Marriage is Difficult
“You’re not only knowledgeable, you’ve got a strong sense of awareness too. What are you to the patient?” the young nurse asked.
“Same village.”
What else could she be? She didn’t want to be anything at all.
“You know… why would she be so set on not wanting the child? It’s her first pregnancy. With her body damaged like this, it’ll be hard for her to conceive again in the future.”
“Really? That’s a pity.”
In the novel, it was mentioned that the female lead had difficulty getting pregnant and was even looked down upon by the male lead’s family. In the end, she had to rely on an old traditional doctor’s medicine to finally conceive. But by then, family planning policies were in place, so she only had one son with the male lead.
“Exactly.” The nurse was quite talkative. Eventually, Su Su learned her name was Bai Lingling. She was fresh-faced and pretty, only twenty years old, not originally from this city but assigned here for work.
After chatting for a while, the blood donation was finished. Since they were both young, there were no major issues, but they were told to lie down and rest for a bit.
Only then did Lin Chuan come over to check on his wife. Seeing her pale face, he didn’t know what to do and said, “How about I go get you some boiled eggs?”
Su Su rolled her eyes. Here he goes again—always thinking about eggs.
Bai Lingling chimed in, “Comrade soldier, why don’t you get some chicken soup? It’s more helpful than eggs.”
“Alright.” With someone pointing the way, Lin Chuan immediately went to a state-run restaurant, ordered a big bowl of chicken soup, and brought back two steamed buns as well.
Su Su wasn’t hungry at all, but to stop feeling dizzy sooner, she drank some of the soup.
Of course, she didn’t drink alone—she borrowed a lunchbox from Bai Lingling and poured some for her too. The two of them finished the soup together but left the buns untouched.
“Why don’t you give those buns to Lin Donghe? He hasn’t eaten yet,” Su Su suggested. She actually felt he was quite pitiful. There was no need for him to feel inferior about his current situation—he would eventually surpass the female lead.
But unexpectedly, Lin Chuan gave her a look—and she saw a hint of grievance in his eyes.
???
Confusion all over her face.
Then she watched as Lin Chuan picked up one of the buns, dipped it into the remaining soup at the bottom, and quickly devoured it.
Wait…
He wasn’t full from one and a half baskets of dumplings?
“You weren’t full just now?”
“I was. Then I ran a bit.”
Meaning—he’d burned it off running around and got hungry again.
Su Su frowned. Did that mean he’d been holding back at home, eating less so she wouldn’t go hungry?
“Have you not been eating your fill at home?”
“I have.”
“I don’t think you have.”
“I really have.”
The couple bickered in a slightly childish way, making Bai Lingling beside them stifle her laughter until her face turned red. “You two are really amusing.”
Just as she said that, another nurse came in and told Su Su, “Your patient has woken up.”
Su Su sat up immediately. Lin Chuan helped her walk out, worried she might get dizzy if she moved too quickly.
He wasn’t completely heartless though—he handed the remaining bun to Lin Donghe. There was no soup left, so he had to eat it dry.
Lin Donghe had been busy all day and was starving, so he finished it in just a few bites.
Then he looked at Qin Yueyue lying in bed, her face full of despair. “Yueyue, this time it’s thanks to my brother and Comrade Su. She donated blood for you.”
“Thank you… but the hospital would have arranged something anyway. You didn’t have to trouble yourselves like this.” Qin Yueyue sounded unhappy. She really didn’t want Lin Chuan and his wife involved—what if word got out later?
Su Su rolled her eyes and let out a cold laugh. “So you’re saying I should’ve trusted the hospital not to give you blood?”
“That’s not what I meant—you misunderstood. I just woke up, my words are a bit jumbled.”
Even as she said that, her expression looked indifferent.
At that moment, Bai Lingling walked in. She had come to check on the patient she helped save, and just happened to overhear their conversation. She couldn’t help getting annoyed.
