The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 118 - 117: Things Ruanruan Likes

"Exactly. If you really want to date, you shouldn’t go after a married man. He has a family. We’re from the city, after all. We should at least have that much decency."

"Carrying on with a man like that in public... Ugh, it’s shameful just thinking about it."

Listening to everyone’s accusations, Gu Yuwei was furious but didn’t argue back. She just placed her bedding on her bunk and silently packed her things.

Wang Shumin watched her with cold eyes. Liu Nana leaned in and whispered in Wang Shumin’s ear, "Do you think He Accountant’s son will actually marry Gu Yuwei?"

Wang Shumin scoffed. "Who knows."

’Looks like I can’t stay at the Educated Youth Point for much longer,’ Gu Yuwei thought. ’They probably won’t tolerate me here anyway.’

’He Ze has already divorced Gao Cuiyun, so it’s only a matter of time before he marries me. But once I move out, where will we live?’

’If we build a new house, I wonder how much that would cost?’

Xue Yue waited at home for a long time. Ruanruan had already fallen asleep by the time He Lang returned.

"How did it go? Is Second Sister-in-law okay?"

He Lang took off his coat, climbed onto the kang bed, and lay down next to Xue Yue.

"Heh. They’re divorced."

Xue Yue was surprised. "They really got divorced? What about the three kids?"

He Lang put his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "The three kids are staying with Second Sister-in-law at the old family house. My second brother is moving out and will pay child support every month."

Xue Yue blinked. "It can be handled like that? Did Dad and Mom agree?"

"Yeah. It was Dad’s decision."

Xue Yue was confused. "So Dad and Mom just kicked Second Brother out? And they’re letting Second Sister-in-law stay at home with the kids?"

It wasn’t that Xue Yue didn’t understand, but from what she knew, whenever a couple divorced, it was always the wife who moved out, leaving the children with the husband’s family. This sudden exception was a bit strange.

"It’s not strange. Dad and Mom wouldn’t feel at ease leaving the children with a woman like Gu Zhiqing. Besides, my second brother won’t starve, no matter what. And on top of that, the Gao family isn’t going to just let this go."

"That’s true. It’s just a pity for Little Chen and Xiao Yang." Xue Yue sighed. The last time, Ruanruan had even mentioned seeing Little Chen crying.

He Lang turned to look at her and suddenly said, "Let’s go get our marriage certificate tomorrow."

Xue Yue was puzzled. She didn’t know why He Lang had brought this up all of a sudden. ’Did watching He Ze and Gao Cuiyun get divorced tonight spur him into this?’

Her eyes twinkled as she teased, "Why do I recall hearing that a certain someone wasn’t willing to marry me back then?"

A glint appeared in He Lang’s eyes. He chuckled, quickly leaned in, and planted a kiss on Xue Yue’s lips.

"Who... Who said that? Honey, I never said that."

Xue Yue huffed. "Back then, if my brother hadn’t been in desperate need of money, do you think a young maiden like me would have let you off so easy? Tsk, tsk. Thinking about it now, I really got the short end of the stick. You’re ten years older than me! A fine cabbage was rooted up by a pig. What a pity, what a pity."

He Lang chuckled and pulled Xue Yue into a hug, nuzzling his head against her neck.

"If I’m the pig, then I’d better root this fine cabbage of yours properly. I’m going to gobble you right up."

"Ah, don’t bite, don’t bite~"

"Be gentler, you’ll wake up Ruanruan~"

The next morning, He Lang and Xue Yue were getting ready to go get their marriage certificate, but Ruanruan insisted on going with them.

"Mom and Dad are going to get their marriage certificate. Why don’t you go play with Brother Tie Dan, okay? We’ll buy you some tasty treats when we get back."

Ruanruan shook her head, hugging He Lang’s leg and shaking it. "Daddy, how can you and Mommy get married without me? Please take me with you, okay?"

He Lang looked at his daughter with resignation and picked her up. "Fine, fine, we’ll take you. Happy now?"

Ruanruan hugged He Lang’s neck and cheered, "Yay! Hooray for Daddy!"

Xue Yue smiled at the father and daughter. "You just keep spoiling her. I’ve never heard of anyone bringing their child along to get a marriage certificate. People will think it’s a second marriage for both of us."

"Nonsense. Anyone can see she’s my flesh and blood. Who would be that blind?"

Xue Yue’s guess was spot on. When the three of them arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The clerk heard they were there for a marriage certificate, saw the child, and asked a question.

"Is this your first marriage? Whose child is she?"

The corners of Xue Yue’s mouth curved into a smile as she looked at He Lang. He Lang explained helplessly, "It’s our first marriage. She’s our child. We didn’t get the certificate before we got married, so we’re doing it now."

The clerk glanced at the family of three again, pursed his lips, and said nothing more as he bent his head to process their application.

As soon as they left the Civil Affairs Bureau, Xue Yue burst out laughing.

"See? Wasn’t I right?"

He Lang chuckled in spite of himself. He glanced at the marriage certificate in his hand, folded it carefully, and put it in his pocket, even patting it for good measure. Now their marriage was legally protected.

Since they were in town, a trip to the supply and marketing cooperative was unavoidable.

After buying a good number of things, they stopped by the scrap collection station on their way out.

Xue Yue wanted to buy some newspapers, and books would be even better. She also wanted to find a few picture-story books for Ruanruan. It was about time for her to start learning.

As soon as Ruanruan went inside, she scanned the area and then fixed her gaze on a dilapidated old table.

"Sweetheart, what are you looking at?" He Lang asked, looking down and noticing his daughter was spacing out.

Xue Yue looked over as well. "What’s wrong?"

Ruanruan pointed at a three-legged table tossed in a corner. "Daddy, that one. I want that one."

He Lang followed Ruanruan’s finger, glanced at the table, and immediately looked away. He said softly, "Ruanruan, that table is too broken. It’s useless. If you want a table, Daddy can have someone make you a much nicer one when we get back, okay?"

Ruanruan shook her head. "No, I want that one. There’s yellow stuff inside that table, stuff that Ruanruan likes."

Xue Yue’s head snapped toward He Lang. The couple exchanged a look, and both saw the shock in each other’s eyes.

He Lang walked over and brought back the wobbly, three-legged table.

Ruanruan smiled happily. "Thank you, Daddy."

When they went to the entrance to pay, the old man running the scrap yard glanced at the table He Lang was holding.

"Young man, that table’s a wreck. What are you buying it for?"

He Lang smiled and replied, "My daughter wants a desk to study at. I’ll just fix it up when I get home and it’ll be perfect."

The old man pointed inside. "You won’t be able to fix that one. There’s another four-legged one in there that’s not broken. You can use that."

He Lang shook his head. "My daughter says she likes this one. It’s fine, I can fix it."

The old man shook his head at that, but since they insisted on buying it, he let them be.

The table cost one yuan, while the books and newspapers Xue Yue bought cost two and a half.

After they left, they didn’t linger and hurried straight home.

As soon as they got home, He Lang asked Ruanruan, "Ruanruan, where did you say the yellowy stuff was?"

Ruanruan pointed to the three table legs.

"It’s inside here."

He Lang grabbed an axe and began to dismantle the table, taking off all three legs and setting them aside.

Then he started taking the legs apart.

Soon, all three legs were dismantled. Staring at the thirty-odd small gold bars lying on the floor, the couple was once again lost in thought. The last time they had worn such expressions was when Ruanruan was just a few months old, back when she had dug up a chest of gold from the courtyard.