Chapter 21
Lu Yuanzheng glanced at her with a smile, and imitated her and whispered, "They are afraid that you will regret not marrying me!"
Xu asked: "..."
She smiled wryly and said, "Do you think I believe it?"
"Really." Lu Yuanzheng emphasized, "I'm a soldier and I'm not at home all year round. Whoever marries me will be a widow. This alone is enough to discourage many female comrades! I still have a son. If a young female comrade marries me, she will become his stepmother." He raised his fingertips and tapped the scar on his face. "Imagine that every time you open your eyes, you see such a hideous face. Wouldn't you be scared?"
Xu asked: "..."
He really has self-awareness.
She blinked, "Are you instigating me to break up the marriage?"
"No, I just want to praise you for your bravery." Lu Yuanzheng was really not afraid that Xu Wen would regret the engagement.
He could see that Xu Wen had thought carefully and weighed the pros and cons before marrying him.
Of course, she didn't hide the fact that "transaction" was how she described their marriage.
She may not like him, but she will never regret marrying him.
Xu Wen rolled his eyes, sat up straight and ignored him.
"I didn't lie to you. They were really afraid that you would regret not marrying me." Lu Yuanzheng smiled and said softly, "My uncles are the most important."
Xu Wen blinked, and after a moment's thought he understood the reason.
When Lu Yuanzheng brings his children back to visit his relatives, his uncles and aunts will definitely be very happy.
If Lu Yuanzheng really entrusted his son to the care of his uncles and aunts, they would certainly not be able to take care of Dongsheng due to family ties and pressure from various sides.
But having an ignorant child in the family who needs to be looked after and fed adds financial pressure to the family.
Even if Lu Yuanzheng prepared enough living expenses for Dongsheng, his aunt and aunt would not really be willing to take care of another child.
So Xu Wen thought it would be best for them if this "sucker" married Lu Yuanzheng.
Xu Wen pursed his lips. This was human nature, understandable but hard to accept.
"Besides, I don't have much time, and I didn't have a normal wedding to begin with, so no one would mind if I went a little further than the rules."
If young gays who want to get married later have any opinions, they can just say: "Then you should join the army too!" or "Are you going to be someone's stepmother?"
Xu Wen thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. Everyone thought she was being taken advantage of and had nothing but sympathy for her.
Less than half an hour after the meal, the wedding process had already moved on to choosing a date.
Among the respected elders invited by both the man and the woman, some knew about almanac and they asked for Xu Wen and Lu Yuanzheng's birth dates and horoscopes on the spot.
After a while, three good days were calculated.
The first one was three days later.
Xu Qiushi immediately retorted: "Three days is not enough time. Let's not even talk about buying wedding supplies. In just three days, we can't even notify relatives to come."
Not to mention households, even the production team, some of them had to go to people's homes to deliver invitations before they even dialed the phone.
The second day was sixteen days later, and the third day was a month later, which was obviously too late.
The Xu family was still a little hesitant, thinking that half a month was too short a period of time.
Lu Yuanzheng said: "Grandma, Mom and Dad, don't worry, although the wedding will be simple, it will have everything that Xu Wen needs, and I won't let her suffer any injustice."
Xu Wen snorted: "You haven't gotten married yet, change your mind soon!"
The journey was long and the expedition was only smiling but not saying a word.
Xu Wen understood and said there were three options, but in fact there was only one option, which was sixteen days later.
After the meal was over, the date was set, a list of gifts was made and sent to the Xu family on a chosen day, the handkerchiefs were changed, and all that was left was to prepare for the wedding.
After everyone finished eating, Lu Yuanzheng saw the Xu family out.
"Hello, are you going to take a leave this week or go to school?" Grandma asked Xu Wen who hadn't gotten into the car yet.
"Go to school? It's not good to take too long off."
Sang Xiaoqing reacted quickly and said, "That's great. Let Yuanzheng take you there this afternoon!" Then she asked Lu Yuanzheng, "Is Comrade Yuanzheng free this afternoon?"
Lu Yuanzheng glanced at Xu Wen, who was obviously a little reserved, and nodded: "I promise to send Wenwen back to school safely."
