Chapter 40
Lin Xixi, relying on her status as a reborn person, looked down on the people of this era, but she dared not slight her own uncle and aunt.
Because in the previous half of her life, her uncle was the only relative from her maternal side she could hold her head up with.
The little bit of dignity she held at her in-laws’ home was almost entirely provided by her uncle.
Her aunt was very virtuous; naturally, she couldn’t compare to her biological mother in terms of affection, but the help she provided was truly far greater than what her mother had offered.
Lin Xixi still relied heavily on her uncle and aunt.
She bit her lip and confided her troubles to her aunt.
“There’s this person whose prospects are exceptionally bright. I had the opportunity to go on a blind date with him, but I didn’t go. I missed out, and it weighs on my heart.”
Sister Yang had wondered what the matter was, only to find it was just this.
“Phew.” She breathed a huge sigh of relief. “It’s not like all the men in the world are dead. If you missed this one, there are plenty of others. Our Military District doesn’t have much, but it certainly has no shortage of young men!”
Lin Xixi felt distressed: “Aunt, you don’t understand. His future is exceptionally bright.”
If Lin Xixi had said how much she liked a young man, Sister Yang might have been troubled, but Lin Xixi kept repeating that “his future is bright” and “exceptionally good.”
That meant she didn’t actually fancy the person himself. She just felt it was a pity to have missed the opportunity and couldn’t get past that hurdle in her heart.
“So what? Are you going to go back and try to date him now?” Sister Yang scoffed. “You said it yourself, his future is exceptionally bright. Have you stopped to think that since his future is so promising, if you went to meet him, would he even take a fancy to you?”
Lin Xixi was stunned.
“What’s the matter? You haven’t even met, yet you think that just by meeting once, he’d definitely be yours?”
“A young man with such a bright future—do you know how many families would be bringing their daughters to meet him? Why would it ever be our turn?”
“For men with high standards—look at your Uncle Yan, for instance—he wouldn’t even glance at a girl from the countryside; he’s set on marrying a city girl. With someone like that, it’s useless even if you go to meet him.”
Sister Yang took the opportunity to insert her own agenda and brought Yan Lei into the conversation.
Little did she know that she had hit the nail on the head; Yan Lei was the very person Lin Xixi regretted missing so bitterly.
Lin Xixi was completely stunned.
Before she died, she had heard her aunt tell her how the man she hadn’t gone to meet had later become incredibly wealthy and successful, and she had been so full of regret it felt like her intestines were twisting in pain.
What was the regret? It was the missed opportunity.
What had she missed? Until just now, she had believed that what she missed was the wealth and status of being an official’s wife.
It wasn’t until just now that Sister Yang’s words jolted her awake. She—she had actually only missed a blind date. Even if she had come to meet him back then, given Yan Lei’s standards, he might not have taken a fancy to her at all.
Because, strangely enough, Lin Xixi and Yan Lei were surprisingly consistent on this matter; both of them were single-mindedly pursuing “city people.”
“Hey? Hey?” Sister Yang grabbed Lin Xixi by the shoulders and shook her, feeling a bit alarmed. “Xixi, Xixi!”
Lin Xixi’s eyes were glazed over.
So that wealth might not have been hers after all. Of course—when she was reborn, Yan Lei’s wife was still alive and well. Wasn’t that Heaven telling her that Yan Lei’s prosperity was never meant for her?
The goal Lin Xixi had held since her rebirth suddenly collapsed and vanished. The breath of obsession that had sustained her instantly dissipated, and she became dazed.
She didn’t even eat; she only told Sister Yang that she wanted to sleep.
Sister Yang didn’t press her. She carried the food back out and, hiding in the room, quietly told Regimental Commander Zhao about the matter.
Regimental Commander Zhao asked directly: “Who is it? Who is it?”
“I don’t know, she didn’t say,” Sister Yang replied. “But looking at her state, I’m wondering if perhaps the person is already married?”
That didn’t really fit Yan Lei, though. Yan Lei had been married for several years, and his child was already quite big. The two of them felt that perhaps they had wronged Lin Xixi earlier.
