When it was time to eat, the dishes were quickly brought to the table.
The pork rib soup had been specially prepared for Grandma by Shen Jiao. She had originally wanted to make chicken soup, but they had not managed to buy a chicken on the way home. The chickens at home were all laying eggs, and Grandma would certainly have been angry if they slaughtered one.
“This smells wonderful. It must be delicious. Xinmin definitely didn’t make it—she doesn’t have this kind of skill.”
“Grandma, how can you belittle me like that? Why couldn’t I make a good soup? Sure enough, now that you have a granddaughter-in-law, your granddaughter has been pushed aside.”
“To tell you the truth, I really don’t care much for you anymore.”
Grandma and Gu Xinmin’s teasing immediately lightened the atmosphere in the room.
Before long, the conversation returned to the wedding.
“We originally planned for Xinguo to take you shopping for wedding supplies today, but my discharge delayed everything,” Grandma said apologetically to Shen Jiao.
“Xinguo still has one more day of leave tomorrow. Let him take you into town. Buy as much as you like and don’t worry about the money.”
Her words were not merely polite.
Although Grandma’s hospital treatment had cost the family a considerable amount, the Gu family had substantial savings, and Gu Xinguo was good at earning money.
In addition to his salary from the transport team, whenever he drove to other places, he brought back small quantities of products that were unavailable locally and sold them on the side.
Although he never dealt in large amounts, the profits accumulated over time. After one journey after another, his side earnings were even higher than his salary.
The Gu family genuinely did not lack money.
“I’ll listen to Grandma. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure to empty Brother Gu’s wallet. If he complains, I’ll tell him Grandma ordered me to do it.”
“Oh, what are you talking about? Why is everyone laughing so happily?”
Wang Chengjun entered with the two boys and smiled when he heard the laughter inside.
Gu Xinmin did not answer him. Instead, she marched straight towards her sons and twisted one ear in each hand.
“You only changed into these clothes this morning, yet in half a day you’ve already dirtied them like this!”
She glared particularly fiercely at Xiaodong.
“And you, Xiaodong—what happened to that hole in your trousers? Those trousers are new!”
Xiaodong and Xiaobei grimaced in pain and repeatedly signalled to their father for help.
Unfortunately, their father was busy asking after Grandma’s health and paid them no attention.
“Mother, Brother tore his trousers while climbing a tree to steal bird eggs today,” Xiaobei said, disloyally betraying his brother.
Who told Xiaodong not to share the eggs with him?
The moment Gu Xinmin heard this, she grabbed the broom from behind the door and began smacking Xiaodong’s bottom.
This troublesome child would tear the roof tiles off if he went three days without a beating.
She was not forbidding him from climbing trees, but he should at least have changed into old clothes first.
If she did not beat the brat, he would never learn to look after his possessions.
“Xinmin, stop hitting him. He’s still young. What boy isn’t mischievous?”
Hearing her great-grandson’s howls from the bed, Grandma hurriedly stopped her.
She had not seen the children for some time and genuinely missed them.
They had only just arrived, and before she could even shower them with affection, their mother had already dragged one away to beat him.
Naturally, Grandma’s heart ached.
“Great-Grandma, I collected bird eggs and saved one specially for you. Later, I’ll roast it and bring it for you to eat. It’s really delicious.”
“Good, good! Our Xiaodong is so filial!”
Gu Xinmin coldly watched her son fawn over Grandma.
He might escape punishment today, but he could not escape forever.
She would make sure to correct his habit of failing to cherish his belongings.
Not only had Shen Jiao prepared the pork rib soup, but she had also cooked the other dishes.
The hand-pulled noodles were springy and smooth, while the fragrant, savoury sauce made everyone’s appetite soar.
Gu Xinmin had not expected her to possess such skill.
Her younger brother would certainly eat well from now on.
This time, Xinguo had finally married a good woman.
“Auntie, your cooking is much better than my mother’s. Can I come to your house and eat every day from now on?”
The moment Xiaobei finished speaking, his mother smacked him on the head with her chopsticks.
The brat certainly knew how to undermine her.
