CHAPTER 8

The third day of the sixth lunar month — a lucky day for marriage.

Lu Zhi was still half-asleep when Li Lan came in to wake her. “Quick, quick, get up and get ready. Cheng’an will be here to pick you up soon!”

She peeked at the window curtain that had been pulled open. A bright red double happiness symbol was pasted on the glass—it looked so festive, even though it wasn’t even light out yet.

It’s her wedding day. Might as well get up early.

Lu Zhi got up to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Compared to the complicated weddings of the future, today’s ceremony was as simple as could be.

Lu An’an sat next to Lu Zhi, her large, grape-like eyes wide and unblinking.

When she saw sister-in-law approaching, Lu An’an finally said, “Auntie, you look so pretty.”

Her long black hair was thick and shiny, her skin snowy white. Wearing her wedding dress today, she looked even more graceful and elegant.

sister-in-law smiled. “Yes, your aunt is very pretty.”

She handed Lu Zhi a boiled egg and said, “Here, have an egg first.”

She originally wanted to tell her to blot her lips with red paper after eating. But looking at Lu Zhi’s fresh, cherry-red lips, sister-in-law swallowed those words back.

Mm, maybe Lu Zhi didn’t need it—she already looked perfect as she was.

….

Zhou Cheng’an came to pick up his bride in the same small car from yesterday, along with several family members from the Zhou side.

Lu Zhi didn’t recognize many of them—they were relatives from the Hongxing Commune.

After a long, cheerful bustle, it was finally time for Lu Zhi to leave with Zhou Cheng’an.

Lu Da-ge carried Lu Zhi out on his back, and Zhou Cheng’an opened the car door for her to get in.

sister-in-law patted Lu Zhi’s shoulder—no words were needed. He would always be her big brother, always cherishing and protecting her.

Even as they were getting into the car, the sounds of everyone’s well-wishes rang in their ears. There was a large crowd gathered to watch the lively scene.

Lu Zhi gave a brilliant smile to Lu Da-ge, sister-in-law, Li Lan, Lu Xiangde, and the rest.

She and Zhou Cheng’an sat together in the back seat as the car moved steadily along the road.

Scenery flashed quickly past the window.

Zhou Cheng’an reached for Lu Zhi’s hand, and she gently clasped his back. Their fingers intertwined tightly.

Lu Zhi asked, “How much longer until we get there?”

Zhou Cheng’an replied, “About half an hour.”

….

The Tenth Team of the Hongxing Commune was even livelier than the alleys near Lu Zhi’s home. The crowd was bigger, and many people had come just to join in the fun.

Lu Zhi got out of the car, and Zhou Cheng’an carried her inside.

“Here comes the bride!”

“She’s so beautiful—prettier than movie stars!”

“I want to see the bride!”

Children jumped and squealed in excitement.

Little chubby Zhou Jun was bursting with pride, hands on his hips. “My sister-in-law’s pretty, right?”

When she spotted Zhou Jun, Lu Zhi waved at him.

Zhou Jun shouted, “Sister-in-law!!!”

The chubby boy was so excited he nearly jumped into the air.

Lu Zhi lay against Zhou Cheng’an’s broad shoulder, taking in the faint scent of soap from his body.

Her wedding couldn’t compare to the ones she’d attended before, but she still liked it very much.

Inside the courtyard, tables were already set up, and many guests had taken their seats.

Lu Zhi even saw people giving red envelopes, while Grandpa Zhou sat there recording the gifts.

She followed Zhou Cheng’an through the ceremony steps as planned, and then came the toasts.

Fortunately, the drinks were mostly just water with a splash of alcohol—barely any taste at all.

….

The Zhou family had prepared a separate room for Zhou Cheng’an. Red paper cuttings with the character “double happiness” were everywhere, and the bedding was bright red too.

There was no bed, but a heated brick kang platform.

While Lu Zhi was resting in the room, many relatives came by to introduce themselves.

Among them, one chubby woman claimed to be her cousin. A very cute little boy said he was going to call her “Great-Aunt.”

The rest… were kind of confusing.

She couldn’t quite figure out who was who right away.

Chen Jiaojiao came in and ushered everyone out. Then Zhou Cheng’an came in carrying a tray of food.

It was the same dishes they’d had at the banquet—plus a large bowl of rice.

A really big bowl.

Zhou Cheng’an said, “Grandma told them to save this for you ahead of time. Eat a little first.”

Lu Zhi said, “I can’t finish this much. Can you find me another bowl? I’ll just scoop out some.”

Zhou Cheng’an paused. “You eat. I’ll finish the rest.”

Lu Zhi looked up at him, then quietly picked up her chopsticks.

There was stir-fried cabbage, stewed potatoes with green beans, pork cracklings, and red-braised pork with potatoes.

The dishes outside didn’t have much meat—mostly potatoes. Even so, it was considered an excellent banquet.

But this bowl of red-braised pork with potatoes was different—there was a lot of meat in it.

Lu Zhi left half the rice and much of the food untouched, intentionally saving the meat for Zhou Cheng’an.

Zhou Cheng’an sat down and started eating. He ate quickly, but not messily—there was a clean, efficient air about him.

Lu Zhi sneaked glances at him. There wasn’t the slightest trace of disdain in his eyes or his movements.

He held out a piece of red-braised pork to her mouth.

Lu Zhi was startled, but took a small bite. Then realizing she should’ve eaten the whole piece in one go, she clutched her dress nervously and finished the rest—the half-fat, half-lean pork belly.

When she first tasted it, she thought it wasn’t as good as the version her sister-in-law made. But now… it actually tasted kind of nice.

