Chapter 2: Marry!

“Your grandfather arranged this childhood engagement for you—will you marry or not?”

Two hours ago, Father Ye had suddenly received a returned telegram. It turned out that there had been an error in the number when they sent it yesterday, so it had been sent back.

Since fate had intervened, Father Ye was unwilling to give up and decided to ask his daughter one last time.

If she still refused, then so be it. He wouldn’t bring it up again.

Of course, he also wanted to take this opportunity to see the deputy factory director whom Ye Zhi had been talking about so much lately.

He was curious—what kind of charm did this city-bred old man possess to make his daughter so devoted to him?

Seeing Ye Zhi remain silent, Mother Ye anxiously asked, “Girl? Did you hear what your father just said? He’s asking if you’ll marry your childhood fiancé!”

Ye Zhi was momentarily stunned by her father’s question. She glanced around and said, “Dad, Mom, can we talk about this when we get home?”

Marry? Of course, she would!

But this was hardly the right place for such a discussion.

Employees of the textile factory were continuously flooding into the venue, and the noise was so loud it nearly drowned out her voice.

Everything was happening so suddenly, and discussing marriage in public like this made Ye Zhi feel embarrassed.

Luckily, Li Xueling had been called away by their department members just now.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to respond.

Mother Ye was visibly displeased with her answer, but Father Ye sighed and said, “See? I told you she wouldn’t agree! And yet, you insisted on rushing over to ask her.”

Mother Ye argued, “I was hoping she’d change her mind! Besides, this is fate!”

“Even the heavens couldn’t stand to see her reject it, which is why the telegram was sent back to her. Shouldn’t we seize this opportunity?”

What kind of decent young woman refuses to marry a military officer and instead chooses to be a stepmother to three children? Wasn’t she just ruining herself?

If not for her daughter standing right there, Mother Ye would have outright called her foolish.

But she knew Ye Zhi’s personality well.

She had been spoiled and raised to be willful, so they couldn’t afford to scold her harshly in public.

Otherwise, if she threw a tantrum, things would only get uglier.

Just as Ye Zhi was about to speak, someone from backstage came looking for her. “Comrade Ye Zhi, hurry and get ready.”

Ye Zhi had no choice but to turn back to her parents and say, “Dad, Mom, I have a performance coming up. Let’s talk about this later at home.”

Mother Ye wanted to press the matter further, but Father Ye quickly waved his hand and said, “Go, go! Don’t delay your performance. Don’t listen to your mother worrying for nothing.”

A smile blossomed on Ye Zhi’s fair face. “Alright. Then you two find a good seat and watch my performance before heading back.”

“Of course! We’ll definitely stay to watch our daughter’s performance,” Father Ye responded with a grin.

As he watched Ye Zhi walk away, he chuckled. “Why does it feel like our daughter looks even prettier than before?”

Mother Ye scoffed, “Our daughter has always been this pretty! Where have your eyes been?”

With such beauty, it truly would be a waste for her to end up as a stepmother.

A military officer would be a much better match.

Meanwhile, the girls who had been humiliated earlier by Ye Zhi and Li Xueling were now seething as they watched Father and Mother Ye looking at Ye Zhi with admiration.

“Ugh, it’s just a singing performance, and yet she had to bring her whole family along. Anyone would think she was winning first prize.”

“Exactly! Acting all high and mighty. Just because she has a pretty face doesn’t mean she won’t embarrass herself later!”

“I’ve heard her sing before—completely tone-deaf. I don’t believe she can pull off anything impressive this time.”

They exchanged schadenfreude-filled glances, eager to watch Ye Zhi make a fool of herself on stage.

Before long, the anniversary celebration began.

Ye Zhi walked gracefully onto the stage, standing at the center as she faced the audience. Below the stage, a dense sea of people stretched out before her.

She had changed into a dress, walking slowly to the microphone before bowing deeply to the audience and introducing herself.

Unlike others, she wore no heavy makeup tonight. Her simple, elegant dress added an air of refined grace to her appearance.

Her fair, porcelain-like face carried a faint flush, and her lightly tinted lips made her even more stunning.

The male workers in the audience couldn’t take their eyes off her, murmuring excitedly among themselves.

Ye Zhi parted her lips slightly, and a graceful yet powerful voice rang out through the microphone, reaching every corner of the venue.

“The flowers in the basket are fragrant, listen to our song…”

Her voice was like a lark soaring from the valley—melodious and sweet yet full of strength and passion.

The moment she started singing, the entire audience was stunned into silence.

Her rendition of Nanniwan stirred emotions deep within them.

Ye Zhi didn’t just sing about the vast and beautiful landscape; she conveyed a longing and hope for a better future, touching everyone’s hearts.

As the final note fell, Ye Zhi bowed gracefully to the audience, then turned elegantly and exited the stage.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, thunderous applause erupted. Even as Ye Zhi disappeared behind the curtain, the clapping continued endlessly.

“That was amazing!”

“So beautiful!”

Ye Zhi exhaled deeply backstage, feeling a sense of relief.

She was more accustomed to singing pop songs, so this style of performance had been a rare challenge for her.

Thankfully, it didn’t go wrong.

In the past, she wasn’t afraid of facing numerous phones or even live broadcast cameras, but just now, she felt a sense of tension as if she were facing a great adversary.

Looking out at the sea of black heads below, although they were all the same audience, for some reason, it made her feel nervous.

