Chapter 8

Lin Xiang carefully weighed the decision about the arranged marriage.

Aunt He’s son, He Hongyuan, was one of the most stable and reliable soldiers of the era, with limitless prospects. He had been promoted to regiment leader at a young age and was stationed on an island. The island was far from Xifeng City, which allowed her to avoid the schemes of her biological father and stepmother, as well as the constant surveillance of the lecherous Sun Yaozu.

Not to mention, the island faced the vast sea, with blue skies and a rich variety of seafood—fish, shrimp, crabs, clams—everything you could want.

Looking down at the photo of the man, with his sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, handsome and tough, even more so than the male celebrities of the future, Lin Xiang felt moved.

This man was perfect for her tastes!

Before meeting Lin Xiang, Aunt He had intended to ask if the Lin family would agree to the marriage. If they were willing, then the marriage would proceed; if not, the engagement could be cancelled amicably. But when she met Lin Xiang, such a beautiful and clever girl was rare, and Aunt He took an immediate liking to her. In her heart, she had a little selfish hope—if Lin Xiang could really marry her son and become her daughter-in-law, it would be the best outcome.

Thinking this, when Lin Xiang agreed, Aunt He’s old face instantly lit up with a smile: “You really agree to this marriage?”

Despite her private hopes, she still had to mention a few things: “It’s just that Hongyuan is stationed so far away, on some island. It’s difficult to ask you to follow him and live there. It wouldn’t be right for me to ask you to do that.”

A good city girl should not be expected to endure such hardship.

Lin Xiang knew that Aunt He, like many others, had a prejudice against the island, mainly due to a lack of understanding. In the 1970s, seafood development was not extensive, and people didn’t pay much attention to sea views. But Lin Xiang knew, coming from the future, that she had always loved the sea, so she reassured Aunt He: “Aunt, I heard that the island is quite nice. There’s plenty of seafood like fish, shrimp, and crabs, it’s not worse than here.”

Hearing Lin Xiang’s words, which showed no fear of hardship or toil, Aunt He was touched. She grabbed Lin Xiang’s hand and said, “You have a high level of awareness! You’re such a good girl! If you agree to this, then our Hongyuan is the lucky one! I’ll go visit your family to discuss the dowry and other matters…”

“Aunt, please don’t go to my house,” Lin Xiang quickly stopped Aunt He. If her father and stepmother knew about this, the marriage would definitely not go ahead. They only wanted to marry her off to Sun Yaozu, hoping to benefit from his father’s position as the factory director.

Lin Xiang then told Aunt He how her father and stepmother were pressuring her to give up her job for Lin Jianxin and threatening her to marry the factory director’s son. Aunt He, upon hearing this, furrowed her brows in anger.

She had initially thought that Lin Xiang was the precious daughter of the Lin family and would follow her son to the island, unwilling to let her suffer. But it turned out that after Lin Xiang’s mother died and her father remarried, Lin Xiang became a pitiful girl.

Not only was she being forced to give up her job, but they were also plotting to marry her to the violent son of the factory director. How could anyone do such a thing?

“Girl, don’t worry, this is a new society, no one can treat you like that!” Aunt He said, her anger still simmering.

Lin Xiang looked at Aunt He and thought about her father, Lin Guangming, and stepmother Qiu Aiying. It was clear that this woman, whom she had just met, had a far kinder heart than her father and stepmother. They discussed their next steps, knowing that Aunt He had only brought two days’ worth of introduction letters from the countryside and would have to return tomorrow.

This afternoon, in the bustling courtyard, Lin Xiang finally made up her mind.

She would handle the matter of her job, finish the remaining tasks, and then Aunt He would return to He Hongyuan to discuss their marriage.

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After the lunch break, Lin Xiang went to the workshop to find Sister Li.

Just the day before, they had caught Sun Yaozu, the factory director’s son, and Sister Li was still passionately condemning his audacity.

It was said that in this factory, women had the power to stand up for themselves, even against the factory director’s son. The factory provided stable jobs, and there was an atmosphere of freedom and democracy. Even the more senior employees dared to point out when the factory director was in the wrong. This was very different from the situation in the future, where employees under capitalist exploitation would often suffer in silence, burdened by car loans and mortgages.

Lin Xiang listened to the conversation and learned that Sun Yaozu had been punished by his father, the factory director, who imposed a six-month salary fine, suspended him from his position, and gave him a reprimand.

