Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

With these things in place, the atmosphere in the courtyard immediately became more lively.

The more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more pleasing he becomes.

Looking at Wang Anping, Qin's mother was increasingly satisfied with his decent appearance and generous manner. On the contrary, she felt a little apprehensive, thinking that her daughter was probably not good enough for such a good young man.

Not just Qin's mother.

The other members of the Qin family in the courtyard also had the same idea.

Therefore, they were somewhat cautious when speaking to Wang Anping. Normally, they would have asked some practical questions on their first visit, but they were too embarrassed to ask them at this time.

We chatted for a while.

Wang Anping felt somewhat helpless.

Now that things have come to this, isn't anyone going to ask about his family situation?

So he was both a guest and a host today, and he even had to cue the process himself. This visit must have been quite an ordeal.

"Uncle Qin, Auntie."

"I don't know if Huairu has told you about my situation."

Wang Anping had no choice but to bring it up himself.

"I just arrived in Beijing a few days ago. I have a proper job now, and I live alone at home."

"My uncle participated in many wars and made meritorious contributions. He was wounded and discharged from the army and was assigned to a steel rolling mill in Beijing. He passed away a few days ago due to a recurrence of his old injuries and was posthumously awarded the title of martyr."

"If Huairu comes to Beijing with me, she can take over her uncle's job and work in the steel rolling mill after getting married."

That's roughly the situation.

"If you agree, I'll take Huairu back to the city this afternoon to get our marriage certificate, and we'll live in the city from now on."

There was no elder in charge, and no matchmaker to arrange things.

This kind of life-altering matter could only be made clear by Wang Anping himself.

The Qin family didn't care about such formalities; living a good life was more important than anything else, and besides, Wang Anping's conditions were already top-notch in their eyes.

Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin listened from the side, their eyes filled with envy.

Qin's mother immediately said:

"Anping, Huairu also told us."

"To be honest, Huai Ru is lucky to be with you."

"But you young people can make your own decisions about this."

"Huai Ru is a kind-hearted girl. She hasn't read many books. If she makes any mistakes in her daily life, you'll have to be more understanding and guide her."

Once those words were spoken, the matter was settled.

Qin Huairu smiled, her eyebrows curving into crescents, her heart filled with sweetness.

Qin Jingru, who had been calling him "brother-in-law" all along, looked up at Wang Anping with hopeful eyes after the adults had reached an agreement.

"Brother-in-law, my sister will go to the city with you to live a good life from now on, right?"

"I heard everything from my mom."

Aunt Qin blushed and gently patted her daughter's head.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Qin Jingru, however, didn't care and tugged at Wang Anping's sleeve, pressing him for an answer:

"Brother-in-law, can I go to the city with you? I want to go to the city too!"

Wang Anping rubbed the little girl's head.

He said with a smile:

"become!"

"When you grow up, just go to the city to find your brother-in-law."

While they were talking, the neighbors noticed that the Qin family was unusually lively today, and many curious people came over to inquire.

Upon seeing a handsome young man from the city standing in the courtyard, they all asked who he was.

Qin's mother was too shy to talk about this in detail.

Aunt Qin, however, did not have such concerns.

This was a great joy for the Qin family, a time of great pride and joy. They immediately told the Qin family about Wang Anping's identity, job, and his intention to marry Qin Huairu and bring her back to the city.

Upon hearing this, the neighbors immediately erupted in excited chatter, filled with envious comments:

"That girl from the Qin family is so lucky to have found such a wonderful son-in-law. From now on, she'll be a resident of Beijing!"

"Judging from this young man's appearance and demeanor, you can tell he's destined for greatness. The Qin family is really benefiting from this!"

Even before the neighbors gathered around.

Qin's mother then instructed Qin Youcai to move the things Wang Anping had brought to the side room for safekeeping.

With so many good things, showing them off will inevitably attract envy and covetousness. It's enough that our son-in-law's intentions are known only to our family; there's no need to flaunt them to avoid gossip behind our backs.

Once the neighbors dispersed, their chatter subsiding, the Qin family finally felt relieved and no longer needed to be so cautious.

Qin's mother pulled her sister-in-law Qin Huairu and Qin's second aunt to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Uncle Qin's two sons are still in school, and they come back for lunch together.

The two families specially arranged to sit at the same table today.

Qin's father turned to the chicken coop, grabbed the fattest rooster, and planned to stew it to entertain his son-in-law.

Qin Youcheng was a typical honest countryman. He always felt uncomfortable being with Wang Anping, so he went to the yard to tidy up and see if there was anything he could help with.

Qin Huairu then pulled Wang Anping around the house, introducing everything to him one by one:

"This is our vegetable garden, where we grow cabbage and radishes. Behind the house, there are also toon trees and jujube trees. That open space is for drying grain..."

Wang Anping also roughly understood the situation.

This is a rural area.

They mainly rely on farming to make a living.

During the off-season, Qin's father, a skilled carpenter, and Qin's second uncle, a stonemason, would help their neighbors with repairs and maintenance to earn some extra money to supplement their household income.

In fact, the Qin family knew that Wang Anping was coming and had prepared the dishes well in advance.

The radishes and potatoes stored in the cellar, the cabbages for the winter, and the dried mushrooms they had sun-dried themselves, plus the pork, mutton, and beef that Wang Anping brought, made for an exceptionally sumptuous lunch.

It was midday.

Uncle Qin's two sons came home from school.

The dishes from the kitchen were just being served, with large plates and small bowls filling the entire table.

Wang Anping took out the liquor he had brought and poured a glass for Qin's father and Qin's second uncle. Then Qin Youcheng snatched the bottle and poured a glass for Wang Anping and himself as well.

The women also poured wine, but it was rice wine brewed by Uncle Qin himself, and the sweet aroma of rice filled the table.

He also poured a bowl for Wang Anping to try.

Wang Anping took a sip, his eyes lit up, and he praised:

"Second Uncle, you have such a skill! This rice wine is so authentic!"

Uncle Qin, flattered by the son-in-law from the city, smiled and waved his hand.

"It's not much of a skill, just something I tinkered with."

"If you like, take two jars with you when you go back to the city this afternoon. If you want to drink it again in the future, I'll have a bus bring it to the city for you."

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Second Uncle!"

Wang Anping readily agreed.

He doesn't usually drink baijiu (Chinese liquor), and beer is rare these days, so this sweet rice wine suits his taste.

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together before starting to eat in a lively atmosphere.

Meat is not a rarity for Wang Anping; he can buy it whenever he wants.

But the plate of toon sprouts with omelet on the table caught his eye—the toon sprouts were fresh shoots from the trees behind the Qin family's house; the shoots from about ten trees had been pulled bare to make up this plate.

In Beijing, this is a rare and precious item.

But in the eyes of rural people, this thing grows on their own trees and is not anything precious.

As soon as they sat down, Qin Jingru clung to Wang Anping, insisting on sitting next to him. The little girl has good taste; she loves to hang out with good-looking people even at such a young age.

After they started eating, Wang Anping picked up a piece of chicken leg meat for her.

The little girl was overjoyed, hugging the chicken leg and gnawing on it with her mouth full of oil, mumbling her thoughts:

"I wish I could eat like this every day."