Regimental Commander Zhao asked: “Then is she going to date Xiao Zhang or not?”
“Oh dear, I forgot to ask.”
“I’ll go.”
“Don’t go. The child has laid down. Let her think it through for herself. You can’t force her in matters like this.”
“There’s no rush,” Sister Yang said. “She’s still young, anyway.”
Lin Xixi was very capable and could help Sister Yang catch a break. She was indeed still young, so there was no need to rush for the time being. Sister Yang also had the intention of keeping her at home for a couple more years, which would make things easier for herself.
Regimental Commander Zhao agreed.
Meanwhile, at Yan Lei’s home, they had also finished dinner. Yan Lei had boiled a pot of soap pod water for Qiao Wei.
The soap pods had also been bought at the market today, specifically for boiling water for Qiao Wei to wash her hair.
The bathhouse was only open twice a week, once on Tuesday and once on Friday. Qiao Wei had missed the one on Friday, so the next time she could take a shower would be next Tuesday.
In the meantime, she had to bathe and wash her hair at home.
Yan Xiang had taken off his shoes and was sitting on the newly purchased bamboo lounge chair, his two little white feet swaying back and forth. While sucking on a piece of dried sweet potato that he couldn’t chew, he watched his father carry a washbasin and slowly pour out the boiled soap pod water, while his mother bent over, washing her hair with the flowing water.
His father helped his mother wash her hair while reminding her of the things she needed to take care of on Monday. The two spoke in soft, fragmented sentences, accompanied by the splashing sound of the flowing water.
Yan Xiang, meanwhile, was using all his might to battle that piece of dried sweet potato.
At this time, Yan Xiang was still young and there were many things he didn’t understand. But he could feel whether the air was cold or warm.
The air that evening was warm and accompanied by the fresh, clean scent of soap pods.
This image was etched into his long-term memory and would later become his favorite scene to look back on.
“This is quite good,” Qiao Wei said, affirming the shampooing effect of the soap pod water. “The oil-removing effect is good, and it feels great.”
“Right? This is something I’ve used since I was a child,” Yan Lei said. “Actually, there are quite a few good things in the countryside.”
Qiao Wei said: “As long as it doesn’t stink, I can accept it. I can’t stand anything that stinks.”
Yan Lei chuckled and switched to warm, clean water to rinse her hair.
That night, when they got onto the kang, Yan Lei reached around her waist and felt the string.
“Isn’t it almost over?” he asked.
“It’s about to be over, but it’s not over yet.”
“Then…”
“No,” Qiao Wei refused directly.
Yan Lei deflated.
Qiao Wei explained to him: “Although there’s only a little left, as long as there is still bleeding, it means the cervix hasn’t closed yet. If we mess around now, bacteria can enter, and it’s very easy to get a gynecological infection. That would be very troublesome.”
Yan Lei didn’t speak for a long time.
Qiao Wei thought he wasn’t interested in the topic, but after a while, he suddenly asked: “Does a gynecological infection make one’s crotch smell?”
“…” Qiao Wei replied, “It’s possible.”
He asked again: “Can gynecological infections be cured?”
Qiao Wei said: “Of course they can.”
In the darkness, she heard Yan Lei sigh softly.
Qiao Wei guessed that there must be someone associated with this topic.
Something seemed to surface in her memory, but it was heavily filtered, as if wrapped in a layer of insulating material, making it impossible to see clearly. Whenever she tried to search further, a strong sense of disgust and irritation would arise.
It was even far stronger than the disgust she had felt when she first met Yan Lei.
Qiao Wei couldn’t ask Yan Lei, so she had to temporarily drop the subject.
The next morning, when Regimental Commander Zhao got up, he saw that Lin Xixi was already up and had started making breakfast for everyone.
Regimental Commander Zhao was very satisfied with his niece’s diligence and virtue; he felt that for this reason alone, he had to find a good husband for her.
“Xixi, what’s the matter? Your face looks so grim,” he asked.
Lin Xixi was very confused now. But years of habits still made her get up early to make breakfast for the whole family.