“Comrade Su donating blood for you was the hospital’s arrangement—and she agreed to it herself. Our hospital is newly established, and blood reserves are limited. If not for her and me today, someone else would have had to step in. And by the way, only the two of us here matched your blood type. No one forced us, no one rewarded us—we simply chose to save a life.”
Then she turned to Su Su. “You should go back and rest. Losing that much blood for no reason will definitely make you dizzy.”
Bai Lingling’s words were sharp, emphasizing every key point.
Qin Yueyue’s face shifted between pale and flushed. “I’m sorry…”
“I did it for Lin Donghe’s sake. After all, he’s Lin Chuan’s cousin.” Su Su maintained a perfect smile, which made Lin Donghe feel deeply embarrassed.
He was a reasonable man—otherwise he wouldn’t have become a team leader. At this moment, he also felt Qin Yueyue had acted improperly, so he said apologetically, “You two should head back. I can handle things here. And… thank you for today.”
Su Su nodded. She was about to say something else when Lin Chuan forcefully pulled her away.
Outside, he returned the lunchbox to the restaurant, then took his wife to buy some food she liked before catching the bus back to the commune.
On the way, Su Su felt unwell from dizziness, so Lin Chuan silently held her the entire time. Once they got home, he had her lie down on the heated bed to rest.
He wasn’t a talkative man, but he still told his mother what had happened.
“Ma, she has a good heart—she donated blood to that woman. We don’t expect gratitude, and past matters can be left as they are, but it really makes people feel cold.”
“In the future, even if she marries into your uncle’s family, keep your distance if you can. People like that won’t stay with the Lin family for long. Your wife is a good one—she sees the bigger picture, unlike those narrow-minded types. Go buy an old hen, I’ll make soup for her so she can recover.”
“Mm.”
Lin Chuan felt relieved after saying it out loud. But his real intention was to make sure his family understood that Su Su was generous and kind—so she wouldn’t be wronged later.
After buying a hen, Lin’s mother stewed half of it and made soup with the rest, cooking it until the meat was so soft it could be eaten along with the broth.
That evening, Su Su drank a big bowl of soup and ate her meal, feeling much more energetic. Since she had slept all day, she wasn’t sleepy, so she asked Lin Chuan:
“Do you think… a man like Lin Donghe can properly take care of a woman in the hospital?”
Changing clothes, wiping her body, washing her hair and feet… Even though they had been intimate, they weren’t married yet. Going through all that together—either their feelings would grow stronger, or everything might fall apart.
After all, men tend to be careless—when it comes to taking care of women, they often can’t be fully attentive.
And there was some basis for that. In the story, when the female lead gave birth and was in confinement, Lin Donghe took care of her for two days. They ended up arguing constantly—so much that they almost divorced.
Maybe it was postpartum depression. Maybe it was pressure from the male lead’s later family. Maybe they just wanted to fight.
But in Su Su’s view, it was because the male lead overlooked small details while caring for her, which upset the female lead. She felt he no longer loved her, didn’t value her, especially after her C-section left a scar—she thought he no longer found her attractive, and so on.
In short, she overthought everything.
The male lead, meanwhile, was the kind of person who treated everyone well—especially women. He was attentive, which made him popular among the young nurses at the hospital.
And that, ironically, became a problem.
Su Su felt that since they had already “practiced” this situation early, there might still be conflicts later.
Of course, maybe she was just overthinking. After all, they were the main couple—they were destined to end up together.
At some point, Lin Chuan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Wife, let’s sleep.”
Here we go again.
Su Su rolled her eyes. She was already mentally prepared—this had been happening every night, so she’d gotten used to it. She just let him be.
But unexpectedly, Lin Chuan really meant sleep. After laying her down, he kissed her neck lightly, then held her—genuinely just to sleep.
That left Su Su confused. She pulled the blanket over herself, waiting for him to “attack,” but the so-called attacker had already closed his eyes.
