CHAPTER 2

Lu Xiangde picked out some food for Lu Zhi. “Eat more.”

Lu Zhi took a bite of the slippery glass noodles stewed with cabbage. Her sister-in-law had made it—it was really delicious.

Her eldest brother said, “Your second sister is going to be so happy when she hears about this.”

As he spoke, a trace of wistfulness came over him. When Lu Zhi was born, he had already started junior high and was old enough to help care for a child.

During school holidays, Lu Zhi was practically raised by him.

But of course, she couldn’t stay unmarried forever.

Looking at her now, her eldest brother thought to himself—Zhou Cheng’an really hit the jackpot.

Lu Zhi ate a lot of dishes. She didn’t finish the second steamed bun made with mixed flour, so she added some chili peppers to it and stuffed it into the bun, then finished it off.

Mm. So good. Spicy and fragrant.

Back in her room, Lu Zhi could hear the noises from the courtyard outside even more clearly.

Aunt Zhou had a relative who worked at the department store.

Li Lan said, “There’s a sewing machine at the department store, right? Aunt Zhou, help me check, would you?”

Aunt Zhou replied, “A sewing machine? Doesn’t your family already have one?”

Li Lan said, “We do. But our daughter’s getting married, and we have to give one as part of the dowry. When our second son got married, we also gave a sewing machine.”

Lu Zhi’s sister-in-law chimed in, “That won’t do. Lu Zhi’s getting married—we, as her big brother and sister-in-law, of course need to help out. I’ll ask her later if she wants cash or if she’d rather us buy something for her.” Then she smiled. “Aunt Zhou, come by in a few days and have some wedding candy!”

Li Lan added, “She just found a job at the sugar factory. It’s temporary, but at least it’s a job.”

Aunt Zhou exclaimed, “Really? Then I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”

Meanwhile, He Li was straining her ears to listen from inside, her brows furrowed deeper the more she heard.

The Lu family’s daughter-in-law found a job?

Lu Zhi was getting married?

So she didn’t really like her son after all, huh? All that talk about liking him, and now she was engaged from a blind date?

Probably gave up on marrying her son and just settled for someone else.

Aunt Zhou asked, “Oh, I forgot to ask—what does Lu Zhi’s fiancé do?”

Li Lan answered proudly, “He’s a deputy regiment commander. Young, capable, and handsome. What’s more, it was love at first sight—he said he wouldn’t marry anyone but our Lu Zhi.”

At that, Aunt Zhou seemed to remember something. “Didn’t you all used to say arranged marriages were out of fashion?”

Li Lan responded, “They are. But this wasn’t arranged—his grandfather suggested the two of them meet, and then it just happened.”

Aunt Zhou laughed. “That’s a good thing, a really good thing. I’ll go ask about that sewing machine right away.”

Lu Zhi’s sister-in-law quickly said, “Thank you, Aunt Zhou.”

Aunt Zhou replied, “What are you thanking me for?”

Mother- and daughter-in-law were both very pleased.

When the courtyard neighbors heard that Lu Zhi’s engagement was settled and she was getting married, many came by to congratulate Li Lan and Lu Zhi’s sister-in-law.

He Li, listening from inside, threw down the rag she was using to wipe the table and scoffed, “And someone with such good qualifications fell for Lu Zhi? He’s probably old or ugly.”

….

That afternoon, Li Lan brought Lu Zhi to the post office to make a phone call.

After living another life, Lu Zhi still found it a bit regretful that she couldn’t use a smartphone.

It was the weekend, and there were quite a few people lining up to use the phone, so she and Li Lan had to wait.

Li Lan said, “Your second sister will be so happy. Ask her while you’re at it—does she know this young man? And what kind of person is he?”

She truly believed Zhou Cheng’an had good character. His grandfather was an upstanding man who knew how to raise children, so Zhou Cheng’an definitely wouldn’t be a bad person.

Still, it didn’t hurt to double-check.

Thinking of this, Li Lan started to reminisce. “Your Grandpa Zhou was such a good man when he was young—capable, doted on his wife. Later, when he became the village head, he was still a man who feared and loved his wife.”

As she recalled more details, something clicked in her memory—Lu Zhi and Zhou Cheng’an had met once before.

Li Lan said, “There was one time we went back to the countryside and ran into Grandpa Zhou’s family. Zhou Cheng’an gave you a candy. You were about four at the time.”

She went on, “Yes, that really happened. Back then, we weren’t doing as well as we are now. I was working as a temp, and your father was still an apprentice. Candy was more precious than it is now, and Zhou Cheng’an gave you one.”

Lu Zhi certainly didn’t remember anything from when she was four, and Zhou Cheng’an likely didn’t either.

But the more Li Lan thought about it, the more she felt the two of them were destined to be together. She only regretted listening to Lu Zhi before and rejecting the match back then.

When it was their turn, Li Lan gave the well-memorized phone number to the operator.

After a while, the call was connected, and Lu Yue returned the call.

Li Lan took the phone. “Lu Yue, I have something to tell you.”

Lu Yue replied, “Is it about the Li family? I can come home in a bit and try to talk to Lu Zhi again. There are so many single men on the island—there’s going to be a mixer soon. I’ll bring Lu Zhi along. Maybe she’ll find someone she likes.”