Zhou Jun stood in the doorway, and Lu Zhi called him over. “Come here.”

Zhou Jun came running in, his chubby face glowing as he looked up at her. “Sister-in-law!”

Lu Zhi gave him a handful of peanuts, grabbing some for herself too.

Zhou Jun looked smug, tilting his round head up. “I know this—it’s called ‘zao sheng gui zi.’ It means you should have a baby soon!”

Lu Zhi: “……”

She munched on some peanuts and handed a few more to Zhou Jun.

Sniffle sniffle sniffle!

Sister-in-law was the best! She even shelled peanuts for him—they smelled so good!

Zhou Jun stood there as Lu Zhi kept feeding him peanuts. After a few, he stopped eating.

“Sister-in-law, you eat! I’m a man—I can’t take all your peanuts!”

Then he dashed out the door.

Lu Zhi looked down at the peanuts she’d just shelled and slowly finished them herself.

Since they were married now, having children was naturally the next step.

At this time, most people had a lot of kids.

Lu Zhi opened her mouth. “Zhou Cheng’an.”

Zhou Cheng’an had just finished eating and was about to take the dishes out to wash when he heard Lu Zhi call him.

Lu Zhi said, “Can you close the door first?”

Once the door was shut, only the two of them were left in the room. Even the noise outside seemed to quiet down.

Lu Zhi said, “I don’t want to have kids just yet. And if I do… I only want one.”

She felt a little nervous as she spoke.

When they were matchmaking, she had been so satisfied with Zhou Cheng’an’s conditions that she had completely forgotten about this.

Back then, everyone usually had several kids.

Lu Zhi waited for Zhou Cheng’an’s response.

She wondered: What if he didn’t agree? What if they couldn’t see eye to eye on something like this?

Zhou Cheng’an said, “Okay.”

Lu Zhi blinked in surprise. “You agree?”

Zhou Cheng’an nodded. “I agree.”

After meeting Lu Zhi, Zhou Cheng’an hadn’t even thought about getting married—let alone how many children they might have.

Being able to have just one child in the future was already a pleasant surprise.

….

After the wedding banquet, everyone began tidying up.

Lu Zhi tried to help, but Chen Jiaojiao stopped her. “You just got married, how can you be doing chores? Go count the gift money. It’s all yours. Some people gave items instead of cash, but they’re things you and Cheng’an can use—bring them all with you to the island.”

Lu Zhi glanced at a few new thermoses beside her. “We already sent thermoses to the island. Let’s leave these here.”

Chen Jiaojiao replied, “Alright. Take whatever you need, leave what you don’t.” She patted Lu Zhi’s hand. “Your dad and I have things to take care of. We’ve already attended your wedding—now we’ll be heading back. Keep in touch through phone or mail.”

She handed Lu Zhi a slip of paper with an address and phone number.

Chen Jiaojiao said, “Keep this safe. If you ever get the chance, come visit us in the capital.”

Lu Zhi asked, “You’re leaving already?”

Chen Jiaojiao looked at Zhou Ang, who was holding Zhou Jun, and nodded.

Chen Jiaojiao and Zhou Ang were leaving. The whole family walked them out and watched as they got into the car.

Lu Zhi stood next to Zhou Cheng’an, holding Zhou Jun’s hand.

They watched the car drive far down the road before heading back in.

Grandma Zhou said, “Alright now, let’s all clean up. Zhi Zhi, you go back to your room and count the gift money and pack it up.”

Lu Zhi brought Zhou Jun back to the room. Zhou Cheng’an stayed outside to help clean up.

Looking at the chubby boy sitting across from her, Lu Zhi asked, “Do you know how to count money?”

Zhou Jun replied proudly, “I can count up to a hundred!”

Lu Zhi looked delighted. “Wow, that’s impressive!”

Since he was just in kindergarten, she thought maybe he could help count the one-yuan and ten-cent bills.

There were a lot of guests at the banquet. Even though some gave small gifts, it added up.

Once the outside was tidied up, Zhou Cheng’an came back in and handed each of them an apple—one for Lu Zhi and one for Zhou Jun.

He gave the bigger apple to Lu Zhi and the smaller one to Zhou Jun.

Lu Zhi asked while holding her apple, “Who paid for the banquet?”

Zhou Cheng’an answered, “My parents did.”

Lu Zhi nodded.

If Grandpa and Grandma Zhou had paid, she was planning to give the gift money to them.

But honestly, a lot of the guests had come because of the older generation’s connections.

Zhou Cheng’an said, “Keep it. Grandpa and Grandma said it’s for you. Don’t worry about them—my parents and my second uncle and aunt all send them money every month. If you try to refuse, they’ll just get upset.”

Lu Zhi said, “Then we won’t take the gifts.”

Zhou Cheng’an nodded. “Alright, whatever you say.”

Then Lu Zhi brought up the books she bought. “Before we leave, we need to stop by my place. I bought some books to bring with us.”

Zhou Cheng’an said, “We’re going back in three days for the return visit. We’ll stay the night and head to the island the next day. We’ll pick them up then.”

He had already planned it all out.

Even if Lu Zhi hadn’t mentioned it, they were going to visit her family again before leaving for the island.

Lu Zhi nodded. “Last time we had dumplings at the state-run restaurant… I want to eat them again.”

Zhou Cheng’an remembered, though he wasn’t sure if dumplings would be available. He nodded. “I’ll go out for a bit. Be back soon.”

Lu Zhi nodded, and so did Zhou Jun beside her.

One big and one small, both of them sat there seriously eating their apples.

Lu Zhi said, “It’s really sweet.”

Zhou Jun nodded earnestly. “Delicious!”