Chapter 18

Xu asked: "Didn't you come to my house today to propose marriage?"

Can you mention it twice a day?

"We can't just give up if we can't take the city after one attack, right? As long as the revolution hasn't succeeded, I'll keep working." Lu Yuanzheng glanced at Xu Wen beside him, "If my parents weren't away from work, I could come here three times a day!"

Xu Wen's face flushed again, he lowered his head and said coquettishly: "Who is talking to you?!"

Why didn’t I realize Lu Yuanzheng was so thick-skinned before?

Lu Yuanzheng originally wanted to tease you, "Weren't you very brave when you married me?", but when he saw Xu Wen's neck was blushing, he swallowed his words, sneered, and stopped teasing her.

The main reason is that I’m afraid of making him angry and making him regret not marrying me.

There were only two or three restaurants of varying sizes on this street in Wei Zhuang Commune. Lu Yuanzheng picked one that looked clean and tidy and led Xu Wen inside.

Xu Wen followed him with his head down, and after taking a few steps he bumped into Lu Yuanzheng's back.

Xu Wen rubbed his forehead and looked up, only to see Lu Yuanzheng, who had stopped walking at some point in the past, neither moving nor speaking.

"What's wrong?" Xu Wen was puzzled.

Lu Yuanzheng held both hands and raised his chin to indicate the direction of the corner window.

Xu Wen poked his head out from behind Lu Yuanzheng.

This hotel is similar to a classroom, square, white with blue wall panels. There are no private rooms, just a few high square tables with four benches or square chairs placed horizontally and vertically in the lobby.

There weren't many people eating at this time, and the young man and woman at the table by the window were a bit too conspicuous.

The most conspicuous person was Wen Yiming who was sitting in the main seat.

Wen Yiming at this moment was very different from his usual gentle and refined appearance with glasses on.

He put some hair oil on his hair and combed his hair back, which looked similar to a slicked back hairstyle but also a little different and more Western.

He was holding a filter-covered cigarette between his index and middle fingers, blowing smoke rings with great skill, clearly not a novice.

He also took off his glasses and leaned forward with his eyes half closed, like a leader listening to reports from his subordinates.

In fact, the people at that table did seem to be very respectful to Wen Yiming.

"Huh?" Xu Wen asked in a low voice, "What are they doing?"

Lu Yuanzheng shook his head and raised his hand slightly, indicating the table behind Wen Yiming.

Xu Wen followed Lu Yuanzheng in silence and sat down at the square table he pointed to.

The waiter came over with menus and paper and asked them to order.

Wen Yiming heard the noise and turned around to look.

The position where the waiter was standing just blocked Xu Wen's view. He could only see the backs of the waiter and Lu Yuanzheng. He felt that they looked familiar and wanted to take a closer look. Just then, his tablemate called him. He turned his head back and huddled against the wall, as if he didn't want anyone to notice him.

It was unclear whether the people at the table made such noises intentionally or unintentionally, but they kept their voices low.

Xu Wen tried to prick up his ears to listen but still couldn't hear clearly.

"Boss, the radio... the day after tomorrow... the next buyer..."

"As soon as possible... the night is long and the dream is long... the goods are shipped... and the payment is returned."

“…”

Xu Wen listened for a long time, but could only hear a few words in each sentence and couldn't understand what it meant, so he curled his lips and gave up.

She tilted her head to look at Lu Yuanzheng and saw that Lu Yuanzheng had his brows lowered, tapping his fingertips on the table, with a thoughtful look on his face.

Seeing this, Xu Wen reached out and gently touched Lu Yuanzheng's arm. When he looked over, he mouthed, "Can you hear me?"

Lu Yuanzheng nodded and shook his head: "I didn't hear it all."

Xu Wen was just a little curious about the contrast between Wen Yiming in public and behind others, but only a little. When the dishes came, his attention immediately shifted from Wen Yiming to the dishes.

These days, ordinary people have limited living conditions and a large labor force, so they rarely suffer from obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. As their stomachs are short of oil and water, they prefer fatty foods.

It’s just that Xu Wen doesn’t know if it’s because he was used to eating diet meals in his previous life or because he hasn’t done such heavy work in this life, but he still prefers beef, fish and shrimp to pork belly, and he also likes light green vegetables.

The dishes that Lu Yuanzheng ordered happened to be her favorites.

If it was someone else who ordered the food, it might be a coincidence, but it was definitely not Lu Yuanzheng's.

"Do you know what I like to eat?" Xu Wen asked sincerely.

