At dawn, the moment the rooster crowed, Lin Qiaoyun woke up.
She jumped out of bed, woke both her father and mother, and told them to get up and make breakfast.
Today was a major day for both of her lifetimes.
She planned to eat until she was completely full.
After her parents went out, she started packing her things.
Zhao Tiezhu had already said that this morning he would first bring her into the Zhao family home, then take her into town to get their marriage certificate.
People in this era were poor and often did not even have enough to eat, so hardly anyone held proper wedding banquets.
At most, they would invite a few relatives and friends over in the evening for candy and pastries.
That was considered a respectable wedding already.
Her belongings were pitifully few.
The old woman had collected one hundred yuan in bride price money, yet had not bought her even a single thing.
If it were not for the fact that she was getting married today and did not want to cause trouble, she would have cleaned out the old woman’s money box last night.
But there would be plenty of chances later.
Lin Qiaoyun never let herself suffer losses.
By the time she finished packing, Lin Youshui and Xu Nian’en had already prepared breakfast.
Normally, everyone in the family would have been up by now.
Yet today, the entire house was strangely quiet.
Lin Youshui assumed the family disliked him and his daughter so much that they could not even be bothered to see Qiaoyun off.
So he did not bother calling anyone to eat.
Instead, he and his wife happily ate their fill with their daughter while waiting for his son-in-law to arrive.
At seven in the morning, Zhao Tiezhu was already waiting outside.
The night before, Wang Chunhua had handed the household registration booklet over to Lin Youshui.
Now, carrying the household booklet and her small bundle of belongings, Lin Qiaoyun left with Zhao Tiezhu.
Zhao Tiezhu had borrowed a brand-new bicycle to pick her up.
Back then, bicycles carried almost the same status as cars would in later years.
The villagers looked on enviously.
Even though Zhao Tiezhu’s house was only a few minutes away, appearances still mattered.
Yesterday, because Lin Qiaoyun had been injured, Zhao Tiezhu had wanted to take her shopping for clothes but could not.
So today, Lin Qiaoyun left wearing her usual clothes.
They were not festive, but they were very clean and neat.
The little girl looked soft and delicate.
Once again, Zhao Tiezhu found himself wondering whether his wife had actually come of age.
After bringing her home, Zhao Tiezhu did not even let her stop to talk to his family.
He tossed her bundle into the room, pulled her onto the bicycle, and immediately headed for town.
“Qiaoyun, later I’ll buy you a new outfit. Then we’ll get our marriage certificate, and after that we’ll take some photos. Is that okay?”
“Of course. I’m fine with anything.”
Naturally, Lin Qiaoyun was happy about getting new clothes.
This was the first time in both her lives that a man had bought clothes for her.
She was so happy she could barely stop smiling.
Zhao Tiezhu rode directly to the supply and marketing cooperative and took her inside.
Today was an important day for him.
He had saved up quite a lot of ration coupons.
His mother had told him to bring all of them.
He bought Lin Qiaoyun two dresses, a coat, a pair of pants, a pair of sandals, a pair of leather shoes, and even a wristwatch.
Then he bought pastries, candies, and canned fruit—things Lin Qiaoyun liked.
Honestly, Lin Qiaoyun’s soft, youthful face made Zhao Tiezhu feel as though he was raising a daughter.
Without thinking, he instinctively bought all sorts of treats children liked.
Once the shopping was done, Zhao Tiezhu took Lin Qiaoyun to the commune office to register their marriage.
He knew someone there, so they did not even have to wait in line.
They got their marriage certificate quickly.
Only after Zhao Tiezhu finished taking wedding photos with her did Lin Qiaoyun finally come back to her senses.
She was really married now.
Married to the man standing in front of her.
“Zhao Tiezhu, will you treat me well for the rest of your life?”
Lin Qiaoyun looked at the tall man in military uniform standing before her.
Looking at such a handsome and heroic man, her heart practically floated away.
“Of course. I, Zhao Tiezhu, swear to you—I will only want you for the rest of my life. I’ll be loyal to my country, and loyal to you. While protecting the country, I’ll protect you too.”
Seeing how serious Lin Qiaoyun was, Zhao Tiezhu answered seriously as well.
Even though they had only known each other for a short time, as a soldier, he understood the basic loyalty owed to one’s partner.
