“Tangtang, the conditions in the army are definitely nowhere near as good as in Shanghai. Transportation isn’t convenient, and supplies aren’t particularly abundant. Following the army will surely be very hard on you.”
Lin Zhitang had grown up in Shanghai. The Lin family was wealthy and prosperous, and she had been pampered since childhood. Adapting to life in the military camp probably wouldn’t be easy for her.
“Ming’an-ge, what do you mean? Are you looking down on me? Or do you not want me to follow the army?”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m saying that I’ll do everything I can to make sure you live well. If there’s anything you’re used to using, you can buy more of it and send it over tomorrow.”
“Alright then. Tomorrow morning let’s go to the department store again. I want to buy more skincare products. Don’t worry, give me some time, I’ll adapt.”
Lin Zhitang truly had been raised delicately, but no matter how bad the conditions in the army were, they would definitely still be far better than the days in the Wu family during her previous life, where she had been beaten, cursed at, and starved. There was nothing she couldn’t adapt to.
This was the era of the planned economy, and everything was rationed. It was impossible to buy huge quantities at once.
Lin Zhitang had already bought many things in batches earlier—food, daily necessities, clothing—and stored them all inside her space. It wasn’t convenient to suddenly take them out now.
The next day, Lin Zhitang didn’t sleep in. After breakfast, the two of them went to the department store again.
Cold cream was definitely a must-buy. Soap, laundry soap, washing powder, floral water, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, and sanitary belts were all purchased up to the maximum quantity allowed.
They also bought three sets of bedding. Lu Ming’an had previously lived in the dormitory and only used single-sized bedding.
Lin Zhitang had already bought plenty of clothes and fabric before, and she had stocked up a lot in her space too, so she didn’t buy more this time. However, they each bought two pairs of canvas shoes and sneakers. Lin Zhitang used to wear mostly small leather shoes.
At the food store, Lin Zhitang and Lu Ming’an bought some Shanghai specialty candies and biscuits. Not only could they eat them on the journey, but they could also use them to build relationships with the wives in the family compound.
Lin Zhitang also went to the Friendship Store. Since it would be her first meeting with the Lu family, she naturally had to prepare some gifts.
After buying everything, the two returned home to pack the items. Lu Ming’an then mailed the parcels to the army. By the time they reached the military base, the luggage would probably arrive as well.
Lin Zhitang wasn’t bringing much to Beijing—just one suitcase of luggage and another box filled with gifts for the Lu family.
Carrying the gifts, Lin Zhitang and Lu Ming’an went to Uncle Liu’s house.
“Uncle Liu, I’m here!”
“You finally came. I thought you weren’t coming anymore.”
“How could that be? If I didn’t come today, Uncle Liu would probably nag me forever. I wouldn’t dare not come.”
Factory Director Liu’s wife, Du Juan, was busy showing off her cooking skills in the kitchen. Hearing the commotion, she poked her head out.
“Tangtang’s here! I still have two more dishes to finish. Sit down first. There’s fruit and snacks on the table—have some while you wait.”
“Alright, thank you, Uncle and Auntie.”
“Uncle Liu, let me formally introduce him. This is Lu Ming’an, the one I told you about before. We’ve already gotten our marriage certificate. Ming’an-ge, this is Uncle Liu, Dad’s good friend.”
Lin Zhitang officially introduced Liu Aiguo and Lu Ming’an to each other.
“Boy Lu, handsome and dignified. Not bad, not bad at all. Your Tangtang’s father and I were brothers since childhood. I only have two sons and no daughter in this life, so his daughter is my daughter too. Although Chennian is gone, Tangtang still has me as her maternal family. If you ever treat Tangtang badly, I won’t let you off lightly.”
“Uncle Liu, don’t worry. I absolutely won’t let Tangtang suffer even the slightest grievance.”
“Good, good, good. Remember the words you said today.”
“Auntie, let me help you,” Lin Zhitang said as she walked toward the kitchen.
“No need, no need. I’m almost done. Go sit down quickly.”
Du Juan firmly refused, so Lin Zhitang could only give up and return to sit in the living room.
Not long after, Du Juan brought the dishes out.
“Tangtang, time to eat! Old Liu, go get the bowls and chopsticks.”
The Liu family was also a dual-income household. Du Juan worked at the neighborhood office, and their eldest son worked as a driver in the transportation sector. In this era, the “Eight Great Occupations” were highly sought-after jobs, with excellent待遇 and enormous popularity in the marriage market. They were envied by everyone.
The younger son was still in high school and would graduate in another year. If he couldn’t find work afterward, he would have to go to the countryside. At worst, they could arrange for him to go to Liu family’s hometown, which wasn’t far from Shanghai anyway, so it wasn’t considered a major problem.
“Tangtang, hurry and taste these. They’re all your favorite dishes.”
“Thank you, Auntie. They’re delicious.”
Du Juan genuinely liked Lin Zhitang very much. She had given birth to two sons and had always wanted another daughter, but after all these years, her wish never came true, so she eventually gave up.