While the punishment seemed severe, Lin Xiang felt it wasn’t enough. It would be better if Sun Yaozu could be completely dealt with.

After all, according to the plot, Sun Yaozu was a troublemaker. He abused his wife after marriage, continued to cheat, and used his status as the factory director’s son to threaten and exploit women—he was truly a scoundrel.

Lin Xiang remembered that after her previous self died from domestic abuse, the Sun family continued to thrive until the late 1990s, when the national unemployment wave hit and state-owned enterprises, once considered secure, began to lose money and collapse. The steel mill, once a pillar industry in Xifeng City, gradually declined, and so did the Sun family.

As for Sun Yaozu, he had never done anything good. He had been involved in many unscrupulous acts at the factory…

In early August, Xifeng City entered the hottest season of the year. The steel mill’s workshop was suffocating under the heat, and Lin Xiang, thinking about Sun Yaozu, was finishing her shift when her colleague arrived to take over. She quickly changed out of her work clothes and bought a bottle of Beibingyang soda at the factory gate. The orange-yellow soda, cool and refreshing, was a perfect summer treat.

Drinking the soda, Lin Xiang walked under the banyan trees by the street. The sunlight, like shattered gold, filtered through the leaves, dancing across her face, casting dappled shadows on her shoulders and arms.

Workers were riding bicycles home, their dark blue work uniforms moving along the asphalt road. On the walls, red slogans marked the era. Lin Xiang glanced quickly at the signs.

“Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture, Learn from Daqing in Industry”

“Grasp the revolution, promote production”

“Down with American Imperialism”

“Down with Soviet Revisionism”

“Unity is Strength”

…

As Lin Xiang walked along, nearing the entrance of the family compound, she caught sight of an unpleasant figure.

Sun Yaozu, who had been escorted to the security department the day before for peeping into the women’s bathhouse, had been released.

He was now standing by the wall at the entrance to the compound, lazily looking around. When his eyes locked onto Lin Xiang, his face, bruised and swollen, lit up, and he trotted over to her.

“Xiang Xiang, let’s go watch a movie,” Sun Yaozu said, holding two movie tickets in his hand, acting as if nothing had happened, trying to invite Lin Xiang to the cinema.

Lin Xiang wasn’t interested in giving him a pleasant response. “Sun Yaozu, you were caught peeping into the women’s bathhouse just yesterday, and now you’ve been released? It seems having a factory director for a father really has its perks.”

Sun Yaozu didn’t catch the hidden meaning behind Lin Xiang’s words, thinking she was impressed by his family’s status. He boasted arrogantly, “Xiang Xiang, don’t worry. If you’re with me, no one in the factory will dare bully you. You’ll be living the good life, eating well and drinking well.”

Lin Xiang scoffed but didn’t want to linger in the busy street. “I don’t have that kind of luck. I’m not going to marry you, so stop trying.”

“Well, who knows?” Sun Yaozu looked at Lin Xiang, recalling how she had once been meek and easy to manipulate, but now she was stunningly beautiful and carried an air of defiance in her eyes, which stirred his passion.

He leered at her with a cold, predatory gaze, as if sizing up his prey. He took a step closer, threatening, “Let me make it clear: I’ve already prepared the dowry for you. Where can you run? You can’t escape me.”

In the original story, Lin Xiang was tricked into agreeing to the marriage by her father and stepmother, but now Lin Xiang was not so easily deceived. It seemed the plot had changed, and Sun Yaozu had already made an underhanded deal with Lin Guangming and Qiu Aiying.

Lin Xiang straightened her back and eyed him warily. “This is a new society. Do you really think my father and stepmother can just marry me off?”

“Heh.” Sun Yaozu no longer pretended to be polite and sneered. “You work at the steel mill, and the steel mill is run by my father. Even if you leave the mill, you’ll still be a part of Xifeng city. If you don’t listen, where can you run? No matter where you go, I can bring you back. Xiang Xiang, I really like you. I don’t want any other women. I only want you. Be a good girl and prepare to marry me in a few days. Don’t make me… otherwise, I can always force you.”

Sun Yaozu believed that as long as Lin Xiang was a worker at the steel mill, he had her under control. Even if she were to give up her job for Lin Guangming’s youngest son, she would be reliant on her family’s manipulations.

He was determined to make her his, no matter what.

