The new house only needed window frames and the fence to be completed, with even the electrical wiring already installed, so Liu Weiguo returned home early that day.
Unexpectedly, after just taking the family dogs out for a walk, Qi Fang showed up again. Judging by his clothes, he hadn’t even changed out of his work attire.
Liu Weiguo was puzzled. "What’s up? Did we miss something?"
To his surprise, Qi Fang stepped aside, gesturing for him to move away from earshot.
This was unusual behavior for Qi Fang. Liu Weiguo’s eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice. "Did you catch someone sneaking around again?"
Seems like he’s developed a habit of catching people in the act…
Qi Fang paused before replying, "No. I need to ask you something."
Liu Weiguo looked slightly disappointed but said, "Go ahead."
Qi Fang’s expression remained as calm as ever, but his voice dropped even lower. "Was there ever someone in the forestry station with the same name as me? Around my age, my height, good-looking—"
Before he could finish, Liu Weiguo rolled his eyes. "Oh, so you’re tall and handsome—are you complimenting yourself or asking a question?"
Qi Fang couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but Liu Weiguo seemed a little resentful when mentioning his height.
He hesitated before continuing, "This person probably isn’t in the forestry station anymore. You’ve been here a long time—do you remember anyone like that?"
"If they’re around your age, they’d be about my age too. We grew up together, so I should remember." Liu Weiguo thought carefully. "I really don’t recall anyone named Qi Fang. In fact, there’s no one with your surname Qi at all. There was someone with the surname Qi, but his name was Qi Jiefang—born in the year of Liberation, a year younger than you. He moved away a few years ago with his father." Then he asked, "Are you helping someone look for family?"
"Something like that," Qi Fang replied.
What else could he say? That he was helping Yan Xue find the man she was supposed to marry?
His expression darkened, and noticing this, Liu Weiguo racked his brain again. "Honestly, I don’t remember anyone like that. Are you sure they had the same name as you?"
"They must have."
Otherwise, how could Yan Xue have mistaken him for someone else?
"Alright, I’ll ask around for you," Liu Weiguo said. "I’ll even check in Xiaojinchuan—maybe the location was wrong."
Qi Fang hadn’t considered that possibility. After a pause, he nodded. "Fine." Then he added, "Don’t mention this to Yan Xue yet."
"You’ve been keeping a lot of secrets lately," Liu Weiguo narrowed his eyes. "If you don’t tell your wife anything, she might just kick you off the bed."
Qi Fang, usually so composed, actually stiffened at those words.
At this point, it wasn’t about whether he wanted to tell her—it was about whether he could or dared to.
And even then, he still didn’t know what he’d do if they actually found the man. For the first time in years, he felt truly stuck.
In the end, Qi Fang only said, "Hurry with this. It’s urgent."
He had no idea if or when the man Yan Xue was looking for would show up. After all, the guy had even sent money—even if he didn’t want the person, wouldn’t he at least want the money back?
Though Qi Fang and Yan Xue had already been married for over three months, and there’d been no sign of him…
By the time Qi Fang returned from Liu’s place, Yan Xue was no longer chatting with Aunt Guo. Instead, she was boiling agar-agar from the Irish moss she’d bought.
A few days ago, she had been too busy building the house to spare any time, but now that the workload there had lightened, Yan Xue finally soaked the agarophyte and even performed a sodium removal treatment.
Agarophyte contains a high amount of minerals and alkaline substances. If it isn’t first soaked in lye—sodium hydroxide—to break down the cell walls, it would affect the extraction and purification of agar.
After being chopped into small pieces and boiled, the agarophyte had already begun releasing a translucent gelatinous substance. Yan Xue stirred it calmly with a spoon in hand.
No wonder Qi Fang hadn’t realized he’d mistaken her for someone else. How many girls from rural backgrounds would know about agar, let alone how to properly boil it?
Moreover, if Qi Fang wasn’t mistaken, Yan Xue was preparing this to make a culture medium for artificially cultivating a certain type of fungus from the forested area.
Agar, as a culture medium, is commonly used in biological laboratories for bacterial cultivation.
Beyond that, Yan Xue’s speech, demeanor, courage, and knowledge didn’t resemble those of an eighteen-year-old girl from a small town.
