Chapter 1 Finding a Partner
Lin Qingqing's voice stopped abruptly as Xie Wei spoke. She looked up at him in astonishment.
Although Lin Qingqing spoke confidently to Wang Li earlier, she knew in her heart that, regardless of the era, the issue of matching social status and background in dating and marriage always existed. Even though she didn't think she was lacking in any way, some issues didn't simply disappear just because she thought they did.
Lin Qingqing ultimately chose to avoid Xie Wei's words, saying, "Actually, what I wanted to say was, to express my gratitude, let me treat you to a meal."
Xie Wei's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression as he looked at her. Lin Qingqing, already feeling guilty, instinctively turned her head away to avoid his gaze when he looked at her.
"Comrade Lin, are you saying that you don't actually intend to date me, but just want to treat me to a meal?"
Upon hearing the words "dating," Lin Qingqing's ears turned even redder, and she said guiltily, "More or less."
Xie Wei's voice was low: "The difference between the two is probably quite significant."
"I know I was wrong and said the wrong thing, but please believe me I didn't mean it, I just..." Lin Qingqing couldn't finish her sentence. At this point, any explanation seemed weak, after all, she was the one who said it.
Looking at the girl in front of him who was avoiding his gaze, Xie Wei's brows gradually smoothed out, and he asked in a serious tone, "Comrade Lin, do you hate me?"
"Of course I don't hate it!" Lin Qingqing denied it outright.
Xie Wei only appears two or three times in the original novel, but his positive image makes him memorable in a novel full of awful characters. Perhaps due to the filter of the original work, Lin Qingqing thought of Xie Wei first after transmigrating into the book, and his actions were also very consistent with the character setting in the original work.
Lin Qingqing thought that there shouldn't be many people who could dislike such an upright and kind person.
Xie Wei's lips curled slightly: "How do you feel about getting along with me?"
Lin Qingqing lowered her eyes and let her thoughts wander along with Xie Wei's question.
Because of her past experiences, she has always been independent, living, going to school, and working alone. As a result, while those around her have fallen in love and even gotten married, she has remained single.
It wasn't that she hadn't thought about having a relationship, and occasionally longed for someone to lean on, but when it came to actually interacting with people, she felt incredibly awkward. Even after she transmigrated into Lin Qingqing's body, she was still all alone.
But at this point, because of her difficult situation, she had to seek help from others, and in the process, she had to rely on them.
This person is Xie Wei.
He was very quiet and not talkative, but from the time he left the Lin family, until...
From the time Old Lady Lin and her daughter were sent to the countryside, to when she settled in Xingfeng Brigade and went to the Lin family to ask for grain, he was always there for her.
Gradually, Lin Qingqing went from having to rely on him at the beginning to now unconsciously wanting to rely on him.
Thinking about this, Lin Qingqing felt a chill. She had felt completely innocent when faced with Wang Li's accusations. But now, did she really have no feelings for Xie Wei? Or had those feelings been suppressed by her reason when they first began to blossom?
Xie Wei, noticing Lin Qingqing's changing expressions several times, asked, "Is this a difficult question to answer?"
"No, it's very comfortable being with you, but..." She wanted to say that we weren't a good match, but the words wouldn't come out.
Xie Wei didn't press for details, and said, "You don't dislike me, and you even feel comfortable around me, so why can't we try spending time together?"
Before yesterday, Xie Wei never imagined he would say such a thing.
When Lin Qingqing first approached him, he was simply furious. More than twenty years had passed since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and yet such a thing could still happen. Of course, he wasn't without doubts about the veracity of Lin Qingqing's words, but even if they were false, now that he knew, he couldn't just ignore it. So he went to the commune to find Secretary Zhou and brought the person to Linjiazui.
At that time, Xie Wei did not expect that he would be furious when he saw her being bullied by the Lin family; nor that he would be unable to sleep at night when he learned that she had nowhere to live.
Once he took charge, he couldn't let go and just wanted to arrange everything for her.
He joined the army when he was a teenager, and whether on the battlefield or in the barracks, he only interacted with men and had never been in a relationship. So when these feelings arose, he didn't think much of it, and when people asked, he always said that he would help someone to the end.
It wasn't until yesterday, when someone exposed me, that I finally realized what had happened.
He might... no, he's definitely certain now, want to date the girl in front of him.
