Chapter 30.2

During this time, everything was scarce. It was considered a privilege if each person in a household had a set of bedding. Many families in the countryside had two or three sisters sharing one quilt. There were no sheets or mattresses on the empty spots. Father Zhou worked as a procurement officer at a factory, so their family was quite well-off, but they still didn’t have extra bedding.

“That wouldn’t be right, I can make her another one. I still have a few quilt covers left, and the mourning cloth we used after the funeral is enough for one quilt. I’ll find a way to buy some cotton.”

“Don’t make it, she can use the one I already have. We’re family, there’s no need to be so formal. Save that quilt cover. We can use it for gifts when someone in the neighborhood has an occasion.”

During this time, there were some people who gave money for weddings and funerals, but many also gave physical gifts. Mother Zhou’s quilt cover had been given by others at Luo Lan’s wedding. It was equivalent to money and was good for maintaining social relationships.

“Then I’ll thank you on her behalf.”

“No need to be so polite. Junfang is such a lovely girl, I like her a lot.”

With a good relationship between the daughter and the daughter-in-law, Mother Zhou was naturally pleased. With her eldest daughter preparing for marriage, the money she had was only enough to make a new quilt for her; she really couldn’t spare anything for her younger daughter. She noted her daughter-in-law’s kindness, knowing that treating her well in the future was worth more than anything.

Mother Zhou was busy preparing for the eldest daughter’s wedding. The paperwork for the younger daughter hadn’t been completed, but she didn’t think much of it. As time went by, everything that needed to be prepared was ready. The new clothes and quilt for the wedding were set aside, and in three days, they would get their marriage certificate and have a lively gathering at work.

That evening, Mother Zhou took out the new items to look at them again, joyfully touching the new outfit. The deep blue pants and pink top were all made from fabric that Luo Lan had brought. She loved how thick and unwrinkled the material was.

“Lan’er, where did you buy this fabric? It’s really nice. It’s even better than what’s at the department store.”

“One of the older sisters at our unit had someone buy it from Shanghai.”

“Still from a big city, this stuff is just better.”

“Mom, do we need to buy a thermos, a washbasin, and a teacup?”

“A colleague said she would give those. Junhui said we don’t need to prepare those. Oh, I forgot to cut some auspicious characters! The light is dim tonight, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Is there red paper at home?”

“There is.”

“Then find it; I’ll cut it.”

“You can do that too?” Mother Zhou was a bit surprised, her daughter-in-law was truly capable. She felt she had made a great choice in finding this daughter-in-law and was very satisfied.

“I can. My mom was really good at paper cutting. She would cut window flowers for the New Year, they were all beautiful. I learned from her when I was a child. I may not be as skilled as her, but I can cut the auspicious characters.”

With the red paper folded, she used scissors to cut, quickly creating a stack of four double happiness characters. After cutting several of various sizes, Zhou Junfang came over and picked them up to look at them under the lamp.

“Sister-in-law, your hands are so skillful.”

Mother Zhou jokingly scolded, “This girl has not been raised well by me. She’s grown up but doesn’t know anything. Oh, when you leave me, how will you manage?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like you’re going far. My sister is in the brigade, she knows everything. If you need anything, just ask her. She will definitely take care of you.”

Zhou Junfang’s delicate and fair face looked even prettier under the light. She was such a sweet girl, and her gentle nature made Mother Zhou wonder what kind of family she would marry into. It was important to choose carefully. Wealth was secondary, but the family’s character and how they treated her was of utmost importance.

“Mom, among the sisters, Junfang looks the most like you. You must have been quite pretty when you were young.”

“I’m old now. I was praised when I was young, but not as much as Junfang… actually, an ordinary girl is fine as long as she’s decent-looking.”

Junfang was perhaps too beautiful, and her soft personality made Mother Zhou suddenly realize how grown up her little girl was, giving her a slight headache.

“Junfang, let me tell you. You’re not allowed to get close to any boys without my permission. Did you hear me?”

“I heard you.”

The girl quickly replied, her obedient nature giving her mother peace of mind, yet she couldn’t help but smile helplessly. As they were chatting, Zhou Junhui entered from outside.

The door curtain made a loud sound as she swung it open, and she seemed to enter like a bandit. Mother Zhou was about to scold her when Junhui burst into tears.

“Mom, Mom, what should I do?”

Mother Zhou was startled, and Luo Lan couldn’t help but feel annoyed with her sister-in-law. She knew their mother was sick and shouldn’t be startled. Junfang had promised to respond to everything their mother said. The couple usually handled their own matters, only telling their mother when they had conclusions. But here was Junhui, making such a fuss.

