Chapter 38
But Lin Xixi didn’t agree to Xiao Zhang right away.
She pondered for a moment and said, “Dating is to prepare for marriage, so there must be a proper trial period. It doesn’t mean that just because I’m dating you, I have to marry you.”
She wouldn’t make any absolute promises.
Xiao Zhang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: “Yes, yes, yes, I understand, I understand. Hehe, then please give me a good trial.”
Since they had reached an understanding, Lin Xixi nodded reservedly, and the two of them began browsing the market together.
Although Lin Xixi came from the countryside, she was beautiful, healthy, capable, a good cook, and literate from attending primary school—all of which were major pluses in this era.
It could be said that as long as a man didn’t have an obsession like Yan Lei’s with marrying an educated woman or a city girl, Lin Xixi was an exceptionally high-quality choice of a wife for soldiers who also came from the countryside.
Her desirability was even far higher than Qiao Wei’s.
Xiao Zhang, of course, was eager to please. Although his salary couldn’t compare to Yan Lei’s, it was still a step above that of ordinary workers. Moreover, he was a driver, a position that naturally brought in quite a bit of under-the-table income.
Put it this way: Xiao Zhang had never bought cigarettes or alcohol for himself, yet he had an endless supply of both to smoke and drink.
As a bachelor, there were few places to spend money in the Military District, so he had saved up a lot. When it came to spending, he wasn’t stingy at all.
He was very quick to pull out his wallet.
But Lin Xixi didn’t want anything. With her chin slightly raised, she waved her hand and told him, “I won’t spend other people’s money recklessly. I’m not that kind of person.”
What a simple and honest girl! Hardworking, virtuous, and so beautiful!
Xiao Zhang thought even more highly of Lin Xixi.
In reality, Lin Xixi simply looked down on everything at this market.
After all, she was someone who had witnessed the highly industrialized society of the 1980s and 1990s. The things sold at this shabby market were purely rustic, and none of them caught her eye.
Not a single thing was worth buying.
Furthermore, according to rural customs, if a man bought things like clothes for a woman after a blind date and she accepted them, it meant their relationship was official.
Lin Xixi had no intention of making things official with Xiao Zhang.
As they walked, they spotted Qiao Wei, and Xiao Zhang took the initiative to greet her.
Lin Xixi followed him over.
She took a quick look, and before she could speak, Xiao Zhang spoke up for her: “Oh, Sister-in-law, what did you buy?”
The bamboo basket was fuller and heavier now, so Yan Lei had already taken over carrying it. Qiao Wei was still carrying her woven basket, which was almost full again.
Qiao Wei smiled brightly: “Just buying whatever I see. They’re all practical things.”
That was true; almost everything sold at the market could be considered practical. However, Qiao Wei didn’t buy many of these things for their utility, but rather for the rustic charm they possessed.
Just… buying them for fun.
Xiao Zhang nodded vigorously: “They’re all very useful things.”
Lin Xixi rolled her eyes behind Xiao Zhang’s back.
Qiao Wei saw this, held back a laugh, and asked, “Little Lin, didn’t you buy anything? Did you not bring money? Auntie can lend you some first.”
Those words were truly grating, and Lin Xixi rolled her eyes even harder.
Xiao Zhang beamed and quickly waved his hands: “No need, Sister-in-law, no need. I brought money.”
Qiao Wei put on an expression of sudden realization: “Oh, oh.”
These two, one calling her “Sister-in-law” and the other calling her “Auntie,” did so with absolute naturalness.
Lin Xixi was furious. The way they spoke made it seem as if she and Zhang Guoqiang were really dating.
But since no one had said it explicitly, if she insisted on clarifying, it would only make it look like she had something to hide.
She could only grind her teeth in secret frustration.
Suddenly, a straw hat descended from the sky, landing on Qiao Wei’s head and covering her eyes.
Qiao Wei let out an “ouch,” pushed up the brim of the hat to reveal her eyes, and smiled warmly.
Yan Lei asked, “One is enough, right?”
“Yes, it’s enough.”
Yan Lei greeted Xiao Zhang and Little Lin: “You’re browsing too?”
No wonder he hadn’t been seen around; he had gone to buy a straw hat for Qiao Wei.
