Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 143: The Pretty Educated Youth in the 1970s (11)
After finishing the tour of the house, Xia Shuang put down her luggage and wanted to lie down for a while. The train ride had been long and exhausting.
Jiang Jin touched the metal heating pipe. It was quite hot, and the room was nice and warm.
After settling Xia Shuang down to rest, he informed his parents that he was heading out to register their household.
The registration process was quick.
When Jiang Jin returned, Xia Shuang was already awake. Seeing this, he suggested that they visit her family first before registering their marriage.
After all, getting married without meeting her parents first just didn’t feel right to him.
Xia Shuang hesitated for a moment before deciding it would be better to register their marriage first and visit her family afterward.
The original owner had hated her family to the core, and given what they had done, it was hard to blame her. They had known their daughter was being forced into marrying someone in the countryside, yet after losing face and handing over the money, they had simply walked away. They hadn’t contacted her once in the more than ten years that followed. As parents, they had been truly heartless.
If they could be so cruel to their own flesh and blood, they probably weren’t particularly kind people to begin with.
Xia Shuang felt it was safer to get their marriage registered and transfer her household registration back first. Once she had settled in, she would naturally pay her family a visit and see what they were like for herself.
Jiang Jin could tell that she didn’t have a good relationship with her family. He didn’t pry or say anything unnecessary. Instead, he took her hand and readily agreed.
……
That afternoon.
After registering their marriage, the two returned home. Jiang Jin saw his parents busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, so he went over and told them about Xia Shuang’s family situation.
The couple didn’t seem to mind at all when they heard the details.
“These days, there are plenty of families that favor sons over daughters. If their relationship isn’t good, then so be it. Once Xia Shuang marries into our family, she’ll be one of us. As long as we treat her well, that’s what matters. Besides, if her own family doesn’t interfere, that’ll save us some trouble.”
With that settled, Jiang Jin’s parents immediately started flipping through the almanac, looking for an auspicious wedding date.
After dinner, Jiang Jin’s mother called the two of them over and pointed to several dates on the almanac.
“There’s a good date at the end of this month. If you think that’s too rushed, there’s another one in the middle of next month. You two discuss it and pick whichever suits you.”
After all, they had already registered their marriage. Just yesterday, she’d been bragging to people at the neighborhood committee about how wonderful her future daughter-in-law was and how much her son adored her. She’d even announced that the two would be getting married soon. Now, everyone was looking forward to attending the wedding banquet.
Besides, since it had only just been New Year and things weren’t too busy yet, it was better to get the wedding over early. Once work picked up later, even getting time off would be difficult.
Xia Shuang was fine with either date. They had already registered their marriage, so whether they held the wedding sooner or later made little difference. Getting it over early would also let her focus on other things without any worries.
Jiang Jin felt bad for making his wife wait and wanted to bring her properly into the family as soon as possible. In the end, they settled on a date at the end of the month.
With the wedding date decided, Jiang Jin officially started work.
Jiang Jin’s mother, meanwhile, had a rather flexible work schedule. Whenever things were quiet at the neighborhood committee, she would drag Xia Shuang out shopping, taking her to the department store and buying her all sorts of things.
The neighbors all knew Xia Shuang, and they had also heard that the Jiang family’s son would be marrying her at the end of the month.
Since the young woman wasn’t a local and her relatives lived far away, she would be getting married right there in the city.
……
Before they knew it, the end of the month had arrived.
Since Jiang Jin’s mother worked at the neighborhood committee, she got along well with the neighbors, and quite a few people came over to celebrate the wedding.
Six tables had been set up in the courtyard, but with so many relatives and neighbors attending, the place was packed. They even had to set up two more tables outside the entrance.
Jiang Jin wore a black formal suit with a red flower pinned to his chest.
Xia Shuang wore the new clothes they had bought for the occasion: a light pink blouse paired with loose black trousers. She had on a pair of round-toed leather shoes, and a gauzy fabric flower was pinned in her hair.
Her face was completely bare of makeup, yet her fair complexion and naturally pretty features made her look especially fresh and lovely.
The newlyweds made a perfectly matched couple. They looked as though they had been made for each other.