Li Lan said, “No, no—it’s good news! Your little sister came around and went to meet her blind date. They really hit it off! He’s being transferred to the island too. I just wanted to ask if you know him—his name is Zhou Cheng’an.”

Lu Yue: “Who are you talking about?”

Li Lan: “Zhou Cheng’an.”

Li Lan couldn’t help recalling what had happened a few days ago. She had gone back to her family home, and on the boat, she had run into this newly transferred Deputy Commander Zhou.

He had a cold, aloof air about him—and he was really good-looking.

Some unmarried girls had blushed just looking at him.

But his personality was far too cold.

Later, Lu Yue even heard her own husband say how rigid and stern Zhou Cheng’an was, utterly by-the-book. Even his younger brother wore the same frosty expression.

A man like that… with their Lu Zhi?

Lu Yue: “Was this whole thing forced by Grandpa Zhou?”

She knew that Grandpa Zhou hoped Zhou Cheng’an and Lu Zhi would end up together.

Li Lan: “What do you mean, forced by Grandpa Zhou? It was love at first sight for him.”

Lu Yue slapped her thigh and said happily, “Now that makes sense! I knew it! With how wonderful our Lu Zhi is, it’s only that second Li family boy who’s blind! Zhou Cheng’an is guaranteed to be a good man—he’s just a bit cold.”

Li Lan: “That’s fine, as long as he’s not cold toward Lu Zhi.”

People nearby were eyeing Lu Zhi, but she managed to maintain her composure—for the most part—when it came to things like her family viewing her through a rose-colored lens.

Lu Zhi picked up the phone. “Second Sister.”

Lu Yue: “Next time, call ahead before you come. Your brother-in-law and I can pick you up at the dock, got it?”

Lu Zhi: “Mm, I know.”

Thinking about how Lu Zhi would soon be stationed on the island as a military spouse, Lu Yue couldn’t help but smile.

Lu Zhi was practically raised by Lu Yue. Their parents were always busy, so when Lu Zhi was little, Lu Yue often looked after her. They had an older brother too, but Lu Yue always felt closer to Lu Zhi.

What would their big brother understand about a girl’s thoughts?

….

That evening, after dinner, everyone in the compound was either doing chores in the yard or enjoying the cool air.

Lu Zhi’s upcoming marriage had clearly become the hot topic for idle chatter that day.

“I heard Lu Zhi’s fiancé is a deputy commander.”

“Yeah, I heard he’s really good-looking too.”

“Stop talking, stop talking—He Li is coming over.”

Everyone greeted He Li, “Your second son and daughter-in-law aren’t back yet?”

He Li replied, “It’s her first visit home as a new bride. As her mother-in-law, I can understand. I told them it’s fine to stay a night at her family’s.”

Playing the part of a good mother-in-law, He Li headed back into the house—clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.

Meanwhile, the Lu family was discussing Lu Zhi’s dowry.

A sewing machine was a must.

Lu Zhi’s oldest brother and sister-in-law talked it over and decided to contribute 150 yuan as her dowry cash.

Li Lan and Lu Xiangde added 200 yuan.

That made a total of 350 yuan.

As for wedding clothes, they planned to make two sets for Lu Zhi. Enamel basins, thermos flasks, and other essentials were also being prepared by Li Lan and Lu Xiangde.

They were sure the Zhou family would prepare the betrothal gifts properly—everyone knew Grandpa Zhou’s character.

Still, Li Lan felt it wasn’t quite enough. “Zhou Cheng’an’s family is well-off. This is basically a marriage into a higher-status family. Her dowry needs to reflect that.”

Lu Xiangde said, “This month’s salary is coming—65 yuan, plus around 70 in bonuses. Let’s add that to the dowry. We’ll give Lu Yue a bit later once we’ve saved up again.”

Lu Zhi’s brother and sister-in-law exchanged a look and decided to throw in their next month’s salary as well—another 50 yuan.

That brought Lu Zhi’s total dowry money to 500 yuan.

Her brother and sister-in-law had been childhood sweethearts. Even after marrying into the family, her sister-in-law still treated Lu Zhi exceptionally well. She had always liked Lu Zhi’s gentle, older-sister-like demeanor since childhood.

Now that they were married and she was officially Lu Zhi’s sister-in-law, she only doted on her more.

….

That night, Lu Zhi lay in bed, unable to sleep. She tossed and turned.

Thinking about the upcoming wedding, she couldn’t help picturing Zhou Cheng’an’s face. A smile tugged at her lips.

She’d really lucked out. This was a serious win.

At the same time, Zhou Cheng’an and Zhou Jun were also still awake.

Zhou Jun was drowsy and sluggish, but he kept thinking about Lu Zhi. He refused to sleep, blinking up at Zhou Cheng’an. “Big Brother, Sister-in-law is so pretty.”

Zhou Cheng’an was folding his clothes silently.

The chubby Zhou Jun padded over and said, “Big Brother, don’t you think she’s beautiful?”

Zhou Cheng’an’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He thought of how stunning Lu Zhi had looked today. He nodded. “Mm. Your sister-in-law is very pretty.” After a pause, he added, “Really pretty. And she has a good temper, too.”