Huo Xiao set off at one o’clock in the afternoon.
There wasn’t enough time to prepare a lavish meal, but making dumplings was perfectly feasible.
Coincidentally, northerners have a fondness for dumplings, considering them essential for both welcoming and farewell occasions.
So while Huo Xiao went to pack his luggage, Lin Ting divided tasks with her mother-in-law.
As for the little one who had been tearful just moments ago, he was now happily riding his recent favorite toy horse, gleefully shouting “giddy-up”—truly carefree.
In contrast, Miao Miao was much calmer. Give her a piece of paper and another pen, and she could draw contentedly for a long time.
Lin Ting thought to herself that colored crayons should be available for purchase in Tianjing. Since the little girl enjoyed drawing, perhaps she could nurture this interest…
“…Time flies so fast, it feels like just a blink.”
Lin Ting found that the dumpling wrappers and rolling pin seemed to defy her control—the wrappers she rolled out were often uneven and rarely round. Thus, she opted for filling the dumplings instead. Hearing her mother-in-law’s sigh, she glanced up, assuming she was reluctant to see Huo Xiao leave: “Didn’t you agree to join him in the army later? Once you’re there, he’ll be under your watch every day. You might even find him annoying then.”
Hu Xiu beamed with joy, touched by her son and daughter-in-law’s filial piety: “It’s not that. I just feel how time waits for no one. In the blink of an eye, my youngest brother has already become a grandfather, and I still don’t know if I… cough…”
“Did you choke? Are you alright?”
Hu Xiu, who had nearly let something slip, turned her head to cough behind her hand and waved off her daughter-in-law’s offer to pour tea: “I’m fine… cough… I’m just craving dumplings.”
Hearing this, Lin Ting teased: “Then you should eat more.”
“I certainly will. But when it comes to dumplings, leek and pork filling is the most flavorful.”
“I love that too. Once we move to Tianjing, we’ll just in time catch the spring leek planting season. We can grow several batches… I don’t know how to grow these things at all. Luckily, Mom agreed to come along.”
Hearing this, Hu Xiu—who had never left the county town in her life and felt both eager and anxious about the new environment—immediately blossomed into a smile: “We’ll plant them. I’ll grow whatever you want to eat.”
Lin Ting curved her lips: “But that won’t do.”
“Why not?”
“You’re already the best mother-in-law in the world. Shouldn’t we keep a low profile? When the time comes, I’ll work alongside you. Wouldn’t that let me share in the good reputation?”
“Haha… You and your sweet talk, always trying to coax me.”This isn’t coaxing.” My mother said this morning that you’re one of the rare reasonable people in the world and told me to be filial to you.”
“Oh my, that’s too much…”
In the east room, Huo Xiao packed while pricking up his ears to listen to his mother and wife bantering.
A smile gradually warmed his eyes at the playful tone in their conversation.
But that smile soon froze into ice.
Huo Xiao strode to the back window, swiftly lifted the latch, and shoved the window open. He looked down to scrutinize the unfamiliar woman crouching on the ground.
Ever since her last makeup incident, Wang Xiuqin had been severely scolded by her parents.
Later, they firmly concluded that her dressing up was for Chen Yingjun from the Shanghe Production Brigade accountant’s family, keeping a close watch on her.
In her previous life, Wang Xiuqin had indeed desperately married Chen Yingjun, only to suffer bitterly her entire life.
Knowing it was a pit of fire in this life, how could she possibly jump into it again?
She wanted to marry Huo Xiao; she wanted to be an official’s wife and live in comfort!
But she couldn’t say this outright. After all, that wretched woman Lin Ting—who knew what was wrong with her? Wang Xiuqin had waited until her eyes were sore and even sent threatening letters, yet the woman simply refused to leave.
In recent days, Wang Xiuqin had not been without other schemes.
But no matter what she considered, she felt there were flaws, so she thought to deliberate further.
Little did she expect that plans would not keep up with changes.
Hearing from her parents’ casual chat this morning that Huo Xiao was returning to the Troop today, Wang Xiuqin could no longer sit still.
She gave her younger brother Er Mao some money to lure their parents away, seized the chance to slip out herself, and headed straight for the Huo residence.
Once soldiers leave, it’s often for years—who knows when they’ll return next?
At twenty years old, if she didn’t marry soon, she’d be considered an old maid; she couldn’t afford to wait.
But… that wretched woman Lin Ting refused to leave. Was she supposed to chase after him and become the other woman?
She didn’t dare!