But Lin Xiang wasn’t like those other women. She was a well-educated, attractive young woman with a high school diploma. Sun Yaozu feared scaring her away, so he gave up on the movie outing, saying, “Just go back and rest. Listen to me, and get ready. I’ll come to propose in a few days.”

At that moment, Lin Xiang truly felt the despair of the original character. She was surrounded by enemies on all sides, powerless against the steel mill director’s family’s power, and morally controlled by her father and stepmother.

However, Sun Yaozu didn’t know she had traveled from another world, and that she knew the future events. As she watched his retreating figure, Lin Xiang remembered one of his earlier comments. A small detail came to mind that could completely resolve this trouble.

---

Back home, Lin Xiang was immediately targeted by Qiu Aiying.

In these days, Lin Xiang had become the apple of Qiu Aiying’s eye, and the number of tasks she had to do had decreased. Now, seeing Lin Xiang return, Qiu Aiying hurried to greet her warmly.

“Xiang Xiang’s back, hurry up and rest. It’s so hot today. Chuchu, have you given your sister the cooled water?”

Lin Chuchu unwillingly handed over a ceramic mug, but Lin Xiang didn’t mind, as she wasn’t the one being put down.

The hallway was filled with the smoke of cooking, and the clinking sound of woks and spatulas was constant. It was in this moment that Qiu Aiying spoke up.

“Xiang Xiang, I’ve got good news. Sun Yaozu’s family has agreed to the marriage, and he wants to marry you. You’re so lucky.”

Lin Guangming chimed in, “It’s hard work going out to the fields, but if you marry into the factory director’s family, it’ll be much better.”

He knew that if it weren’t for Lin Xiang’s looks, she would never have caught the eye of the factory director’s son.

“But didn’t he peep at the women’s bathhouse? Who would want to marry such a man?” Lin Xiang feigned shyness.

Lin Guangming, choked with anger, thought his daughter was being foolish. “That’s not a big deal! Once you marry him, just make sure he behaves.”

Sun Yaozu had approached Lin Guangming and his wife today, promising that as long as Lin Xiang married him, Lin Guangming could be promoted in next year’s worker grading evaluation.

Lin Guangming had been stuck at the third-level worker position for years. A promotion to the fourth level would mean a significant increase in both salary and benefits, as well as higher standing within the factory.

On top of that, Sun Yaozu also promised to help Lin’s younger brother, Jianxin, secure opportunities for advancement at the factory in the future.

As the head of the household, Lin Guangming grew more satisfied the more he thought about it. He made the decision on the spot: “That’s it. Marriage is decided by the parents. Just follow our arrangements. Your mother and I have already settled it. In three days, you’ll go register with Sun Yaozu, and the Sun family will host a banquet at the state-run restaurant to celebrate.”

Lin Xiang knew all too well about Lin Guangming’s fiery temper. If she dared to object, she might very well be locked up at home and forcibly married off. She needed to handle this delicately.

Once Aunt He finalized the marriage arrangements and her own introduction letter was ready, Lin Xiang would seize the opportunity to leave.

Before Lin Xiang could strongly object to the marriage, someone else voiced their opposition loudly from inside the house. Lin Chuchu, upon learning that Lin Xiang’s marriage to Sun Yaozu was a done deal, protested anxiously, “Dad, Mom, why should Lin Xiang be the one to marry? Did you forget that I’m older than her by a few months? I haven’t even gotten married yet!”

Lin Chuchu had always been jealous that Lin Xiang had caught the eye of the factory director’s son.

As a temporary worker at the steel factory, Lin Chuchu earned only 18 yuan a month, far less than the benefits of a permanent position. Every time she passed by the two-story family building for the factory director’s household, she couldn’t help but envy the spacious, impressive home.

She had had enough of this cramped, crowded house where even turning over in bed was a struggle.

But it was Lin Xiang who had been chosen.

“What are you making a fuss about?” Qiu Aiying scolded her daughter, feeling exasperated. She knew Sun Yaozu wasn’t a good man and couldn’t understand why her daughter was so eager. She shoved Lin Chuchu back into the room and whispered, “I’ll help you find someone else. We’ll find a good man.”