Lu Yuanzheng really only sent Xu Wen to the school gate.
"I won't go in. You are still a student after all. Your classmates will be afraid of causing trouble for you if they see us together." Lu Yuanzheng took the woven basket off the handlebars and handed it to Xu Wen, "I brought you some food. If you can't finish it, you can share it with your classmates."
Xu Wen thought it was leftovers from lunch, so he nodded and took it.
The so-called leftovers refer to dishes that are served on the table but are basically not eaten.
It's a waste to throw away this kind of vegetable.
"Slow down on your way!"
"I'll pick you up from school on the weekend." Lu Yuanzheng turned the car around, waved to Xu Wen, got on his bike and left.
Although the wedding only lasts one day, it takes a lot of time to arrange the various things, and half a month is very tight.
When Xu Wen got to the dormitory, she realized that she didn't bring any spare clothes.
Who would have thought that I was packed up and sent to school just for an engagement dinner without even going home.
Fortunately, Zhu Meizhen gave her a month's food allowance last week, otherwise she would have nothing to eat this week.
It seemed that she could not starve to death, and Dongsheng gave her a bunch of school meal tickets, so if she was frugal, she could eat for a month without any problem.
When she arrived, Li Yun was squatting beside the bed doing her homework, and Shao Yueyue had not come yet.
"Wenwen, you're here quite early today?" Li Yun was a little surprised, because usually Xu Wen was always the last one to arrive at school.
"Well, I had a friend today...my family sent me here, so it's faster than waiting for the bus normally." Xu Wen put the woven basket on his bed, then went to the wooden cabinet to take the pickled vegetables that had grown hair on them and dumped them in the trash can behind the dormitory.
The location of their dormitory is really bad, and they dare not open the windows on the back wall in summer.
At the end of Central Avenue is a public toilet, just behind their dormitory. There is a trash can in front of the toilet.
It is not a one-meter-high square trash can, but a large rectangular metal box that looks a bit like a tank, with several small doors on the top for throwing garbage into it.
I don't know how often it is cleaned, and the garbage is often so full that I can't throw it away.
It's okay in winter, but in this season, the disgusting smell and countless mosquitoes and flies flying all over the sky are really a headache.
Xu Wen gulped a few times, then with red eyes, he went to the faucet to wash the glass bottle containing pickles before returning to the dormitory.
She placed the glass bottle on the wooden cabinet and happened to see a fly land on the cabinet, which reminded her of the scene just now. The sour feeling in her stomach that had just been suppressed began to surge again, and she couldn't help but gulp again.
Li Yun looked up and saw Xu Wen covering his mouth with tears in his eyes. She quickly stood up and walked over, asking concernedly, "What's wrong with you?"
Xu Wen was speechless. He shook his head and pointed backwards.
Li Yun understood, and she put some of her cool boiled water into Xu Wen's cup and handed it to him: "During this period, all the students in the school are busy working on the new campus. No one cleans the school. The trash cans are full, not to mention the inside. It's summer, and the smell is really disgusting."
"Ahhh! It stinks! Is the school planning to stink us to death?"
Li Yun had just finished speaking when Shao Yue arrived. She pinched her nose as she walked in and let out a long breath.
Li Yun raised the cup and asked Shao Yue: "Would you like some water pressure?"
Shao Yue waved her hand and took off a large military green water bottle from her shoulder. "I'll treat you two to some orange juice."
She poured the water in Xu Wen and Li Yun's cups into clean lunch boxes and poured a full glass of orange juice for each of them.
"This is icy, drink it to cool down."
Xu Wen thanked him and took a sip. It was indeed delicious with its cool, sour and sweet taste.
"Let's go to the cafeteria to eat. My mother and I went to my grandma's house this afternoon. We came back a little late and didn't have time to eat." Shao Yue rubbed her belly and invited them.
Xu Wen shook his head. "I brought some food. If you don't mind, let's eat together."
She weighed the woven basket that Lu Yuanzheng gave her and felt it was quite heavy. She had no idea how many vegetables were in it.
I think it will be enough for three people.
Li Yun and Shao Yue thought that Xu Wen was at home making trouble again, so they looked at each other and nodded.
