“Should we let them know when we go back?” Li Ruolan asked Deng Minghao, holding the proof in her hand.
Deng Minghao shook his head while looking down the road, holding her hand. “Not yet. We can tell them after the house is built.”
Although they had just arrived, Deng Minghao had already realized that the people in the youth dormitory were not to be underestimated.
Marriage and building a house were their own matters. They could inform others when it came time to move.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
At night, the brigade was quiet. There was no electricity in the village, and aside from the occasional bark, there was nothing to hear.
The two of them held hands and walked back to the youth dormitory under the clear moonlight.
Li Ruolan returned to the east wing. Inside, Qin Wan was holding a flashlight and talking with Zhou Shengnan and Zheng Fanghua. Li Yingying lay on the bed, motionless, possibly asleep.
“You’re back? What did you go to Uncle Wang for?” Zheng Fanghua asked casually.
Li Ruolan said, “Just checking on a few things. Uncle Wang said there’s an old carpenter named Old Zhao in the north of the village. We can buy cabinets, large boxes, and similar items from him.
I plan to buy a big box for clothes, bedding, and baskets. Also, the village chief said that if we go to the town tomorrow, there will be horse-drawn carts, but we need to get up early and pay two fen per person.”
The village kept two horses for transportation, with assigned workers counting their labor points. The horses mainly transported villagers to and from town, and the fees went to the brigade, becoming a small income source.
“Really? If there’s a cart, I’m going. I don’t want to walk all the way to town again,” Qin Wan said immediately.
After walking so far during the day, her feet were still sore.
In her previous life, with her fifth-rank wood ability, such minor pains wouldn’t matter, but after transmigrating here, her powers were only at the lowest level, not even rank one. She would have to spend some time in the mountains to raise her ability to rank one as soon as possible.
Zhou Shengnan and Zheng Fanghua also planned to go to town. “We haven’t bought many things yet, so we’ll go too. Afterward, we can buy boxes together. Clothes and bedding left outside aren’t safe. It’s better to buy a few large lockable boxes—they’re safe and don’t take up much space.”
The four of them agreed to go to town together in the morning. As for Li Yingying, despite all the talk, she didn’t move, so they didn’t ask her.
Li Ruolan went to fetch water, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and got back on the kang to chat a little before gradually falling asleep.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, everyone woke up. Li Ruolan checked the time—6:30. They didn’t linger in bed but got up to wash.
Once finished, the west wing door opened, and Deng Minghao and the others came out of their room.
Li Ruolan’s group tidied up again. In front of Li Yingying, Qin Wan packed and tied her things carefully with several knots.
Li Ruolan immediately understood and imitated her, packing her own things as well. There wasn’t much value outside, but it was for appearances.
Qin Wan said, “We live in the same room. Let me be clear: I tie my own knots.
If I come back and my things are messed with or something is missing, don’t blame me for making a fuss.”
She spoke while tying her knots without looking up, but everyone knew she was talking to Li Yingying.
Zhou Shengnan and Zheng Fanghua followed suit, packing and tying multiple knots on their items.
“You—you!” Li Yingying was furious, her face red.
Li Ruolan said, “Don’t overthink it. We aren’t accusing you. We’re just making our warning clear.
Since we’re going to town and you’re not, it’s natural to be cautious. We barely know each other.
It’s normal to be wary of strangers. If any of our things went missing, you would be the prime suspect.”
Li Yingying’s previous antics had already made her seem unreliable. This was a warning.
After packing, the four didn’t say anything more and left the east wing. The male youths and Guo Xiaoya were already waiting in the yard.
They walked to the village entrance and soon saw two horse-drawn carts. The first cart was already full, mostly with village women. Li Ruolan noticed some of their gazes made her uncomfortable.
The second cart was empty. The educated youths boarded it after paying.
The driver, a young man in his twenties, smiled widely, showing a row of white teeth.
“I know the new youths haven’t settled in, so I added a cart today. Normally, my father only drives one,” the young man said. His name was Wang Changqing.
Deng Minghao sat next to him and quickly gathered information. Wang’s father maintained the horses, making trips to town every three days, leaving at 8 a.m. and returning by 3 p.m. Anyone needing to go could catch the cart early.
The horse cart, swaying gently, reached the town in an hour and a half. Wang’s father and Wang Changqing instructed that everyone must assemble before 3 p.m., or the cart would leave without them.
After noting the time, everyone scattered to handle their own business.
Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao went to the civil affairs office first. Arriving early, the place wasn’t crowded. They presented their proof, and soon the marriage certificate was ready.
In this era, marriage certificates weren’t red books but more like awards. Li Ruolan turned it over in her hands, examining it for a long while.
“Next, we’ll buy some candy at the supply and marketing cooperative to distribute once the house is built,” Deng Minghao said, holding a sugar ration ticket.
They had only just learned that obtaining a marriage certificate came with a free sugar ticket for buying wedding candy.
“Buying candy can wait. I see a photo studio across the street. Let’s take a few wedding photos first.
In this era, wedding photos seem to require green military uniforms. I wonder if we can rent the clothes. Also, are the photos black-and-white, or can we take color ones?” Li Ruolan said, dragging Deng Minghao toward the studio.