Chapter 61

Lin Hongna’s marriage was thus settled. She and Sun Jianliang would not register their marriage immediately but would do so later, once the baby was born, especially if it was a boy.

This was the decision of Mother Sun, and while Lin Hongna was unhappy, she had no choice but to accept it.

Father Sun, a respectable man, knew his wife’s decision was improper. Initially, they hadn’t planned to give a bride price, but recognizing that Lin Hongna was carrying their family’s child, he provided eighty-eight yuan, two bolts of cloth, and fifty pounds of cornmeal as a bride price.

This was an unexpected gain for Li Aifeng, who had initially thought her daughter’s marriage would bring no financial benefit. She was pleasantly surprised that her future father-in-law was generous. Hearing that her daughter would live in a compound and not have to do housework made Li Aifeng smile broadly.

The lack of a wedding feast and not registering the marriage were minor concerns compared to having the money and the cornmeal.

With the commune’s canteen closed and villagers unable to find grain, and city stores offering limited supplies, the fifty pounds of cornmeal from the Sun family was a significant boon.

It was a testament to the resourcefulness of high-ranking officials!

Given that Lin Hongna was already over two months pregnant, delaying the wedding until after the New Year would make her condition more obvious.

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Lin family put up a few red double happiness posters. Despite their daughter not being a son, she was still their child, and Lin Hongna marrying into a prominent family was a source of pride. Li Aifeng prepared a relatively generous dowry for her daughter.

The dowry included two fine cotton quilts, a wooden washbasin stand, an enamel washbasin with a date pattern, an iron teapot, and various other items, all spread out in a heap.

Villagers came to see the event. It was rare to have a wedding in the village during the cold season. The Lin family was so frugal and the wedding candies they bought were the cheapest malt candy. The candies were small, bitter-tasting, and a large bag cost only fifty cents. While the local villagers accepted it, it was considered not good enough for a prominent family like the Sun family.

Fortunately, Mother Sun maintain her dignity and did not bring any relatives to the village.  Otherwise, the meager reception would have been a source of embarrassment.

Li Aifeng was pained by the cost of the candies, fifty cents a bag!

She could have bought a headscarf in the town’s supply store with that money. Oh, how it hurt.

Village women chewed sunflower seeds and bitter candies while gossiping about Lin Hongna’s dowry. Even though no village girl would be this well-off, they envied and derided the Lin family for seemingly selling their daughter for money. They criticized the family for allowing their daughter to become pregnant before marriage and thought the whole family was obsessed with money.

Although the Sun family gave eighty-eight yuan as bride price, the dowry of candies and seeds was viewed unfavorably. The seeds were homegrown pumpkin seeds, with bugs and imperfections. When eaten, they were so bitter that half of them were spat out. Outsiders might think Li Aifeng was frugal, but those in the know whispered that Lin Daguo’s wife was as tight-fisted as they come.

The Lin family had no close relatives left. Li Aifeng’s brothers and sisters, along with their families, came to see their niece off.

They arrived in patched cotton jackets, with rough faces and yellowed teeth, empty-handed. Upon entering the house, they made small talk.

“Ah, our niece, you’re doing so well, marrying into a good family. Don’t forget your uncles.”

“Our Nana is capable. Can you find a stable job for your second brother?”

“Mom, I won’t do anything that doesn’t involve office work.”

“Mom knows, just discussing with Nana.”

The group was loud, only thinking of how to gain from the situation, like leeches.

Li Aifeng, however, took great pride in the visit, greeting her relatives with a beaming face.

Lin Hongna gave Lin Hongwu a signal while he was leaning against the doorframe, smoking. Lin Hongwu grinned, pulled out some cigarettes, and distributed them to various relatives, making Lin Hongna feel much more at ease immediately.

At eleven in the morning, the Lin family set off a dozen firecrackers outside their home. The firecrackers were of poor quality, only making a few sounds, which was disappointing.

At eleven-thirty, Sun Jianliang, dressed in a gray-blue Zhongshan suit and thick black-rimmed glasses, arrived on a bicycle to pick up his bride. Although he was dressed properly, his expression was serious. An elderly man followed him with a slow-moving old ox cart. The groom didn’t display the usual excitement.

Villagers commented on the situation, with some enviously watching Sun Jianliang’s bike and others mocking the fact that a high-ranking official’s family used an old donkey cart to collect the bride’s dowry, clearly not valuing Lin Hongna.

Lin Hongna, who was marrying for the second time and had chosen her own husband, was initially happy and shy as she left. However, upon seeing Sun Jianliang’s arrival, she felt disheartened.

She had dressed up with care—her hair styled, eyebrows drawn, powder applied, and lips painted, in a brand-new red cotton jacket. In the village, where girls typically dressed in dull clothing, Lin Hongna looked vibrant and charming.

Sun Jialiang looked at her outfit and finally managed a faint smile.

In Linjia Village, when a daughter leaves home, her husband is expected to bow to her parents.

Sun Jialiang, unwillingly, gave a reluctant bow to Lin Daguo and Li Aifeng.

Lin Hongwu saw that Sun Jialiang’s bow was insincere. A cold glint flashed in his small eyes. As Sun Jialiang was leaving, he quietly gave him a shove. Sun Jialiang staggered and nearly fell.

Sun Jialiang gritted his teeth and made a mental note to settle the score with Lin Hongwu later.

A gentleman’s revenge is never too late. He would get his revenge eventually.

Lin Daguo and his wife were joyfully sending Lin Hongna off, but they didn’t expect their precious son and son-in-law to clash as soon as they met.

After Lin Hongna left, she called three days later to say that the Sun family was busy with work and she was too tired from the New Year celebrations, so she wouldn’t be coming back.

