Chapter 318: Matters Between Lovers

Bai Jianing’s heartfelt words were reciprocated with understanding. She felt that the least she could do to repay the elderly couple who had raised their son so well was to show them the utmost respect and care.

Hearing her future daughter-in-law’s words at the door, Geng Lianhua’s eyes welled up with tears. “You’re such a good girl. With words like that, I feel content. We’re not demanding people. While you all are busy working, we won’t cause any trouble. When the time comes that we need care and you’re busy, and there’s no one at home, I’ll come over to help with the children and cooking. But just because of what you said today, we’ve accepted you as our daughter-in-law in the Zhang family. I wouldn’t agree to anyone else.”

With his mother’s decisive words, Zhang Weiguo couldn’t contain his joy. With his mother’s approval of his choice of wife, Bai Jianing was equally elated. Having such a understanding mother-in-law was a blessing; she felt no further need for anything else. The important thing now was to care for the elderly. Having such a reasonable mother-in-law was a stroke of good fortune.

Moved, Bai Jianing called out, “Auntie—”

Geng Lianhua nodded with a smile. “My dear, don’t worry about your mother. We’ll find a way to get her approval. As for your wedding, I have no objections. If you want to celebrate it here, in the military, or in the capital, it’s all fine by me. I have no preferences; it’s all up to you.”

Geng Lianhua’s words deeply touched Bai Jianing, who found her future mother-in-law to be incredibly kind and understanding. She couldn’t believe how fortunate she was to have such a wonderful elderly figure in her life, far more understanding than her own mother.

After dinner, Yang Nuo and the others came to check in. Wang Zhenhe, eyeing the cheeky lad who was vying for his daughter’s attention, bluntly instructed, “Yang Nuo, today you and Cong Tao will go out for deliveries. We’ll be setting off soon, so you two need to familiarize yourselves with the business.”

Yang Nuo obediently agreed to his future father-in-law’s instructions and left with his buddy. Along the way, Cong Tao lamented, “Bro, this is a warning sign for you. Your future father-in-law is blatantly retaliating.”

Yang Nuo gave him a pat on the back. “Bro, when someone’s daughter is nearly ‘kidnapped’ by me, do you think he’d be pleased? But now that everything’s out in the open, I can relax. It’s better this way. It’s clear, and that’s a good thing.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Weiguo accompanied Bai Jianing to the town, where Zhang Lan kept an eye on things at the store. The elderly lady had errands to run as well.

As Zhang Lan was leisurely looking for some music to listen to on the radio, she was taken aback when she heard a familiar name announced.

“Ladies and gentlemen, now presenting xxx performing the song ‘Bloody Elegance,’ lyrics and music by Wang Mingcheng.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but shiver. The beautiful melody playing on the radio sounded familiar; it was a song her daughter had secretly taught her son to sing last New Year’s Eve. Everyone else was asleep, but she stayed up that night to listen to her children singing together.

After realizing what was happening, Zhang Lan felt a mix of surprise and joy. She couldn’t help but marvel at her child’s depth of emotions at such a young age, feeling a twinge of heartache for all the things her child must carry within.

Geng Lianhua, having finished her shopping, arrived at the store and admired the song playing on the radio, saying, “Who’s singing this? It’s so lovely.”

Seeing her mother, Zhang Lan smiled and said, “Mom, guess who wrote this song. You probably won’t believe it. It’s written by our own Mingcheng. Listen to how beautiful it is.”

“What? Written by Mingcheng? I must listen carefully then,” Geng Lianhua exclaimed with surprise.

Upon hearing that the song was written by her grandson, Geng Lianhua quickly sat by the radio, listening attentively until the song finished. She couldn’t help but remark, “Mingcheng is truly talented. Such a beautiful song written by him. Next time, I’ll ask Mingcheng to sing for me. However, my grandson still sings better than they do.”

Zhang Lan just smiled at her mother’s protective words and asked, “Mom, have you finished shopping?”

Geng Lianhua proudly presented the three-foot red fabric and a red scarf she had bought. “Look, all done. I’ve wrapped the bracelet and money in the red fabric, along with the scarf. This gift for the first meeting is now complete.”

Following local customs, it is customary for gifts for the first visit of a prospective daughter-in-law to be wrapped in red fabric for good luck.

Zhang Lan neatly folded the red fabric and scarf. “Mom, how much money do you plan to give?”

Geng Lianhua, with a smile, gestured with her hand, “Four hundred?”