She waited and waited, but nothing happened. Unable to sleep, she turned and asked, “What’s wrong with you?” Anyone else would think he was the one who had blood drawn today, seeing how listless he looked.
Lin Chuan opened his eyes and gently flicked her nose. “You’re not feeling well today. Rest early.”
“Oh, so that’s why.” She was uncomfortable earlier, but she felt better now. Seeing how obedient he looked, she suddenly felt like teasing him. So she leaned in and lightly pecked his lips.
He seemed a bit surprised, then returned the kiss lightly, like a dragonfly skimming water.
Su Su bit his lip—and somehow hit a switch. He completely forgot about letting her rest.
Classic “lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot.”
Well, too late now. What’s done is done… might as well let it continue.
…..
There’s a special kind of misery where you’re already exhausted—so weak that even moving makes you dizzy—yet you still have to sit up and answer over a hundred questions from your aunt.
Lin Chuan felt terrible for her. In the end, he snapped, “If you’re so worried, go check on her yourself.”
Su Su lightly poked him—wasn’t that exposing everything? After all, they had agreed to say Qin Yueyue had appendicitis surgery. If the truth about the abortion came out, the elders would be devastated.
Even though Lin Donghe wasn’t their biological son, they treated him as their own. Later, when he was taken back by his real family, they looked down on the Lin family and cut ties—but Lin Donghe still came back every year.
After all the explanations, the aunt was still worried—but oddly enough, Lin Chuan’s blunt remark calmed her. “As long as she’s fine.”
“She’ll be back in a few days,” Su Su added.
Satisfied, the aunt left to cook.
The moment she was gone, Su Su collapsed back onto the bed. She felt like a crow was circling above her head, cawing endlessly—so annoying.
After seeing the guest off, Lin Chuan scratched his head and said seriously, “Comrade Su Su.”
“Hmm?”
“My willpower wasn’t strong enough. You can punish me however you like.”
“Massage my feet and let me sleep. I’m too tired.”
“…”
A grown man massaging a woman’s feet?
Lin Chuan hesitated for three seconds. Then, seeing her weak gaze, he shuddered and quickly climbed onto the bed, gently taking her feet and massaging them—careful not to use too much strength.
“It doesn’t feel like anything through the socks,” Su Su said, wiggling her toes.
So he took off her socks.
Then he froze.
His wife’s feet were so small. Her skin was so soft. Her toes were… strangely adorable.
After silently marveling for a while, he stopped massaging and just started fiddling with them—until Su Su fell asleep.
The next day, Lin Chuan started preparing all sorts of things for her to stay home comfortably.
Thinking about his departure put both of them in a bad mood. After all, they had only just truly become husband and wife.
At one point, Lin Chuan even suggested, “Why don’t you come visit me directly?”
Su Su immediately smacked him.
He had just returned to work and she’d already follow him clingingly? That was too much. If she was going to cling, she’d at least wait until she really missed him.
Still… she did feel reluctant.
Especially on his last day—no arguing, no fuss. He just held her, giving quiet reminders, and they slept peacefully together.
She felt content. At least this time he behaved—no last-minute antics before leaving.
But she underestimated him.
He had just been holding back.
At four or five in the morning, he woke her up and went all out.
By the time dawn broke, he finally let her sleep.
Then he quietly packed his bag, said goodbye to his family, and left—deliberately avoiding letting her see him off, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to leave.
When Su Su woke up, she was so annoyed she almost cried. She decided she wouldn’t write him a letter for a month—let him suffer.
A few days later, Qin Yueyue was discharged from the hospital. She was arranged to recover at Lin Donghe’s uncle’s house, since she had agreed to marry into the family.
Soon, a story spread around the village: Qin Yueyue had appendicitis, Lin Donghe saved her and paid for her hospital stay, and out of gratitude, she agreed to marry him.
People were impressed—and a bit envious. How did the Lin family manage to marry university-educated women?
