Chapter 12

Political Commissar Li couldn’t find anything else to compliment, so he dryly said, “The old man’s got solid character.”

Let’s be honest—when a family’s marrying off their son, they always hope to find someone with decent conditions. Not that anyone’s trying to social climb, but come on—people naturally aim higher in life. That’s just human nature.

Letting the most promising grandson in the family marry a rural girl? That’s not something just anyone could pull off.

Li Commissar was tempted to ask, “Is your grandpa out to get you or something? Otherwise, why would he set you up with a match like this?”

But he swallowed the question, since it felt too much like trying to stir up bad blood between the grandfather and grandson.

Just a few minutes ago, he’d been envious of He Mingchuan’s luck. Now, all he could feel was sympathy.

He himself had grown up in the countryside and married a girl from the next village over. He never thought much of it—they were well-matched, comfortable together.

But He Mingchuan? He was a city kid. The gap between the two families was too big. Could they really live happily after getting married?

So Li Commissar gave him a suggestion, “It’s a new society now. We don’t do arranged marriages anymore. You could use that as an excuse to turn it down.”

He Mingchuan thanked him for the kind suggestion. “No need.”

And with that, he left the room.

Li Commissar sat on the bed for a long time, trying to figure out what exactly he meant by that. No luck.

After the lunch break, he went to He Mingchuan’s office to find him.

When he walked in, Mingchuan was bent over his desk, writing something.

He leaned in to take a look—He Mingchuan was filling out a marriage application.

Li Commissar’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “You’re serious? Why the hell are you moving this fast?”

His voice was so loud it probably echoed down the whole floor.

“Fast?”

Li Commissar choked. Technically, at Mingchuan’s age, it wasn’t early to get married. His comrades had kids running around by now, while this guy didn’t even have a wife yet. Maybe it was time to start worrying.

Who would’ve thought—on the outside, He Mingchuan always seemed cool and indifferent around women, but on the inside, he was in such a rush he didn’t care what kind of woman it was.

“Bro, come on. If you really wanna find a wife, I know a few pretty girls in the performing arts troupe. I can introduce you. No need to throw yourself under the bus like this.”

Mingchuan copied his freshly edited marriage application onto a clean form, following all the proper format rules. “No need. It doesn’t make a difference.”

Li Commissar sighed, trying to sound sincere. “Marriage is a big deal. You’ve gotta think this through.”

Once He Mingchuan finished binding all the paperwork together, he stood up and got ready to leave.

“I’ve got something to do, so I’m heading out.” His voice was calm, emotionless. But before he left, he added, “Thanks for your concern.”

With He Mingchuan gone, Li Commissar was left alone in the office, practically beating his chest in frustration. The guy was clearly off to submit the paperwork.

Why’s he so stubborn?

When He Mingchuan submitted his application, the higher-ups reacted pretty much the same as Li Commissar.

Only, they had more composure. They didn’t get all nosy about it.

They just asked a few basic questions as part of the standard process.

He was one of their key development targets—a potential successor. Whether his family was harmonious wouldn’t directly affect his career, but if things weren’t good at home, it’d definitely become a distraction. That could slow him down.

On the flip side, a stable home meant he could focus on his work.

So when they found out it was an arranged marriage by an elder, they didn’t get dramatic like Li Commissar. They just gently advised, “Marriage isn’t a joke. You’re not just responsible for yourself, but for that young lady too. Think it through. Don’t be impulsive.”

To be honest, He Mingchuan didn’t care much whether he got married or not.

But Professor He was a difficult old man. Once he set his mind on something, he’d pull every trick in the book to make it happen—cry, throw tantrums, even threaten his life.

The old guy’s health had been poor for years, with frequent hospitalizations.

Rather than letting him throw a fit and giving in later, Mingchuan figured it’d be easier to just go along with it now.

His dad had mentioned in a letter that the girl in question was honest and grounded—not the showy type.

That was good enough for him.

“This is my decision after careful consideration.”

The leader didn’t press any further and signed the form.

