Ye Qinglan walked beside Zhou Beihan, and the two of them looked exceptionally well-matched.
The villagers sat outside eating their meals in the summer heat, pointing at them and chatting.
“That boy from the Zhou family really moves fast. He picked the prettiest educated youth. I heard they got engaged today. Chunxiang must be overjoyed.”
The village women spoke without any ill intentions.
The entire Zhou family was busy at home.
Some were cooking, others were cleaning, and everyone worked diligently.
At the dinner table, the men drank loose grain liquor.
In this era, it was considered a fine drink.
After all, it was genuinely brewed from grain, not like the cheaply blended alcohol of later generations that could be harmful if consumed in excess.
“Qinglan, have some more braised pork. Tomorrow I’ll stew a chicken for you.”
Li Chunxiang was completely captivated by good looks.
Back then, she had only agreed to marry Zhou Baoguo because he was handsome.
Otherwise, she would never have married a man from the countryside, especially since her own family had been quite well off.
“Thank you, Auntie. You should eat more braised pork too. Next time, I’ll cook braised meat for you. I’m actually quite good at cooking.”
Ye Qinglan genuinely liked Li Chunxiang.
Her future mother-in-law clearly adored her.
Seeing the two of them getting along so well, Zhou Beihan unconsciously smiled.
His future wife was truly wonderful.
He could hardly find a single flaw in her.
Li Chunxiang beamed with happiness.
She openly favored Ye Qinglan, yet no one in the family objected.
The eldest daughter-in-law, Qin Baozhu, had an easygoing personality.
The youngest daughter, Zhou Qingya, also loved beautiful people and couldn’t take her eyes off Ye Qinglan.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jingyuan secretly resented his second brother.
Why had he chosen to come home at exactly this time?
He had taken away the best girl.
That was right.
Zhou Jingyuan had also fallen for Ye Qinglan.
Unfortunately, she was about to become his second sister-in-law.
Even if he still had feelings for her, he could only give up.
His gaze drifted toward Ye Qinglan without realizing it.
When Zhou Beihan noticed, he immediately kicked his younger brother under the table.
Zhou Jingyuan winced in pain but didn’t dare complain.
He silently lowered his head and continued eating.
After the meal, Ye Qinglan excused herself and returned to the educated youth residence.
Since there was nothing else to do that afternoon, she decided to take a nap.
Back at the Zhou family home, everyone finished washing the pots and dishes before gathering in the main hall.
No one left.
“Father, Mother, I’d like our family to divide the household before I get married. After Qinglan and I move to the military base together, I’ll send ten yuan home every month as support for you.”
Zhou Beihan spoke in a steady voice.
“Dividing the household is fine. As for the support money, you don’t need to give it yet. Wait until your father and I are old. Then all three of you brothers can contribute together.”
Li Chunxiang loved Zhou Beihan the most.
She would never burden him unnecessarily.
“We still have fieldwork this afternoon. This evening, call your eldest brother over. After we divide the household, your mother, Qingya, and I will live together.”
Zhou Baoguo said to Li Chunxiang.
“Father, Mother, don’t forget about me.”
Zhou Jingyuan complained helplessly.
“You’re already an adult. Soon you’ll have your own wife and children. There’s no need for you to join us now. Otherwise, we’d just have to divide everything again later.”
Zhou Baoguo remained unmoved.
Zhou Jingyuan: Am I really your biological son? Why am I always the one getting hurt?
“Jingyuan, you’re already old enough to get married. How about your mother helps you find a suitable match?”
Li Chunxiang still cared quite a bit about her youngest son.
“Mother, I want to be like Second Brother. I want to choose my own wife.”
Zhou Jingyuan still hoped to marry one of the educated young women.
If that didn’t work out, he’d rather find someone from town.
In any case, he didn’t want to spend his life in the countryside.
“Fine. Handle it yourself. Your father and I won’t interfere.”
After saying that, everyone returned to their own rooms.
That evening, the production team leader came over to oversee the household division and draft the agreement.
He didn’t waste time with unnecessary words, nor did he try to persuade them not to separate.
The family had more than 1,200 yuan in savings.
One hundred yuan was set aside as Zhou Qingya’s future dowry.
Two hundred yuan was reserved for Zhou Jingyuan’s future marriage.
