Chapter 33, The Proposal
When Li Xingfang left the Xie family, she not only packed a bag of fruit but also slipped a red envelope to Lin Qingqing.
Although the red envelope was wrapped tightly so that she couldn't see what was inside, it felt quite thick to the touch. Lin Qingqing's first reaction was that she couldn't accept it, and she quickly refused.
But while Li Xingfang was easy to talk to in other ways, she was very assertive at this moment. Regardless of the consequences, she stuffed the red envelope into Lin Qingqing's pocket: "In our tradition, the bride's family must give a red envelope on her first visit. I gave red envelopes to Sister-in-law Wei and Sister-in-law Wei when they came to our house. We can't break the rules here, so you must accept it."
Lin Qingqing had no choice but to look at Xie Wei, who nodded and said, "You can keep it since your mother gave it to you." Li Xingfang had told him about this last night, and they had discussed and decided together how much money to put in the red envelope.
Since Xie Wei had said so, Lin Qingqing had no choice but to accept the red envelope and thank Li Xingfang generously.
Li Xingfang smiled and said, "No need to thank me, it's my duty." She also told Lin Qingqing to come to her house for meals often, and that if Xie Wei bullied her, she should tell him so she could teach him a lesson.
Lin Qingqing smiled and agreed, then told Li Xingfang not to see it off, saying, "Let Xie Wei take it back."
“Yes, Mother, you should go back,” Xie Wei said.
Li Xingfang stopped and stood at the gate of the courtyard watching them leave. As she turned around, someone from the Lin family next door came out and asked with a smile, "Wei Zi's boyfriend is coming over for dinner?"
"Yes," Li Xingfang said with a smile.
"You seem quite satisfied?" the Lin family asked with a smile.
Li Xingfang was indeed quite satisfied with Lin Qingqing.
Although Lin Qingqing was illiterate, she spoke and talked very politely and wasn't the petty or stingy type. Moreover, she treated Yuanjiang and his sister very well, showing that she genuinely liked children.
Of course, the main reason was that she and Xie Wei got along well. Once they were together, Li Xingfang felt that she had nothing to complain about.
But when speaking to her neighbors, Li Xingfang said nonchalantly, "What's there to be satisfied or dissatisfied with? Wei Zi is the one living his life. As long as he's happy, of course I have no objections."
Seeing her say that, the old lady of the Lin family scoffed, turned around and went back into the house to say to her daughter-in-law, "Didn't Wei Zi's boyfriend ask you to make clothes for him?"
Chen Xiufang was busy at her sewing machine when she heard her mother-in-law's words. She stopped what she was doing and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Wei Zi's fiancé came to the Xie family for dinner today. Judging from Li Xingfang's attitude, she seemed quite satisfied. This marriage is probably settled." Old Mrs. Lin paused, then continued, "Hurry up and finish those clothes. Send them to Comrade Lin as soon as they're done. Oh, and you didn't ask for your wages."
"Isn't that too expensive?"
"I only asked for two yuan for labor, but..." Chen Xiufang wanted to say that she had a lot of work to do and the clothes wouldn't be finished so quickly.
Old Mrs. Lin thought that two yuan of labor was acceptable, but interrupted her and said, "Then you should finish making her clothes as soon as possible. If she asks you to make clothes again in the future, give her a discount."
“But I still have work to do,” Chen Xiufang said with a troubled expression.
"Oh, is someone else's work more important than Wei Zi's girlfriend's?" Old Mrs. Lin felt that her daughter-in-law was too dense. "She's already married into the Xie family, she's a done deal as the regimental commander's wife. What's wrong with you doing her a favor and getting along with her? Even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the children, right?"
“Wei Zi has only been in the army for a few years, and he’s already a regimental commander. I heard his salary alone is over a hundred yuan a month. If you get along well with his wife, when Hong Sheng grows up, won’t you be able to use Wei Zi’s connections to get him into the army? When Hong Sheng becomes successful, won’t you, as his mother, be enjoying the good life?”
Chen Xiufang felt that her mother-in-law's words made some sense, but she hesitated: "Wei Zi's older brothers both have children, and there are so many people in the brigade, why would he help us?"
