Chapter 31: Marriage

In the afternoon, Feng Mian went to the county town and placed orders for a bicycle and a watch in an empty alley.

Nowadays, bicycles had to be registered with a license plate; otherwise, they couldn’t be ridden on the road.

To get the license plate, you needed an invoice.

But where would she get an invoice?

Fortunately, at this time, the information wasn’t recorded in any computer system, so forging one was easy.

She spent two yuan to get a fake invoice.

When she took it to the bicycle management office to register, she bribed the clerk with a pack of cigarettes and said a lot of flattering things.

Still, she was nervous, afraid they would recognize her.

But it turned out to be a false alarm. After paying a 20-cent bicycle fee and an annual two-yuan tax, she got the bicycle registration certificate and license plate.

They even stamped her bicycle with a steel seal.

“Keep this safe. If you lose it, come report it. With the bicycle license, you can usually get it back.”

“Thank you, comrade.”

On the way back to the village, she rode the bicycle.

These days, if any family had a bicycle, it was definitely something to show off.

Gossiping old women in the village and curious children all came to her yard to watch the spectacle.

“Where did you buy this bicycle?”

“County town.”

“Oh, how much did it cost?”

“One hundred and fifty.”

“Hmm, that’s about the right price. Last year Feng Zheng’s family bought one for about the same.”

“I think yours looks newer and shinier.”

“Theirs is already a year old; mine is brand new.”

“They look pretty much the same. There’s even a bird here.”

“Yes, both are Phoenix brand.”

Everyone chatted, looked, and touched it. It was almost dark before they left.

Lu Lan said, “Mianmian, you really have skills! You actually got a fake invoice!”

Just as Feng Mian was about to reply, Gu Yuelin arrived.

Lu Lan smiled and excused herself, saying she had things to do at home, then left.

Feng Mian knew why Gu Yuelin had come.

He had previously brought food, and there were still cloth and meat coupons he hadn’t delivered.

Sure enough, Gu Yuelin pulled out a few coupons.

“These are meat and cloth coupons. No need to deliver them tomorrow. Give them when they come to transfer the household registration the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay. Look, I bought a watch and a bicycle. Are you taking them today or coming tomorrow?”

“Come the day after tomorrow and ride it over.”

“The road there is too narrow. I don’t dare to ride it.”

Gu Yuelin said, “Then I’ll meet you at the main road entrance.”

“Alright.”

“By the way, what about that 50 jin of grain?”

“I’ll take it today.”

She wasn’t thinking of bringing the grain back; it would all have to be given out anyway. Giving it sooner or later made no difference.

For the other items, the coupons and household registration transfer had to be exchanged simultaneously.

On the fifth day of the lunar new year, Feng Mian went to the team leader’s house with her household registration transfer certificate and got a proof document so she could go directly to the civil affairs office in town tomorrow with both the certificate and the proof to get the marriage certificate.

Grandpa Feng quickly helped her handle it, then mentioned something else.

“A few days ago, your dad called again. You said you wouldn’t answer his calls, so I didn’t send anyone to call you.”

Feng Mian said, “Thank you, Grandpa Feng.”

“Don’t mention it, little one.”

“Oh, by the way, he said he wants to come see you.”

Feng Mian was stunned.

Grandpa Feng added, “From what he said, it doesn’t sound like a joke. Maybe he really will come.”

Feng Mian felt a bit upset. “If he’s coming, then let him come. Let’s see what tricks he wants to play.”

“Yeah, hurry up and get it over with.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, Grandpa Feng, don’t forget to come drink at the wedding tomorrow.”

“Of course, no problem.”

After leaving Grandpa Feng’s house, Feng Mian started preparing everything needed for the next day.

They didn’t have many friends, but they still had to set up a few tables.

Previously, Gu Yuelin told her he expected about five friends to come.

On Feng Mian’s side, her maternal grandparents would come, her younger female cousin would most likely come, plus Lu Lan’s family and some villagers.

She estimated there would be about three or four tables in total.

Since there weren’t enough tables, she even borrowed two from Grandpa Feng.

There had to be some alcohol at the wedding.

These days, alcohol usually came in plastic flasks, filled from street vendors.

She placed an order for several dark-colored plastic flasks and bought a few bottles of liquor, pouring them all into the flasks.

She also bought candy, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and a box of oranges…

She purchased the chicken, duck, fish, and meat needed and prepared them in advance.

Only after getting everything ready did she go to sleep.

On the fifth day, Feng Mian got up early, did her basic skincare, and applied a light makeup that made her look energetic.

She braided her hair into two plaits—the popular style of the time—and tied cheerful hair ribbons into the braids, finishing them off with a bow at the bottom.

At first glance, it looked similar to the common twin-tail braids of the era, but on closer look, her braids were much neater and prettier than most.

They were gentle yet playful.

She wore a festive red padded jacket. Looking in the mirror, the color made her skin look fair and radiant.

Her outfit was very rustic, but rustic in a way that was full of charm—it genuinely looked good.

After tidying herself carefully and giving Lu Lan a few instructions, she rode out.

The village was bustling with excitement because her eldest cousin from Shangyuanzi Village was getting married, with lively music and festivities starting early in the morning.

Her uncle’s family had gone to send off Feng Xiaomei as a bride, leaving her grandmother to watch the house.

Her grandfather had asked her to come help Feng Mian.

Zhang Shi worried that Feng Mian might be alone, so she entrusted her elderly husband to a neighbor and came over early in the morning.

But just as Feng Mian had left, Zhang Shi arrived to an empty house.

Next door, Lu Lan was helping at Feng Mian’s house. She had told Zhang Shi the day before that there would be several tables set up today and asked her to come help early.

Lu Lan said to Zhang Shi, “You’re late, Grandma Zhang. Mianmian already went to Gujia Village.”

“Is she alone?”

“Yes, we offered to help, but she refused and told us to come drink at the wedding tonight.”

Hearing this, Zhang Shi felt a pang of sadness.

An orphaned child like that was truly pitiful, especially for such a big event like a wedding—going through it all alone.

She was old, had her own husband to care for, and many times she wanted to help this child but felt powerless.

Zhang Shi thought about her own daughter and grandchildren.

She had picked a cultured educated youth herself back then.

At first, she couldn’t understand the sour and nerdy stuff—something called poetry?—but the girl was happy and insisted on marrying him.

They hadn’t thought much about it at the time; they just figured the man was educated, decent-looking, and had brought better farming methods.

She reasoned that since he knew how to farm, they’d have enough food, so it was a good match and she agreed.

At that time, she had considered that the man might return to his hometown, and he had said that if he did, he’d take his wife along.

He had said there were trains now, so marrying far away wasn’t a problem.

They never imagined he would leave and abandon his wife and child.

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On the way, Feng Mian ran into Gu Yuelin.

He was wearing a blue cloth jacket today, still a single layer, but it looked quite neat without any patches.

In this cold weather, he hadn’t worn the coat she had given him a few days ago. She guessed that coat must have fallen into the hands of his stepmother.

That stepmother was really shameless.

Gu Yuelin stared at Feng Mian, momentarily stunned.

She called him twice before he snapped back to reality.