Day Eleven

Wen’s father was already in a foul mood. Hearing no sound from Wen Congyin at the door, he stood up and barked, "Who’s there?"

When he caught sight of Geng Xu, he faltered, clearly recognizing him.

Wen Congyin pressed the tip of her tongue against her lower jaw and glanced at Geng Xu with a look of helpless resignation.

Unaware of the internal dynamics, Geng Xu raised a thick brow and asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong?"

Wen Congyin shook her head. "Nothing. It’s just that your timing is impeccable."

She stepped aside to let him in.

Seeing Geng Xu and Wen Congyin walk in one after the other—especially noticing how close they were—Zhao Shiren’s eyelids twitched, and he stood up as well.

"Good evening, Uncle. My name is Geng Xu. Geng as in 'lingering concern,' Xu as in 'sequence.'" Geng Xu entered the room, seemingly oblivious to the strange atmosphere, and offered a polite greeting.

Wen’s father looked Geng Xu up and down, his expression dark. "I remember you. What are you doing here? And what is your relationship with my daughter?"

Before Wen Congyin could speak, Geng Xu gave her a look, then turned back to face the father with a steady demeanor. "Uncle, I have come to ask for Comrade Congyin’s hand in marriage. We are like-minded and are willing to strive together for the socialist cause."

Geng Xu’s statement hit Zhao Shiren like a slap to the face.

Zhao Shiren’s face turned a mottled shade of red and blue, the veins on his forehead bulging. Pointing a finger at Geng Xu, he demanded of Wen Congyin, "Wen Congyin, what is he talking about? You’re just trying to scare me, aren't you?"

Wen Congyin glanced at him, then stepped forward and took Geng Xu’s hand.

The gesture was so sudden that even Geng Xu was startled. He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but her warm, soft hand firmly locked onto his palm. "We are not making a joke of marriage. Dad, it is exactly as you see. Over the past two days, I have decided to marry Regimental Commander Geng and move with the military!"

The expressions of Wen’s father and Zhao Shiren were as if they had been struck by lightning.

Even Zhou Yanhong and her daughter looked on in stunned disbelief.

No one could have imagined that in just two short days, Wen Congyin would dare to do something so audacious!

"You—you’re doing this just to spite me, aren't you?!"

Zhao Shiren was incredulous. He pointed a trembling finger at Geng Xu. "How long have you even known this man, and you’re marrying him? Besides, does he know you have a niece to look after?"

Geng Xu withdrew his gaze from Wen Congyin and said calmly, "I have known about that for a long time. We have reached a consensus."

"Her niece is one of the 'Five Black Categories'!" Zhao Shiren shouted in desperation.

A trace of a smile flickered on Geng Xu’s lips, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery. "I don’t mind. Besides, I am a 'capitalist roader' myself; I have no right to look down on others."

Hearing this, Zhao Shiren let out a cold laugh.

He stared at Wen Congyin. "Wen Congyin, you’d better think carefully. With your background so pristine, don't ruin yourself. If he doesn't get that 'capitalist' label removed, who knows when he might be dragged off for a struggle session? Don't come crying to me when you're living in a cowshed with him."

"That would still be better than being with you."

Wen Congyin shot back.

Zhao Shiren was almost choked with rage. Wen Congli looked at Wen Congyin as if she were insane. Her eyes swept over Geng Xu; although the man was handsome, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall stature—far better-looking than Zhao Shiren—he still carried that political stigma. How could Wen Congyin not be afraid of being implicated?

Zhao Shiren left in a fit of shame and anger. Wen Congli hurriedly chased after him.

Wen Congyin looked at her father. She had expected him to lose his temper and for a world war to break out in the house that night, but to her surprise, his expression no longer seemed angry.

He sat down, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and took a deep drag, staring at Geng Xu. "How old did you say you were?"

"Twenty-nine," Geng Xu replied.