"That's why I'm asking you to get along well with Wei Zi's wife," Old Mrs. Lin said, sitting down to analyze the situation for her daughter-in-law. "Baoshan is the brigade leader; he can get Yuanjiang into the army without Wei Zi's help. Qingshan is a teacher at the county high school, and I heard his wife works in a government agency too. They have plenty of connections! As for the rest of the people in our brigade, they're not related to the Xie family at all. In fact, our two families live relatively close. If you also get along well with Wei Zi's wife, a little whispering in her ear will surely make things happen, right?"
After the analysis, Grandma Lin patted her daughter-in-law's hand and said, "This matter concerns Hongsheng's future, so you must pay close attention!"
As a mother, Chen Xiufang couldn't possibly be indifferent to her son's future. Thinking of how Xie Wei had become a regimental commander at such a young age, respected not only by the brigade secretary but also able to speak with the commune leaders, Chen Xiufang finally made up her mind: "Then I'll get the clothes Comrade Lin asked for out in the next couple of days."
Seeing that her daughter-in-law had come to her senses, Old Mrs. Lin nodded in satisfaction.
...
This dinner at the Xie family's house was indeed quite different from what Lin Qingqing had imagined.
Although Xie Wei always said that his mother had a good impression of her, Lin Qingqing didn't have high expectations. After all, their circumstances were too different, so it was normal for his mother to have her own thoughts. Of course, Lin Qingqing didn't intend to compromise or admit defeat; she was simply prepared for a long-term struggle.
But in fact, the kindness of the Xie family surprised her.
Their kindness greatly relieved Lin Qingqing's tension. After leaving the Xie family, she said to Xie Wei, "Your family members are all very kind."
"Not nervous anymore?" Xie Wei asked with a smile.
"I'm not nervous anymore." Lin Qingqing smiled and said when she saw the fruit Xie Wei was carrying, "It's just that your mother is too kind. I only went to your house and she's already eating and taking things."
"My mom likes you," Xie Wei said with a smile. "Besides, there aren't many people in the family, and if we buy too much fruit, we won't be able to finish it. You can take it back and share it with your roommates."
"You knew there wouldn't be many people, yet you still bought so much fruit?" Lin Qingqing glared at Xie Wei.
Xie Wei leaned closer to her and honestly confessed, "I bought so many because you always stared at apples when you were picking out fruit."
Lin Qingqing was taken aback upon hearing this, and refused to admit it: "When did I stare at the apple? Don't accuse me!" She wasn't that greedy!
"Yes, yes, I misunderstood and overthought it," Xie Wei said good-naturedly.
Lin Qingqing was satisfied, but after a while her eyes fell on Xie Wei's hands again, and she asked with a stiff face, "Did you think I wanted to eat apples, that's why you bought so many?"
"Mm." Xie Wei nodded.
After hearing this, Lin Qingqing gave a faint "hmm," but the corners of her lips slowly curled up. After a while, she said something silly and asked Xie Wei, "Then why didn't you just ask me?"
"I'm afraid you won't accept it," Xie Wei said frankly.
Lin Qingqing fell silent after hearing this. If Xie Wei had told her directly, she probably would have refused. That's why he came up with this roundabout way to let her eat the apple.
Thinking about this, Lin Qingqing felt a little sad. She couldn't help but wonder if she had gone too far. Having a strong sense of self-respect wasn't a bad thing, but repeatedly refusing someone was always hurtful. She thought for a moment and said, "Next time you can just tell me directly."
"Will you accept it?" Xie Wei turned his head to look at her.
Lin Qingqing took an apple from the bag Xie Wei was carrying and said with a smile, "I'll take this one."
Xie Wei understood what she meant, looked at her and smiled, "I understand."
Lin Qingqing lowered her head, looking at the apple in her hand, when he laughed at her. Suddenly remembering the red envelope Li Xingfang had given her, she said, "Oh right," as she took out the red envelope from her pocket and opened it: "Your mother gave me this red envelope..."
Upon seeing the stack of money in the red envelope, Lin Qingqing stopped speaking abruptly, quickly stuffed the money back into the envelope, and then handed the envelope to Xie Wei: "This is too much, why don't you take the red envelope back?"
The red envelope contained eight ten-yuan notes, eight eight-yuan notes, and eight eight-mao notes, totaling eighteen yuan and eighty cents.
Back then, farmers would work themselves to the bone all year, and might not even earn forty cents in bonus at the end of the year. Li Xingfang's offer of eighteen yuan and eighty cents was quite a lot for Lin Qingqing, though she wasn't exactly shocked. You have to understand that in the 1970s, a dowry of one hundred yuan was considered generous.
