Before their wedding, the two of them agreed on a time and went together to the county town.
Jiang Jiyuan specially borrowed a bicycle from the production team leader’s family.
When Song Yunqiao saw the bicycle, her eyes visibly lit up. Jiang Jiyuan knew he had made the right choice borrowing it.
It couldn’t be blamed that Song Yunqiao’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the bicycle—transportation options were very limited at the time. Most people relied on walking, and the county town was quite far away.
“Did you eat breakfast? I boiled an egg for you.”
Song Yunqiao took a boiled egg out of her cloth bag.
Jiang Jiyuan felt warmth in his heart. Every time, she would bring him something tasty—not eggs, then biscuits.
“I’ve eaten. You should keep this egg for yourself.”
“I’ve already eaten. I’ll just keep it in the bag for now—you can eat it later.”
Besides the egg, Song Yunqiao also had biscuits in her bag. The journey was long, and she was afraid she’d get hungry and unable to continue walking, so she had prepared some food.
Song Yunqiao sat on the back seat while Jiang Jiyuan rode the bicycle carrying her.
As they left the village, many people saw them.
Someone said, “Those two look quite well-matched.”
Another immediately responded coldly, “What’s the use of just looking well-matched? Life still has to be lived properly.”
..
When they arrived at the county town, it was almost noon. Jiang Jiyuan first parked the bicycle for storage, and Song Yunqiao took out her water bottle for him to drink and rehydrate.
If it had been before, Jiang Jiyuan would have refused, but now he hesitated for a moment and took it. He knew it was Song Yunqiao’s usual water bottle, so he didn’t touch the mouth of the bottle while drinking.
Song Yunqiao noticed this and felt her impression of him improve a little.
After drinking, Jiang Jiyuan felt very comfortable, and his fatigue eased significantly.
Song Yunqiao said, “Let’s eat first, then go shopping.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Jiyuan nodded and took her to the state-run restaurant.
He let Song Yunqiao order. She ordered a bowl of noodles, and he also ordered noodles plus a meat dish. He originally wanted to order more, but Song Yunqiao stopped him—they couldn’t finish that much with just the two of them.
“You’re too thin. You should eat more,” Jiang Jiyuan said.
Song Yunqiao looked at herself. Indeed, she had lost weight recently. The food had almost no oil, so it was natural she had become thinner. Although she occasionally fried eggs for herself, living under the same roof with many people made things inconvenient.
In fact, not only Song Yunqiao, but the newly arrived educated youth had also all lost weight.
After eating, the two of them went to the department store.
Over two hours later, they walked out side by side, Jiang Jiyuan carrying several large and small bags.
Song Yunqiao looked at him and asked, “Did we buy too much?”
“Not much,” Jiang Jiyuan replied without hesitation.
They had spent several dozen yuan. The most expensive item was a dress. When Song Yunqiao heard the price, she didn’t want to buy it, but Jiang Jiyuan paid without hesitation. The sales clerk immediately smiled broadly—customers like him were rare.
Hearing his actions, Song Yunqiao felt happy. At least it seemed that Jiang Jiyuan was willing to spend money on her, which was much better than men who only made empty promises.
They then went to the food supply store to buy some groceries. After finishing their shopping, they returned to the village. Before that, Song Yunqiao asked Jiang Jiyuan to take her to the town to pick up a parcel sent by her uncle.
Jiang Jiyuan dropped Song Yunqiao off at the educated youth dormitory before heading home.
When the other educated youths saw Song Yunqiao carrying several bags, they were very curious. Both male and female youths were curious, but no one asked. If Ma Xiaoping had still been there, she would definitely have come over to inquire.
“Xiaoqiao, have you really decided to marry Jiang Jiyuan?” asked He Suxia.
She felt it was a pity for Song Yunqiao to marry him.
Although they hadn’t known each other long, their relationship was good. Song Yunqiao knew she was genuinely concerned.
“I’ve decided. Jiang Jiyuan looks a bit serious usually, but he’s actually a good person,” Song Yunqiao replied.
He Suxia didn’t know what else to say, her face full of worry.
Smiling, Song Yunqiao took out a handful of fruit candies and put them in her hand. “You’ll be the first person to eat my wedding candy.”
Seeing this, He Suxia put aside her worries and could only offer her blessings.
..
Soon, the day of Song Yunqiao and Jiang Jiyuan’s wedding arrived.
Jiang Jiyuan rode the production team leader’s bicycle to the educated youth dormitory to pick her up.
He wasn’t alone—many people came along just to join the excitement.
Song Yunqiao had already washed up, dressed, and was waiting.
It was a joyous day, so she put on simple makeup and styled her hair neatly. She wore the red dress she bought in the county town, looking even more radiant.
When An Yanyan saw her that morning, she was stunned for a second. She hadn’t expected Song Yunqiao to be so beautiful. But thinking she was marrying a rural farmer, she only felt pity.
When Jiang Jiyuan saw her, he froze completely. He knew she was pretty—but not this beautiful.
Song Yunqiao was very nervous. It was her first marriage—almost a “flash marriage”—and they had no emotional foundation. She felt both nervous and uneasy.
But when she saw Jiang Jiyuan, she suddenly felt much calmer. When she noticed his intense gaze, her cheeks warmed slightly.
When Jiang Jiyuan carried her out of the room, everyone was stunned again.
Song Yunqiao was stunning—so beautiful that people couldn’t look away.
Even Gu Guanghua was momentarily dazed, which made An Yanyan furious.
Jiang Jiyuan rode the bicycle, carrying Song Yunqiao back to the Jiang family home.
Someone sighed, “Goodness, what luck does that Jiang boy have? He actually married a fairy-like wife!”
Another said, “With a wife like that, I could even eat an extra bowl of rice!”
Someone laughed, “Sure you can—do you even have extra rice at home?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Soon they arrived at the Jiang house. Jiang Jiyuan carried her into the room, and the production team leader said a few auspicious words, and the ceremony was basically finished.
Jiang Jiyuan’s father had originally migrated here during a famine, so the Jiang family had no relatives in the village. As for Ji Peilan, her parents had only had her as a daughter and had long passed away, leaving her without relatives as well.
The only attendees were a few neighbors who were close to Ji Peilan and the production team leader’s family.
After lunch and cleaning up, everyone gradually left.