Li Baoling and Lin Mingyuan went to the brigade office early in the morning, led by Lin Guoqing, to get a certificate. Since they were family and both parties were willing, the certificate was issued in no time. The next step for the two of them was to go to the commune to handle their marriage certificate.
When Lin Mingjuan left yesterday, she knew the two were going to the commune, so she left her bicycle behind specifically to make it convenient for them. If they took a bus, they would have to wait.
“Can you handle it?” Li Baoling looked at the heavy-duty bicycle in front of her. She had never ridden one like this.
“Who are you looking down on? I have long legs and big feet.” Fearing she wouldn’t believe him, Lin Mingyuan even rode a circle in front of Li Baoling.
“Alright, hurry up and go.” Sun Zhaodi was worried something might go wrong and wished they would get the certificate immediately. She didn’t want to delay for a single second. To see these two off, she was even late for work.
“We’re off, we’re off.” Lin Mingyuan stopped and propped the bike up with his legs, letting Li Baoling get on. After saying goodbye to Sun Zhaodi, the two set off.
As a result, many people in the village watched as the useless fourth son of the Lin family skipped work again today and rode off with his girlfriend.
“Didn’t Lin Mingyuan skip work the day before yesterday too?”
“Exactly. I heard he and his girlfriend went to the county town. He didn’t work hard yesterday either, and today is even better—he just ran off again.”
“He’s even riding a bike. Did the old Lin family buy a bicycle? I haven’t heard about such a big thing.”
“No way. That belongs to Mingjuan. Didn’t she come yesterday? She took a bus when she left. I don’t know why she left the bike behind.”
“Look at that, look at her daughter. Not only does she bring back big bags every time, but now she’s given a bicycle to her parents’ home directly. Find me anyone in the whole village who can compare to Zhaodi’s Mingjuan.”
“Probably not. That’s Mingjuan’s husband’s family’s bike. How could she just give it away? Maybe she’s just letting Mingyuan ride it for convenience since he’s dating.”
Once these words were spoken, the aunts and older women nearby felt more comfortable, but the young people felt uneasy again. Look at Lin Mingyuan—getting a girlfriend and even having a bike to ride.
“I wonder if it’s good or bad for Mingyuan to date this educated youth.”
“It’s definitely not good. Neither of them knows how to work. Right now, the brigade leader and his wife can still work, but what about when they get old? Just wait, the Lin family will have many days of fighting ahead.”
“Then I’ll have another show to watch. In the past, it was Uncle Guoqing beating Mingyuan; in the future, it will be the whole family fighting,” Lin Cungen, who lived next door to the Lin family, said gloatingly.
“Keep it down. If Zhaodi finds out, she’ll scold you again.” The person who said this glanced at Lin Cungen, thinking that he had plenty of his own problems to deal with, yet he was still looking for excitement in the Lin family’s business.
The villagers’ discussions were heard not only by themselves but also by the educated youth nearby. After all, one of the main characters was from their youth point.
In particular, Zhang Lihua’s expression changed dramatically, alternating between good and bad.
It was good because Li Baoling ignored her advice; if she insisted on her own way, she would surely suffer. If she fought with the Lin family in the future, she better not come looking for her; she wouldn’t help her. It was bad because she was exhausted. Ever since Li Baoling woke up, she hadn’t helped her with a single bit of work. Not only that, but while she was dying of exhaustion, Li Baoling was swaggering out to play on a bicycle. Zhang Lihua grew even angrier.
It was just getting a boyfriend—what was there to show off about? Just wait, the hard days are still to come.
“Look at her. Anyone who didn’t know would think something happened to Li Baoling,” Geng Jiajia poked Bai Xiujuan.
Bai Xiujuan ignored her. She was so tired she couldn’t even lift her head and only wanted to finish quickly to rest.
“You have to say, Li Baoling really has a scheme. She found a boyfriend and actually stopped working, running around with him all day. I don’t know what there is to talk about with these country people.” Geng Jiajia was a bit jealous. Initially, she was like the villagers, waiting to watch the drama, but when she saw how tired she was while Li Baoling was being carried out for fun by her boyfriend, she instantly broke down.
Bai Xiujuan was tired, but wasn’t she tired too? It was just that the person being gossiped about was Li Baoling, so she forced herself to keep her spirits up.
“Don’t say things like ‘country people’ in the village. Also, if you’re jealous of Li Baoling, go find a boyfriend yourself.” Bai Xiujuan really couldn’t understand Geng Jiajia anymore. She had seemed normal before, but why was she becoming more and more mean-spirited?
“I won’t. I have to go back in the future. Besides, I…”
“Are you even listening to me!” Geng Jiajia was feeling bashful, but seeing Bai Xiujuan buried in her work, she stomped her foot in anger. Xiujuan was really getting worse and worse to her!
Saying that, she glanced at Shen Xiangyang. Li Baoling had a boyfriend now, so no one at the youth point would compete with her for Brother Xiangyang.
On the side, Shen Xiangyang noticed Geng Jiajia looking at him and couldn’t help but feel smug. One Li Baoling left, but there was still Geng Jiajia and even Zhang Lihua, though she was still hiding it; he had seen through it long ago.
Shen Xiangyang always had a good idea of how charming he was. It was just Li Baoling who was lazy and weak-willed, selling herself for a few small favors. She wanted the fish eyes instead of the pearls; she had no brains at all.
