After leaving the compound, Lin Guangmin was completely distracted. He had accompanied his mother to the cafeteria to get food, but he hadn’t said a word the entire way. Even when they entered the cafeteria and his mother asked him to choose dishes, he barely paid attention.
A mother knows her son best. Yu Cuiman said bluntly, “Do you think I don’t know what’s on your mind? You young people like pretty faces, but when it comes to marriage, what good does a pretty face do?”
Lin Guangmin’s mind was full of Ning Qiao.
Her delicate, beautiful face, her clear black-and-white eyes, her dainty nose, her soft pink lips—even her voice was sweet and gentle.
“With her constitution, if she ever sets foot in our house, you’ll be the one waiting on her hand and foot,” Yu Cuiman said with a sideways glance.
Lin Guangmin was twenty-three, of marriageable age, and Yu Cuiman had been considering his future match.
She knew her son had always carried a torch for Ning Qiao, but deep down, she had never thought highly of that girl. The Ning family doted on their daughter—afraid to drop her, afraid to let her out of their sight—and had raised a spoiled young lady. Once she married into a husband’s family, she probably wouldn’t even know how to cook a meal.
“Of course, with our family’s standing, we’re not necessarily looking for a daughter-in-law who can do heavy labor. But the key is—with someone as frail as her, can she even bear children?”
“Mom! What are you talking about!” Lin Guangmin suppressed his wandering thoughts and said hoarsely.
“What’s there to be embarrassed about in front of your mother?” Yu Cuiman laughed. “Forget about her. She’s not good enough for you.”
“Ning Qiao has a high school diploma. I dropped out after middle school,” Lin Guangmin said.
“So what?” Yu Cuiman snorted. “Your father pulled strings to get you a temporary position at the state-run restaurant. What does she have?”
Lin Guangmin stared fixedly at a point in the distance, his thoughts drifting far away.
As a child, his parents were busy with work, so he lived with his grandmother and only returned to the staff compound during holidays. Because of that, he hadn’t had many chances to see Ning Qiao.
But one summer left an indelible impression on him.
The weather was sweltering. Ning Yang had taken a penny from the adults and run out to buy a popsicle. After bringing it back, he hid behind a big tree to eat it in secret, constantly scanning the compound for his sister’s figure, terrified of getting caught. But Ning Qiao found him anyway. She tiptoed up behind Ning Yang, tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, her eyes crinkled in laughter. A breeze blew through, her long dress outlining the slender curve of her waist. Lin Guangmin would never forget the feeling of his heart skipping a beat in that instant.
“Wait a few more years, get a permanent position at the state-run restaurant, and you’ll have your pick of any female comrade you want,” Yu Cuiman said.
The food they’d just gotten from the unit cafeteria was still warm. Lin Guangmin carried it in his hands as they walked back toward the compound.
The image of Ning Qiao’s slender figure lingered stubbornly in his mind.
“Mom, I don’t want any other female comrade,” Lin Guangmin said firmly. “I only want Ning Qiao. Otherwise, I’ll never marry for the rest of my life.”
The moment his father got home, Ning Qiao was sent out to fetch her brother and sister-in-law.
When she saw them, she hurried over.
Jiao Chunyu asked Ning Qiao where she’d been that afternoon. Hearing that her little sister-in-law had gone to the supply cooperative and run into a high school classmate who’d brought an educated youth to the hospital, she nodded along.
Ning Yang frantically signaled his wife with his eyes—no matter what, under no circumstances were they to bring up that terrible idea of marrying off his little sister.
“I know, I know—you’re more long-winded than my grandma,” Jiao Chunyu shot him a glare.
Ning Qiao’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in and whispered, “What’s big brother going on about?”
Ning Yang: …
It was infuriating.
But some things couldn’t be prevented just because Ning Yang didn’t mention them.
The young couple and Ning Qiao hadn’t brought their keys. They were about to knock on the door when they heard muffled arguing coming from inside.
“Qiaoqiao is only how old? How is rushing her into marriage a good way out?”
“And how is being sent to the countryside a good way out? I asked around at the Educated Youth Office—the commune spots in Ancheng village are already full. If Qiaoqiao really has to go, she’ll likely be assigned somewhere remote. A place that takes days to reach by train—she’d be all alone out there. If something happens, how could we possibly get to her?”
