Chapter 32: Enhancing Happiness

After thinking it over from start to finish, Tang Xin realized that something still didn’t add up. When Lu Liqin and his group returned to the city, they went to the provincial capital. Yet this Chen Liguo was in the county seat, and clearly, from the look of his family, they wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

So how had Lu Liqin met Chen Liguo, for the two of them to start contemplating business together? The more she thought about it, the more plot holes she noticed in the book. But Tang Xin no longer had the luxury to worry about such things; she would just take things as they came.

It was actually a good thing that Chen Liguo stayed in the county. In the future, she and Li Sheng would have gained another friend. Wasn’t there an old saying, “More friends, more paths”?

Chen Liguo glanced at Tang Xin in surprise, but replied in a serious tone, “Sister-in-law, how can you say such things? Your head is filled with capitalist ideas—be careful or you’ll get your tail clipped.”

Tang Xin responded even more earnestly, “What capitalist ideas? If you haven’t properly understood the documents yourself, don’t talk nonsense. I’m thinking about urban development, about improving the people’s happiness—what does that have to do with capitalism?”

Chen Liguo turned to look at her. “Isn’t it just about making money?”

He couldn’t believe she’d tied it to something as noble as improving the happiness of the people.

But Tang Xin replied, “How can you measure this with something as vulgar as money? This is another expression of labor serving the people.”

Labor could also be valued and measured with money.

Chen Liguo was nearly left speechless. He claimed to be a middle school graduate, but in truth, during those years at school, they’d been constantly caught up in political movements and hadn’t learned much at all. Because of that, and since the Chen family was well-off, after he finished middle school they simply arranged a job for him instead of further studies.

After that, Tang Xin didn’t bring up the topic again. After all, when acquaintances are new, it’s best to keep some things light—no need to go too deep.

Li Sheng, who’d been listening in on their conversation, looked at Tang Xin thoughtfully but gave Chen Liguo a discreet nod. Of course, Tang Xin didn’t notice this exchange.

Soon it was time for the movie, and Tang Xin went with Li Sheng to the screening room.

To someone like her, used to modern high-tech entertainment, films at this time were almost childish. Yet Tang Xin still watched with genuine interest. Heaven knew that since coming to this wretched era, she’d hardly watched any movies or television, nor played with a cell phone—she’d had almost no entertainment at all.

Although she had encouraged Chen Liguo to sell sunflower seeds as snacks to moviegoers, and brought her own five-spice flavored seeds inside, she didn’t actually eat any herself.

To her, the whole screening room was filled only with the sounds from the big screen. If people below started crunching on sunflower seeds, it would be quite rude. The movie lasted two hours. At first she was fine, but by the end, Tang Xin was in tears.

She couldn't help it—her tears came easily, and the story had touched her. Unfortunately, her straight-laced husband Li Sheng couldn’t understand how a movie could reduce his wife to sobbing like that.

By the time the film ended, it was already late. Li Sheng simply took Tang Xin to thank Chen Liguo, and arranged to meet another day. Then he hurried his wife home.

Tonight was no ordinary night. It was their wedding night—the first hours of marital bliss, worth more than gold.

With leftover dishes from lunch, dinner was simple. After eating, Mrs. Fang sent her daughter-in-law to wash up first. Since it was the wedding day, Tang Xin had washed her hair and bathed the day before. Now, without the means to do so daily, she simply washed her face and freshened up.

But Tang Xin only owned conservative nightwear—a plain cotton nightgown. Normally she wouldn’t think twice about it, but tonight she felt a little regretful. Would it be unsexy? The first night she’d arrived here didn’t count; tonight she planned to give her husband an unforgettable wedding night.

Li Sheng knocked on the door, asking if she was ready and if she needed water. As Tang Xin opened the door, Li Xiyue, who lived across the hall, suddenly poked her head out.

“Brother, Sister-in-law, what are you going to play tonight?”

To give their son and daughter-in-law a happy wedding night, Li Father and Li Mother had sent the other children to bed early. After all, it had been a busy day, and they’d worked in the fields that afternoon—everyone was exhausted.

Even the twin brothers Li Kai and Li Xihua, who’d come to help, were already asleep. Only Li Xiyue was resistant, too curious about what a newlywed couple did on their wedding night.

Her sudden question startled Tang Xin, who, acting on reflex, pulled Li Sheng back into their room and locked the door.

Through the door, they could still hear the old lady scolding her daughter: “You’ve been busy all day, go to sleep. Your brother and sister-in-law have their own matters; stop being nosy.” Li Xiyue muttered something in response, but her voice was too low for Tang Xin to catch.

After a while, things quieted down. Tang Xin guessed the old lady had finally settled them all.

At that moment, Li Sheng went out to fetch water for his wife and to wash up himself. Tang Xin began to survey their new room, since it would be her home from now on.

Once again, she found herself in a strange environment, but it was clear her parents-in-law and husband were doing their best to welcome her as family. Tang Xin had no intention of holding back—this would be her home too, and she would make every effort to become part of it.

This room was clearly a temporary conversion—perhaps originally two rooms? With so many children in the Li family, they must have all squeezed together before. Now, for her marriage, they’d given her the biggest, best room.

Tang Xin looked around carefully. All her belongings had been moved in. From now on, it would just be her and Li Sheng sharing a room. Not bad at all.

In those days, even urban housing couldn’t always compare to the countryside. It was common for four generations to crowd into a tiny apartment of twenty or thirty square meters. Having their own private space meant she could work on the farm as she wished—she and Li Sheng didn’t have to be joined at the hip all the time.

Besides the tidy cotton bedding, the most eye-catching feature was the pair of bright red embroidered pillowcases—the most obviously “newlywed” decoration in the room. Of course, there were also the red paper cutouts and decorative happiness characters on the walls, but the room couldn’t compare to the lavishly decorated bedrooms Tang Xin had seen at relatives’ weddings decades later in the twenty-first century.

Still, for now, it was very nice. At least, it gave Tang Xin a warm and cozy feeling.

Soon Li Sheng returned, having washed quickly outside with cold water. Men were more robust, and since he often drove trucks and sometimes lacked the means to bathe properly, cold water was nothing to him.