If this were several decades later, not just pulling on a sleeve, even kissing in public wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. But now, in 1969, even legally married couples had to maintain a proper distance.
Yan Xue quickly withdrew her hand. "Sorry."
The words left her mouth, but she immediately felt as if she had just molested him. She quickly changed the subject, "If nothing else works, we can try negotiating with the guesthouse."
"Guesthouse?" Qi Fang finally lifted his gaze from her hand, slowly shifting it to her face.
"Ask if they’d be willing to rent to us long-term at a lower rate," Yan Xue said. "The rooms are small, and there’s no kitchen, but they provide heated kang beds and hot water. We could eat at the canteen for now. We’ll make do for these few months until the weather warms up, and then we can build our own house."
This was an angle Qi Fang hadn’t considered. "I’ll look around again tomorrow. If nothing turns up, we’ll do as you suggested."
Since there was no need to visit Li Shuwu’s house now, the two turned to leave when someone suddenly called out, "Are you looking to rent a place?"
Yan Xue turned toward the voice and recognized Aunt Guo, whom she had met once before. They happened to be standing near the Guo residence.
The older woman had stepped out to dispose of stove ashes and wasn’t dressed warmly. Yan Xue quickly guided her to a sheltered spot by the gate. "We are looking to rent. Do you have any suggestions, Auntie?"
Aunt Guo clearly remembered her. "You’re the girl who came with Fengying the other day, aren’t you?"
"You mean Aunt Liu?" Yan Xue hesitated to address elders by their given names, having only heard Grandpa Liu and Liu Daniu refer to her as Fengying a few times.
"Yes, her name is Huang Fengying. I overheard you talking about renting. What do you think of my place?"
Her place?
But wasn’t her son supposed to get married soon? Where would they have space to rent out?
As if guessing Yan Xue’s thoughts, Aunt Guo gave a bitter smile. "With Chang’an in this state, how could the wedding still happen?"
She didn’t elaborate, but it was clear the bride’s family had called off the engagement.
Yan Xue fell silent.
It reminded her of her own family—or rather, her family in her past life.
Even after marriage, and even with a child, her mother had left her and her father after he lost a leg in an accident.
Before leaving, her mother had bought her cotton candy and dropped her off at preschool. But when Yan Xue ran home at noon, all she found was a cold stove and her father with red-rimmed eyes…
Not everyone had the courage to walk a difficult path with someone else.
Yan Xue could only offer comfort. "Don’t rush. Good things take time." Then, with a smile, she added, "I must be really lucky—just when I needed a pillow, here comes one."
Her lighthearted tone signaled her willingness to consider the offer. Aunt Guo relaxed slightly but then glanced at Qi Fang.
Yan Xue also looked at him. The man’s expression remained impassive. "Can we see it now?"
"Of course! Right this way!" Aunt Guo quickly set down the shovel by the door and led them inside.
The Guo residence originally had three rooms—the east and west wings housing the elderly couple and the eldest son Guo Changping’s family, respectively. An additional room and a half had been added to the east wing for Guo Chang’an’s wedding: one room as a bedroom and half a room as a kitchen, with its own entrance.
Had Guo Chang’an not met with misfortune, he would have been married by now. As a result, the room was fully furnished—kang bed, cabinets, chests, tables, chairs, and even kitchenware, all ready for use.
The Guos had even wired the new room for electricity, with a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. Aunt Guo pulled the cord to turn it on. "The walls were freshly whitewashed. You won’t need to do much—just wipe off the dust before moving in."
Given their tight timeline, renting such a place would save Yan Xue and Qi Fang a lot of trouble. But Yan Xue could also see how much care the old woman had put into preparing for her son’s wedding.
She asked, "How much were you thinking for rent?"
Aunt Guo hesitated, having never rented out before. Tentatively, she offered, "Four yuan a month?"
Afraid they might find it too steep, she quickly added, "All the pots and pans are here—you can use them without buying new ones."
Unfamiliar with local prices, Yan Xue deferred to Qi Fang.
Instead of answering, Qi Fang studied the kitchenware. "How much did these cost?"