Tangtang had been delicate and adorable since childhood. Since Old Liu and Tangtang’s father were close brothers, she had always treated Tangtang like her own daughter.
Lin Zhitang and Du Juan enthusiastically discussed food, clothing, and similar topics, while Liu Aiguo chatted with Lu Ming’an.
Although Lu Ming’an was usually stern and unsmiling, Du Juan could see how attentive he was toward Lin Zhitang, which pleased her greatly.
After lunch, Liu Aiguo and Du Juan still had work in the afternoon, so they left together with Lin Zhitang and Lu Ming’an.
Du Juan held Lin Zhitang’s hand and reminded her:
“Tangtang, I already know about Su Ya. A mother like that is better off abandoned. Don’t worry, your Uncle Liu and I are both your maternal family now. If Ming’an or the Lu family ever bully you, come back here. The Liu family will always welcome you.”
“Thank you, Auntie. I will. I definitely won’t let myself be wronged.”
Lin Zhitang hugged Du Juan.
Normally, everyone would already be at work around this hour, but now a crowd had gathered around a courtyard. Several people wearing red armbands stood at the entrance.
Inside the house came sounds of shouting and smashing, making people’s hearts tighten in fear.
Lin Zhitang and the others walked a few steps closer and happened to get a clear view of the situation in the courtyard.
The yard was in complete chaos. A large amount of valuables had been uncovered—large gold bars, small gold bars, jewelry, and cash.
Just the cash alone, in an era where many families couldn’t even eat their fill, required sacks to hold it all. One could only imagine how many evil deeds Zhang Huai had committed and how many homes he had ransacked.
The people wearing the red armbands were all fairly young, but their faces were filled with madness and greed.
In this world, once one person fell, another would take their place. As long as the利益 were great enough, it was enough to drive these people to commit any crime.
“Isn’t this the home of Zhang Huai, the deputy director of the Revolutionary Committee? If you do too many bad things, retribution will eventually come. Ever since he took office, he’s done countless heartless things and destroyed so many families. Well, now he’s finally suffering himself. Who knows who he offended,” Du Juan said gleefully. She had always hated the way those people operated, though she could do nothing about it. Seeing Zhang Huai’s house being raided now truly felt deeply satisfying.
Deputy Director Zhang Huai of the Revolutionary Committee was in his forties. Rumor had it he had powerful connections behind him and had been parachuted into Shanghai.
In the short time since his arrival, he had already committed countless evil deeds. It was said that his wife had died years ago, he had no children, and he never remarried, but he constantly kept mistresses. He had peculiar tastes and preferred very young girls, even causing several deaths in bed.
The举报 letters had been written by Lin Zhitang herself.
She had worried that the director of the Revolutionary Committee might not dare act against the deputy director, so she deliberately wrote several more letters and mailed them to multiple places. Someone would surely want to deal with him.
But even so, the scene before her still made Lin Zhitang feel frightened. She believed that if she hadn’t married Lu Ming’an, as a lone weak woman, the Lin family would sooner or later have suffered the same fate.
Lu Ming’an noticed something was wrong with Lin Zhitang. He squeezed her hand gently, giving her strength.
“It’s alright. Don’t be afraid.”
“I trust you.”
Lin Zhitang took a deep breath.
“Juanzi, there are too many ears around. Don’t say things like this outside,” Liu Aiguo tugged Du Juan’s sleeve and looked around cautiously.
“I know already. You’re always scared of everything,” Du Juan rolled her eyes at him.
“Auntie, Uncle Liu is right. Evil people will eventually meet retribution. It’s enough for us to feel happy inside.”
The deputy factory director of the textile mill happened to be the younger brother-in-law of the deputy director of the Revolutionary Committee. Now that the deputy director had been arrested, Lin Zhitang reminded Uncle Liu to be extra careful in his daily life.
She also asked Uncle Liu to look after Lin Mansion whenever possible and make sure it wasn’t destroyed.
Then Lin Zhitang and Lu Ming’an returned to Lin Mansion.
Beijing City
“Old Lu, Ming’an and Zhitang will return from Shanghai to Beijing tomorrow. Remember to send someone to pick them up.”
“Mhm.”
“Oh right, Zhitang and Ming’an already got their marriage certificate. After they return, are they staying together?”
“Prepare everything first. Once they come back, we’ll ask them what they want. By the way, how are the wedding preparations coming along? Is there anything you need me to do?”
“If I waited for you to ask, it’d already be too late. These past few days have exhausted me to death. It’s all your son’s fault for not saying anything earlier. Everything had to be rushed, so I couldn’t prepare even better things. The clothes have to wait until Zhitang arrives before they can be prepared. The banquet dishes are mostly ready already, but meat is hard to buy right now.”
Thinking about how busy she had been these past few days made Lan Shaoying angry all over again.
“You’ve worked hard for our son’s wedding. I’ll figure out the meat problem.”
“Honestly, I’m indebted to all of you.”
Lan Shaoying shot Lu Xingguo a glare and complained a few more times, though she had always been someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.