Qian Xiao looked at Sun Kaicheng. She really didn't know the date. It seemed that they were waiting for Grandpa Zhou to choose the date.
“My maternal grandfather picked a date yesterday, but he hasn’t discussed it with my grandparents yet. He said it would be May Day. As long as my grandparents agree, that’s the date.”
Qian Xiao nodded: "I'll tell you once we've set a specific date."
"Okay, I'll definitely have time then. Gouzi, I heard you're going on a blind date too?" Erhua only heard about this from her mother last night.
The dog's black face turned red and purple as it scratched the back of its head, saying, "I...I...I don't know either."
His own mother was arranging for him to meet potential partners, but it seemed he hadn't found anyone suitable yet. He didn't have many ideas, and he was just thinking about getting a permanent position.
This was the first time Qian Xiao had ever seen Gouzi shy, and he almost burst out laughing. The big, burly young man was acting all coy, looking just like a shy bear—it was an eyesore.
"My goodness, why is Auntie in such a hurry? Besides, if you're not looking for a partner in the county, are you planning to come back here?" These days, even if you get married, you can't take your household registration to the city, and then food will be a problem.
"My mother said the girls in the village are honest and straightforward."
Qian rolled her eyes. There are sly and cheating people everywhere. What does it have to do with city people or country people? But she didn't need to worry about it. She was too lazy to say anything. It was good enough to live her own life well.
"Once we're all married, it won't be easy for us to get together again." That's how friends are; they just drift further and further apart.
Erhua was also a little melancholy. It's true, once people grow up and have their own families, they focus more on their own families. When they have children, they can only spare less attention for them.
After seeing off his two childhood friends, Qian Xiao sighed and said, "You know, when you're young, you look forward to growing up, but when you grow up, you start to wonder why people have to grow up. How happy you were when you were young."
Sun Kaicheng asked with amusement, "Why are you suddenly becoming so sentimental?"
"I always feel that as people grow up, the distance between them grows." When she was little, she thought about working hard with her two friends and walking hand in hand on a different path to success.
Who would have thought that her two little friends, who were like rotten wood that couldn't be moved at all and seemed like they would crumble if you tried to pull them, would suddenly become so different?
Although on the surface the three of them talking together was the same as before, she could feel the difference. It was an indescribable feeling, but she felt quite helpless. She thought to herself that she hadn't changed at all!
"Can you make everyone as good as you?"
Qian Xiao liked hearing this: "Hehe, no way, there aren't many people as outstanding as me."
Qian Xiao wasn't embarrassed at all about his boasting.
It was a rare occasion for the whole family to be together, and they spent six or seven Spring Festivals together in joy. When Qian Xiao left on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, she was quite reluctant to part with them. She wished that such days could last a few more days.
May 1, 1967, was a clear, cloudless day. In a small courtyard in the county town that had been connected to another building, things started to get lively before dawn. The neighbors living nearby also came to join in the fun in the alley early in the morning.
"My goodness, these two young people are finally married." They were exhausted from watching.
"That's right, it's been several years already, and we thought things were over between those two."
"Getting married is good, so that all the young ladies in the alley won't be eyeing you, and those young men won't be able to settle down."
Two good-looking people with decent jobs lived in the alley. As long as they didn't get married, those who were always looking for a romantic relationship would always try to see if they could bring them to their homes. If they succeeded, they would have a house and money.
"Hey, did you guys see that? The groom's family looks like they're not ordinary people; there are several of them wearing military uniforms."
Those in the Sun family who had time came over. The two children will live on their own in the future. What would it look like if they didn't come over after getting married?
"Absolutely, they look incredibly well-off. I heard their family is from the capital and they're officials."
"Then this little girl from the Qian family has married well."
"You're kidding me. Didn't you see that Qian's daughter's father is also a cadre, a military cadre at that? That's what you call a perfect match."
Several quick-witted individuals exchanged glances and understood each other's meaning. This family was not to be offended, and they would have to keep their family members in check in the future. They were just ordinary people, and it would be dangerous for them to offend those officials.
"Tell me, how did they raise that kid? Good looks, good job, and a college graduate. Why is our kid so much worse off?"
"Why don't you look at their parents? If you were that capable, your child would be successful too."
"Hey, I heard those two courtyards have been connected. Where will the Qian family girl leave from later?"
"I know, I asked yesterday. They said we'd still exit through the original courtyard, but we'd have to go around and enter through another gate. Imagine how spacious it would be if those two courtyards were connected!" The sour tone in her voice was obvious to everyone.
They were considered to be living in relatively good conditions, at least they all had their own courtyards. But each family had quite a few people, sometimes a dozen or twenty, and they lived in cramped conditions. In contrast, these two families only had two people, yet they lived in two spacious courtyards. How could anyone not be envious?
Everyone feels a pang of envy when they talk about the courtyard. Who wouldn't want to live in a more spacious place? But you also need extra rooms.
"This young couple will have a very comfortable life from now on, without any elders around." These words were spoken by a young wife.
The older women remained silent. They wouldn't separate their children to live separately; it's much more lively for the whole family to be together. And the successful ones could help support the unsuccessful ones.
Because they had set their wedding date well in advance, they had plenty of time and renovated the yard to make it look nice without being too flashy.
One courtyard doesn't look very big, but two courtyards together make it look much more spacious. The houses have also been cleaned up and look much newer.
Qian Xiao was sitting in a side room in her courtyard. She would be getting married from this room soon. She had her own home, so she couldn't get married in a guesthouse. Getting married from the village was too far away, so she came up with this idea.
Go out from your own door, walk around the alley, come in from the other side, and then come in through the door on Sun Kaicheng's side. After the wedding, one door will be blocked off, and we'll be one family. There's no need to keep two doors to make it look like we're two separate families.
Inside the room sat three girlfriends from the factory, chatting together. Erhua hadn't come today because she was pregnant. There's a saying here that pregnant women shouldn't attend weddings, as it's considered bad luck.
Qian Xiao didn't say much, but thinking about Er Hua's pregnant belly and what would happen if they ran into each other in the crowd, she didn't let her come along.
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