“Once the wedding date’s set, come see me to approve your leave.”

Since the He family had left Xiaoxi Brigade, no word had come from them for a while.

Lu Laosan and Qiao Yanxiang were starting to get antsy. Maybe they went home and regretted it. Couldn’t they just give a straight answer—yes or no?

To make things worse, Lu Dabos’ wife was fanning the flames, making sarcastic remarks like, “Doesn’t matter what the Hes want. The final say lies with He Mingchuan. If he’s not willing, none of it means anything.”

Qiao Yanxiang was furious when she heard that. She wasn’t great at arguing, so she went home and took it out on her husband and son.

Lu Miao found it all pretty amusing. “Why not tell Aunt Dabao that if He Mingchuan doesn’t want Sanshui, it’s no big deal. Li Qinglin from her family is quite the catch herself. I bet if she hears that, she’ll be in a bigger hurry than us to marry me off.”

She was still joking around, but Qiao Yanxiang wasn’t having it.

“Joke like that at home if you must. We know you’re playing. But if an outsider hears you and spreads the wrong idea, it could ruin your reputation!”

After that scolding, Lu Miao deflated. Even Lu Congge kept his head down. When Mom starts snapping at big sis too, you know you’re next if you step out of line.

Qiao Yanxiang was so stressed about Lu Miao’s wedding that she got a massive cold sore.

Every time she went out, the neighbors would ask about the wedding date. They all meant well—after all, Professor He had come specifically to set up the marriage. They were just checking in.

But to her, all that concern had become a burden. The more people asked, the more panicked she got.

Since the date hadn’t been finalized, all she could say was, “Once it’s settled, you’ll be the first to know.”

Time flew by, and summer break was almost over. Lu Congge was about to leave for high school in the county.

It was his first time living away from home. Once school started, he’d only be able to come home once a month.

Qiao Yanxiang might favor her daughter, but that didn’t mean she didn’t love her son.

Normally, she’d have made him a couple of new outfits for the big move.

But money was tight. The dowry preparations for Lu Miao had nearly wiped out everything she and her husband had saved. They still needed some cash left over for the actual wedding.

Even though Lu Miao said she didn’t want a dowry, there was no way Qiao Yanxiang would let her go to her husband’s family with nothing and be looked down on.

Lu Congge also needed tuition and living expenses. Everything required money. That made Qiao Yanxiang even stingier—she wouldn’t even use cooking oil anymore.

Since her brother was about to start living in a dorm, and who knew what kind of food the school served, Lu Miao told her mom they should cook something nice to give him a good send-off.

But Qiao Yanxiang refused—and even scolded her.

That didn’t faze Lu Miao. She had her own stash of money and told Congge to go buy some meat.

Once the meat was home, it’d be wasteful not to cook it. Qiao Yanxiang clenched her teeth and made it—then confiscated Lu Miao’s secret cash stash that same night.

Still, having no money couldn’t kill Lu Miao’s craving for meat.

She came up with a “brilliant idea”—send Congge to sweet-talk their grandparents.

Grandpa and Grandma Lu favored boys over girls. Compared to Lu Miao, they were much more generous with Congge.

Sometimes when they had treats, they’d secretly call Congge over to eat.

But Congge, raised by his parents, always brought the snacks home to share with Lu Miao first.

This time, when he saw Grandpa alone, he eagerly offered to help water the garden.

He’d helped with chores before, so this wasn’t completely out of character—just a little more enthusiastic than usual.

“In a couple days I’ll be leaving for school in the city. I won’t be around to help out anymore. You’re not young anymore—you really should take it easy.” He tried to persuade the old man, but it was pointless. Farmers are like that. As long as they can walk, they’ll be out in the fields.

“If you’ve got work, just wait till I’m home on break. I’ll help you out.” Then he changed the subject: “I want to go to college, bring some pride to our family.”

No one from Xiaoxi Brigade had ever made it to college. If someone from the Lu family did it, they’d basically be the pride of the whole village.

It’d be in the family record books. His branch of the family would be known for producing a college graduate—major bragging rights.

