Chapter 35

Aunt Wang organized her thoughts and started to introduce Zhang Chaoyang to Xu Di. Of course, she didn’t mention his name or his family.

“Xu Di, Aunt Wang has a candidate, listen to this. The man is 23 years old this year, he graduated from high school in 1965 and joined the army, he’s currently a deputy battalion commander in a certain unit.

He’s 1.83 meters tall, I don’t know his weight, I haven’t seen him in almost a year, he probably hasn’t gained any weight. He’s steady, respects women, is decisive, and responsible, he’s just not very talkative, a bit quiet.”

Xu Di felt that the person Aunt Wang was describing seemed to meet her requirements, it sounded familiar.

“Aunt Wang, the man’s conditions are so good, why doesn’t he have a girlfriend yet?”

Xu Di wasn’t wrong to be puzzled, soldiers were very popular in the marriage market in the 1960s and 1970s.

From Aunt Wang’s introduction, this man was good-looking and tall, he was already a deputy battalion commander at such a young age, his future was bright!

“Well, how do I say this, the man is too busy with work, sometimes he can’t be contacted for months, even half a year.

He’s not very concerned about it himself, he doesn’t even look at the people his family introduces, so he’s been single.

This time, it’s because his family is urging him, he’s also reached the age, so he agreed to come back and look for a partner after his vacation.”

Wang Lan thought about Auntie Qian, her hair was almost turning white because of Chaoyang’s marriage. Finally, Chaoyang agreed to come back and look for a partner after his vacation, how could she not be in a hurry to find a suitable girl?

“That’s understandable, soldiers are all very great, they put their country before their family. Aunt Wang, does his family have many people?”

Xu Di genuinely thought soldiers were great, whether it was peacetime or wartime, they were the guardians of the people, the most beautiful people going against the flow.

Xu Di knew that in this era, every family had several children. In the future, the relationships between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, sisters-in-law, and sisters-in-law would be complicated.

Aunt Wang hesitated, did Zhang Chaoyang have a big family? It could be said that he had a big family, he had many siblings, both biological and cousins. But it could also be said that he had a small family, he grew up with Auntie Qian, and the closest person to him was Auntie Qian.

“Xu Di, the man has a big family, but he doesn’t have to live with them after he gets married. He grew up with his grandma, it would be best if he could live with her after he gets married.”

Wang Lan didn’t know how to say it now, she couldn’t reveal Auntie Qian, if she said too much, she would easily slip up.

“Aunt Wang, can a deputy battalion commander bring his family with him?”

“No, the conditions there are tough, it’s not suitable for family members to join the army. They have family visits every year, family members can go there for a short stay, and he can also come back when he’s on leave.”

Xu Di’s eyes lit up, it was good that he couldn’t bring his family with him, she didn’t want to live in the same space as a man for a long time.

Li Kai’s shadow from her previous life still had some lingering effects on her, even after she transmigrated.

“Will he be transferred back in the short term?”

“He probably won’t either, he likes being a soldier, and he’s a key training target for the army. Unless something unexpected happens, he’ll probably stay in the army.”

Wang Lan listened to Xu Di’s questions, she felt like it was hopeless.

Xu Di was overjoyed in her heart, this man was good.

The conditions in the army were tough, he couldn’t bring his family with him, and he wouldn’t be transferred back in the short term.

After marriage, she would only have to live with an elderly person.

The army, with its tough conditions, had a lot of allowances and subsidies, which meant that he could support a family.

She would just have to get pregnant when he came back on leave, and they would spend a short time together. If it didn’t work out, she could go on a family visit, she would always be able to have children.

Xu Di liked children, it was unrealistic not to get married in the 1970s, but it wasn’t impossible.

However, she wanted children, she had to get married. In this era, having a child out of wedlock would be a public spectacle.

“Aunt Wang, I think this man is good. If he comes back on leave and still decides to take a look, we can meet.”

“Meet? Xu Di, you’ve decided, being a military wife is hard.

Aunt Wang was also conflicted for a long time before I told you, the man’s conditions are really good, but I don’t want you to have a hard time.

Being a military wife means that you’ll have to face many things alone, especially those military wives who can’t join the army.”

Wang Lan thought Xu Di wouldn’t consider it, she had asked for a long time, she felt like Xu Di didn’t want to be a military wife.

“Aunt Wang, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s hard for a man to be away from home for a long time. But there are many men who, even if they’re at home all day, don’t necessarily help with anything.

At home, washing clothes, cooking, taking care of the children, which one isn’t done by women. What can men do at home besides going to work, they’re so lazy they wouldn’t even lift a finger if a bottle of oil fell over.

Not only do they not help, they’re also picky. The food isn’t good enough, the clothes aren’t washed in time, the house isn’t clean, the children are disobedient…”

Xu Di’s mind was filled with real-life examples of Li Kai from her previous life, she could talk about it without repeating herself for a day, it was endless!

“Xu Di, you, you…”

Wang Lan listened to Xu Di’s words, she felt a little unbelievable, this child, how could she speak so truthfully.

“Aunt Wang, what’s wrong?”

“You child, you’re so young, how can you speak like you’ve experienced a dozen years of marriage?”

“Aunt Wang, do you need personal experience for this? From childhood to adulthood, the relatives around me, the neighbors in the family compound, the grandma in the countryside, most of the families in the village, aren’t they all like this?”

Xu Di wasn’t lying, in the 1970s, although the slogan “Women can hold up half the sky” had been chanted for twenty years, women’s status in the family was really not that high, especially in closed and backward rural areas or some regions.

“That’s true, most families are like that. But there are men who do housework.”

“There are very few, and even then, they do it selectively.”

Xu Di knew very well, in her current home, Xu’s father and Xu’s older brother would also help with chores.

Xu’s older brother was better, he could help his wife wash clothes, but he had to do it secretly, afraid of being laughed at. Xu’s father, at most, would help tidy up the table, they couldn’t cook.

“You little girl, you’re so insightful. I can’t guarantee the other things, but the man is responsible, decisive, and upright, I can guarantee that.”

“That’s good enough, Aunt Wang, you work in the Women’s Federation, you deal with these things the most. How many men still beat their wives these days.”

There were some in their machine factory family compound, more than one.

“You, you know everything. But this shouldn’t be a problem either, his family has no history of beating wives. So, Aunt will let the man know, when we get in touch with him, if you both think it’s okay, you can start writing letters.”

“Okay, that’s good. Let’s get to know each other first, if it’s okay, we can meet and talk. If it doesn’t work out, it won’t affect each other.”

Xu Di thought that writing letters was fine, she could get a basic understanding and see if their values were aligned.

“Xu Di, discuss this with your family.”

“Okay, I’ll tell my family after we get in touch with him. My parents said they want me to stay at home for two more years, to enjoy myself for two years.”

Xu Di wouldn’t have considered getting a partner so quickly if she hadn’t thought that the man’s conditions met her expectations.

Opportunity knocks but once!

Xu Di played with Kangkang for a while before leaving. Before she got home, she took out some apples and pears and gave them to her family to try.

Wang Lan also planned to go and tell Auntie Qian about Xu Di’s thoughts.