Facing the crowd’s confusion, the two young men silently loaded the sewing machine and those bundles into the truck bed.
Before coming, Zhao Jingyu had already prepared the unit introduction letter.
Xu Qingning’s household registration was at the Third National Cotton Mill. Liang Yufeng asked Zhao Jingyu to wait outside while she accompanied Xu Qingning into the office.
Liang Yufeng didn’t have a good impression of Zhao Jingyu, thinking he was too unreliable, but since Xu Qingning was willing, she, as the aunt, couldn’t do anything about it.
At least Zhao Jingyu was willing to take responsibility and could give Xu Qingning and the child a proper status.
At the office door, Liang Yufeng hesitated again. She pulled Xu Qingning aside and whispered, “Qingning, earlier, I was just upset with your father’s attitude and acted impulsively. Do you want to reconsider?”
“Auntie, I’ve already made up my mind.” Xu Qingning knew Liang Yufeng genuinely cared for her and said earnestly, “Don’t worry, I’ll live well with him.”
As long as Zhao Jingyu was willing to marry her, that was enough.
What more could she ask for?
“If you ever face difficulties in the future, remember to tell me.” Seeing Xu Qingning’s determination, Liang Yufeng sighed. “Although I don’t have much money and can’t help you much, I can at least offer some advice. I heard Zhao Jingyu has many siblings. If anyone bullies you after you marry into his family, come and tell me.”
“Okay, I’ll remember.” Xu Qingning wasn’t concerned about Zhao Jingyu’s family matters. After all, she and Zhao Jingyu had agreed to part ways after three years.
Besides, she wouldn’t let his family bully her anyway.
Liu Mingfang in the office was Liu Yuzhen’s cousin. She knew Xu Qingning and found it strange. “Qingning, weren’t you supposed to go to the countryside for labor in a couple of months? Why are you suddenly getting married?”
“It’s not sudden. I’ve been preparing for a while.” Xu Qingning replied calmly. “Auntie, it’s my sister who’s going to the countryside, not me.”
She knew Jiang Yumei and Tang Wenya had been spreading rumors in the factory about her going to the countryside.
Well, she’d spread some rumors too!
“Yes, it’s Tang Wenya, not Qingning.” Liang Yufeng nodded repeatedly. She also knew Liu Mingfang and chimed in, “My niece isn’t talkative and can’t argue with that mother-daughter pair, so she just let them spread rumors everywhere.”
“Oh, I was just asking casually.” Liu Mingfang was still puzzled but issued the introduction letter for Xu Qingning anyway. “Don’t forget to treat us to wedding candies when the time comes.”
If Xu Qingning wasn’t going to the countryside, then it must be Tang Wenya.
But she had heard that Tang Wenya had medical records filed at the educated youth office, claiming she was too weak for rural labor.
Of course, it wasn’t her place to pry into other people’s affairs, especially since her relationship with Liu Yuzhen wasn’t great. Liu Yuzhen came from a well-off family and looked down on her.
“I’ll treat you now.” Xu Qingning had come prepared and immediately pulled out a handful of wedding candies she had bought on the way, distributing them to everyone in the office.
The office erupted in cheers.
With the introduction letter, obtaining the marriage certificate wasn’t complicated. Registration and filling out forms took less than half an hour.
After leaving the civil affairs bureau, Zhao Jingyu took Xu Qingning home.
The family compound of the Eastern Ocean Shipping Company consisted of single-story houses, resembling an urban village. Sailors like him were often at sea for several months or even a year, and they took turns on leave.
As a result, many dormitories were left vacant. The shipping company had converted some of them into the Eastern Guesthouse.
For easier management, the company built several courtyard walls to separate the employee dormitories from the guesthouses. Over time, these areas became large, mixed-use courtyards.
The vehicle came to a steady stop at the entrance of one such courtyard. Zhao Jingyu was the first to jump out. He opened the tailgate and, together with two young men, unloaded the sewing machine, pigs, and sheep from the back.
