CHAPTER 16.2
Shen Haiyang reached out and squeezed Li Xia’s hand, his eyes full of comfort. She smiled at the groom to say that it was okay, and pushed him to toast everyone. The simple wedding ended quickly, the table was cleared, the borrowed dishes were returned, and the family washed and went to bed.
In the east bedroom, Li Xia’s previous small bed had been folded up and replaced with a double bed. Shen Haiyang’s rehabilitation was not yet complete, and she thought that this bridal chamber was just a name. Who would have thought that after she closed the curtains, turned off the lights, went to bed, and got into her own bed, he also came in after a while.
Feeling her tenseness, the man put his arms around her and stroked her back. “I can’t control what others say, but I know my heart. I really want to marry you and grow old with you. Don’t be influenced by others, okay? Let’s live our own lives.”
She had already gotten what she wanted in this marriage, and this man was very capable. He solved all the problems she faced as soon as she woke up. People who have experienced this naturally know what obligations they should fulfill in marriage. After a moment of tension, she relaxed herself and felt very warmed by his words. But she still had doubts in her heart, so she asked.
”Why marry me?”
”Because, does there have to be a reason?”
”Um.”
”Why do you think men and women get married?”
He did not answer but asked instead. Li Xia thought for a moment and said, “Having children and reproducing offspring, having a companion to go through the ups and downs of life. Everyone has their own time when they have to take care of the elderly and children and are too busy to do anything, and they need help from each other. When you are old and sick, having a companion to support each other is a great help.”
”So, I will marry you as my companion for the rest of my life.”
”Hmm? What do you mean? I’m asking you, not you asking me.”
”Haha,” the man laughed happily, and then he explained to her: “Go through it together, support each other, and the most important thing is to be reliable.”
”Do you think I can be trusted?”
”right.”
”It’s really weird. Other people get married because they like each other or because they love each other, but we get married because we can rely on each other.”
Shen Haiyang smiled and felt embarrassed to say anything more cheesy. Marriage requires not only love, but also a tacit understanding of never leaving each other, a sense of loyalty, and unforgettable kindness.
Well, in her new life, Li Xia also thinks that character is the most important thing. The two men and women who had been through the gates of hell both thought that the other was pretty good, and they smiled at each other and entered into marriage.
His body was not well and he was not so flexible. She took the initiative after she felt the changes in his body. The first time, the woman was on top. After the action, the wife fetched water to clean him. The man looked up at the sky in silence, and the woman smiled and kissed him.
”Wait until you are fully recovered and you can be on top.”
”Okay. I must regain my manliness.”
”Ha ha,”
In the dark night, she held back her laughter with a flashlight.
She held him still, letting him take the initiative.
”Let’s transfer the house to your name tomorrow.”
”We are a couple, so it doesn’t matter whose name it is under. There’s no need to go back and forth.”
The property was worth nearly 20,000 yuan, which was a sum of money that most people could not earn in a lifetime in this era when most people only earned a few dozen yuan a month. Yet, he put it in her name with confidence.
Li Xia’s chest suddenly swelled, and she felt indescribable. She was a straightforward person, and she would speak her mind clearly about what she liked. In her previous life, Fang Zhongcheng abandoned her and her son, and she wished she would have nothing to do with him in her next life. In this life, Shen Haiyang trusted her so much that she felt that even if he was lying in bed without a penny, she would take care of him for the rest of his life.
”Let’s move on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month. I saw on the almanac that this day is a good day.”
”OK.”
After chatting for a while, they closed their eyes and fell asleep. Li Xia was afraid that she would kick him if she didn’t sleep well, so she let him cover himself with a quilt. She got up early in the morning to cook and clean the house. When he woke up, the food was already on the table, and there was nutritious chicken noodle soup in front of him.
”Why is there chicken soup?”
”I bought it yesterday. It’s convenient to buy things with foreign exchange coupons, but it’s a little more expensive than normal ones. It’s okay, there are enough foreign exchange coupons at home to replenish your body.”
”I’m going to transfer Huihui’s US dollars to my name today, and exchange it for 500 foreign exchange coupons.” Since the family was well-off, she was naturally willing to spend money for everyone.
The little guy had no objection to this, he just listened to his father. Li Xia quickly waved her hand to stop him: “It’s enough, don’t waste the money. When my breakfast shop opens next year, my business will be on the rise and I can handle everything. Then we won’t lack meat. Your work unit will also issue tickets and so on, and I can also relax and accept various tickets, so we will have everything.”
”What about the clothes for the New Year?”
”The last time the leader came to see you, he gave me a few zhang of cloth coupons, enough for us to celebrate the New Year.”
”This time I’ll buy it for you first.”
Women in this period basically devoted themselves to their families. Li Xia didn’t wrong herself so much when she came back. She really had something to wear so she didn’t buy anything, but the man kept thinking about it. She had originally planned to buy new clothes for the New Year, and now she nodded to him with a warm heart.
She accompanied him to do rehabilitation and borrowed a wheelchair from the hospital to go to the bank to change the account of the deposit. The name of the fixed deposit cannot be changed. If you want to change it, you can only withdraw it. This will lose part of the interest. The staff asked Shen Haiyang what to do. He resolutely withdrew the deposit, exchanged the interest for foreign exchange coupons, and deposited the remaining principal again for one year.