Yet, giving up a life of wealth and comfort was something she couldn’t accept.
In truth, this resentment had been simmering inside her for quite some time.
It started when Lin Ting returned to the village and ruined her prospects of a wealthy future.
By now, it had even gradually festered into hatred.
She resented that Lin Ting could openly live a good life.
She hated that Lin Ting hadn’t run far away like in her previous life.
On the way to the Huo family, these bitter thoughts even stirred dark intentions in Wang Xiuqin.
She would directly tell Huo Xiao that Lin Ting was a wicked woman—that in her past life, after running away, she never returned.
As for herself, success or failure didn’t matter anymore. As long as that wretched Lin Ting couldn’t enjoy a good life, she wouldn’t consider it a loss; it would feel like vindication.
But her fervor was quickly doused by a bone-chilling fear.
When she reached the vicinity of the Huo residence, she couldn’t take that final step.
She didn’t dare!
She was afraid of dying!
Having been given a second chance at life, what if she was labeled a monster?
The more she thought, the more terrified she became; the more terrified, the more hesitant.
Yet… she couldn’t bring herself to simply give up.
So, torn between choices, she had just crouched and shuffled to the back window where she’d left the letter last time when she was caught red-handed.
Truthfully, aside from childhood, Wang Xiuqin had never actually seen Huo Xiao.
She’d only heard in her past life, during a visit to her parents’ home, that he had become a high-ranking official.
But no one had told her that the gaze of a high official could be so terrifying!
It felt as if it could strip bare all her petty schemes and shame.
Wang Xiuqin, who had never left her town in her entire life and whose highest exposure to authority was the village Party secretary, couldn’t withstand such intensity.
Instantly, she felt both guilty and terrified, scrambling to flee without a second thought of her original purpose.
Seeing this, Huo Xiao wouldn’t allow it. He vaulted through the window and gave chase.
Within a few strides, he had pinned her down in the snow.
Wang Xiuqin’s cheek was pressed hard into the snowdrift. Before she could fully regain her senses, she instinctively opened her mouth to scream.
“Shut up!” Huo Xiao growled.
Wang Xiuqin clamped her mouth shut reflexively, then realized her predicament and began struggling again. “I’m not a bad person! Let me go! I… I’m the eldest daughter of Wang Liujin from the village! You… you can’t arrest me! What? Am I not even allowed to pass by your house…”
Huo Xiao couldn’t be bothered to argue. He didn’t release her but first closed the window, then hauled her farther away before stating firmly, “You’re the one who left that letter last time!”
Thrown to the ground, Wang Xiuqin—who had been blustering threats—suddenly looked as if her throat had been squeezed shut. Her face filled with horror, completely stunned that Lin Ting had dared to tell Huo Xiao about the letter.
“Denying it is useless. I can confirm it from the handwriting. If you don’t talk, I’ll send you to a labor camp!”
Wang Xiuqin was utterly terrified. Her usual talent for quarreling and cursing in the streets completely failed her now. Unaware that military personnel had no direct authority to arrest civilians, and that Huo Xiao was merely bluffing, she stammered for a long while before vaguely admitting her desire to drive away Lin Ting and become Huo Xiao’s wife.
Of course, she now regretted it bitterly.
Had she known Huo Xiao would appear so fierce, like a wrathful deity, how could she have dared to entertain such thoughts?
Huo Xiao watched Wang Xiuqin, her face streaked with tears and snot like a madwoman, and twitched his lips before asking, “The letter said you knew Tingting wasn’t going to the troop?”
She absolutely couldn’t admit she had been reborn. Wang Xiuqin told herself inwardly, “I was just… just trying to scare her.”
She thought she had it all figured out, but she had no idea Huo Xiao had seen through her act instantly.
Sure enough, after a few rounds of threats and intimidation, the inexperienced Wang Xiuqin quickly collapsed to the ground, spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube.
Finally, she covered her face and sobbed about her miserable fate, insisting she had never intended to harm anyone, and even lamenting that it would have been better not to have been reborn at all.
Meanwhile, Huo Xiao felt a cold sweat break out on his back, shocked by the unbelievable revelations from Wang Xiuqin.
How could someone possibly live a second lifetime?
At first, he refused to believe it.
But as Wang Xiuqin revealed the exact death date of the great leader, the fact that the Dragon and Phoenix Twins weren’t biologically his, and the upcoming “Tiananmen” storm that would span nearly a decade…
One revelation after another left him no choice but to believe.
