After the fertilizer was accumulated, it was the eleventh month of the lunar calendar and there was not much work to do in the village.
Liu's father took Liu's mother and Han Chen to the mountains to chop firewood for a few days. Han Chen carried two loads of firewood to the educated youth home, after all, he would have to stay there for a while.
After the three of them filled the firewood shed at home, Liu's father took Han Chen to dig winter bamboo shoots in the mountains. They had been digging for more than ten days, while Liu's mother sewed clothes, made shoe soles, and did housework at home. It was much easier than before. She had at least two or three hours to rest every day.
The doors and windows of the newly built blue brick house were pulled back by Han Chen using a tractor a few days ago. They have now been installed and the windows have been covered with window paper.
Liu's father and mother said that there were still some wooden boards left at home. After digging the winter bamboo shoots, they would first cover the room where Xuemei and Han Chen would live with wooden boards, and then slowly collect wooden boards for other places later.
Today, Xuemei plans to buy some things for her family. Tomorrow, Xuemei will have a day off. Father Liu and Grandpa Liu think tomorrow is a good day, so they want Xuemei and Han Chen to go to the county town to get the certificate. The banquet will be held after the floor of the new house is laid. Then the wedding banquet and the housewarming celebration can be held together, which will not be too ostentatious.
After we get married, I am afraid Han Chen will have objections to buying so many things for my family at once, so I bought everything I could today before getting the marriage certificate.
Xuemei bought a pair of furry Liberation shoes for each of her grandparents. As they were old, their feet were always cold in winter. She also bought a pair of Liberation shoes for Liu's father and mother, and a pair of Golden Wing sneakers for Qingya and her two siblings. In the summer, she bought a pair of sandals for each of Qingya and her two siblings, so she didn't buy any other shoes at that time.
Sneakers were something the three of them had been wanting for several years, but they were sensible and never asked Liu's father, mother, or Xuemei for them.
The last time the three of them came home from school, they looked at their respective savings and discussed that they would go out together for the winter vacation this year and buy a pair of shoes with their own money. Xuemei took advantage of the fact that the supply and marketing cooperative had delivered a batch today and simply bought them all at once.
A pair of furry Liberation shoes cost five yuan, and a pair of sneakers cost six yuan and fifty cents, which totaled thirty-nine yuan and fifty cents. Xuemei's salary for one and a half months was gone. Although she felt sad, she was more happy. She was also lucky today because she caught the supply and marketing cooperative receiving new goods and could buy everything at once.
"Xuemei, you really don't know how to live. Aren't cotton shoes and cloth shoes the same?" Zhang Aiping couldn't help but say.
"Sister Zhang, these furry Liberation shoes are waterproof on the outside, so my family members can wear them while working without worrying about getting their feet wet or cold. These three pairs of sneakers are for my sister and two brothers. They have been wearing shoes made by my mother and her family all their lives. We just bought them a pair of sandals this summer. Now they are all teenagers, so it's okay to buy them a pair of sneakers." Xuemei explained.
"That's because you are willing to spend money for your family. I definitely can't bear it. My heart bleeds to spend so much money at once!" Zhang Aiping said, covering his heart.
"My family treats me well, they deserve it. Besides, I'm getting married soon, and it wouldn't be good to spend so much money on my family at once. After all, once I start a family, I have to consider each other's feelings in many things!" Xuemei replied.
"You're right. I kind of regret not buying something for my parents before I got married. Now I have my own family and the expenses at home are high, so I want to spend every penny carefully. If there is something for my parents, my mother-in-law and father-in-law must give it too, so I have to prepare two at a time. Although we have fallen out with my parents-in-law now, I still have to give them something openly. After all, they are your brother-in-law's parents. Besides, if I don't give them to them, your brother-in-law will definitely be dissatisfied!" Zhang Aiping sighed.
"Sister Zhang, that's why I should spend more money on my family while I'm still free. I won't be so free and easy in the future!" Xuemei cleaned the shoes one by one and put them into her backpack.
Zhang Aiping nodded in agreement and asked, "When are you and your partner going to have your wedding banquet?"
Xuemei played with her fingers and replied shyly, "We're going to get the marriage certificate tomorrow. The wedding banquet might have to wait until the twelfth lunar month."
"Congratulations, now that you have set a date, please let me know!" Zhang Aiping was happy for Xuemei.
"I will be the first one to notify you among the people at the supply and marketing cooperative when the time comes!" Xuemei stated.
"That's good. Remember to bring me some wedding candy the day after tomorrow so that I can share in your happy occasion as a newlywed couple!" Zhang Aiping joked.
Xuemei nodded generously.
When she returned home in the afternoon, Liu's mother saw what Xuemei bought and scolded her. It was only after Xuemei expressed her thoughts that Liu's mother stopped preaching. Xuemei rubbed her ears, which were overwhelmed, and sighed.
…
The next day, Xuemei and Han Chen arrived in the county town early and took the 7:30 bus. As soon as they got off the bus, Han Chen and Xuemei walked quickly to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, there was only a newlywed couple in front of them. More than ten minutes later, Xuemei and Han Chen got their own marriage certificate. It looked like a certificate with a portrait of a great man and a quotation on it. In the middle it said that Han Chen and Li Xuemei voluntarily became revolutionary partners, and at the bottom was the date and a picture of a big red flower.
After Xuemei finished reading it, Han Chen carefully placed the marriage certificate between a high school textbook he had brought with him and placed it in the backpack behind him.
"Why are you putting it away so early? Do we still need to take our marriage certificate to sell things?" Xuemei looked at Han Chen in confusion. The staff of the Civil Affairs Bureau just said that with a marriage certificate, one can buy two feet of tickets, a pound of fruit candy, a thermos, and two pounds of cotton without a ticket.
"I have to keep it well. It's my ID. I'll take it out when I go shopping. Let's go to the photo studio first?" Han Chen looked at Xuemei expectantly and said.
"We are dressed so beautifully today, let's take a photo as a souvenir!" Han Chen quietly pulled Xuemei's hand and shook it, then quickly let go. Xuemei knew that Han Chen was just acting coquettishly with him.
Xuemei looked at the man in front of her who was wearing a black woolen coat and black leather shoes. His figure seemed more upright and he looked very handsome. The only difference was that the backpack on his back was a little inappropriate, like a combination of urban and rural areas. However, it also added a breath of life and a unique flavor. In short, he was very handsome in Xuemei's eyes.
Xuemei was also wearing the brown wool coat the Lin family had sent her today. It reached her thighs, and she wore black straight-leg pants underneath. Her legs looked long and thin, and she seemed several inches taller. She wore a pair of black women's brogues with two-centimeter thick heels that she had bought herself last year. Although they were a little cold now, they looked really nice.
Xuemei felt that Han Chen was right, and remembering what he had said that morning, she said, "Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative first to see if there's any meat left. It's only 8:30! We can take pictures later."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
