On the way back, Liu Yang asked Zhong Jianguo about his family. Zhong Jianguo answered truthfully. Liu Yang was satisfied with his attitude but hadn’t forgotten that Zhong Jianguo had been married before and had three children. Worried that this older man might deceive their family’s Song Zhaodi, he signalled his mother to keep an eye on things.
Yang shi, concerned that her two grandsons might wake up from their afternoon nap, didn’t go to the main hall. Instead, she moved a stool to sit by the side room’s door, watching inside while listening to what was happening in the hall.
After managing to send her brother-in-law Liu Yang away, Song Zhaodi sat across from Zhong Jianguo, looking at him with confidence and ease, without a hint of shyness.
Zhong Jianguo had an odd feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. He simply said, “Hello, I’m Zhong Jianguo.”
“I’m Song Zhaodi,” she replied. “My jiefu already told you that.”
Zhong Jianguo nodded. “Yes. Nice to meet you, Comrade Song.”
“Nice to meet you, Comrade Zhong,” Song Zhaodi responded. “What else did my jiefu tell you?”
Zhong Jianguo thought, He only said your parents went to work and that it was just you and his mother at home. Nothing else. Meanwhile, he had been asked plenty about his own family: “We just chatted casually, nothing much.”
“Then what do you want to know?” Liu Ling had never been on a blind date and the original host of this body hadn’t either. So the newly reborn Song Zhaodi had no idea what people in this era were supposed to discuss during matchmaking. “Ask me anything and I’ll tell you whatever I know.”
Yang shi frowned. Why was Zhaodi speaking in such a rustic way, using “俺” (ǎn) instead of “我” (wǒ)? Just days ago, she had been teaching them to change that habit. And what was this about telling Zhong Jianguo everything? Had this girl cried herself silly?
“Zhaodi, let Comrade Zhong have some water first,” Yang shi said, standing up with her cane and giving Song Zhaodi a meaningful look—come here!
But Song Zhaodi pretended not to understand Yang shi’s warning. “Auntie, I’m talking to Comrade Zhong right now. If it’s not urgent, let’s talk later.”
“It’s fine,” Zhong Jianguo turned to Yang shi and asked, “Auntie, do you need help with something?”
Yang shi waved her hand. “No need, just sit. I was just reminding Zhaodi to be considerate and let you drink some water.”
“No worries, I’m not thirsty,” Zhong Jianguo smiled. “As long as you’re not upset that I arrived so late in the afternoon.”
Song Zhaodi asked directly, “Why did you come so late?”
Zhong Jianguo hesitated for a moment before awkwardly replying, “There’s another village named Song on the east side. I thought that was the right one, but when I got there, I found out that Xiao Song Village was actually to the west. I took the wrong road and got delayed.”
“So, you haven’t eaten yet?” Song Zhaodi asked.
Zhong Jianguo replied, “I usually eat lunch late, so I’m not very hungry right now.”
“I made cornmeal buns for lunch. If you don’t mind, I can get you some,” Song Zhaodi offered.
Zhong Jianguo had left for the station at a little past seven in the morning, taken a nearly three-hour bus ride to Hongya Town and then had to walk the rest of the way since there was no transport to the countryside. On top of that, he had taken a wrong turn, only arriving in Xiao Song Village after one in the afternoon.
He was definitely hungry. But since it was his first time visiting, showing up in the afternoon and immediately eating at the Song household didn’t seem appropriate. Swallowing back his real thoughts, he said, “No need, I’m really not hungry.”
Song Zhaodi glanced at him and, seeing he didn’t insist, stayed put. “I heard from my aunt that you’re a major?”
Zhong Jianguo immediately regretted his earlier false politeness. He hesitated before replying, “Did my stepmother tell you that?”
“Yes,” Song Zhaodi said, watching him closely for any reaction. She casually added, “She also said you earn 180 yuan a month, that you’re a university graduate and a military officer. Pretty impressive.”
Zhong Jianguo opened his mouth, then sighed. “…Did she say anything else?”
“Was she lying to me?” Song Zhaodi’s expression darkened, feigning anger.
“Well, not exactly lying,” Zhong Jianguo admitted. “I haven’t been home in two years and only wrote a few letters to my older brother. My stepmother doesn’t know my current situation. The military abolished the rank system two years ago.”
“So, you’re not an officer?” Song Zhaodi’s eyes flickered—so there had been such a change.