As far as I can remember, I only had one lunch and two picnics with Lu Yuanzheng.

Lu Yuanzheng took a pair of chopsticks from the chopstick holder on the table, boiled them in hot water, and handed them to Xu Wen, while answering her: "When I took you to survive in the wild, I saw that you were a bit picky about what you ate, so I guessed roughly."

Among those wild game, Xu Wen eats pheasant meat a little more often, followed by fish and shrimp.

Dongsheng said that Xu Wen only eats red meat and not white meat.

Cows are now the main labor force. In Wei Zhuang Commune, all the births, aging, illnesses and deaths of cows must be reported, so it is a bit difficult to buy beef.

So he ordered a steamed fish and some seasonal vegetables.

Xu Wen found that Lu Yuanzheng ate very fast. After she had taken two bites, Lu Yuanzheng had finished his meal and was about to put down his chopsticks. Halfway through, he glanced at Xu Wen, hesitated for a moment, and picked up his chopsticks again.

"Don't force yourself to eat. I'm fine." Xu Wen said.

Lu Yuanzheng paused for a moment and obediently put down his chopsticks, showing a rare bit of shyness: "Sorry, I'm used to it."

Xu Wen shook his head: "It really doesn't matter."

Xu Wen knew without Lu Yuanzheng telling him that his eating speed was also one of his "habits".

What surprised Xu Wen was that although Lu Yuanzheng ate quickly, his movements were very elegant. Even when he was wolfing down the food, there was no sound of chewing or swallowing, or of his chopsticks hitting the bowl. He looked like a noble young man.

Watching him eat will increase your appetite and is very pleasing to the eye.

"Boss, why did you rush back? If you weren't in such a hurry, we could have at least pushed the pressure down by two points."

The people at the table behind him had been talking in a very low voice, like thieves. Suddenly, a slightly angry questioning voice scared Xu Wen so much that he almost dropped his chopsticks. His eyes involuntarily moved to Wen Yiming's table.

The man who was shouting didn't look very old, probably in his thirties at most.

Sitting next to Wen Yiming was a girl dressed very stylishly, with big wavy perms and fashionable clothes that were not available in Weizhuang Commune. She put one arm on Wen Yiming's thigh, patted her chest twice with one hand, and said to the man who was talking, "Third brother, why are you yelling? I'm scared to death." She turned around and patted Wen Yiming's arm affectionately, "Yiming, why did you drive for two days in a row to come back in such a hurry?"

"Private matter." Wen Yiming spoke in a light voice with obvious impatience.

He had his back to Xu Wen, so Xu Wen couldn't see his expression clearly.

The fashionable girl pouted, obviously unhappy. Then she smiled again as if she remembered something and asked tentatively, "I heard that you went to the training place of No. 1 Middle School after you came back that night and found a female student. Yiming, is that female student your new target?"

The third brother got a little anxious when he heard this: "Boss, the brothers were willing to risk their lives to follow you just for that little bit of pornography. You almost cost the brothers their lives just to see a female student. Xiaowu is still in the hospital!"

The fashionable girl turned her head and glared at the third brother, then turned her head back and smiled at Wen Yiming: "Yiming, didn't you say that men should focus on their careers and not look for a partner in the next few years? What kind of girl made you tempted?"

Xu Wen's eyebrows twitched. Could the female student they were talking about be her?

There was a hint of sourness in the girl's indirection, and the man's words sounded like he was asking for money.

Wen Yiming put the wine glass he was playing with heavily on the table. His voice was not loud but a little colder: "Are you done? What? Do you feel wronged to follow me now? Anyone who feels wronged can quit! I won't stand it. As for my personal affairs, there is no need to report them to you."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and left without even looking back.

Xu Wen looked at Wen Yiming's back and whispered, "Boss? Is Wen Yiming messing around?"

Lu Yuanzheng heard this and shook his head, "Not like that."

"This guy either has split personality or is good at pretending. He is completely different from his usual self. If that lesbian hadn't called him by his name, I would have thought we had a face-off."

"Split personality? Face-to-face?"

"It's a kind of mental illness. It's like there are two or more souls living in one person's body. Having a similar face means looking alike."

Lu Yuanzheng nodded. "Are the things taught in schools so profound now?"

Xu asked: "..."

She lowered her head and ate her food, pretending not to hear.

In fact, she was usually very careful with what she said, and she didn't know why she was not alert in front of Lu Yuanzheng and was very relaxed.