He, Shen Xiangyang, would put it out there today: there would come a day when she would cry, and he would be waiting to see it.
Li Baoling and Lin Mingyuan had no idea that simply passing by everyone would cause such a stir. But even if they knew, they wouldn’t care; the two of them were busy getting their certificate.
In those years, it was not uncommon for educated youth to get married in the countryside. After checking their various certificates and asking a few questions, the staff issued the certificate before long.
“It’s a good time for you two to get your license. You can even get two pounds of sugar coupons with your marriage certificate. During the holidays, sugar is in short supply, and you wouldn’t be able to get it even if you wanted to.”
“Great, thank you.” The two didn’t expect such a surprise bonus.
Unlike marriage certificates of later generations, the one from this era looked more like a merit certificate, with Chairman Mao’s quotes and portrait on it. Li Baoling found it quite novel.
“So we are married now?” She was still a bit dazed. It had only been a few days, and she had actually gotten married, in a strange place with a strange person.
“I guess so.” It was Lin Mingyuan’s first time too.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re just doing this as a matter of convenience, partners. Please look after me from now on.” Li Baoling reached out her hand.
Lin Mingyuan immediately reached out to shake it. “Please look after me too!”
He had to rely on Li Baoling.
“Let’s go. Didn’t they say we can get two pounds of hard candy with the certificate? Let’s go buy the candy. We can eat it when we get hungry while working later.”
“Right, it’s all ours. We won’t give it to anyone.”
“Actually, we should probably share a couple. Your family has many children.”
“Fine, but they can’t eat for free. Let them keep it in mind. If there are errands to run later, let those little brats go. They’re very quick at work.”
“You’re right!”
The two didn’t just buy those two pounds. Before they came, Sun Zhaodi had given them money and coupons. Since they were already at the commune, they bought everything they could.
It was the first time Li Baoling and Lin Mingyuan were getting married. Usually, they didn’t want to wrong themselves, let alone at a time like this. So, the two of them spent all the cloth coupons, industrial coupons, sugar coupons, and meat coupons they had brought, spending everything cleanly.
But even so, they didn’t buy much. Many big items couldn’t be bought. She didn’t even catch a glimpse of the legendary Three Rounds and One Sound.
“If I had known, I would have gotten married once in our own place. This is too simple.” Although she used to shout every day about not getting married, which girl didn’t fantasize about her wedding when she was young? She had to wear a white wedding dress and a crown on her head, and ideally, her prince would come to pick her up in a dazzling pumpkin carriage.
Even though they kept emphasizing their partnership, Lin Mingyuan suddenly felt a bit useless for no reason.
“It really is a bit simple. I’m sorry.” Lin Mingyuan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Li Baoling clicked her tongue. “I was just being a bit sentimental, and you actually got sad.”
“Alright, let’s go home and tell your parents. No, wait, should I call them Mom and Dad now? It’ll put their minds at ease.”
“Okay.” Lin Mingyuan pedaled the bicycle fast.
Both of them felt much more relaxed after settling a major matter. Li Baoling started eating candy on the way back and didn’t forget to feed one to Lin Mingyuan while he was riding. The sweetness made Lin Mingyuan lose his bearings.
The round trip to the commune by bike only took about two hours. Including the time to get the certificate, they arrived back just as work was letting out. Everyone was walking home. They rode the bike through the west end of the village, passing right by the youth point. Everyone saw that they had gone out empty-handed in the morning, but when they returned, Li Baoling was holding bags in her arms, and there were bags hanging on the front of the bike. It was clear they had bought a lot of things.
“I don’t know what they’re showing off for. She’s just dating the brigade leader’s son.”
“She must be passing by our door on purpose to let everyone see how well she’s doing.”
“We’re all here to build the countryside, but she’s doing fine—she’s built her way right into the village head’s house.”
There was only one road into the village, which had to pass the youth point, yet they claimed it was on purpose.
Bai Xiujuan rolled her eyes at these people. Ever since Li Baoling started dating and stopped staying at the youth point, these people had become sour. At first, they said Li Baoling had no ambition or aspiration and would regret it later. Now that they saw she was doing well, they gossiped about her in all sorts of ways. There were even some educated youths she didn’t want to mention, who pretended to be indifferent on the surface but were actually the most sarcastic and jealous.
Not only the educated youths, but many people on the road also saw them and couldn’t help but ask why they bought so many things. Some clever ones saw a new thermos and guessed that the two might be getting married.
They had only been dating for a few days. Even if a matchmaker in the village introduced them, they would have to meet several times and drag it out for a while.
“What did you two go off to do?”
“We got our marriage certificate. Can’t you see these are all things for the wedding?”
Lin Mingyuan rode away after saying this, leaving everyone frozen in place.
“Did you… did you hear that clearly? They got their certificate?!!”
“It’s true, I heard it too!”
“Mingyuan from the leader’s family got married!!!”
What huge news! The village was in an uproar again.
Fang Daming, who had just hurried into the village, was asking everyone where Lin Mingyuan’s house was. He finally found out, but before he could leave, he heard everyone discussing who had gotten their certificate. He didn’t have time to listen carefully and just rode his bike away.
“Mingyuan, Mingyuan!”
Fang Daming saw the door, propped up his bike, and ran over to call him.
Seeing Fang Daming, Lin Mingyuan knew that they had made the right move.
Fang Daming: “I have good news to tell you.”
Lin Mingyuan smiled: “I have good news to tell you, too.”