“Besides the lack of food, warm clothes, and backbreaking farm work, a pretty young woman alone out there is inherently dangerous. If some village loafer sets his sights on her, does she even know how to protect herself? By the time bad news comes, it’ll be too late!”
Ning Yang’s expression shifted. He told Jiao Chunyu to take their little sister out to the yard first.
Ning Qiao shook her head and stood quietly in place.
“To put it more bluntly—if we marry Qiaoqiao off, at least we can vet the match. But if she goes to the countryside, if anything happens to her…”
Ning Zhiping couldn’t make up his mind for the moment, his head throbbing with worry. “You’re panicking because you care too much. Don’t cry yet—let’s wait for Ning Yang to come back before we talk.”
Never before had the air in their home felt so heavy and stifling. Ning Zhiping was restless and irritable. With a sharp motion, he flung the door open.
Outside the door, the three young people and the two elders stared at each other.
Chang Fangze wiped her tears: “This idea came from Ning Yang!”
Ning Yang gritted his teeth.
So much for keeping it between them—who had ratted him out!
Ning Qiao still seemed to be in a daze.
All her life, every big and small matter concerning her had been handled by her parents and brother. She had obediently followed whatever arrangements they made.
And at this moment, they still didn’t intend to ask for her opinion.
Once the door was shut, Chang Fangze and Jiao Chunyu were on one side, while Ning Zhiping and Ning Yang stood on the other. By now, Chang Fangze no longer felt like praising her son—where was he clever? All he did was hold them back!
The two sides went back and forth without giving an inch.
Chang Fangze made her daughter a bowl of brown sugar water to soothe her throat.
Ning Qiao’s mind was still echoing with Yang Qingqing’s words—she was genuinely scared. The hardship and exhaustion weren’t the main issue; what she valued most was her own safety. She’d thought about it too simply before, but as her mother said, what if something did happen to her?
The arguing at her ear showed no sign of stopping. Jiao Chunyu interrupted them, speaking seriously: “None of our opinions matter in the end. This is little sister’s life—we have to hear what she wants.”
The family thought that made sense and all turned to look at Ning Qiao.
The father and son felt confident—she was just a young girl, she’d be shy. There was no way she’d agree.
“Getting married isn’t out of the question…” Ning Qiao said softly.
Father and son: ?
Ning Qiao rubbed the tip of her nose and asked weakly, “But—who exactly am I supposed to marry?”
Ning Yang choked.
His little sister sure knew how to get to the heart of the matter.
“Think carefully—you’re really agreeing to get married?” he asked.
Chang Fangze and Jiao Chunyu exchanged a glance and immediately sat down beside Ning Qiao.
In those days, whether in the city or the countryside, most people believed that finding a good match was always the top priority for a young woman.
Marrying at eighteen was indeed a bit early, but if the other party was someone worth entrusting her life to, earlier wouldn’t hurt.
Ning Yang’s feelings swung back and forth—one moment he thought it was good his sister wouldn’t have to suffer, the next he worried she might end up with the wrong person.
And since Ning Qiao had spoken up, Ning Zhiping had been silent, lost in thought.
Jiao Chunyu guessed that her husband still wanted to discuss something more with his parents, so she made an excuse and pulled Ning Qiao out the door.
“Little sister, come with me to buy some food at the state-run restaurant.”
“There’s food at home—we got it from the cafeteria.”
“Let’s get a bowl of white rice.”
“Mom already cooked!”
Jiao Chunyu: …
“Then let’s get a bun.”
Only then did she manage to coax Ning Qiao out with her.
Once the two of them were gone, Ning Yang asked, “What do you think, Dad?”
Ning Zhiping took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. Plowing fields, transplanting rice seedlings, hauling grain sacks—how could Ning Qiao possibly do any of that? She was the kind of girl who needed ten days to half a month just to recover from a chill.
“The list of those being sent down just came out. Let’s wait and see where she’s assigned.”
“What your mother said is also true—if Qiaoqiao gets sent somewhere remote and something happens to her, it’ll be too late for regrets.”
Ning Zhiping’s voice was very low, even trembling slightly.
At this moment, beyond worrying about Ning Qiao’s future, he was also filled with deep self-blame and a sense of powerlessness.
Ning Zhiping stood up and walked toward the back of the room.
