Chapter 6

When they arrived at the commune, Lu Baiwei followed He Ting straight to the marriage registration window. 

“Comrade, we’re here to get married.” 

The day before, Lu Baiwei had already obtained the necessary documentation from the brigade. He Ting placed their ID cards and the marriage approval certificate on the counter. 

The woman in charge of registrations was lazily sipping her water. When she looked up and saw He Ting, she froze for a moment—this young man was almost too handsome to be real. 

He Ting asked, “Is there a problem?” 

“No problem!” 

She didn’t mean anything by it; she was just taken aback by how striking He Ting was. Not only were his features exceptional, but there was also an unexplainable aura about him. He didn’t look like a countryside boy—he had the bearing of someone from a wealthy, influential family in the city. 

Her suspicions were confirmed when she reviewed their documents. 

It was true! 

He was a zhiqing (educated youth) from the capital! 

She’d met quite a few zhiqing over the years, but never one as good-looking as He Ting. 

The woman also thought Lu Baiwei was pretty—slim, tall, and fair-skinned, with delicate features. But she seemed like someone who hadn’t been able to grow properly due to long-term malnutrition. 

The woman couldn’t help but wonder: Why would a zhiqing from the capital, someone so outstanding and obviously from a good family, marry a rural girl like this? 

Maybe the man’s family had fallen on hard times, or perhaps they’d been caught in some scandal—like being alone together and ruining her reputation, leaving them no choice but to marry. 

The woman wasn’t jumping to conclusions for no reason. In her time, she had seen many cases where a city zhiqing was forced into marriage after being involved in a compromising situation with a village girl. 

During the registration process, the woman couldn’t resist sneaking a few more glances at He Ting and Lu Baiwei. Finally, the marriage certificate was stamped and officially completed. 

In those days, marriage certificates didn’t include photos, only the couple’s names and birthdates. 

With the stamp on the certificate, their marriage was now official. 

From this moment on, He Ting was her husband, and she was He Ting’s wife. 

Holding the certificate, Lu Baiwei finally felt at ease. This symbolized a new chapter in her life—breaking free from the exhausting, oppressive life of her previous existence. No more would she have to endure hurtful gossip accusing her of being a barren woman. 

As the ink dried on the stamp, Lu Baiwei felt that everything was beginning anew—all thanks to He Ting. 

“You picked me up so early—have you eaten yet?” 

Feeling happy, Lu Baiwei took the boiled egg she’d saved from earlier out of her pocket and handed it to He Ting. “I saved this for you.” 

He Ting was momentarily stunned. 

He had no prior experience with this. 

He’d been racking his brain about what he should say to his new wife after their marriage. 

And here she was, handing him a boiled egg. 

His new wife handed him a boiled egg.

He Ting thought it was a bit strange. Shouldn’t she have given him the egg on the way here, when she was asking if he’d eaten breakfast? Why wait until after they got the marriage certificate to give him an egg?

He couldn’t help but ask her.

Lu Baiwei replied, “At that time, you weren’t considered ‘one of us’ yet.”

The little girl sure knew how to draw clear lines!

He Ting almost laughed at her. 

She insisted that he wasn’t “one of them” until after they got the marriage certificate. Yet, here she was, handing him an egg right afterward.

But the truth was, the large pot of porridge at the zhiqing station had been made with broken corn and other grains. The porridge was so thin that it barely filled him up. Now, he was genuinely a bit hungry.

He Ting couldn’t help but smile, accepting the egg from Lu Baiwei.

“I’ll take you to the state-run restaurant for steamed buns.”

A few steps from the commune, there was a state-run restaurant. 

He Ting was generous, taking out ration coupons and cash to buy ten steaming hot pork buns. He handed one to Lu Baiwei first, then bit into the other one, devouring half in one go.

How could anyone bite into a bun and still look so elegant?

Lu Baiwei stared in shock.

“Eat, why are you staring?” 

He Ting finished the first bun, grabbed another one, and urged her, “Hurry up, eat up, then we’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative.”

Not understanding, Lu Baiwei asked, “What are we buying at the cooperative?”

“We need to buy things for moving, and some cigarettes and liquor for the team leader. I remember that there’s a rule in the brigade that zhiqing who get married can get land for house construction.”

He Ting thought for a moment before adding, “I heard from that kid Zhou Yanfeng that when people get married in the brigade, they have to buy cloth for clothes. Later, you can also buy a piece of fabric and have a tailor make you a dress.”

“Do you want some face cream? When I was in the capital, I saw the girls in the compound all used it. If you like it, we can buy some later.”

As He Ting spoke, Lu Baiwei slowly finished half of her bun.

In these times, meat was scarce, and every bite of the bun filled her with a deep sense of enjoyment—the savory meat juices mixed with the mild sweetness of the dough made her feel like she was indulging in something extraordinary.

In her past life, she had been a hard worker, always helping Yin Zhihe make money, but she had also tasted many delicacies. 

But this time, after being reborn, the first meat-filled bun she had tasted seemed to be the best thing she had ever eaten.

She couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with He Ting.

She couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with He Ting.

From the fact that He Ting could afford a “three-turn, one-ring” bicycle and also mentioned buying cigarettes and liquor at the supply and marketing cooperative, it was clear that his family had a good background.

In her eyes, someone like He Ting, raised in a wealthy family, should have everything arranged for him and not be so considerate or detail-oriented.

On the way, Lu Baiwei was still thinking about how to discuss the issue of where they would live after getting married with He Ting.

But as a young woman who wasn’t very familiar with He Ting, she found it hard to bring it up. She was afraid He Ting might misunderstand her as being too eager.

He Ting had thought of everything, even the need to buy things for building a house after marriage, which surprised Lu Baiwei.

Could it be that, apart from that strange engagement, He Ting actually wanted to marry her of his own will?

Seeing Lu Baiwei lost in thought, He Ting assumed he hadn’t done enough.

He paused, then seriously said, “Lu Baiwei, this is my first marriage, and I don’t have much experience. Think about it, is there anything we’re missing? We can buy it together later.”

Lu Baiwei almost laughed.

When He Ting was silent, he appeared distant and aloof.

She hadn’t expected him to have such a simple, earnest side.

She almost laughed out loud, feeling much more relaxed: “So, how many times do you plan to get married?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Noticing the teasing smile on Lu Baiwei’s face, He Ting realized that his new wife was a little playful.

Was this really the same poor girl who had been bullied and cried before?

“I’m out of words,” He Ting said seriously, explaining, “Lu Baiwei, don’t worry. My family has strict morals. If I dared to act out after marrying you, my grandfather would break my legs.”

“Since I’ve married you, I’ll be responsible for you for the rest of my life. You can trust me on that.”

This time, Lu Baiwei really smiled. She was about to respond with something reassuring when a surprised voice suddenly interrupted their peaceful moment.

“He Ting, what a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you here at the state-run restaurant.”

Two girls, dressed up brightly, walked into the state-run restaurant. One wore a floral shirt with pants, and the other wore a pretty Bragi dress.

The girl who greeted He Ting was the one in the Bragi dress. With a surprised look, she said it was a coincidence, and in the blink of an eye, she had pulled the other girl, wearing the floral shirt, right in front of He Ting.