“Xu Xia, do you want to marry me…”
As the car drove out of the family compound, Zhao Hui glanced sideways at the passenger seat. “Unhappy?”
“Huh?”
“Are you tolerating Yun Zhu because you’re living under someone else’s roof?” Zhao Hui went straight to the point.
Xu Xia hadn’t expected Zhao Hui to be so direct. She had indeed held back from saying anything to Zhao Yunzhu at the dinner table for this very reason. Since Zhao Hui asked, she admitted it. “Yes.”
“I saw you catching the thief at the train station,” Zhao Hui added.
Xu Xia was taken aback, only then realizing that Zhao Hui had never asked why she went to the police station. At the time, she had even brought it up herself. So it turned out Zhao Hui had seen it and wasn’t curious.
In Zhao Hui’s eyes, then, she wasn’t someone with a docile personality.
So he had noticed everything… and was bringing it up now.
“My father is grateful for your father’s kindness. In his eyes, you’re more important than both his sons. My mother is reasonable—as long as you’re in the right, you can stand your ground in our home.” Zhao Hui turned the steering wheel, and the car rounded a corner, revealing the department store in the distance. “Our family owes yours a debt of gratitude, not the other way around. Next time, if you feel like scolding someone, just do it. As long as my father doesn’t speak up, no one would dare lay a finger on you.”
Seeing that Xu Xia remained silent, Zhao Hui pressed, “Got it?”
Xu Xia thought to herself, she wasn’t a member of the Zhao family. Today, she was the one freeloading, not her father. If she really acted lawlessly, would the Zhao family tolerate it?
Still, she was surprised that Zhao Hui would say these things. What exactly did he mean?
When they arrived at the department store, Zhao Hui headed straight for the skincare counter. He pulled out a Foreign Exchange Certificate and gestured to the saleswoman with his chin. “Buy her some face cream. Go recommend something for her.”
The saleswoman, seeing Zhao Hui in his military uniform, immediately put on a smiling face. “Of course, comrade. Is this your sweetheart? She’s so pretty. Her skin is so delicate, anything would suit her. Come, come, young lady, follow me.”
Just as Xu Xia was about to explain, the saleswoman had already pulled her to another counter. “We have two best face creams here. I see your skin isn’t oily, so this light one will do. Young lady, you’re so lucky. Your sweetheart is really handsome.”
Seeing that the saleswoman had already decided they were a couple, Xu Xia didn’t bother to correct her. Her options were quite limited anyway, so she followed the saleswoman’s suggestion and took the light formula.
This was her first time in a department store, and everything seemed novel. Thinking she’d like to browse on her own, she found Zhao Hui and said, “Why don’t you head back first, or go do something else? I can find my way back to the family compound on my own.”
“Do you know that if I let you go back by yourself, my father would chase me down with a stick?” Zhao Hui raised an eyebrow slightly. “The old man is in his sixties, but he still packs a punch when he hits.”
Hearing this, Xu Xia had no choice but to continue browsing with Zhao Hui.
Shopping with someone she wasn’t familiar with was pure torture, especially since Zhao Hui stopped at every entrance without going in, clearly uninterested in the goods inside.
After a casual look around, she lost interest and suggested they head back.
Once in the car, Xu Xia noticed they weren’t taking the same route back. She thought Zhao Hui might have some errand to run, but then the car stopped outside a park.
Zhao Hui gave the same reason as before. “If we go back too early, my father will think I didn’t entertain you properly and will beat me.”
Xu Xia couldn’t help but retort, “Then why not just drop me off at the entrance of the family compound and not go back yourself?”
“You can run but you can’t hide.” Zhao Hui said this with a straight face before walking to the ticket booth to buy two adult tickets, immediately handing one to Xu Xia.
The young girl seemed a bit hot, her cheeks flushed pink, with fine downy hairs visible in the light. So her face couldn’t handle the sun well, he thought. “Want a soda?” he asked.
Xu Xia instinctively wanted to refuse, but then reconsidered – why not? Zhao Hui had already seen her chasing down a thief, so he definitely wouldn’t want to marry her now anyway. She simply nodded yes.
A bottle of soda cost five cents, and you had to return the empty bottle after drinking. Xu Xia had just taken a small sip when she saw Zhao Hui gulping down an entire bottle in several large swallows.
“Another bottle.” Zhao Hui finished his second one too. The sweet drink wasn’t quenching his thirst with just one bottle.
The park wasn’t large – just a lake with a small island in the middle, nothing compared to those in the 21st century.
Xu Xia walked intermittently, trying to ignore Zhao Hui but finding it impossible. The man was too big, always appearing at the edges of her vision no matter where she looked.
After walking for a while, Xu Xia grew tired and sat down in some shade. She glanced at Zhao Hui, thought for a moment, and decided to have a frank talk with him.
But someone beat her to it. An older woman spotted Zhao Hui and became visibly excited.
“Comrade Zhao Hui, it really is you!” The woman’s eyes involuntarily drifted toward Xu Xia. “And this is…?”
“A guest from home. My parents asked me to show her around,” Zhao Hui explained.
“A guest?” The woman drew out the word, clearly skeptical. “She’s quite pretty, very likable. Oh, and Comrade Zhao Hui, I must thank you again. If you hadn’t helped arrange work for me, I’d be back farming in the village right now.”
