The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Bao Ya looked out the window. The banquet had already started, with six tables set up outside. There were relatives from both sides and Jiang Yuan's colleagues, all chatting and drinking happily.

After Jiang Yuan toasted everyone outside, she was taken back inside. An auntie brought her food in; the dishes were quite good, with chicken and fish, and the taste was somewhat like that of a state-run restaurant.

Today's banquet consisted of eight dishes: three meat dishes and five vegetable dishes. There were two bottles of wine on the men's table, while the women's table was served tea instead of wine. No one got drunk. The banquet didn't end until after 2 PM.

Her aunt came in and gave her a few instructions, then she and her uncle took the others home. Her mother-in-law, Liao Chunhua, along with the neighbors who had come to help, cleaned up the yard, distributed the remaining vegetables to everyone, and went back to the village with her father-in-law.

After Jiang Yuan and his second brother returned the borrowed tables, chairs, and benches to their neighbors, they went home.

The courtyard fell silent. Jiang Yuan closed the gate and went inside. He saw that Bao Ya was still a little embarrassed. When she spoke, the tips of her ears were slightly hot. He didn't know if it was from shyness or from drinking earlier.

"Did you eat enough just now?"

"I'm full. The chef was very skilled today; the dishes were delicious."

"Yes, today's chef is Chef Sun from the state-run restaurant."

No wonder, Bao Ya thought of that bald old man. Last time Jiang Yuan took her to a state-run restaurant for noodles, he was watching her from the window.

"There's no one outside, right?"

Bao Ya looked outside again, wanting to take off the thing on her waist and find a place to hide it.

"Nobody's here. What's wrong?"

Jiang Yuan didn't understand why she asked that question and looked at her curiously.

When Bao Ya heard that there was no one outside, she turned her back to Jiang Yuan and began to unbuckle her belt, saying to him as she did so:

"Go and lock the outside door, don't let outsiders barge in."

Huh? Jiang Yuan was a little confused by his wife's actions. Was she in such a hurry? Should he cooperate?

Jiang Yuan, who went to lock the door from the outside, felt like he was walking on cotton. His heart was pounding so hard he could hardly breathe. Happiness had come too suddenly.

He went outside, bolted the door, and locked it from the inside. He took two deep breaths, then straightened his back and walked back inside, silently encouraging himself that he couldn't let his guard down at this crucial moment.

Inside the house, Lin Baoya was struggling with her belt, which she had tied in a knot that she was afraid of losing on the way. She couldn't untie it.

I cut it; I don't have a belt anymore. I can't untie it if I don't cut it, damn it, and now I even feel a bit of a urge to pee. Finally, I gritted my teeth and cut it.

"Where did you put the scissors? Could you get them for me? I can't untie this."

"Huh? Oh."

Jiang Yuan, who was unbuttoning his shirt, was a little slow on the uptake. Scissors? Cut what?

Bao Ya showed him her belt, and Jiang Yuan finally understood that she wanted to cut the belt. His wife was already a little anxious, and her face turned red with worry.

Jiang Yuan started rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for the scissors. Where was he? The more anxious he got, the less he could find them. His hands started trembling as he searched through the things.

Finally, they found the scissors in another room. When Bao Ya saw him return with the scissors, she had already stretched the loop of her belt too wide, and the knot in the middle had turned into a small lump.

"Why are your hands shaking when you cut it from here?"

Afraid he might accidentally cut the money, Bao Ya stretched out her belt with both hands, leaving a section exposed so Jiang Yuan could cut from there. Jiang Yuan's breathing became even more rapid; he seemed to see a small patch of skin peeking out from his wife's waist—so white, so tender. His hands trembled even more violently.

Seeing him trembling so badly, Bao Ya was afraid he would cut himself, so she snatched the scissors away. With a "snip," she cut the belt open.

He handed the scissors back to Jiang Yuan, then turned around and sat on the bed, crossed his legs, and began to pour things out of his belt.

Jiang Yuan took the scissors, turned around and placed them on the sewing machine. With his back to Bao Ya, he began frantically unbuttoning his clothes.

Because the amount of red cloth for the belt was limited, Bao Ya sewed it into a two-finger-wide tube, stuffed the gold bars inside, and carefully folded the money into several portions before stuffing it in. It was quite uncomfortable around her waist for a while. Now it was a bit difficult to take it out, like squeezing toothpaste out.

Jiang Yuan, having taken off his Zhongshan suit and loosened his belt, heard a clanging sound behind him, the sound of metal clashing. Turning around, he saw a pile of money on the bed, and his wife sitting cross-legged, counting it, her face beaming with a wide smile.

Looking down at myself, I realized I had taken off my coat, unbuttoned my shirt halfway, and my belt was...

The misunderstanding was huge, and I felt a little guilty. I carefully and slowly put my clothes back on, not wanting my wife to think I was too hasty, or I would scare her and cause trouble.

Bao Ya counted the money in her hand, her heart filled with joy. Five hundred yuan was the bride price, plus 120 yuan from her maternal grandmother and three aunts as dowry money, and fifty yuan from Lin Laoda that she had spent a little of it, leaving her with thirty yuan. She also had 650 yuan in cash and two large yellow croakers, all of which were now hers.

"Where do you hide all your money?"

Bao Ya counted the money in her hand and asked Jiang Yuan for his money as well. Turning around, her smile froze on her face. What was this guy doing?

Jiang Yuan was standing with his back to her, his clothes disheveled, frantically pulling up his pants. When he heard her speak, he froze.

Does this guy have some kind of weird fetish? His wife was sitting right next to him, and he... just... took care of it himself?

Thinking back to all the perverts she'd heard about in her past life, Bao Ya's eyes widened, a look of sudden realization dawning on her. No wonder, no wonder this guy spent so much money to marry a country girl. Five hundred yuan, just like that. Did he jump into a fire pit himself?

"No, no, my daughter-in-law isn't what you think."

Seeing her surprised expression, Jiang Yuan knew she had misunderstood. Without even getting dressed, he rushed over to explain.

"Ah, you scoundrel."

Her shirt wasn't buttoned up, revealing most of her chest. Bao Ya instinctively covered her face and cried out.

Jiang Yuan felt bitter. What was going on? This was a huge misunderstanding. Thinking back to the scene just now, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Honey, don't misunderstand. I... I saw you counting money and wanted to get the money box out for you."

Jiang Yuan had a sudden inspiration and gave a reason that even he himself didn't believe.

Bao Ya rolled her eyes at this reason. A box in your crotch? Why don't you just say a grenade in your crotch? Thinking it over, she blurted it out:

"Can your box hold... that?"

Bao Ya thought for a moment, but still didn't say the word "crotch." Although he wasn't particular, she couldn't be so rude. As she spoke, she glanced at his chest muscles. Sigh! What a waste of such a good physique.

"No, there were a lot of people today, so I sewed my keys into my underwear pocket."

As he spoke, he quickly took the key out of the drawer, opened the wardrobe door, and took out a wooden box from inside.

Seeing his actions, Bao Ya wanted to say, "You were standing quite a distance from that drawer," but upon seeing what was inside the box, she shut up.

Seeing that she wasn't pressing the issue anymore, Jiang Yuan, as if presenting a treasure, placed the box on the bed in front of her.