Yet she was also resilient, hardworking, frugal, and skilled at bargaining—traits that carried a hint of grassroots grit.
Some things were better left unexamined, but once Qi Fang realized Yan Xue wasn’t his fiancée, he found her even more puzzling.
Still, whether he understood her or not, he went to wash his hands, changed his clothes, and rolled up his sleeves. "Let me take over for a while."
Boiling agar required constant stirring to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Yan Xue had been stirring for some time, so she didn’t refuse when someone offered to relieve her.
In the end, Qi Fang stubbornly took over the entire process—stirring until the boiling was done, straining the impurities through cheesecloth—without letting Yan Xue intervene again.
All that remained was to let it cool and solidify completely. Yan Xue placed it in the storage shed, and by the next morning, it had mostly set.
Considering that agar could not only be used for culture mediums but also for making jelly, pudding, and even as an additive in commercially sold eight-treasure porridge, Yan Xue visited a nearby household that raised goats. Since the fungal spores weren’t ready yet, she decided to buy some goat milk and make pudding first.
In those days, cow’s milk was hard to come by, and powdered milk formulas were subpar. Many families kept goats to feed their children, selling them once the kids outgrew the need for milk.
As it turned out, the family was quite generous and refused to take Yan Xue’s money, instead filling a small bowl for her.
Left with no choice, Yan Xue carried it back, planning to return the favor by sending them a few pieces of pudding later—especially since they had children at home.
As for containers to hold the pudding mixture, cups and bowls from that era were too large. Yan Xue borrowed small porcelain liquor cups from the neighboring Guo and Liu families, managing to gather only ten between the two households.
Even so, there was still plenty of the pudding mixture—made from goat milk and agar—left over, filling more than half of Yan Xue’s enamel mug.
Yan Xue couldn’t help but sigh, "Making this little bit of stuff was no easy task."
Qi Fang helped her place all the small cups into a large basin, preparing to cover them with a lid and move them to the storage shed to cool. "Next time, don’t bother borrowing. We’ll just buy more."
"You think I’d go through this much trouble again?" Yan Xue laughed. "This was my first time making it, and I wanted to share. If it were just for us, I’d have poured it straight into the enamel mug."
So what if it was big? A larger portion meant more enjoyment—she could just scoop it out with a spoon and eat it that way.
Yan Xue thought to herself as she scooped water to scrub the pot. Before she could finish, Liu Weiguo arrived.
Qi Fang immediately glanced at the puddings, and Yan Xue laughed too. "You're early today. The puddings I made aren’t ready to eat yet."
"Huh? You made something delicious again?" Liu Weiguo reacted a beat too slow.
Normally, he would’ve either teased Qi Fang or burst into laughter, but today, he seemed off.
Yan Xue could tell something was wrong at a glance, and Qi Fang quickly shot him a look.
But the look went completely unnoticed, as if Liu Weiguo were blind.
When Qi Fang tried again, Yan Xue caught it instead and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you giving Liu Weiguo that look?"
Qi Fang stiffened. "I wasn’t."
Maybe he really wasn’t, but with those naturally affectionate peach-blossom eyes of his, even a slight movement made it seem like he was flirting.
Yan Xue turned her attention back to Liu Weiguo. "What’s going on? Did something happen?"
"I—" Liu Weiguo opened his mouth, nearly choking up. "I’m about to lose my girl!"
For a moment, Qi Fang didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried for his friend.
He picked up the large basin with the liquor cups. "I’ll put these away. You two talk inside."
Yan Xue wiped her hands and headed for the inner room. "Come inside."
By the time Qi Fang returned from the storage shed, he overheard Liu Weiguo’s dejected voice. "Her family found out about me and Zhou Wenhui. They don’t approve."
Just as Qi Fang had predicted. Yan Xue glanced up at the man who had just stepped in.
Qi Fang paused mid-step, pressing his lips together, his emotions unreadable.
Yan Xue didn’t look at him again, asking Liu Weiguo, "What did Zhou Wenhui say? Is she going along with her family?"
Qi Fang cut in even more bluntly: "Is Zhou Wenhui breaking up with you?"
"No way!" Liu Weiguo snapped back. "If she dumped me just because her family objected, wouldn’t all this time we’ve spent together be wasted?"
"Then why the drama?" Qi Fang’s tone turned sharp.
