Chapter 8: Deciding to Marry

“Ahem…” Baoni cleared her throat, breaking the silence.

“Let me start by saying, I, Lin Baoni, graduated from high school. I’m pretty strong, so I eat a lot.” she implied, meaning that he’d need to prepare more for household expenses.

“I, Gu Ye, graduated from university. I’m currently serving as a Colonel, and with my salary and allowances, I make around a hundred or so per month. I eat quite a bit too!” Gu Ye followed with his own introduction, but something about the exchange felt odd.

“Also, I should make it clear in advance, I can’t cook, I can’t make clothes, and I don’t know how to knit sweaters.” Despite Lin Baoni’s cute and obedient appearance, she was completely clueless when it came to housework.

“I can’t either. The military unit has a canteen.” Gu Ye responded, noting that he wouldn’t ask someone to do something he couldn’t do himself.

Baoni thought that apart from being a little cold, Comrade Gu Ye wasn’t too bad.

He was good-looking, and though she wasn’t sure of his height, he had been sitting on the bed the whole time, and based on his upper body, he must be at least 1.8 meters tall.

His salary was also decent. In this era, money was really valuable, and the unit assigned salaries based on rank.

Around a hundred yuan, a high salary!

In her memory, Baoni had a tin box, and it seemed to be filled with money, though she didn’t know exactly how much was inside.

She possessed most of the original owner’s memories, but some small details and finer points were a bit blurry.

But that didn’t matter; after all, most people remember recent events more clearly, while distant memories fade over time.

“Then we’ve reached a preliminary consensus. From now on, let’s cooperate happily—no, I mean, let’s live happily from now on!” Baoni accidentally misspoke, feeling a little embarrassed.

Gu Ye was puzzled. With someone so opposite in both appearance and inner nature, would they really be able to cooperate happily?

He didn’t believe for a second that she had simply made a slip of the tongue. “Cooperate happily” clearly meant “cooperate.” didn’t it?

“I’ll write the marriage report this afternoon. We’re handling this as a special case. The political review will be quick, and once the report is approved, we can get the certificate. No one will gossip about you after that.” Gu Ye thought, wondering if his grandfather and brother would cry tears of joy when they heard that he had agreed to marry so easily.

He knew that his brother had always been worried that he might die easily, without any attachments.

His brother worried too much. As they always said, good people don’t live long, but misfortunes last for a thousand years. His dad even called him a troublemaker, so how could he die easily?

“What are your requirements for the wedding? What about the dowry? The three turns and one ring stuff is probably hard to gather at the moment.” Gu Ye recalled that one of his comrades-in-arms had been asked for the three turns and one ring, along with dowry money when he got married.

“I’m not sure either. Just follow the local standards for the dowry. You can ask someone about it later. If possible, I’d like a bicycle, preferably a women’s one, so I can ride it home more easily. Ah, I mean, back to my parents’ house.” The family compound was about a 20-minute walk from the military unit, but having a bike would make it much faster.

“A bicycle is no problem, but do you plan to go back to your parents’ house every day?” Gu Ye couldn’t help but be puzzled. Why was she so homesick?

“I have to go home for dinner. I heard the food at the Military Unit canteen isn’t that great. My grandmother and my mother have inherited their cooking skills, and their food is delicious.” Baoni said. She thought that instead of eating the canteen’s awful food, it would be better to buy something and have her grandmother cook.

Gu Ye was left speechless, unable to say a word.

This girl just didn’t play by the rules. When talking about marriage, she spoke confidently, without any hint of shyness.

She clearly stated what she wanted, what she could do, and explained it all in a clear, logical manner, without any hesitation.

At that moment, Gu Ye felt the reality of his impending marriage.

Because of the tragedy in his mother’s marriage, he had never thought about getting married himself.

He knew his own personality—cold, stiff, and lacking warmth. None of it suited family life.

But now, something he had adhered to for over twenty years was about to be overturned. He felt a bit lost, but strangely, there was no anger.