After a long while, finally suppressing the shock raging within him, Huo Xiao asked in a hoarse voice, “You’re saying… according to your memories from your previous life, after Tingting left last time, she never came back?”
Wang Xiuqin seemed completely drained, exuding an air of reckless despair: “…Yes.”
Receiving this confirmation, Huo Xiao clenched his hands at his sides again, his lips pressed into a tighter line.
Had he not met Tingting in person or spent time closely with her, Huo Xiao might have assumed the worst about her.
But now, he was certain—Tingting wasn’t that kind of person.
Her respect for his mother and her genuine affection for the Dragon and Phoenix Twins couldn’t be faked. Huo Xiao trusted his ability to discern that much.
So, in her previous life… had something happened to her?
The thought made his chest tighten with a dull ache.
Then he felt immensely grateful—at least, at least Tingting was safe and sound now.
As for Wang Xiuqin… she couldn’t simply be released. The events she knew were far too critical.
She clearly couldn’t keep secrets well; if anyone noticed something off and applied a little persuasion, she’d spill everything.
Before leaving, he needed to hand her over to Old Hu.
The organization wouldn’t harm her, but for at least the next decade, she would have to live under surveillance.
Moreover, some of the information she disclosed, if handled properly…
Right… before handing her over for interrogation, he needed to clear Tingting’s name.
With this in mind, Huo Xiao lowered his gaze again. “Have you ever considered that if what you said about your previous life is true, then Tingting might have… met with misfortune, which is why she never returned.”
Wang Xiuqin, who had never thought of it that way and had only relied on hearsay, suddenly stopped crying. She looked up, stunned, and stared at him blankly.
After a long moment, as if finally grasping the meaning behind Huo Xiao’s words, Wang Xiuqin—who blamed Lin Ting entirely for her own miserable state—burst into cheerful laughter again, muttering incessantly: “That’s fine too… wonderful, she died earlier than me… as long as she died before me…”
Huo Xiao instantly furrowed his brow, bent down to haul her up again, and first delivered her to the brigade headquarters, asking Old Secretary to keep an eye on her for now.
With one less person in the village, an explanation was necessary.
Thus, this matter couldn’t be hidden from Old Secretary, and his intervention was needed to console the family.
As for himself, he had to make another trip to the commune to borrow a phone and notify Old Hu to come pick her up.
By the time Huo Xiao returned from town,
it was already half past twelve.
Meaning he only had half an hour left.
Both Lin Ting and Hu Xiu assumed he had been handling work matters and didn’t ask further, simply hurrying to start the meal.
The dumplings were filled with cabbage and pork, and there were two meat dishes on the table, all sent over by Third Aunt Zhang Meihua.
Huo Xiao ate quickly, though he kept glancing at his wife beside him.
After several such instances, Hu Xiu even considered taking her bowl to hide in the kitchen to eat.
Lin Ting also felt overwhelmed, her ears turning red as she swiftly picked up her chopsticks to put a few pieces of meat in his bowl, unable to bear it any longer as she chided, “Eat more.”
Seeing his wife’s annoyance, Huo Xiao restrained himself a little.
But soon, as if remembering something, he looked at her and asked, “Have you ever thought about attending Worker-Peasant-Soldier University?”
“Ah?” Lin Ting was caught off guard by her husband’s sudden question. “Why ask that all of a sudden?”
Because, given his wife’s past diligence in her studies, she should have regretted not obtaining a university diploma.
Truth be told, when universities suspended classes the year before last, many politically sensitive individuals understood it was only temporary, as the country’s development relied on talent.
But Huo Xiao had just learned from Wang Xiuqin that even nine years later, in the first half of 1977, universities still hadn’t reopened.
So he thought perhaps he could help Tingting secure a spot at a Worker-Peasant-Soldier University.
Lin Ting: “I don’t want to go.”
Unexpected! Huo Xiao hadn’t anticipated his wife’s resolute stance. “Aren’t you regretful about not having a university diploma?”
Lin Ting responded poetically: “I am, but life is full of twists and turns. Besides, I’d rather be a teacher. My current qualifications are sufficient, aren’t they?”
In truth, she felt that in the coming decade, no place would be safer than the troops, and she somewhat looked down on the inflated value of a Worker-Peasant-Soldier University diploma.
Unaware of his wife’s concerns and disdain, Huo Xiao was actually pleased once he confirmed she truly had no desire to attend the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University.
Though he had spoken selflessly earlier, deep down, who wouldn’t want the warmth of a wife, children, and a cozy kang?