She would deal with him properly once they returned home.
She had been too busy to keep an eye on the boys for a while, and now each of them thought he could fly into the heavens.
“You like my cooking that much?” Shen Jiao asked. “Why don’t you become my son? Then I can cook for you every day.”
“All right! All right!”
“Hmph!”
Xiaobei received another strike from a pair of chopsticks.
This time, however, it came from his father.
He had actually sold himself for the sake of food.
Wang Chengjun also felt that the boy deserved a beating.
Had all the delicious food he usually cooked been fed to dogs?
Gu Xinguo ate while watching Shen Jiao interact with his family.
His heart was filled with warmth, and he looked forward to their future married life.
He turned his head and exchanged a glance with Grandma on the heated bed.
Their eyes contained a warm understanding that needed no words.
After the meal, Gu Xinmin and Shen Jiao hurriedly cleaned and organised the house.
People from the village would visit Grandma that afternoon, so they needed to make everything presentable.
“Grandma, there won’t be much to do this afternoon besides welcoming the visitors who come to see you,” Gu Xinmin said.
“I’ll remain at home to receive them. Let Xinguo take Jiaojiao into town to purchase the wedding supplies.”
“He also needs to speak to his colleague’s family as soon as possible. Even though we’re only borrowing their home for the wedding arrangements, they still need time to prepare properly.”
Grandma thought this made sense.
There were only six days left until the wedding. They truly could not delay any longer.
Moreover, although Shen Jiao and Xinguo had already registered their marriage, they had not yet held the wedding banquet.
In the countryside, that meant they were not yet publicly recognised as a proper married couple, so they could not live together.
Shen Jiao could manage by staying at Gu Xinmin’s home that night, but there were still five or six days remaining.
If she continued staying there, the villagers would inevitably begin gossiping.
Grandma immediately made the decision that Gu Xinguo should take Shen Jiao into town.
Gu Xinguo also wanted to request leave from the transport team and investigate traditional Chinese doctors for Grandma.
The sooner he handled those matters, the better.
He nodded decisively.
Seeing that everything at home was under control, he returned to his room, took out his savings book, and left with Shen Jiao.
When Xiaodong and Xiaobei learned that their uncle and aunt were going shopping, they clamoured to follow.
Their mother seized them by the ears and dragged them indoors.
They still had school that afternoon. Where did they think they were going?
“Here. This is our family savings book. We’ll withdraw some money shortly and then buy everything we need for the wedding.”
A savings book was pushed into Shen Jiao’s hands.
This was the first time anyone had ever given her one.
Although the amount recorded inside was not particularly large—only five thousand yuan—it was already an astonishing sum in this era.
It was quite possibly all of Gu Xinguo’s savings.
The thought made the savings book in her hands suddenly feel as heavy as a thousand catties.
“You’re giving me the savings book just like that? Aren’t you afraid I’ll take the money and run away?”
“No.”
Gu Xinguo spoke those two words with complete confidence.
Shen Jiao was so infatuated with him. How could she possibly run away?
Remembering her glorious achievement of shamelessly chasing after a man and proposing to him, Shen Jiao suddenly understood why Gu Xinguo was not afraid.
A trace of irritation rose in her heart.
Did Gu Xinguo think he had her completely under his thumb?
That would not do.
She needed to establish some authority as his wife.
She had to make Gu Xinguo understand that if he did not treat her properly, she was not incapable of living without him.
Otherwise, he might assume she could never leave and begin taking her for granted without realising it.
“We’re here. We’ll visit Master Lin’s home first.”
“Except for their youngest daughter, who is still in school, all of their children have jobs, and their work units have assigned them housing. That means Master Lin’s family has spare rooms.”
“You can stay at their home for the next few days. Don’t worry about imposing on them. I’ll pay the family for your stay.”
“Are Master Lin and his family easy to get along with?”
“Master Lin and his wife are both warm-hearted people. Their youngest daughter is sensible and friendly too, so you don’t need to worry.”
As he spoke, they arrived at Master Lin’s home.
It was located in the transport team’s residential compound, inside a corridor-style apartment building typical of the era.
