Starting a new chapter in life

After chatting for a while, Jingyan put the passbook in her pocket and suddenly thought of something: "Should I reconcile the accounts with you every month from now on? Or should we keep an account book?"

“There’s no need for that. I remember my mom saying that money for daily expenses is very fragmented. Look, she’s been married to my dad for so many years. If you ask her how much she spends each month, she can give you a rough estimate. But if you ask her where it all goes, she’ll get angry. So my family doesn’t keep track of these things, and there’s no need for us to either.” He Zhijun shook his head and rejected her suggestion.

Jingyan tried her best to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth: "As long as you're not worried that I'll embezzle all your family's wealth, that's fine."

"My wealth is yours, you can take whatever you want, as long as I don't go hungry. I'm not picky about food, I'm easy to feed."

"Hehehe..." Jingyan's laughter was very infectious. She knew that her laughter was a bit scary, but she still couldn't help being happy. Having seen so many couples in the village arguing over an egg or a small amount of wine, He Zhijun's current behavior made her look forward to married life for the first time.

Jinghuan and Peng Chunhai got their marriage certificate in the county today. When they returned, they learned that their younger sister's marriage had also been arranged. Thinking that in three months their younger sister would not only be getting married but also leaving their hometown, the tension about the upcoming wedding disappeared, leaving only reluctance to part with their sister: "Jingyan, I want to sleep with you tonight."

Jingyan readily agreed. The two sisters hadn't talked late into the night together in a long time, and they chatted almost all night long. The next day, Jingyan came out to wash up with dark circles under her eyes, while Jinghuan looked alright, except for being a little listless.

Fortunately, in those special times, the wedding was also very special. Well, it was very simple. The newly made bedding from the groom's family was placed in the new room. Jinghuan put on a red shirt and blue pants, and a red silk flower in her hair. She stood with Peng Chunhai, who was wearing a new military green outfit. They held up a quotation and recited their vows. Then they ate a big pot meal with the villagers. Well, the marriage was officially bound together.

Jingyan was somewhat taken aback by the wedding ceremony. It felt like she hadn't seen such a scene in a long time, but the overwhelming excitement in her heart was genuine. Her fourth sister hadn't married Chen Fu this time, so she would definitely have a peaceful and happy life from now on. She wouldn't be subjected to domestic violence anymore, and she wouldn't have to spend her days in tears. That was wonderful.

After Jinghuan got married, He's parents took the train and left Liaoning Province. They didn't have much time off this time, and apart from the time spent traveling to and from the station, they only stayed there for three days. Jingyan and He Zhijun saw them off at the train station and watched the train leave. After they got off the train, He Zhijun quietly took her hand and whispered, "Now we can finally hold hands openly."

Jingyan didn't speak, but the smile on her lips lingered.

Life continued peacefully. Apart from having an extra person to do the work at home and Jingyan occasionally bringing back more vegetables, life seemed to remain unchanged. After the busy spring planting season, the sweltering summer arrived, and farmers were busy in the fields. The construction of base stations by the military in the area was also nearing completion, making the military noticeably busier, and the food in the canteen gradually became more abundant.

At the end of June, He Zhijun's marriage application was approved. In early July, the two went to the county to get their marriage certificate and took a wedding photo at a photo studio. They had three photos printed. A week later, Jingyan picked up the photos. One was mailed back to Yangzhou, one was framed and placed in the old house, and the last one was treasured by He Zhijun and tucked into his diary. Taking photos is a luxury these days; many people are reluctant to take one even when they get married.

The photos were displayed in the house, and neighbors would find all sorts of excuses to come and take a look. Although they were just black and white photos, everyone was still very envious. Jingyan pulled Jinghuan and said, "Sister, I have a holiday in a couple of days, let's go take a photo together, so we can look at it when you miss me."

Jinghuan was somewhat tempted, and after thinking about it, she gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, let's take one too."

"Why don't you and your brother-in-law take a wedding photo too? You can look back on your youthful days when you're old," Jingyan joked.

"It costs one yuan to take a photo, and two mao per print, which is too expensive." Jinghuan was conflicted; it really was too expensive.