This was barely even a hurdle, and he was already acting like it was the end of the world. If Zhou Wenhui actually caved, he’d probably—
Liu Weiguo, thick-skinned as ever, might not have noticed, but Yan Xue caught the edge in his voice and shot him a warning look.
Qi Fang shut his mouth, and Liu Weiguo finally explained, "She didn’t say she’d break up with me, but her family set her up with someone else—another educated youth from our forestry station."
"Who?"
"Who?"
Yan Xue and Qi Fang spoke almost in unison.
Since Yan Xue worked in the same brigade as the educated youths, she mentally ran through the list of male candidates.
The most well-off among them was Zhang Guogang, followed by his buddy Yang Tao—but their character was…
Just as she thought this, Liu Weiguo said, "Jiang Debao. The one who kept stirring trouble at your place that day."
That was even worse than Zhang Guogang or Yang Tao. At least Zhang Guogang, for all his scheming, owned up to his actions and left defiantly. Yang Tao, though small in stature, was the smoothest operator of the bunch.
But Jiang Debao? Hard to describe. The watch wasn’t even his, yet he’d been the loudest about it.
It was him who kept provoking Liu Weiguo and Qi Fang, him who demanded compensation from them, and when the truth came out, it was also him who tried to excuse it as just a joke.
He really enjoyed stirring up trouble without any intention of taking responsibility—always eager to provoke but never to face the consequences.
Yan Xue frowned and was about to speak when Qi Fang beat her to it. "Does her family know about that matter?"
"They do. She told them when she went home, but they didn’t believe her."
Liu Weiguo slumped forward, elbows on his knees, shoulders sagging. "What should I do? Do you think there’s still a chance for us?"
"There is." Once again, Qi Fang answered before Yan Xue could.
The man was unusually talkative and proactive today. Yan Xue glanced at him before adding, "Where there’s a will, there’s a way."
She analyzed the situation for Liu Weiguo: "First, you need to figure out whether her family objects to your relationship because they think poorly of you as a person or because of your circumstances. They haven’t met you yet, so they can’t judge your character—it must be your conditions they’re unhappy with. Is it your job, your family background, or simply that you’re from the countryside?"
To solve the problem, they first had to identify its root cause.
"And then there’s Jiang Debao," Qi Fang added calmly. "His looks and income aren’t as good as yours, so there must be something else about him that Zhou Wenhui’s family values."
One of them wore a constant smile, the other remained composed, and gradually, Liu Weiguo’s chaotic thoughts settled. "I haven’t asked about these things yet. Let me go talk to her."
He wiped his face and hurried off, nearly tripping over the threshold on his way out.
"Take it slow, no need to rush," Yan Xue called after him. When she returned, Qi Fang was still frowning slightly.
She gave him another look. "I thought you didn’t have much faith in them?"
Qi Fang did tend to expect the worst in most situations, but Liu Weiguo was his friend, and he wanted the best for him.
Besides, he didn’t feel like dwelling on the worst-case scenario anymore. He lowered his gaze and squeezed Yan Xue’s hand.
They didn’t have to wait long before Liu Weiguo returned, bringing with him a flushed and teary-eyed Zhou Wenhui.
Seeing the young girl’s obvious signs of crying, Yan Xue felt somewhat relieved.
At least Liu Weiguo wasn’t fighting this battle alone. If Zhou Wenhui had given up at the first sign of trouble, no amount of effort on his part would have made a difference.
Yan Xue poured Zhou Wenhui a cup of warm water. "Are you alright?"
Her sweet smile and gentle tone made Zhou Wenhui blush and lower her head. "I’m fine," she murmured.
Liu Weiguo spoke softly to reassure her. "Qi Fang and Yan Xue are like family. Just tell them directly—I’m afraid I might miscommunicate things."
Though he seemed careless at first glance, he was actually quite perceptive, well aware of his own strengths and weaknesses.
Zhou Wenhui was just embarrassed to air these matters but understood their urgency. Clutching the enamel mug, she said, "Jiang Debao’s father works in the same unit as my dad. He’s their workshop supervisor."
Yan Xue and Qi Fang exchanged a glance. "And your father’s position in the workshop is…?"
"Just a team leader, overseeing about thirty or forty people," Zhou Wenhui admitted without hesitation.
