Chapter 9

Aunt He finally managed to contact the switchboard operator at her son’s unit, but she received troubling news: “What? He’s on a mission! Oh no, when will he be back? I don’t know… But I have something important to tell him. Alright, can I leave a message? Tell him that the marriage engagement his grandfather arranged for him back in the day is happening soon, and he needs to hurry up and report the wedding plans!”

After hanging up the rotary phone, Aunt He handed five cents to the team member at the unit’s office.

She hadn’t talked for long, but the cost of the call really hurt her wallet, especially since she hadn’t managed to speak to her son.

However, she couldn’t wait to get to Lin Xiang. Aunt He hastily got the production team leader to issue a certificate, showing the engagement contract between the He and Lin families from years ago, and secured an introduction letter for her to head into the city. She rushed five miles to the commune entrance, where she waited for the rattling bus to arrive before heading into town.

The switchboard operator who had received Aunt He’s call was left bewildered, murmuring, “So, Captain He is getting married… I wonder how many female comrades will be heartbroken…”

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In the 1970s, the work schedule was still a six-day workweek, with Sunday off.

However, everyone was used to waking up early, so few people slept in. In the early morning, when the sky was still gray, the sounds of breakfast preparations filled the air.

Lin Chuchu was still bickering with her mother, Qiu Aiying, about not helping her, while Lin Jianxin, uninterested in anything, listened passively as his family arranged his future work. When he heard that the factory director’s son, Sun Yaozu, would soon come to propose, he got a bit excited.

Not for any other reason, but because he had heard that Sun Yaozu was skilled at games, ice skating, and even fighting…

Lin Jianxin thought having such a brother-in-law wouldn’t be bad at all. He could learn from him and join in his fun. He quickly joined the ranks of those persuading Lin Xiang to get married.

Lin Xiang, dressed in a worn-out shirt with frayed sleeves and collar, sat at the table drinking tea. She wasn’t as resistant as she had been before, after all, a big show was about to unfold.

Sun Yaozu, with a matchmaker in tow, arrived with great fanfare. As soon as he entered, he saw Lin Xiang sitting in the living room. Her shabby clothes did nothing to hide her delicate beauty. The grayish jacket only highlighted her cold, aloof demeanor.

This air of mystery only made her more captivating.

“Ah, Comrade Sun has arrived!” Qiu Aiying greeted him enthusiastically, her face creased with smiles. Lin Guangming followed behind, walking slowly but maintaining his position as the future father-in-law.

Lin Jianxin eagerly greeted everyone, while Lin Chuchu, the most sullen of the family, tried to catch Sun Yaozu’s attention, wondering if he’d change his mind about her, but Sun Yaozu didn’t even glance her way.

“Uncle Lin, Aunt Qiu, this is my first visit. I’ve brought tea leaves and a pound of egg cake.”

Sun Yaozu was unusually polite. The matchmaker, used to arranging marriages, couldn’t help but secretly admire his manners. Indeed, even a bigshot like him behaved humbly in front of his future in-laws.

There was only one person in the room who didn’t react to Sun Yaozu and the matchmaker’s arrival.

“This must be Lin Xiang?” The matchmaker, skilled in reading people, immediately noticed the odd atmosphere. While the parents were happy, the bride-to-be’s expression was indifferent, even showing a hint of dislike when she looked at Sun Yaozu.

She could tell—Lin Xiang was reluctant.

“I haven’t seen her in a few years, and she’s grown even more beautiful! Truly, she and Yaozu are a perfect match!” The matchmaker tried to lighten the mood, diving straight into the topic. “I’m here today to congratulate you all—Yaozu has come to propose, and he wants to marry Lin Xiang. After this, you’ll be family with the factory director!”

What a great honor, the matchmaker’s face was nearly splitting with joy. Similarly, Qiu Aiying couldn’t hide her happiness, while Lin Guangming restrained himself, though his smile was evident.

“It’s truly kind of you, Big Sister, to come all the way here. Please sit down,” Qiu Aiying, as the head of the house, took charge of the situation, then turned to the future son-in-law. “Yaozu, please sit down. Let’s talk about the wedding arrangements!”

No one asked Lin Xiang for her opinion. The two families were already chatting excitedly about the engagement, even drawing attention from the neighbors.

Everyone could see the factory director’s son, with his matchmaker, entering Lin Xiang’s home, and the whispers of excitement began.

Some were envious, some were jealous, some thought Sun Yaozu was settling for a regular worker’s daughter, while others thought Lin Xiang was marrying a pervert who had been caught peeping at the women’s bathhouse.

As the murmurs of the hallway continued, the discussion inside shifted to the dowry.

As the factory director’s son, Sun Yaozu’s dowry was impressive: “I discussed it with my parents. The dowry will be 666 yuan, plus 72-legged furniture and a three-in-one radio set, definitely one-of-a-kind from the steel factory!”

Qiu Aiying and the onlookers in the hallway gasped. For most people, a dowry of 80 or 100 yuan would be considered generous, but the factory director’s son was different—his dowry was a whopping 666!

Hearing the comments from the hallway, Lin Xiang’s family straightened their backs. They were no longer just an ordinary worker’s family—they were going to be relatives of the factory director!

Lin Guangming, always maintaining the air of the future father-in-law, finally couldn’t help but smile wider, a grin that wouldn’t fade. “Comrade Sun, you really have a kind heart. Our Lin Xiang is lucky to marry you…”

“I can’t marry Sun Yaozu.”

