Meanwhile, Li Zhaoye arrived at the County People’s Armed Forces Department.
He called the political commissar and reported that he was getting married. Before the political commissar could even react, he immediately hung up.
He was afraid the political commissar would start asking questions that he wouldn’t know how to answer.
After hanging up, he handwrote a marriage application and submitted it together with Lin Jingwan’s personal information.
After finishing everything, he was just wondering whether the money in his pocket would be enough when Political Commissar Li suddenly walked over.
“Zhaoye, I heard you’re getting married?”
Political Commissar Li’s father and Li Zhaoye’s father had been comrades-in-arms. When he heard that Li Zhaoye was getting married and to a village girl at that he was genuinely surprised.
Who would have thought that the youngest grandson of the Li family would end up marrying a girl from the countryside?
Li Zhaoye nodded. “Yes, Brother Li. I’m getting married today. Come have a drink at the wedding banquet if you have time.”
“Haha, sure!”
Li Zhanfeng laughed heartily. Deep down, he was more than happy to use this opportunity to build a good relationship with the Li family.
“I happen to be free. I’ll come join in the celebration!”
Li Zhaoye: “……”
He had only been saying it out of courtesy!
After thinking about it, though, he decided to let it go. He couldn’t very well let the man come empty-handed, so he said frankly, “Brother Li, I don’t have enough ration coupons. I wanted to borrow some from you.”
In the 1970s, having money alone wasn’t enough to buy things. Cloth coupons, grain coupons, and industrial product coupons were all necessary. He had been worrying about this.
Li Zhanfeng patted him on the shoulder. “What’s the big deal? Come on, I’ll take you to the department store. I’ll arrange everything. I haven’t used up my material quota for this month anyway.”
When they arrived at the department store, Li Zhanfeng expertly helped him pick out the famous “Three Rotations and One Sound” a bicycle, sewing machine, wristwatch, and radio, the standard luxury goods for a wedding in that era.
Seeing this, Li Zhaoye refused.
They would be leaving tomorrow, and large items would be inconvenient to deal with.
In the end, he chose a Shanghai-brand wristwatch and two thermos flasks for use on the journey. That was all.
Li Zhanfeng was utterly stunned.
What the heck? How could the youngest son of Commander Li be so stingy?!
It was his wedding, and all he was giving his bride was a watch?!
What Li Zhaoye didn’t know was that he would regret bringing Li Zhanfeng shopping with him for the rest of his life.
Because everyone would tease him for being stingy with his wife for the rest of his life!
The two of them then bought five jin of candy, five jin of sunflower seeds, and five cartons of cigarettes. Li Zhaoye was about to leave.
Li Zhanfeng felt that this was nowhere near enough. He would be too embarrassed to show up at the wedding banquet with so little.
So he pulled some strings and contacted the meat processing plant to purchase an entire pig. He had the workers clean and prepare it before loading it onto the vehicle.
He also specifically called his wife, Zhao Ru, and asked her to prepare some traditional red wedding items for a woman.
A red handkerchief, red socks, a red waistband, and a red Double Happiness face towel these were all essential items for a young woman getting married.
When Zhao Ru heard that the youngest son of the Li family was getting married, she didn’t dare neglect the matter. She immediately called upon her connections and started shopping.
She also bought a box of Snow Flower Cream and a red wool coat as her wedding gift to the bride, then hurried over to meet them.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
Li Zhaoye accepted the items with a sincere expression.
“Sister-in-law, Brother Li, you absolutely must stay for a cup of wedding wine.”
“Of course, of course! We definitely will!” Zhao Ru happily agreed.
The three of them climbed into a jeep and headed toward Dalaoba Village.
The moment the jeep entered the village, it caused quite a commotion.
“A car is coming into the village!”
“Quick, look! It’s a jeep!”
Several children were the first to spot it. They jumped around excitedly, shouting, and soon the entire village was drawn over.
The jeep stopped in front of the Lin family’s house, and Li Zhaoye was the first to get out.
By then, he had changed into a crisp military uniform. He was tall and upright, with a steady, composed expression. The five-pointed star on his shoulder insignia was especially eye-catching.
The village chief stared at the insignia, secretly feeling relieved.
Thank goodness! Thank goodness I acted quickly to make amends!
He was a colonel!
Such a young officer truly had a limitless future ahead of him!
Immediately afterward, the passenger-side door and the rear door opened, and a man and a woman stepped out one after another.
The man had a sturdy build and carried the natural bearing of someone in a position of authority.
The woman wore her shoulder-length hair in a neat cut and a clean, crisp dacron shirt. She had a capable, professional air about her that was completely different from the village women.