If they don't want to eat it, Xu Wen won't eat it either.
"What delicious food did you bring? Let me eat first!" Shao Yue was really hungry.
There is only one corridor in the dormitory, and Xu Wen is now squeezed in the innermost part of the corridor. There is a wall on one side, a wooden cabinet on the other, and a bed in front of her, with Li Yun sandwiched in the middle. She can't climb over the bed.
Xu Wen pointed to the weaving basket on his bed and said to Shao Yue, "I haven't had time to take it out yet. Take a look for yourself! My family collected the things for me today. I don't know what's inside."
Shao Yue had been classmates with Xu Wen for more than a year and they had always had a good relationship. She didn't bother to be polite with Xu Wen and turned around to walk to Xu Wen's bed and opened the knitting basket.
The top layer is a disposable foam lunch box with the name of the state-owned hotel printed on it.
Shao Yue took them out one by one and placed them on the ground, saying, "Wow! Let me ask you, why did you bring so many dishes from the hotel?"
Xu Wen didn't want to say more, so he just said, "Someone invited us to dinner today. They ordered too many dishes, so I brought some back. Don't mind if you guys think it's useless."
"Who would reject such a rich dish? Eh? What is this?" When Shao Yue took out the last dish, she lifted up the plastic paper under the lunch box, revealing the clothes underneath. "Wow! Such a beautiful skirt? I saw it when I was shopping with my mother the night before last. I also liked it, but it's a bit expensive and doesn't suit me. This dress is suitable for people with pale faces."
Xu Wen was confused and had no idea what Shao Yue was talking about.
Fortunately, Li Yun was attracted by the skirt and turned around to make way.
Shao Yue had already reached out and taken the skirt out of the weaving basket, gesturing in front of herself.
Only then did Xu Wen see clearly the skirt that Shao Yue was holding in her hand. It was a sleeveless, bright red dress with white polka dots and a waist-hugging bow tied at the waist.
The style is simple and elegant, but the color is too bright, which is indeed not friendly to people with dark skin.
Xu Wen walked up to the skirt and touched it, as if thinking about something.
This skirt should have been bought for her by Lu Yuanzheng. Is it considered a wedding dress?
Wei Zhuang Commune was a poor place, and most people would just wear red clothes when they got married. Sometimes they would even wear pink. They didn’t care at all whether it was a wedding dress or not.
This skirt is already very formal.
Xu Wen thought to himself: Why don’t you tell me when you buy clothes!
Now, Shao Yueyue and the others have seen it first, and I don’t know how to hide it.
Shao Yue let go of her hand, returned the skirt to Xu Wen, and took out a cheongsam from the weaving basket. The cheongsam was plain light green and very delicate.
This time Li Yun was shocked, "Excuse me, have you made a fortune?"
They all knew Xu Wen's family conditions, and Xu Wen himself was a particularly frugal person.
Li Yun and Shao Yue suddenly felt a little uncomfortable when they saw Xu Wen had taken-out meals from the hotel and had a new dress and cheongsam.
Unfortunately, Xu Wen was also confused. She shook her head and said nothing. She asked Li Yun to hold her skirt for her and squatted down.
Shao Yue returned the woven basket to Xu Wen and moved the foam box containing the food aside.
There were two more sets of clothes in the weaving basket.
One set is a short-sleeved shirt and a skirt, and the other is a thin long-sleeved top and khaki flared pants.
Further down, there are two pairs of shoes, a pair of sandals and a pair of high heels.
The bottom layer contained a stack of meal tickets for No. 1 Middle School and a letter.
Shao Yue and Li Yun were completely stunned.
"Excuse me, was this given to you by that classmate named Wen?" Li Yun saw that Xu Wen was also surprised to see the skirt and was obviously unaware of the situation.
Xu Wen originally wanted to keep her marriage a secret, but she didn't expect that there were so many surprises beneath the "leftovers" that Lu Yuanzheng prepared for her.
In fact, the food was not leftovers, but freshly cooked. He probably wanted her to treat everyone in his dormitory to a meal.
