Uncle Lin mentally compared the two and felt that Lin Xia had found a good second husband.

Before, his wife had worried that their niece’s divorce might lead to gossip and make it hard to find a new partner.

She had urged him to keep quiet and not let people know too much.

If people laughed at Lin Xia for losing a city husband, and Lin Xia ended up marrying someone better, their criticisms would be pointless.

Lin Father took out the well-hidden fine liquor and planned to wait for Lin Ju to return with Lin Father and Lin Yue before starting the meal.

Lin Mother subtly nudged Lin Yue, “Look at your second sister, so quickly finding such a good partner. You should hurry too. If you have trouble, let me help you arrange something.”

Lin Yue hurriedly retreated into the house, grinning widely and calling Jiang Weidong his brother-in-law.

Jiang Weidong was pleased, noting how sweet Lin Yue’s words were and how well he got along with Tiantian and Panpan.

Lin Father was very pleased with Jiang Weidong.

Unlike Qian Lisheng, who seemed to want to control his daughter with an attitude of “I’m good to you, so you should be grateful,” Jiang Weidong seemed to genuinely pursue Lin Xia, always considering her feelings.

Lin Father thought it was good for a man to be attentive to his wife’s feelings and felt that a man who feared his wife was blessed.

Lin Father urged Jiang Weidong to eat more meat, advised him to drink less, and asked Uncle Lin not to persuade Jiang Weidong to drink too much.

After a few rounds of drinks, Lin Father asked, “Weidong, when do you plan to get married?”

Jiang Weidong turned to Lin Xia and smiled, “As soon as Lin Xia agrees, I’ll hire a matchmaker to finalize things, then bring my mother over for a meeting to set the wedding date and arrange the wedding.”

Lin Father said, “Oh, it doesn’t need to be so elaborate…”

Lin Mother nudged her.

Realizing he almost spoke out of turn, Lin’s Father thought that second marriages didn’t require the usual formalities like matchmakers or elaborate weddings.

Usually, it was just a simple meal with the families to set a date.

Seeing Jiang Weidong’s intention to have a proper wedding, Uncle Lin was initially surprised but then thought it was nice.

Jiang Weidong seemed like a good son-in-law.

Jiang Weidong smiled, “Yes, I want a proper wedding.”

Although both Jiang Weidong and Lin Xia were on their second marriages, Jiang Weidong wanted to show that he truly loved her and wanted to marry her happily.

Everyone looked at Lin Xia, asking when she wanted to get married.

Lin Xia, perhaps affected by the alcohol, felt her face flush.

She said, “Let’s say… by the end of the year.”

Jiang Weidong’s smile widened.

Lin Father was so happy he almost cried.

Lin Yue said, “Don’t worry, brother-in-law. I won’t be a burden to my sisters. I can support myself here with my parents…”

Lin Xia gave him a pat on the back, “Be quiet. Parents don’t…”

“It’s yours,” Lin Yue said, clinking his glass with Jiang Weidong’s. “Everything’s in the wine.”

The children’s table in the main room also had bowls and plates with sweet water.

Panpan took a sip of the sweet “wine” and sighed, “If Auntie and Uncle have a baby in the future, I hope it’s not like Bao’er.”

Tiantian responded, “Bao’er is pretty good too.”

Panpan said, “What’s so good about him? He’s not even as good as Huzhi. Huzhi just can’t count, but he doesn’t like talking either.”

Bao’er laughed and opened his mouth, asking for more “meat.”

Tiantian fed him a bite and said, “You have to say, ‘Sister, I want to eat meat.’”

Bao’er replied, “Sister, I want to eat meat.”

Tiantian patted his head, “Bao’er is really smart.”

Bao’er immediately opened his mouth wide, trying to please Panpan, “Brother, I want to eat meat.”

Panpan looked up, “I’m not brother! I’m the older brother!”

You silly little thing!

After the meal, Lin Yue had to go back to harvesting wheat.

So, he didn’t stay home for too long before leaving.

Lin Father chatted with Jiang Weidong for a bit, then decided it was time to leave with Uncle Lin and Zhou Fu.

Lin Mother asked Lin Xia to make some sugar water for Jiang Weidong to help with the alcohol.

Even though he hadn’t drunk much, a bit of sugar water would be comforting.

Meanwhile, she and Aunt Lin tidied up the gifts.

They had eaten most of the pork, so only a little was left.

The eggs were probably from the third daughter, so they kept those.

They returned the wine, canned goods, malted milk, and snacks.