When Lin Baoni felt that the conversation had come to a close, she decided it was time to leave.

“Let’s settle things this way. Once the marriage review is approved, let me know, and then I’ll inform my family. I don’t want any mistakes. My family can’t go through any more unpleasant things.” Lin Baoni advised. She thought it would be safer to wait until everything was finalized before saying anything.

“There won’t be any surprises. I’ll make it quick.” Gu Ye replied. It was the first time he felt so distrusted, and it was a new experience for him.

“Alright, make it quick. Those gossipers love to talk, and their rumors have already reached the Military Unit Family Residential Compound. When I came this morning, they were still gossiping.” Lin Baoni said, recalling the gossip she overheard earlier. Gu Ye was a source of fear for them!

“Got it. Those people need to go for political education.” Gu Ye grumbled. He disliked those meddlesome women. If his reputation weren’t so well known, they would have probably been blocking him to set him up with someone.

“Is there anything else to discuss?”

“No, that’s it. Oh, wait, when is my second brother going to report in?” After all this time, she almost forgot the most important thing.

“Next month, he’ll report in. There will be a notice in a couple of days. Your second brother and the others will head out together.” she said, knowing exactly what the main point was.

“Comrade Gu Ye, let’s say goodbye here, and we’ll meet again sometime!” Baoni said, and before Gu Ye could respond, she quickly ran out.

“Oh my god, I’m suffocating! If I don’t leave now, I’ll embarrass myself.” Baoni’s muttered words reached Gu Ye’s ears without missing a single one.

Why did it suddenly feel a bit hot? Gu Ye touched his forehead, but he wasn’t running a fever!

Baoni found a restroom, and after taking care of things, she let out a sigh of relief. She had been holding it in for so long, she felt like she was about to explode!

She glanced at her watch; it was almost noon. She decided to find a State-Owned Restaurant, where she had a bowl of seafood noodles. It tasted pretty good, but not as delicious as what her grandmother made.

If Gu Ye knew about it, he would understand why Baoni thought about going home.

She also went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy some peach crisps for Dabao and then headed back to the dock to wait for the boat.

The women who had been gossiping in the morning were also waiting for the boat. Seeing Lin Baoni, who seemed unaffected and still smiling, they no longer had any desire to gossip.

As always, the best way to deal with these busybodies was to ignore them. The more you paid attention to them, the more they’d persist in talking. If you just disregarded them, they’d lose interest.

These people were different from Wang Daya, who had a grudge with Mother Lin. The gossip about Baoni from Wang Daya was all malicious.

Standing on the deck, feeling the sea breeze, Baoni closed her eyes and soaked it all in.

She had come from the busy year of 2023 to the slower-paced 1960s. Baoni didn’t know what she was supposed to do, what she could do. She felt lost.

She had learned so many things, but she didn’t know which ones would actually be useful.

Before, she had a clear goal: winning the championship.

Now, what was her goal?

Marriage, having children, raising them, and then taking care of her grandchildren. Was that how she was supposed to live her life?

Baoni didn’t think this was what she wanted.

In the distance, she heard the cries of seagulls, and the sight of the soaring seafaring birds. The vast, blue ocean before her felt endless…

“Ah… ah…”

Baoni shouted toward the sea, letting her inner anxiety and confusion be swept away by the wind.

Although she had always disliked Old Jiang’s fascist-like approach to controlling everything about her, at that moment, she was grateful. Grateful that Old Jiang had trained her.

Suddenly finding herself in a strange place, facing unfamiliar family members, a strange environment, and unexpected events—it wasn’t something that could be accepted calmly like it often happened in novels.

These days, she was cautious and trembling, afraid to reveal even the slightest clue.

When faced with rumors, she had countless times thought about jumping back into the sea, wondering if she could return, even if it meant facing Old Jiang’s devilish training again!

But according to the concept of crossing over, it seemed there was no possibility of going back.

It was better to live miserably than to die, and she no longer had the courage to jump into the sea. She decided to endure!

Who knew about these inner struggles?

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