Thus, a smile spread across his face. “Your qualifications are enough to teach high school.”
Lin Ting was surprised. “The troops have a high school?”
Huo Xiao: “The new unit only has a middle school.”
“Then I’ll try for a middle school teaching position later.”
“That’s good.” Far better than teaching high school in the city and only seeing each other once a week.
Sitting across from them, Hu Xiu began to show a look of disdain by the end… She had thought her son was staring at his wife out of reluctance to part, but it was just this?
At the entrance of Xiangyang Brigade,
Director Hu came alone to pick up Wang Xiuqin, bringing no one else.
After collecting her, seeing that it was about time, he waited for a while by the main road at the village entrance.
Sure enough, amidst the vast expanse of snow, familiar figures soon came into view.
He cast a cold glance at Wang Xiuqin, who was bound hand and foot, gagged, and slumped dejectedly in the back seat, making sure she wouldn’t cause any trouble before getting out to help Huo Xiao secure the bicycle to the roof of the car.
Neither of them was in a hurry to speak.
Only after the bicycle was firmly fixed did Director Hu, taking a drag from the cigarette in his mouth and exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, ask vaguely, “Want one?”
Huo Xiao rarely smoked and had no real addiction to it, but thinking of the series of troubles Wang Xiuqin had brought and the image of his mother and wife seeing him off from afar, he finally replied, “Sure.”
Director Hu pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket and tossed it over.
Huo Xiao took one out, turned his head to shield it from the wind, cupped his hands around a match to light the cigarette, and took a deep drag. Only then did the complex emotions weighing on his heart ease slightly.
Seeing this, Director Hu chuckled and asked, “Looks like you’re reluctant to leave your wife, huh?”
Leaning against the car, Huo Xiao squinted toward the direction of his home and didn’t deny it. “I am.”
Director Hu was taken aback, then burst into laughter. “Hey! It’s only been a few days… So even you have a day like this! The hero’s spirit runs short, eh? I remember someone who used to brush off every matchmaker trying to set him up.”
Huo Xiao let him tease, took one last distant look at the village, then turned and got into the passenger seat. “Let’s go.”
At most, in a month, he would bring them to Tianjing for a reunion.
Director Hu said, “Alright, I’ll take you to the train station later. We’ll use the saved time to discuss how to handle this mess properly… Ah, what a mess this is.”
“…Deal.”
Every time Huo Xiao left, Hu Xiu would feel down for several days.
This time, knowing they would reunite in about a month, her emotions were much more stable.
Of course, it could also be said that she had little time to grieve.
Because barely twenty minutes after Huo Xiao’s departure, Chen Guilan rushed over with Da Nier, fuming with rage.
It was only then that Lin Ting learned that Chen Guilan, unable to let go of that blind date prospect, had secretly taken her daughter to meet him earlier that morning.
As for why she was now so furious and cursing nonstop, it was because not only had the blind date failed, but the five yuan she had tucked away had also been stolen by the blind date.
The situation was so absurd that after the initial shock, Lin Ting couldn’t help but ask, “How can you be sure it was the blind date who stole the money, Second Aunt? What if you just dropped it?”
Hu Xiu, meanwhile, hugged the teary-eyed Da Nier to comfort her and snapped at her sister-in-law, “Didn’t Xiao say he wasn’t suitable? Why did you still go? Look how upset the child is!”
“It must have been him! We met under that big locust tree in town, and there was no one else around. When Da Nier said she didn’t want to be with him, he bumped into me, and afterward, the money was gone.” Chen Guilan couldn’t bother with anything else at the moment; her mind was fixated on those five yuan. Right now, all she wanted was for her nephew to take charge.
In her view, her eldest nephew looked imposing and capable, and as a military officer, even the son of some workshop director wouldn’t dare cross him. He had to make the thief return the money. In her entire life, Chen Guilan felt she had never suffered such a great loss.
It was five yuan!
No, wait—she deserved compensation on top of that!
At least two cans of orange jam!
Or yellow peach would do…
Hearing her demands, Hu Xiu felt like hitting someone and retorted irritably, “Xiao has already returned to the Troop.”
“What? So soon?” Chen Guilan felt as if struck by lightning, her entire world collapsing.
Hu Xiu rarely got angry, but now she slapped the table. “What do you mean ‘what’? Would I lie to you?”