“This is what my mother gave you.” Xie Wei let her have her way in other matters, but he wouldn’t listen to her opinion on this one. “Besides, it’s not just this much for you. My eldest and second sisters-in-law received the same amount when they first came to our house. If you ask me, prices have gone up now, so this amount should be increased.”
Lin Qingqing was both amused and exasperated: "How can you do this? You're pocketing your own money. As the old saying goes, this is called 'turning your elbow against your own', do you know that?"
“How is this me taking my own money out of my own pocket? It’s clearly just transferring it from one hand to the other.” Xie Wei paused after speaking, his gaze fixed on Lin Qingqing.
His meaning was obvious, and his gaze was intense as he stared at her. Lin Qingqing felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and turned her head away, saying, "Who's going to pass the buck to you?"
After saying that, she quickened her pace and walked forward, but Xie Wei was taller and had longer legs. He took a few steps and blocked her way.
They had just reached the stone bridge outside the educated youth settlement when Lin Qingqing saw that the road ahead was blocked. She turned and stepped off the bridge, walking along the riverbank. The riverbank was a mudflat, and the area under the bridge was relatively flat, but the further she walked, the more stones there were, and Lin Qingqing's pace slowed down after a while.
Xie Wei caught up with her from behind, grabbed her elbow, and helped her walk forward while asking, "Don't you want to marry me?"
"I..." Lin Qingqing was about to answer, but the stone under her feet was covered in mud, and she slipped and fell backward.
Xie Wei reacted quickly and pulled her into his arms.
Because of daily training in the army, Xie Wei developed a habit of showering every day. Even when he returned home in the dead of winter, he didn't abandon this good habit. So when Lin Qingqing nestled into Xie Wei's arms, she didn't smell the sweat of some men, but rather a faint scent of soap.
Lin Qingqing's face flushed instantly. She wanted to back away from Xie Wei, but as soon as she moved, he pulled her into his arms again: "Don't move."
"What..." Lin Qingqing's body tensed up, thinking that some animal had come, but the next second she was picked up horizontally.
As her view shifted from Xie Wei's chest to the azure sky, Lin Qingqing was slightly stunned. After a moment, she reacted and quickly struggled to get down, saying, "You, you put me down quickly."
"The road is slippery, wait a moment," Xie Wei said simply.
He carried Lin Qingqing across the rocky and muddy path, and only after they reached the higher grassy area by the river did he put her down.
Put it down.
After putting Lin Qingqing down, Xie Wei sat down beside her. However, he didn't seem as composed as when he was holding her earlier. He looked away uncomfortably and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
"It's okay." Lin Qingqing also felt a little embarrassed. She looked around and muttered, "I hope no one saw us."
“It’s a holiday today, there’s no one in the fields.” Xie Wei said, looking at the stone bridge that was already far away. “There’s no one on the bridge either.”
Lin Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "I'm not afraid of people seeing this, I'm just afraid of the negative impact."
Speaking of the impact, Xie Wei recalled the kiss from that morning, his eyes filled with a meaningful look. Lin Qingqing met his gaze, also thinking of what happened that morning, her cheeks flushed, and she said, "We should go back."
“You haven’t answered my question yet.” Xie Wei grabbed Lin Qingqing’s hand.
"What?" Lin Qingqing didn't understand what he meant at first.
"Would you like to marry me?" Xie Wei changed his question from before.
Although Lin Qingqing had imagined this scenario and considered how she should react after agreeing to have dinner at the Xie family's house, when the moment actually arrived, all those assumptions vanished. She stared intently at Xie Wei and asked, "Are you proposing this time?"
"Yes." Xie Wei nodded without hesitation.
Actually, he hadn't planned to propose so soon, not because he didn't want to, but because he was afraid of scaring Lin Qingqing away. What he said just now was just a test in the heat of the moment, and the result was better than he expected.
He took the apple from Lin Qingqing's hand, grasped her hands in his, and knelt before her, solemnly asking, "Comrade Lin Qingqing, I hope to become your revolutionary partner. Are you willing?"
His gaze was gentle yet firm, which made him appear confident and at ease. But this expression didn't last long; his throat bobbed, and his lips tightened, the slight movement betraying his tension.
