Everything is ready now; any dangerous moves are strictly forbidden.

Cheng Xuemin and Feng Jiayou talked late into the night, with Cheng mostly listening as Feng recounted all she had experienced since returning to the city. She mentioned, too, that after sending him a letter, she was certain he would come at once. She had known that upon arriving, Cheng would look for her at the university, so when she was tricked into returning home, she left her family’s address with her roommate, Huang Beijia. Considering that trains from northern Shaanxi typically arrived in the afternoon, and by the time Cheng reached Yanjing University it would likely be dark, she also left her bicycle with Huang Beijia so she could pass it on to Cheng, making it easier for him to come over. What a clever little fox she was!

This only strengthened Cheng Xuemin’s conviction that the woman had planned all along to trick him into marriage—he was truly duped! Eventually, perhaps unable to stay up any longer, his prospective mother-in-law called out from inside, urging Feng to come in. Only then, reluctantly, did Feng wash up and slip into her second sister-in-law’s room.

They had to find a place to stay! That was the heart of their conversation that night. Tomorrow they would go to reissue their marriage certificate and become husband and wife in the eyes of the law. Naturally, as a married couple, they ought to share a room, but with her family’s crowded living conditions, how could that be possible? So after getting the certificate, finding a place to live became their top priority.

Fortunately, Cheng’s parents had given him three hundred yuan before he left home, enough to manage for now. But in the long run, he would need an income. Relying solely on Feng Jiayou’s monthly scholarship of twenty-two yuan and fifty cents, it was unrealistic to expect Cheng to simply stay at home and prepare for next year’s college entrance exam without a care in the world. Besides, with a baby growing in Feng’s belly, Cheng was in no position to live off a woman.

Still, as a sent-down youth, Feng received the highest level of scholarship, calculated from the time of her rural assignment—twenty-two yuan and fifty cents a month. Without that, it would be even harder for the two of them to live independently. In the end, it was clear: Cheng, as the man, had to shoulder his responsibilities. Make money! Make money! Make money! That was the refrain.

Renting a place was only the first step; once he had the means, he was determined to get Feng a spacious courtyard house. With these thoughts, he slept dreamlessly through the night.

Because he was sleeping in the main room and the house was full of women, Cheng Xuemin rose early out of propriety. He dared not step outside, tidied his bedding, and sat anxiously on the edge of the bamboo bed, waiting to greet Feng Jiayou’s family as they awoke.

“Auntie, good morning!” “Uncle, good morning!” “Eldest brother, sister-in-law, good morning!” “Second sister-in-law, good morning!” Before long, the adults of the Feng family got up one after another, each exchanging greetings with him.

“Cheng Xuemin, why are you standing around in the main room? Go wash up!” Feng Jiayou, sporting panda eyes from lack of sleep, came out and asked when she saw Cheng Xuemin standing there so awkwardly.

“But didn’t Uncle say we weren’t to take a single step outside?” Cheng muttered under his breath.

Outside, his brother-in-law, Feng Jiazhao, who was washing up, must have heard him, for he spat out his mouthful of water and shouted, “Hey, Xuemin! Could you be any more clueless? No wonder you’ve been rooted to that spot all morning!”

“Feng Jiazhao, you’re the clueless one! Mom, did you prepare this for Xuemin? Let me handle it!” Feng Jiayou, annoyed at her brother’s words, started to retort, but then saw her mother come in with a washbasin and toiletries. Smiling ingratiatingly, she hurried forward to take them.

“Yes, all of us are clueless, that’s how we ended up with a smart, sharp-tongued daughter like you!” her mother said, face darkening as she shoved the basin into Feng’s hands. She couldn’t help but wonder—was this young man really just a simple-minded country boy? They hadn’t talked much the night before; could her daughter really be marrying such a fool? If so, how much hardship would her daughter have to endure?

She began to doubt whether someone like Cheng, a rustic bumpkin, could truly pass the college entrance exam. Could her daughter have exaggerated his abilities just to have his child?

“Mom! I was only joking with my brother. If he’s a fool, then so am I, since he’s my brother!” Feng Jiayou said quickly. “So, does this mean you agree?” After all, last night her mother had personally given bedding to Cheng, and now she’d prepared fresh toiletries for him—wasn’t this tacit approval?

“What did I agree to?” her mother snapped. “You, my clever daughter, do you need my approval? You’re eager for all of Yanjing to know you’ve found a man from rural Shaanxi! What more do you want from me?”

From the kitchen came the sound of mother and daughter bickering, but it was less sharp than the night before.

“Xuemin, come here a moment!” Just as Cheng was about to step out, his future father-in-law emerged and called him over.

“Uncle, good morning!” Cheng hurried over, greeting him again.

“Take this and give it to Jiayou. Go to the neighborhood office and reissue the certificate,” Feng’s father said, handing him the family’s household registration booklet.

“Uncle—” Cheng began.

“My father already agreed, and you’re still calling him Uncle? Call him Dad!” Feng Jiayou entered, eyes shining at the sight of the booklet, and urged Cheng to address her father properly.

“Dad! Thank you, Dad. I promise I’ll take good care of Jiayou!” Cheng responded readily, switching to ‘Dad’ without hesitation, and made his vow.

“Good. I hope you give Jiayou a happy new life. As for the wedding feast, since we’ve only just returned to the city and are renting a place ourselves, we’ll have to forgo it for now,” said Feng’s father. After working through his wife’s concerns the night before, and having listened to the young couple talk in the main room, he and his wife understood that half of what they said was meant for their ears.

So be it. Although they hadn’t spent much time with Cheng, since their daughter had made up her mind, they would support her. Besides, the young man seemed honest and dependable, and their daughter could certainly handle him. As for whether they would have a bright future or endure hardship, that was up to them—every generation lives its own life.

“It’s no trouble at all; we’ll listen to whatever Dad and Mom say,” Cheng Xuemin replied quickly.

Not so foolish after all, he even remembered to include her mother in his pledge.

After breakfast, Feng Jiayou could hardly wait to drag Cheng to the neighborhood office to reissue their marriage certificate, using the blank letter of introduction he had set aside for emergencies. In exchange, they received a bright red marriage certificate.

“Cheng Xuemin, are we really married now?” Sitting on the back of Cheng’s bicycle, Feng Jiayou gazed at the red certificate in her hands, her face radiant with happiness.

“Hold on tight, don’t do anything dangerous,” Cheng warned her, feeling her arms slip from his waist and stopping the bike in alarm.

“Yes, yes! No dangerous moves. You’re right to remind me!” Still giddy with happiness, Feng Jiayou quickly wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and off they went again.

“Yes, we’re married now! We’re officially husband and wife, so tonight in the guesthouse, shall we also have a wedding night?” Cheng suggested slyly, his voice full of anticipation.

“Cheng Xuemin, are you crazy? You just told me not to do anything dangerous, and now you want to do something even riskier—aren’t you afraid of hurting your son?” she retorted. “Besides, my second sister-in-law has moved back to her mother’s today, so we have a room at home.”

The idea of staying at the guesthouse was tempting, but her second sister-in-law had been so kind as to move out for them, giving them a room of their own.

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