Chapter 13

The more Jiang Suihan thought about it, the more she felt that marriage wasn’t so simple. She unconsciously showed a worried expression. “I remember that soldiers need political screening for marriage and must submit an application report to the military. Can we just go get the marriage certificate directly? Will we be rejected? And with my family’s current situation, will the military approve? Will it affect you?”

Xu Zhao explained to Jiang Suihan, “I submitted the marriage report before I left. I called our leader yesterday, and the leader has already signed it. It should be sent tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”

He didn’t mention in detail that the political commissar had reservations about his marriage to Jiang Suihan. The political commissar valued talent and was concerned that Jiang’s family might impact Xu Zhao’s future career advancement, advising him to think carefully.

The political commissar meant well, and Xu Zhao understood that. He had assured the political commissar that he would honor his commitment since Jiang Suihan’s father had repeatedly requested him to take care of Jiang’s siblings in his letter. He had to fulfill this promise.

It was his responsibility, and he couldn’t refuse or avoid it.

Given Jiang’s family situation, with the older sibling being beautiful and the younger one being very young, neither had much ability to protect themselves. If he didn’t help Jiang’s family, they would have a hard time surviving in Mingjiang City. He couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

The political commissar gave in to Xu Zhao’s persistence and eventually wrote “approved” on the marriage report while sighing, thinking Xu Zhao must have lost his mind to give up his career for a girl he had never met.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Wasn’t Xu Zhao’s father too unreliable? Didn’t his son matter more than his friends?

Jiang Suihan wasn’t someone who fussed over details. After hesitating for only a few seconds, she said, “Alright, do we need any other documents besides the household registration book?”

Since it was Xu Zhao’s first marriage, he only knew the basic process. “Just the household registration book and us will be enough. I’ll take care of the other materials.”

With everything clearly arranged, Jiang Suihan replied with a “Okay.”

*

It took less than twenty minutes from beginning to end.

Jiang Suihan turned to Xu Zhao with a blank expression, her eyes unfocused, and said, “I’m married!?”

Her tone and expression conveyed a sense of uncertainty.

Xu Zhao found it a bit amusing and unconsciously smiled. “Yes, we’re married. Congratulations.”

Surprised that he was joking, Jiang Suihan stared at him blankly. “Oh, congratulations.”

There was a small pit on the ground, and she almost tripped over it, but fortunately, Xu Zhao quickly caught her. “Be careful.”

Jiang Suihan took a deep breath, looking at the marriage certificate in her hand. It resembled a primary school certificate, without photos, just the names of the two people, and a quotation from the Chairman at the top, very red and very characteristic of the times.

She muttered to herself, “I can’t believe I’m now part of the early marriage group. Yesterday I was a super youthful girl, and today I’m a married woman stepping into the grave of marriage.”

Xu Zhao’s mouth twitched, feeling a bit distressed. He had seen Jiang Suihan’s birthdate when signing earlier.

If you calculate carefully, she wasn’t even twenty yet—just nineteen—while he was twenty-four. The five-year age gap wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either.

For the first time, he felt that he might be a bit old. Would his young wife think he was too old?

“Super youthful girl? The grave of marriage?” Xu Zhao looked at his freshly minted wife, repeating what she had just said.

Oops!

Realizing he had overheard, Jiang Suihan awkwardly laughed and said, “I was just speaking off the top of my head. It’s nothing serious. You keep the marriage certificate. I’m afraid I might lose it.”

Xu Zhao didn’t dwell on the topic and put the marriage certificate away. Remembering that people usually take photos after getting married, he asked Jiang Suihan, “Do you want to take photos?”

Marriage is a big event, and having photos as a memento would be nice. Later, when the children grow up, they could talk about their parents’ and grandparents’ stories, boasting about how youthful and handsome they were back then.

Jiang Suihan touched the scar on her forehead and remembered how ugly it looked in the mirror this morning. She instantly lost interest. “No, the scar looks too ugly.”

Xu Zhao looked at the scar on Jiang Suihan’s forehead. “It’s not ugly. It will heal over time. If you don’t want to, we won’t go. We can wait until your scar heals. For now, let’s go to the department store and buy some things for home.”

