The photo studio wasn’t very big. Inside, only an experienced photographer was adjusting one of the old-style large-format cameras.
Seeing Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao holding hands and entering, he smiled immediately. “Just married? Here for wedding photos?”
Deng Minghao took two Big White Rabbit candies from his space and handed them to the photographer. “Yes, we just got our marriage certificate and came to take some photos.”
The photographer accepted the candies with a smile. “Congratulations. What kind of photos do you want? Green military uniforms are standard now. I have the clothes, but changing into them costs extra.”
Li Ruolan said, “Change, we want one individual photo each and one couple photo in our current clothes, then one individual photo each and one couple photo in the green military uniforms.”
Since they came to get the certificate today, both were wearing white shirts and black pants. Following the photographer’s instructions, they sat on the stool in front of the camera.
Their bodies were close, smiling happily. The photographer was a little surprised. He had taken many photos, but most people, whether couples or individuals, were awkward in front of the camera.
Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao, however, seemed completely natural, and their expressions were excellent.
“Very good, stay just like this,” the photographer said and quickly pressed the shutter, capturing the first photo of Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao in this era.
After taking the photos in their own clothes, they changed into green military uniforms over their clothes and took two more couple photos—one saluting, one smiling at each other.
Three couple photos and four individual photos cost one yuan each, totaling seven yuan.
After paying, the photographer gave them a receipt and told them to return in five or six days to collect the photos.
Leaving the studio, they went to the supply and marketing cooperative to use their sugar ration ticket. They bought half a pound of hard candies, ten pairs of gloves, and two thermos bottles.
They had all their necessities already, so these were just small purchases. By noon, they went to the state-run restaurant to eat.
“Once the house is built, let’s get a bicycle. It will be inconvenient to come to town every time without one,” Deng Minghao said.
“Let’s see. The village only has two bicycles. If we buy one, we’ll stand out. Let’s watch what the Male Lead and Female Lead do first. They have money. If they buy one, we can follow quietly. That way, we don’t attract attention.”
In such a remote, harsh village, being discreet was wise.
The book mentioned that initially, there were many female educated youths in the Shengli Brigade. Some came from wealthy families and showed off their wealth in the village. Soon, for various reasons, many ended up marrying local villagers—some rescued from water accidents, some because of damaged reputations.
Some male youths were similarly pursued and eventually forced to marry local girls.
So low profiles were necessary. They had no grand ambitions and only wanted a stable seven to eight years in the village.
The two walked into the state-run restaurant and saw the Male Lead and Female Lead already sitting across the table, apparently waiting for their food.
Li Ruolan looked around but didn’t see Guo Xiaoya.
Li Ruolan and Deng Minghao sat down. Qin Wan and Xu Tao saw them and nodded. Li Ruolan hesitated, then chose to sit next to Qin Wan.
Deng Minghao ordered braised pork ribs, shredded potatoes, stir-fried celery with meat, and two bowls of rice.
Li Ruolan loved rice, while Deng Minghao was not picky, usually eating according to her preference.
“You’re here for a meal too?” Li Ruolan asked with a smile.
Qin Wan nodded. “Yes, we just ran into Comrade Xu at the entrance. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Xu Tao also smiled and nodded at Li Ruolan, then remained quiet.
In the original story, Xu Tao was a man of few words but reliable. After marrying Qin Wan, he became a devoted husband, and they were very happy.
But now, Xu Tao and Guo Xiaoya’s marriage hadn’t been annulled, so it was uncertain whether Xu Tao and Qin Wan could end up together.
Once the two had spoken a few words, their dishes arrived. They both had dumplings, and Xu Tao even took an extra bowl, probably for Guo Xiaoya.
Sure enough, when Li Ruolan and the others’ dishes were ready, Guo Xiaoya walked in carrying a large package.
Seeing Qin Wan sitting across from Xu Tao, Guo Xiaoya’s face immediately darkened.
Qin Wan frowned, stood, and moved to sit on Li Ruolan’s other side, giving up the seat opposite Xu Tao.
Qin Wan couldn’t understand why Guo Xiaoya held such hostility. She didn’t even know her. Qin Wan had sat there first, and Xu Tao came to join her. How could it feel like she was sneaking behind Guo Xiaoya?
She decided to keep her distance from Xu Tao to avoid further misunderstandings.
Guo Xiaoya sat across from Xu Tao, frowning, head down, eating dumplings. Xu Tao seemed to sense something and glanced at her a few times. After the meal, he took her away first.
Once they left, Qin Wan relaxed. “I don’t know why Guo Xiaoya is so hostile. I haven’t even talked to Xu Tao much.”
Li Ruolan said, “Maybe she feels threatened because you’re pretty.”
Qin Wan looked at Li Ruolan seriously. “You’re pretty too. Why isn’t she targeting you?”
Deng Minghao raised a hand with food in his mouth and mumbled, “Because my wife has me.”
Qin Wan stared at him in surprise. “Wife? You two got the certificate?”
Deng Minghao quickly swallowed and pulled out the award-style certificate. “Married! Here’s the certificate.”
Li Ruolan nodded. “We just got it today. We didn’t plan to tell anyone yet. Last night we went to the brigade leader to discuss it and also to talk about building a house.”
“Indeed! With the certificate, you can move out and have your own room. By the way, where will the new house be? I want to see if I can be your neighbor,” Qin Wan said. She also wanted to move out for convenience.
“We aren’t building in the village. It’s next to the youth dormitory. Living in the village isn’t safe,” Li Ruolan said, implying more. Qin Wan understood her meaning.