Nie Bozhao had only ten days to visit his family, and after wasting six of those days on train travel, the situation had escalated from hiring a nanny to a full-on marriage proposal.

The urgency was akin to preparing for a battle.

In order to get her son to take the three grandchildren with him and leave her with twenty yuan a month, Nie’s mother(Huang Hulian) had decided to act as the matchmaker.

“My son’s only got three kids, but he grew up in the city, speaks standard Mandarin, and even graduated from university. Look at his build, his looks—there’s no one like him in Qisi Township. He’s a real catch. What do you think, isn’t that good enough for you?” Nie’s mother had avoided introducing her son to potential wives for the past six months, only looking for a nanny, partly because his condition was too good.

Chen’s mother Hu Lan’er, though secretly agreeing, didn’t dare to speak up as Chen’s father remained silent.

She only smiled.

“But three kids is a lot. Being a stepmother isn’t easy. And there’s the political vetting, too. With Lina’s background, you can’t just send her off to some border area, only for her to be rejected later,” Chen’s father remarked.

Nie’s mother quickly assured him, “Don’t worry about that. To be honest, my son may not be the top boss at the oilfield, but he’s someone who can talk directly with the central government. He’s a scientist. You understand? He’s a real scientist! After his wife passed away, I had so many of his former college classmates crying and begging to marry him, but I refused.”

Chen’s father then raised the most important question: “How much is the bride price?”

Nie’s mother, always frugal, replied, “Your daughter already borrowed twenty yuan from me; I’ll count that as part of the bride price. I’ll add another 188 yuan. What do you think?”

Chen’s mother was not pleased, “Aunt Huang, around here, when people get engaged, the bride price is usually 388 yuan. How can you only offer 188? That’s too little, especially if he’s an engineer at the oilfield.”

Chen’s father was also unhappy, standing up at once. “I’ll go borrow the money for the twenty yuan you owe, but this marriage? It’s not happening.”

He had never been fond of the idea of his daughter marrying a widower with three children.

Now, he felt justified in refusing.

At that moment, Chen Lina was feeling anxious, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, she saw a figure peeking at the gate.

Her eyes brightened. “Auntie, what are you doing here again?”

It was her aunt, He Chun’er, who had come for the same reason—to discuss Lina’s marriage.

“Lina, there’s a man in Nanhe Township, a so-called ‘bad element,’ just like you, who is offering an 88-yuan bride price. He wants to marry you. Are you interested?” He Chun’er asked, getting straight to the point.

The room went silent as everyone, including Chen’s father, Hu Lan’er, and Nie’s mother, stared at her in curiosity.

“They’re both bad elements, just like you. If you’re not interested, maybe you should find someone else for this ‘bad element,’” Nie’s mother chimed in, amused.

Chen Lina responded, “Auntie, I’m talking to Huang Dasao right now. You can go ahead and introduce that other person to someone else.”

“Isn’t he the engineer from the oilfield? How is it that someone like him would want to marry you? Do you really think you could marry an engineer at the oilfield with your background?” He Chun’er was puzzled.

Chen Lina smiled meaningfully and didn’t respond.

Suddenly, Chen’s father slammed his leg and said, “188 yuan it is! I agree. Let’s do it. She’ll marry him.”

They quickly agreed that the dowry would be provided by the groom’s side, and everything was set.

Now, the next step was to buy the dowry.

It had been arranged that Nie’s family would pay, and Chen Lina would bring the dowry to their home.

In the meantime, Lina went to the commune to get an official certificate, planning to use it for their official marriage registration once she returned home.

Once they had the certificate, she and Nie Bozhao would be legally married.

On the day of their marriage, Lina wore a military-green jacket and braided her hair into two pigtails.

It was the popular style in Qisi Township at the time, and although many girls wore it, none looked as good as Lina.

As she waited by the roadside, several young men who had finished work whistled at her from a distance.

Chen Lina was beautiful, smart, and a good student, always the center of attention since she was young.