Lin Mother asked Lin Xia if they would head back to Lujiaguo later, as it was closer to the Fan Dou Commune.

Jiang Weidong needed to return to the city by evening.

Aunt Lin was very pleased, “Sister-in-law, it’s like a dream, right? Lin Xia and Qian Lisheng are divorced, and now Lin Xia is going to marry Director Jiang. Oh, it’s really exciting!”

Lin Mother, however, wasn’t thrilled about her daughter’s luck. She would have preferred if Qian Lisheng had been a good man, even if he wasn’t as successful as Jiang Weidong.

She didn’t want her daughter to go through a divorce.

Even if the second marriage turns out well, the first divorce still causes pain.

Just like the third daughter’s husband, who had to “sacrifice” and though he got an 800 yuan bonus, she’d rather he hadn’t had to endure that suffering.

She couldn’t accept the term “sacrifice.”

Even though the third daughter came back safe, it’s still a difficult situation.

Oh, raising children, you think it’ll be easier when they grow up, but growing up brings new worries.

As long as a mother is alive, there’s always something to worry about.

Lin Mother and Aunt Lin were concerned about Lin Yue finding a good wife soon.

Lin Xia let Jiang Weidong drink two cups of sweet water and told him to rest on the bed to sober up before leaving.

However, Jiang Weidong looked at her with bright eyes, his gaze filled with fire, showing the impulsiveness of a young man despite his mature and steady demeanor as a vice factory director.

He gently squeezed Lin Xia’s fingers and asked quietly, “Are we really getting married by the end of the year?”

Lin Xia glanced outside and whispered, “Why would I lie to you?”

Jiang Weidong asked, “So, you don’t want to continue dating? I thought it would be at least two years before we made any decisions.”

Lin Xia smiled playfully and said, “I’m afraid people might say I’m not serious about you.”

That night, she had discussed it with her sister, who mentioned that even after marriage, they could still date and wait to have children.

However, Lin Xia actually wanted to have a child sooner.

Old Lady Jiang also liked children, so if they had one, they wouldn’t have to worry about it much and could focus on their work.

Most importantly, Jiang Weidong’s character gave her a great sense of security.

Even if things went wrong and they divorced, she was confident it wouldn’t be as messy as with Qian Lisheng.

A person with good character has clear boundaries and won’t harm others.

Jiang Weidong was good to her, and she liked him a lot, which is why she wanted to get married by the end of the year.

In the main room, Lin Mother and Aunt Lin were straining their ears, listening in on the conversation.

Aunt Lin thought, “I didn’t expect the once tough Lin Xia to handle men so well. She’s really… good at it.”

Aunt Lin felt a bit shy.

Lin Mother was pleased that Jiang Weidong discussed matters with her daughter.

It showed a good relationship, similar to her own daughter Lin Shu and Lu Shaotang.

Although Lin Mother found Lu Shaotang a bit intimidating, she couldn’t deny that he treated her third daughter very well, always obedient and considerate.

A man who is powerful and respects his wife is admirable. If even such a capable man values his wife, then those who don’t treat their wives well have no right to be married.

Lin Mother was satisfied.

Once Jiang Weidong was sober, he took Lin Xia and the two children to Lu Shaotang’s place.

Aunt Lin had already gone to the brigade to buy two big grass carp, one for Lin Shu and one for Old Lady Jiang, and made sure Jiang Weidong took them along.

As Jiang Weidong drove away with Lin Xia and the two kids, several of the older women stood around, commenting on the smell of the car exhaust.

“Did you see that? It’s not Lin Shu, it’s Lin Xia. That man is new; I haven’t seen him before.”

“Really divorced, huh?”

“Is this a new one?”

“Lin’s Second Daughter is quite capable, huh? Just got dumped by a city worker and now she’s found a… high-ranking official?”

It was clear to them that the situation was as they thought.

Initially, they wanted to laugh at Lin Xia being divorced by her in-laws, but it turned out she found an even better match.

Zhao Laosan’s mother spat, “What’s the use of having a good job? It’s all about a wild heart, not knowing how to live properly. Divorce and remarry, how disgraceful! Even a genuine couple can’t stay united.”

The implication was that although she might not have a job as good as Lin Xia’s, she was more virtuous, more humble, didn’t despise her man, didn’t divorce to climb higher, and was wholly dedicated to living with one man.

“I’m virtuous!”

Other women agreed, acknowledging that even though they might not be as capable as Lin Xia, they were good women in their own right.