Chapter 81: Educated Youth Who Abandoned His Wife and Child -12

After entering the house, Shen Xiuyan greeted with a smile, “Brigade Leader, I heard you were looking for me. I came in a hurry and didn’t have time to bring anything.”

Brigade Leader Su kept a straight face and waved his hand. “No need. Come have a seat.”

Seeing Su Mingyue heading back to her room, he called out to her as well, “Mingyue, you too—come here.”

Su Mingyue lowered her head and walked over. She had thought she might escape this ordeal, but now it seemed she’d be publicly executed alongside Brother Shen.

How utterly embarrassing.

Brigade Leader Su cleared his throat and got straight to the point. “Mingyue told me everything yesterday. I called you here today to figure out what’s really going on.”

Shen Xiuyan tilted his head, confused.

Brigade Leader Su continued with a serious face, “Mingyue is just a countryside girl. What exactly do you see in her? We know where we stand. You and her don’t exactly match. Don’t you want to wait a bit longer—what if you get the chance to return to the city?”

Shen Xiuyan’s eyes widened, inwardly complaining: What do you mean we don’t match?

Father-in-law, you must be blind. Aside from having darker skin, what fault can you find with Mingyue? He really didn’t like hearing that.

So he retorted, “That’s not fair, Brigade Leader. What’s wrong with Mingyue? She’s sensible, filial, and capable. What’s so surprising about me falling for her?”

Su Mingyue’s mouth nearly stretched to her ears in a grin.

Then Shen Xiuyan continued, “If you’re talking about looks, I’m not someone who’s shallow like that. You have to look at the person’s heart. Even the prettiest girl wouldn’t suit me if our personalities didn’t match. Besides, if we’re talking about looks—are you saying I shouldn’t be allowed to marry anyone?”

Brigade Leader Su: “…”

What a bold statement, but he couldn’t refute it at all.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiuyan was still going, “And aside from her skin tone, Mingyue’s not ugly at all. She’s your daughter—you really shouldn’t talk like that. It would hurt her feelings.”

Su Mingyue immediately covered her mouth, afraid she’d burst out laughing.

But her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, and Brigade Leader Su wasn’t blind—he could see it clearly.

He clicked his tongue. “Just laugh already. What are you pretending for?”

Hearing this, Su Mingyue instantly quieted down and sat upright with a well-behaved expression.

Liu Yanyun gave her husband a glare of disapproval. She thought what Shen said made perfect sense.

Her daughter wasn’t bad-looking to begin with. If her skin were a bit lighter, she’d be a proper beauty. And didn’t the young man just say? Character is what matters most.

Shen truly had the perspective of someone who had gone to high school—his views were different from the average person’s.

Brigade Leader Su felt as though he’d just been given a lesson, but surprisingly, he wasn’t angry. Instead, he found Shen Xiuyan even more reliable.

“But what about going back to the city? Don’t you want that? People from your educated youth station are always coming to ask me if there’s any news. I don’t believe you’ve never thought about it.”

Shen Xiuyan nodded honestly. “Of course I’ve thought about it. Life in the city is way better than here in the village. If there’s a chance to go back, of course I’d want to.”

“But what does that have to do with anything? My dad, mom, and older brother all get along well with people. As for a sister-in-law… my brother doesn’t even have a partner yet. I can’t predict the future, but in the worst case, if someone’s hard to get along with, we just don’t deal with them.”

Sincerity is always the ultimate trump card. If Shen Xiuyan had hemmed and hawed, Brigade Leader Su might still have had reservations.

But now, with Shen Xiuyan speaking so directly and frankly, it made him seem all the more trustworthy—he had even thought through future scenarios.

“So you mean to say, if you get the chance to go back to the city, you’ll take Mingyue with you?”

Shen Xiuyan looked puzzled. “Isn’t that a given?”

Then realization dawned on him. “Ah, you two are worried about Mingyue going into the city alone, right? Then I’ll try my best. If I get the chance, I’ll bring you along too.”

Hiss— Liu Yanyun couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

Those were big words, sure—but the fact that he even had the heart to say them meant a lot.

Who didn’t know the city was better? If there was a chance, of course they wanted to go. But none of them dared voice that thought.

Even if someone made such a promise and didn’t follow through, most people wouldn’t even dare to make the promise in the first place—for fear of future trouble.

Now this was a good son-in-law…

That’s right—in just a few short sentences, Shen Xiuyan had become Liu Yanyun’s ideal choice for son-in-law.

Brigade Leader Su’s expression also softened. To make a promise like that—whether or not it could actually be fulfilled—just having the courage to say it was enough.

It showed that Shen Xiuyan was genuinely serious about building a life with his daughter.

He waved his hand. “Alright then. There’s no word at all about returning to the city right now, so it’s useless to think about it. If you’re sincere about living with Mingyue, then I’ll agree to this.”

“Really?” Shen Xiuyan’s eyes lit up.

Liu Yanyun was now a mother-in-law gazing at her son-in-law with increasing satisfaction. She nodded with a smile. “Really.”

Shen Xiuyan finally felt completely at ease.

Yes—this was the same good father-in-law as before. As long as he treated Mingyue well, everything else would be easy to handle.

As for the mother-in-law, she seemed just as easy-going—she looked incredibly gentle.

“Alright then, let’s talk about the things needed for the wedding. Although country weddings aren’t that particular, the proper bride price still has to be given. And there’s also the issue of where you two will live after the wedding.”

Su Mingyue stared in shock from the side.

How had Dad gone straight to talking about marriage after just a few sentences from Brother Shen???

That was way too impressive.

Su Mingyue gazed at Shen Xiuyan with admiration.

Perhaps sensing her fiery gaze, Shen Xiuyan gave her a small, reassuring smile.

Seeing this, the old couple once again felt that this love couldn’t be fake. Just look at the affectionate way he looked at their daughter.

After soothing Su Mingyue, Shen Xiuyan nodded. “I understand, I understand—three turns and one sound, I’ll figure it out for sure. As for where we’ll live after getting married…”

He scratched his head a little sheepishly. “If I end up going back to the city, building a house here won’t be worth it. I was wondering if we could stay at your place for now…”

He really didn’t want to build a house—he had tasks to complete, and he was certain he’d return to the city eventually. Building a house in the village would just be a waste of money.

He also didn’t want to stay at the educated youth station—too many people, too much gossip. It wouldn’t be comfortable.

But it was different with his in-laws.

They only had Mingyue as their one and only daughter—surely they wouldn’t object to them living together under one roof…

As long as he was thick-skinned enough…

There was nothing that couldn’t be resolved.

——————

“Three Turns and One Sound” (三转一响, sān zhuǎn yī xiǎng) is a phrase from Mao-era China—especially the 1960s to 1970s—that symbolized the ultimate set of desirable material possessions for an ordinary Chinese family, particularly when preparing for marriage.

Three Turns (三转 / Three Things That Spin):

1. Bicycle (自行车) – Symbol of mobility and status.

2. Sewing machine (缝纫机) – A practical and valuable household tool.

3. Wristwatch (手表) – A luxury item at the time, signifying punctuality and affluence.

One Sound (一响 / One Thing That Makes a Sound):

4. Radio (收音机) – The most accessible form of entertainment and information.

Owning all four was seen as the hallmark of a well-off, modern family in rural or urban working-class China. These items were especially important as bride price or dowry gifts—getting married with “three revolutions and one sound” meant the union was off to an auspicious and materially secure start.