The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 51 - 50: Called Off

He Zhendong had borrowed He Lang’s bicycle and left early in the morning to pick up his fiancée, but by noon, he still hadn’t returned.

The whole family was getting anxious waiting for him.

Just as lunch was about to be served, He Zhendong returned.

His mother glanced behind him. "How come you’re back alone? Where’s your fiancée?"

He Zhendong gave a bitter smile. "It’s off."

At this, the entire He family grew anxious.

"Zhen Dong, what happened? Wasn’t everything already settled?" Uncle He asked.

"They said the betrothal gift we agreed on was too little. They heard our He Family spent 500 yuan on a bride before, so now they want 500 yuan too."

"..."

Xue Yue never imagined she would get dragged into this.

Uncle He’s wife glanced at Mrs. He and also fell silent.

The room was quiet for a long moment.

Third Aunt He said to Mrs. He, "Your family set this precedent. It’s all well and good for you—your three sons are married now. But what about the rest of us? I have two sons who aren’t married yet! Does this mean I have to prepare 1,000 yuan in betrothal gifts? That’s a death sentence!"

Fourth Aunt He nodded in agreement. "I also have two unmarried sons. Good heavens, where are we supposed to steal 1,000 yuan from?"

Mr. He looked at them and explained, "It’s true our family spent 500 yuan when He Lang got married, but there were special circumstances. The Xue family returned the money long ago—all 500 yuan of it. They even added a bicycle to the dowry, which is the one my third son was riding. My wife and I felt too embarrassed, so we didn’t tell anyone. Our eldest and second sons know about this, and we even divided the money among them. We honestly didn’t think this would affect your families. Zhen Dong, as your uncle, I’ll go with you to Taohua Mountain. I’ll explain everything to them. We can’t let this affect your marriage."

"Dad, I’ll go," He Lang said.

He Zhendong was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it."

Uncle He frowned. "Zhen Dong, just let He Lang go with you. All he has to do is explain."

He Zhendong shook his head. "Dad, I’m the one who doesn’t want to go. Things got ugly between our families this morning. Her family said a lot of nasty things, and I wasn’t polite in return. Let’s just drop it."

His mother was so angry she slapped him on the back, but she didn’t say anything more.

What was supposed to be a perfectly happy engagement celebration had ended up like this.

The members of the He family returned to their own homes, their spirits dampened.

The next evening, Xue Xingzhou arrived.

He brought two wild rabbits with him.

That evening, Xue Yue made braised rabbit.

"Brother, you’re the best! You knew I was craving meat," Xue Yue said, relishing every bite of a rabbit leg.

"Tsk, tsk. To hear you talk, your brother would think I never buy you meat. Who was it that ate all that braised pork belly just the other day?" He Lang said.

The other day, He Lang had made a special trip to the state-run restaurant to bring home a takeout order of braised pork belly for her.

Xue Yue paused, then said cajolingly to He Lang, "Oh, I forgot! Besides, that was two days ago. Can’t a girl get cravings again?"

"Heh." He Lang turned his head to focus on his food, refusing to look at her.

Xue Yue rolled her eyes at He Lang. ’Hmph, so petty,’ she thought.

"Hahaha, don’t worry. Whenever you’re craving some, I’ll bring it for you," Xue Xingzhou said, fanning the flames.

Xue Yue glanced at He Lang and saw his expression darken even further.

Hmph. Xue Yue took a forceful bite out of the rabbit leg.

After dinner, Xue Xingzhou didn’t stay the night. He had He Lang take him home.

A week later, it was He Lang’s day off again. He decided to take Xue Yue to town to see a movie and do some shopping.

Xue Yue had never been to a movie theater before. She had only ever seen the open-air movies shown in her village. A projectionist would occasionally come for a screening, and those were always fun.

Xue Yue made a point of wearing the knit sweater He Lang had bought her, braiding her hair and letting it fall over one shoulder.

"Beautiful," He Lang praised without reservation.

Xue Yue smiled. "Well, you’re the one who bought it."