Grandpa took a few drags of his cigarette and grunted, “Study hard. Once you get into college, you won’t have to come back to farm anymore.”

Farmers have deep love for the land. But their biggest dream is to one day leave it behind.

Congge carried the bucket for him. “Once I make it, I’ll buy a big house in the city and bring my parents—and you and Grandma—to enjoy life.”

Grandpa let his imagination run wild with that. He smiled. “That’d be wonderful.”

Congge sighed. “But school costs a lot. You know Mom favors my sister. She’s pretty much emptied the house for her wedding. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to finish high school.”

Grandpa’s eyes were cloudy but sharp. He asked, “So you want me to tell your mom to cut back on your sister’s dowry?”

Congge cursed him in his head—old fox, sharp as ever. But his mind moved fast. “Of course not. I always hear you say, when one person in the family thrives, we all benefit. We should work together. If my sister lives well in her husband’s family, that’s good for all of us, right?”

He even gave a sly little chuckle. Grandpa was thrilled.

That was his thinking: kids who do well help out the rest, creating a positive cycle.

Unlike now, where the oldest is stingy and won’t help his younger brother, and the second won’t get along with the oldest.

Grandpa had seen it all, but there wasn’t much he could do anymore. He was old, his authority in the family had faded. If he couldn’t teach his kids well back then, he had even less power now.

Besides, he was already at the stage of life where he had to rely on the eldest to care for him. He couldn’t exactly go ordering them around.

Knowing at least one of his grandkids understood him warmed his heart.

“Little Five, it makes me happy to hear you say that. Shows all your studying hasn’t been for nothing. If your sister marries Mingchuan, there’ll be plenty of chances to rely on their family. No point offending them now.”

Congge gave him a perfect brown-nose response. “You’re so wise, Grandpa. Talking to you is better than reading ten years of books.”

Lu Miao sat in the shade, watching the two of them in the fields, wondering just how much Congge would be able to get this time.

They talked for a long time. Miao started feeling dizzy under the sun.

Eventually, when the grandpa-grandson duo split up, Congge gave her a hand signal—meet at the usual spot.

When they met up, he pulled out a crumpled wad of money. “I counted it—three yuan and twenty cents. That’s enough for several days’ worth of pork.”

On the way to the butcher, Congge still felt a bit guilty. He was more like their parents—simple, honest, upright.

“Jie, is this... kinda wrong?”

Lu Miao had no shame corrupting a good kid. “That was Grandpa’s cigarette money. Smoking’s bad for his health. You did him a favor. Besides, when you make it big one day, will you buy them stuff?”

“I will.” Even if they played favorites, feelings are complicated things.

She clapped her hands. “Exactly! They give you money now. When you’re successful, you’ll return the favor.”

She went through all that trouble for some meat, but in the end, she barely ate any. She was a picky eater and didn’t like meat much. Most of it went to nourish the others in the family.

Even though it wasn’t 10 a.m. yet and the sun wasn’t at full blast, Lu Miao was already sweating buckets. She rarely went out in this kind of weather and looked totally drained.

Meanwhile, Congge was carrying the meat, looking full of energy. He was used to physical labor. The sun and the hills didn’t bother him.

Seeing his wilted sister, he offered, “Jie, want me to carry you back?”

Lu Miao looked at his sweat-drenched self, hid her disgust, and shook her head. “Forget it. You’re tired too.”

As they approached the village entrance, they spotted a stranger.

This guy had been ahead of them earlier, walking so fast they lost sight of him.

From the back, it was clear he wasn’t from around here—his posture was upright, his gait steady.

There was a shortcut back to the village, so even though he was faster, they all arrived at about the same time.

Lu Miao was curious. Who was this guy? What was he doing here?

He clearly wanted to ask for directions, but at this time of day, everyone was home cooking lunch. The village entrance was empty.

When he finally turned around, Lu Miao got a good look at his face.

Very familiar.

She’d just seen that face in a photo Professor He brought not long ago.

She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

He looked even better in person.

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