114, Household Registration Processing, Astonished Gazes

“Oh, come off it! No need to comfort me—I know my own body better than anyone. If I stay in the unit, I’ll only hold everyone back. But you, kid, your skills have improved a lot. After sparring for this long, your breathing’s still steady. Seems I’m getting old, huh!” Zeng Lin joked.

Regarding his increasingly agile movements, Gao Shen had noticed it as well, and realized he was even more nimble than before his injury. The thought struck him: it must be the pills Qingxin gave him.

“You could just exercise more. Looks like your past three years have been pretty leisurely—you’ve even grown a bit of a belly,” Gao Shen teased, not wanting the conversation to linger on his newfound agility.

Once Zeng Lin regained his breath, he finally recalled the original reason for their sparring. He sat up abruptly and scolded, “Gao Shen, what did you say yesterday? You claimed your wife was an orphan, raised in some remote place. But from what I can see, she’s nothing like you described. Come on, you’d better be honest!”

“Is there something wrong? Who says an orphan raised in a remote place can’t turn out like my wife?” Gao Shen replied calmly.

“But…” Zeng Lin was momentarily speechless. Indeed, there are no such rules; some girls raised in the city behave worse than those from rural families. Isn’t it possible for a phoenix to soar from a mountain village?

Zeng Lin snorted, “You really lucked out, kid!”

Gao Shen’s lips curled into a faint smile. He didn’t argue—he knew it was luck that let him and Qingxin become husband and wife.

Soon, Jing Qingxin and the couple, Zhang Liangping and his wife, emerged from the office, all smiles—clearly, everything went smoothly.

Seeing this, Gao Shen and Zeng Lin were relieved.

Afterwards, everyone split into two groups heading in different directions. Qingxin followed Zhang Liangping and his wife to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy goods, while Gao Shen went with Zeng Lin to the station to await their commander’s call, then join up later.

Before leaving that morning, Gao Shen had handed his savings book and cash vouchers to Jing Qingxin. This time, Qingxin didn’t refuse, accepting everything—after all, they were now husband and wife; there was no need to be overly particular about keeping things separate.

Apart from the twenty yuan Qingxin spent at the market last time, there was still over two hundred yuan in cash—enough to buy everything they needed at current prices. As for the eight hundred yuan in the savings book, Qingxin wasn’t planning to touch it for now.

Qingxin walked with Zhang Liangping and his wife towards the supply and marketing cooperative. Since they planned to host a dinner at home that evening, they needed more ingredients, so they went early to buy what they could. Though supplies were limited, they would buy whatever was available.

Yesterday’s basket of vegetables had already drawn attention; if they brought out more grain today, it would be hard to justify. Times were tough and everyone was careful—no matter how good friends might be, no one could generously share so much grain and vegetables. If you had them, you’d keep them for your own family!

Actually, Gao Shen was mostly concerned about Qingxin’s safety. With so many people around at night, you never know what others might be thinking. So he’d rather spend a little extra and buy everything they needed, only dipping into reserves if absolutely necessary.

Qingxin obediently went along—after all, Gao Shen was looking out for her. Though she thought he was being a bit too cautious, in this era, while things were scarce, food and goods could still be bought if you spent more.

In the end, it was all due to the times they lived in. But things were better now—the turmoil was nearing its end, and policies were much more relaxed. No longer did a slight breeze stir up an entire crowd as it had in the past.

Qingxin sighed—just two more years, and the “Cultural Revolution” would be over! Then the spring wind would sweep across the land, and the whole country would undergo a dramatic transformation. Civilization and spirit would soar upwards!

After about twenty minutes walking, Qingxin and the couple arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, where a long queue had already formed. Besides buying food for the evening’s dinner, they also needed wedding items, so the three split up to buy separately.

Qingxin had considered waiting until they returned to the town or county to buy wedding goods, since the journey was bumpy and carrying them would be tiring. But Gao Shen refused, insisting that the county and town supply cooperatives might not have everything; it was better to buy in Ning City.

Gao Shen didn’t want Qingxin to feel deprived—whatever a wedding should have, he wanted her to have it. The ceremony was rushed, but he wouldn’t skip anything just for convenience.

In the end, Qingxin couldn’t argue, and obeyed out of appreciation for Gao Shen’s care.

If it were just the two of them returning, she wouldn’t fuss about the inconvenience. But Zhang Liangping and his wife would be accompanying them to settle the wedding date and banquet arrangements, which needed both families or elders present.

Since Qingxin’s parents weren’t there, Zhang Liangping and his wife would act as her godparents. The arrangements wouldn’t take long, so Gao Shen decided they should all return to Dajing Village together the next day, so they could look after each other.

Therefore, Qingxin couldn’t stash the purchased items in her magical brocade bag—she would have to carry them back herself. Still, she decided not to buy anything available in the town or county, only choosing items unique to Ning City to lighten her load as much as possible.

Qingxin was in charge of buying ingredients for the evening, since she would be cooking and knew exactly what was needed. Her godfather went to buy wine, her godmother handled the wedding items—she was the most knowledgeable among them.

When Qingxin’s turn came, there were few vegetables or fruits left on the shelves, and no fatty meat at all—just a few pieces of lean meat and some meat bones. Qingxin was surprised; was fatty meat really so popular? Maybe because it yielded more oil.

Not dwelling on it, Qingxin took the basket handed to her by her godmother and bought what little vegetables remained, a long strip of lean meat, and the small pile of meat bones. She also bought five jin of white flour and five jin of refined grain.

After paying, Qingxin slowly carried everything to the entrance to wait—she couldn’t handle so many items alone, and figured Gao Shen should be arriving soon.

Godfather Zhang Liangping returned fastest, having only bought wine. He carried two wine jars wrapped in netted rope. In truth, there was “Peach Blossom Brew” buried in the soil of the magical brocade bag—her mother’s own recipe, famous for its exquisite taste. Her mother’s distillery sold out every year despite its high price, and the “Peach Blossom Brew” was priceless.

But this time, since they brought so much, she couldn’t take the wine out. When they returned to the village for the wedding banquet, she could bring out two jars for everyone to enjoy.

Zhang Liangping worried his wife would buy too much for her to carry alone, so he put down his wine jars and asked Qingxin to watch them, then hurried upstairs in the supply cooperative.

Qingxin waited alone at the entrance with their goods.

The supply cooperative was bustling with people. Dressed in her elegant attire, Qingxin standing at the entrance was a captivating sight, drawing the attention of everyone passing by, young and old alike.

Since she was registering her marriage with Gao Shen that day—a joyous and meaningful occasion—she wore something bright. While fabrics came in only a few colors, red was always available, typically worn for festive days or weddings.

People weren’t drawn to Qingxin’s bright red dress, but rather its stylish design. Many young women and even married ladies eyed it with curiosity and envy.

As for the men, they didn’t notice the details of the dress, but were stunned by Qingxin’s beauty. Her striking appearance and elegant attire, standing tall and graceful, radiated a serene loveliness that inspired awe and a sense of untouchable purity.

—Extra Notes—

Alright, dear readers, today’s three chapters are complete, and Qingqing has added six hundred extra words—nearly seven thousand in total!

Please don’t complain about the length; Qingqing’s updates are definitely not too short!

Some readers asked about the QQ group for discussion, so Qingqing has made one: anyone interested can join QQ group: 740457602

Lastly, I hope all readers can leave more comments and interact, and don’t hesitate to give votes and rewards!

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This book is originally published by Xiaoxiang Book House. Please do not repost!