The wedding festivities carried on all day. A few of the neighborhood aunties even stayed behind to help clear the dishes and clean up. By the time everyone had finally left, night had fallen.
Jiang Jin’s parents had only one son, so they handed over all the wedding gift money they had received that day to the newlyweds.
Jiang Jin’s mother also pressed a large red envelope into Xia Shuang’s hands. “The bride price can’t be too little! Keep this for yourself. If you want to buy jewelry or new clothes in the future, you can use it. Think of it as your own private savings.”
Feeling the substantial envelope in her hands, Xia Shuang was deeply touched.
After all, her mother-in-law had already spent six or seven hundred yuan on things for her over the past few days alone.
She had bought Xia Shuang a bicycle to make getting around more convenient in the future.
All Xia Shuang had done was show a little curiosity about a tape recorder, and her mother-in-law had promptly spent 350 yuan to buy one for her. She had even bought Xia Shuang a complete set of gold jewelry.
Honestly, a mother-in-law this good was a rare find in those days.
After handing the money over to the newlyweds, Jiang Jin’s parents left them alone, not wanting to disturb the newly married couple on their wedding night.
It was only eight in the evening, and Xia Shuang wasn’t sleepy yet. She took out the bride price money her mother-in-law had given her and counted it. To her surprise, there were actually 500 yuan!
That was a considerable sum for that era.
The wedding gifts from their neighbors, relatives, and friends had also been gathered into a small bundle of assorted bills and coins, adding up to a little over a hundred yuan.
Jiang Jin returned with water for washing up and found Xia Shuang counting money with the enthusiasm of a little miser. Grinning, he took a bankbook out of his wardrobe and handed it to her.
“This is what I saved while I was in the army. The food factory hasn’t paid me yet, but once I start receiving my salary, I’ll hand it all over to you every month. You can keep everything for me.”
Curious about how much money he had saved, Xia Shuang stood up with a smile and took the bankbook. She opened it, glanced at the balance, and let out an impressed exclamation.
“Not bad! You managed to save 900 yuan during your military service!”
“It wasn’t that much. My annual salary in the army was less than 400 yuan. The other 500 came from when I was injured during a mission. Two hundred yuan was a bonus, and another 300 was a medical discharge allowance.”
As he spoke, Jiang Jin carried the washbasin over. “Time to wash your feet.”
Xia Shuang casually set the bankbook aside, took off her socks, and revealed her fair little feet.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she couldn’t be bothered to bend over. With both hands propped against the mattress, she lazily rubbed her feet together.
Seeing this, Jiang Jin rolled up his shirt sleeves helplessly, crouched down, and began washing her feet for her.
“My feet aren’t dirty. I already took a bath early this morning.”
Even Xia Shuang, who usually had pretty thick skin, felt a little embarrassed by his actions.
A man bending down to rub her feet was a little too intimate!
“Soaking them in hot water will help you sleep better. I still need to wash mine after you’re done. At this rate, you’ll take forever to finish.”
After finishing washing her feet, Jiang Jin took a towel and dried them for her before carrying the basin outside.
Xia Shuang’s cheeks were rosy. She patted them a couple of times, realizing what might happen later, then put away all the money, bankbook, and other things scattered across the bed.
But after waiting for quite a while, Jiang Jin still hadn’t returned.
Xia Shuang lay on the bed, yawning as she waited. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.
……
In the middle of the night, Xia Shuang was woken by the heat. She kicked off the blanket and was just about to turn over when someone pulled her into his arms.
The man’s hot kisses fell on her. Xia Shuang opened her eyes sleepily. “Jiang Jin?”
“Mm, it’s me.”
His kisses moved from the back of her neck to her cheek. His voice was slightly hoarse as he asked, “Still want to sleep?”
Held in his arms, their bodies pressed tightly together. As he spoke, his hot breath brushed against the back of her neck, making Xia Shuang shiver at the sensitive sensation.
At this point, how could she possibly go back to sleep?
Her hand slipped down and rested over the large hand on her waist.
“I’m awake. I’m not sleepy anymore.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the man leaned over her. One hand braced against the space beside her head, almost pinning her in place. He lowered his head to kiss her forehead, then whispered hoarsely beside her ear, “Don’t be afraid... I’ve washed up properly.”
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