Su Su had set the example first: good personality, good relationship with the family, steady income—she had already helped improve their living standards significantly.
Now Qin Yueyue, pretty and gentle, would likely help Lin Donghe’s branch of the family prosper too.
But Su Su felt that Qin Yueyue was not very happy, and Lin Donghe was the same. He did not even seem as energetic as he had been at the hospital. Clearly, it should have been a happy occasion, yet his face was gloomy, as if a relative had passed away.
Could it be just as she had imagined?
Su Su did not ask. After all, it was someone else’s family matter.
But that evening, Lin Chuan’s eldest aunt came over gloomily to discuss something with Mother Lin. Only then did Su Su learn that the female lead was quite good at causing trouble.
“It’s a little infuriating, but there’s nothing we can do. That child Yueyue wants a watch. For a bride to ask for a watch isn’t anything unusual, but her family already asked us for three hundred yuan in betrothal money.”
“What? That’s selling a daughter! No one around here asks for that much.”
Mother Lin was stunned. She had not expected Qin Yueyue to ask their family for so much money. A three-hundred-yuan betrothal gift was rare not only in the village, but even in the city.
And now she wanted a watch too. That girl really had big demands.
“She made it sound quite pitiful too. After all, all the betrothal money is going to her family, and she only wants a watch for herself. But to gather the betrothal money for her, our family has tried everything, even selling grain. Right now, we really can’t afford to buy a watch. Since Chuanzi’s wife has only just got married too, I was wondering if we could borrow her watch for Yueyue to wear for now, then return it afterward. Once we receive the wedding gift money, we’ll buy her a new one,” Eldest Aunt said, smiling at Su Su.
Actually, this kind of thing was quite normal. In the village, when people lacked money or items, they often borrowed things back and forth. Su Su did not refuse. “Sure.” It was only borrowing a watch to wear for a while; it would not break.
But Mother Lin shook her head. “That won’t do. Borrowing it to save face is fine, but others will probably recognise Su Su’s watch. Your family won’t be able to buy one exactly the same afterward.”
“Ah?” How good could the watch be? Eldest Aunt glanced at Su Su, and Su Su revealed her watch.
It was a foreign-brand watch, surrounded by small sparkling stones, with a bright watch face. It looked extremely luxurious.
“This… is too beautiful, isn’t it?” Eldest Aunt gave up the idea and waved her hand. “Then I’ll think of another way.”
“How about this? Our family saved a little money last time. Why don’t you take it and buy a watch?”
“How can that do? Besides, we don’t have a coupon right now.”
“As for the coupon, I have one.” Su Su immediately added, “When I was paid before New Year, there was a watch coupon included.”
“This… how can I thank your family? Last time, you also advanced Yueyue’s hospital fees, and we still haven’t paid that back. This…” Eldest Aunt rubbed her hands together, looking extremely embarrassed.
In truth, Su Su quite liked the Lin family members. Even Lin Donghe’s younger brother was decent. Lin Donghe had too many thoughts, but his values were basically upright.
She was willing to help them mostly because she hoped Father Lin and Mother Lin would be happy. After all, they were relatives.
Eldest Aunt thanked them repeatedly and went home with the money and coupon. Father Lin sat on the ground and said, “Su Su, child, you did the right thing. In this village, we’re just two brothers with no one else to rely on.”
“Mm, I know.” Su Su found it hard to act cute in front of Father Lin and Mother Lin, since they were Lin Chuan’s parents.
But Lin Hai was not having it. He kicked the firewood into the stove and said angrily, “Father, their second brother had already hooked up with Qin Yueyue long ago. When did their family ever care about kinship with ours? Ah—Father, why are you hitting me?”
“You little brat. When your big brother was hospitalised, didn’t your second brother go? When our family had trouble, didn’t your second brother help? Get out of here. Don’t act ignorant.” Father Lin kicked his son into the other room. Lin Hai was not angry, only muttered a few wronged complaints and did not come back out.