So Jiang Debao did have something the Zhou family valued. Yan Xue thought for a moment before asking Zhou Wenhui directly, "Do you want to follow your family’s wishes, or do you still want to fight for this?"
Zhou Wenhui’s face flushed red, and her hands tightened around the enamel mug. "I... I don’t want to marry Jiang Debao."
Though she didn’t outright say she was unwilling to break up with Liu Weiguo, her meaning was clear.
Even though they hadn’t been together for long, Liu Weiguo was an interesting man who treated her well—far better than Jiang Debao in every way.
"Then let’s go and make a case for it," Yan Xue said. "At the very least, your parents should meet Liu Weiguo in person."
"B-but would that work?" Zhou Wenhui hesitated.
"Of course, we can’t say you’re bringing your boyfriend home," Yan Xue laughed. "Just tell them you’ve made some friends at the forestry station and are stopping by to visit while you’re in town. Qi Fang and I will go with you."
Normally, if a matchmaking attempt failed, gossip would spread about both sides being too picky, so an excuse was needed. And given Zhou Wenhui and Liu Weiguo’s situation, it was even more necessary.
With Yan Xue and Qi Fang accompanying them, Zhou Wenhui’s parents—no matter how displeased—wouldn’t make too much of a scene in front of outsiders.
This couldn’t be delayed. Who knew when Zhou Wenhui’s family might finalize her engagement to Jiang Debao?
Besides, the first round of sapling cultivation was about to begin, and they didn’t have time to waste. After returning home, Zhou Wenhui must have contacted her family somehow, because the very next day, she was ready to take everyone to town.
Liu Weiguo dressed in his best outfit, looking sharp and spirited. Yan Xue glanced at Qi Fang and pulled him back to change into something less eye-catching.
After all, they were there to support Liu Weiguo, not steal the spotlight. If she could’ve changed his face too, she would have.
The group of four young people drew quite a bit of attention as they walked. Before long, someone greeted them, "Why so dressed up today? Got something important?"
"Just heading to town," Liu Weiguo replied with a smile, then asked, "Auntie, are you just back from the fields?"
"Yep. Some of the beans I planted this year didn’t sprout, so I had to replant a patch."
As the woman chatted, she turned to Yan Xue, "How’s your house coming along? Has that Cuihun from the Yu family been causing trouble again?"
Yan Xue had expected this question. "No, it’s almost finished."
The auntie clicked her tongue. "She’s something else, ignoring what’s right in front of her and fixating on you. As if her Little Liang could compare to your Qi Fang."
Then, lowering her voice, she added, "I heard Captain Lin’s wife isn’t really with Little Liang out of love. It’s because Captain Lin can’t have children, so she’s using Little Liang to get pregnant."
This was the first Yan Xue had heard of it. With Liu Weiguo on the verge of losing his future wife, he had no interest in gossip.
But after the incident, while Cuihun had been making a scene, the Lin family had remained unusually quiet—no rumors, no explanations. Yet this theory about borrowing a man for children...
How had things twisted so that Captain Lin was now the one at fault, while Cheng Yuzhen was painted as the victim?
Yan Xue didn’t know if it was true, nor did she care to judge someone who had inexplicably wronged her. She smiled apologetically. "Auntie, we’ve got a train to catch."
Hearing this, the woman quickly waved them off. "Go on, then." She picked up her hoe and headed home.
Zhou Wenhui’s family lived in the northern part of Chengshui Town. Coincidentally, it was just two streets away from the alley where Shan Qiufang resided.
As they walked in that direction, Qi Fang’s brows furrowed. But when Zhou Wenhui turned onto a different street two blocks early, his expression eased without a word.
When the group arrived, someone was just leaving, and Father Zhou personally saw them out. "Next time Wenhui comes back, I'll make sure she visits you," he said.
"It's Jiang Debao's mother," Zhou Wenhui whispered to the others, pursing her lips immediately.
Upon seeing the group, Father Zhou’s expression lost its earlier warmth and friendliness. He merely nodded casually. "You’re all here."
Clearly, he wasn’t particularly welcoming of Zhou Wenhui’s friends—or rather, he wasn’t fond of the friends she had made in the countryside.
