Standing at the front of the crowd, Wang Shufen’s face was beyond grim.
She stared fixedly at Lin Wanxing’s new dress — clearly made from the remaining fabric coupons — which was countless times more exquisite and beautiful than her own gaudy red outfit. Looking at Lin Wanxing’s carefully styled hair, a surge of fury shot straight to the top of Wang Shufen’s skull!
That wretched girl! She actually dared! How dare she make herself up so… so seductively! And she used up all the fabric coupons!
Wang Shufen trembled with rage, her chest tight as if suffocating. She wished she could rush over immediately and tear that dress right off Lin Wanxing!
But the place was packed with people. Those admiring, awe-struck gazes felt like needles pricking her skin. Compared to her own deliberately flashy yet tacky red clothes, her face burned with shame.
Gritting her teeth so hard they nearly shattered, she could only force a smile uglier than crying, having cursed Lin Wanxing a thousand times in her heart.
Lin Wanxing took in everyone’s reactions, especially Gu Jianfeng’s stunned, mesmerized look.
The corners of her lips curved upward. Gracefully, she took a step forward, gently placing her hand on Gu Jianfeng’s slightly bent arm. Her voice was soft and warm, “Jianfeng, let’s go.”
The warmth of her fingertips seeped through the thin military uniform. Gu Jianfeng jolted back to reality, his arm muscles tensing instantly before he forced himself to relax.
He looked down at her bright, radiant smile so close to him, catching the faint, fresh scent from her, and felt his heartbeat quicken uncontrollably.
Struggling to maintain his composure, he replied in a deep voice, “Alright, let’s go.” Yet his voice was noticeably hoarser than usual, and the hand holding hers unconsciously tightened.
Following the simplified procedures, Gu Jianfeng saluted Lin Jianguo and Wang Shufen, formally addressing them as “Dad” and “Mom.”
Wang Shufen grinned from ear to ear, eagerly responding, while Lin Jianguo also tried his best to straighten his back.
It was time for the bride to depart.
Just as Gu Jianfeng was about to guide Lin Wanxing to the back seat of the bicycle, Lin Wanxing gently freed her hand from his light hold. She walked a few steps forward, stopping in the center of the courtyard, facing all the fellow villagers who had come to watch the excitement.
She took a deep breath, a bride’s shyness on her face. Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it clearly reached every corner of the courtyard:
“Respected grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, and all my fellow villagers!”
The noisy crowd instantly fell silent, all eyes focused on her. Gu Jianfeng also stopped, looking at her with some confusion.
Lin Wanxing swept her gaze over the crowd and continued, “Today, I, Lin Wanxing, am getting married. Thank you all for coming to see me off. I also thank the Gu family for not looking down on me. Jianfeng… is especially loyal and righteous, honoring his elder brother Jianbin’s last wish and willing to take care of me for the rest of my life.”
Her voice choked up slightly. She perfectly timed wiping the corner of her eye before continuing, “The Gu family are honorable martyrs’ dependents. Brother Jianbin sacrificed his life for our country. Everyone has seen the difficulties their family faces. Our Lin family, although not wealthy, is certainly not the shameless, greedy type!”
Upon hearing this, the smile froze on Wang Shufen’s face. Lin Jianguo paused while smoking his pipe, his heart sinking. Lin Dabao and Lin Xiaoya also looked at their sister in confusion.
“Jianfeng is sincere, mindful of our bond, and sent generous betrothal gifts.” Lin Wanxing’s gaze swept over the prominently displayed gifts in the main room, her voice suddenly rising, “But last night, my parents held my hand and said, our Lin family marrying off a daughter isn’t about these things! The Gu family are martyrs’ dependents; they should be supported by everyone. How can our Lin family take so much from the Gu family, adding to the burden of martyrs’ dependents?”
She turned to her parents, whose faces were beginning to pale, her voice earnest, “Dad, Mom, isn’t that what you said? You always taught me that even if we’re poor, our spirit mustn’t be weak! We mustn’t let people point fingers behind our backs, saying our Lin family is selling our daughter.”