People are like this: if you're always nervous and tense, when you encounter something important, others won't sense your nervousness if you don't show obvious emotions. But if you always appear calm and composed, handling everything with ease, when you reveal even a little emotion, others will perceive it and feel sorry for you.
Lin Qingqing was always exceptionally soft-hearted when facing Xie Wei. She nodded, "I'm willing, but..."
Lin Qingqing wanted to say that they could get engaged first, and she hoped to postpone marriage, but before she could finish speaking, Xie Wei kissed her lips.
He knelt on the grass, one hand behind her head, the other cupping her face, and gently...
He kissed her lips and then extended his tongue to explore inside her lips a little.
But being inexperienced, the kiss didn't last long.
He pressed his forehead against hers, his nose against hers, and said in a deep, gentle voice, "Qingqing, I'm so happy."
"I felt it." Lin Qingqing said, taking a step back and turning her head to say, "I should go back now."
They left the Xie family home quite early, before three o'clock, and the sun was just beginning to set. They didn't really need to rush back. But Xie Wei thought that she was, after all, a young woman, and even the boldest person would have moments of shyness. It was normal for her to feel embarrassed and want to go back, so he stood up from the ground, pulled Lin Qingqing up, and said, "I'll take you."
"Mm," Lin Qingqing replied, watching him bend down to pick up the apple. Thinking about what had just happened, her face flushed again, and she turned and walked towards the shore.
...
On their way back, they did not return along the same route, but instead went ashore from the grassland and walked along the field ridges one after the other towards the educated youth settlement.
On the way, Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei talked about getting married.
Although she had agreed to Xie Wei's proposal, Lin Qingqing didn't want to rush into marriage. Firstly, everything was still uncertain for her, and secondly, she felt their relationship hadn't been established for very long. Therefore, Lin Qingqing suggested getting engaged first and then setting a wedding date later.
Xie Wei agreed to get engaged first. As for the wedding date, he said, "I need to submit a marriage application first. The review process takes a week if it's quick, but two or three months if it's slow. After the application is approved, I need to take leave. When I can get leave depends on my work schedule. If everything goes smoothly, it might be in May or June, but if it's slow, it will be in the second half of the year."
Lin Qingqing knew that soldiers needed to submit a marriage application and obtain approval from their superiors before they could marry. Since it was still the 1970s, the approval process would likely be even stricter. Thinking of the original owner's background, Lin Qingqing asked, "Will my situation be able to pass the approval? What if your superior doesn't approve?"
Xie Wei assumed she was worried about being implicated by Old Lady Lin, and said, "You were only adopted by the Lin family, and you were the victim in the matter of Zhao Chunhua and her daughter being sent to a labor camp. The Lin family's situation shouldn't affect your background check, but..."
"But what?" Lin Qingqing asked.
Xie Wei asked, "Do you remember where you're from?"
Lin Qingqing shook her head: "I don't remember."
The original owner of this body was abducted to Yutian Commune by human traffickers. They originally intended to sell her to someone in the mountains to be a child bride, but something went wrong and she was able to escape.
After saving Yuanyuan, Lin's father also thought about sending her back, thinking that even if her parents were all dead, there would still be relatives alive who could at least give her a bite to eat.
But the original owner was too young at that time. When her father asked her several times, she couldn't even say her surname. She only knew that everyone in the family called her "Baby".
"Maybe the background check will provide some clues," Xie Wei comforted Lin Qingqing.
Lin Qingqing smiled and shook her head: "I think it's fine as it is now. Putting aside whether I have relatives or not, even if I did find them, things might not be better."
Finding someone who truly loves her is of course a happy ending, but if she's full of scheming and waiting to leech off him, she might become a burden.
She sensed something was amiss in Xie Wei's words and asked, "You still haven't said what you can't say?"
Xie Wei replied, "Your situation is a bit special, so the background check may take a little longer."
"I'm not afraid of taking a long time, as long as we can get through it." Lin Qingqing said, turning to look at Xie Wei.
"Watch where you're going," Xie Wei said, holding her arm.
"I'm watching the road." Lin Qingqing turned her head to look ahead. They had just reached the end of the field ridge. She walked up the earthen steps that someone had dug out and remembered to ask Xie Wei, "What if they find out about my biological parents and I fail the political review?"
While at the riverbank, Xie Wei's feet were covered in mud. After coming up, he walked to the edge of the gentle slope and rubbed the mud off his shoes. Hearing her question, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you worried?"
