Chapter 16

What was going on? Wasn’t Jiang Ling and Xiao Song just starting to date? How did they end up getting married already?

With his wife Ding Yan beside him, Wei Ming was as quiet as a quail, speaking only when absolutely necessary, doing his best to minimize his presence.

Even though he was dying to ask what was going on with the sudden marriage.

Several of the older women in the Accounting Section asked in succession, “You and Xiao Song got married? That can’t be. We see each other every day, and you never mentioned it.”

The news had spread far too quickly, which Jiang Ling hadn’t anticipated.

She let out two awkward chuckles, racking her brain before finally coming up with a barely passable excuse. “I didn’t have time to buy wedding candies to share with everyone, so I didn’t feel right telling you all.”

At this time, people had different views on what counted as getting married. Some believed that without registering the marriage, it wasn’t official, while others thought that without holding a wedding banquet, it didn’t count as a real marriage.

Even though life was hard for every household nowadays, marriage was considered a once-in-a-lifetime event. No matter how bitter or difficult life was, a wedding banquet still had to be held. Even if it was done in a modest and simple way, it was the banquet itself that made the marriage real.

Everyone figured that Jiang Ling had only registered the marriage and hadn’t had time to hold the banquet yet, so it was understandable she hadn’t informed her coworkers.

Li Chunjiao said, “When you and Xiao Song hold the banquet, you must let everyone know. We’ll definitely all come.”

At the time, giving a wedding gift among colleagues usually meant just five mao. With five mao, the whole family could come along to join the festivities, and it was still well worth it.

The main thing was that it was a joyful occasion, and everyone liked to share in that happiness.

Even Ding Yan chimed in, “That’s right, you really have to tell us. Since I happened to hear about it today, I’m definitely going to attend.” At the same time, she felt a trace of sorrow in her heart. Other couples younger than her and Wei Ming by five or six years were already having children, yet her own belly still showed no signs of movement.

Everyone wanted to attend the wedding, but Jiang Ling had no emotional bond with Song Guanshu. How could they possibly hold a wedding banquet? It would only be a burden for both of them.

Jiang Ling knew she couldn’t count on Song Guanshu to help her out of the awkward situation, so she raised her hand and softly said, “Then I might have to report some bad news to everyone. I’ve been staying in the dormitory lately because my parents and younger siblings were trying to marry me off to a divorced man who was abusive.”

Jiang Ling didn’t actually know whether Zhao Hongyun really planned to marry her off to a divorced man, but that didn’t stop her from painting them in a bad light.

After all, things had already turned hostile. Showing mercy to the enemy was cruelty to herself.

Jiang Ling pointed her finger in the direction where Song Guanshu was sitting. “So I secretly registered the marriage with him. When my parents found out, they kicked me out of the house. That’s why the wedding banquet everyone was looking forward to might not happen after all.”

Weddings were always arranged and handled by the parents.

When she was young, Ding Yan had married an older man for the sake of her elder brother’s future. Though the man was a cadre, refined in manner and fairly respectful toward her, she had gone from being a poor girl to a leader’s wife overnight, gaining wealth and status that many could only dream of.

But only she knew the hardships behind it all. An old man with a lingering smell of age, stepchildren who were hard to deal with, and never having children of her own. She had to endure the gossip of outsiders, saying she was vain and only after money and status…

None of it was what she truly wanted. If given the choice, Ding Yan would have much preferred to marry someone of her own age and social standing, endure a few years of poverty together, work hard with their own hands to build a better life, and raise two well-behaved and lovely children—boy or girl, it didn’t matter.

Back then, when she was young, she had been coaxed by her parents and brother into a foggy daze and ended up agreeing to marry the old man.

So when she heard Jiang Ling talk about her parents and siblings trying to marry her off, Ding Yan deeply related to it. She had thought about it countless times—if only she had been able to refuse her parents’ demands back then, and had bravely married the man she truly loved, would her life have turned out entirely different?