Now that they were married, it was for life.
Hearing Zhao Tiezhu’s promise completely soothed the restless and slightly twisted part of Lin Qiaoyun’s heart.
“Let’s go, Zhao Tiezhu. Let’s go home.”
“Alright, let’s go home.
“Qiaoyun, how about we go to a restaurant and eat something good?”
“Huh? Eat at a restaurant? No need. We can just buy some dishes and bring them home to eat with Father, Mother, Grandpa, and Grandma.”
“Alright then.”
The Zhao family was large, so Lin Qiaoyun had Zhao Tiezhu buy three portions of braised pork and three large plates of dumplings before heading home.
When they arrived, the Zhao family had not started eating yet.
Everyone was surprised to see Zhao Tiezhu return carrying meat.
Mother Zhao had told Zhao Tiezhu to take his wife out for a nice meal.
She never expected the two of them to bring food home instead.
“Mom, Qiaoyun said we should buy food and eat together as a family.”
The three younger sons were all twelve years old.
The older three daughters were seventeen.
The younger three daughters were eight.
All of them were at an age where they ate a lot.
Mother Zhao had wanted to cook something nice at home too, but there were simply too many mouths to feed.
“Children, hurry and thank your sister-in-law! From now on, you all need to listen to her. Whatever your eldest sister-in-law says, you do it. Understand?”
Mother Zhao’s speech instantly made Lin Qiaoyun feel like she was Sun Wukong about to lead a troop of monkey descendants through life.
But she liked the feeling.
The three boys and six girls of the Zhao family all stared at her with shining eyes.
“Don’t worry. Follow your eldest sister-in-law and there’ll be meat to eat—as long as you behave.”
Lin Qiaoyun looked young, but she spoke with surprising confidence.
In fact, the Zhao family’s three eldest daughters were older than her.
But now, they obediently had to call her sister-in-law.
Lin Qiaoyun had Zhao Tiezhu put away the braised pork and dumplings, then told him to help Grandpa and Grandma out.
The whole family prepared to eat.
Everyone gathered around the table.
Before they even started eating, and before Lin Qiaoyun had time to greet Grandpa and Grandma properly, Mother Zhao brought over a box and handed it to her.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, here are the family’s money and ration coupons. From now on, all the big and small matters in the house will be under your control.
“Your father-in-law and I are getting older, and our health isn’t what it used to be. This family will depend on you from now on.”
Lin Qiaoyun froze.
Her brain could barely process what was happening.
She had just entered the Zhao family.
She had not even warmed her seat yet, and Mother Zhao was already handing over the power of managing the household.
Could it be the Zhao family was dirt poor and her mother-in-law wanted to stop working?
That did not seem right.
Trying not to show anything, Lin Qiaoyun opened the box.
“Wow!”
There was a thick stack of ten-yuan bills, bundles of ration coupons, and even a bankbook.
When she opened the bankbook—
Two thousand yuan.
Good heavens…
“Eldest daughter-in-law, all this money was sent home by the brothers. I’ve saved it for years.
“You can spend it however you want in the future. Women in our Zhao family never have to worry about money. We won’t let you suffer.”
Lin Qiaoyun closed the box.
“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of this family.”
She was thrilled.
So much money for her to use freely.
Not even for a second did she think about refusing.
She nodded immediately.
In both her lives, she had never been needed this much.
It felt unbelievably healing.
Once again, it soothed the part of her that wanted to go crazy and lose control.
Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao remained silent the entire meal.
But after eating, as they stood to leave the table, Grandma Zhao handed Lin Qiaoyun a beautifully translucent jade bracelet.
Grandpa Zhao gave her a one-hundred-yuan red envelope.
Once again, Lin Qiaoyun felt healed.
She decided that later she would brew a pot of tea with a few drops of essence liquid for Grandpa Zhao, Grandma Zhao, and her parents-in-law.
After lunch, Lin Qiaoyun happily skipped off to boil water.
Before she could even enter the kitchen, Zhao Jinhua grabbed her.
“Sister-in-law, just tell me what you need done—I’ll do it for you.”
“Oh, alright. Make me a pot of hot water. I want to serve tea to Father and Mother.”
“Got it! It’ll be ready right away. Sister-in-law, just sit here and wait.”