It was already past six o'clock when we finished eating. Lu Yuanzheng fixed the groceries he bought to the rear frame with ropes. There were too many things and he couldn't hang them on the handlebars.

Xu Wen could only sit on the front beam. This position was a bit like being held in his arms, and Xu Wen felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Her back was pressed against his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat, which seemed a little rapid.

It turned out that Lu Yuanzheng was not as calm as he looked. As if he had discovered an important secret, Xu Wen raised the corners of his lips.

This posture was actually quite uncomfortable, but fortunately the journey was not far and we soon reached the cemetery.

Lu Yongjun and Dongsheng were still playing around with the sheep.

Lu Yuanzheng asked Lu Yongjun to take Dongsheng home.

Dongsheng looked at Lu Yuanzheng and then at Xu Wen, and asked him, "Where are you going? Are you going to Mom's house?"

Lu Yuanzheng nodded.

Dongsheng said "oh", took Lu Yongjun's hand and walked back. After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned around and clenched his fist towards Lu Yuanzheng, "Come on, Dad!"

Lu Yuanzheng laughed: "Okay."

Xu asked: "..."

She took back the whip she used to drive sheep and asked Lu Yuanzheng, whose long legs had already stepped onto the bicycle, "Do you really want to go to my house?"

Lu Yuanzheng tapped the gift on the back seat and said, "Aren't they all ready? Don't you want me to go?"

Xu Wen shook his head, not knowing what to say.

She was a little worried that Lu Yuanzheng would definitely be bullied when he went to her house.

"Don't worry, is your house more difficult to penetrate than the enemy's border? Just wait for me to marry you!"

Xu asked: "..."

Look at you crazy!

She looked up at Lu Yuanzheng and snorted, "I'm not worried. I don't have to marry you!"

Lu Yuanzheng: "..."

After Xu Wen finished speaking, he followed the flock of sheep and left.

Lu Yuanzheng looked at her back and chuckled, then caught up with Xu Wen on his bicycle, the bells on the handlebars jingling.

This place is almost deserted except during the Ghost Festival and the Spring Festival. Xu Wen knew with a glance that it was a long journey, so he pretended not to hear him and didn't even look at him.

Not angry, just a little embarrassed.

Lu Yuanzheng just teased her, walked past her through the flock of sheep, and left a sentence: "You can go home a little later, I will face the wrath of Old Taishan by myself."

Taishan refers to father-in-law.

It's not that the journey is long and the gentleman would not give Xu Wen a ride, or push his bicycle to accompany her on the journey home. He just wanted to convince her family before Xu Wen returned home.

Firstly, the remaining time of his vacation was getting shorter and shorter, and secondly, he didn't want to be criticized by his family because of Xu Wen.

Xu asked: "..."

Looking at Lu Yuanzheng's back, he hummed twice, his eyes full of smiles.

After sending the flock back to the production team, Xu Wen hurried home.

Xu Wen didn't see Lu Yuanzheng's bicycle in front of his house, and was about to go into the house when Zhu Meizhen, who was cooking outside, stopped him.

"Wenwen, you came just in time, help me take care of the fire."

The Xu family built a simple semi-open shed outside the door, with a small stove inside.

In summer, most people cook outside. First, it is too hot. The room is like a steamer. The heat from cooking is suffocating. Second, there is no wind in summer. If you cook inside, the smoke often flows back into the room, making it uncomfortable.

Xu Wen hesitated for a moment, but still went to the stove and sat down to light the fire. He glanced into the house and asked Zhu Meizhen, "Mom, why are you cooking so many dishes? Are there any guests coming home?"

"Who's here? Isn't this the leftovers from lunch?" Zhu Meizhen wiped her sweat with the towel hanging around her neck with one hand, and stir-fried food in the iron pot with the other hand. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Comrade Xiaolu was here just now."

Xu asked: "..."

So Lu Yuanzheng stayed there for less than half an hour? Was he driven away by the bombing?

Xu Wen suddenly felt a little uneasy, thinking that he would not be able to enjoy his meal tonight.

Unexpectedly, when the meal was almost over, no one in the family mentioned this matter.

Until Xu Qiushi put down his chopsticks, stood up, walked a few steps out, then came back, stopped in front of Xu Wen, lowered his head and asked her: "Wenwen, getting married and living together is not a joke. Are you sure you want to marry Lu Yuanzheng?"

Xu Wen was stunned for a moment, but still nodded.

Xu Qiushi also nodded and said to Zhu Meizhen, "Go sell two more chickens tomorrow morning to earn some money to buy some vegetables."

