But Xia Xiaowan’s wedding was different. The groom was Liu Xun, dressed in a sharply pressed gray suit. His jet-black, gleaming leather shoes were so polished they could reflect a person’s image.
The neighborhood aunties looked at him with eyes practically glowing green. “I thought the sons of richer families were supposed to be plain-looking, but I never expected Liu Xun to be so handsome. He looks just like a famous star from a calendar!”
Aunt Zhang said, “Not only is he handsome, I heard his bride price was 666 yuan, and he gave more than a hundred grain coupons and cloth coupons on top of that. He’s handsome and rich—when will such a wonderful marriage ever befall my Xiangxiang?”
“Aunt Zhang, not everyone can have such good fortune. Look, the bride is coming out! How beautiful!” Li Daman was the loudspeaker of this alley; nothing that happened in anyone’s home could escape her mouth.
The alley was home to workers from several large factories. Most of them earned a little over thirty yuan a month. Those who had worked for many years and held minor positions could earn more than a hundred yuan a month, but every family had so many mouths to feed that no matter how hard they scraped and saved, the money was gone in no time.
Xia Xiaowan wore a red dress and red genuine-leather sandals. Her long hair fell to her shoulders, and a wreath woven from fresh flowers rested on her head. She looked like a fairy, and Liu Xun stared at her, completely transfixed.
Liu Xun took Xia Xiaowan’s hand and walked toward the entrance of the alley, where a green jeep was parked.
The two of them looked exceptionally well matched, and everyone was envious.
That evening, the bride and groom came out together to toast their relatives. In the north, wedding banquets were held during the day for everyone who attended the wedding, while in the evening, only the family’s relatives and a few close friends were invited.
Liu Xun’s parents had been exhausted after the day’s events, so they instructed the auntie to set up a banquet at home and went to bed early.
Xia Xiaowan had changed into a light-red suit. Her hair was swept up high, with a jade hairpin tucked into it, and she wore gold earrings. The corners of her lips curved upward, making her look dignified and beautiful, with an extraordinary air about her.
Nearly everyone at the table was one of Liu Xun’s good friends. Seeing that he had married such a beautiful wife, they were green with envy!
“Liu Xun, your wife is really beautiful. You’re one lucky bastard!” Guan Xin was one of Liu Xun’s good friends. His father was the director of the Steel-Paper Factory. The two boys had grown up together and were also classmates, and they were exceptionally close. Their family circumstances were similar as well, so they got along especially well.
Liu Xun did not like Xia Xiaowan. He had merely given her the treatment due to a Liu family wife. He curled his lip. “Is she? I don’t see what’s so beautiful about her. I’m face-blind…”
Guan Xin knew that Liu Xun was unwilling to accept this marriage and did not approve of it. But he had heard that it was an old marriage certificate left behind by Liu Xun’s grandfather that had forced him to marry this woman.
What era was this? There were still arranged marriages like this…
The banquet lasted until a little after nine that evening, when everyone finally dispersed.
Liu Xun’s room was on the second floor, at the very back. It was also the largest room. Swaying unsteadily, Liu Xun made his way upstairs, with Xia Xiaowan following behind him.
“I’m telling you, woman, don’t you have any shame? This is my room. Why are you following me?” Liu Xun’s room contained only one large bed. All the furniture was brand-new, and the curtains and bedding were red.
Liu Xun took off his gray suit and tossed it onto the floor. He undid his trousers, then lay straight down on the large bed in nothing but his underwear.
Xia Xiaowan was not angry.
This was the first time she had ever lived in such a luxurious house, and her heart was bursting with joy.
At long last, she had a home of her own.
She had escaped from her uncle’s household, where she had always been treated poorly. Her uncle was a good man, but he was henpecked; the one who truly ruled the household was Wang Xiumei. At her uncle’s home, Xia Xiaowan had lived in a tiny attic where she could not even straighten her back. It was unbearably cold in winter and unbearably hot in summer.
Seeing that Liu Xun was drunk and unconscious, she quickly took off her clothes and changed into her pajamas. Just as she was about to go out to wash up, she discovered that Liu Xun’s room actually had its own private bathroom. In the 1980s, that was something ordinary people would not even dare imagine.
After washing up, she lay down about a meter away from Liu Xun and went to sleep in comfort.
The next morning, Xia Xiaowan got up promptly at five. The kitchen was on the first floor, where the auntie was preparing breakfast.
“Auntie, let me help you make breakfast!” Xia Xiaowan was not merely being polite. At her uncle’s house, she had always been the one who cooked while the entire family waited to eat.
At last, she had escaped the years of living under someone else’s roof and working like an ox or a horse.
