“Then let’s have lunch,” Eldest Brother Ma glanced at his watch. “There’s still time to leave after lunch.”
“I still need to go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy quilt covers and sew quilts for you, and… and buy many other things.” Eldest Sister-in-law’s eyes were already brimming with tears as she hurriedly pulled Eldest Brother. “Go start the tractor quickly.”
“Eldest Sister-in-law, there’s no need.” Liang Xin stopped her and handed her a White Rabbit Candy. “I’ll be taking the bus to the provincial capital, and I won’t be able to carry everything even if you buy them.”
“If you can’t take everything at once, make several trips later. How can you just leave like this?”
Even Second Sister-in-law, who had been most eager for Liang Xin to get married, was so flustered she didn’t know what to do. “Eldest Sister-in-law, wait for me. I’ll go shopping with you. I also want to prepare dowry for our little sister.”
The speed of Liang Xin’s marriage had taken everyone by surprise.
Everyone in the Liang family except Liang Xin herself was running around busily.
They dug up radishes from the cellar, washed vegetables and rinsed rice, killed chickens, stewed meat, set up tables, and borrowed chairs.
All the skilled women from the Production Team came with needles to help spread mats and sew quilts.
The brigade tailor came with a soft measuring tape to take Liang Xin’s measurements for custom-made wedding clothes.
Although Liang Tiezhu felt he had already spent extravagantly by taking out six hundred yuan, he still rushed to find a carpenter from the commune engineering team to order two camphor wood chests.
Dowry chests were an old tradition in Linhuai when marrying off daughters.
Even if there wasn’t enough time to take them today, they had to be made.
They could be shipped later once completed.
The two sisters-in-law borrowed cotton coupons from throughout the entire brigade and finally managed to prepare two quilts.
One had a red satin with green brocade silk quilt cover embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in a peony bush, while the other had green satin with red brocade silk embroidered with dragons and phoenixes dancing with double happiness characters. Before sewing them shut, they placed red dates, peanuts, longans, lotus seeds, and walnuts inside each quilt.
They also prepared a twill peony print bed sheet and two pairs of red double happiness pillow towels.
After buying these, the two sisters-in-law had nearly exhausted the entire brigade’s cloth coupons through borrowing.
The wife of Liang Xin’s paternal uncle bought a towel blanket, while the wife of her younger uncle bought a floral mat. Each also gave Liang Xin ten yuan as trousseau money.
The wedding feast was lavish: a bowl of chicken, a bowl of carp, a bowl of pork, and a bowl of pig’s trotters. It was the first time in many years that commune members had seen meat dishes without any vegetable vermicelli mixed in.
Besides the meat dishes, the table also contained a bowl of cabbage, a bowl of peppers, a bowl of tofu, a bowl of radish, and a bowl of peanuts.
The Liang family wasn’t accepting gifts, having invited only relatives within the five degrees of mourning to gather for a reunion meal before Liang Xin’s departure.
Liang Xin had additionally invited Lu Wei.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was initially somewhat subdued.
After a few rounds of drinks, the men started chatting and boasting freely, and the mood gradually became livelier.
The women, especially Eldest Sister-in-law, were still wiping away tears, unable to eat.
Second Sister-in-law was unusually quiet too, feeling completely hollow inside.
“I’ve failed Mother,” Chen Ying said while wiping her tears with a handkerchief. “During the famine years, my grandfather and I came begging to Huaihua Brigade. My grandfather starved to death, and I was nearly dead from hunger when Mother saved me. Later, she not only helped me bury my grandfather but also gave me a basket of dried taro and had Liang Ming and Third Brother escort me home. Before Mother passed away, her only request was for me to take good care of Liang Xin. I’m incapable…”
“Eldest Sister-in-law, please don’t cry.”
Liang Xin looked out the window. “After this year passes, times will get better.”
The wedding attire hastily produced by the brigade tailor was a red thick woolen turn-down collar dual-purpose shirt with pockets.
Liang Xin didn’t wear it when she left, still dressed in her thin blue cotton-padded jacket, with a red triangular tassel scarf wrapped around her head, riding a tractor to the commune bus station.
Lu Wei stood waiting at the station, holding a pair of red double happiness enamel washbasins.