Since his salary couldn’t be hidden if they got married, Zhong Jianguo decided to be honest. “I’m a regiment commander. With seniority allowances, I make a little over 130 yuan a month. The military also provides additional subsidies, like oil, grain, sometimes meat, fish and fabric. These aren’t counted in my salary.”
“That’s pretty good,” Song Zhaodi looked genuinely surprised. “So my aunt wasn’t lying after all.”
Zhong Jianguo was certain that his older brother wouldn’t have told their stepmother, Zhao Yin, about his status. That meant Zhao Yin had deliberately exaggerated his situation to the Song family. But why? Mother Song was Zhao Yin’s biological cousin and Song Zhaodi was her niece. Why deceive her own relatives?
“Is that all my stepmother told you?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
Song Zhaodi nodded, then half-truthfully said, “Auntie said your conditions are very good and if I marry you, I won’t suffer. I didn’t believe her before, but now I do.”
Zhong Jianguo inexplicably felt relieved. “So, you’re saying… you’re willing to marry me?”
“Of course,” Song Zhaodi said without hesitation. Zhong Jianguo had come looking for a mother for his children, not a wife for himself. She needed him to let his guard down, so she deliberately acted a little rustic. Seeing that he didn’t show the slightest impatience, she felt reassured—this man was decent.
In this era, there was no room for lifelong bachelorettes. Since she had come across a good-tempered, promising man, she was certainly willing.
Hearing Song Zhaodi’s bold words, Yang shi couldn’t sit still anymore and shouted, “Zhaodi! Marriage is something your parents must decide! They haven’t agreed yet!”
“Auntie, my mother always says, ‘Marry a man, marry a meal ticket.’” Song Zhaodi countered. “Comrade Zhong has a good salary. He won’t let me starve or freeze. My parents won’t object.”
Zhong Jianguo glanced at her, confused—was this girl just naive? How could she treat something as big as marriage like buying a box of matches from a supply store?
“Comrade Song, I think we should wait until your parents return to discuss this properly,” Zhong Jianguo said. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
Song Zhaodi had many questions. For instance, what were his three children’s personalities like? How had his wife, still young, suddenly died? And with his good salary, benefits, decent looks and high rank, why did he need to return home to find a wife, especially through his detested stepmother’s relatives?
After a moment of thought, she asked, “Do you hit your wife?”
Yang shi instinctively reached for the wall for support.
Zhong Jianguo’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the brand-new porcelain mug. He asked in disbelief, “Hitting a wife?”
“Yes.” Song Zhaodi could tell just from Zhong Jianguo’s shocked expression that he had never laid a hand on his late wife. “I heard that military men have bad tempers and take their anger out on their wives. Comrade Zhong, your previous wife—”
Zhong Jianguo quickly interrupted, “That’s not true. I have never hit a woman, you can rest assured about that.”
Song Zhaodi’s shoulders relaxed as if she were truly relieved. Just as Zhong Jianguo felt reassured, he heard her next question: “Then, do you hand over your salary?”
“What?” Zhong Jianguo didn’t quite understand.
Song Zhaodi explained, “If I marry you in the future and you don’t give me your salary, what am I supposed to eat? There’s no land for me over there, I can’t grow rice myself.”
Seeing this, Aunt Yang hobbled quickly into the main room with her cane and explained, “Comrade Zhong, our Zhaodi isn’t greedy for your salary. But you do have to clarify this matter for us. If you don’t make it clear, I won’t allow Zhaodi to follow you to that whatever ‘Shencheng.’”
“Wait, Shencheng?” Zhong Jianguo frowned. “Going to Shencheng?” Then, suddenly realising something, he asked, “Did my stepmother tell you I’m stationed in Shencheng?”
Song Zhaodi was puzzled. “Is that not the case?” This Zhao Yin—did she ever tell a single truth?
“I was transferred to Wengzhou Island two years ago,” Zhong Jianguo said. “The main forces of the East Sea Fleet have all moved to Wengzhou Island. From what the higher-ups are saying, we’ll be stationed there permanently and won’t return to Shencheng.”
Yang shi had never heard of Wengzhou Island, so she turned to Song Zhaodi. “Where is that?”
Song Zhaodi really wanted to feign ignorance. “I heard from some university students in the village that it’s near Ningcheng1 in Jiangnan2?”
“Yes. Wengzhou Island is under Ningcheng’s jurisdiction,” Zhong Jianguo confirmed. Seeing Yang shi’s face change, he started to feel nervous and turned to Song Zhaodi. “Did you agree to meet me because you thought I was stationed in Shencheng?”