The woman was Lin Su. Her husband had been Zhao Hui’s comrade-in-arms who sacrificed his life two years earlier. When Zhao Hui visited her, he found her living in poverty and helped arrange for her and her children to come work in Jiangcheng.
“You’re a martyr’s widow. The organization should naturally provide extra care – it wasn’t my personal arrangement,” Zhao Hui said seriously. Noticing Lin Su’s two children staring longingly at people drinking soda, he offered to buy them some.
Once Zhao Hui left, Xu Xia noticed Lin Su looking at her. She didn’t think much of it until Lin Su asked if she was Zhao Hui’s blind date.
Before Xu Xia could answer, Lin Su smiled warmly and said, “Look at you, blushing – so you are! Let me tell you, Comrade Zhao Hui is wonderful. When he saw how poorly my in-laws treated me, he helped me find an excellent job after returning to the city. I now sell vegetables at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. The work is quite easy – six days on, one day off, and I don’t start until seven each morning. Back in the village, I had to get up before dawn, especially during busy farming seasons when I’d work until dark. My better life now is all thanks to Comrade Zhao Hui. He’s truly a good man, and you seem like a lovely match for him.”
One day off a week?
Starting work at seven?
This counted as a good job?
Only then did Xu Xia remember – there were no two-day weekends in this era, just single days off. Factory workers had to work shifts too, with night shifts meaning no sleep, yet their wages weren’t enough for regular meat consumption due to limited supplies. Even with meat ration coupons, you had to queue up early to buy any.
“The only pity is I’m not educated, so I often struggle reading the account books and make mistakes at work. But the Cooperative makes allowances for me, considering my late husband and Comrade Zhao Hui.”
In the past, Lin Su wouldn’t have dared to imagine she’d ever have the privilege of eating state-supplied grain. “By the way, girl, where do you work? In a factory or the department store?”
Xu Xia said she didn’t have a job yet.
“There’s no hurry. As long as you and Comrade Zhao Hui get along well, you can find any job. With your delicate complexion, your family must have taken good care of you. I’d suggest joining the Cultural Troupe or working at the department store—the girls there are all quite pretty.” Lowering her voice slightly, Lin Su added, “Be honest with me, do you fancy Comrade Zhao Hui?”
Before Xu Xia could answer, Lin Su chuckled, “What am I asking? With Comrade Zhao Hui’s excellent qualifications, how could you not fancy him?”
Xu Xia: …This woman is way too familiar for having just met.
“Sister Lin, is factory work really that exhausting?” Having no personal experience, Xu Xia couldn’t picture what it would actually be like.
“Not exhausting at all, much easier than my days in the village.” Lin Su shook her head. “It’s just that factories require night shifts. As you can see, my two children are still young, and I worry about leaving them for night shifts. Of course, factory work might be a bit tough for you.”
She observed Xu Xia’s fair and tender skin, clearly indicating she’d never endured hardship.
Xu Xia frowned slightly upon hearing this. Teaching wasn’t an option these days—too risky. Working at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative wasn’t physically demanding, but the hours were long. Factories were even worse—night shifts aged you prematurely.
Having been reborn, Xu Xia truly didn’t want to slave away like livestock again.
The Cultural Troupe? The department store?
Xu Xia pondered—both positions had high requirements, and she might not qualify.
Just as Lin Su was about to continue, her son called out “Uncle Zhao,” and she realized Zhao Hui had returned unnoticed.
Zhao Hui handed over the soda, his gaze settling on Xu Xia. Was she inquiring about jobs?
On the way back, Xu Xia kept stealing glances at Zhao Hui from the corner of her eye. She knew that once they reached the Zhao family home, some topics would be difficult to broach.
“Comrade Zhao, do you not want to get married?” Xu Xia mustered her courage. “Or perhaps you’re dissatisfied with the Childhood Sweetheart arrangement?”
The moment she finished speaking, Zhao Hui hit the brakes, startling Xu Xia.
“I’ve never liked being forced to do things since I was young.” Zhao Hui’s thick eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I’m essentially the late-born child in the family. My elder brother couldn’t join the military due to health reasons, so my father placed all his hopes on me, wanting me to follow the path he laid out. But I particularly dislike the feeling of being controlled.”
Back when he was deciding between the Army and the Air Force, Zhao Hui was nearly beaten to death by the old man over this very issue, yet he refused to yield.
Xu Xia nodded. “I understand.”
Seeing the young girl nodding thoughtfully, appearing so docile that no one would guess she was capable of a shoulder throw, Zhao Hui pulled the car over by the roadside as they approached the family compound.
Xu Xia looked at him, puzzled. Was he making her walk back alone?
Instead of unbuckling his seatbelt, Zhao Hui turned to look at Xu Xia.
The evening sunset streamed through the car window, casting a halo across Zhao Hui’s high, straight nose bridge. Xu Xia had to admit once again—Zhao Hui possessed an exceptionally attractive face.
He came from a good family, had strong professional capabilities, and from what she could tell so far, a kind heart.
“You… aren’t you coming back?” Xu Xia ventured to ask.
Zhao Hui’s thin lips moved slightly before he drove into the family compound. Only after parking the car in the garage did he meaningfully respond to Xu Xia’s earlier question, countering, “Then, Xu Xia, do you want to marry me?”