Perhaps it was the pressure of this unfamiliar era.

In this time, even a single wrong word could cause someone to fall from the heavens to the earth.

One had to be cautious and prudent.

In her past life, everything had gone smoothly. From elementary school to university, she had been the good student, the good child in the eyes of both teachers and parents.

Her academic performance, appearance, and character were all praiseworthy.

Even after graduation, she became a successful self-media influencer, gathering a huge following of fans.

She loved sharing her life, enjoying countryside scenery, and traveling.

However, an accident unexpectedly sent her to this era.

Now, it was true that this place was full of rural landscapes.

But the “rural life” here was not the peaceful life she had shared as a self-media influencer. It wasn’t something that could fill her spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The rural life in the 1970s involved hard labor in the fields.

Although Ye Zhi worked in a textile factory, most of the people in Xitang Town were farmers.

Her parents were also farmers.

The original owner had been pampered and raised with care. Her parents had put a lot of effort into getting her into the textile factory.

Their goal was to keep her from having to work in the fields and to allow her to eat commercial grain.

However, although Ye Zhi had entered the textile factory, she was only a temporary worker, not a permanent employee.

Her monthly salary wasn’t even enough for daily expenses. They said she ate commercial grain, but her meals hadn’t improved at all.

Because she was a temporary worker, she was given a lot of tasks.

She sometimes felt she had more work than the farmers who went out to the fields to accumulate work points.

Ye Zhi thought to herself, it was truly timely that the telegram rejecting the childhood engagement had been sent back.

The college entrance exams were still a few years away, and she was already 23 years old. She had been called an “old maid” for several years.

Moreover, according to the plot of the novel, even if she didn’t want to become a nanny for the original male lead, soon rumors about their relationship would spread around the factory, as the original owner had already done some things that would spark gossip.

Rather than staying here and being talked behind her back, it might be better to marry her childhood fiancé.

At least she wouldn’t have to worry about food and clothing.

According to the novel’s description, her childhood fiancé wasn’t bad-looking.

She remembered that the last person the original owner saw before she died was this childhood fiancé.

The novel described him like this: “He was over 1.8 meters tall, and his neatly fitted military uniform perfectly displayed his outstanding figure. His handsome face was enough to make all the girls scream…”

So, Ye Zhi’s best option now was to marry him!

Thankfully, Lady Luck was still on her side!

“Congratulations, Comrade Ye Zhi.”

“Ye Zhi, you actually won first place, that’s amazing!”

“Ye Zhi, your singing was so beautiful, the first prize is well deserved!”

Ye Zhi smiled brightly, accepting the praises from everyone. She squeezed the thick wad of prize money in her hands and felt an unusual excitement.

Today had truly been lucky.

Even Li Xueling’s dance performance from her department had won second place.

See, luckily she hadn’t forced herself to perform with her injured foot!

Li Xueling laughed and said, “Our department is really doing well, we actually swept the first and second prizes!”

Ye Zhi replied, “It’s all thanks to you, Xueling.”

Li Xueling said, “Ye Zhi, you’ve made our department proud. Your singing made my heart bloom!”

Watching Ye Zhi and Li Xueling laughing together, the girls who had been waiting for Ye Zhi to embarrass herself on stage earlier were now seething with jealousy. Watching Ye Zhi take the thick stack of envelopes and a certificate from the factory director, their eyes were almost bloodshot with envy.

It was truly infuriating and bitter!

Just as Ye Zhi was about to leave, the factory director suddenly walked up to her and said, “Comrade Ye Zhi, your performance tonight was excellent. Congratulations on winning the first prize.”

Ye Zhi smiled and said, “Thank you, Director.”

The director looked at Ye Zhi’s fair face, so beautiful she seemed like a fairy. No wonder she had caused a stir when she first stepped onto the stage, with countless male workers cheering for her.

He chuckled and said, “By the way, I heard you don’t have a partner yet. How about I introduce you to a promising young man? Would you be interested?”

The director gestured toward a tall figure, and Ye Zhi saw the original male lead, Gao Wenbo.

With just one glance, Ye Zhi quickly turned her gaze away.

Gao Wenbo’s appearance was indeed very popular in this era.

He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with a deep, handsome face. Dressed in a neat and formal outfit with glasses, his intellectual aura was immediately noticeable.

No wonder the original owner had been so obsessed with him.

But Ye Zhi was no longer the original owner.

She didn’t care.

Seeing that Ye Zhi didn’t respond, the director said, “I won’t beat around the bush. Comrade Ye Zhi, actually, I heard from my niece that you’re interested in the deputy factory director of the infrastructure group. Would you like me to set you up with him?”

“If you truly have such an interest, I can arrange for you to meet him properly, sit down, and talk.”

The director wasn’t particularly eager to play matchmaker. After all, as a factory director, he wasn’t keen on lowering his dignity for this.

But since his niece had personally come to persuade him, and Ye Zhi seemed to be a very capable and excellent person—beautiful, talented in both singing and dancing—he was willing to help.

Moreover, when Ye Zhi was singing earlier, Gao Wenbo had clearly shown some admiration in his gaze.

If this marriage could happen, it would also be good to build ties with people from the infrastructure group.

Ye Zhi pressed her lips together and said, “Thank you, Director, but I’m afraid I can’t accept your kind offer.”

“Because, I already have a partner.”