11 Engagement

"Third Brother, thank you so much for your help this time. Otherwise, where would we have found such a good doctor as Director Lin?" Fang Xiaomei said in a soft, gentle voice.

"It’s only right. As long as Xiujuan is fine, that’s what matters. But what about you? You must have been terrified, right?" Niu Laosan looked at Fang Xiaomei with eyes full of concern.

He stood five-foot-five and weighed at least one hundred and eighty pounds. He had triangular eyes, a large bulbous nose, a fierce aura about his features, and a pitted, uneven complexion.

Ye Qingzhi closed her eyes briefly. She felt as if she were looking at an ugly, shriveled tangerine making faces at her; it was enough to blind someone.

Fang Xiaomei was no better. Nearing fifty, she still wore a coquettish expression, looking at Niu Laosan with eyes full of adoration.

She feigned a delicate voice and said, "I was truly scared to death. Haibo’s father passed away so long ago; it’s not even worth mentioning how hard it has been for a woman like me to raise a child alone. Xiujuan is carrying my eldest grandson—if something had really happened, I would have been devastated."

Niu Laosan patted Fang Xiaomei’s back gently, soothing her, "But nothing happened, did it? Come, let me take you to the department store. Didn't you say last time that your skin was dry? I’ll buy you some vanishing cream."

Fang Xiaomei furrowed her brows and shook her head, "No need. At my age, why bother with vanishing cream?"

"Who says so? You aren't old at all. In my eyes, you are forever eighteen," Niu Laosan said, looking at her with deep affection.

Ye Qingzhi covered her mouth. She couldn't take it anymore; she felt like vomiting. What a pair of grotesque birds they were. She had only been playing along to see the drama between Wei Youliang and Fang Xiaomei, never expecting the two of them to be such a perfect match.

"Are you alright?" He Qiming asked, noticing Ye Qingzhi’s expression looked a bit strained.

Ye Qingzhi shook her head. She was just disgusted by those two old lovebirds.

Once they had walked far away, seeing He Qiming’s confused expression, she chuckled and explained how Fang Xiaomei had tried to marry her off to Niu Laosan, only to be outmaneuvered by her.

"That Niu Laosan from just now? He’s old enough to be your grandfather!" He Qiming said indignantly.

"Not quite that old, but..." Thinking of Niu Laosan’s appearance and the way Fang Xiaomei looked at him with such adoration and deep affection, Ye Qingzhi couldn't help but admire her. With talent like that, it was no wonder Wei Youliang was so completely bewitched by her.

It seemed Niu Laosan had already been hooked by Fang Xiaomei. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before she left Wei Youliang.

"They've gone far now. Shall we continue our walk through the park?" He Qiming asked.

"Sure. Have you told the children about us courting?" Ye Qingzhi asked, tilting her head toward him.

"I have. Yangyang is very happy about having a mother, and Jingyan didn't object either. Qingzhi, I have to return to the military base in two days. I’d like to meet your two children tomorrow. What do they like?" He Qiming felt a bit nervous at the prospect of meeting her children.

"Let’s go to the same place we met two days ago. I’ll take them up the mountain, and you can take them to catch wild chickens or raid bird nests. They grew up as if they had no father, and I was always too worried about them getting hurt to let them do anything. They’ve never done these things before," Ye Qingzhi said after a moment’s thought.

Boys were boys; taking them to chase chickens and dogs or climb trees for birds' nests would make them close in no time.

As for He Qiming’s two children, the younger one was easy; he craved a mother's love and would be fine as long as she treated him well. The older one might be harder to handle, but from what He Qiming said, he didn't seem to reject the idea of a stepmother. Either way, she would see how things went. If they could communicate, they would get along; if they were stubborn and impenetrable, she wouldn't bother trying to please them.

"Alright, then I’ll see your two children the day after tomorrow. Should we meet at Niutou Ridge again?" He Qiming asked.

Ye Qingzhi shook her head, "The day after tomorrow morning, I’m going to the mountain behind your house to pick wild vegetables."

