Chapter 39: Marry Me or No One Else

Fang Mingyi couldn’t help but throw glances filled with disdain at Zhu Liyan, who was making an utter fool of himself in front of his future father-in-law. If looks could kill, Zhu Liyan would have been long gone.

You’d think that Fang Mingyi did his best to make sure everyone was well-fed, but every time Zhu Liyan saw meat, he seemed to lose all self-control. This time, he was even more obvious, practically stuffing his face and making a scene. Fang Mingyi was utterly embarrassed and just wanted to kick him out of the house.  

Zhu Liyan, completely oblivious to Fang Mingyi’s silent judgment, continued chatting away with Li Donghai, occasionally burping between sentences.

In the end, it was Fang Mingyi who couldn’t take it anymore and decided to intervene. “Zhu Liyan, why don’t you head to bed early? You’ve had enough to eat, and we need to get up early for work tomorrow.”

Zhu Liyan, clearly reluctant to leave but sensing the cold glances Fang Mingyi was giving him, reluctantly said goodbye to Li Donghai and Zhao Chunmei before trudging off to his room.

Meanwhile, Hu Yingying, who was reluctant to part with Li Lin, grabbed her hand and promised, “As long as you don’t decide to come back to the commune, please write to me. I’ll help get you back to the city if you want. I can’t stand being here alone. It’s just too lonely.”

Li Lin smiled warmly at her friend, replying, “I’ll definitely write to you if I decide not to return. But you take care of yourself here, okay? You never know who might be plotting against you.”

Li Lin’s words were laced with personal experience. After all, she was the one who had been nearly pushed to the edge by the cruelty of life here.

“I know, I’ll be careful. You focus on your health too. Just make sure we keep writing to each other,” Hu Yingying insisted, looking reassured after Li Lin’s promise. She gave Li Lin one last hug before reluctantly leaving.

“She seems like a good girl. You two can stay in touch after you leave,” Zhao Chunmei commented as she watched Hu Yingying leave.

Li Lin nodded. “I know, Mom. You should get some rest after you finish packing. We need to catch the train tomorrow.”

Zhao Chunmei sighed, feeling her heart tug as she glanced at her daughter, who was about to leave. “Alright, I’ll finish up quickly and go to bed.”

Li Lin smiled and waved goodbye to Fang Mingyi, who had already gone to his room. With everything packed, she was starting to feel the weight of the impending departure.

Later, as Li Donghai and Fang Mingyi returned to their room, they worked together, preparing to turn in for the night.

“How many people are in your family, Mingyi?” Li Donghai asked as he settled into his bed.

Fang Mingyi lay down and replied, “I have my parents, three older brothers, three sisters-in-law, and two nephews.” He quickly added, “But my family is split up, other than me. Everyone lives on their own, so it’s not like we’re all under one roof.”

Li Donghai raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You split up when you got married?”

“Yeah,” Fang Mingyi confirmed. “My parents are both busy with work. They decided that once we get married, we’ll live independently. They said they don’t have the time to deal with our personal lives, so we just agreed to it.”

Li Donghai was surprised. “Your parents are quite progressive.”

Fang Mingyi chuckled awkwardly. “I guess so. But it’s mostly because my parents are always working. Sometimes they’re gone for ten days or more, so they just planned ahead.”

Curious, Li Donghai pressed further, “What kind of work do your parents do?”

“My dad manages the military district, and my mom is the head of the cultural troupe,” Fang Mingyi answered casually, but there was no sense of pride in his tone.

Li Donghai’s eyes widened. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. That family background was too intimidating. His own family was small, working class—could his daughter really be with someone like Fang Mingyi?

He thought about it for a while, the old saying about *”marrying someone of equal social status”* echoing in his mind. In truth, Li Donghai felt that his daughter wasn’t really a good match for someone from such a well-off family.

Li Donghai couldn’t help but feel a knot form in his chest as he processed the information about Fang Mingyi’s family. Although he believed his daughter was exceptional in his eyes, he knew that in the eyes of others, especially someone from such a different background, that might not be the case.  

He didn’t want his precious, pampered daughter to be mistreated after marriage, especially if it meant her being caught up in the complicated web of a well-off family’s expectations.  

“Uncle, my parents are just my parents. They won’t interfere with who I choose. In fact, they’ll be happy for me,” Fang Mingyi quickly clarified, hoping to ease Li Donghai’s concerns. “I promise, I will take care of Li Lin.”

Li Donghai heard him out and, sensing that it was getting late, turned over and said, “It’s too late. We need to catch the train tomorrow. Let’s get some rest.”

Fang Mingyi sighed but didn’t argue. They both knew neither of them were actually going to sleep anytime soon, but with no more words to say, they closed their eyes and tried to force themselves to rest.

The next morning, Zhao Chunmei was up early, preparing dry food for the journey. They had eaten a lot during their time in the commune, but now they had to rely on what they could prepare themselves. After breakfast, they packed up their things, locked the door, and handed the keys over to Fang Mingyi for safekeeping.

With that, they said their goodbyes to Hu Yingying and Zhu Liyan, who had come to see them off, and got into the car to head to the train station.

Fang Mingyi drove them to the county to return the car, then accompanied them to the bus station, and from there, they took the train to the city.

At the station, Fang Mingyi quickly went to collect the sleeper tickets he had purchased in advance, and returned to give them to Li Donghai and Zhao Chunmei. “Uncle, Auntie, I’ve already got the sleeper tickets. It’ll make the trip easier for you.”

Zhao Chunmei gratefully accepted the tickets, but with some time still before departure, she gently nudged her husband to take a stroll so that Fang Mingyi and Li Lin could have some private time to talk.

Though Li Donghai felt a little reluctant, he followed his wife’s suggestion and walked away, leaving Fang Mingyi and Li Lin alone.

“Li Lin, don’t forget to write to me when you get back,” Fang Mingyi said with earnestness. “And remember to take care of your health. Don’t overwork yourself.”

“I will. You take care of yourself too. Don’t push yourself too hard during the busy season,” Li Lin responded, looking up at him with a small smile.

Fang Mingyi nodded and said softly, “I’ll take care of myself. And I’ll stay healthy so I can take care of you in the future.” 

He paused, then added, “Li Lin, I need to say something to you that I didn’t say last night, but I want you to know. My parents, they’re not involved in our life together. When we get married, we’ll live separately. It’ll be just us.”

Li Lin blinked in surprise at his words, but quickly reassured him, “I understand. I’m just a little shocked by your family situation. But I’m not marrying you because of your family. I’m marrying you because of who you are.”

Fang Mingyi smiled and promised, “I’ll make sure I write to you and explain everything. You won’t have to worry about anything.”

Just then, a call came from the platform. “Li Lin, Mingyi, it’s time to board the train!”

“Coming!” Fang Mingyi quickly grabbed their luggage and helped Li Lin onto the train, careful to make sure she was comfortable.

As they stood by the door, he turned to them and said, “Uncle, Auntie, please take good care of Li Lin. Someone will meet you at the train station to take you to your destination. Just wait by the exit.”

He turned back to Li Lin, eyes full of emotion. “Li Lin, I’ll be waiting for your letter. And I swear, I will only marry you. No one else.”

With those words, Fang Mingyi turned and walked briskly off the train, leaving Li Lin and her parents to process the promise he had just made.