“What exactly is Fang Daming trying to do?” Lin Mingyuan asked, his voice filled with confusion.
“Didn’t you hear? Fang Daming’s sister isn’t… well, she’s not ‘normal.’ Then her stepmother gave birth to a brother, and the family started to resent her. The best way for them to solve this problem is to find her a husband’s family,” Li Baoling analyzed.
“Finding someone in the city would be difficult; people talk, and it’s easy to find out the truth. That’s why they’ve set their sights on the countryside. But since she is still family, they can’t just pick any random person. You happen to be the perfect fit: you’re simple, a ‘good guy,’ and your family’s conditions are quite decent for the rural areas. Most importantly, didn’t you mention his family has someone on the Revolutionary Committee? They certainly have the means to keep you under their thumb.”
“It’s a good thing we found out ahead of time,” Lin Mingyuan said. “But I already told them I’m getting married. Surely they won’t try anything now?”
Li Baoling, however, was not as optimistic. “I think it’s going to be tough. Their family has already started spreading the word. Besides, you said your classmate is someone who cares deeply about ‘face.’ Parents who raise a child like that are likely the same. This is going to be difficult to handle.”
“What? They wouldn’t actually kidnap a man from a good family, would they?” Lin Mingyuan clutched his clothes tightly.
“Maybe I’m overthinking it, but regardless, we need to be careful. If something really happens that the two of us can’t handle, we’ll have to tell your family.” Li Baoling knew that every era had its own rules. She wasn’t arrogant enough to think that just because they came from a more developed modern era, they could easily outmaneuver the locals here.
“You’re right. I’ll go home… wait, let’s go to my third sister’s house first. Her home is in Dazhaizigou, which is the closest village to the county seat. Her father-in-law works in the county; I’ll ask my sister to have him look into this for me,” Lin Mingyuan decided after a moment of thought.
Even if he went straight home, his parents would likely end up consulting his sister anyway.
Li Baoling agreed. Without further delay, the two set off toward Dazhaizigou.
They were fortunate. Just as they reached the entrance of Dazhaizigou Village, they ran into Lin Mingjuan.
“Little brother? What are you doing here?” Lin Mingjuan asked in surprise. “And is this… your girlfriend?”
The family had already sent word to her about Mingyuan finding a partner. Lin Mingjuan had been planning to find time to visit home in the next couple of days, but here the two of them were.
“That’s right, Third Sister. Her name is Li Baoling. Mom probably told you the rest, but let’s put that aside for now. We’re here today for another matter.”
Though she didn’t know what it was yet, Lin Mingjuan quickly ushered them into her home.
“Oh, is the brother-in-law here?” Zhao Daya, Mingjuan’s mother-in-law, hadn’t gone to work the past few days because she was feeling unwell. Her grandchildren had just cried out that they were hungry, so she had steamed an egg for them. Stepping out of the kitchen, she saw her daughter-in-law bringing two people in. At a glance, she recognized her in-law’s youngest son.
Before Zhao Daya could speak, Lin Mingjuan asked, “Have you two eaten?”
“Yes, we’ve eaten.”
Lin Mingjuan was a straightforward person and said directly, “Then don’t worry about them, Mother. You keep doing what you’re doing. I’m going inside to see what’s going on.”
Zhao Daya nodded, though she couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. She wondered why her daughter-in-law’s side of the family was visiting so suddenly.
Inside the room, Lin Mingyuan watched his sister close the door. He didn’t waste any time and immediately recounted everything he and Li Baoling had overheard while eavesdropping.
“What did you say?” Lin Mingjuan gasped. If it were just the part about the eavesdropping, she wouldn’t have been arrogant enough to assume a “production team leader’s family in the countryside” referred to them. However, given that this Fang Daming was Mingyuan’s classmate, and considering his reaction when he saw Mingyuan with a girlfriend, it was impossible not to connect the dots.
“Let me think.” Whatever Lin Mingyuan and Li Baoling had considered, Lin Mingjuan could see as well. These days, the power of the Revolutionary Committee was immense, and no one dared to provoke them. If the Fang family truly set their sights on Mingyuan, they might actually try to force a marriage.
And it wasn’t an exaggeration—considering their family’s reputation and character, few in the surrounding area could compare. For the Fang family’s daughter’s current situation, their family was undoubtedly the best choice.
“Here’s the plan: I’ll ask my father-in-law to investigate. I’ll go to the town to find him shortly. Then, I’ll head back home in a day or two, and we can discuss what to do then. Don’t worry too much,” Lin Mingjuan comforted the two, noticing their nerves. Only now did she take a proper look at Mingyuan’s partner.
“You must be Baoling. You’re truly beautiful; you and Mingyuan make a wonderful pair,” Lin Mingjuan said, stepping forward to take her hand in a warm compliment.
Li Baoling smiled at her. “Sister, you are beautiful too.”
“Oh, right, Sister, here are some buns for you.” Li Baoling took a liking to Lin Mingjuan’s generous and brisk personality. She immediately pulled out the remaining five buns and pressed them into Lin Mingjuan’s hands.
“Yes, Sister, eat them quickly. They’re delicious,” Lin Mingyuan urged. In the Lin family, aside from his mother, this third sister was the one who treated him best.
Looking at the five large, white meat buns, Lin Mingjuan didn’t know what to say for a moment, but a smile remained fixed on her face.
The reason she doted on her younger brother was precisely because of this. Whenever he had something to eat, he always shared it with her. It was the same before and after she got married. Even now that she had children, he still wanted her to eat first.