Jiang Suihan shook her head. “No need, we bought so many things yesterday that we haven’t finished. Even if you have money, you shouldn’t be so wasteful. Life needs to be budgeted carefully. You need to understand, you’re not feeding just yourself anymore. With more mouths to feed, it’s better to save money. There will always be places where it will be needed.”

She wasn’t working at the moment and had to rely on Xu Zhao to support the family, so she had to be frugal.

Xu Zhao didn’t listen to Jiang Suihan’s advice and insisted on going to the department store. He argued that marriage was a significant event and should be celebrated. What happened yesterday was in the past. Today was different.

He looked at Jiang Suihan with a smile. “It seems you’re adapting well to your new role and are already trying to save me money.”

Jiang Suihan lifted her chin slightly. “I’m adaptable. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best as your wife and won’t bring you shame.”

She had already decided that, now that she and her brother depended on Xu Zhao for support, she would do her part well and not cause him trouble.

Regardless of why they got married, now that they were, she would fulfill her duties.

Xu Zhao raised an eyebrow, glanced at Jiang Suihan, and didn’t say anything more.

The female sales clerk remembered Xu Zhao and Jiang Suihan from last time and chattered away, “Oh, listen to your partner. This beautiful watch suits you so well. I’m telling you, it’s the last one in stock. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait for the next shipment. If my partner treated me as well as yours treats you, I’d be dreaming of happiness every night.”

It’s infuriating to compare oneself to others. Look at their partner—handsome and generous—then look at her own partner, not as good-looking and stingy.

When the two families were discussing marriage, he tried to persuade her in a roundabout way to lower the bride price, often referring to “my mother says,” as if he couldn’t speak without his mother’s approval.

A watch is indeed convenient, saving the trouble of guessing the time based on the sun.

However, Jiang Suihan felt the watch was a bit expensive—180 yuan, claimed to be from a factory in Haishi City with limited stock. It was pretty, but the price was quite eye-watering.

She firmly took off the watch and shook her head. “Never mind. I don’t work or study, so I don’t really need it. It would just be a waste.”

Xu Zhao held Jiang Suihan’s wrist and put the watch back on her. “It looks great on you. Keep it. Is there anything else you want?”

He had heard that for weddings, there should be “three rings and one watch” to avoid appearing insincere. While rushing out, he grabbed a bunch of tickets, one of which was for a watch. He might have to exchange the other tickets for big items with his comrades when he returned to the military.

Marriage is a significant event. He wanted to give Jiang Suihan everything others had.

Jiang Suihan knew this was Xu Zhao’s wedding gift. The problem was, she was currently poor with no dowry, which made her feel a bit like she was getting something for nothing, causing her some unease.

Seeing him buy more and more, she hurriedly stopped him. “That’s enough. We still have things at home. No need to buy so much. We’re moving soon, and it will be hard to carry everything.”

Xu Zhao thought about it and heeded Jiang Suihan’s advice. In the end, he bought two pounds of candy and casually handed some to the female sales clerk. “We’re getting married today. Just a little something to share our joy.”

The sales clerk’s face lit up with a smile. “Congratulations! You two make a lovely couple, perfectly matched. I wish you early blessings and a long, happy life together.”

Seeing Xu Zhao’s hand reaching for more candy, Jiang Suihan quickly said, “Thanks. We need to go now. We don’t want to disturb your work.”

On their way back, they stopped by Grandma Lin’s house to let her know they had gotten their marriage certificate.

Grandma Lin’s grandson was almost four but looked quite small, almost like a two-year-old. He peeked out from behind Grandma Lin to take a glance at Jiang Suihan and Xu Zhao, then shyly retreated.

Jiang Suihan gave the child some candy, and he said, “Thank you, sister.” Xu Zhao received a “Thank you, uncle.”

“Are you upset?” Jiang Suihan tilted her head, looking at his face.

She was called “sister,” while he was called “uncle.” The generational difference was amusing.

Xu Zhao felt a bit helpless, wanting to pinch her cheek but worried it might seem too forward. “Don’t mess around.”

She was thin, but her face had a bit of baby fat. When she smiled, her eyes and brows curved beautifully.

It was at this moment Xu Zhao noticed his young wife had a pair of adorable dimples, making her look sweet.

**