lost in thought, she saw the curtain of the main room in the courtyard lifted, and a woman in her thirties came out carrying a winnowing basket to empty the coal ash. She happened to catch a glimpse of the two people waiting at the gate.
When Song's mother saw them, her hand trembled, and some coal ash spilled out. She immediately put down the winnowing basket, hurried over, grabbed Song Ce's hand, and exclaimed excitedly, "Little Ce, you're finally back!"
Hearing the commotion, Mr. Song hurried out and patted his youngest son on the shoulder: "Good lad! You've grown taller and thinner!"
Jian Fangning stood to the side, and for some reason, her nose tingled with tears. Song's mother let go of her son, grabbed Jian Fangning's arm, and said with a smile, "This must be Fangning, right? Come inside, there's chicken stewing for you in the kitchen!"
"Um……"
The house was much warmer inside than outside. As soon as the young couple sat down, Song's mother brought over two bowls of brown sugar ginger water and asked with concern, "You must be exhausted from the journey, Fangning. Drink it while it's hot."
"Thank you... Mom."
Jian Fangning hesitated for a little over half a minute before finally mustering up the courage to call out timidly.
Song's mother's eyes lit up, and she immediately got up and pulled Jian Fangning to sit down: "Hey, hey! Fangning, sit here, it's next to the heater, it's warm! Look how cold your hands are, they must have been freezing on the way here."
Hearing this, Song Ce couldn't help but laugh: "Mom, don't scare Fang Ning."
"What nonsense are you talking about! Fangning is such a good girl, coming all the way to our house in this freezing weather, she must be suffering so much!" Mother Song glared at her youngest son, then smiled kindly again: "Fangning, is your family alright? How many siblings do you have?"
Jian Fangning blushed and replied earnestly, "I have an older sister who is three years older than me. She just got married last year."
Mother Song smiled and nodded: "Good sisters! Good! From now on, we are family. Fangning, don't be shy with your mother. If you two need anything, remember to tell your mother."
As they were talking, Mr. Song stood up with a smile and said gently, "Xiao Feng, the young couple must be tired from their journey. Let them rest for a while. Let's go to the kitchen and cook the dumplings first!"
"Dad, Mom," Jian Fangning quickly stood up, a little embarrassed, and said, "Let me help too!"
"How could we let you do it!" Mr. and Mrs. Song said in unison. "You should rest!"
Jian Fangning was stunned, and suddenly felt like crying. Back home, even after a long day of work, she still had to cook, wash dishes, clean, and do everything. She had never experienced such treatment before.
Seeing that Jian Fangning's eyes seemed to be glistening with tears, Song Ce walked over and squatted down beside her, gently asking, "Aren't you tired after all this journey?"
"Not tired." Jian Fangning shook her head. "Not tired at all."
Song Ce smiled, stood up, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "Silly girl."
Jian Fangning buried herself deeply in her lover's arms, her throat feeling a little sore from the blockage, "Brother Song, your home... is so nice."
Song Ce patted the top of her head and said softly, "From now on, this is your home too."
"Um……"
Meanwhile, Song Fei was riding his bicycle home with a conflicted expression.
A few days ago, Qi Ziling returned alone from Xinhe Village, where she had been sent to work in the countryside. She said that she had been admitted to Renmin University in Beijing, and that the two of them would never have to be separated again.
Even now, he still can't forget that day... The girl he had liked for many years was standing there waiting for him, and naturally asked him when he planned to get their marriage certificate.
Getting a marriage certificate? His heart skipped a beat, and he fled in terror.
How could they... how could they get a marriage certificate?
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Author's note: Ziling is going to A-list [pat on the head]
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