Chapter 38, Discussion
Lin Qingqing came out of Secretary Zhao's office and saw Xie Wei standing in the courtyard. She walked over step by step, and when she got to him, she suddenly threw herself into his arms and hugged him.
Xie Wei was taken aback at first. When he looked down, he saw that her lips were pale and her breathing was heavier than usual. He reached out and hugged her, gently patting her back to comfort her, saying, "It's okay, I'm here for you."
Lin Qingqing didn't speak, but slowly calmed her breathing.
Although she appeared calm and composed when facing Secretary Zhao, she still felt a lingering fear afterward.
Although her exchanging grain with Director Yang was not against the rules, Secretary Zhao was clearly using the whistleblowing incident to find fault with her. If Xie Wei hadn't stood up for her, Director Yang might have been dragged down as well.
But what terrified her even more was that if she hadn't met Xie Wei and had gone to the black market to sell grain as planned, she might have been caught and reported, which would have been disastrous. Even if she was lucky and got away with it the first time, since the protagonist in the original story had gone to the black market without incident, she might go a second or third time when she ran out of money, and she might not be able to escape unscathed every time.
Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing couldn't help but feel fortunate that she had met Xie Wei.
Perhaps it was the warm sunshine on her skin, or perhaps it was Xie Wei who gave her a sense of security, but in this embrace, Lin Qingqing gradually regained her composure.
Just as she was about to pull away from Xie Wei's embrace, she heard Director Yang's voice: "Look at this young couple. Although you are dating, you should still pay attention to your words and actions to avoid having a bad influence."
Lin Qingqing blushed, took a half step back, left Xie Wei's embrace, and greeted Director Yang.
Director Yang, carrying a bag, walked down the corridor to Lin Qingqing, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "Go back and get some rest at noon. Remember to come to the brigade headquarters on time, Xiwu. Don't overthink it, okay?"
Hearing this, Lin Qingqing realized that she had spent the whole morning in Secretary Zhao's office because of the report, and nodded in response, "Yes, thank you, Director Yang."
"No need to thank me," Director Yang said with a smile, half-jokingly. "I've taken the liberty of being your matchmaker. If you really want to thank me, just toast me at your wedding!"
Lin Qingqing blushed at Xie Wei's teasing, while Xie Wei smiled and replied, "Definitely."
Director Yang laughed even harder when he saw them like this, but he didn't stay any longer and left, saying he was in a hurry to go home and cook.
After Director Yang left, Lin Qingqing turned back to Secretary Zhao's office and asked, "Are you waiting for the team leader?"
"No." Xie Wei shook his head. "My mother just came over to ask what happened and invited you to our house for dinner."
Lin Qingqing had eaten at the Xie family's house yesterday, and she didn't say she wouldn't go back when she left this morning. Normally, she probably wouldn't have agreed, but today's situation is special.
It's not surprising that people know how much she spent on her new clothes. When someone asked her yesterday morning, she didn't give a very clear answer, but she did give a rough estimate. A day later, the whole brigade probably knows.
What bothered Lin Qingqing was the detailed list of items the whistleblower letter detailed about what she had bought. She hadn't told anyone what she'd bought, so someone who could list it so clearly must have either been to her dorm or heard about it from someone who had. Only a handful of people had visited her dorm recently; the number of people who knew couldn't exceed ten.
As for the shoe-making business, she never publicized it; only Chen Xiufang, Wang Fengxia, and Li Juan knew about it. Therefore, the person who wrote the whistleblower letter was either one of them or had heard about it from them.
Although she didn't want to suspect anyone, Lin Qingqing had just been reported, so she had to be cautious when dealing with them. But she was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and didn't want to go back until she could compose herself, so she nodded and said, "Okay."
...
Although Xie Wei said he was fine, Li Xingfang was still worried after learning the situation, and would frequently come out to check on them while cooking. When she finally saw the two return, she wanted to run outside, but remembering that there were neighbors on both sides, she held back and waited for them to come in before asking, "How are you? Are you sure you're alright?"
"It's alright, but my brother said he's going to the commune this afternoon with Secretary Zhao to ask Xiao Chen about the thermos ration coupons, so that no one will bring it up again later," Xie Wei said as he walked into the courtyard.
Li Xingfang breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this: "That's how it should be. So Baoshan won't be coming back for lunch?"
"He's still talking to Secretary Zhao. I'll take it to him later." Xie Wei went into the kitchen and helped carry the food out.
Lin Qingqing said apologetically, "Auntie, I'm sorry, I made you worry."