The corridors were internal and received no sunlight, making them extremely dark.
After stepping inside from the bright sunshine outside, Shen Jiao could not see anything for a moment.
Gu Xinguo thoughtfully reached out and took her hand.
His palm was dry and warm, filling Shen Jiao with a deep sense of security.
After living for so many years, she finally no longer had to be alone.
Master Lin’s family lived on the third floor.
The flat had two bedrooms and a sitting room.
The elderly couple used one bedroom, while their youngest daughter, Lin Juan, occupied the other.
For the next few days, Shen Jiao would share Lin Juan’s room.
Lin Juan was sixteen and currently attending high school. She was away at school, but her bright, open expression in the family photograph showed that she was unlikely to be difficult to get along with.
Master Lin and Jiang Meifeng were both kind and approachable.
After speaking with them, Shen Jiao set aside most of her worries.
Because the couple needed to return to work that afternoon, Gu Xinguo and Shen Jiao did not remain at their home for long.
They accepted the house key Master Lin gave them and then headed to the department store.
The department store had the widest selection of goods in all of Linqing County.
Thermos flasks, towels, washbasins, pillow covers, and other wedding necessities soon filled both of Gu Xinguo’s hands.
Then they filled his arms.
Eventually, he found two woven plastic sacks and packed everything inside.
He followed behind Shen Jiao, serving simultaneously as a labourer and a payment machine.
After spending the entire afternoon shopping, Gu Xinguo gained a new understanding of how terrifying women could be when purchasing things.
From then on, whenever Shen Jiao asked him to accompany her shopping, he would avoid it whenever possible.
It was more exhausting than the five-thousand-li cross-country marches he had completed while serving in the army.
“None of the clothes here appeal to me,” Shen Jiao said with a sigh.
“Master Lin’s family happens to own a sewing machine. Why don’t I buy some fabric and borrow their machine to make my clothes myself?”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
After accompanying Shen Jiao around the shops for half the day, Gu Xinguo had lost all ability to object.
As long as she did not ask him to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire, he would let her do whatever she pleased.
They returned to Master Lin’s home carrying their enormous haul.
Once Gu Xinguo delivered everything, he left again.
At the department store, he had heard about an elderly traditional Chinese doctor.
He wanted to visit and ask whether the doctor might be able to treat Grandma’s illness.
Shen Jiao prepared dinner for the Lin family.
Apart from the rice, flour, and seasonings already in the kitchen, she paid for all the meat and vegetables herself.
Although she would only be staying for a few days, and Gu Xinguo had already paid the family, Shen Jiao believed that contributing a little more would help everyone pass the days before the wedding pleasantly.
She did not want trivial household matters to spoil her mood before she married.
When Master Lin, his wife, and their daughter returned home, they were welcomed by the rich aroma of food and a home that had been cleaned and organised.
They could not have been happier.
Lin Juan’s original reluctance over having Shen Jiao occupy half her room immediately disappeared.
“Master Lin, Director Jiang, I’m afraid I’ll be troubling you for the next few days.”
“What trouble? You’re only borrowing a room.”
Master Lin laughed.
“If all troubles carried this much happiness, I’d wish for several more.”
Following her principle that a sweet tongue never caused a loss, Shen Jiao praised all three members of the Lin family until they could not stop smiling.
When she asked to use their sewing machine, they agreed without hesitation.
Shen Jiao settled into Master Lin’s home.
Although she did not return to Shuanma Village over the following days, Gu Xinguo kept her informed.
The elderly traditional Chinese doctor had no effective treatment for Grandma’s illness either.
She was old, and the organs throughout her body had deteriorated and were beginning to fail.
It was not something human effort could reverse.
Grandma herself remained calm.
Since ancient times, reaching seventy had been considered rare. She was already seventy-eight and had long since accepted life and death.
If she could see her grandson marry before she died, she would be able to close her eyes in peace.
Shen Jiao grieved over Grandma’s condition for two days.
However, when she remembered the old woman’s final wish, she pulled herself together and focused on preparing for the wedding.
She wanted to look beautiful on the day itself and fulfil Grandma’s wish to hold her head high before the entire village.