But when the others heard that Jiang Ling had gone to register her marriage without her parents’ consent, they felt that her behavior was somewhat inappropriate.

People of their generation were extremely filial, practically having the saying “There are no parents in the world who are ever wrong” engraved into their bones.

Even if parents made mistakes, they were still the ones who gave birth to you and raised you.

Moreover, the older women in the section were no longer young. Sometimes when they looked at Jiang Ling, they felt like she was one of their own children. Imagining their own child secretly registering a marriage behind their backs—it felt like the sky was collapsing.

The others put themselves in the parents’ shoes and thought that Jiang Ling’s actions were problematic.

Ding Yan, however, put herself in Jiang Ling’s position. She admired her courage and thought she had done the right thing. “Don’t worry, girl. If your parents won’t help you organize the wedding, this big sister will take care of everything for you. It’ll be even livelier and more festive than anyone else’s.”

Jiang Ling was completely stunned—she didn’t want a wedding at all.

If anything, she would rather get a divorce.

“Big sister, you’re a good person. And precisely because you’re a good person, I shouldn’t trouble you.” She was so anxious that the words shot out of her mouth like a machine gun.

But Ding Yan didn’t seem to catch her attempt at a gentle refusal. She was already wholeheartedly planning the wedding. “You and… Xiao Song, right? You’re both employees at the Daily Chemical Factory. I’ll talk to my brother and have him officiate the ceremony for you two. We can hold it in the factory canteen.”

Jiang Ling grabbed her hand. “Sister, that would be too extravagant. It’s not appropriate.”

Ding Yan thought she was just reluctant to spend money. “Don’t worry, we won’t let you spend a thing. The employees treat the factory like home, and the factory sees its workers as family. Parents helping a struggling child organize a wedding—that’s only right. There’s no need to feel embarrassed.”

This was a huge misunderstanding. Embarrassed was the last thing Jiang Ling felt.

Getting married in front of a crowd, and with someone she barely knew—this was far too reckless.

Although Song Guanshu wasn’t exactly a stranger, he was even worse than one.

At least she didn’t have to stay constantly on guard around strangers. But being with Song Guanshu, if she wasn’t alert at all times, he might calculate how to sell her off for money and she wouldn’t even know when it happened.

Jiang Ling cast a pleading look at Song Guanshu: Comrade, you don’t really want to be married to me either, right? Quick, use that clever little brain of yours to come up with a proper excuse to turn this down.

Song Guanshu didn’t like being the center of attention, and holding a wedding in the factory canteen would bring him absolutely no benefit.

He had attended weddings of colleagues and neighbors before—at those banquets, the bride and groom were like monkeys putting on a show.

He had never thought he would get married, and certainly had never imagined having a wedding.

But Jiang Ling didn’t want a wedding either.

So Song Guanshu said, “Then we’ll trouble Sister Ding.”

“Oh my, this young man has such a sweet mouth.” In truth, he hadn’t said anything particularly flattering, but when words came from the mouth of a handsome man, they simply felt different.

Jiang Ling couldn’t help but glare at him in exasperation. What was wrong with this person?

Song Guanshu, perceptive as ever, said, “I know you’re worried about troubling Sister Ding, but she genuinely wants to help. If we keep refusing, it would only make her feel unappreciated.”

Over the past few days in the Accounting Section, Jiang Ling had deliberately let everyone believe she was someone hopelessly in love with Song Guanshu.

Now that image of a love-struck girl had become her obstacle. A girl completely consumed by love would never turn down a wedding with the man she adored.

This wasn’t the era of smashing the Four Olds^[1]The “Four Olds” (四旧) refers to old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), a nationwide campaign was launched in China to eliminate … Continue reading anymore. When it came to weddings and funerals, people now paid attention to picking an auspicious date.