When the young men whistled to show their admiration, she didn’t feel shy or uncomfortable at all.

In fact, she had always been indifferent to their attention and never paid them any mind.

But when Nie Bozhao came into view, she immediately adopted a silly, innocent expression.

Still, she was a little unhappy.

The youth in the village were all whistling at her, but he, upon seeing her looking so pretty, acted as if she was invisible.

His gaze held no reaction whatsoever.

Sitting on the back of the bicycle, she was uncomfortable and kept shifting her position.

“Comrade Chen, do you have any demands for the betrothal gifts?” Nie Bozhao asked as he pedaled in front of her.

The wind was whipping by in the early morning air.

He was tall and big, and had that familiar scent of oil on him.

Chen Lina felt a deep liking for him.

She thought to herself, “I just want to marry you. I’d marry you even without any betrothal gifts, or even if I had to pay to marry you. But I can’t say that out loud—I still need to maintain some dignity.”

After all, he was still a young man, not even thirty, and in her eyes, he was still quite youthful.

In her past life, he had numerous suitors, and even the daughters of many high-ranking officials lowered themselves to pursue him.

It was said that some female classmates had even followed him to the desert, but he still hadn’t remarried after fifteen years.

Was it because he couldn’t let go of his late wife, who had passed away just half a year ago?

Or was there another reason?

Chen Lina couldn’t figure it out.

And yet, looking at him now—so serious and stern—he resembled an old cadre.

She had intended to casually place her soft little hand around his waist, but when she saw him glaring at her with those intense eyes, she hesitated and simply grabbed the back of his coat instead.

Fine, she thought, keeping her distance, but she had to remember every little detail. Once they were married, she’d hold him accountable for everything.

“Let’s do it the way Comrade Nie wants. Whatever the others give for betrothal gifts, I’ll go along with that,” Chen Lina replied.

“I asked around last night,” Nie Bozhao said, “The common betrothal gifts here are three major items: a sewing machine, a radio, and a flashlight. Since we’ll be heading out right after we marry, and it’ll be hard to bring those large items, should we just skip those?”

“Fine,” Chen Lina answered too quickly, surprising him.

“Alright, then,” Nie Bozhao said. “We’ll do the ‘old three items’ instead: three rolls of cloth, three basins, and then three items of toiletries. How does that sound?”

The “three items of toiletries” referred to a soap dish, a mirror, and a toothbrush cup, all essential for long trips.

However, the “three major items” would cost at least 200 yuan, whereas the “old three items” would cost at most 2 yuan.

Chen Lina thought for a moment before asking, “Comrade Nie, how much money did you bring with you today?”

“How much do you want? I can bring you that much. That’s not a problem,” Nie Bozhao answered, sounding as easygoing as always, just like in their past life.

“What about the ration coupons?” Chen Lina asked.

Money alone wouldn’t suffice—everything in the state-run stores could only be bought with ration coupons.

Nie Bozhao reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of ration coupons, displaying them for her: “Three shoe coupons, ten meters of cloth coupons, and here, this is a hygiene coupon for toiletries.”

Not saying anything else, she tilted her mouth and said, “Since this is the betrothal gift, then this money is mine, right? I’ll take care of it. You have no objections, right?”

Nie Bozhao hesitated for a moment, then took out two brand-new “Big Unity” banknotes from his wool coat pocket and handed them to her.

The more he looked at this fair, refined young woman, the more he felt a sense of regret.

Why did she have to be so foolish?

Chen Lina took the money without hesitation, turned around, and walked straight into the state-run store.

The face of the shop assistant, initially colder than the frosty ground outside, softened as soon as she saw the young couple walk in.

It was clear they were preparing for a wedding, shopping for their dowry.

A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and even in state-run stores, the female shop assistants couldn’t help but offer a warm smile.

“This fabric, Comrade, how do you like it? It’s a new arrival—cool to the touch, durable, and beautiful. And look at the color, isn’t it vibrant?” The shop assistant began to enthusiastically promote the fabric.