The clothing Shen Jiao planned to wear on her wedding day was finally completed.
It consisted of a long red fitted coat, dark blue tapered trousers, and black leather shoes.
She arranged her thick hair into a French-style bun, creating an indescribably elegant and beautiful appearance.
When she tried on the outfit, everyone stared in amazement.
Several families in the building who were preparing weddings asked Shen Jiao to make clothing for them as well.
She readily agreed.
Why refuse business that arrived directly at her door?
She had not only sewn clothes for herself.
She also made garments for Grandma, Gu Xinguo, and Gu Xinmin’s entire family, all in the most fashionable styles of the time.
Using the remaining fabric, she made Lin Juan a pair of workwear trousers.
The young girl was so delighted that she followed Shen Jiao everywhere, repeatedly calling her “Sister.”
The wedding would take place the following day.
Although Shen Jiao was not entirely inexperienced in relations between men and women, she still suffered from insomnia that night.
She remembered the false-marriage agreement she had proposed at the beginning.
Although Gu Xinguo had later stated that he was willing to grow old with her, she still felt uncertain.
Would they become husband and wife in the truest sense tomorrow night?
Grandma deliberately arranged the wedding to be as lively as possible.
On the day itself, Gu Xinguo and his party arrived at the residential compound in a large lorry borrowed from the transport team.
Eight tall and handsome young men accompanied him to collect the bride, creating a suitably impressive display.
Although everyone had already heard that Gu Xinguo’s new young wife was beautiful, when they finally saw the bride, they were all rendered speechless.
Beautiful?
She looked like a celestial maiden.
What kind of incredible luck had Gu Xinguo encountered?
Even as a divorced man, he had managed to marry such a gorgeous wife.
Gu Xinguo had always known that Shen Jiao was beautiful, but he was not someone who cared greatly about appearances.
Yet Shen Jiao’s radiant beauty that day still struck him forcefully.
His heart began beating with unusual excitement.
Only then did he realise that he was merely an ordinary man after all.
He too possessed the common male weakness of being drawn to beauty.
Amid the laughter and commotion, Shen Jiao somehow found herself aboard the lorry decorated with a large red flower.
The truck bed had been scrubbed thoroughly and decorated around the sides with red paper, giving it a much more festive appearance.
Those who had come to fetch and accompany the bride sat inside alongside Shen Jiao’s dowry.
There was a sewing machine and a bicycle.
Naturally, Gu Xinguo had arranged for both items to be purchased to enhance Shen Jiao’s prestige.
Everyone in the truck looked at the two major items with undisguised envy.
They had already noticed the wristwatch on Shen Jiao’s arm.
Apart from the radio, she possessed almost the complete set of the three rotations and one sound.
Many people received only a single major item when they married.
From that perspective, marrying a divorced man like Gu Xinguo was hardly a loss.
After all, he did not have any children.
There was no need to describe the excitement that erupted when they entered Shuanma Village.
The Gu family had spared no expense on the wedding feast.
Wedding banquets in Shuanma Village were known for their bowls of steamed meat dishes. The bowls were packed almost entirely with crispy pork, fried until crisp on the outside while remaining tender within.
There were also whole chickens and whole fish on the tables.
In short, the Gu family had spent lavishly on the wedding.
The guests ate until their mouths shone with grease and repeatedly raised their thumbs in praise.
Grandma was so delighted that several new folds seemed to appear in the wrinkles around her smile.
Outside, the celebration was lively and noisy.
Inside the bridal room, however, Shen Jiao grew increasingly anxious.
She kept thinking about their wedding night.
What would she do if Gu Xinguo did not take the initiative?
Would she have to initiate even the consummation of their marriage herself?
Meanwhile, on the road outside Shuanma Village, a middle-aged woman was slowly making her way towards the village.
Her body was hunched, and her face was weathered and haggard.
Her eyes were filled with crazed hatred.
Shen Jiao, you made me suffer so terribly. What right do you have to be happy?
Don’t think that merely running far away means I can do nothing to you.
In this life, our feud will not end until one of us is dead!
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