Upon arriving at the police station, Zhou Runqing presented the identity certificate he had obtained for Lin Yuqiu from the street office the day before, along with a letter of introduction. The police officer immediately registered and verified the information.
Standing behind Zhou Runqing, Lin Yuqiu watched the man communicate skillfully with the police officers and felt inexplicably at ease.
The household registration was quickly renewed.
The two left the police station, got into a car, and went to the subdistrict office, where they found the civil affairs officer’s office.
Zhou Runqing handed over the letter of introduction from the military unit, their identification documents, and a report proving their application for marriage.
The clerk took the documents, looked at them carefully, then looked up at the two of them and said with a smile, “Comrade Zhou, Comrade Lin, are you getting married voluntarily?”
Zhou Runqing looked at Lin Yuqiu with a firm gaze: “Yes.”
Lin Yuqiu’s cheeks flushed slightly, and though her voice was soft, it was clear: “Yes.”
The staff then took out a blank marriage certificate in the style of an award certificate, filled in the basic information, and finally had them sign it.
Zhou Runqing signed quickly, handing the completed document to her.
Lin Yuqiu looked at the marriage certificate, her hand trembling slightly as she signed it.
She wondered what her father and second brother, who were far away in a labor camp, would think if they knew that she had taken it upon herself to entrust her future to a man she had only known for a few days.
The man glanced over, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
Her handwriting is not the traditional delicate style, but rather like a resilient blade of grass, carrying a vibrant life force.
After signing, the clerk took out a red seal, stamped it on the marriage certificate, and handed it over with a warm smile, saying, “Congratulations, you two! From today onwards, you are a legally married couple!”
Zhou Runqing took the marriage certificate and, for some reason, stared at it for a long time.
It’s just the names of two people, nothing more.
She glanced at it and it was gone, but he seemed to be trying to read something else from the marriage certificate.
Just as Lin Yuqiu was wondering what was going on, the man suddenly looked up at her.
That restrained tenderness suddenly struck her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat, as if it had been gently kissed by his gaze.
Lin Yuqiu stood there stunned, forgetting to react. She felt a tingling sensation spread from her heart to her fingertips, and even her breathing slowed down.
She only followed the man when he gestured for her to step outside.
After the two got into the car, Zhou Runqing asked the guard to drive the car into the street office’s materials management department.
The place was a drab brick building with a white sign with black lettering hanging at the entrance that read, “All assets belong to the public; private appropriation is strictly prohibited.”
When the sentry at the gate saw that it was a military-plated jeep and glanced at Zhou Runqing getting out of the car, he immediately remembered that the director of the Revolutionary Committee had given instructions, so he didn’t ask any further questions.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, a staff member named Zhang, wearing blue overalls, came up to me with a very cautious smile on his face.
“Commander Zhou, you’ve arrived!”
“The director specifically instructed yesterday that if you were coming to collect the Lin family’s belongings, this way please, everything has been cleared out for you.”
He led the three of them to the backyard warehouse. When they arrived, he opened the locked door, and a smell of dust and mildew hit them.
The warehouse was packed full of things confiscated from homes, neatly categorized and stacked.
Clerk Zhang walked to a corner and pointed to two boxes on the ground with labels indicating that the Lin family had seized them. “Commander Zhou, these are the Lin family’s belongings.”
“To be frank, when the house was confiscated, all the gold, silver, treasures, antiques, and paintings were considered ‘floating wealth’ that had to be handed over to the state.”
“This is an ironclad policy that no one can change.”
“However, you are a meritorious soldier, and Comrade Lin is now a military dependent.”
“Our leaders, out of respect for you, have made a special exception for Comrade Lin’s personal clothing and daily necessities. As long as they are usable in daily life, he can take them back.”
“There’s really no other way.”
Lin Yuqiu’s heart skipped a beat, and she could hardly believe her ears.
She thought that the things that accompanied her as she grew up no longer belonged to her, but she never expected that she would have the opportunity to take them back.
Zhou Runqing glanced at her sideways, his eyes filled with a gentle reassurance, his tone still calm: “Go ahead and choose, pick what you want to take with you.”
