Meanwhile, over on Su Yi and Gu Chenye’s side, the two of them were completely wrapped up in each other, living sweetly and carefree. Every day, Su Yi looked radiant, and her dealings at the black market were thriving. Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help feeling a bit envious—is this what it’s like to be the heroine with plot armor? She even secretly thought, enjoy it while you can—just wait until Gu Chenye’s childhood sweetheart shows up. Let’s see how you handle that mess.
As if sensing something, Su Yi glanced at Hu Jiao Jiao. Feeling guilty, Hu Jiao Jiao rubbed her nose and gave a weak smile. In her mind, a little voice sighed in relief: Good thing I didn’t actually say that out loud. I’m just a little jealous… and a little curious for the drama. What she didn’t know was that when that childhood sweetheart eventually arrived, she would become Hu Jiao Jiao’s admirer—but that’s a story for later.
Seeing that Cheng Chen also seemed lost in thought—and with everyone else already back in their rooms—Hu Jiao Jiao suddenly blurted out, without thinking, “How about we get married?”
“What did you say?” Cheng Chen was so startled he nearly stumbled. He quickly grabbed the doorframe for support, then slowly walked over to the big tree in the yard and leaned against it, as if that could hide his flustered state and shaky legs.
The two stood there in silence. Hu Jiao Jiao herself hadn’t thought it through before speaking. Yet the more they considered it, the more it seemed like a viable solution. Both of them were already eighteen—the legal age for marriage.
“What do you think? Why didn’t I think of such a good idea earlier? If we get married, you won’t be harassed anymore, and I can avoid all this trouble too,” Hu Jiao Jiao said excitedly.
“How can marriage be treated so casually…” Cheng Chen replied hesitantly.
“Then what else can we do? How do you plan to solve this? Are you going to give in to Wu Qing and become the accountant’s live-in son-in-law? Honestly, that’d be worse than the two of us just making do together,” Hu Jiao Jiao said. After that, silence fell between them again. Cheng Chen’s face flushed red, full of inner conflict. Deep down, he was actually willing—he had some feelings for Hu Jiao Jiao—but he didn’t want to drag someone else into trouble just to escape his own.
“After we get married, we can find a small place and move out. It’ll be more convenient to do whatever we want. If you’re not willing, we can divorce after we’re allowed to return to the city. That way, it won’t hold you back,” Hu Jiao Jiao added, seeing his hesitation.
“I didn’t say I’m unwilling. If we get married, how could we divorce? Marriage is for a lifetime…” Cheng Chen muttered.
“So you agree?” Hu Jiao Jiao didn’t quite catch his last sentence and asked again.
“I agree,” Cheng Chen said, blushing.
“Great—let’s go find the team leader now to get an introduction letter. Tomorrow morning, we’ll register the marriage. We’ll figure out the rest after that,” Hu Jiao Jiao said decisively, already heading back to the educated youth station, not even noticing Cheng Chen opening and closing his mouth behind her, still stunned.
Back at the station, they grabbed two packs of cigarettes and some brown sugar as gifts, then headed straight to the team leader’s house. Since it was already dark, no one paid them much attention.
At the door, Hu Jiao Jiao lowered her voice. “Team leader? Are you home?”
“Yes, who is it?” came Aunt Wang’s voice. She opened the door and let them in. Before she could react, something had already been pressed into her hands.
“Team leader, we’re here to ask for an introduction letter. We plan to register our marriage tomorrow,” Hu Jiao Jiao said quickly.
Team Leader Wu puffed on his pipe. “What’s this? It hasn’t been long, and you’re already getting married?”
“Well, we actually knew each other before. We were classmates. Later, Cheng Chen went to Beijing with his family, and who would’ve thought we’d meet again after coming to the countryside? It feels like fate, so we want to become revolutionary partners. Please help us with the introduction letter,” she said, placing the cigarettes on the table.
“What’s this for? Just for an introduction letter, you don’t need to bring gifts,” Team Leader Wu said, though his eyes lingered on the cigarettes. With grain deliveries coming up, having cigarettes could be quite useful—but he hesitated to accept them.
“This is wedding tobacco—just to share some joy,” Hu Jiao Jiao said with a smile.
Hearing that, Team Leader Wu waved his pipe, his face breaking into a grin. “You little girl…”
He went out to the front room to prepare the letter. Meanwhile, Hu Jiao Jiao turned to Aunt Wang. “Auntie, since we’re getting married, it’s not convenient to live together at the youth station. Are there any suitable houses in the village? It doesn’t have to be big—just enough for the two of us.”
Aunt Wang thought it over. There weren’t really any empty houses—until she suddenly remembered an old family property not far from the youth station. It was a bit run-down: one heated room, a small main room, and a makeshift shed outside for a kitchen. The yard, though, was fairly spacious.
“There is a place, but it’s quite shabby…” she said hesitantly.
“I know that one—it’s fine. Could you help clean it up? How much would you charge per year?” Hu Jiao Jiao asked.
“Well, it’ll need fixing up, but since it’s just sitting empty… how about three yuan a year?” Aunt Wang suggested.
“How about this—I’ll give five yuan a year. The yard has a well, right? Could you help fix that up too? And maybe build a toilet and tidy up the kitchen area,” Hu Jiao Jiao said frankly.
At first, it sounded like a lot of work, but five yuan a year was a good deal. Fixing it up would benefit their own property anyway, and having people live there would keep it from falling further into disrepair. With leftover materials at home, it wouldn’t take long.
“Alright, I’ll accept it then,” Aunt Wang said with a smile.
Just then, Team Leader Wu returned with the introduction letter. “What are you agreeing to?”
Aunt Wang explained the rental arrangement. He didn’t object, simply handing the letter to Hu Jiao Jiao. “Once you’re married, live your life well.”
Hu Jiao Jiao took the letter, thanked him briefly, and left.
After they stepped out, Team Leader Wu took a few more puffs of his pipe and said quietly, “Keep an eye on them in the future. I think Dewang has been a bit too indulgent with his daughter.” He didn’t say more, but it was clear—he understood they were trying to avoid trouble with the accountant’s family, and this marriage was their way out.