Red was the choice for weddings, symbolizing celebration and elegance.

It was common for brides in the countryside to wear a red dress for their big day.

However, Chen Lina wasn’t interested in the fabric.

After browsing through the store, she stopped at the corner, pointing at a row of large cotton shoes and asked, “Do you have any shoes for children?”

“Of course, how big do you need them?” the shop assistant responded.

Lina then turned to Nie Bozhao, asking, “What shoe sizes do your kids wear?”

Nie Bozhao shrugged his shoulders, a bit uncertain, “I’m not sure.”

Lina, unfazed, decisively answered, “We’ll go with the sizes for seven, five, and three-year-olds.” She handed over three shoe ration tickets.

Nie Bozhao hesitated, “Comrade Chen, my third child is only two years old, so I’ll need shoes for a two-year-old. The second child is four, and the oldest is six.” He was worried she might not understand and make a mistake.

Lina countered, “Don’t they grow? Just get them bigger sizes!” Her expression was sharp, her gaze unwavering.

The shop assistant, catching on, smiled knowingly, “Men don’t get it. They think kids grow up by drinking the cold wind from the northwest.”

The other shop assistants chuckled in agreement.

Nie Bozhao, looking serious but slightly embarrassed, seemed like a stern old cadre.

If it weren’t for the maturity, humor, and charm he would later show, Chen Lina would hardly have believed this was the man she would live with for over ten years.

Chen Lina asked, still holding the three pairs of shoes, “If they’re too big, can we exchange them?”

The shop assistant quickly replied, “You can, but they can’t be worn outside, only tested on the bed. If they get dirty, no exchanges.”

After purchasing the warm, fuzzy shoes, Chen Lina also picked up some fabric.

Not the cool one, but thick fleece fabric.

Truthfully, it was getting cold, and the northern region where they were headed was harsh—wearing thin cloth there would be laughable.

Leaving the state-run store with a large load of items, Nie Bozhao hesitated, then said, “That twenty yuan, it’s yours. Buy whatever you want, don’t worry about the money.”

Despite it being for her dowry, Lina hadn’t bought much.

No face creams, soaps, or shampoos.

She had only bought shoes for the kids.

Not only was she practical, but she also didn’t seem to have the usual girlish desire for beauty.

Nie Bozhao’s mother-in-law was difficult to deal with, but Chen Lina’s own mother-in-law was even worse—a notorious, ill-tempered woman who had a reputation as a real tyrant in the entire Uima area.

What’s more, the life at the oilfield base was hard, something Cheng Lina, who had only gone to college and lived in the countryside, couldn’t imagine.

Nie Bozhao felt guilty about bringing a naive young woman to raise his children in such a place, so he wanted to treat her well.

“Oh, money? Didn’t I say I’ll handle it?” Chen Lina said, hopping onto the back of the bicycle. “Let’s go.”

“Of course, of course, it’s your money. You can do whatever you want with it,” Nie Bozhao replied.

Though, he still had a wad of large union notes in his pocket, now without much use.

Riding the bicycle, Nie Bozhao turned a corner in the village, heading home.

“Comrade Nie, hey, stop! Aren’t we supposed to go to the civil affairs bureau to get our marriage certificate? Why are you turning back?” Chen Lina suddenly realized something was off.

“My household registration is at the oilfield. The certificate can only be issued there. We’ll have the ceremony first, then get the certificate when we’re at the oilfield. Is that okay?” he explained.

Chen Lina was visibly disappointed. “So, we really can’t get the certificate until we’re at the base?”

She had been pretending to be clueless for so long that she was almost about to burst.

Did this mean she had to keep pretending until they reached the oilfield?

Just then, a young man carrying a hoe and whistling approached, standing by the road.

Chen Lina immediately noticed the change in Nie Bozhao’s demeanor—his breath grew heavier, and the stern look on his face shifted to curiosity.

“Comrade Chen, who is Nie Guozhu?” he asked, his tone more pointed.

Chen Lina felt a twinge of discomfort.

How would she explain?