Su Su immediately said, “I’ll go back too.” She did not want to discuss whether it was worth it or not. In any case, she had no intention of getting close to the female lead.
Still, since the Lin family was holding a wedding, she and Mother Lin had to go over every day to check if there was anything they could help with. Father Lin also brought the three Lin brothers over; if there was no work to do, they returned.
As for the female lead, under the excuse of recovering from illness, she stayed inside and did not move much. She only went with Lin Donghe to the commune to buy a watch. When they returned, neither of them looked very happy.
The wedding date was set for ten days later, because the village would soon organise spring ploughing. Lin Donghe was the production team leader, so he had to be at the front.
Today, Su Su and Mother Lin came over to help cut paper window decorations and fold big red flowers. These were things Su Su had not even done for her own wedding. As they folded flowers, they discussed where Qin Yueyue should set out from as the bride.
Eldest Aunt wanted her to leave from Mother Lin’s house, but Mother Lin said, “It’s not that I mind her leaving from my house. It’s just that there isn’t much space to stay. When guests arrive, it’ll be hard to arrange things.”
“How about this? Let her leave from Su Su’s room. Her room is newly built, and no one will disturb her…”
As soon as Eldest Aunt said that, Su Su felt unhappy. Although she wanted to help, she greatly disliked others occupying her space, especially since that room was her and Lin Chuan’s wedding room.
“That won’t do. That room is still a newlywed room. How about this? I’ll take the three children and their father to squeeze into the small room at Su Su’s place. Then Qin the educated youth can leave from our main room,” Mother Lin said, immediately picking up the conversation because she knew Su Su would not like it.
Su Su looked at her mother-in-law gratefully. She was satisfied with this arrangement. Others staying in her house would make her unhappy, but Mother Lin, Father Lin, and the boys were her own family, so that was fine.
Eldest Aunt nodded. “I didn’t think it through. Let’s do as you said.”
After the matter was settled, Mother Lin brought Su Su home. But once they got home, she asked, “Will you mind us staying at your place and making it crowded?”
“It’s fine. We’re one family. Didn’t I also stay in the small room in the front courtyard before?” Su Su looked at Mother Lin casually, then sweetly said, “I like you all staying at my place. I just don’t like outsiders messing around in our home.”
“I know, I know. In the future, I won’t let outsiders stay in our home.” Mother Lin smiled helplessly. She really could not resist this daughter-in-law acting spoiled. Su Su did not seem to act this spoiled in front of her own son, and what she said carried weight with him. But in front of Mother Lin, she was like a child.
Because she liked girls so much, Mother Lin could only coax her.
The day before Eldest Uncle’s family had their event, they moved over to stay at Su Su’s place. The weather was no longer so cold now, so Su Su’s literacy class had moved to the village office.
However, a group of men from the village had left to work elsewhere, so there were not many people left in the literacy class. She still continued teaching every day, since she was being paid for it.
When Mother Lin and the others came over, Su Su had already tidied the small room. Then she insisted on pulling Mother Lin to sleep in her own room. After all, if Mother Lin squeezed onto the small kang with four men, there really would not be enough room, so Mother Lin slept in the same room as her.
Unexpectedly, just as they were about to lie down, Lin Xiumei arrived with her husband and children. She had two children, one around five or six and the other two or three, both at that particularly mischievous age. Her husband had sallow skin, was not tall, and did not look very sturdy either.
Since the family had arrived, Mother Lin had to prepare food for them. Fortunately, they had dumplings, so she boiled some.
Su Su had not expected the two children’s way of eating to be like a battlefield. She was squeezed to the edge of the kang and did not dare move.
“All right. After eating, Daqiang, go to your eldest aunt’s house and find a place to sleep. Xiumei and the children will stay here,” Mother Lin said.
She had not expected them to come this early either. Usually, whenever there was an event, they arrived late.
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