After realizing what had happened, Xie Wei didn't sleep a wink last night, thinking about how to tell Lin Qingqing about it. He was also afraid that she would think he was taking advantage of her kindness, so he couldn't help but hesitate.
Now that Lin Qingqing brought it up first, Xie Wei has fewer reservations.
He has bright eyes, and when he looks at people, he is always sincere and earnest, which makes people unable to help but trust him.
Lin Qingqing looked directly into his eyes and thought, "Yes, why can't we give it a try?"
In her past life, although she was an orphan, she excelled academically from a young age, progressing through high school and gaining admission to her dream university. After graduation, she landed a job at a large factory, where her salary initially barely covered her living expenses, but later...
She never felt that she was any different from others when she saved up for the down payment.
Although she has nothing after becoming Lin Qingqing, she is still young, and there are still opportunities. She can find a job, or she can take the college entrance examination to change her fate. She won't be trapped in this small space forever.
If that's the case, why does she confine herself, afraid to fight for what she wants, reluctantly refusing what's offered to her, and timidly hesitating to take a step forward? What's the point of such a life?
Lin Qingqing's eyes gradually brightened, but she didn't immediately agree to Xie Wei's request. Instead, she asked, "Do you like me?"
Xie Wei was taken aback upon hearing this.
Although free love has become popular in recent years, rural attitudes are more closed, and most people still start dating through arranged marriages. Xie Wei's comrades were mostly like this, meeting and arranging blind dates when they went home for the Spring Festival. If they liked each other, they would settle down as soon as possible, rarely discussing whether they liked each other or not.
However, Xie Wei was not a coy person. Although he was surprised that Lin Qingqing asked so directly, he still nodded without hesitation: "Yes, I like it."
Even if I have no family, no father or mother?
Xie Wei frowned slightly, but not because he disliked Lin Qingqing. He said seriously, "I want to date you. What does it have to do with your family?"
"Even if I never went to school and am illiterate?"
"It's not your fault that you didn't go to school, and besides, can't you read?"
Lin Qingqing looked surprised: "How did you know I could read?"
"I heard it from Director Yang."
Lin Qingqing found it a bit strange. Did Director Yang not mention this matter yesterday? Or did he hear it from Director Yang before...? But why would they mention her?
Although puzzled, Lin Qingqing did not press for details, and continued, "Even if I have an urban household registration, I still don't receive a food ration?"
“I was just promoted to regimental commander in the middle of the year, with an administrative rank of level 13. My monthly salary, allowance, and subsidies are around two hundred yuan, which is enough to support my family. In addition, the families of officers at the deputy battalion level and above can accompany the troops, and the unit will try its best to arrange jobs for them after they come to the army. So I don’t think the supply of food will be a problem.” Xie Wei addressed Lin Qingqing’s concerns one by one. “As for urban household registration, I don’t even have one myself, so why would I ask you to have one?”
“But with your qualifications, finding a girl with an urban household registration shouldn’t be difficult,” Lin Qingqing said.
"I'm marrying a wife, not a household registration," Xie Wei scoffed, then looked at Lin Qingqing suspiciously, "Did someone tell you something?"
Lin Qingqing shook her head and said, "No."
"Is it Wang Li?"
Lin Qingqing was surprised by Xie Wei's keen observation.
Lu looked surprised, but she shook her head again: "No."
In fact, she herself had her concerns. People are always like this: when they are in love, they always think that everything is perfect. But when they no longer love each other, the advantages they once had become disadvantages, and the disadvantages become things that they can hardly tolerate.
So after transmigrating to this world, she never imagined she would fall in love so quickly. In her mind, the most urgent thing was to find a stable job, then take the college entrance exam and go to university to get a good education. Once she became good enough, she would have more control over whether she was single or married.
She didn't want to one day find herself and Xie Wei disliking each other, so she wanted to lay out her situation before making a decision and let him understand. Of course, she also knew that being together wasn't always simple, and many couples broke up because they couldn't get along, but at least for now, being clear about things would put her at ease.
Lin Qingqing continued, "Even if I'm not that naive, I'm not good-tempered either?"
Xie Wei said seriously, "Based on our previous interactions, I think you're a good person. Although dating isn't something that happens overnight, you have to try it out to know for sure."
"Alright."
Xie Wei raised an eyebrow, his eyes brightened, and a smile spread across his lips: "You agree?"
