Chapter 26: The Most Formidable Official

The key point was that Li Sheng and Comrade Tang hadn’t been together long before planning to marry, so they ought to take advantage of this free time to go on more dates. The old lady was quite modern; she even understood such contemporary words as “dating.”

Li Sheng was deeply moved by her words. Even Father Li’s eyes grew misty. What Fang had said must have come straight from her heart. Though she always wore a smile, everyone knew the Li family had endured hard times for many years. In truth, all the years Fang had spent married into the Li family had been filled with hardship. Father and son made the same silent vow in their hearts: to treat their wife and mother better from now on—much better.

As Li Sheng waited at the doorway for Tang Xin, Lu Liqin and Meng Jia happened to come out together. Lu Liqin gave him a look of disdain, convinced that Li Sheng only wished to marry Tang Xin to climb the social ladder. He was determined to sabotage this marriage; he was certain Uncle Tang wouldn’t just stand by and let his daughter marry off so easily. The Li family surely coveted the Tang family’s wealth and influence—if Uncle Tang stopped sending Tang Xin money and goods, and withdrew all support, would Li Sheng still be so eager to marry her?

That was Lu Liqin’s calculation. He planned to act today, then take leave tomorrow, bring all the necessary documents, and call the commune.

But Li Sheng paid no mind to Lu Liqin’s provocations. Over the years at the commune, he’d long since learned to ignore other people’s opinions. Especially now, when he saw his fiancée running toward him with such joy—his heart was filled with nothing but contentment.

He handed her two warm, freshly boiled eggs and got ready to take her shopping at the commune.

According to local custom, engagements typically came first, followed by marriage, with a period of time separating the two. But for Li Sheng and Tang Xin, as soon as their elders voiced approval, that counted as a betrothal, and preparations for their wedding began immediately. Frankly, such a thing had never happened before in Wuxing Commune. Some of the older, more conservative folks couldn’t help but mutter that Comrade Tang was acting recklessly, and that the Li family wasn’t handling things properly; how could such an important matter as marriage be taken so lightly?

Of course, these comments were only made in private, since the person most enthusiastic about this union was none other than the brigade leader himself. Privately, he greatly admired young Li Sheng, but for various reasons, no one had come to formally propose marriage at the Li household. Now, a girl was willing to marry Li Sheng, and he sincerely wished to marry her—the brigade leader couldn’t wait for them to set up house together.

Outside the village, this might not matter much, but here, the brigade leader was the highest authority. The villagers were honest folk, loyal to their leaders, so the marriage had the brigade leader’s personal endorsement. Anyone who gossiped about it did so with caution.

After Tang Xin called home to report that she would be marrying in the countryside, her mother, though tearful, rarely objected to her daughter’s decisions once they were made. What was strange was her father’s attitude. Later, when Li Sheng and Tang Xin went to the commune, they called her father together. He asked, with solemnity, “Are you sure you want to marry a country boy?”

When Tang Xin replied “yes,” her father asked Li Sheng to take the call. He said, “I won’t be preparing much dowry for her, and after you marry, you shouldn’t expect any benefits from me. Even so, do you still insist on marrying my daughter?”

Li Sheng answered firmly, “I want to marry Tang Xin because I wish to marry her, not because I expect anything from you.”

After that, Tang Xin’s father hung up without making his stance clear, neither agreeing nor refusing. But a few days later, Tang Xin received a parcel and a remittance slip from home. The remittance was for one hundred yuan—ten whole ten-yuan bills, a small fortune in those days. The parcel contained ration tickets, some preserved meats, and a short letter from her mother.

Perhaps out of concern that others might see it, her mother’s words were written in a veiled manner. Was it the bond between mother and daughter? Though Tang Xin was no longer the original owner of this body, she could sense it herself: her heart throbbed with intense hatred for her father, mingled with longing and remorse for her mother. Perhaps, having inherited the original’s body, she also inherited her feelings.

So, even though Tang Xin, knowing the plot of the novel, loathed both the male and female leads, she couldn’t help her pulse from quickening and her emotions from surging every time she saw Lu Liqin. This was one reason she was so eager to marry Li Sheng quickly. The one who loved Lu Liqin was the original; the current Tang Xin preferred men like Li Sheng.

The key was that she didn’t want to waste time on a scoundrel like Lu Liqin. Better to have the supporting female character, Tang Xin, marry quickly so the leads could be together sooner. Everyone would be better off, wouldn’t they?

In her letter, Tang Xin’s mother explained that Tang Xin’s father did not understand her decision and was even very angry. So he decided to send some things and see what Tang Xin would choose for herself. If she still insisted on marrying that man, the money and tickets would count as her dowry, and he no longer wished to concern himself with an unpromising daughter. But if she turned back from the brink, perhaps he’d consider her again, especially if Meng Jia could be brought back home.

Though the letter was not explicit, this was its general meaning. Tang Xin didn’t know the role Lu Liqin played in all this, but it was clear Meng Jia’s mother had influenced Old Tang’s attitude. It was obvious: Old Tang was already biased, and in his eyes, even Meng Jia was more important than his own daughter.

Tang Xin, of course, didn’t explain all this to the Li family. She simply told Li Sheng that her father had agreed to their marriage and prepared a dowry for her. In her heart, only her mother truly mattered; she hoped one day to bring her mother to live with her.

Since Tang Xin’s household registration had been transferred here when she moved to the countryside, she and Li Sheng only needed the brigade leader to write a marriage certificate and proof, then they could register their marriage. With the marriage certificate, they could buy wedding sweets, cigarettes, alcohol, and wedding cloth from the commune—benefits reserved for newlyweds. At this time, cloth ration tickets were especially precious in the countryside.

Tang Xin’s space farm could only solve their food needs for now; as for clothing and other necessities, they’d have to wait and see. The farm was still in the process of being upgraded—two more plots had been reclaimed, and some crops had been harvested and stored in the warehouse. There were also some daily necessities, gifts from the upgrade package, which could be brought out at the Li household with a suitable excuse.