Seeing her sister-in-law’s fury, Chen Guilan shrank back, belatedly feeling a bit scared. Still, she couldn’t help explaining, “I’m not selling my daughter! It’s all for Da Nier’s own good. If she can marry into the city and avoid farm work, wouldn’t that be a lifetime of comfort? So what if the man’s short? Once the lights are out, all men are the same…”
“Watch your mouth! Da Nier is still an unmarried girl!” Hu Xiu was truly tempted to hit her.
Lin Ting, who had Miao Miao sitting on her lap, instinctively covered the little one’s ears, thinking to herself that she and Miao Miao were both unmarried girls too.
With her eldest nephew back in the Troop and too intimidated to confront the city folk herself, Chen Guilan felt both frustrated and heartbroken over the lost 5 yuan. Holding her head, she kept muttering, “It must have been that short bastard who stole it. I checked my pocket every few minutes. It was gone right after I saw him. Who else could it be? That was 5 whole yuan! Enough to buy several jin of pork…”
Seeing her like this, Hu Xiu felt both angry and sympathetic. She was about to offer to cover the 5 yuan when she saw her daughter-in-law shake her head at her.
Though puzzled, Hu Xiu followed the other’s cue and swallowed her words. Instead, she asked Da Nier what had really happened.
At this, Da Nier’s eyes reddened again—today, she had been genuinely hurt by her mother.
The girl who used to blush when speaking to anyone now found her words flowing rapidly from anger: “Mom didn’t tell me the specifics about that man. She just said he was from the city, had a state job, and was a middle school graduate. But when we met… he was at least half a head shorter than me! I wasn’t happy about it, but Mom insisted I should give him a chance because he’s a good man. She made me talk to him alone. We hadn’t even exchanged two sentences when he asked if I’d ever been in a relationship before, if I’d ever… ever sneaked into the woods with a man. He said to be his family’s daughter-in-law, you not only need to be thrifty and manage the household well, but you also have to be… pure. He said I was too thin and short, that my… my butt was too small, afraid I couldn’t bear sons. He said he’d offer at most 8 yuan in bride price…”
He had even tried to hold her hand, but she had dodged him. She couldn’t bring herself to say that part out loud, afraid people would misunderstand and think she was flirtatious.
Just remembering it now made the young girl tremble with rage.
“What nonsense! Who said you’re too small to bear sons? I’m five or six centimeters shorter than you, and I still had three sons! All of them tall!” Chen Guilan, who had just been thinking about playing pitiful to maybe get some compensation from her sister-in-law, instantly jumped up again, hands on her hips, cursing angrily.
Lin Ting was speechless. So her aunt-in-law had only latched onto that one point? Da Nier was truly unlucky.
With an unreliable mother and a sensible mother-in-law now rendered speechless by Aunt Chen’s antics, Lin Ting stepped in to comfort her: “Don’t be angry, Da Nier. Let’s just consider it stepping in dog poop. How about I find someone to beat him up for you later?”
Hearing this, Hu Xiu—remembering how her son had recently beaten up that reactionary from the town Commune who tried to touch her daughter-in-law—felt a bit better too: “Yes, your elder sister-in-law is right. Someone like that isn’t worth getting angry over. We’ll find someone to teach him a lesson later.”
Chen Guilan leaned in: “What about the money…”
Hu Xiu had already figured out why her daughter-in-law didn’t want her to compensate, so she pulled a long face and scolded, “No money! That 5 yuan is your lesson learned.”
Chen Guilan was unwilling to accept it and quickly said, “I’ve already learned my lesson, sister-in-law. Look, in such a short time, I’ve already developed blisters on my lips.”
Hu Xiu had a gentle disposition and was willing to appropriately assist her two younger brothers-in-law’s families. After all, during the years she had been widowed and raising her child, she had genuinely received considerable care from both families. However, this did not mean she had no boundaries.
Especially after hearing Da Nier’s tearful account, she hardened her heart and asked, “Now do you understand that good and bad people shouldn’t be distinguished by whether they’re from the city or the countryside?”
Chen Guilan certainly knew this, but some deeply ingrained notions couldn’t be changed overnight. So even though she didn’t talk back this time, her expression still showed clear disapproval.
Evidently, even after this lesson, she still thought everything about the city was wonderful.
Seeing this, Hu Xiu immediately lost her patience and pointed toward the door: “Get out, get out! Seeing you makes me angry. Go back quickly.”
Lin Ting added, “Let Da Nier stay with us for a few days. She can teach sister-in-law how to make Layered Soles.”
Da Nier might have been trapped in the village without much worldly experience—naive but not stupid. She naturally understood that her elder cousin’s wife was afraid she’d be punished by her mother if she went back.