Even the calendar listed which days were auspicious or inauspicious. Ding Yan glanced at it twice and decisively declared, “This Sunday, it’s a good day for weddings, and it’s a day off too.”

Wei Ming had been holding back for a long time but finally couldn’t help speaking up. “Sister Yan, this is ultimately a matter between the young couple. It might not be appropriate for us outsiders to interfere too much.”

He was squatting there the whole time, not saying a word. Everyone had practically forgotten he was even in the room.

Though Wei Ming was the man, Ding Yan was the one who made decisions at home.

After he finished speaking, Ding Yan didn’t even look at him. She continued speaking to the others. “I’ll go upstairs and talk to my brother. I’ll be back shortly.”

She glanced at the watch on her wrist. It was almost time to get off work. “Xiao Song and Xiao Jiang, don’t leave just yet. Wait for me to come back.”

Once Ding Yan said that, not only could Song Guanshu and Jiang Ling not leave, but even the others who had been waiting to watch the drama unfold weren’t in a hurry to go home and cook dinner for their husbands and children. After all, a few more minutes wouldn’t make much of a difference.

It shouldn’t have taken more than five minutes to go upstairs and back, but unexpectedly, Ding Yan was gone for over half an hour. The entire office building had emptied out, yet the lights in the Accounting Section’s office still glowed dim and yellow.

Some workers who got off work late saw the scene and thought the factory was rushing to issue wages again, with the Accounting Section working overtime to tally the funds.

Looking at the darkening sky, Jiang Ling thought sorrowfully that she probably wouldn’t get dinner tonight. The supply of dinner at the canteen depended on how much food was left from lunch.

If there was a lot left over at noon, the dinner offerings would be abundant.

If there was little left, then it meant going to bed hungry.

Just before the sky turned completely dark, Ding Yan finally came back downstairs.

“Sorry about that, something came up upstairs and held me up a bit.”

Jiang Ling still wanted to try and salvage the situation. With great consideration, she said, “Sister Ding, if it’s inconvenient, then let’s just forget it. I wouldn’t want this to affect your relationship with Director Ding.”

Ding Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you thinking, girl? I ran into someone I knew in his office. I couldn’t bring this up in front of an outsider, so I had to wait until they finished chatting. That’s why it took so long.”

She felt that all the good days her family had enjoyed were built on her suffering. It made her feel that the family owed her, and that asking them for help was entirely justified.

And the Ding family did indeed always fulfill her requests—but it wasn’t purely out of guilt.

Though Ding Yan’s ex-husband had passed away, his former subordinates still held influential positions and gave her plenty of face. These were valuable connections, and the Ding family naturally continued to hold her in high regard.

“Your factory director agreed without hesitation. The canteen will be cleaned and decorated in advance, and he’ll personally serve as your officiant. All the expenses will be covered by the factory. You two don’t need to worry about a thing.”

“Sister Ding, this is too much trouble. Let’s not do it.”

“Silly girl, holding an event like this lets the canteen staff earn a little extra on the side. They’re more than happy to do it.”

“But with this kind of special treatment, what will the other young workers in the factory think?”

Ding Yan couldn’t care less what others thought. That was something for her brother to worry about.

“Your factory director said that something unpleasant happened recently in the factory. Using your happy occasion to lift everyone’s spirits would do some good. Let the whole place have something to smile about. But,” she added, “since the banquet is being hosted by the factory, you’re not allowed to accept any cash gifts. Anyone who wants to join is just coming for the celebration.”

Seeing that Jiang Ling still wanted to say something, Ding Yan patted her on the shoulder and said, “If you keep refusing, then you’re just being unreasonable. Be good and listen.”

It was obvious that Ding Yan was someone who had to be in charge both at home and outside, and she would not tolerate anyone going against her.

Jiang Ling hadn’t expected that just coming to work would somehow lead to her wedding banquet being arranged within half an hour.

What gave her a headache wasn’t the wedding itself—it was the fact that after the wedding, they would have to move in together.