"No, I mean the person wearing it is more beautiful than the sweater."

Xue Yue blushed and said with a playful smile, "So, are we going or not?"

He Lang nodded. "Let’s go! Time to take my wife on a date!"

The two of them went to town and headed straight for the movie theater.

Xue Yue followed He Lang, watching as he bought the tickets before he took her hand and led her inside.

There were already quite a few people inside. Xue Yue followed He Lang to their seats and took a moment to look around the theater.

Watching a movie in a real theater was a unique feeling, and Xue Yue found it fascinating. The film was a patriotic war movie called *Heroic Sons and Daughters*, and by the end, Xue Yue was even moved to tears.

When they left the movie theater, it was almost noon, so they went to the state-run restaurant again.

A plate of stir-fried pork, a plate of braised pork knuckle, and two bowls of rice. The whole point of coming to the state-run restaurant was to eat meat. They cleaned their plates, and both of them were a little stuffed by the end.

Instead of riding the bicycle, they pushed it alongside them as they walked to the supply and marketing co-op.

Matches, scented soap, laundry soap, white sugar, a towel, a bag of peach crisps, a block of tofu, vermicelli noodles, a thermos, two basins, and a bolt of Dacron fabric. Xue Yue also spotted a pair of white sneakers. They cost one yuan, which was a bit expensive, but she gritted her teeth and bought them anyway. They also bought some vegetable seeds; the private plot behind their house was still bare, and Xue Yue planned to plant them as soon as they got back.

All these things cost ten yuan, plus several ration coupons.

Just like that, more than half of He Lang’s monthly salary was gone.

It was still early when they returned that afternoon, so they went straight to their private plot. They tilled the soil and brought some of it back home to start seedlings. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers all needed to be sprouted indoors before being planted outside.

Once the seedlings sprouted, they could be transplanted to the plot and just needed regular watering.

Mrs. He stopped by, intending to ask what they were planning to plant and to offer them some extra seeds she had. But when she arrived, she found they had already gotten started.

"Oh my, these seedlings look good! You’re planting so many different kinds?"

"Mom, we have some tomato and pepper seedlings left over. Do you want them?"

"Yes, give me all your leftovers. I’ll prepare some more when I get back. Your older brothers want to plant some too, and I was planning to start all the seeds together. You two are so diligent, you’re already done."

Mrs. He used to worry about He Lang the most, but ever since his marriage, she had watched his life steadily improve. He had now become the son she worried about the least. Mrs. He knew much of the credit belonged to Xue Yue, so watching the young couple filled her with joy.

In early May, He Lang left for another work trip. This time he was headed to Yangcheng. Before leaving, he took a good amount of money, planning to bring some goods back with him.

After He Lang left, Xue Yue took a basket and went up the mountain. She wasn’t alone, though; she went with Zhang Ping, He Zhen Guo’s wife.

At this time of year, the mountain was full of wild vegetables and mushrooms.

"Xue Yue, with your He Lang away, aren’t you scared at night?"

Xue Yue shook her head. "I wouldn’t say I’m scared. I just bolt the door early, and besides, I have something in the house for self-defense."

It was a fruit knife He Lang had bought for her specifically for this purpose. His job required frequent long-distance travel, which meant Xue Yue was often home by herself. Furthermore, their house was at the edge of the village, a little ways from the other homes.

When they first built the house, they chose the location to be far from their neighbors. That way, the smell of their food wouldn’t travel, and besides, Xue Yue enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was only after He Lang started traveling for work that he realized it wasn’t entirely safe to leave her there alone. He had initially suggested asking his mother to stay over whenever he was away, but Xue Yue said it wasn’t necessary. The courtyard wall was high, she argued, so it was unlikely anyone would try to get in.

Zhang Ping nodded. "You’re certainly brave. I’d be pretty scared to live alone in such a big house. You should still be careful, though. Don’t sleep too soundly at night."

’Surely no one would be foolish enough to try and steal from me,’ Xue Yue thought.

But she never expected that someone really was that foolish, and that Zhang Ping’s words would come true.