Liang Xin had spotted her from afar. “You ran off right after dinner. What are you doing here?”
“Wedding gift.” Lu Wei handed the basins to Liang Xin, then passed her five yuan. “Trousseau money.”
“I’ll accept the gift, but take the money back.”
Liang Xin smiled. “Trousseau money is given by elders. We’re peers.”
Lu Wei didn’t fully understand the specifics of this custom and added, “Money from selling the chickens.”
“Six chickens—four were yours, two were mine.” Liang Xin pushed the money back. “Don’t take the boat sand-dredging job this winter. Going into the river every day isn’t good for your health.”
Lu Wei stuffed the money into Liang Xin’s pocket and ran off.
From a distance, she turned back and stood firm in the cold wind.
“When the spring thunder roared in October, our Party crushed the Gang of Four. The revolution began with education ten years ago, and now the nation’s course correction will surely start with education too. I firmly believe the wave of knowledge will soon sweep back. I won’t give up studying, and you must believe—I will come to rescue you!!!”
The lingering words were carried to her ears by the cold wind.
Liang Xin remained silent for a long time, watching Lu Wei’s figure gradually shrink to a tiny dot in the distance, then smiled faintly.
After obtaining the marriage certificate at the commune, just before boarding the bus, she handed the five yuan to her eldest sister-in-law, asking her to pass it on to Lu Wei.
The Lu family’s two-story house featured a small reception room at the top of the spiral staircase, connecting the eastern and western wings.
The simple sofa in the small reception room, the windows, and the doors to the rooms on both sides were all adorned with double happiness characters.
The main bedroom in the eastern wing stood out with double happiness characters pasted on its door, unlike the others.
Inside the bridal chamber, against the wall stood a large wardrobe with a full-length mirror and a three-door cabinet painted with two magpies, placed side by side.
Beside them were two leather-strapped suitcases, piled high with colorful silk-quilted blankets.
On the writing desk covered with plexiglass sat a brand new Panda brand 12-inch black and white television. Next to it, a tray held a pair of red tin thermoses and enamel teacups.
Under the desk stood two enamel high-legged spittoons—one decorated with wealthy peonies, the other with mandarin ducks playing in water.
A row of floor-to-ceiling windows adorned with double happiness characters had their sheer curtains drawn lightly.
In the corner armchair by the window sat the groom Lu Zewei, dressed in a green military uniform. His face was pale as snow, his dark eyes gloomy, showing no trace of joy.
The bride kept her eyes downcast, huddled in the corner of the bed, not making a sound for a long while.
Suddenly, Lu Zewei raised his hand and switched off the hanging incandescent lamp.
The room didn’t plunge into darkness.
On the top shelf of the bookcase, a glass-covered kerosene lamp flickered with a faint glow.
The person on the bed remained completely silent.
She held a book, surely unable to see clearly in the dim light, yet didn’t dare utter a word, still keeping her head bowed, her slender neck as smooth as polished jade.
Easily exposing her most vulnerable spot to an adversary’s view.
Almost as if deliberately tempting an enemy.
Lu Zewei let out a soft scoff, his gaze fixed on the bride’s pale, delicate profile. Staring long enough, he was reminded of clusters of white locust blossoms hanging heavy on branches—timid and delicate, richly fragrant, soft to the touch.
His fingertips tingled slightly.
A faint sound came from the corner armchair. From the corner of her eye, Liang Xin saw an elongated shadow slowly approaching across the freshly varnished floor.
Lu Zewei noticed that the closer he got, the more the bride seemed to shrink in fear, her head nearly buried in the book.
It was clear she wasn’t actually reading—just using the book as a prop.
Having sized up his “enemy” as timid and harmless, easily intimidated, Lu Zewei curled his lips and casually unfastened his collar button. “What are you reading?”
Liang Xin slowly looked up, holding out the book cover: “Encyclopedia of Over 1,000 Food Incompatibilities.”
Lu Zewei: “…”
As he studied her face, he found not a trace of fear or anxiety. Instead, her eyes sparkled with keen interest, her expression utterly absorbed.
His own expression began to crack.