Lin Qingqing nodded, then, seeing Xie Wei's smug smile, said irritably, "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm glad you want to marry me," Xie Wei said as he wiped the mud off his feet and walked up to her.
"I'm not that worried about not being able to marry you," Lin Qingqing said, half-jokingly. She was indeed worried about more than just that, since in this day and age, family circumstances were related to her future.
"That's certainly a possibility." Thinking about those things, Xie Wei's tone was unusually hesitant. "Then are you still willing to marry me?"
Lin Qingqing asked him with a surprised look, "What do you mean?"
“If you marry an ordinary person, there won’t be any problems as long as the brigade leaders approve,” Xie Wei said, frowning. “But if you marry me, your family situation might be exposed, and we don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing…”
Lin Qingqing interrupted Xie Wei: "And what about you?"
"Um?"
"If the background check reveals problems, will you still marry me?"
"Yes!" Xie Wei nodded without hesitation.
“That’s it,” Lin Qingqing said with a light smile. “Since you’re willing, then I’m willing too.”
Although she was also afraid of being found out about the problem, she thought that since the original owner's family could starve to death in the Central Plains, they must not be important people, and even if they were, it wouldn't be a big problem.
Moreover, although many people were sent to the countryside for reform at that time, the impact on their families was limited; at most, their family background was considered bad, making it difficult for them to go to school or join the army. But she had no education, so even though her family background was not a problem, she could forget about studying, joining the army, or getting a job.
At worst, there's the risk that Xie Wei might break his promise, resulting in a complete loss. But Lin Qingqing doesn't think that's a big deal. If all else fails, she can farm for a few years, go to university after the college entrance exam is reinstated, and her life won't be too bad.
If Xie Wei hadn't broken his promise, because marrying her would affect his work... Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing asked, "What would happen if I had a problem with my family background and you married me?"
"Unless it's a particularly serious problem, it usually results in a demotion or difficulty in getting promoted later." Because he was happy, there was a hint of a smile in his tone even when talking about demotion.
If the situation were particularly serious, Lin Qingqing felt that she wouldn't marry Xie Wei anyway, so she nodded and said, "I understand."
"Have you thought this through?" Xie Wei asked, trying to control his emotions.
"And you? If it turns out there's a problem, will you go back on your word?" Lin Qingqing countered.
Xie Wei frowned and shook his head decisively: "Of course not."
“Since you won’t go back on your word, I’ve thought it through.” After addressing the serious question, Lin Qingqing said with a smile, “Maybe my family situation is spotless and there are no problems at all.”
Her expression was open and honest, without a trace of reluctance on her face. Xie Wei saw this and was deeply moved. He took a step forward, hugged Lin Qingqing, and whispered, "Yes, there definitely won't be any problems."
“There are still people at the educated youth settlement, so be careful.” Lin Qingqing was almost a head shorter than Xie Wei. When he hugged her, she could only look up at her surroundings. Although she couldn’t see anyone, she was still a little nervous when she thought of the awkwardness of that night.
What should I be careful about when I hug my wife?
"Who's your wife?" Lin Qingqing said irritably. They weren't even married yet.
Xie Wei released Lin Qingqing and said, "I'll go back and talk to my mother about us, and try to get engaged before the end of the year."
Lin Qingqing calculated the time. Today is New Year's Day, and Chinese New Year is on the 23rd this year. There's less than a month left. She asked, "Isn't it too rushed?"
"I'll go back and ask my mother first; she has experience." Xie Wei guessed that his mother would need to have someone calculate the engagement date, so he said, "I'll discuss it with you after we find a good day."
Since things had already come to this point, Lin Qingqing didn't hesitate and readily agreed, pointing to the educated youth area and saying, "Then I'll go back first?"
"I'll take you inside."
"No need, it's just a short walk." Although she said that, Lin Qingqing didn't really stop Xie Wei. She only said when they reached the entrance of the female educated youth dormitory, "Let's stop here."
"Okay," Xie Wei replied, handing the bag he was carrying to Lin Qingqing. He watched her go inside before turning to leave.
After turning away, Xie Wei did not look back, so he did not see the person leaning against the other side of the male educated youth dormitory. He silently clenched his fist as he watched the person's back.
Author's note: First update, second update at 9 PM.
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