The mountain behind Dayang Village was flatter than Niutou Ridge. Niutou Ridge was too steep; even with He Qiming carrying him, she worried that He Jingyang might fall.

"Fine. The day after tomorrow, come to my aunt’s place. They live at the foot of the mountain in a secluded house. We’ll eat together, and then you can take the children up the mountain from the back door. You can circle around and descend from Qianxi Village so that no one will notice," He Qiming said. Before returning to the base, he wanted the family to have a meal together.

After discussing the meeting, He Qiming talked about his family situation. Before he was married, he had sent thirty yuan home every month. After he married his ex-wife, Xu Baoli, she insisted that she should manage the money. They had a massive argument, and it ended with her and Yang Fuzhen each taking fifteen yuan.

Xu Baoli had always felt the He family was taking advantage of them, so after she got pregnant, she used the child as leverage—crying, screaming, and threatening suicide—to force the He family to split the household.

"So... you’ve already separated from your parents?" Ye Qingzhi asked in surprise. They had mostly talked about trivial matters and anecdotes to gauge each other's character, and she hadn't known about the family split. She looked calm on the surface, but inwardly, she felt a surge of joy.

Few daughters-in-law wanted to live with their in-laws, especially someone like Ye Qingzhi, who came from a later generation and wanted even less to do with them. If the previous wife was seen as a troublemaker by the He family, in Ye Qingzhi’s eyes, she was an absolute saint.

"Yes. By the time I found out, they had already signed the separation papers," He Qiming nodded.

He had an older brother, he was the second son, and there were two younger sisters and a younger brother. The sisters were already married, and his younger brother had married the year before and had a child over a year old.

"My older brother has three kids, and my younger brother’s child is still small. Since I’ve already separated, it wouldn't be right to dump my two children on my parents. Fortunately, I’ve been promoted, so I can have my family accompany me at the base. I hope that after we marry, you and the children can come to my unit as soon as possible," He Qiming said earnestly.

For people of this era, leaving their hometown for an unfamiliar city was a terrifying prospect, but for Ye Qingzhi, it was the best news possible. Firstly, she didn't fear leaving her hometown. Secondly, she didn't want to keep pretending to be someone else. And lastly, most importantly, she really, really did not want to farm anymore.

The original owner of the body was a silent, diligent, and hardworking woman. Ye Qingzhi herself was a bit lazy; she loved gossip, occasionally researched good food, enjoyed handicrafts, kept flowers, drank tea, and read books—she was the polar opposite of the original owner. If she could leave, she could slowly return to her true self and reveal her own talents.

Thinking of farming, it was now June. Wei Jiancheng had been 'dead' for forty days. In two months, it would be the hundred-day memorial—mid-August, right in the middle of the busy harvest season. It hit Ye Qingzhi like a bolt of lightning. That deadbeat, scumbag, turtle-bastard Wei Jiancheng couldn't have picked a better time to die.

"What’s wrong?" Seeing Ye Qingzhi drop her gaze and stay silent, He Qiming quickly said, "If you don't want to go yet, that’s fine. We can wait until next year."

"No, it’s not that. I’m just thinking about how to arrange things at home." Next year? Absolutely not. She didn't want to farm for even one more day. "After the hundred-day memorial, it’s right at the start of the harvest. I have to help the village with the reaping, and since I’ve worked for a year, I’m entitled to a share of the grain. Plus, there’s the house and the private plot—I have to figure out what to do with them." Ye Qingzhi shared her plans. She didn't tell him that she wanted to sell the house; otherwise, leaving it behind would just benefit Wei Youliang.

They walked side by side, circling the park twice without realizing it. He Qiming recalled Niu Laosan saying he would buy vanishing cream for Fang Xiaomei. He looked at Ye Qingzhi’s face; he didn't know if it was an illusion, but it seemed even whiter and more delicate than two days ago. Perhaps this was what the books called natural beauty—skin that remained flawless regardless of the wind and sun.