Wang Shufen’s mouth hung open, her throat tight, unable to utter a single word. Lin Jianguo nearly dropped his pipe, his mind buzzing.
Lin Wanxing didn’t give them a chance to react. Turning to the villagers again, she declared clearly, “So, in front of all you fellow villagers, I, Lin Wanxing, will make things clear today. My parents said all the betrothal gifts from the Gu family — including the cash, coupons, and the already purchased color TV, the ‘Three Rounds and One Sound’ — all things useful for starting a household — I should take back to the Gu family exactly as they are. Not a single cent kept, not a single item taken!”
After speaking, she seemed moved and glanced at her parents, who now looked deathly pale. “This money and these items, I will use to build a good life with Jianfeng, so that Brother Jianbin’s spirit in heaven can rest in peace.”
After a deathly silence…
“Well said!!”
Someone led the cheer, and immediately, thunderous applause and shouts of approval erupted, sweeping through the entire courtyard!
“Well spoken! The Lin family is truly righteous!”
“Wanxing, this girl, really understands what’s important! The Gu family didn’t misjudge her!”
“Lin Jianguo, Wang Shufen, you raised a fine daughter! So principled!”
“This is the awareness we poor and lower-middle peasants should have! Not like those money-grubbers!”
“The Gu family is blessed to have such a daughter-in-law!”
Praise washed over the Lin family like a tidal wave.
Wang Shufen looked at Lin Wanxing’s bright face, hearing her declare in front of everyone that she would take all the betrothal gifts back. It was more than just seeing black before her eyes.
She felt a surge of blood rushing to her head, her limbs turning cold. Pointing at Lin Wanxing, her hand trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind. But with everyone around cheering, she couldn’t utter a single word of cursing.
Lin Jianguo’s pipe clattered to the ground. He didn’t even bother to pick it up, his old face deathly pale. He watched helplessly as the bicycle, the sewing machine, the watch, the precious box containing the color TV… all seemed to grow wings, about to fly away from right before his eyes!
It felt as if a piece of his heart had been gouged out, the pain so intense he almost doubled over.
Lin Dabao and Lin Xiaoya were also stunned. They didn’t understand all the grand principles; they only knew that with their sister’s words, the bicycle he had longed for, the sewing machine she had dreamed of, that magical big color TV… were all gone!
Lin Dabao let out a wail about to burst into tears, but was quickly muffled by Lin Jianguo’s tight hand over his mouth, producing only muffled sobs. His eyes bulged like copper bells, filled with heartache and disbelief.
“Sister-in-law! Well done!”
Gu Jianfeng’s comrades-in-arms erupted in loud cheers and vigorous applause, their gazes towards Lin Wanxing full of admiration, and their looks at Gu Jianfeng brimming with envy.
“Deputy Regiment Commander, marrying such a wife, you’ve really found a treasure!”
Listening to the deafening cheers, watching the approving, admiring looks from the villagers directed at Lin Wanxing, and then looking at those precious betrothal gifts she had caressed countless times and already considered her own, Wang Shufen felt the world spinning.
She wanted to rush forward and stop them, to loudly curse Lin Wanxing, that ungrateful wretch, to snatch all those things back and lock them in the house!
But her feet seemed nailed to the ground, her throat choked by an invisible hand, unable to utter a single sound.
The surrounding praises of “righteous” and “raising a daughter well” now felt like countless loud slaps, smacking painfully across her face, burning with shame.
She could only watch helplessly as Gu Jianfeng’s comrades-in-arms, amidst cheers, began joyfully moving those items—the gleaming bicycle was wheeled away, the brand-new sewing machine was lifted up, even the red velvet box containing the Shanghai-brand watch was carefully closed and tucked into a military uniform pocket…
Each item moved felt like carving a piece of flesh from her heart. The pain made her whole body twitch, her face as pale as paper. Only her last shred of reason kept her from collapsing on the spot.