When grandma heard this, she pointed to a corner and said, "Didn't Comrade Xiaolu send some wine and meat? Why do we still need to sell chickens? There are still vegetables in the vegetable garden."

My grandmother usually takes care of the chickens and she said she felt bad about selling them.

It's laying eggs!

Xu Qiushi sighed and asked his grandmother, "Mom, we are meeting our in-laws tomorrow. Is it appropriate for us to use the meat that our future son-in-law bought to entertain the guests?"

Not suitable.

Grandma glanced at Xu Wen and said nothing more.

Zhu Meizhen muttered, "Even if we agree to let Wen Wen marry, there's no need to be so hasty, right? Money is a little tight at home lately, can't we wait another two months? We can wait until the autumn when the work points are calculated before we decide."

"Can we wait for Comrade Lu?" Xu Qiushi glared, "Let's do it this way! I'll go find Uncle Dong and ask him to come and take charge tomorrow."

"Wait for me. I'll go find Director Li and pass on a message to the Lu and Wen families. By the way, let's see if we can catch those two chickens tomorrow." Zhu Meizhen also put down her bowl, picked up two items from the gifts that Lu Yuanzheng brought, and went out with Xu Qiushi.

Xu Wen glanced at the gloomy faces of the Xu family and whispered to Xu Wen beside him, "Brother, what's going on? Didn't mom and dad disagree at noon?"

Xu Wen squinted at Xu Wen and said in a sinister tone, "You can't help but turn your elbow outward!" He sighed in a pretentious manner, "Girls can't be kept when they grow up!"

Xu asked: "..."

Who did I offend?

Sang Xiaoqing raised her hand and patted Xu Wen, warning him, "Speak nicely." Then she turned to look at Xu Wen and said, "Ignore him! He just doesn't want you to get married. Comrade Xiaolu came when you were herding sheep and hadn't come back yet. I don't know what he said to my father. Anyway, when he came in, my father wanted to smack him out with a sledgehammer, but when he left, he saw his son-in-law off with a kind look on his face."

Xu asked: "..."

Xu Wen sighed softly: "In fact, even if we didn't come here, my father would prefer to travel farther."

So does he.

Men! Who doesn't like to gallop on the battlefield? Of course, I prefer good men like Lu Yuanzheng who defend their country.

Compared to the literary scholar like Wen Yiming, Xu Qiushi and Xu Wen both appreciated the long journey more.

But no matter how much I appreciate it, I must put Xu Wen’s happiness first.

Xu Wen was willing, and Lu Yuanzheng also expressed his opinion, so they naturally agreed.

However, Grandma Zhu Meizhen and Sang Xiaoqing still stood on Wen Yiming's side.

They all think that Wen Yiming is the right one for Xu Wen.

Grandma waved her hand and asked Xu Wen to sit next to her. She took Xu Wen's hand and said, "Wen Wen, have you made up your mind? Do you really want to be with the boy from the Lu family?"

Xu Wen nodded.

"You kid, you have a good idea. You have to think carefully. The man you choose may bring you a lot of pride, but he will also make you shed a lot of tears."

Xu Wen understood what her grandmother meant. Being a military wife would bring her countless praises and honors. At the same time, she would also bear pressures that ordinary wives never had to bear.

She feels fine now and feels more comfortable living alone.

Sang Xiaoqing hesitated for a moment and finally spoke: "Although I am your sister-in-law, I always treat you as my own sister. I'm going to say something that you may not want to hear. Although Wen Yiming is not as tall as Lu Yuanzheng, his family conditions are much better than Comrade Lu's. I specifically asked around, and his family's economic conditions are among the best in our commune. It will be much easier for you to marry into the Wen family."

Xu Wen smiled at Sang Xiaoqing, "Sister-in-law, I know you are doing this for my own good. However, I think that the daily necessities of life are important, but comfort is more important."

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Sang Xiaoqing said nothing more.

Everyone pursues something different.

Besides, didn't she choose the poor boy Xu Wen from among all the blind date candidates?!

Although Sang Xiaoqing was not as pretty as Xu Wen, her looks were above average. There were many matchmakers in her family at that time, and she fell in love with the handsome Xu Wen at first sight.

Fortunately, her family was also very satisfied with Xu Wen.

Although the Xu family was poor, they did not let her suffer any injustice in the dowry.

After she got married, her family treated her better than her own family members.

Xu Wen thought about it, and still not giving up, asked Xu Wen: "Brother, what did Lu Yuanzheng say to Dad that made Dad change his mind so readily and agree to our marriage?"