"Twenty-nine?" Wen’s father muttered to himself. He took another drag, then walked into the bedroom with the cigarette between his fingers, saying nothing more.

Zhou Yanhong looked from Geng Xu to Wen Congyin in confusion. Old Wen had always wanted to marry Wen Congyin off to someone powerful; why was he not raging after she had acted without his permission?

"What does your father mean by that?" Geng Xu asked in a low voice.

Wen Congyin shook her head. She couldn't be bothered to care what her father was thinking. Instead, she asked Geng Xu, "How is Lina today? No trouble, I hope?"

Geng Xu nodded. "My comrade’s wife likes her very much. She looked after her all day today. I checked on her before I left, and the child didn't cry."

"That’s good." Wen Congyin breathed a sigh of relief.

Geng Xu looked down at her hand. Wen Congyin didn't realize at first, but when she saw their fingers were still interlaced, she pulled her hand away abruptly, feeling incredibly awkward.

Geng Xu noticed her reddening ears, pursed his lips to hide a smile, and pulled a wallet from his pocket. He took out a few large bills and handed the rest to Wen Congyin.

Wen Congyin looked puzzled.

Geng Xu said, "It seems your father doesn't oppose this. If you have time these next few days, use this money to buy what you need."

"I don't need this much." Wen Congyin realized this was the bride-price; at a glance, there must have been two or three hundred yuan.

Geng Xu said calmly, "Take it. Conditions on the island are different than here; there isn't much available. Buy what you need here and we'll ship it over together. If there's anything else you need, just let me know, and I’ll do my best to get it."

Seeing him insist, she didn't refuse. After taking the money, she hesitated for a moment. "And what do you need?"

Geng Xu looked startled, as if he hadn't considered his own needs. He thought for a moment and said, "Whatever you think is best."

Wen Congyin: "..."

She had never been married before, but she had heard her colleagues complain about their husbands—how they were indifferent to everything, wearing whatever they were given, and were incredibly easy to satisfy.

Thinking it over, even though he was easy to please, he had given her so much money and ration coupons that she couldn't just brush him off. She would have to buy something suitable.

Zhou Yanhong was pressed against the bedroom door, watching them whisper to each other through the crack before heading downstairs.

She hurried back and nudged Wen’s father. "Old Wen, are you really going to let Xiao Yin marry that man?"

Wen’s father frowned and flicked his ash. "What choice do I have? The man is a Regimental Commander, and that girl has been acting quite rebellious lately. If I don't agree, she'll just go ahead and marry him anyway."

Zhou Yanhong muttered, "But that man’s political background is bad."

Wen’s father raised his eyelids to look at her, internally cursing her for being narrow-minded. A twenty-nine-year-old Regimental Commander, even with a bad background—if he ever got that label removed, would he even be looking at his daughter?

Wen’s father was not without anger at Wen Congyin for acting on her own, but he was a calculating man. Since Wen Congyin was dead-set against marrying Zhao Shiren, and she could marry a man whose future might potentially skyrocket, he was willing to take the gamble.

Wen Congyin was busy. Between work and shopping, she was constantly on the move. Fujian Province wasn't cold, but it was damp. To be safe, she bought plenty of fabric and cotton to have quilts made.

In addition, she bought a radio and a Hero brand fountain pen.

"Xiao Wen, have you really thought this through? You’re going to follow the army?"

Xu Xiang felt it was a pity and even tried to persuade her. "You have excellent skills with injections. If you stay, you’ll surely be promoted in the future."

Wen Congyin handed her the marriage application and smiled. "Director Xu, thank you for your appreciation, but my mind is made up."

Xu Xiang looked at her and sighed. "Alright then. In that case, I’ll help you speed up the process. I’ll try to get the notification to you before the end of the day."

Wen Congyin thanked her and went back to work.

After lunch, Xu Xiang finally had a moment to submit the application. She walked to the Dean’s office, but as she knocked and entered, she saw Director Zhang was already there.

Xu Xiang paused. "Oh, Director Zhang is here too."