Liang Xin noticed he had unfastened his collar button and that his complexion did look rather unwell. She slipped off the bed, placed the book on the shelf, and switched on the electric light. “Why was the light off?”
Without waiting for his reply, she picked up the glass chimney of the kerosene lamp and blew out the wick.
From head to toe, there wasn’t a hint of fear or nervousness in her.
She seemed even more at ease than him, a veteran who had held this “position” for over twenty years.
Lu Zewei’s nostrils flared repeatedly—whether from physical discomfort or some other emotion, he couldn’t tell.
Nor did he care to find out.
Tonight, on the domestic front, the enemy had deployed a “beauty tactic,” breached the outermost defense line, and planted their flag on captured territory.
He could smell the gunpowder. He needed to devise a countermeasure immediately to defend his position.
His mind was stocked with tactics:
The Art of War, On War, Wuzi’s Art of War, Sun Bin’s Art of War, The Six Secret Teachings, U.S. Military Strategy, Wei Liaozi, Soviet Military Encyclopedia, Zhuge Liang’s Mental Strategies… His brain methodically retrieved all the stored information.
Perhaps it was too much—facing this bride, this mere slip of a girl.
He needed a little more time to think.
Lu Zewei decided the key was to reclaim authority over the “battlefield.” He had to make her understand who was in command of this domestic territory.
And there could only be one commander.
Him.
Unable to pinpoint the perfect tactic from his military texts, Lu Zewei resolved to start with daily routines. “Fetch water, wash your feet, and go to bed.”
Liang Xin watched as he finished speaking and sat down by the bed.
He wore cloth slippers and carried the fresh scent of soap—likely having bathed already.
Was he telling her to wash up?
Liang Xin had already bathed.
When she arrived at the station that evening, the Chief’s family had been waiting in a military vehicle. From the moment she got in, they had repeatedly apologized for the impropriety, all the way to the Military Compound.
Then, entering the two-story detached house, she saw windows and doors adorned with red paper cutouts bearing the character for “double happiness,” brushed in ink.
The Chief’s family led her to the second-floor bridal chamber, pointing out each brand-new piece of furniture and appliance, introducing them one by one.
This display of sincerity could be seen as for her benefit, or for their son’s.
It was the kind of preparation the Chief and his wife would likely have made for any daughter-in-law.
Downstairs, the Chief’s wife handed her an envelope.
Inside were a thousand yuan, along with grain coupons, cloth coupons, industrial coupons, and a stack of vouchers for non-staple foods and daily necessities.
This gesture was meant for her alone.
The Chief’s wife explained why: they were deeply grateful she had come so quickly. To thank her for her cooperation, they asked one more thing of her.
Stay in the bridal chamber tonight, and go to the local civil affairs bureau tomorrow morning to register the marriage.
The Chief’s wife produced their son’s marriage application, confirming it had already been approved by the organization.
They circled back to old traditions, saying their hometown actually placed more importance on wedding banquets, while marriage certificates and documents were secondary.
Then they quickly added that of course, marriage certificates were crucial nowadays, and they must go to the Civil Affairs Bureau first thing tomorrow morning to register.
Liang Xin was taken aback.
The Chief’s family member hastily stuffed the envelope into her hand, gripping it tightly as they declared that from today onward, they would only recognize her as their daughter-in-law. Whether their son recovered or not, they would give her sixty yuan monthly living expenses going forward.
Two months’ wages for a worker – something countless poor and lower-middle-class peasants dreamed of attaining.
Liang Xin carried the foot-washing basin back to the room.
She had already bathed, but couldn’t say so.
Not only could she not mention it, but judging by his unhealthy complexion, she planned to dawdle as much as possible, ideally until he fell asleep.
Although she had mentally prepared for marriage, intimate matters were better done sparingly – best avoided altogether if possible.
Liang Xin placed the foot basin beside the bed, then went to open the dresser drawer. Brand new towels embroidered with double happiness characters, stripes, peonies, and plain white ones were neatly arranged.
Just as she selected a white towel to use as a foot cloth, she suddenly heard a long hiss from behind!
Lu Zewei’s face was flushed crimson, his green military trousers bunched around his calves. His feet trembled, the soles bright red from scalding. “Did you not mix even a drop of cold water into this foot-washing water?”