Chapter 28: Openness of Mind

Li Xuewei and the others immediately helped carry Tang Xin’s carefully packed luggage to the Li family’s house, acting as representatives from her maiden family, following behind. Along the way, the procession was lively and festive, accompanied by music and laughter—such a grand scene was rare in the Harvest Brigade, where the female educated youths usually didn’t fare so well.

The young men from the area joined in, boisterously making jokes—after all, when had they ever seen anything like this? Even though the Li family’s son and Comrade Tang had already registered their marriage, it was still broad daylight in public, and he was carrying her in his arms the whole way…

But everyone was young, and their minds were more open. So, it was all good-natured teasing and rowdy excitement. What really impressed them was Li Sheng’s great stamina—the Li family house wasn’t exactly close, yet he had carried his bride all this way without breaking a sweat.

The raucous laughter reached Tang Xin’s ears, and for once, the proud young lady felt a rare moment of embarrassment. She wriggled, wanting to get down and walk on her own, but Li Sheng only tightened his hold.

He whispered in her ear, “Before crossing the threshold, the bride’s feet can’t touch the ground.”

This was an old custom: if the bride’s feet touched the ground, she would take her family’s luck and fortune with her. Li Sheng didn’t care about that, but his mother had said that if the bride touched the ground, it would diminish the couple’s marital bliss and bode poorly for their future. So, even Li Sheng, who didn’t believe in superstition, felt he couldn’t let his wife set foot on the ground before reaching home. After all, he could manage to carry her all the way.

Tang Xin had heard of this tradition too, so she settled comfortably into her husband’s arms. She glanced slyly at Li Xiyue, who was walking beside her, and saw Li Kai helping carry things behind them.

The biggest challenge for the Li family was their mother, who had six children—four sons and two daughters. The eldest was Li Xihua, and the youngest daughter was Li Xiyue; Li Sheng was the oldest son, Li Kai the second, and the youngest were twin boys, Li Jiang and Li Hai.

Because their mother’s personal background wasn’t good, the family was never popular in the brigade, and after what happened with Li Zhirong, things had only gotten worse. Li Xihua, the eldest sister, had married herself off for a bride price of a hundred yuan, hoping to ease her family’s burdens—a desperate but determined act.

Luckily, Li Sheng proved himself. Somehow, he learned to drive and secured a stable job in the brigade. In the story Tang Xin remembered, after Li Sheng’s death, the Li family’s fortunes only declined.

It was precisely because of this bitterness that “Tang Xin” had suffered so much at the hands of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Of course, Tang Xin now wouldn’t blindly defend or excuse their actions. But undeniably, the Li family’s misfortunes were the catalyst for all the tragedies that followed.

Tang Xin wouldn’t let that happen again. This was her man now—her responsibility to protect.

Although the Li family played only minor roles in the original story, and aside from Li Kai, the others were scarcely mentioned, to Tang Xin, they were already her family. She would do everything to ensure their happiness.

When their party was still a hundred meters from the Li household, someone was already shouting from afar, “The bride is coming! Light the firecrackers—the bride is coming!”

A handsome young boy emerged, holding a string of firecrackers, which he set off with a loud, joyous crackle. Another boy, identical to the first, stood beside him, helping light the fuses. Tang Xin guessed these must be the twin brothers of the Li family.

She gave them a sweet smile and said, “Thank you, little brothers.”

Tang Xin was always gentle and lovely, but today, with her careful makeup and dress, she looked even more beautiful—nothing like the dusty, plain village girls everyone was used to. Her radiant smile and soft, sweet voice made the twin boys blush furiously.

But in their hearts, they remembered what their second sister had told them: their new sister-in-law was a bad woman, a city girl who would surely throw her weight around in the house. They mustn’t let her get the upper hand, not from the very start.

Determined not to show any friendliness, the twins stiffened their faces and ignored her words, trying to act cool.

This didn’t bother most people, but Meng Jia, who had come along to watch, observed coldly from the sidelines, secretly delighted—clearly, the Li family didn’t like Tang Xin; what happiness could she expect after marrying into such a household?

All along the way, Meng Jia’s main impression of Tang Xin’s wedding was its shabbiness. In her last life, Lu Liqin and Tang Xin had married in the city, with both the Lu and Tang families hosting a grand celebration. The entire Lu family attended; there were several cars alone.

Tang Xin’s father had prepared a dowry that stretched for miles, the scene was luxurious and joyous—nothing like today…

Meng Jia was sure that Tang Xin was acting on impulse; within three days of moving in, she would regret it. And look at the Li family—so cold to her, barely polite.

Amidst her mixture of glee and pity, Meng Jia also felt a vague sense of unease. Tang Xin may have brought this on herself by her wild ways, but Lu Liqin still had feelings for her. If Tang Xin realized how difficult life in the Li family was, she would surely regret her rashness and go back to Lu Liqin. The two of them…

No, she couldn’t let that happen. Meng Jia swore she would find a way to prevent it.

What mattered now was making Lu Liqin notice her beauty and virtue. If the two of them could become a couple, everything would turn out wonderfully.

The bride and groom entered the Li family’s courtyard, surrounded by a crowd. Many from the brigade had come for the festivities, eager to share in the good luck. Congratulations and blessings filled the air—wishes for a happy marriage and lifelong harmony. The hosts were generous, handing out celebratory candies and cigarettes.

“My goodness, I’ve never seen a wedding this generous before!”

“That’s right, the Li family really spent a lot to marry this bride.”

Hearing such gossip, Meng Jia scoffed inwardly—it wasn’t true. All of this was paid for by Tang Xin. Though Uncle Tang was outwardly angry about his only daughter marrying a country boy, he would definitely have spent a lot on her wedding.

Having spent so much time with Lu Liqin and Tang Xin in her past life, Meng Jia had seen for herself how much Tang Xin’s father doted on her. Later, when Lu Liqin made his fortune, it was not only with the help of the Lu family, but also thanks to the Tang family’s support.

Communication was limited in those days. The last time Meng Jia had called her mother was a month ago, so she had no idea what the Tang family’s attitude was now, or how Tang Xin’s father was handling his daughter’s marriage.