Mother Zhou, however, came out to greet them when she heard they had arrived. Noticing how striking Yan Xue and Qi Fang were in appearance, and that Liu Weiguo wasn’t bad-looking either, she complimented them warmly.
Before they could even sit down, Father Zhou asked, "It’s quite a trip from the forest farm, isn’t it? Don’t you have work today?"
Holding a enamel mug, he spoke in a stern tone, as if they were young slackers skipping work to fool around.
Zhou Wenhui flushed with embarrassment and was about to say something when Yan Xue smoothly interjected with a smile, "The work at the forest farm is busy, but we do have plenty of free time too. We even gather herbs as a side hustle. With the young tree cultivation about to start, we came down today to sell some of the gastrodia we dug up."
Liu Weiguo, visiting his potential future in-laws for the first time, was nervous and a bit intimidated by Father Zhou’s attitude, but he wasn’t foolish.
Hearing Yan Xue mention the gastrodia, he quickly handed over the paper package he had brought. "Since it’s my first time visiting, I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I packed some gastrodia for your family. You can steep it in water or use it in chicken soup."
The herb wasn’t cheap—Liu Weiguo’s small package weighed nearly half a pound, worth more than a carton of cigarettes.
Father Zhou said nothing more, while Mother Zhou looked embarrassed. "You didn’t have to bring anything just to visit!"
"It’s all gathered from the mountains, so please keep it," Yan Xue chimed in. "The forest farm may not have much else, but we’ve got plenty of medicinal herbs like ginseng and gastrodia."
Seeing the atmosphere lighten, Zhou Wenhui quickly introduced everyone.
When Mother Zhou learned that Yan Xue and Qi Fang were married and the other young man was Liu Weiguo, she scrutinized Liu Weiguo more closely.
The young man had thick eyebrows and bright eyes, spoke confidently, and carried an energetic air. He wasn’t exceptionally tall, but he stood around five-foot-nine.
In terms of looks, Qi Fang was undoubtedly more handsome, but his wife was also far prettier than her daughter—Mother Zhou was well aware of that.
"I heard you mentioned side hustles earlier. Do you rely on that for income?" she probed.
Yan Xue caught the implication and immediately smiled. "Not really. The forest farm pays well. Even my husband, who’s just a sawyer’s assistant, earns over forty yuan a month. Liu Weiguo became a full-fledged chainsaw operator last year, so his wages are even higher. The side income is just extra."
"Oh?" Mother Zhou seemed satisfied with the figures.
"And then there are people like Liu Weiguo’s father, a work team leader—their salaries aren’t low either," Qi Fang added.
Sure enough, Mother Zhou latched onto the key detail. "Liu Weiguo’s father is a work team leader?"
"Yeah," Liu Weiguo replied with a smile. "My dad used to be a chainsaw operator too. When he got older, he was promoted to team leader."
"Not everyone gets promoted just for being older. My husband only made it to group leader," Mother Zhou remarked.
Mother Zhou smiled and urged everyone to have some water and sunflower seeds.
Throughout the conversation, Mother Zhou subtly inquired while Yan Xue, Qi Fang, and Liu Weiguo answered just as discreetly, with Zhou Wenhui chiming in occasionally. Soon, they had a clear picture of Liu Weiguo’s family background.
Truth be told, aside from being from the countryside, Liu Weiguo’s circumstances were quite favorable—he wouldn’t have trouble finding a partner even at the forestry station.
His father was a work team leader, making their families well-matched in social standing. Though his mother had no formal job, she earned a decent income from seasonal foraging in the mountains.
He had three younger siblings, but as the eldest, he bore no burden since his parents were still in their prime and didn’t rely on him. His grandfather, a renowned hunter at the forestry station, ensured the family had meat on the table year-round…
When it was time to leave, Father Zhou remained seated while Mother Zhou saw them out.
Only when they reached the end of the alley did Liu Weiguo dare to glance back and whisper, "So… did I pass or fail?"
Zhou Wenhui hesitated, staying silent, so he turned to his buddy Qi Fang instead.
Just as Qi Fang was about to speak, he noticed Yan Xue staring intently in a particular direction without a word—and that direction…
He paused.
Was she thinking of dropping by her Aunt Qiufang’s place since there was still time?
Liu Weiguo: M-my future wife is slipping away!
Qi Fang: Honestly… mine too.