Seeing that he couldn't keep it a secret any longer, Xu Wen simply admitted: "It wasn't sent by classmate Wen, it was sent by instructor Lu."
Shao Yue and Li Yun looked at each other, both puzzled: "Why did Instructor Lu give you these?"
Xu Wencai opened his mouth.
Shao Yue's eyes lit up and she spoke quickly: "I know! Instructor Lu wants to thank you for helping him teach Dongsheng!"
Xu asked: “…” You are so smart!
Li Yun shook her head: "You can't give so many things just to help take care of the child, right?"
With food, clothes, meal tickets and letters, Li Yun boldly guessed, "Could it be that Instructor Lu is pursuing you?"
Xu Wen shook his head: "It's not a matter of pursuit. We got engaged today."
Shao Yue nodded: "I was wondering why the instructor would pursue Xu Wen, it turns out they are engaged...engaged? Ah!!!"
Xu Wen quickly stood up and covered Shao Yue's mouth: "Shut up! Don't scream! It's not good if someone hears you."
Shao Yue nodded, and Xu Wen let go.
Li Yun covered her forehead and took a deep breath, then waved her hands and said, "Wenwen, you can talk later, let me slow down."
Xu Wen shrugged and opened the envelope. In the envelope, besides the letter, there were also a few big reunion notes.
Lu Yuanzheng's handwriting is just like him, conventional yet unruly.
The gist of the letter was that according to their production team's wedding customs, Lu Yuanzheng should prepare six sets of clothes for Xu Wen, but Xu Wen still had to go to school and didn't have much time, so he took the initiative to buy four sets and let Xu Wen try them to see if they fit.
He bought the meal ticket when he was an instructor. Since he was not leading military training anymore, he asked Xu Wen to accept it.
He ordered the new dishes. He said he wanted to treat her classmates to a meal, but it was inconvenient for him to come, so he asked her to bring it.
Xu Wen thought about it and doubted whether Lu Yuanzheng's production team really had this custom.
If there was such a thing as buying clothes for a woman, why didn't anyone mention it at the dinner table? Why did he give it to her secretly?
Meal tickets are refundable, but they are obviously useless if you buy them, so they were specially given to her.
As for money, Lu Yuanzheng meant that they would be husband and wife soon, and it was his duty as a husband to support her, and he hoped Xu Wen could accept it.
Of course, this money is only for Xu Wen to use before marriage. Lu Yuanzheng said that all the allowances will be handed over after marriage, and now he has to use it for the wedding.
Xu Wen kept shaking his head, but the corners of his mouth were raised.
She counted them and found there were exactly ten big group photos.
After putting the money away, Li Yun told Shao Yue, who were full of curiosity, about her and Lu Yuanzheng's story.
But he didn’t say much, just said that they met through a blind date.
Shao Yue felt very sad when she heard this: "Want to ask, why do you want to get married so early?"
Li Yun could understand: "What can I do if I don't get married? We don't get jobs after high school, and we can't go to college. Don't I have to get married when I reach the age? I have been in marriage for many times, but I didn't ask so quickly, and it was successful in one go."
Shao Yue sighed: "That's right. It's great to go to school!"
Xu Wen comforted him, "Don't be discouraged. You never know when you will be able to take the college entrance exam again. We stopped studying in high school for a few years, but now we are able to take the college entrance exam again, right?"
Shao Yue's emotions came and went quickly, and her brows relaxed again, "That's true. Maybe I'll recover by next year!"
Xu Wen smiled and said nothing.
I thought to myself, your guess is really accurate.
The three of them squatted in the aisle and ate while chatting.
Xu Wen was leaning against the wall, Li Yun was squatting to the north of Xu Wen, and Shao Yue was squatting to the south.
Dormitory conditions are limited, so everyone eats like this.
It would be cooler to eat outside on Hongzhuan Road in the summer, but the smell from the garbage cans is really unpleasant.
The people in the last row of girls' dormitories would rather suffer the heat in the dormitories than smell the odor of the trash cans.
During evening self-study, someone reported the matter to the principal.
Xu Wen and her classmates were called out by the class teacher to clean the room and take out the garbage when they were halfway through their evening self-study.