So, though feeling somewhat embarrassed, she shyly agreed.
Evening.
Hu Xiu habitually slept with the twins.
So Da Nier slept with Lin Ting.
The young girl lay under the covers watching her elder cousin’s wife sitting at the dressing table tending to her waist-length hair, thinking to herself how beautiful and gentle sister-in-law was. She wished she could grow up to be just as wonderful.
Lin Ting could clearly feel the girl’s straightforward gaze. She put down her comb, gathered all her hair behind her back, and got up to climb onto the Kang.
After lying down on the outer side, she asked, “I’ve been calling you Da Nier all this time, but I still don’t know your actual name.”
“My formal name is Huo Nini.” Da Nier’s face flushed slightly. Lying shoulder to shoulder, she noticed that her elder cousin’s wife smelled fragrant all over—like Xuehua Gao, yet not quite.
Though she also valued cleanliness and had no lice on her body or hair, she had never used Xuehua Gao before. Feeling somewhat self-conscious, she shifted further toward the inner side of the bed.
Lin Ting sincerely praised, “That’s a lovely name.”
Da Nier looked puzzled. Was ‘Ni’ really lovely? Combined with her surname, it sounded like ‘mixing mud.’ Besides, wasn’t ‘Ni’ what every family called their daughters? Thinking this, she voiced her question, adding enviously, “Third Uncle’s daughter Furong has a much prettier name. It was chosen by Auntie.”
“Nini is nice too—it means cute and clever.” It wasn’t that Furong sounded bad, but in this era, Huo Nini was rather special.
Thinking of this, Lin Ting couldn’t help feeling grateful that her original self and her elder sister Lin Xiang had names chosen by the village’s barefoot doctor, named after medicinal herbs.
Much more refined than the names of the three brothers Lin Ming, Lin Wei, and Lin Hong.
Having never known her name represented cuteness and cleverness, Da Nier felt warmth in her heart. She thought her elder cousin’s wife, though beautiful and educated, was still very approachable.
Unable to resist, she ventured to ask some girlish thoughts: “Elder cousin’s wife, do you think marriage is good?”
Lin Ting snapped back to attention and turned to look at the girl: “Were you scared by today’s matchmaking candidate?”
Da Nier lowered her eyelashes and murmured uncomfortably, “A little.”
It seemed similar to her own experience. In her previous life, when Lin Ting first entered university, she tried dating someone—a campus heartthrob, no less.
He seemed decent enough. Their first date was at noon; he asked her out for a meal, then mentioned stopping by his place afterward to pick something up.
Back then, she was only 19, sheltered by her parents and brother, completely naive. She didn’t catch the underlying meaning and foolishly went along.
Unexpectedly, upon reaching the destination, the man started getting handsy, frightening Lin Ting so much that she burst into tears while slapping him hard across the face before fleeing the scene.
The scare was so severe that throughout her four years of university, whenever any male classmate pursued her, she couldn’t help but view them as trash.
As she grew older, she became busy preparing for graduate school entrance exams. When she finally became a teacher, she thought she had achieved liberation.
Little did she expect the endless trivial matters as a newcomer would consume her time. Even with a mature mindset and understanding that men could be good or bad, she simply had no time to date.
Of course, a major factor was that future society would be far more tolerant – whether to marry or not was something Lin Ting left entirely to fate.
Plus, with her older brother still unmarried at 30, their parents’ pressure mostly focused on him instead.
But… that was in the future.
In current society, an unmarried woman could be drowned in gossip and criticism.
Though Lin Ting believed herself more resilient than Da Nier, she still didn’t dare take such risks lightly, let alone such a gentle-tempered young girl?
As for advising others against marriage… better not go there.
Thinking this, the equally inexperienced Lin Ting answered honestly: “I don’t really know whether marriage is good or not either. After all, I’ve only known your cousin for a few days. But so far we get along quite well – your cousin is responsible, dependable, even-tempered, family-oriented, has stable income, and my mother-in-law is wonderful, which is very important. Also, your cousin is quite handsome…”
Huh? The more she spoke, the more Lin Ting felt like she’d stumbled upon an incredible bargain?
After all, someone like Huo Xiao would undoubtedly be considered god-tier husband material even in future times, right?
Though her sister-in-law hadn’t said anything particularly embarrassing, the 17-year-old girl inexplicably blushed, finally whispering like a mosquito’s hum after a long pause: “…Eldest sister-in-law must really like eldest brother.”
Lin Ting… What’s with you Huo family members, from the youngest to the oldest?