Chapter 30: Caught a Ride

Another woman from the family, who was helping out nearby, saw Tang Xin entering the kitchen and hurriedly said, “Oh, the bride should go back inside. It’s dirty and messy in here.”

Li Xihua looked up and saw the beautiful young woman in a red dress standing at the kitchen door. She knew her sister-in-law was a city girl, but she hadn’t expected her to be so lovely. She couldn’t help worrying—her own brother was honest and taciturn, and their parents were mild and unassuming. Was it really a blessing for a girl like this to marry into their family?

With such thoughts swirling in her mind, her words came out less than kind. “We’re all daughters-in-law here; what’s so bad about a bit of dirt and mess? This is daily life from now on, isn’t it?” Her tone left little doubt that she was criticizing the new bride.

Tang Xin could only shake her head. This woman, she thought, probably had a kind heart, but her tongue was clumsy. Here she’d rushed home to help with her brother’s wedding, hadn’t even caught her breath, and yet she turned to scold her new sister-in-law. Wasn’t that just typical—exhausting yourself only to offend family the moment you return? After all, Li Sheng was the eldest, and his wife would be the future mistress of the household. If Li Xihua kept antagonizing her sister-in-law, would she ever feel as at ease when she came home again?

Fortunately, Tang Xin was not an ordinary sister-in-law, especially having already read the book that revealed Li Xihua’s character and tragic fate. Knowing this, she felt a deep sympathy for her eldest sister-in-law and even a desire to change her destiny.

So instead of taking offense at Li Xihua’s words, Tang Xin sincerely thanked her for all her hard work on the wedding. Compliments like these were rare, and Li Xihua felt awkward, turning away in silence.

Tang Xin continued with a cheerful smile, “Sister, come on, let’s go to the banquet together.” She didn’t forget to invite the other aunts as well, encouraging everyone to join the meal.

The women laughed and told Tang Xin not to stand on ceremony—they knew how to fill their bellies, and those helping in the kitchen always ate their fill. Still, as the eldest sister, Li Xihua really should join the banquet.

But Li Xihua replied, “You all go ahead. I won’t join. I was born to toil and am not meant to enjoy such blessings.”

Tang Xin was momentarily speechless. This was more than just a lack of tact—her sister-in-law truly didn’t know how to speak to people. After inviting her several times and being refused, Tang Xin was at a loss for words.

Some people, she thought, were so deeply conditioned to servitude that change could never come overnight.

Meanwhile, Li Sheng was calling for her—it was time for the bride and groom to toast the guests together. Tang Xin said no more, and took Li Sheng’s arm as they headed out.

During the toasts, Li Sheng drank spirits, while Tang Xin’s cup was filled with sweet syrup that Mrs. Fang had arranged in advance. She drank plenty of syrup and received a basketful of blessings, which made her very happy. She hoped this good life could continue, so she especially loved hearing well-wishes for their marriage.

After the newlyweds finished the toasts, the guests lost all interest in conversation and focused on eating. The banquet at the Li household was so lavish that even during the New Year, few families in the commune could match it. Most people cleaned their plates, leaving hardly any leftovers. Friends of the family were perfectly at ease, sopping up the sauces with rice and eating another big bowl.

Fortunately, not only was the meal abundant, but Mrs. Fang and her eldest daughter had prepared plenty of rice to ensure everyone left the table satisfied.

After the banquet, the brigade leader took his men back to work, eager to finish delivering the public grain so they could distribute wheat to the commune members. The other guests soon departed as well. Father Li called for his own children to return to the fields, leaving only a few women behind to help clean up.

These days, there was no such thing as wedding leave. After a busy morning and a wedding meal at noon, it was the norm to get right back to work in the afternoon.

But this rule did not apply to the newlyweds. The brigade leader had given Li Sheng and Tang Xin a whole day off—a once-in-a-lifetime event deserved special consideration, he thought, and the Li family’s son and the city girl should have their happiness.

The men all went back to work, while close female relatives stayed to help. Li Xiyue, however, quickly slipped away, using work as an excuse. Whether she went to the fields or not, Tang Xin didn’t know. She only saw that, after much effort coaxing her to the banquet, the eldest sister had nervously eaten half a bowl of rice before hurrying back to the kitchen.

Tang Xin couldn’t help but sigh. How could one help someone who couldn’t stand up for herself? But today was not a day for such troubles. With the wedding just concluded and their honeymoon begun, Mrs. Fang was eager for her son and daughter-in-law to spend as much time together as possible.

So she shooed them both out, telling them to go have fun, to go on a date.

Li Sheng thought it was an excellent idea. After a word to his parents, he took some money and ration coupons and set out with his wife.

Knowing his bride found nothing appealing in the tiny commune—and that their wedding would draw a crowd if they walked around together—Li Sheng decided not to parade her through the brigade’s streets. His wife was shy, and with such a pretty bride, he didn’t want her surrounded by the curious villagers like a monkey on show.

By some stroke of luck, he caught the brigade’s truck heading into town—these days, another driver was at the wheel. He handed over some wedding sweets and a special pack of cigarettes bought for the occasion, and with that, Li Sheng and Tang Xin hitched a ride to the county seat.

This trip was much quicker than the last, taking less than two hours by truck.

Since her previous visit, Tang Xin had lost all interest in shopping in the so-called fashionable county town of this era. There was only one main street, still a dirt road, and when the rare bus drove by, it raised a cloud of dust. The shops on either side were a bit more impressive than those at the commune, and the county even boasted a factory, a commercial district, and a cinema.

Li Sheng, knowing she wasn’t interested in the street, led her straight to the cinema entrance.

Did he mean to take her to a movie? For people of these times, this was the height of modern entertainment, and for once Tang Xin was genuinely interested.

Li Sheng walked up to the ticket window, peered through the wooden frame, and from inside came a flat male voice: “No tickets.”

Li Sheng replied, “Chen Liguo, it’s me. I brought my wife to see a movie.”

“Li Sheng?” A man’s earnest face poked out from behind the window. He didn’t see his old friend at first—only the pretty face of the young woman. He grinned at Tang Xin. “Hello, sister-in-law. Here to see a film?”