Aunt Guo was taken aback.
Yan Xue, however, caught on. Sure enough, the man’s tone was calm as he said, "Name a price. We’ll take them."
This meant they were willing to rent—and even willing to buy her things. Aunt Guo finally understood. "Let me… let me calculate."
Without another word, Qi Fang stepped into the inner room. "Were you planning to move these furnishings out, or…?"
This time, Aunt Guo hesitated before steeling herself. "If you want them, I’ll sell them to you at a depreciated price."
With the wedding called off, who knew when Chang’an would find another match? Leaving the items to gather dust was pointless. Selling them now would at least bring in some money for future plans.
The thought of her son made the old woman sigh inwardly, even as Yan Xue and Qi Fang paid on the spot to secure the deal.
On their way out, Qi Fang remarked to Yan Xue, "The house is good, and the furnishings are new. They’re worth more than what she asked."
His tone was as neutral as ever, but coming from a man of few words who rarely commented on anything, Yan Xue immediately grasped his meaning—he was explaining why he had bought Aunt Guo’s belongings. She smiled. "I think so too."
She wasn’t the type to haggle over every little thing, especially when someone was in need. And having faced similar hardships herself, she understood all too well.
But while he framed it as a practical decision, she suspected his motives weren’t purely transactional. Some things, it seemed, were just ingrained.
When Liu Daniu’s wife, Huang Fengying, heard they had rented Aunt Guo’s place, she sighed. "Their things are good quality—solid rosewood, and they spent a fortune on them. What a shame things turned out this way."
Shaking her head, she added, "That girl… After being together for half a year, right before the wedding, she didn’t even show her face after Chang’an’s accident. Just sent her brother to call it off."
Emotionally, it was hard to fathom, coming across as heartless.
But rationally, if she had decided to cut her losses, sparing the family an awkward confrontation might have been the cleaner choice.
Having seen such things before, Yan Xue didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she turned her attention to the cotton quilt spread out on the kang. "Is it already stuffed?"
"Just needs the cover." Huang Fengying kept chatting but didn’t slow her nimble fingers, quickly stitching the quilt cover and snipping the thread. "Take a look."
"Auntie, your skills are amazing! I never thought it could be done so quickly, let alone this well." Yan Xue ran her hand over the quilt, admiration in her voice.
Pleased by the praise, Huang Fengying forgot her earlier lament. "Your Qi Fang must be busy, right? I’ll help you deliver this."
Indeed, Qi Fang was swamped. Whether fifty years ago or fifty years later, preparing for a wedding and setting up a new home was enough to drive anyone mad. Even though their place was rented, their furniture secondhand, and their wedding deliberately simple, there was still cleaning to do, banquets to arrange, and candies to distribute.
Word had it that Qi Fang had gone to his workplace to submit a marriage application and stopped by the store to buy candies, cigarettes, and alcohol. Huang Fengying set down a quilt on the kang and asked, "You're still short on dishes for the wedding day, aren't you?"
The mention of wedding dishes reminded Yan Xue of the fishing incident, and she couldn’t help but laugh. "Yes, we’re still missing quite a bit. I only managed to get about twenty-some pounds of wild boar meat, plus some eggs."
"That works out perfectly. Grandpa Liu went up the mountain to set traps. I’ll bring you some pheasants and rabbits later."
"Really?" Yan Xue didn’t hide her delight. "Qi Fang really knows how to pick a place to live—finding such a wonderful family who helps with both the bedding and the wedding feast."
Huang Fengying chuckled. "I’d say he’s even better at picking a wife—finding someone as sweet-tongued as you."
On February 14th, Qi Fang, the man who "knew how to pick a wife," wore the standard uniform of the forestry center, but underneath, he had on a dark blue sweater paired with a light blue shirt, looking refined and tall.
Liu Chunhua, who hadn’t been seen for days, showed up early in the morning to help block the door. After only a token bit of teasing, she let him in.
Inside the small guesthouse room, Yan Xue sat quietly on the kang, her face free of makeup. The only adornment was a pair of red silk ribbons tied around her hair elastic, making her delicate face appear even fairer.