Only then did Lin Xixi speak up, calling out, “Regimental Commander Yan.”
She sized him up and down, and was suddenly deeply disappointed.
Last night, Yan Lei’s lecturing had actually made her quite annoyed with him. Why? Because as a middle-aged woman in her past life, she used to love lecturing younger people, and she could no longer stand being lectured and micro-managed by others. It immediately sparked a fire of anger in her.
But in the end, Lin Xixi wasn’t after Yan Lei as a person; she was after his future prospects and wealth. For that, she could only swallow her anger.
But now, Yan Lei was carrying a bamboo basket filled with many rustic-looking things.
Wait, what did she see?
Lin Xixi couldn’t help but ask, “Regimental Commander Yan, why… why did you buy straw sandals?”
What for? He didn’t know either. From what Qiao Wei said, she didn’t plan to wear them, but to hang them up to look at?
Nine times out of ten, her petty-bourgeois literary youth mindset was acting up again.
“To wear, of course,” Yan Lei said righteously. “What else would they be for? Surely we can’t just put them on display.”
Qiao Wei quickly turned her face away, terrified that she wouldn’t be able to hold back her laughter.
Lin Xixi’s expression turned odd.
Yan Lei glanced at her: “Have you never worn them? You’re young, so you’ve lived in good times. When I was a child, I wore straw sandals every summer.”
Lin Xixi said, “But you are already a regimental commander…”
“What about being a regimental commander? Even if I become a high-ranking chief, I can’t forget my roots,” Yan Lei said with a stern face.
Lin Xixi was lectured by him again and didn’t want to speak. When two preachy minds clash, one is bound to lose.
Xiao Zhang said, “Then you two keep browsing, we’ll go take a look over there.”
He led Lin Xixi away.
Qiao Wei’s expression was also very odd.
Yan Lei turned his head, saw this, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Wei said, “Nothing.”
She pulled him again: “Come on, let’s see what else they’re selling over there.”
Yan Lei: “…”
By the time they went home, the couple returned fully loaded—one carrying the bamboo basket, the woven basket, and a string bag, while the other held the child’s hand.
The three of them each had a popsicle in their mouths.
The red bean popsicles cost three cents each; they were delicious and refreshing.
Returning home and pushing open the courtyard gate, she saw her lounge chairs and bamboo bed already there, which made her very happy.
She put down her things, washed her hands, went over to adjust the positions of the two lounge chairs, and placed the bamboo cooling bed against the wall next to the lounge chairs, under the
eaves.
“Putting it here?” Yan Lei asked. “Are you going to sleep here?”
There was worry in Yan Lei’s eyes.
Surely she wasn’t planning to sleep outside at night because of the heat? If he had known, he should have bought two cooling beds to put together. Buying just one wouldn’t fit two people, and he wouldn’t be able to hold her.
Was it too late to run back and buy another one? But it seemed the people from Siping Township had only brought one bamboo bed…
Having grown accustomed to holding her to sleep every night, the sudden prospect of sleeping in separate beds was a psychological blow Regimental Commander Yan could hardly bear.
His grievance was clear in his eyes, filled with accusation.
Qiao Wei didn’t notice at all. She was too busy positioning the new furniture.
“It’s not for sleeping. Oh? Actually, it would be quite nice for an afternoon nap, wouldn’t it?” She cheered up. “Great, dual-purpose.”
Hearing “not for sleeping,” Yan Lei’s frustration and grievance vanished instantly! He perked up again: “Not for sleeping? Then what is it for?”
“It’s just for sitting. Like… like a, well, bench.” She wanted to say sofa, but feared Yan Lei had never seen one, so she just said bench.
Yan Lei pointed out, “It doesn’t have a backrest.”
“It’s fine. I have a way.” Qiao Wei had her own plans.
She first took out the straw sandals and the straw hat.
There were several nails on the outer wall of the house for hanging things. Even the bathtub was usually hung on the wall.
The lounge chairs were placed next to the door, the cooling bed was put under the window of the outer room of Yan Xiang’s bedroom, and the straw sandals and straw hat were hung on the nails next to the window.