After leaving the bank, he accompanied her to the department store. The man helped her pick out a blue-gray coat with a lapel. The coat was very fashionable and had a lining inside, so it was considered a jacket. She tried it on and it fit her perfectly. Just as she was about to say it was too expensive and she might as well make it herself, the man raised his hand and asked her to pay.
She didn’t say anything, but paid obediently in front of many people who were shopping. Then he picked out wool, shoes and other clothes for her.
Li Xia felt a little pained to spend so much money at once. Shen Haiyang looked at her with a knowing smile, and she immediately rolled her eyes and pushed him out of the building.
She thought she could save money, but she ended up going to the Foreign Trade Mall again. “I’ve never been there before.”
”I don’t have a foreign exchange coupon, so I can’t buy it even if I go there.”
”I have it.”
Well, now she pushed him to another place to spend money. There were rare foreign products of vanishing cream, and he had already bought it when she was about to say it was expensive.
”You have good skin, you must protect it well.”
Well, she accepted her husband’s concern. She upgraded from a skin cream worth one dollar to one worth more than twenty dollars. Holding it in her hand, she calculated how long it would last. About half a year, she could afford it by selling steamed buns. That’s right, she had to invest in herself after making money. Otherwise, she would become a yellow-faced woman sooner or later.
After buying some vanishing cream and shampoo, the man stopped her when she was about to leave. When she got closer, he whispered, “Aren’t you going to buy some underwear?”
She immediately remembered the vest that had two holes in it, and his was also worn thin. “Buy it.”
After a big shopping spree, when the two of them got home, Li Xia helped him get off the tricycle and went into the house first, leaving the large and small bags on the tricycle for later use. To the west, Zhang Qiuhua had just come over fromwork to help, and when she saw that Li Xia had bought such an expensive face cream, she was immediately jealous and left without saying a word after putting down her things.
When Li Xia turned around, she saw that the other person had already entered the west room. She felt very strange. She had just said thank you for the apple, but how could she leave in the blink of an eye? There were still so many things in the tricycle.
”What’s going on with Zhang Qiuhua? I took out the apples, why did she put down the bag and leave?”
Shen Haiyang took the bag and took out some things from it to help her put them away. Hearing this, he replied, “Maybe she suddenly remembered something urgent at home?”
”Oh, not necessarily.”
After putting everything in order, she opened the ironing board and took out a piece of blue-black Decca fabric and spread it on top. She prepared a ruler, chalk, and scissors, and took the tape measure into the room to measure the man.
She let him lie on the bed so that she could measure him. She made two pairs of pants first, and then took two shirts to the tailor shop to be made. At present, it was a four-pocket Zhongshan suit with a somewhat old cadre style. She had no problem making pants and other things, but she had to be a master in the tailor shop to make Zhongshan suits.
She had two white Dacron shirts and knitted a sweater for him. The V-neck sweater perfectly showed off the white shirt collar. In the twelfth lunar month, the man was able to stand up and walk on his own. She dressed him up neatly.
After coming out of the hospital, she put a military coat on him, wrapping him up thickly so he wouldn’t feel cold on the road. In the alley, she saw her son playing with some other kids, and she called out to him and the kid ran towards her quickly.
”Mother,”
The child hugged her neck and gave her a big kiss, saying that he missed his mother so much after not seeing her for so long. Li Xia had just finished making the cotton-padded jacket for her son, so she made room for him to stand in front and took him home.
The little guy turned to look at Shen Haiyang’s expression. The man smiled at him, and he happily stood in front of his mother and went home with her.
When he didn’t see his sister when he entered the room, Shen Hui put down his pen and came over to hold his hand: “Your sister won’t be back from class for another half an hour. Come on, brother will take you out to play.”
”Let him try the cotton coat first to see if it fits him before you leave.”
”Okay.”
Shen Hui was wearing a new cotton-padded jacket and trousers. During this period, he and Li Xia got along well because of Shen Haiyang. He started to call Li Xia “Mom” again and was very close to his younger sister who was Huihua.
He tried the cotton-padded jacket his mother made for him one by one. The sleeves were a little long and the body was a little big. He took it off and the children went to play. Li Xia took the needle and thread to corrvt it.
”Did you make this big on purpose?”
”Well, conditions are better now. We can wear autumn clothes inside and coats outside. Cotton clothes can last for three to five years. The older ones can be put away. As children grow older, the clothes can be opened.”
Shen Haiyang looked at her silently, watching her scratch her scalp with a needle, the action was so similar to his mother. She was so concerned about her son’s clothes and bought everything. She missed her child, right? She probably didn’t bring him before because it was too much of a burden. Now that he’s awake, she should find time to talk to Fang Zhongcheng. If he’s willing, she should take the child over.
He was reading a book on the side. She quickly put away her cotton coat and got up to cook, thinking about the current situation. Yi Yi sat next to her during the meal. She served the little guy half a bowl of noodles and a little less to dry quickly. The little guy turned his head to look at Shen Haiyang again. When he saw him smile and asked him to eat, he picked up his chopsticks.
Li Xia felt that the child’s reaction was a little strange, so she took the child to the kitchen after dinner to ask what happened. The child replied that his father had found a girlfriend, so he was sent back to his grandmother’s house on the weekend.