Lin Daguo didn’t care and spent his days idling around outside.

Lin Hongwu also followed suit. With his temporary job gone and Li Aifeng’s money at his disposal, he was living a carefree life.

During the New Year, the father and son were rarely home. Li Aifeng would occasionally scold them but mostly focused on her new flashy headscarves and cheap perfume.

The supply and marketing cooperative now sold lipstick from big cities, but it was outrageously expensive. With only a few walnuts and dates in hand, Li Aifeng couldn’t afford it and had to buy some low-quality perfume from the black market instead.

Li Aifeng spent her days applying makeup, dressing in bright, gaudy clothes, and walking with a swaying gait, resembling a courtesan.

The village women had plenty to say behind her back.

On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Lin Daguo finally decided to return home. As he staggered home humming a tune, he heard a group of village women gossiping.

“Have you noticed Lin Daguo’s wife lately? She dresses up like a demon every day and smiles at every man she sees. At her age, she really should be embarrassed.”

“I’ve heard about it too. Li Aifeng is almost fifty and still trying to attract men.”

“No wonder the old saying goes, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’”

“Do you think Lin Daguo is wearing a green hat?”

“Who knows…”

Lin Daguo was enraged. Although he could flirt with widows outside, it didn’t mean Li Aifeng could make a cuckold out of him in the village!

This is the root flaw in men’s nature: they allow themselves to burn down the house but won’t tolerate others lighting a candle.

Lin Daguo kicked open the door and gave Li Aifeng a violent kick, sending her stumbling back several steps. Li Aifeng, stunned, didn’t just stand there and wait for more. She immediately charged at Lin Daguo, scratching and biting him.

The couple fought back and forth. Lin Hongwu came back and tried to mediate but was accidentally injured by Lin Daguo and ended up with a swollen mouth.

Thus, the family of three all ended up with bruises for the New Year.

*

Gujiaao Village, the Gu family’s old house.

The Gu family had been living in the countryside for several days now, and the household was busy with preparations. As the New Year approached, Lin Yao and Zhang Cuilan were busy steaming buns and frying cakes. They had also bought two egg-laying hens from a local villager.

Egg-laying hens are considered treasures these days. If not for Grandpa Gu being a former revolutionary and Gu Shi’an being a retired soldier, the price they got was very reasonable. The village old woman was reluctant to sell them.

The old woman had a whole flock of old hens, each laying larger eggs than the last.

Lin Yao envied her greatly and sought advice from the old woman. Seeing Lin Yao’s beauty and charm, the old woman advised her to feed the hens more grains, worms, and earthworms.

The old woman’s eldest grandson goes to the woods where fallen leaves are piled up and digs for insects and earthworms in the canals every day.

Lin Yao thanked the old lady and went home to send Gu Shidong and the little orange cat to dig earthworms in the canal.

The little orange cat had become a hero of the Gu family.

One day, while Lin Yao was busy in the kitchen, a mouse’s head appeared sneaking out from a corner. Lin Yao panicked and fled to the yard with a scream.

At that moment, Zhang Cuilan and her husband were taking Gu Shidong to the city to see their daughter. Gu Shi’an was at home, and Lin Yao jumped into his arms, refusing to get down.

Gu Shi’an held her with one arm and intended to catch the mouse in the kitchen. As soon as he moved, Lin Yao cried out.

Fortunately, the little orange cat came back from the hillside, boldly grabbed the mouse, and carried it outside. It seemed to understand its owner’s fear, tossing the dead mouse outside and strutting back with its little legs.

Gu Shi’an buried the dead mouse in a hole.

To thank the little orange cat, Lin Yao prepared a bowl of dried fish for it.

Behind the Gu family’s house was a small river that froze in winter. Gu Shidong, craving fish, called his brother to join him. They drilled holes in the ice and made a fishing rod from a bent large needle. They fished there daily, catching two or three fish a day. Small fish and shrimp were either released or kept for the little orange cat.

The little orange cat meowed happily at the dried fish and showed Lin Yao a complete turnaround, jumping onto the kang every day, sometimes even competing with Gu Shi’an for her attention.

Since moving to the countryside, Gu Shi’an’s commute has become much longer. He used to leave at seven in the morning but now had to leave before dawn.

As the New Year approached, the public security bureau had a holiday.

Gu Shi’an took the opportunity to transport loads of goose-soft stones from the back mountain. He used a hoe to lay a gravel path in the yard, and the rest was spread out to make the yard appear much cleaner and more even.

At least in rainy or snowy weather, they wouldn’t have to wade through mud.

Lin Yao still couldn’t get used to the pit toilet at the Gu family’s old house. Zhang Cuilan agreed. After being accustomed to city life, returning to the countryside’s crude toilets was uncomfortable. The two shaky wooden planks made her fear falling through.

Gu Shi’an, being considerate, hired several sturdy laborers from the village to fix the toilet with neat stones, patched the gaps with yellow clay, added a roof, and installed a water tank. Now, pulling a string, water would come out.

That night, Lin Yao decided to give it a try, and it turned out to be just like the toilets in the city’s apartment buildings.

She was so pleased that she went back to wash her hands and gave Deputy Director Gu a reward kiss.

Lin Yao wanted to escape after the kiss, but that was a laughable idea.

Gu Shi’an smiled and cupped her head with his hand, leaning down slightly. Lin Yao instinctively placed her hands on his chest. As their breaths mingled, the little orange cat outside the wooden door meowed and scratched at it.

The little guy wanted to come in and sleep.

Lin Yao exclaimed, “Quick, let the little orange cat in, don’t let it freeze outside.”

Gu Shi’an: “……”