Seeing her uncle get up, she replied listlessly: “I didn’t sleep well.”
Sister Yang gave Regimental Commander Zhao a wink, signaling him not to pressure their niece. Regimental Commander Zhao understood and didn’t say anything more, but while eating breakfast, he remembered to ask: “How did things go with Xiao Zhang yesterday?”
Lin Xixi’s spoon paused.
Although her mind was still in a mess and she hadn’t figured out what to do in the future, she had to deal with the matter of Xiao Zhang right now.
If she didn’t make it clear, it wouldn’t do to let people assume they were dating.
“I don’t want to date him,” she told her uncle directly.
Sister Yang was quite disappointed: “What’s wrong? Xiao Zhang is very clever.”
The driver had a car; if they went to the city, having the driver take them would certainly be much more convenient and comfortable than taking the bus. Asking the driver to help run errands when needed was also very convenient.
The driver was someone everyone needed to maintain a relationship with. There were many benefits to that in daily life.
“So you don’t like Xiao Zhang,” Regimental Commander Zhao asked. “Then what about Xiao Liu? Or Xiao Cao?”
Sister Yang added: “Xiao Cao is quite good.”
Lin Xixi knew that although she might not be able to marry Yan Lei, she would definitely have to marry someone in the future.
But Zhang Guoqiang wouldn’t do; he was from the countryside. Others like Zhang Guoqiang wouldn’t do either.
In this matter, she relied heavily on her uncle and aunt. Besides, she wasn’t a young girl, so she wouldn’t feel shy or embarrassed about such things, and she told them directly: “Uncle, Aunt, I don’t want to find someone from the countryside.”
Regimental Commander Zhao was so angry his neck stiffened: “You yourself are from the countryside! I’m from the countryside, and your aunt is from the countryside.”
“It’s precisely because we are from the countryside that I can’t marry someone from the countryside,” Lin Xixi said.
In this current era of a planned economy, where you need coupons to buy things, the countryside actually has some advantages over the city in terms of food and the like. But in the future, after the Reform and Opening Up, high-rise buildings would rise in the cities, and the gap between the countryside and the city would be as vast as heaven and earth.
“What kind of stuck-up attitude is that? You’re acting just like Yan,” Regimental Commander Zhao scolded, gesturing with his chopsticks.
Sister Yang said: “What’s wrong with the child having high aspirations? Besides, there’s an old saying: ‘Lower your head to take a wife, raise your head to marry off a daughter.’ It’s only right.”
“Fine, fine.” Regimental Commander Zhao sucked on his chopsticks and pondered. “Then Xiao Liu, Xiao Cao, Xiao Wang…”
“Aren’t they all from the countryside?” Lin Xixi said softly.
Although it was said that workers, peasants, and soldiers were all one family, in reality, everyone had a line drawn in their hearts: city people were city people, and rural people were rural people.
That was why Lin Xixi’s blind dates were so sought after. It was because the candidates Regimental Commander Zhao found for her were all from the countryside. In this era, the country’s urbanization rate was only a little over thirty percent; looking around, almost everyone in the military was from the countryside.
In the eyes of these rural men, Lin Xixi was practically the perfect wife.
“Oh, looking for a city person…” Regimental Commander Zhao rubbed his chin.
The difficulty had just gone up.
“Uncle, I’m only seventeen,” Lin Xixi said. “There’s no rush.”
Sister Yang added: “Exactly, there’s no rush. You write a letter to your sister and just let Xixi stay with us while she looks slowly.”
But after this conversation, Lin Xixi’s mind gradually cleared.
“Uncle, I don’t want to go back. I can stay here and help Aunt with chores. I can do any kind of work,” she requested. “Uncle, do you think my household registration could be moved over first?”
As for what the future held, Lin Xixi was still confused. The last ten years had been too chaotic, and any choice made now seemed to carry risks.
But for now, she could at least take the first step—the household registration.
First, she would change her identity from someone from the countryside to a city person.
The heroine’s actions began to move in the right direction.
If Qiao Wei knew, she would have to give Lin Xixi a thumbs-up.