“Junhui, stop crying. You’ll scare Mom.”

Luo Lan, as the sister-in-law, spoke with a bit of a stern tone, but Junhui was too upset to care. With tears and snot, she was pulled to sit on a chair by Luo Lan.

“Don’t cry, just tell us what happened.” Mother Zhou patted her chest, her heart racing. Seeing this, Luo Lan quickly fetched some medicine for her mother, just in case something serious happened.

“Mom, we arranged to meet in the small forest, but I waited for an hour and he didn’t come.”

Luo Lan took a deep breath. “If he didn’t show up, maybe he had something come up. Why are you crying about it?”

“I went to find him in his dorm. His roommate said he packed up and left this afternoon.”

This time, Mother Zhou became worried and asked anxiously, “He packed up and left? Where did he go? Didn’t he say anything to you?”

“Not at all.”

Luo Lan handed Zhou Junhui a piece of paper. “Wipe your tears and stop crying. Let’s talk about what exactly happened. The wedding is approaching, and everything is prepared. What is going on with him?”

Zhou Junhui took the paper and wiped her tears, still sniffing. “I just talked to him yesterday about the new clothes I made for the wedding and told him to come home to try them on. He agreed, but today, when we were supposed to meet, he didn’t show up.”

“What did the people in his dorm say?”

“They said he went back to his hometown, they didn’t know anything else.”

“Didn’t you check with the personnel department?”

“No.”

Mother Zhou grew anxious, but she had no ideas. She turned to her daughter-in-law. Luo Lan glanced at the sky outside, it was already eight in the evening. Whatever needed to be done would have to wait until the morning. Just then, Zhou Qingshan, who had been called out by classmates, came back.

“What’s going on?”

Mother Zhou quickly explained the situation to her son, and Zhou Qingshan immediately took charge. “Tomorrow is Saturday, I’ll swing by the unit. If there’s no issue, we can move on. Don’t cry, even if the wedding doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. What’s there to cry about?”

After being scolded by her older brother, Zhou Junhui didn’t dare to speak. However, she still hung her head, looking troubled but too scared to elaborate to her family. She could only hope that tomorrow they could find the man and get married.

With Zhou Qingshan taking charge, Luo Lan didn’t say much more. The next day was just a regular workday. During lunch, she took the time to visit Sister Liu’s elderly mother in the hospital. The old woman was lying in bed, half of her body unresponsive, unable to speak, and it was truly pitiful.

Sister Liu walked her out, and on her way home, she ran into Zhou Junhui and Zhou Qingshan, who were both waiting outside. Zhou Junhui was still crying, quietly sniffling after being scolded by her brother.

“What happened?” she asked her husband.

“He had quit and went back to his hometown.”

“What else?”

“I found out the address of his hometown. But in my opinion, since he acted this way, he’s backing out of the marriage. This matter is over, life will continue as it has.”

Luo Lan nodded, agreeing with him. She also felt that the marriage was best forgotten. She never liked that man; she always felt he was unreliable. After being scolded by both her brother and mother, Zhou Junhui lowered her head and remained silent.

The family unanimously agreed to dismiss the incident of the man running away from the wedding. They decided to let it go, and there was no need for Luo Lan to go to the unit on Saturday afternoon. As someone who couldn’t sit still, she stayed at home, knitting a sweater. She was just finishing the last sleeve, right in time for the chilly weather.

The beige yarn she had exchanged earlier had turned into big flowers in her knitting. In this era when sweaters were rare, Zhou Junfang came in and was immediately delighted.

“Sister-in-law, your sweater looks beautiful.” The girl reached out to touch it gently, placing the knitted vest she had worn before on the bed. “It’s hard to find yarn; did you ask a colleague to bring it for you?”

“Exactly. Do you like it? I can lend it to you once I finish it.”

“No, this sweater suits you so well. It looks better on you.” The truth was, she had already worn her sister-in-law’s knitted vest, so she couldn’t just take the new sweater for herself. Their mother had told her not to covet her sister-in-law’s things anymore.

Luo Lan found her younger sister-in-law to be so understanding and sweet, and she thought about knitting her a piece next year. Without children of her own yet, she often felt a maternal instinct toward her sweet little sister-in-law. Dressing her up would bring her a sense of accomplishment and joy.

System: Are you playing dress-up games with dolls?

Luo Lan: What’s a game?

System: It’s…

Luo Lan: Go on.

System: A way to relax and cheer yourself up, allowing you to release dopamine and endorphins. It might cost some money, but it’s worth it.