"Fourth Sister, I'll pay for our photo together. You can just pay for your own wedding photos." Jingyan said with a smile. If she didn't feel it was inappropriate for her to interfere in other people's wedding photos, she would have paid for both as well. In her past life, she was just like her current Fourth Sister, unwilling to spend a single penny. But in the end, she mistreated herself and had nothing left but a daughter. Oh, and a frail body was left.

She's come to terms with her life now. She has a job and can earn money, and she can afford to take a photo. Although He Zhijun gave her all the money, she doesn't plan to spend it recklessly. She'll use her own salary for household expenses in the future, and if it's not enough, she'll take money from the betrothal gifts.

Once she can decide on the city she will eventually settle in, regardless of whether she will be allocated a house or not, she plans to buy another one for herself or for her children. It's better than having the whole family crammed together in the future. More people means more conflicts, and besides, she's not exactly a good-natured person. For the sake of a peaceful life in the future, she needs to start saving money in advance. However, she doesn't want to be too hard on herself. After all, life is about food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

When it came time for the monthly market day, Jingyan and Jinghuan took a photo together, and Jinghuan and Peng Chunhai also took a photo together. Jinghuan didn't let Jingyan pay for it. "Of course, I, as the older sister, should pay for the photos of the two of us. There's no reason to exploit my younger sister. Even if I'm careful, I wouldn't be so stingy."

Starting in mid-July, He Zhijun became increasingly busy. He used to have at least one day off every ten days or so, but now he had none. Jing Yan was curious and asked Sister Liu about it. Sister Liu looked at her and smiled strangely: "Our project is nearing completion. Some equipment needs to be debugged and tested for a while. If there are any problems, there will be time to fix them."

Not only are all the relevant technicians in the military working overtime, but even the technicians from the local large factories are learning from them. They'll be responsible for repairing equipment and performing routine machine maintenance. They're working hard and training apprentices—they're swamped! But don't worry, he won't run away.”

Jingyan's ears turned a little red, but she still explained, "I just wanted to ask if his departure time had been set. You know, we're getting married at the end of August. If we have a definite departure time and place, I can prepare some commonly used items in advance. Once I'm settled in, I'll send a telegram back and have my fourth sister send the things over for me. If we have to buy everything new when we're away from home, it'll cost a fortune. We should save money wherever we can."

Sister Liu didn't continue teasing her: "The time for the troop relocation has indeed been set. The requirement is to complete the final work before National Day and report to Harbin in the Great Northern Wilderness after National Day. However, the main force will go first, and a small number of people will be left here to handle the aftermath. I don't know if your Xiao He will be left behind to handle the aftermath. You can ask him yourself in a few days."

Jing Yan smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Liu."

When she got home that evening, she tidied up and lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking about what Sister Liu had said during the day. "Harbin, that's the capital city of the Great Northern Wilderness. In her past life, she only went there once to send her daughter to university, and never really got to see the city properly. The only time she went was to save money, and it was a quick trip. This time, it seems like it wouldn't be bad to stay there for a few years."

After some time, He Zhijun finally had a day off. During his lunch break, he found Jing Yan, thinking of meeting her. He didn't know when his next holiday would come. Since she saw him, Jing Yan didn't plan to go home for a nap at noon. The two sat on the threshold of the back door of the canteen. "I heard from Sister Liu that your next stop is Harbin in the Great Northern Wilderness?"

He Zhijun shook his head: "No, Harbin is the hometown of power. Its heavy industry has already reached a certain scale. Many of the technical backbones in large factories in the city are now supported by Harbin. We are just stopping in Harbin as a transit point. After that, we are going to go further north, to Jiang City, I think, to support its construction."

"Sister Liu said that some people will stay behind to handle the aftermath after the main force leaves. Which group do you belong to?" Jingyan asked again.

He Zhijun became serious as he spoke: "I'm going with the main group, and the canteen staff are also with us. We'll be looking after and moving documents and other luggage, so I probably won't be able to look after you. You'll be going with Sister Liu and Chef Lin, and you'll probably be assigned to the same carriage."

Bring your money and tickets, just one set of bedding, and a few sets of clothes for changing. As for the rest, once we've settled in, you can send a telegram back to ask your fourth sister to mail them to you. Don't carry too much stuff on the way; it's inconvenient and heavy. Don't bring any food or anything like that; leave it for your fourth sister.

