Chapter 778 That Stings

The Lunar New Year atmosphere in the countryside was especially vibrant. The dragon and lion dance troupes started their performances with gongs and drums on the first day of the new year, going door to door to offer new year’s greetings. On the third day, operas began, with a stage set up at the village hall. The lively festivities continued every day until after the Lantern Festival.

After the Lantern Festival, it was time for Xiao Man to return to Beijing. Before she left, she went on a trip to Ping County Town with Guan Ailan, Mo Linghui, and Mo Shuixia to visit a few of their teachers and, while they were at it, to see Mo Shuixia’s new house.

Strictly speaking, it was a new dormitory apartment. But it was strange for Mo Shuixia, a single female teacher, to be assigned a new two-bedroom, one-living-room unit. Of course, there was an inside story—Mo Shuixia was engaged. Her fiancé was an officer at the county Public Security Bureau, and they were planning their wedding. Since the school had extra new dorms, various people put in a good word, and the leadership gave her a two-bedroom unit to use as a marital home for the newlyweds.

Mo Shuixia was 176 centimeters tall. She not only towered over other girls like a crane among chickens, but she was also taller than many men. This girl seemed carefree and boisterous, but she had a meticulous and slightly secretive side. While still studying at the provincial sports school, she met her fiancé, who was attending the police academy, at a gathering for people from their hometown. They started dating, but she didn’t tell her friends until they were about to get engaged. Her secrecy was so thorough that Guan Ailan nearly throttled her for it.

Mo Shuixia confessed that she hadn’t dared to say anything earlier because she was worried it wouldn’t work out. She always felt her boyfriend looked more delicate than her and was afraid she wasn’t good enough for him.

Because of this, a concerned Teacher Yu had several talks with the two of them. She confirmed there was no real issue; it was just Mo Shuixia overthinking things and being insecure. Frustrated that her student wasn’t living up to her potential, Teacher Yu gave her a stern lesson in life experience before the matter was finally settled.

Mo Shuixia’s new home didn’t have much furniture yet. Both of them had just started working not long ago and hadn’t saved much money. Although the man’s family had given them some money for the wedding, they still had to furnish the place slowly. For now, it only had simple furnishings, but it felt fresh and spacious. Xiao Man said that once she was back in Beijing, she would mail Mo Shuixia a set of pretty curtains and bedding as an engagement gift, with another wedding gift to follow when they actually got married.

Mo Linghui had also met Chen Deming’s parents, so their relationship as an engaged couple was pretty much official. Hearing about an engagement gift, she immediately started clamoring for one too, and Xiao Man agreed.

Among the four friends who always hung out together, only Guan Ailan had no news on the romance front. Xiao Man joked, “You’re not going to be like Mo Shuixia, are you? Lying low until you drop a bombshell on us?”

Guan Ailan pouted. “Who wants to be like you guys? Is getting married the only thing to do in life? How boring!”

Xiao Man was taken aback. Mo Shuixia just laughed, while Mo Linghui said, “Are you saying you’re never going to get married? You’re going to be an old maid?”

Guan Ailan shot back, “Get lost! You’re the old maid!”

The three of them burst out laughing, doubling over. Guan Ailan was so annoyed she wanted to kick each of them, but in the end, they ganged up on her, pinning her to the bed and tickling her until she couldn’t stop laughing and repeatedly begged for mercy.

Once they had horsed around enough and were tired from laughing, the four of them piled onto the bed to talk properly. Mo Linghui seriously asked Guan Ailan, “How about I introduce you to a boyfriend? Chen Deming has a few pretty decent friends.”

Guan Ailan put her disdainful expression back on. “Save it. It’s not like I’m lacking in any way, why would I need an introduction? I just don’t want to start dating too early.”

“Really?”

“Of course. But if you were to introduce me to some handsome guys, like those ones from Beijing—Zheng Shaolian, Gu Shaozhen, people like that—then I might consider it.”

“Get lost!” Mo Linghui repeated Guan Ailan’s curse. “If I really knew guys like that, why would I introduce them to you? I’d keep them for myself!”