The clock chimed seven times.
Father Liu and Mother Liu came out of their room and were stunned to see their new daughter-in-law, who had only just married into the family, wearing an apron and busily carrying out the dishes and rice.
“Xiaowan, go rest. We have an auntie in the house; she’ll take care of everything!” Mother Liu was dressed exquisitely. Her long hair had been curled into waves, and a pair of pure-white pearl earrings adorned her ears. Her slender wrist wore a bright-green jade bracelet.
Her white suit displayed her excellent figure to perfection.
Xia Xiaowan could not help marveling. This woman was nearly fifty, yet she looked barely over forty.
“Mom, I always get up early. The auntie didn’t make me do it!” Xia Xiaowan put the apron in the kitchen, then turned and returned to her seat.
“Where’s Liu Xun? Why hasn’t he gotten up yet?” Father Liu frowned as he looked at Xia Xiaowan.
“Dad, he drank too much yesterday. Let him sleep a little longer.” Xia Xiaowan’s tone was extremely gentle and pleasant to hear.
Mother Liu’s eyes lit up. This new daughter-in-law was sensible. She really had not chosen the wrong person.
Father Liu doted on his son. Seeing that his wife and daughter-in-law were not blaming him, he did not say anything more.
After breakfast,
Xia Xiaowan knelt on the floor and served tea to the two elders.
The auntie who was attending them had already brewed some top-quality tea and brought it over with a beaming smile.
Xia Xiaowan’s mother-in-law came from a distinguished family and was very proper and considerate. She accepted the tea and drank it, then looked at the beautiful, gentle daughter-in-law before her and nodded in satisfaction.
“Xiaowan, you’ve only just married into the family. If there’s anything you don’t know or understand, you can ask the auntie. If you need to use a car, Little Chen is outside—you can ask him to drive you wherever you need to go!”
Xia Xiaowan obediently nodded in agreement.
“Here, take this. These are the Liu family’s keys. These pieces of jewelry were passed down from our ancestors, so take good care of them.” After saying this, Mother Liu took out an envelope as well. “This contains money and cloth coupons. Go to the department store and buy yourself a few decent outfits and pairs of shoes!”
Xia Xiaowan’s mouth fell open and did not close. “Thank you, Mom!”
“Xiaowan, your father and I are going to work. See you tonight!” Mother Liu rose and linked her arm through Father Liu’s as they walked outside.
Xia Xiaowan was so happy she could have flown. She was already eighteen years old, yet she had never bought clothes at a department store. She had only ever passed by without going inside.
She took the jewelry box her mother-in-law had given her and returned to the room, where she locked it away.
Seeing that Liu Xun was still sleeping soundly, Xia Xiaowan knew he did not like her, so there was no need to wake him. She washed up, changed into a different outfit, took the money and cloth coupons, and headed out into the street.
The department store was some distance from the Liu family’s home. Xia Xiaowan neither took the bus nor asked the driver to take her. She liked walking there by herself.
For all these years, she had worked like an ox and a horse in her uncle’s household. Let alone going shopping, even coming home a little late from work would earn her Wang Xiumei’s merciless scolding.
The thought of it alone made her heart ache.
When Xia Xiaowan reached an intersection, a man riding a bicycle approached her. “Hey, beautiful, where are you headed?”
She met the man’s gaze. Wasn’t this Ma Danzi, the notorious good-for-nothing from the Steel-Paper Factory? His face was covered in pockmarks, and his surname was Ma.
Everyone called him Madan.
He was over thirty and still no one was willing to marry him. He was an old bachelor and an old lecher!
Madan’s home was directly across from the old Xia family home, so they saw each other every day. Xia Xiaowan was beautiful, and whenever no one else was around, Madan would take the opportunity to say filthy things to her, just to gratify his dirty mouth.
“Isn’t this Ma Danzi? Feeling the urge for a woman again? Well, who would marry a good-for-nothing like you? Hahaha, what a joke!” Xia Xiaowan looked at the man before her with contempt. She thought that if he dared to say anything lewd again, there was no need for her to be afraid. They were on a public street, surrounded by people.
Madan was startled as well.
Normally, whenever he harassed Xia Xiaowan, she would only blush, stammer, and hide to one side, never daring to talk back.
What was wrong with this coward today?
“Oh, I just happened to see an old neighbor. I was only saying hello. That’s not too much to ask, is it?” After saying this, Madan looked somewhat guiltily at Xia Xiaowan. Her gaze was steady and sharp, and her entire bearing was very different from before.
“It had better be. Do you need something? If not, stay away from me from now on!” After saying this, Xia Xiaowan rolled her eyes dramatically and strode toward the department store in her high heels.