All the teachers and students in the school were mobilized, and of course there was more than just the trash can behind the dormitory area to be cleaned.
There are four such trash cans in the whole school. Each of them is so full of trash that you can hardly see the trash can. The stench is overwhelming and mosquitoes and flies are flying everywhere.
The school did not have enough masks to distribute to students, so they just covered their faces with handkerchiefs or clothes. After the garbage truck took away the trash cans, they helped clean up the remaining garbage.
The male students connected the water pipe and washed themselves in various ways.
After a lot of trouble, when the garbage was cleaned and flushed, the evening self-study was over.
Xu Wen asked that their class and two other classes were responsible for cleaning the trash cans in the northwest corner of the school.
After finishing, Xu Wen, Shao Yue and Li Yun did not return to the classroom, but walked towards the dormitory together.
"I can't take it anymore! I feel like I stink all over! I want to take a shower!" Shao Yue was devastated.
Xu Wen also collapsed, but was more realistic: "What can I use to take a shower?" Forget about the bathroom, there wasn't even a bucket in their dormitory.
Li Yun suggested: "How about we take turns washing? There's still some time before the lights are turned off. Let's get three pots of hot water and three basins of cold water. When the first person is done washing, we'll get three more pots of hot water and three basins of cold water. This way, everyone can simply wash in the dormitory."
The dormitory has a cement floor, so it is not afraid of getting wet, and it is a bungalow so there is no fear of leaks. After washing it, just sweep the floor.
Shao Yue raised her hands: "I agree."
Xu Wen nodded: "I have no objection either."
The three girls ran back to the dormitory and drew hot and cold water respectively.
The first one to wash was Xu Wen.
Because Li Yun told Shao Yue that they wanted to see her take a shower and put on new clothes.
Xu Wen has no ink. One minute more ink means one minute less time.
After she washed herself clean, she changed into a white short-sleeved shirt and skirt and went to fetch water with Li Yun and Shao Yue.
"I thought you would wear a cheongsam." Li Yun said with a sigh, "This one suits you very well."
"The lights will be turned off soon, so I want to wear something loose." Xu Wen answered. She also felt that the dress was too fitted, especially the waist...
Shao Yue sighed: "Sure enough, a beauty is still beautiful even if she is wearing a sack."
Xu Wen came out in a hurry, his hair was not dried yet and was still dripping with water, making it a little messy.
The top two buttons of her white short-sleeved shirt were unbuttoned, revealing her obvious collarbone. The short-sleeved shirt was tucked into a fitted below-the-knee skirt, revealing two straight, white calves that looked as if they were glowing under the dim light. Her waist was already thin, and wearing this fitted dress made it look even thinner, less than a hand's width.
Shao Yue was the second to wash, and Li Yun was the third.
After Li Yun went in, Shao Yue and Xu Wen stood on the red brick road in front of the dormitory and chatted.
Shao Yue pestered Xu Wen, "Wenwen, are you and Instructor Lu really going to get married?"
Xu Wen nodded, looked around, and told Shao Yue: "Keep your voice down. Also, please keep this a secret for me, please, and Sister Yunyun."
Shao Yue nodded fiercely, "I know."
It's normal for them to get married at this age, but it feels a little strange that Xu Wen is still in school.
If my classmates knew about this, they would probably gossip about me.
"Xu Wen!"
Xu Wen and Shao Yue turned around at the same time.
Wen Yiming was holding a pile of books, looking a little dazed, standing on the central road and looking at Xu Wen.
Xu Wen hesitated for a moment, and then said to Shao Yue, "You and Sister Yunyun clean up first, I'll go talk to him."
Shao Yue's face was full of curiosity, and she nodded: "Go ahead!"
Xu Wen walked up to Wen Yiming and stopped: "Is there something you want to talk to me about so late at night?"
Wen Yiming looked around and saw that no one was around, so he lowered his voice and said, "Xu Wen, even if you don't want to marry me now, you can't marry Lu Yuanzheng. You're ruining your own future!"
"What do you mean?"
"You knew clearly that the college entrance examination would be resumed in two months, so why did you do something that would ruin your future?"
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