Just as Qi Fang was about to search for her shoes, she subtly glanced toward the neatly folded bedding at the head of the kang.
Liu Weiguo, who had come along to fetch the bride, immediately called out, "Hey, that’s cheating! Since when does the bride help the groom cheat?"
Yan Xue merely smiled, her thick lashes casting a faint shadow as she lowered her gaze, like a scene from a serene and beautiful poster.
Ignoring the crowd’s teasing, Qi Fang retrieved the shoes from under the bedding. But as he returned to the kang, he hesitated for a moment.
Noticing this, Yan Xue looked up at him and was about to reach for the shoes herself when the man bent down, took hold of one of her feet, and slipped the shoe on.
His fingers were long and slender, making her sock-clad foot seem tiny in comparison, small enough to fit easily in his palm. But the touch was fleeting—just enough to put on the shoe before he moved to the other foot.
Liu Weiguo, now inside the room, rolled up his sleeves. "Today, I’m standing in as your bride’s family. From now on, you’d better treat me like a brother-in-law."
This had been agreed upon beforehand. Since Yan Xue had no family of her own present, Liu Weiguo and Liu Chunhua would temporarily act as her relatives—Liu Chunhua to block the door, and Liu Weiguo to carry the bride.
But before he could get close to the kang, Qi Fang shifted slightly, blocking his way.
"What’s this? Having second thoughts?" Liu Weiguo teased.
Qi Fang’s movement had been instinctive, but at those words, he paused. In the end, he turned and lifted Yan Xue onto his back himself.
Whistles and cheers erupted inside and outside the room, blending with the deafening firecrackers as the newlyweds were ushered out of the guesthouse.
So light.
That was the only thought that vaguely crossed Qi Fang’s mind.
So tall.
Perched on the man’s back, Yan Xue felt like her perspective had completely shifted.
But the sensation didn’t last long—soon, they arrived at the forestry center’s office, where they would take their vows and receive their marriage certificate.
Because the town was too far away, marriage certificates here were issued by the workplace, and the wedding officiant was none other than Lang Zhongting, the forestry center’s Party secretary. A large portrait of a national leader hung on the wall ahead.
Secretary Lang, a man in his forties, put on his reading glasses and first verified their household registration papers and letters of introduction before the vows.
"Qi Fang, male, Han ethnicity, born November 11, 1948. Registered residence: Jinchuan Forestry Center, Chengshui Town, Changshan County, Jiangcheng City, XX Province…"
Yan Xue silently calculated—two years and two months older than her current self. Though compared to her past life, he was practically a college-aged kid.
Once everything was confirmed, Secretary Lang picked up Yan Xue’s documents. "Yan Xue, female, Han ethnicity, born January 18, 1951. Registered residence: XX Province…"
He had barely gotten halfway when Qi Fang turned to look at her, his peach-blossom eyes flickering with surprise—and scrutiny.
Yan Xue met his gaze, puzzled. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her household registration. Could it be an unlucky birth date?
Qi Fang wasn’t concerned about her birth date. What caught his attention was that Yan Xue’s registered residence wasn’t in Yanjing.
A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind—had she changed it specifically for the marriage arrangement, or had something happened earlier that led to the change?
Surely this couldn’t mean that this Yan Xue wasn’t the same Yan Xue he had a childhood betrothal with?
Even if coincidental name matches existed, the odds of two people mistakenly recognizing each other were slim. How many perfect coincidences could there be?
Before Yan Xue could grow more confused, he averted his gaze as if it had just been a passing glance.
Yan Xue brushed it off for the moment, reciting the vows with Secretary Lang before watching as he stamped an official seal on a colorful, certificate-like document and handed it to them. "Congratulations. You are now officially a revolutionary couple."
Her first marriage certificate in two lifetimes—frankly, it was much simpler than the little red booklet that would come later.
But since it was both her first and only one for now, Yan Xue took it and examined it. And then she froze.
Qi Fang? His surname was Qi?
Wasn’t her blind date supposed to be surnamed Qi?