Director Zhang grunted through her nose, her expression cold and dismissive.

The Dean invited Xu Xiang to sit. "What brings you here today?"

Xu Xiang smiled and handed over the application. "Our department's Xiao Wen is getting married to a soldier. Their leave is limited, so could you please do us a favor and sign this early? I’ll have Xiao Wen bring you some wedding candy later."

Director Zhang’s expression changed instantly. "Xiao Wen is getting married?"

She snatched the application from Xu Xiang’s hand. The two columns listed the information for both the man and the woman.

Xu Xiang was annoyed. "Director Zhang, that’s quite rude, grabbing things like that."

The Dean, fearing an argument, smoothed things over and took out his pen. "It’s fine, this is a happy occasion. A wonderful thing. I’ll sign it right now."

Xu Xiang watched the Dean sign, exchanged a few pleasantries, and left.

Director Zhang, however, was boiling with resentment.

In her eyes, Wen Congyin was ungrateful and essentially a traitor. She had kindly introduced her to Zhao Shiren, yet she had rejected him only to find some twenty-nine-year-old soldier!

It was surely because she was greedy for power. That man was probably old and ugly.

When Wen Congyin went to work that afternoon, she felt the atmosphere was a bit off.

Since she was leaving soon, Xu Xiang had asked her to spend more time training Lin Hongyin and the other nurses. Naturally, other nurses from different departments also came over, using the excuse of helping out to actually steal some techniques.

Wen Congyin didn't mind. In her view, the level of the nurses was quite poor, and if they learned well, they could better serve the people.

"Injections depend on the patient. The elderly have loose skin, making it easy to slip, so it’s best to keep the skin taut..."

Just as Wen Congyin was giving an injection to an old lady and explaining to the nurses behind her, she heard a few nurses from other departments whispering, covering their mouths and laughing at her.

Seeing Wen Congyin look over, they exchanged glances and fell silent.

Wen Congyin frowned with a hint of confusion but ignored them, finishing her explanation of the special cases.

By the time she finished, it was already dusk.

As she was packing up to leave, Lin Hongyin and a few others came over, pushing each other forward.

Wen Congyin tightened the strap of her bag. "Do you have something to ask, or...?"

Lin Hongyin, pushed out by the others, blushed and gathered her courage. "Well, Sister Wen, we heard some rumors and wanted to warn you."

"Yes, it’s just what others are saying, we didn't say it," the other nurses quickly added.

"What rumors?" Wen Congyin felt baffled. She had been so busy these past few days she hadn't paid attention to anything else.

Lin Hongyin stammered, "The rumor in the hospital is that you... you are greedy for power and are marrying... an old man."

Wen Congyin blinked. She thought of Geng Xu’s appearance; he was a bit older, but how could he be described as an "old man"?

"It’s not what we said, it’s what others are saying. Some even say the man is very ugly and vulgar, and that you’re so power-hungry you don't care about anything else." Lin Hongyin waved her hands quickly. "But we don't believe it."

Wen Congyin could guess who had started the rumor. In this hospital, other than Director Zhang, with whom she had the biggest conflict, everyone else was fine.

She was speechless. She nodded at Lin Hongyin and the others. "I see. Thank you."

Wen Congyin didn't take it to heart. However, while eating dinner, she placed a piece of stir-fried liver in Zhao Lina’s bowl and told Geng Xu about it as if it were a joke. Geng Xu raised his eyebrows and looked at her, his expression meaningful. "You aren't upset?"

Wen Congyin tilted her head, amused. "Why would I be upset? Some people in the hospital are just like that—they love to spread rumors. If I got angry at them, I’d never have a moment’s peace."

"Hmm." Geng Xu nodded, saying nothing more. He picked up a piece of egg foo young for her. "The egg foo young at this restaurant is quite good. You should try it."

Zhao Lina secretly glanced at Uncle Geng. For some reason, she felt that Uncle Geng seemed a little displeased.