“Look at what you’re saying. Although you and Wei Zi aren’t married, in my heart you’re already part of our family. It’s only natural that I’m worried about you when something happens to you. How could I blame you for this?” Li Xingfang patted Lin Qingqing’s hand and said, “If we’re really talking about it, this is Wei Zi’s fault. He was careless and that’s why you ended up like this. You shouldn’t blame him.”
"How could I blame him? Besides, he did it for my own good."
Although the incident happened before she and Xie Wei got together, it made her realize that this era was different from her previous life. Rather than letting Xie Wei be nice to her indirectly and cause misunderstandings because of her pride, it was better to accept it openly and honestly. At least if others found out, they would at most be envious and jealous, saying that she had married a rich man, and they wouldn't report her with a letter of complaint.
Lin Qingqing said, "I should be thanking him for always being so understanding. And about this incident, if it weren't for him, I might..."
She didn't continue, but Li Xingfang understood what she meant and comforted her, saying, "It's over now, don't overthink it, and don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Lin Qingqing agreed and helped prepare the meal. Li Xingfang went outside to call Xie Yuanjiang and his sister back and urged them to wash their hands and eat.
After sitting down, Li Xingfang remembered and asked, "By the way, who wrote that whistleblower letter?"
"What kind of whistleblower letter?" Xie Yuanjiang didn't understand anything, but he still liked to interrupt.
Xie Wei patted his nephew's head, signaling him to eat, and said, "The letter wasn't signed, but my brother said he would check."
"This needs to be investigated; it's just too unethical!" Li Xingfang felt angry just thinking about it.
Don't even mention that Lin Qingqing didn't buy anything on the black market. Even if she did, so what? During the famine years, who didn't go to the black market a few times? Even now, people in the brigade often go to the black market to buy and sell things. To be honest, nobody's clean. If we keep reporting people like this, there will definitely be chaos and no peace in the future.
He then asked Lin Qingqing, "Don't you have anyone you suspect?"
"The contents of the letter are secret, but a few people know about them." Actually, Lin Qingqing had suspected Wang Li, with whom she had argued, but Wang Li had moved out before she bought anything, and she didn't want to wrongly accuse anyone, so she didn't say anything.
"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place. The other party will always give you a clue," Xie Wei said.
“That’s right,” Li Xingfang said, thinking that Lin Qingqing didn’t get close to anyone in the brigade, and Xie Wei and Director Yang couldn’t possibly have told her that it was from the educated youth settlement. She couldn’t help but worry and asked, “Are you going to stay at home for a while? I’ll prepare a room for you.”
Although Lin Qingqing didn't want to go back and face people whose intentions she didn't know, she wasn't afraid of what they might do. Besides, since they had written an anonymous letter of denunciation, they probably didn't want to reveal their identity, so it was unlikely that they would take action against her at the educated youth settlement.
And if things really come to blows, she's not someone to be trifled with.
Considering that the Xie family only had so many rooms, Li Xingfang said she wanted to tidy up the rooms, so...
Only Xie Wei's second brother lived in the room. Even his sister-in-law objected to her own family moving in, let alone since she wasn't family yet, so he shook his head and said, "No need to trouble yourself. There are two other people in my room, so nothing should happen."
Li Xingfang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this: "Okay, then you can rest at home for lunch. You can sleep in Wei Zi's room and let him sit outside. If you don't want to sleep in his room, you can sleep in mine."
Hearing their conversation, Xie Yuanjiang and his sister also shouted, "Sleep in my room, sleep in my room! Auntie, you can sleep with me!"
Li Xingfang immediately slapped Xie Yuanjiang back: "You sleep with your parents, how can you let your third aunt sleep in your room? Sleeping with Meimei is fine too."
Lin Qingqing was taken aback for a moment, her face flushing slightly at the thought of sleeping in Xie Wei's bed. Before she could think much of it, she quickly said to Li Xingfang, "I'll sleep with Meimei."
Xie Mei immediately cheered, and Li Xingfang said with a smile, "Look how happy this girl is." She glanced at Xie Wei.
When Li Xingfang first told him that Lin Qingqing could sleep in his room, he felt a little nervous and uneasy. But after Lin Qingqing decided to sleep with Xie Mei, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
But this disappointment was fleeting, so Li Xingfang didn't see it as she and Lin Qingqing settled on where to sleep at noon.
...
After finishing their meal, Xie Wei went to deliver food to Xie Baoshan, while Lin Qingqing helped Li Xingfang wash the dishes.
Although Li Xingfang always told her not to do any work whenever she came over, Lin Qingqing felt embarrassed to watch her work alone, so she refused to go out and stood by to lend a hand.
Li Xingfang saw this and, although she didn't say anything, she was happy. She then talked to Lin Qingqing about the engagement banquet.