“Dad, what about Qiaoqiao’s situation—” Ning Yang tried to follow his father’s footsteps.
Chang Fangze pressed her son back onto the stool and gently shook her head.
This idea had hit the family too hard all at once. They all needed time to slowly process it.
The state-run restaurant was a fair distance from the staff compound. Jiao Chunyu opened her mouth as if to speak, then hesitated.
Ning Qiao smiled and said, “Go ahead, sister-in-law. Just say it.”
The idea had come to Jiao Chunyu in a flash of urgency, but now that Ning Qiao had accepted it so readily, she found herself worrying all over again.
“Little sister, are you really willing to get married?”
Her parents’ and brother’s marriages had all been so happy, so Ning Qiao didn’t feel resistant to the idea. She nodded: “Sure, why not?”
“For the sake of your health, this probably is the best way out. But I still have to tell you—marriage isn’t that simple either.”
“How complicated could it be?” Ning Qiao tilted her head.
Jiao Chunyu began analyzing the pros and cons of marriage for her, even touching on topics that Ning Yang wouldn’t dare bring up: “The most complicated part… probably having children?”
As soon as she said it, Jiao Chunyu’s ears turned red, and she couldn’t bring herself to go on.
Ning Qiao blinked and looked at her sister-in-law: “Having children is voluntary, isn’t it?”
Jiao Chunyu: “Huh?”
“Down in the countryside, earning work points means following the brigade leader’s orders. Even hauling manure is decided by the team—I don’t get a say in any of it.”
Jiao Chunyu looked at her little sister-in-law’s troubled little face.
So that was it—the girl was hung up on the whole “hauling manure” business.
But even that one thought—”hauling manure”—had already cast a dark cloud over her face, never mind all the other dirty, backbreaking jobs.
Meanwhile, Lin Guangmin was carrying his lunch box and walking back to the compound with Yu Cuiman when he spotted Ning Qiao at a glance.
Now was the perfect opportunity. She was delicate and couldn’t bear the hardship of the countryside—she’d surely be willing to marry him.
Yu Cuiman followed behind with a frown.
The Ning girl was indeed eye-catching—outwardly innocent and well-behaved, but in truth she was always finding ways to hover around her son. And her son, for his part, had no spine at all; his eyes were glued to the girl.
If such a girl entered their household, could they ever have peace? He’d probably forget his mother the moment he got a wife.
But what could she do? She couldn’t overrule her son.
Yu Cuiman’s face was dark as thunder. When she saw Ning Qiao and her sister-in-law approaching from not far away, she grew even more irritated.
Ning Qiao didn’t even spare her son a glance.
“She’s playing hard to get?” Yu Cuiman muttered under her breath.
“Mom, Qiaoqiao is a young lady—she’s shy. Since I’ve already made up my mind, there’s no point wasting time. You and Dad should get ready and find a matchmaker,” Lin Guangmin sighed, also lowering his voice. “I just don’t know if she’d be willing.”
Yu Cuiman scoffed.
Wouldn’t she be willing? The Nings would probably be overjoyed.
In the vast compound, people came and went. Jiao Chunyu never once set her eyes on the mother and son from the director’s family.
She smiled with relief: “You’re right—marriage, and who you marry—at least you get a choice. I won’t go on about anything else, little sister. I’ll just leave you with one piece of advice: if you’re going to marry someone, marry someone you like.”
Her parents and brother had never actually answered her question—who exactly was she supposed to marry?
But her sister-in-law’s words gave Ning Qiao a vague idea.
“This is the new society—free love is advocated. But now might be too late to start dating from scratch.”
“Even if it’s an arranged introduction, first and foremost you have to find the person pleasing to your eyes. Otherwise, how could you get through a lifetime together?”
“Got it?”
Only then did Ning Qiao notice Yu Cuiman and Lin Guangmin.
The factory director’s wife held her head high, blocking her son as if a hen protecting her chick.
“Got it,” Ning Qiao said lightly.
Yu Cuiman gave her a cold look. Her son refused to marry anyone else—that was a blessing Ning Qiao had earned over eight lifetimes.
And Ning Qiao, looking up at Lin Guangmin approaching head-on, silently repeated her sister-in-law’s words in her heart.
For example, someone like that—no.
She’d have to find someone handsome!
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