"It’s still early. Shall we go browse the department store?" He Qiming asked.

Ye Qingzhi had been planning to buy toothpaste; the tooth powder the original owner used was almost gone. She also needed to buy toothbrushes for the two children, as they had been using willow twigs, which she felt didn't clean well. She had bought a toothbrush for herself the day after she arrived, but the one the original owner had, with its bristles almost entirely gone, had been thrown away.

At the department store, Ye Qingzhi bought a toothbrush and toothpaste. As for anything else, she had no ration coupons and couldn't buy anything, so she decided not to look.

"Wait, you’re leaving already?" He Qiming stopped her.

"Yes. I don't have coupons; I can't buy anything even with money," Ye Qingzhi nodded. With a rural registration, an adult received four feet of fabric coupons a year, and children received two, but the original owner’s work points weren't enough to feed all three of them, so the coupons were always traded for grain.

"I have some." He Qiming knew he was coming to town with her, so he had brought all his coupons. "Qingzhi, we are already courting. According to Aunt Ye and my aunt, we should settle things privately. Since this is your second marriage, I will provide the betrothal gifts and the dowry."

If he put it that way, she could accept them with peace of mind.

Seeing her expression soften, He Qiming took out money and coupons. "Eighty-eight yuan for the bride price. The betrothal gifts should be cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, and meat. You don't smoke or drink, and meat isn't convenient to carry, so I’ll buy you other food and some fabric. You can make thick clothes for yourself and the children; my unit is in the Northwest, and the winters there are cold."

"How many fabric and cotton coupons do you have?" Ye Qingzhi asked. She knew the Northwest was cold. Adults could tough it out, but children couldn't—especially four children moving away from home. They were prone to illness from the change in climate, and if they caught a cold, it would be miserable.

"I gave some to my family earlier, so there isn't much left—about a dozen feet. But don't worry, once I return to the unit, I’ll borrow some from my comrades and mail them back to you." He Qiming felt a bit regretful. He hadn't planned on remarrying, so he had given all his coupons to his family. The dozen feet he had now were only because Yang Fuzhen had handed them to him this morning.

"Make clothes for the four children first. Mine can wait." There were still two months to go, and Ye Qingzhi wasn't in a hurry. If worst came to worst, she could just buy ready-made clothes later.

"That works. The cotton can wait too. My unit is near a cotton-producing area; when the new cotton is harvested, I’ll get some and mail it back," He Qiming agreed.

After buying the fabric, He Qiming also bought Ye Qingzhi a pair of shoes, as well as brown sugar, rock candy, peanuts, and melon seeds.

"That’s enough, really. Any more and I won't be able to carry it all," Ye Qingzhi said, stopping him.

It was getting late, so the two ate noodles at a shop and prepared to take the bus home.

When they reached Dayang Village, Ye Qingzhi grabbed her basket and stepped off the bus ahead of He Qiming. She glanced back at him once before lowering her head and walking toward her home.

Not far away, He Yongyao caught a glimpse of Ye Qingzhi. Her back looked familiar, and just as he was about to chase after her to check, he was stopped by Old Man Qiu from the same village.

"Yongyao, why are you here again?"

"Just walking around. Old Man Qiu, where are you coming back from?" He Yongyao was anxious but couldn't just brush off his elder.

"I’m coming back from the commune. I actually have some business with your father, so I’m heading to your house," Old Man Qiu said with a smile, his hands behind his back.

He Yongyao looked up, but the familiar silhouette had already disappeared. He felt a strange sense of emptiness.

"Yongyao, let’s go," called Old Man Qiu, who was walking ahead.

"Coming," He Yongyao turned, spotted He Qiming, and greeted him with a smile, "Qiming, are you coming back from the commune too?"

"No, I went into the city today." Thinking of Ye Qingzhi accepting his gifts and knowing they were now essentially fiancé and fiancée, He Qiming could no longer suppress the smile on his face.