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Han Shiguo made pork and cabbage-filled buns today. He had sent them to the family last time. Although Jiang Qian didn’t eat any, she had heard her mother praise them afterward.
She said the buns he made were especially fragrant.
This time, Jiang Qian finally got to taste them, and indeed, they were deliciously aromatic.
“Who did you learn from? You can make buns, and they taste this good?” Jiang Qian looked at him in amazement.
Han Shiguo, clearly pleased with the compliment, grinned, “I can make more than just buns, I can also make dumplings. Want me to make you some tomorrow?”
If he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging now.
“Well, I’ll have to give them a try,” Jiang Qian replied with a smile.
Han Shiguo looked at his wife with affection. She truly was the one he had chosen at first glance, and everything about her was just right!
After eating the buns, the couple didn’t linger at home. Han Shiguo went to borrow a bicycle from his older uncle, the village party secretary, and then rode with Jiang Qian into the city.
As soon as the couple left, Li Xia couldn’t help but mutter, “Look at those wealthy folks. They’re having buns for breakfast and heading into the city to shop. Meanwhile, here we are, stuck in the village all day!”
Han Shimin snapped back irritably, “Will you just shut up? You start scolding the kid as soon as the day begins. It’s embarrassing.”
“Well, now I can’t even say a word in my own house?” Li Xia retorted angrily.
Han Shimin didn’t want to argue with her, so he simply said, “We should find a time to go into the city and open a bank account to deposit the money and earn some interest!”
Upon hearing this, Li Xia finally stopped complaining. He had a point—keeping all that money at home wasn’t safe. They needed to open a bank account and save it properly.
If the family had the awareness to save money in the bank to earn interest, it was all thanks to Han Shijia, their sister who had married into the city.
Before the family had separated, the money Han Shiguo sent back had been deposited under her suggestion. Although Li Xia had never seen the interest, she had heard her mother-in-law mention it, and it was quite a substantial amount!
…
The first thing Han Shiguo and Jiang Qian did upon arriving in the city was to go to the bank to deposit their money.
Not only was it their own money, but also Han Shiguo’s mother’s. The money she had saved before the family split were taken out, and Han Shiguo’s mother wanted to deposit it again.
Since they were already going into the city, they called on Jiang Qian and Han Shiguo to help with the deposit.
A little secret: Han Shiguo’s mother secretly slipped Jiang Qian, the younger daughter-in-law, an extra hundred yuan. She said the family should divide things fairly, but she knew that most of the money the family received came from the younger son’s hard work, so she privately gave her a little extra.
Jiang Qian told Han Shiguo about it, and he urged her to accept it. So, she did.
After securing Han Shiguo’s mother’s pension, Jiang Qian then started depositing money for their little family.
However, Han Shiguo didn’t have a passbook from his hometown; his passbook was from the military, which couldn’t be used nationwide yet.
So, Jiang Qian used her own identity information to open a new account. She withdrew a round 400 yuan from her savings, added the 100 yuan her mother-in-law had given her, and the 500+ yuan she received from the family division. But she only deposited 400, because she had already looked through the money and knew she needed to leave some for buying clothes, shoes, and socks for him. As a bachelor, Han Shiguo wasn’t picky—he lacked everything but could get by with what he had.
After leaving the post office, Jiang Qian, sitting on the back of his bicycle, said, “The betrothal money you gave me—my mother didn’t keep a cent, she gave it all to me. She also secretly gave me an extra 200 yuan. My fourth brother also gave me 100 yuan, and my eldest sister-in-law and the others…”
Han Shiguo smiled and said, “Your parents really love you!” It was rare to see a family care for their daughter like that.
“Of course! So if you bully me, I’m not afraid of you—I’ve got my family backing me up,” Jiang Qian said proudly.
Han Shiguo laughed. “I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.”
Jiang Qian also smiled and whispered, “If you don’t bully me, I’ll live a good life with you and stay by your side forever.”
“Alright!” Han Shiguo’s heart softened at her words.
How could he bully her? He could hardly bear to hurt her; he only wanted to cherish her.
Jiang Qian began calculating the family’s total savings. They had just deposited 900 yuan, plus the 2,000 yuan Han Shiguo had saved up from his time in the army.
So, their current fixed deposit amounted to 2,900 yuan.
In later years, 2,900 yuan would be less than the monthly salary of an average person, but back in 1968, at this time, this sum of money was practically astronomical!
And this didn’t even account for the nearly 200 yuan in loose change she had on hand.
“How much do you have left on you?” Jiang Qian needed to get a rough idea.
“Not much, after all the expenses, there’s just over seventy left.” Han Shiguo stopped the bike, obediently took the money out of his pocket, and handed it over to his wife to manage.
Jiang Qian smiled playfully and said, “You don’t need to give it to me, keep it for yourself.”
She was just asking for an estimate, not insisting that he be left with no money. It wasn’t necessary. She didn’t intend to control him like that.
Han Shiguo smiled and put the money back in his pocket. After all, they still needed to buy tickets when they went back.
The couple then went to the photo studio to take a picture. In the black-and-white photo, the young couple looked stunning—he was handsome and strong, and she was youthful and charming. They made quite a beautiful pair.
Jiang Qian was very satisfied, and Han Shiguo was equally pleased when he saw the photo.
The two of them then went together to apply for their marriage certificate.
At that time, marriage certificates were handwritten, but they did have an official seal to confirm the legality of the certificate.
Once the marriage certificate was done, the next step was to register their household, which was quick and easy. In no time, they had the household migration certificate, and all that was left was to go to the military and update the records there.
After leaving the office, Jiang Qian still felt a bit dazed.
She had really married Han Shiguo and had her household registered under his name!
Han Shiguo was clearly in a great mood. From now on, he wouldn’t be alone anymore; he was a man with a family to care for!
“Wife, it’s getting late. How about we go eat?” he asked.
“Okay.” Jiang Qian looked at his handsome face, and her mood instantly lifted.
Marrying him wasn’t a loss for her. There was no need to be pretentious about being someone else’s woman now. Though she was married, she was still herself—just living in a different place with a new way of life.
This was the journey every young woman had to go through in life.
Unless she decided not to marry at all, but for now, she still wanted to get married. So, she married Han Shiguo—what was there to feel down about?
The two of them went to a state-run restaurant for a meal.
Han Shiguo was about to order, but Jiang Qian wasn’t very hungry. She had just had meat-filled buns in the morning, so she only wanted a bowl of egg noodles.
Han Shiguo quietly said, “You don’t have to hold back.” He thought she was trying to save money now that she was married.
“I’m not holding back, I just don’t have much of an appetite and want something lighter,” Jiang Qian smiled at him.
She still had plenty of supplies in her space—she wasn’t lacking in meat and didn’t crave it as much anymore.
Han Shiguo nodded after hearing that and ordered an egg noodle for himself as well. However, Jiang Qian shared some of hers with him, as she couldn’t eat that much.
Han Shiguo initially wanted to stop her, but then remembered her small appetite and let her do as she pleased.
“Look at how thoughtful that girl is, taking care of her boyfriend,” a man at the next table remarked.
The girl across from him wasn’t having any of his attempt at manipulation. “Then go date her, what are you doing with me? She has a small appetite and can’t finish her food, but I’ve got a big appetite and can’t get enough to eat, and I didn’t see you sharing any with me!”
She was so irritated that she called the waiter, “I’ll pay for this bowl of noodles myself!” She paid, grabbed the bill, and stormed off.
The man was flustered, hurriedly paid and followed after her.
Han Shiguo and Jiang Qian exchanged looks, both a little speechless.