Lin Qingqing nodded, then explained carefully, "It's just a matter of getting to know each other first. If it doesn't work out, we'll break up."
Xie Wei was initially delighted, but his eyes darkened as he heard the rest. However, he knew that Lin Qingqing had more concerns and lacked a sense of security than he did, so it was normal for her to say that. He reluctantly nodded and said, "Okay."
That's what they said, but deep down they thought they would never be separated!
Just then, Xie Wei heard someone call his name. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Grandpa Wang from next door come up from the edge of the field onto the road, smiling at the two of them and asking, "I've seen you two standing here for most of the day. What are you talking about?"
After leaving the educated youth settlement, Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei crossed the bridge and walked for a while. But in general, they hadn't gone far and hadn't left the northern part of the village. There were only a few houses scattered on both sides of the road, and hardly anyone lived there.
But just because no one lives here doesn't mean no one comes. There are fields on both sides of the road, and everyone is going to work now. There are still quite a few commune members working in the fields. It's just that they are quite far away, and Lin Qingqing can't hear what they are saying, so she didn't suggest moving to another place to talk.
Just then, Grandpa Wang came over and called Xie Wei to talk about this. When Lin Qingqing heard this, her face turned red and she didn't dare to look at the field. She walked forward with her body stiff.
Seeing her acting strangely, Grandpa Wang asked in confusion, "Why did she leave?"
Xie Weigang noticed that Grandpa Wang seemed a little guilty for being caught, but he was a veteran of the battlefield and quickly calmed down, saying without changing his expression, "Director Yang needed her help with something, and I was talking to her about this earlier, which took up a bit of time."
"Oh." Grandpa Wang didn't doubt Xie Wei's words and said, "Are you also going to see Director Yang? Then you should go quickly."
Xie Wei nodded and quickly pushed his bicycle to Lin Qingqing's side.
She had already walked some distance, and because she felt guilty, she hadn't been paying attention to what they were saying. After he caught up with her, she asked, "What did you say?"
Xie Wei briefly repeated his conversation with Grandpa Wang, and then, seeing Lin Qingqing deep in thought, explained, "It's not that I don't want to tell him about our relationship."
Lin Qingqing's face, which had just turned pale, flushed red again, and she said reproachfully, "Tell me if you want, or don't!"
Xie Wei's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. If it weren't for the inconvenient time and place, and the fact that he was pushing his bicycle, he might have held Lin Qingqing's hand. But now he had to restrain himself, suppressing the urge to smile, and asked, "You don't mind if I tell others?"
Lin Qingqing was taken aback and asked, "What do you think?"
“I think it’s better to talk about it.” Although Xie Wei had never been in a relationship, he had seen it all before and immediately analyzed, “If we’re going to be in a relationship, we’ll definitely have to see each other often. But if we don’t make it public, people will see us as singles, and if we meet every now and then, we’ll inevitably be gossiped about.”
“Secondly, I grew up in Xingfeng Brigade, and everyone in the brigade knows me. If we want to go on a date,” Xie Wei coughed lightly, “unless we go deep into the mountains, we will eventually be recognized. So I think we can’t hide it for long. Rather than sneaking around and being discovered, we might as well go public.”
After listening to Xie Wei's explanation, Lin Qingqing suddenly understood.
How did her relationship with Xie Wei suddenly progress to the point of whether it should be public or not? She couldn't help but wonder if she had taken too big a step. But looking at Xie Wei's expression, Lin Qingqing couldn't bring herself to refuse. After a moment of silence, she said, "Can I think about it for two days?"
Xie Wei was simply stating his opinion without pressuring Lin Qingqing, saying, "Of course, this is a matter between the two of us, and we both need to agree before we can make a decision."
Xie Wei's attitude relieved Lin Qingqing, but when she saw the brigade headquarters not far away, she asked in surprise, "Aren't you going home?" She remembered that Xie's family lived some distance from the brigade headquarters.
Xie Wei was about to say that he was going to find his older brother, but then he thought about it and realized that since they were dating, why should he make up so many excuses? So he changed his mind and said, "I'll take you there first, and then I'll go back later."
“I know the way, and it’s not far,” Lin Qingqing chuckled. “Don’t think of me as so useless.”
Xie Wei shook his head and said solemnly, "I just wanted to give it to you."
Lin Qingqing felt her heart skip a beat and said softly, "Then take me there."
Author's Note: Second update
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