Engagement banquets are usually held at the bride's home, but Lin Qingqing had no family. Although she lived in the educated youth settlement, she wasn't considered an educated youth. So, Li Xingfang discussed with her the possibility of holding the engagement ceremony at the Xie family's home. Lin Qingqing was aware of her situation and didn't intend to be stubborn, so she agreed as soon as Li Xingfang suggested it.
The location was set, but there were many intricacies involved in organizing the banquet. It was too late yesterday, and Lin Qingqing went home before they could discuss much. So, taking advantage of this time, Li Xingfang asked again.
After washing the dishes and having discussed most of the major issues, the remaining topic was the people Lin Qingqing needed to invite. However, since the engagement was still some time away, the list of invitees might change, so only a rough estimate was given, and the specific list would be provided later.
Another issue is the bride price. Normally, the bride price is discussed between the groom's and bride's parents. However, Lin Qingqing didn't have any elders involved.
She was in charge, but Li Xingfang was unsure whether to talk to her herself or let the two young people talk to each other, so she hesitated.
After washing the dishes, Lin Qingqing took Xie Mei back to her room to sleep. Li Xingfang sat in the main room thinking about the matter and felt that it couldn't be delayed any longer.
Although there's still some time until the 26th of the lunar year, time flies, and there's a lot to prepare for the engagement, including informing her close relatives and friends. If they keep putting it off, it wouldn't be good if they couldn't reach an agreement by the engagement date.
Although Li Xingfang did not intend to make the decision regarding the bride price and believed that Lin Qingqing was truly sincere in marrying Xie Wei, there were instances in the village where weddings fell through because of the bride price, so these issues had to be considered in advance.
Just then, Xie Wei returned.
Li Xingfang went out and saw that he was holding a lunchbox. She asked, "Has your older brother eaten?"
"I've eaten." Xie Wei took the lunchbox to the kitchen and washed it with water.
While he was washing his lunchbox, Li Xingfang followed him into the kitchen and told him about what she had just said to Lin Qingqing. She then said, "I've been thinking that since I'm an elder, it might not be appropriate to talk to her about the bride price directly. Also, there might be some things she can't say in front of me. So I was thinking, why don't you talk to her about this yourself?"
Xie Wei thought for a moment and asked Li Xingfang for her opinion: "How much do you think is appropriate for the bride price?"
“In our brigade, it’s usually 68, sometimes 88, and even higher, 100 or 168. It’s up to you, I have no objection,” Li Xingfang said thoughtfully. “Then there’s the three essential items for a wedding. We don’t pay much attention to that in our rural area. Your eldest brother didn’t buy all of them when he got married, only a bicycle. Your second brother got them because your sister-in-law requested them. Whether you buy them for your and Qingqing’s wedding is up to you, but…”
"But what is it, please tell me?" Xie Wei said, washing the lunchbox and putting it in the cupboard, shaking the water off his hands.
"What's the plan after you and Qingqing get married? Have you discussed it?"
"We've talked about it a little, but what does this have to do with the three essential items for a wedding?" Xie Wei asked, puzzled.
Li Xingfang said irritably, "Are you stupid? Bicycles and sewing machines are big-ticket items. If you buy them when you get married, it's fine if she doesn't come to the military with you, as she can always use them. But if she does come to the military, it will be difficult to carry them around. They'll just gather dust at home or be used by others. Isn't that a waste of money?"
Xie Wei thought for a moment, then nodded and asked, "What's your opinion?"
"My opinion is not important; what matters is your opinion."
"If she wants three big items to make a good impression, it depends on whether you're willing to spend the money," Li Xingfang said. "If she values practicality over appearances, you can discuss with her whether she should buy the watch first and then buy the rest when she gets there, or simply not buy anything she doesn't need and use the money for something else."
In the end, Li Xingfang simply relinquished her responsibilities: "In any case, you all have to discuss this yourselves. Just let me know when you have a result."
Xie Wei thought about it and realized that what his mother said made sense.
A watch is a small item and not so difficult to move; it can be bought at home and taken to the military base. Although he already has one, it would be good to buy her a women's watch. The bicycle and sewing machine, however, are harder to move. If we buy them now, she definitely won't be able to take them with her when she goes to the military base. Even though the things will be used at home, we'll definitely have to buy a new bicycle there, which feels like a waste of money.
As for the sewing machine, Xie Wei thought that since Lin Qingqing's clothes were all made by Lin Guozhu's wife next door, it might still be useful at home, but it would be truly useless over there.
Xie Wei hesitated for a moment and then said, "I'll talk to her about it."
It just so happens that although they had talked about accompanying someone to the military before, they hadn't discussed it in great depth, and he wanted to take this opportunity to confirm her thoughts.
Author's Note: Second update
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