Suddenly, in the midst of the joyous chatter, Lin Xiang’s calm, cold voice cut through.

She, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up, her few words instantly stirring the anger of those seated around the table.

Lin Guangming struggled to suppress his anger and hissed in a low voice, “Lin Xiang, what did you say? Close your mouth!”

Lin Xiang shot a sideways glance at her scoundrel of a father and turned to the crowd of onlookers outside the hallway. “This is a new society, feudalism has been overthrown. I don’t want to get married. Are you all going to force me to marry?”

The matchmaker, who had been writing the engagement letter, was startled by Lin Xiang’s words and quickly tried to downplay it. “Lin Xiang, dear, marriage is always arranged by the parents. Your father and mother only want the best for you, and that’s why they arranged such a good match.”

Sun Yaozu’s face darkened, and he threatened in a low voice, “Lin Xiang, don’t be ungrateful!”

He had given Lin Xiang enough respect. If it were any other woman, he would never have spoken so politely, but if Lin Xiang insisted on embarrassing him, Sun Yaozu wouldn’t mind being more forceful. Her parents were on his side, and she, a woman with no backing, had no right to resist!

Qiu Aiying stepped in to mediate, playing the “good cop” and persuading, “Xiangxiang, don’t be stubborn. Your parents are doing this for your own good. Go outside and ask around—how many people want to marry into such a good family but can’t!”

By now, the hallway had filled with people. It was a Sunday, and with the excitement of the engagement proposal, who wouldn’t be eager to see what was happening?

Especially since the woman had refused the proposal halfway through—that was rare!

People crowded in, craning their necks, eager to sit at the table and watch the drama unfold.

“Enough, don’t listen to her, a young girl doesn’t understand anything! Marriage is a natural thing, and you must listen to your elders!” Lin Guangming said firmly.

The matchmaker knew that Lin Guangming ruled the family, and the girl was simply throwing a tantrum. As long as Lin Guangming agreed to the marriage, everything would be fine.

“Alright, it’s clear Lin Guangming is straightforward. Come, come, let’s look at the dowry and see if everything’s in order. Once that’s settled, we’ll finalize the engagement and then go for the marriage certificate later…”

A young girl, surrounded by enemies, facing pressure from all sides, and being manipulated from all directions.

Just as everyone was about to move forward with forcing the engagement, a sudden voice rang out from the hallway.

“Lin Guangming! How can you treat your daughter like this? Do you have any conscience, especially after your late wife?” Liu Qiuping stormed into the room, pushing through the crowd, followed by the director of the family compound and the head of the steel factory’s women’s committee.

“Xiangxiang clearly doesn’t want to marry, and you two are so heartless, trying to force her into it. Is this the old society?”

Lin Guangming’s gaze darkened. He hadn’t expected that this rebellious daughter would find support from these people, but she was naive.

It was said that even the most righteous official couldn’t resolve family matters—did she really think a few department heads could interfere in his family’s affairs?

“This is the Lin family’s business. You have no right to interfere,” Lin Guangming said coldly.

Qiu Aiying was also surprised, but as long as Lin Guangming held firm, she would naturally support him. “Guangming, everyone means well, so don’t get angry. Qiuping, Director He, Director Bai, what are you all doing here? Today’s the day for Xiangxiang’s engagement, come in and drink some tea and join in the celebration.”

Lin Xiang, seeing her scoundrel father and fake stepmother working together so smoothly, realized how well they played their roles—one acting as the “bad cop,” the other as the “good cop,” easily manipulating the situation.

She stood up, facing Liu Qiuping, the family compound director, and the women’s committee director. “Director He, Director Bai, please help me. I don’t want to marry Sun Yaozu. My dad and stepmother are forcing me. They even said they would drag me into marriage if I refuse.”

At this, the crowd in the hallway became even more excited—this was turning into a major spectacle!

The discussions began again.

“Feudalism is no longer acceptable, the country promotes free marriage now.”

“Clearly, Lin Xiang is being ungrateful. Can parents really harm their child like this?”

“She’s not satisfied with marrying the son of the factory director? What more does she want? Her heart is too wild.”

With the gossip and discussions swirling around her, Sun Yaozu’s face grew darker. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had never suffered, never been humiliated like this. He stood up abruptly, trying to assert his authority. “Aunt He, Aunt Bai, I came here for the engagement, and everything was agreed upon with the Lin family. If you have nothing else to do, please go elsewhere. My parents will be here soon to discuss the engagement.”

The implied message was clear.

He was using the factory director’s power to pressure them.

The family compound director and the women’s committee director were powerful in their own right, but could they really meddle in the factory director’s family matters?

The two directors exchanged looks and then glanced at the weak-looking Lin Xiang. They felt a pang of sympathy and the women’s committee director stepped forward, saying, “Lin Xiang clearly doesn’t want to marry. We can’t force her into it. This matter needs to be clarified.”

Lin Xiang felt a surge of confidence with the support of the two directors and Liu Qiuping. She continued, “Dad, Mom, you always say you’re doing this for my good, but you want to marry me off to a man who spies on women’s baths. Is this really for my good, or is it because you want to gain favor from becoming the factory director’s in-laws?”

Though others might still speculate, Lin Xiang had made her intentions clear, and now everyone felt something was off. It seemed there was something more to this situation!