The clerk, Zhang, was very sensible. He immediately had the boxes moved to the open space outside the warehouse, wiped them clean with a rag, and then got up to make way.
The moment Lin Yuqiu opened the box, her eyes instantly reddened.
In a box were the gifts her older brothers, father, and mother gave her every year on her birthday;
There was also my father’s favorite fountain pen and the leather notebook he used to write his diary.
The souvenir medal my older brother sent back during his first year in the army;
Most importantly, there is a thick photo album inside, which is a keepsake for the whole family.
In another box were her usual clothes, as well as scarves, sweaters, and hats knitted for her by her mother, all made of the finest cashmere yarn.
Things are different now, and thankfully these are still wearable.
Lin Yuqiu looked up at Zhou Runqing, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Those moist eyes would soften the heart of any man.
Zhou Runqing looked at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. He didn’t say anything, but simply nodded slightly at her, his eyes filled with a tenderness thatseemed even deeper than usual.
Ever since they got their marriage certificate, the way the man looks at her has changed.
Lin Yuqiu then looked at the clerk and asked, “Officer Zhang, these things are all mine. May I take them with me?”
Officer Zhang nodded quickly: “Of course, Comrade Lin. You can take any of these daily necessities that belong to your Lin family.”
“We have already checked it, and there are no prohibited items inside.”
Lin Yuqiu said with eyes full of gratitude, “Thank you.”
Officer Zhang quickly waved his hand: “Don’t thank me, thank your husband, Commander Zhou. If it weren’t for Commander Zhou, these things would probably have been disposed of long ago.”
Lin Yuqiu looked at Zhou Runqing again, but blushed and looked away under the man’s undisguised and focused gaze.
Zhou Runqing asked his bodyguard to come and help pack, and the three of them loaded all the items into the jeep.
While they were busy at the warehouse entrance, Shen Lichuan, along with his entourage, was again lurking in the alley outside the materials management office.
He stared intently at the maroon figure at the warehouse entrance, his eyes brimming with desire and anger.
After not seeing her for a few days, the young lady he had been longing for day and night showed no signs of her previous disheveled state; in fact, damn it, she had become even more beautiful.
Today she was wearing a maroon dress, the soft fabric making her figure appear subtly alluring.
Her slender waist was as supple as a willow branch. As she squatted on the ground tidying up, her long, black hair fell down, covering her profile and revealing only a section of her delicate neck, which was dazzlingly white in the sunlight, making him itch with desire.
She wore this outfit specifically to the neighborhood office to get her marriage certificate.
Just now, when they passed by, they heard the lady from the Civil Affairs Bureau praising the two of them as a handsome man and a beautiful woman, which made Shen Lichuan furious.
Damn it!
This woman should have been his possession.
She should be by his side, be his woman.
But now, it has become that woman surnamed Zhou.
He was the one who took a liking to her first, how could he possibly tolerate that?
He gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and the bloodshot in his eyes looked like they were about to burst.
Just then, one of his men came over and whispered, “Boss, we found out. Lin Yuqiu’s mother is at that sanatorium in the military district on the outskirts of the city. It’s heavily guarded there, so we can’t make a move.”
Shen Lichuan’s eyes lit up instantly. “So that’s how it is. The man surnamed Zhou actually hid his mother-in-law under his protection.”
Another subordinate said worriedly, “Boss, Zhou is the regimental commander after all. He has people behind him and guns in his hands.”
Shen Lichuan, however, didn’t take it seriously: “It’s just a lowly soldier with a bodyguard; he’s not much of a threat.”
“He’s a regimental commander in the army, but he doesn’t have the authority to mobilize local troops. Do you think Zhou can control everything in Chengdu?”
“Besides, if he marries a capitalist’s daughter, I’ll write a letter of complaint to the army and see if he can keep his job!”
“He’s a promising regimental commander. Would he ruin his future for a capitalist’s daughter? I don’t believe it.”
Shen Lichuan then said to his subordinates, “You guys go to the train station and find out when the guy surnamed Zhou is leaving. Also, keep an eye on things at the sanatorium.”
“Once the guy surnamed Zhou returns to the army,”
He stared intently at the maroon figure, biting his cheek, his eyes revealing a fierce determination to win.
“Yes, boss.”