“Oh, you’re one to talk! I’m going to tell Chen Deming tomorrow!”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

The two of them dissolved into another fit of playful wrestling and laughter.

Mo Shuixia patted Mo Linghui. “Don’t say things like that in the future. If Chen Deming actually heard you and took it seriously, it could be troublesome.”

Xiao Man chimed in with her agreement. Mo Linghui laughed and said, “Alright, alright, I won’t say it again. It’s all Guan Ailan’s fault for not having a boyfriend!”

Guan Ailan: “…”

‘Ouch, that stings. These girls were all more eager to get married than the last. She hadn’t even said anything about them being abnormal, yet they were the ones giving her grief.’

Xiao Man laughed. “Men like to look at beautiful women, so it’s not strange for women to appreciate handsome men. But you can forget about Gu Shaozhen, he’s a bit of a player. As for Zheng Shaolian, well, I haven’t heard about him having a girlfriend. He’s an acquaintance, anyway. If you like him, why not try flirting with him a little?”

Guan Ailan frantically waved her hands. “Zheng Shaolian? Don’t even joke about that. I’d like to live a few more decades!”

Xiao Man suddenly thought of Wei Zhenqing. “Oh, right! Someone asked me to help him find a girlfriend. He’s the same age as Gu Shaojun, a soldier, and his family is in Beijing. He’s an impeccable guy and very good-looking… Are you interested in getting to know him? But for now, you could only correspond by letter. People in the military can’t just leave, so you wouldn’t be able to meet whenever you want.”

Guan Ailan shook her head. “It wouldn’t work.”

“How do you know it wouldn’t work?”

“Beijing is so far away. With our majors, we’ll definitely be assigned jobs back in our hometown after graduation.”

“If it’s meant to be, that’s something you can figure out slowly. What do you say?”

Guan Ailan stammered, “No, I can’t…”

Mo Linghui tutted. “Listen to her, being all picky when no one’s even pursuing her. She’s definitely going to end up alone!”

Guan Ailan retorted, “You don’t know shit!”

“First ‘get lost,’ now ‘shit.’ Can’t you be a little more refined? Lady!”

On the verge of tears but unable to cry, Guan Ailan scrambled up to chase Mo Linghui. In her frustration, the truth slipped out. “You’re so refined! Who says no one’s pursuing me? They just don’t meet the conditions! My mom said that since I’m the eldest, I can’t marry someone far away. She wants me to help support the family for a few years after graduation, to help raise my younger siblings until they’re successful. I’m not supposed to even think about dating until after I’m twenty-five…”

Mo Linghui was speechless. Xiao Man sighed inwardly. She remembered Guan Ailan’s past life: she had pulled strings to get a job at a mining factory and married a middle-aged manager there. Not only did she manage to change the household registrations for all her younger siblings from rural to non-rural and get them jobs as workers, but she eventually brought Mr. and Mrs. Guan out as well. Back then, she was considered incredibly capable; every family wanted a daughter like her. But as for what kind of life Guan Ailan herself lived, nobody knew.

In this life, Guan Ailan had gone to university and chosen a major she liked. ‘I hope her life is smoother, happier, and more complete than her last one.’

Xiao Man stayed in Ping County Town for two days, then went to Wancheng to catch a military transport flight, arriving back in Beijing two days before school started.

Everything was fine back at her home in Beijing. Her parents and the elders welcomed Xiao Man back happily, but the twins and Gu Shaoying, who had run over from the Gu family’s house, gave her the cold shoulder. They were protesting that she had secretly disappeared for so long without a word. Xiao Man had to put in a great deal of effort, bribing them with lots of tasty treats and fun toys, before she finally managed to win the three little ones over again.

After that, she went to the Lu Family’s home to visit the new baby. Yang Liu’er had given birth to a daughter for Lu Jian Country, a precious “little quilted jacket.” Lu Jian Country treasured her beyond words, naming her Lu Jiaojiao. Uncle Lu and Lu Weiwei adored her. Whenever they had a spare moment, the whole family would gather around the cradle, watching over the tender, pink little baby, unable to get enough of the sight.