Song Zhaodi responded, “Of course not. I already said my mother told me, ‘Marry a man, marry a life of food and clothing.’ I agreed to meet you because you’re a city man with good conditions.”
With no one to care for his three children, Zhong Jianguo had already made up his mind—his future wife didn’t need to be literate. As long as she could cook, work hard and take care of the children, he would be content, even if she was plain-looking and short.
Seeing Song Zhaodi in person today, he was surprised to find that she was tall and quite attractive. Although she spoke in a rustic way, repeatedly using ‘an’ instead of ‘wo’, he didn’t mind.
As they continued talking, Zhong Jianguo noticed that Song Zhaodi wasn’t foolish and knew to pour him water and ask if he had eaten. He began considering how to discuss an early marriage registration with her parents, given that he only had a week’s leave.
But to his surprise, Song Zhaodi was even more direct than he was—so direct that he wasn’t even sure what exactly she was after, since she laid everything out so clearly. Even though Zhong Jianguo prided himself on his knowledge of both astronomy and geography, he had no idea how to respond to her. “Auntie, in my opinion, this matter between Comrade Song and me should really be discussed with her parents.” Actually, what he really wanted to ask was—was this girl a little stupid?
“Of course,” Yang shi said. Song Zhaodi had saved the Yang family and before her eldest sister married Liu Yang, Yang shi had doted on Song Zhaodi the most. She didn’t want to scold her in front of an outsider, so she simply told her, “Go call your parents.”
Song Zhaodi stood up and saw Liu Yang coming in, who had gone to help excuse her from class. Her eyes lit up. “Jiefu, go call my parents and tell them to hurry back.”
“What’s wrong?” Liu Yang asked.
Yang shi turned around and said, “Just go quickly, no need for so much talk. Hurry up.”
Seeing his mother’s serious expression, Liu Yang immediately took off running.
At the rice field, Mother and Father Song were weeding when they saw their son-in-law panting heavily and immediately asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Biaoyi’s family sent someone over.” There were many people in the field, so Liu Yang didn’t want to announce that Zhong Jianguo was here. Instead, he signaled to his in-laws with his eyes.
The two quickly informed the team leader before heading home.
As they walked, Mother Song asked, “How is this Zhong Jianguo?”
“Just from looks and height alone, he’s better than Wang Degui, not to mention he’s a university graduate,” Liu Yang said, though he added regretfully, “But he’s been married before and has three kids.”
Father Song commented, “With Zhong Jianguo’s excellent conditions, even in a big city like Shencheng—which is nearly on par with the capital—he would be a rare find. If he didn’t have kids, even if Zhaodi graduated from a top university in the capital, she might not even have a chance with him.”
“How can you put down your own daughter like that?” Mother Song said angrily.
Father Song replied, “I’m just speaking the truth.”
“You still dare to talk?” Mother Song glared at him.
Liu Yang quickly stepped in to mediate. “Dad, Mom, from what I saw, Zhaodi seems quite satisfied with Zhong Jianguo. She even told me she’s skipping class just to have a proper conversation with him. I think this might work out.”
“You mean to say that even though Zhong Jianguo has three kids, he’s still a good match for our Zhaodi?” Mother Song asked.
Liu Yang wanted to nod, but remembering how protective his mother-in-law was of her youngest daughter, he swallowed his words. “He’s barely a match for our Zhaodi.”
Father Song shot him a glance—coward!
Liu Yang pretended not to notice and stepped past his father to walk beside his mother-in-law. “Mom, I asked Zhong Jianguo how long he could stay. He said he’ll be leaving in a few days. What do we do about Zhaodi’s situation?”
“He’s leaving in a few days? What does that mean?” Mother Song asked anxiously.
Liu Yang explained, “Zhong Jianguo is a soldier and hasn’t retired yet. He didn’t say exactly how many days he’ll stay, but I know it won’t be more than ten. If a war breaks out again, he might have to leave as soon as tomorrow.”
“A war?” Mother Song shuddered. “No way. I won’t let Zhaodi marry Zhong Jianguo.”
- Ningcheng may be inspired by Ningbo (宁波), a major port city in Zhejiang Province with historical naval significance. Another possibility is Nancheng or a composite name representing a generic southern city. ↩︎
- Jiangnan (江南) literally means ‘south of the Yangtze River’ and refers to the prosperous region encompassing parts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shanghai. Known for its rich history, culture, and economic importance, Jiangnan has been a centre of trade, academia, and governance for centuries. ↩︎
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