Xu Qingning also got out from the passenger seat and followed them into the courtyard.
Zhao Jingyu’s courtyard housed over twenty families. A row of water taps stood in the middle, where several women were chatting and laughing as they washed clothes.
Seeing the large red flower tied to the front of the vehicle and so many items being unloaded—especially with a young, beautiful girl following them in—the women couldn’t help but tease Zhao Jingyu.
“Zhao Jingyu, are you holding a celebration? When did you get a wife?”
Wait, that girl looks familiar. Isn’t she Xu Qingning, the younger sister of Xiao Tingshen’s girlfriend, Tang Wenya?
I heard Xu Qingning likes Xiao Tingshen and used to come around here often…
“That’s right, we just got our marriage certificate today.” Zhao Jingyu glanced at Xu Qingning and said seriously to the crowd, “Tomorrow, my family is holding a celebration. You’re all invited to come for the wedding feast.”
“Really?” the women exclaimed in surprise.
When did Xu Qingning and Zhao Jingyu get together?
How come there wasn’t any news about it before?
“Of course it’s true.” Zhao Jingyu naturally took Xu Qingning’s hand. She didn’t object, letting him hold it as they returned to the dormitory.
Since they already had a child, holding hands wasn’t a big deal.
After all, he was her parenting partner. They had to get along well, and even if they couldn’t, they at least had to maintain appearances.
Once inside the room, Xu Qingning withdrew her hand. Her peach-blossom eyes, bright and watery, looked at him. “Why did you make such a big deal about inviting everyone? You know I don’t mind these things.”
“I know you don’t mind. It’s just that I’ll be gone for half a year, and who knows when I’ll be back next. Are you sure you can handle childbirth and postpartum recovery all by yourself?” Zhao Jingyu gave her a casual glance. “I’ll have my mother come over to take care of you for a while. Before I leave, you should meet her, right?”
“That’s true, I should meet her. You’ve thought this through quite well.” Xu Qingning smiled and asked with interest, “I heard you have quite a few siblings. How many people are in your family?”
“Now that we’ve already gotten the certificate, isn’t it a bit late to start checking my family background?” Zhao Jingyu looked at Xu Qingning with an amused smile. “Don’t worry, they all live in the countryside and won’t affect you. It’s only three years!”
“That’s good.” Seeing he didn’t want to elaborate, Xu Qingning didn’t press further. She wasn’t particularly interested in his family matters anyway—she had just asked casually.
The two young men carefully carried the sewing machine inside and asked Zhao Jingyu, “Boss, we’ve unloaded all the betrothal gifts. Where should we put them?”
“Leave them outside for now. My mother will be here soon—she can handle it.” Zhao Jingyu glanced at the betrothal gifts they had brought back, a slight smile curling at the corner of his lips. He turned to Xu Qingning and said, “I’m taking them to the cafeteria for a meal now. Are you coming?”
“I’ll pass. I’m tired and need to rest for a bit. Just bring me back some food.” Xu Qingning sat down on the bed. Unlike the chaos and noise of the previous day, the room had been tidied up, and even the quilt on the bed was neatly folded.
Zhao Jingyu said nothing, taking the two young men to the cafeteria for a meal.
On the way, one of them stammered, “Boss, even if you and Xu Qingning… did that that night, the child might not be yours, right? This is a lifelong matter.”
They all knew that Xu Qingning liked Xiao Tingshen, not Zhao Jingyu.
For her to suddenly show up and demand that Zhao Jingyu take responsibility was utterly shocking.
“Exactly, none of us can believe this is real,” the other young man agreed, clearing his throat. “What if the child isn’t yours? Wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”
“Regardless, she did lose her innocence to me that night, and the child is most likely mine. It’s only right that I give her a proper status,” Zhao Jingyu said calmly. “As for the rest, we’ll deal with it later.”