Lin Mingjuan never felt that he was being a poor uncle by not prioritizing his nephew and niece; she saw it as him loving his sister the most. Now that he had found a partner, they were both so “foolishly” generous to her. How could she not like them?
“I won’t eat them; you two eat. You probably ran out of ration stamps buying so many. Let me get some for you.” Lin Mingjuan’s father-in-law was a worker, so the family had stamps issued to them or traded for them.
Lin Mingyuan didn’t decline. He said directly, “Then give them to Baoling, Sister. We ate at the state-owned restaurant today, and she paid for everything. All the stamps are gone.”
Lin Mingjuan turned to look at her brother, wondering how he had the face to say that so bluntly. She thought his parents would have given him some money before he left, but she hadn’t expected this. She pulled out a few extra stamps.
Li Baoling looked at Lin Mingyuan symbolically, only to see him take them without hesitation. He gave her a look that suggested, “I’ll give them back to you later.”
Since neither of them stood on ceremony, Lin Mingjuan was even happier. This was the way it should be.
“We should get going. It’ll be dark by the time we get home.”
“Right. In that case, I won’t keep you for dinner. Baoling, when you have time, have Mingyuan bring you over again. I’ll save the good stuff for you both.” After this meeting, Lin Mingjuan’s fondness for Li Baoling had skyrocketed.
“Will do!” Li Baoling loved relatives like this.
Before leaving, she insisted on giving Lin Mingjuan one more bun. Li Baoling wasn’t the type to only take without giving back.
As it turned out, their luck didn’t hold. They kept hoping to catch a ride on a vehicle returning from the city, but they didn’t see a single one. They had to walk the entire dozen-or-so miles back.
“I’m exhausted!”
Of course, Li Baoling and Lin Mingyuan didn’t starve themselves. They ate the remaining four large buns on the way, which was the only way they managed to make it back.
“Come on, let’s go to my house. We’ve gathered big news today. I’ll have my mom make something good.”
Li Baoling didn’t refuse. The youth hostel would have finished dinner by now, and no one would have saved any for her. Besides, Lin Mingyuan had treated himself to a huge meal at her expense at lunch.
When they reached the door, Lin Guoqing was in the middle of a scolding. That “little brat” had said he was going on a date, and then hadn’t been seen all day. It was late, and he still wasn’t back.
Sun Zhaodi didn’t dare say much. She had heard they went to the county seat, but she hadn’t given her son any money.
“Dad, Mom, I’m back!” As soon as Lin Mingyuan’s voice landed, Lin Guoqing walked out of the house with a dark expression. But when he suddenly saw Li Baoling standing there, he forced his temper down.
“Where have you two been?” Sun Zhaodi hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
“We went to the county. Baoling treated me to a meal at the state-owned restaurant! We ate so well at lunch,” Lin Mingyuan announced again.
Lin Guoqing didn’t have as good a temper as the third sister. The anger he had just suppressed flared up again. How could this little bastard say that with such a thick skin?
“You little brat! You actually let a girl treat you to a meal? How can you be so shameless!”
Seeing Lin Guoqing reach for something to throw, Sun Zhaodi quickly stopped him. Their future daughter-in-law was right there; he had to save some face for their son.
“Wait, Dad, don’t hit me yet! We have major news to share, seriously. I even went to my sister’s house. This is a huge deal!” Lin Mingyuan ducked behind Li Baoling, making it impossible for Lin Guoqing to strike.
Li Baoling felt slightly embarrassed. Lin Mingyuan really was a bit of a rogue.
“Fine, Baoling is here. Quickly, everyone inside,” Sun Zhaodi ushered them in.
Once the family was inside, Lin Mingyuan scanned the room. Seeing his older brothers and sisters-in-law looking on as if watching a play, he became annoyed. “Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law—you guys head out first. This needs to be kept secret. I’ll tell you later.”
If these four knew, they wouldn’t be able to help and would only worry. Furthermore, if any of them accidentally let it slip, it would be a disaster. Lin Mingyuan didn’t dare risk it.
Li Shufen and Wang Hongmei rolled their eyes at him. Look at him acting so important, they thought.
However, they turned back to steal another glance at Li Baoling. She was indeed beautiful; no wonder the fourth brother liked her so much.
Sensing their gaze, Li Baoling gave a polite smile. She truly hoped these two sisters-in-law would like her as much as the third sister did. She was very sensitive to how people felt about her. Because her grandparents had favored boys over girls, they had always preferred her brother. But her grandparents were wealthy, so she would occasionally act cute and coax them to get money. She did this often when her family’s conditions weren’t as good. Later, when her parents started making more money and she proved herself capable, she became indifferent to them.
Ironically, that was when they started missing her, calling her and sending her money constantly, asking her to visit. Her maternal grandparents, on the other hand, had always doted on her the most. From these experiences, she could distinguish who truly liked her.
Lin Mingjuan, for instance, genuinely liked her.
Sun Zhaodi spoke up: “You lot go out first. If it’s really something important, we’ll talk later. If not, I’ll let your father thrash your little brother.”
“Why did you go to your sister’s house?” Lin Guoqing asked.
Lin Mingyuan once again rattled off the whole story, including how he had already told his sister and that she would come over once she had finished investigating.
Of course, he didn’t mention a word about the ration stamps. Li Baoling was holding onto them—they were their little “private stash.” He was even planning to ask his mother for more money once Li Baoling left, so he could give it to her. Lin Mingyuan was not the type of man to live off a woman.
“Old man…” Sun Zhaodi’s face turned pale. If things were truly as their youngest son described, what on earth were they going to do?