"Once you get there, you can eat in the canteen. If we need to start fighting later, you can buy food there. I asked my comrades there, and there's no shortage of food, and flour isn't expensive. Don't worry about spending money; money is meant to be spent. If you don't have enough, just tell me, and I'll ask my parents."

"Okay, then I'll prepare some money and tickets for you to carry with you in advance. When you get there, you won't be worried if you have money on you. I'll keep the passbook safe. Don't worry about me. I'm strong enough. As long as I stay with the group, I won't get lost. When you get there, if you're busy, go ahead and do what you need to do. If there's anything I can't handle, I'll ask Sister Liu for help. I won't try to handle it all by myself."

"You don't need to prepare the money for me yet. We're having our wedding at the end of August. My parents, brother, and sister-in-law will all be coming. The six hundred yuan dowry we agreed on should be brought over this time. I'll see if I can ask my mom for some more and try to get some more from my dad's savings. That should be enough for our expenses this time." He Zhijun was so comfortable sponging off his parents.

“We don’t need to ask for extra money. There’s 1,300 in the savings account you gave me before. Even if we move to a new place, we won’t need to spend that much. We’re not buying a house.” Jingyan disagreed.

“The savings account I gave you is our own little stash. My parents don’t know I’ve saved up any money. Based on my mom’s impression of me, I’m lucky if my salary can support myself. If I asked for two or three hundred yuan in savings, she would laugh three times. So, I haven’t told them. Only you know.” He Zhijun said with a smug look on his face.

Zhang Jingyan… “Are you deliberately trying to screw over your parents?”

“We’re still kids before we’re married, but once we have our wedding, I won’t be able to ask them for money with a clear conscience anymore. And this is the last time, won’t you let me ask for more? Don’t worry, even if I can’t make you rich, I can still make sure you have enough to eat and wear.” He Zhijun grinned foolishly.

Zhang Jingyan was speechless after he said that: "Is this what happens when children are spoiled by their parents? I can't raise my children like that. They have to learn from a young age that they should be self-reliant and that the idea of ​​relying on their parents is unacceptable."

"Okay, I'll be more mature in the future."

In late August, He's parents, brother, and sister-in-law really did come together. This time, they didn't tell us in advance; they had already settled into the county guesthouse before coming directly to the military base to see them.

Upon hearing the message from the soldiers at the gate, Jingyan quickly asked Chef Lin for leave. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw them standing outside the gate, smiling at her. Cui Hongru, who hadn't seen Jingyan for a while, said with a smile, "We've come here to attend your wedding. It wouldn't be right for the four of us to stay at your place any longer. It'll only be three to five days anyway, and the guesthouse is quite nice, so you don't need to worry."

He Zhicheng, the eldest brother of the He family, was a typical soldier. Although he tried his best to appear gentle, he couldn't hide his inherent seriousness. He greeted Jing Yan politely and then asked her to stand guard to the side.

He's eldest sister-in-law is a gentle person. She speaks softly and is clearly well-mannered. When Cui Hongru introduced her, she emphasized: "Your sister-in-law comes from a scholarly family, but her identity is still a bit sensitive in the current situation. Her parents are sanitation workers in Yangzhou, and her younger brother went to the countryside as an educated youth. Fortunately, the He family is a third-generation military family with a clean background, which saved your sister-in-law who is already married. Now she can only stay at home as a military dependent and cannot go out to work."

Zhou Jie smiled gently: "My son is five years old this year, an age that even dogs would avoid. I can still keep an eye on him at home. Your older brother is busy with work and can't take care of the family, so it's only right that I take care of him more. Although my younger brother went to the countryside, my parents-in-law helped him a lot. In the place where he went, my father-in-law's comrades took care of him, so he didn't suffer much. My parents are doing well as sanitation workers. At least they didn't experience the torment of being criticized and paraded through the streets. They are already much better off than most people."

Jingyan smiled at her: "Sister-in-law, you have such a good attitude. I need to learn from you. I have a quick temper. If it were me, I probably wouldn't be so calm. You should teach me in the future. I also want to be able to stabilize my emotions."

Zhou Jie smiled kindly at her and nodded: "Okay, when you are transferred back in the future, we will get along well. I also like your straightforward personality."