The village chief had lived for most of his life and knew how to read people.
These two were definitely important leaders from the county.
He didn’t dare neglect them and hurried forward.
“Hello, Leader. May I ask who you are?”
“I’m Li Zhanfeng from the County People’s Armed Forces Department. My younger brother is getting married today, so I came over for a wedding drink.”
Upon hearing this, the village chief immediately greeted him enthusiastically.
“So you’re Leader Li! I’m the village chief of Dalaoba Village. My surname is Zhang. Please, come inside!”
Inside the house, Lin Jingwan had already returned from Tuanjie Village and changed into the new clothes Zhao Dafen had made for her.
It was a bright-red, front-opening cloth jacket with a high, upright collar. The cut was neat and flattering, with the waist cinched just right. The front even featured traditional knotted buttons reminiscent of a qipao, giving the outfit a vintage yet distinctive charm.
Lin Jingwan was extremely pleased with the style.
She gathered her long hair into a neat bun and tucked a large red velvet flower beside it. It was simple, yet the festive atmosphere was unmistakable.
Her skin was naturally fair, and even without makeup, her bare face was already striking. Now, the red clothing made her complexion look even fairer, while her eyes and brows appeared bright and lively.
Hearing the commotion outside, Lin Jingwan instinctively looked up.
Her gaze collided directly with Li Zhaoye, who was dressed in his military uniform.
The perfectly tailored uniform made his tall, upright figure look even more imposing. The five-pointed star on his shoulder made his presence even more commanding.
Lin Jingwan curled her lips into a smile.
A twenty-seven-year-old colonel!
Lin Jingwan curled her lips into a smile!
A twenty-seven-year-old colonel!
Her man really was exceptional!
At the same time, Li Zhaoye’s gaze accurately found Lin Jingwan in the courtyard.
Dressed in bright red, she looked dazzling and radiant. The red velvet flower adorning her hair bun made her even more striking and captivating.
Their eyes met, and both of their hearts stirred slightly.
“Ohoho! I saw that! The bride and groom can’t even take their eyes off each other!” Zhao Dafen couldn’t resist teasing them.
The people around them joined in, laughing and joking.
“Hey, she’s right! It’s been ages since Dalaoba Village has seen a newlywed couple this well-matched!”
“Exactly! The bride is so pretty and delicate, with skin as white as soft tofu. And the groom is something else! He’s tall and handsome, and he’s a proper military officer too. With that kind of presence, even I feel like saluting him!”
“You? Saluting? Hahaha! Can your legs even stand straight?”
“What’s wrong with my legs? I’m just worried that tomorrow morning, it’ll be the bride who can’t stand straight!”
“Hahahaha!”
The women burst into laughter. They all knew exactly what the joke meant. The village women could be surprisingly uninhibited when talking among themselves!
“Alright, stop it! Look, you’ve made both of their ears red! Hahaha!”
“Ahem!” Lin Jingwan was the first to nudge Li Zhaoye’s arm.
“Go on, introduce them to me!”
“Oh, right, right!” Li Zhaoye said. “This is Political Commissar Li from the People’s Armed Forces Department. His father was my dad’s old comrade-in-arms, and he’s the eldest son of that family. And this is Sister-in-law Zhao Ru.”
Li Zhanfeng stepped forward with a hearty laugh.
“Little Li, you certainly have good taste. Your wife is quite something.”
Zhao Ru smiled warmly and handed the coat she was carrying to Lin Jingwan.
“You must be Jingwan, right? It’s our first time meeting, so I didn’t know what you liked. This wool coat is the most fashionable style in the city right now. Consider it your wedding gift from your sister-in-law.”
Lin Jingwan quickly accepted it.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law! I really like it!”
She knew Zhao Ru had put thought into the gift. A coat like this was difficult to buy even if you had the money.
“Sis! Sis!”
At that moment, little Luoluo came running over excitedly.
Her little face was flushed as she clung to Lin Jingwan’s arm.
“Sis! Sis! Someone brought over a whole pig! There’s so much meat!”
Lin Jingwan was slightly surprised. She turned her head and looked at Li Zhaoye.
Li Zhanfeng laughed heartily.
“Little sister-in-law, we came over so suddenly that we didn’t have time to prepare a proper wedding gift. I knew that meat was always in short supply when holding a banquet in the countryside, so I specifically had someone prepare a whole pig!
“Do whatever you like with it. I’m just here to have a cup of wedding wine!”
Lin Jingwan understood immediately.
“Thank you, Big Brother!”
In the courtyard, the fat pig had been placed on a wooden platform, and in an instant, it was surrounded by villagers eager to watch the excitement.