“Mom, I don’t want to marry some first-level worker with barely any pay! If I end up living in a place like this and supporting a whole family, I’ll be miserable. I want to marry Sun Yaozu. Don’t let Lin Xiang have him—let me marry him!”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Qiu Aiying frowned deeply and whispered sharply into her daughter’s ear, “Sun Yaozu isn’t a good person. He’s lecherous and violent—even hits women! What kind of life could you have if you married him?”

“That’s just gossip! People are jealous of his background, so they spread rumors to smear him.” Lin Chuchu refused to believe it. She had met Sun Yaozu before. Aside from being a bit plump, he often had a cheerful smile and a sense of humor that set him apart from those dull, clueless types.

Qiu Aiying nearly collapsed from frustration, jabbing her daughter on the forehead as she issued her final warning: “You’d better stop this nonsense. This is Lin Xiang’s marriage. Stay out of it. Once the issue with the countryside assignment is settled, I’ll have time to find you a suitable match.”

Qiu Aiying had her hands full with her two children. Her son was jobless and on the verge of being sent to the countryside, and she had worked tirelessly to persuade Lin Guangming to let Lin Xiang give up her job to resolve her son’s issue. Now, she also had to worry about finding a husband for her daughter. It was exhausting.

Since Lin Xiang appeared relatively cooperative—while she hadn’t agreed outright to the marriage with Sun Yaozu, she hadn’t vehemently opposed it either—Lin Guangming didn’t restrict her freedom.

Early the next morning, Lin Xiang took advantage of the time before work to visit the post office.

Sun Yaozu’s casual remark from the previous day had reminded her that while his father ran the steel factory, the deputy director had long been vying for power. Sun Yaozu’s misdeeds at the factory, like peeping at the women’s bathhouse, couldn’t be openly exposed, but there were other scandals that could be.

At the post office, Lin Xiang bought stationery and hurriedly wrote a concise letter detailing Sun Yaozu’s misconduct during his time in the factory’s finance department. Drawing on the plot from the book, she highlighted key pieces of evidence and anonymously sent the report to Deputy Director Qin Yiwei.

As an ordinary person with no influence, Lin Xiang knew the factory-level power struggle had to play out between the involved parties. This was her way of both protecting herself and ridding the workers of a menace.

Deputy Director Qin, who had long been overshadowed, would finally have the ammunition to deal a serious blow to the factory director. Lin Xiang recalled how the book described him and felt confident he wouldn’t waste this golden opportunity.

After sending the letter, Lin Xiang went to work as usual. By lunchtime, she headed to the factory canteen, where Liu Qiuping had taken care to give her a bit more meat in her aluminum lunchbox than the others.

“Thank you, Aunt Liu,” Lin Xiang said with a sweet smile.

Liu Qiuping was momentarily dazed by the smile of her late friend’s daughter. What a beautiful girl—but in these times, being too attractive wasn’t necessarily a blessing.

After Lin Xiang finished eating, the canteen was much quieter, with most people having returned to rest before the afternoon shift. Liu Qiuping, carrying her own lunchbox, came over to Lin Xiang.

As a canteen worker, she had to wait until everyone else was served before eating. Still, the workers often sneaked bites in the back kitchen to stave off hunger.

Looking at Lin Xiang, Liu Qiuping asked about her plans: “Xiangxiang, what are you going to do about your job and marriage?”

Liu Qiuping had always been a kind-hearted person. Although people often said to stay out of other people’s family matters, she couldn’t bear to see her late friend Feng Huiling’s only daughter end up in a bad situation.

“Aunt Liu, I actually came here today to ask for your help with something,” Lin Xiang said, deliberately waiting until after work when it was more convenient to talk.

“Go ahead. If it’s something I can help with, I absolutely will,” Liu Qiuping replied, her expression turning serious. This was the first time Lin Xiang had asked her for assistance, so she immediately paid attention.

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Meanwhile, in the office of the Yonghe Production Brigade, Wuxing Commune, a county under the jurisdiction of Xifeng City:

Aunt He was using the brigade’s crank telephone to make a call to the 119th Division stationed on Langhua Island, far away.

Aunt He had lived her life frugally and wouldn’t make a phone call unless it was absolutely necessary. But when it came to her son’s marriage, it was more important than anything else!

After being transferred multiple times, Aunt He finally got through to the operator at her son’s brigade headquarters.

“Hello, comrade! I’m the mother of He Hongyuan, the commander of your Second Brigade, Fifth Regiment. Yes, that’s right—I have something urgent to discuss with him! It’s very important!”