Zhang Lan was surprised by her mother’s generosity this time. Geng Lianhua sighed, “Lan, you’ve been supporting us these past few years, and I didn’t have much savings before. Last time, Weiguo came back and gave me almost two hundred yuan that he had saved up. With that and what I’ve saved, I’ve decided to give four hundred. Weiguo is the sole focus of my life. If he gets married, your father and I won’t have much to worry about. We’ll give everything to him. As for the house, I don’t know if he’ll want it. But even if he doesn’t, when we pass away, the house will go to Weiguo. That’s the only thing we can offer him.”

Zhang Lan embraced Geng Lianhua’s shoulder with a smile. “Mom, both you and Dad will live long, healthy lives. You are kind-hearted, and I believe that God will take care of you both and grant you many more years. We’ll see your grandson get married, and then we’ll await the arrival of great-grandchildren.”

The old lady sighed, “Living longer would be nice, but I won’t push for it. Let’s leave it all to fate. God knows best.”

Zhang Weiguo and the others returned after strolling around the streets.

“Sis, how about Weiguo and I handle the sales here? You two can head back first. I’ll also work as a salesperson.”

Selling goods was a novel experience for Bai Jianing. Zhang Lan and Geng Lianhua didn’t object. After handing the price tags to Weiguo, the two of them left.

Alone in the shop, Comrade Weiguo’s courage grew. He took Bai Jianing’s hand and swiftly pulled her into his arms. It wasn’t easy to show affection in the military or on the busy streets. At home, there were always people around. Only here could they enjoy a moment of privacy.

“Jianing…”

Bai Jianing shyly nestled against the chest of the man she admired. The unique scent of a man enveloped her, stirring her emotions.

This was Weiguo’s first time embracing a woman, especially one he deeply cared for. His heart fluttered with a mix of nervousness and excitement.

Even Bai Jianing could hear the thumping of his heartbeat against her chest.

“Jianing, let’s get engaged after we talk to your mom when we get back,” Weiguo proposed.

Bai Jianing, feeling shy, nodded in his embrace. Weiguo gently cupped her blushing cheeks, now tinged with a rosy hue, and gave her a tender kiss. Both of them shared this first kiss, with Weiguo being a novice. Their intimate moment was interrupted only when a customer approached to make a purchase, breaking the serene yet slightly awkward atmosphere between them.

After seeing off the customer, Weiguo held Bai Jianing’s hand, gazing deeply into each other’s eyes. “Jianing, I want to kiss you again. What do you say?”

Bai Jianing chuckled, “Silly, with so many people around, aren’t you worried about others seeing and laughing at us? Just wait and see…”

With that, she turned and stepped away from Weiguo’s side. She understood that getting too close to this guy could lead to trouble. Even though she enjoyed this kind of closeness, she knew it was wise to be cautious. Having a background in medicine, engaging in risky behavior was not appropriate at the moment. She decided to wait until after they were married.

Weiguo watched the little one escape and shook his head helplessly. “Alright, no more touching. Come over and have some fruit. Look, these are all southern fruits. Since leaving the frontlines, it’s been a while since we’ve had these. My brother-in-law is quite resourceful. He managed to transport such good fruits to the north. It’s really impressive.”

He peeled a lychee and fed it to Bai Jianing. “How is it? Sweet enough?”

Feeling the exceptionally sweet taste in her mouth, Bai Jianing widened her eyes in astonishment. “It’s sweet, too sweet! Weiguo, you should try it. It’s even better than what we have in the south. Where did my brother-in-law get these varieties from? No wonder they are so expensive. They are truly delicious.”

Weiguo initially thought his young girlfriend was exaggerating, but after tasting it himself, he realized that the flavor was indeed as she described. The sweetness was like tasting nectar, soothing to the core and incredibly comforting.

“This is amazing! No wonder it’s expensive. Jianing, have some more. When we get back, I’ll ask my brother-in-law to bring us more. Your mom will probably love these.”

Little did they know, these fruits were from Wang Qian’s space, freshly picked in the morning. Weiguo’s ability to discern quality just from the taste was quite impressive.

“Uncle, Aunt Bai, Grandma asked you to come home for dinner.”

Wang Qian ran in, seeking relief from the scorching sun outside. It was much cooler inside the house.

“Qianqian, have some lychee. They’re delicious. Try one.”

Bai Jianing fed the peeled lychee to Wang Qian, knowing the sweetness of the lychees from her own space. Seeing the two enjoying the fruit, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Aunt, Uncle, when we get to the capital, let’s bring some to Aunt Bai’s mother. If she knows it’s from you, she might agree to your marriage.”