Lin Jianguo wasn’t faring any better.
Hunched over, his clouded eyes fixed on the Peony-brand color TV box being steadily lifted by two soldiers. For this thing, he had traveled dozens of miles, sprained his ankle, spent so much money and favors on the TV cabinet…
Now, all gone! All being sent back to the Gu family!
He felt his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all twisting together, the pain making it hard to breathe. His old face wrinkled like sun-dried orange peel.
“My bicycle! My bike!” Lin Dabao finally broke free from his father’s grip. Watching the bicycle being wheeled away, he let out a pig-slaughtering wail, plopping onto the ground, legs kicking wildly, tears and snot smearing his face.
“Don’t take it! That’s mine! Sis! Tell them to put it down! Put it down!”
Lin Xiaoya also snapped out of it, shrieking and crying, “The sewing machine! My new clothes! Mom! Dad! Stop them! That’s our family’s stuff!”
The two children’s wails sounded particularly jarring and ridiculous amidst the courtyard full of cheers, further grinding the Lin family’s dignity into the dirt.
Wang Shufen, anxious and furious, turned and glared fiercely at the two children, but didn’t even have the strength to scold them.
The wedding procession was finally about to depart.
Gu Jianfeng carefully helped the gorgeously dressed, radiant Lin Wanxing onto the bicycle’s rear seat.
The Forever bicycle tied with red silk was ridden by another comrade, leading the way. Following were soldiers carrying the sewing machine, holding the color TV box, carrying other miscellaneous items—all spirited, faces beaming with shared pride.
This already eye-catching wedding procession, now accompanied by these conspicuous “returned” betrothal gifts, became even more sensational, drawing the gaze of almost the entire village.
The send-off procession marched grandly towards the Gu house. Both sides of the road were crowded with villagers watching the excitement, pointing and discussing.
“Look, look! That’s the Lin family girl. Oh my, she’s so pretty!”
“Look at this grandeur! The bride is beautiful, and the betrothal gifts… wow, all taken back!”
“I told you Wanxing was a good one! Those two Lin parents really hit the jackpot having such a daughter, yet they’re still not satisfied!”
“Deputy Regiment Commander Gu really hit the jackpot this time. A wife who’s both sensible and beautiful!”
“Look at that color TV box, Peony brand! Heard it’s super expensive! The Lin family is really willing to part with it?”
“What ‘willing’? It’s their daughter Wanxing who’s principled! Not like her parents, short-sighted!”
Every comment that drifted into Wang Shufen and Lin Jianguo’s ears felt like steel needles, making their hearts bleed.
They watched those betrothal gifts that should have belonged to their Lin family, now being admired and praised by passersby. They looked at Lin Wanxing walking at the front of the procession in her dazzling bridal attire. And they listened to the endless praise for Lin Wanxing and the implicit ridicule towards them. It was like having to swallow a bitter pill—unable to voice their suffering.
Wang Shufen clenched her fists tightly, a wad of cotton lodged in her chest, leaving her so suffocated she felt as if she were about to explode.
Lin Jianguo kept his head down, not daring to meet the gazes of the passersby, feeling this journey had never been so long and torturous.
Lin Dabao and Lin Xiaoya were still sniffling softly, held tightly by Wang Shufen, but their eyes seemed glued to those treasures gradually moving away.
Meanwhile, Lin Wanxing and Gu Jianfeng walked at the very front of the wedding procession, handing out wedding candies, gentle smiles resting between their brows and eyes, as if completely unaware of the Lin family’s emotional collapse.
“Deputy Regiment Commander, Sister-in-law, look over here!”
A quick-witted comrade held up a rare Seagull camera of that era. Click! He captured the moment—the newlyweds bathed in sunlight on the village road, running toward their happy future.
Behind them followed the procession laden with betrothal gifts, accompanied by the villagers’ envious and well-wishing gazes along the road. Together, they formed the most unforgettable wedding scene of the summer of 1978 in the Red Star Production Brigade.