On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Ye Qian returned to the village with Leng Yue and Leng Xiaoyu, saying that he wanted to propose marriage.
Ye Qian's car was parked in an open space; it was a Santana. It was Leng Yue's first time riding in such a car, and she looked around in surprise.
"Get in, let's go and come back soon." Ye Qian smiled and opened the car door.
Leng Xiaoyu was the first to climb up, saying, "Brother-in-law, is this your car? Why don't you park it in front of our house? I thought it belonged to someone else."
"Our front door is narrow and it's blocking the way," Leng Yue explained, and then sat down as well.
Ye Qian remained silent after hearing Leng Yue's words. Actually, he hadn't found the way, so he abandoned his car and asked for directions.
The car bumped along the road for a long time before finally arriving at the village. As soon as they got there, the car was surrounded by a group of adults and children, all chattering about whether some important person had come to the village.
Unable to contain herself, Leng Xiaoyu rolled down the car window, leaned out, and greeted her friends, "Dazhuang, it's me! Hahaha..."
As soon as Leng Xiaoyu showed her face, the villagers also saw Leng Yue and followed her to the village chief's house.
Leng Dazhu and Li Guilan saw a car parked in front of their house and a large crowd gathered around it, so they went outside. They found Leng Yue and her brother with a tall, handsome man.
"Come in, everyone." Leng Dazhu, being the village chief, was unhurried and first invited everyone into the courtyard.
Leng Yue and Ye Qian came in carrying a pile of gifts. Li Guilan said that Leng Yue was wasteful, but Leng Yue just smiled. Once inside, Li Guilan pulled Leng Yue aside to whisper to her, while Ye Qian was being interrogated by Leng Dazhu.
Ultimately, both sides were saying roughly the same thing: they were both worried that Leng Yue would be deceived or bullied. Fortunately, Ye Qian's performance was good, which put the two elders at ease.
At noon, Leng Dazhu invited several villagers over for drinks, his words subtly intimidating Ye Qian. Leng Dazhu also declared that the wedding would be held in the village, to show Leng Yue's parents. Ye Qian readily agreed without hesitation.
As she left, Li Guilan held Leng Yue's hand, wiping away tears. "Yueyue, remember, this will always be your home. If you ever suffer any mistreatment, come back, and your aunt will stand up for you. Understand?"
Leng Yue felt a pang of sadness. She had no parents and had never been married before. This was her first time experiencing the feeling of being married, even though it wasn't her actual wedding.
Leng Yue nodded repeatedly, her voice trembling with tears, "Auntie, I know, besides, I'm not married yet, am I?"
As soon as Leng Yue said this, the others chimed in, "Look at you two, acting like you're getting married! Auntie, Yueyue is still young, she has a few more years to go, so don't be sad."
Li Guilan nodded with a smile, but her eyes were still full of reluctance. "Sigh, Yueyue still has to study, she can't stay at home all the time."
"Yueyue is enjoying a life of luxury!"
"That's right, college graduates are in high demand these days!"
"I'll also send my daughter to school in the future, so she can marry into a family in the city!"
"Yueyue didn't just marry into the city; this is the capital, a big city!"
"Yeah?"
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Everyone chatted amongst themselves, exchanging information. Li Guilan could only helplessly whisper to Leng Yue, "Yueyue, be careful when you're out and about, don't get scammed. We're so far away, we can't really help you, and your aunt is really worried about you."
"Auntie, he's a good person, he's good to me, and he's good to Xiaoyuer, so don't worry!" Leng Yue kept reassuring Li Guilan.
Soon, Leng Yue and her group left under everyone's watchful eyes.
But once Leng Yue left, these people changed their tune. Some said Leng Yue had become someone's mistress, others said she had been deceived. Still others said that city people are cunning and shrewd!
All sorts of unpleasant speculations surfaced, making Li Guilan anxious and fearful that Leng Yue would be pushed into a pit of fire by them. In the end, it was only after Leng Dazhu and her son comforted her that she felt somewhat at ease.
These discussions gradually diminished after Ye Qian returned to the village time and again, and after his parents appeared and discussed the marriage with Leng Dazhu.
After Leng Yue graduated from Leng Yue University and prepared for their wedding in the village, all the negative comments completely disappeared.
Leng Dazhu and Li Guilan even attended Leng Yue and Ye Qian's wedding at a grand hotel in Beijing. When they returned to the village and boasted about it, everyone in the village was envious. From then on, a wave of enthusiasm for studying hard and getting into university swept through the village!
Leng Yue became a role model in the village. For boys, studying hard and getting into university meant they could get government jobs and a guaranteed food ration. For girls, getting into university meant they could marry better and eventually become city dwellers.
It must be said that although these villagers had somewhat mercenary ideas, they genuinely promoted education in the local rural area. In an era when dropping out of school was commonplace and the idea that education was useless was prevalent, the village primary school's academic performance stood out. This, in turn, attracted a group of excellent young teachers, greatly improving the quality of education in the village primary school.
After graduating, Leng Yue didn't stop moving forward. Not wanting to rely on her past life's achievements, she went abroad to study design, becoming a professional designer. Upon returning to China, she opened her own studio in Beijing, transforming Qianchen Pavilion into a clothing brand.
Leng Yue donated 50% of the studio's profits to charity. She also gave back a portion of the money to her village to support its development.
The renovation of the village primary school, the paving of roads, and the repair of the Liberation Bridge were all funded by Leng Yue. In order to ensure that future generations would remember Leng Yue's contributions to their hometown, the village erected stone tablets at the school, along the cement roads, and at the bridgehead, clearly inscribing Leng Yue's deeds on them.
This sets a good example for future generations: those who achieve academic success and make a difference must never forget their hometown.
Leng Xiaoyu later passed the entrance exam for military academy as he wished. Although he became an officer, he was still far from becoming a general. However, Leng Xiaoyu had fulfilled his promise to "join the army to protect Leng Yue".
But Leng Yue couldn't be happy, because soldiers were always on the front lines protecting the people and defending the country. In her heart, Leng Xiaoyu was still a child, still the child who needed her protection.
Leng Yue had also considered asking Ye Qian for help, after all, the Ye family was a long-established military family in Beijing. If Ye Qian said a word, Leng Xiaoyu could be transferred to a clerical position in propaganda.
However, seeing Leng Xiaoyu's heroic bearing during each exercise, Leng Yue ultimately didn't say anything; she couldn't let her own selfish desires hinder his progress.
Leng Xiaoyu has one major flaw: he's too popular with women. If he goes on a mission to save someone, they're guaranteed to offer themselves in return. While offering oneself after saving someone is somewhat understandable, sometimes Leng Xiaoyu encounters girls who want to date him just by apologizing.
Fortunately, Leng Xiaoyu always refused firmly and righteously; otherwise, Leng Yue really wouldn't know how to deal with him.
However, Leng Yue sometimes felt that Leng Xiaoyu was too strict, so strict that he didn't even have a girlfriend. He wouldn't listen to her advice, which caused Leng Yue a lot of worry.
After marrying Leng Yue, Ye Qian quit his job at the school and instead followed in Leng Yue's footsteps. He accompanied her on her studies abroad and helped her open her studio. Ye Qian wasn't short of money; he only did one thing: invest in stocks. Because of this, he became a cautionary tale for the Ye family, but also the epitome of the perfect husband in the eyes of women in Beijing!
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Ye Qian: Nothing is more important than my beautiful wife!
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