The straw sandals were tied together with a long straw rope. When Qiao Wei hung them up, she specially adjusted them so that one sandal hung slightly higher than the other.
Stepping back a few paces with her hands on her hips, she looked at it. Very good, it had a rustic feel now.
She carried the two colors of homespun cloth she had bought into the house first.
As soon as she entered, she saw her woven rattan cabinet and smiled: “Oh, you put it here for me.”
She had almost forgotten she bought such a cabinet; they had bought too many things today.
Yan Lei followed her inside and touched the cabinet: “What is this for?”
The cabinets at home were already sufficient.
Nowadays, for marriages, the trend was “thirty-six legs,” which included: one square table, four chairs, one double bed, one large wardrobe, one writing desk, and one kitchen cupboard.
A total of thirty-six legs.
When they got married, he had arranged the “thirty-six legs” very decently. Aside from changing the bed to a kang, everything else that was expected was there.
She even had a bookshelf, which others didn’t have.
He didn’t know what this cabinet was for.
“Is it a new bookcase?” he asked.
Qiao Wei had disposed of many books, so he guessed she might want to buy new ones.
But Qiao Wei said, “To store shoes.”
Yan Lei: “…”
The rattan cabinet was very light. Qiao Wei looked around the room and moved the cabinet behind the door panel on the left side of the entrance.
This meant the cabinet was right outside her study.
“Store what?” Yan Lei asked again.
“Shoes,” Qiao Wei said.
She had truly had enough of shoes being lined up against the base of the walls. It was highly inconvenient when sweeping or mopping, and it made the room look cluttered.
She went back and forth, in and out of the house, taking the shoes of the family of three that had been lined up
against the walls and putting them into her new cabinet.
She closed the cabinet doors.
“Look, neat and tidy,” she said. “The shoes are organized, and the room is tidy too.”
“You really are something, buying a cabinet specifically to store shoes,” Yan Lei shook his head and laughed softly. “I’ve never heard of any family having a cabinet just for shoes.”
That was because people had very few shoes.
A person would have three pairs of shoes: one pair of single shoes for spring and autumn, one pair of sandals for summer, and one pair of cotton-padded shoes for winter.
These three pairs of shoes would be worn for several years without being replaced, so there was little need for a shoe cabinet.
“But I have a lot of shoes,” Qiao Wei said.
Yan Lei put his hands on his hips: “No matter. If you have a lot, put them in the cabinet. Isn’t this great?”
Qiao Wei’s expression turned slightly odd again.
Yan Lei noticed it, because she had shown this exact expression once before at the market.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Qiao Wei pursed her lips but spoke up anyway: “You’re really good to your wife.”
“Otherwise, how should I be?” Yan Lei retorted.
Qiao Wei thought of Lin Xixi.
Interestingly, looking at it now, Yan Lei and Lin Xixi clearly had clashing vibes. How did the two of them achieve their sweet romance in the original novel?
“If… you changed wives, would you be this good to your new wife too?” Qiao Wei asked.
Yan Lei thought to himself, *What kind of question is this? It feels like a trap.*
“Why would I change wives?”
“Just… what if I died…”
“Bah! Spit it out! What kind of unlucky words are you cursing yourself with?”
“Don’t be superstitious. I’m just saying ‘what if’.” Qiao Wei rested her elbow on the new shoe cabinet, leaned against it, and squinted at him. “If I were gone, you’d definitely marry a new wife, right? In front of Chairman Mao, you are not allowed to say anything you don’t mean.”
A portrait of Chairman Mao was hanging on the main wall of the central room.
The deterrent force was too strong.
Yan Lei thought about it and admitted, “I probably would marry again. Someone would need to take care of Xiangxiang.”
That was the honest truth. At the beginning of the original novel, when Yan Lei and Lin Xixi went on their blind date, he had said straight out that he needed someone at home to take care of his child. Lin Xixi had said that although she had never given birth, she absolutely loved children, had raised her cousins on her maternal uncle’s side, and Yan Xiang was close to her too.
The last sentence was the key.
That was why, with so many people playing matchmaker for the widowed Yan Lei, he had ultimately married Regimental Commander Zhao’s niece, Lin Xixi.
Simply because she seemed very capable of taking care of children!