Another one hundred yuan was allocated for Zhou Beihan’s wedding banquet.
The remaining money was divided equally into four shares.
The existing houses were divided among the separate households.
The eldest brother received an extra room because he had children.
The grain, farming tools, dishes, and utensils were all divided equally.
Each household received one hen.
As for cooking stoves, each family would have to find its own solution after the separation.
The existing kitchen would remain with the elderly couple.
“Uncle, tomorrow I’m going to make a phone call. Could you issue me a certificate? I want to register my marriage first.”
Zhou Beihan had changed his mind.
Without officially getting married, too many unexpected things could happen.
He would submit the formal marriage application after returning to the army.
As long as his commanding officer approved it, everything would be fine.
“Beihan, aren’t you moving a little too fast? Is something wrong?”
The production team leader lowered his voice.
Zhou Beihan whispered a few words into Zhou Jianguo’s ear.
The expressions on both men’s faces immediately turned serious.
The production team leader left with the household division agreement to have it officially stamped.
Zhou Beihan accompanied him to obtain the certificate required for marriage registration.
Afterward, he went to the educated youth residence to see Ye Qinglan.
The two chatted in her room for a while and agreed to register their marriage the following morning.
“Qinglan, please trust me. I’ll treat you well.”
Zhou Beihan wasn’t someone who made promises lightly.
“I know. I’ll treat you well too.”
Although he didn’t speak sweet words of romance, everything he said inspired trust.
After leaving the educated youth residence, Zhou Beihan had no idea that Ye Bailian was secretly following him.
She intended to use the opportunity to force herself into his life.
Unfortunately for her, Zhou Beihan’s hearing and awareness were exceptionally sharp.
He quickly ran home.
The woman following behind him was honestly frightening.
On the way, Ye Bailian happened to run into Zhou Jingyuan.
He was also quite handsome and had good prospects.
Immediately, she deliberately stumbled as she walked.
Acting purely on instinct, Zhou Jingyuan reached out and caught her in his arms.
Unfortunately, a passing neighbor saw everything.
“Well, well, Third Zhou. You’re certainly lucky. Comfortable holding that young educated woman?”
The gossip-loving Aunt Zhang teased.
“Aunt Zhang, I was only helping her up.”
Zhou Jingyuan wanted nothing to do with Ye Bailian.
“Brother Zhou, how can you say that? You were holding me just now.”
Ye Bailian had no intention of letting him off so easily.
Before long, a crowd gathered to watch the commotion.
In the end, Zhou Jingyuan had no choice but to agree to date Ye Bailian.
Otherwise, he risked being accused of hooliganism.
Ye Bailian had already set her sights on him.
Since she couldn’t win over Zhou Beihan, Zhou Jingyuan became the next best option.
The next morning, after hearing what had happened, Ye Qinglan couldn’t help admiring Ye Bailian’s shamelessness.
Her skin really was thick enough.
The male and female leads truly had powerful plot armor.
No matter what happened, they always ended up together.
Life would probably become very interesting from now on.
“Qinglan, let’s go take our wedding photos first. After that, we’ll have a meal and then register our marriage.”
The night before, Zhou Beihan had already requested leave on Ye Qinglan’s behalf.
“Beihan, have you already chosen the wedding date?”
Ye Qinglan asked as she locked her room.
“Yes. Three days from now is an auspicious day. First, I need to make a phone call so my regimental commander can help submit my marriage application. Once I return to my unit, we’ll be assigned housing, and then I’ll bring you to live with me.”
Zhou Beihan said while riding the bicycle.
“You don’t need to make another trip back. Just send me a telegram when everything is ready. I’ll take the train to meet you. There’s no need for you to keep traveling back and forth.”
Ye Qinglan disliked unnecessary trouble.
“That works too. Before you leave, send me a telegram. I’ll meet you at the train station.”
Zhou Beihan’s leave was limited, so this arrangement really was much more practical.
“Where is your military unit stationed?”
Ye Qinglan asked.
“Our unit is stationed along the coast of Jiangsu. Family members often go to the beach to gather seafood, but the living conditions aren’t very good, and we get typhoons almost every year.”
Zhou Beihan was worried she might not be used to living there.
“Really? We can gather seafood on the beach? I love eating seafood.”
Ye Qinglan was extremely pleased when she heard that.