“Zhou Mu!”
Du Tianzhen gave a loud shout, then pointed at him. “Do you know what you’re saying? Yan Ruizhi is the one Ze’an doesn’t want. What position are you in? You, marrying her… the two of you are a generation apart!”
Zhou Mu frowned, looking a little displeased. “Sister-in-law, my marriage is none of your business!”
Du Tianzhen got shut down, and her face was very hard to look at.
Seeing this, Yan Ruizhi could not help feeling a rush of satisfaction, but when Zhou Mu’s eyes fixed on her, her face went red in a flash.
She had barely dealt with this uncle a few times in a whole lifetime. In her last life, when she married Zhou Ze’an, he had not come back. Later he came back for the New Year, but only stayed a few days before leaving, and after that he came back once every three or five years. The longest time he came back was when Zhou Ze’an’s grandmother died, and then he stayed a full half month.
It was that time he came back that he saved her daughter’s life. Zhou Ze’an and Tan Yueqin were out fooling around then. Her daughter had been frail from birth and was constantly ill, and Du Tianzhen had never liked the girl, so when her daughter ran a fever in the middle of the night, Du Tianzhen did not even get up to look. It was Zhou Mu who took the two of them to the hospital in the middle of the night and saved her daughter’s life.
Huo Shufen hurriedly tugged at Yan Ruizhi’s clothes, so anxious she could barely stop herself from agreeing on Yan Ruizhi’s behalf right then.
But Yan Ruizhi felt this was not right. She was about to open her mouth and refuse when she heard Huo Shufen say, “Zhou Mu, our Ruizhi really did have the engagement broken by Zhou Ze’an because of what happened yesterday. By rights, since you saved our Ruizhi’s life yesterday, we shouldn’t… but if you want to marry our Ruizhi, I agree!”
Zhou Ze’an pushed Du Tianzhen’s hand away and rushed over in a few strides. “Uncle, are you crazy?”
Facing Zhou Ze’an’s fury, Zhou Mu only gave him a flat glance, then kept his eyes on Yan Ruizhi. “Comrade Yan Ruizhi, do you agree?”
Yan Ruizhi’s face went redder. Zhou Ze’an squeezed in between Zhou Mu and Yan Ruizhi and pointed at Yan Ruizhi. “Uncle, she’s of my generation. Do you care about human relations and propriety or not? She calls you Uncle too, and you want to marry her? Are you crazy? Would Grandma agree?”
Zhou Mu simply picked Zhou Ze’an up and set him aside. Compared with Zhou Mu, who was nearly one metre ninety, he was a good head shorter, and he was lifted aside like a chick. Zhou Mu turned back to the village head and the several elders. “Our Zhou family and the Yan family don’t even share a surname, still less any blood relation. Uncles, what do you think?”
The village head hurried to smile and smooth things over. “That’s true enough, it’s just, Zhou Mu, your marriage, this, how about you go back and talk it over with your family?”
Zhou Mu answered the village head in two words. “No need!”
Then his eyes fixed burningly on Yan Ruizhi. Huo Shufen panicked, and without even asking Yan Ruizhi she agreed on the spot.
Yan Ruizhi wanted to say something, but Huo Shufen kept shooting her looks from the side and cut her off several times, blocking every word of refusal in her throat.
Zhou Mu gave Yan Ruizhi one long look, then turned and spoke to the village head about writing the letter of introduction. Yan Ruizhi was dragged home by Huo Shufen and the others. Her head was in a daze. Huo Shufen sat down and said to Yan Ruilin and the rest, “Aiya, I really never expected it. I thought our Ruizhi’s reputation was ruined just like that. That boy Zhou Mu is a good one, he’s a sensible child. Once their marriage is settled, I can stop worrying!”
Yan Ruilin frowned. “Mom, about Ruizhi’s marriage, shouldn’t we slow down a bit…”
Huo Shufen was so annoyed she slapped Yan Ruilin on the shoulder. “Slow down what? Don’t you know what his work is? Every time he comes back he can only stay a few days, so of course this has to be settled quickly! And I’ve thought about it too. Look at Zhou Mu, he’s much better looking than Zhou Ze’an, and his job is good. I’ve heard his mother say his wages are over a hundred, and he flies planes. How good is that? Much better than that turtle-spawn Zhou Ze’an!”
Yan Ruilin pursed his lips. “I just feel it’s a bit awkward. Mom, we’ve always called him Uncle. What are we supposed to call him from now on?”
Never mind that Zhou Mu was only a few years older than Yan Ruilin, they were a generation apart. Someone he had called Uncle for a good twenty years was about to become his own brother-in-law, and he still felt it was awkward.
Yan Zhengguo puffed away at his homegrown tobacco. Li Guiqin had been holding it in the whole way, and now she finally got her chance. She looked at Huo Shufen. “Mom, they’re all Zhou family people, so this bride price money…”
Yan Ruilin was so angry he barked at Li Guiqin, and Li Guiqin shut her mouth sheepishly.
Huo Shufen was rather excited, and rather conflicted too. Yan Zhengguo looked at his daughter’s face, tapped his tobacco pipe on the doorsill, and called softly, “Ruizhi, come here!”
Yan Ruizhi carried a stool over and sat down in front of Yan Zhengguo. Yan Ruilin shot Li Guiqin a hard look. “Go and make dinner!” Once Li Guiqin had gone, he and Huo Shufen and the younger brother and sister sat down too.
Yan Zhengguo looked at Yan Ruizhi’s face and asked her seriously, “Ruizhi, don’t listen to your mother, and don’t listen to anyone else. You tell me yourself, what do you think of this match?”
Yan Ruizhi’s eyes stung, and her voice caught. “Dad, I…”
The moment she opened her mouth, scalding tears burst from her eyes. Facing her own parents and family, she really did feel guilty. In her last life, because her own life was hard, she was always coming back to pour out her troubles to her parents, and she dragged her parents and family down with her. There was conflict all through the house, and her brother had fought Zhou Ze’an several times for her sake. Later the Zhou brothers ganged up together and broke one of her eldest brother’s legs, and it took several months to heal. Her sister-in-law fought endlessly with him over it, and in the end her brother got divorced too…
Thinking of all this, Yan Ruizhi’s tears seemed to have no end. It frightened the Yan family badly. Huo Shufen held her, aching for her. “All right, all right, stop crying. You child, if you truly don’t want to, then don’t marry, we just won’t marry. Don’t worry about the bride price money Zhou Ze’an gave, your dad and I will think of something!”
Yan Zhengguo hurried to agree. “That’s right, stop crying. What kind of age is this? Would your mother and I dare arrange a marriage for you?”
Yan Ruizhi lay against Huo Shufen’s chest, crying so hard she could not catch her breath. She knew perfectly well the state of the family. They could not produce any money at all. When her parents said they would think of something, apart from going out and borrowing from people there was no other way.
Just as Yan Ruizhi was crying so hard she could not breathe, a low man’s voice sounded outside the courtyard.
Yan Ruilin looked outside. “It’s the Zhou family’s uncle…” As soon as he said it, he felt it was wrong. Wasn’t this the man discussing marriage with his sister? And he was still calling him Uncle. It really was extremely awkward. He hurried to get up and go open the door.
Zhou Mu’s tall figure had to duck a little to get through their doorway. This time he was in uniform, exactly the same uniform as yesterday. Once inside he stood straight in the middle of the room, his eyes going first to Yan Ruizhi, and only then did he speak to Yan Zhengguo and Huo Shufen. “Although my marriage with Ruizhi has been settled in a great hurry, the proper courtesies can’t be left out! Considering the special nature of my work, today I’ve brought the most important thing first!”