Chapter 5: Getting the Marriage Certificate – Daily Life of the Frail Sister-in-Law in the Compound

Chapter 5: Getting the Marriage Certificate - Daily Life of the Frail Sister-in-Law in the Compound

No matter how unwilling Zhang Mei was, the matter had already been decided.

Both Aunt Hong and Lin's mother were straightforward people, and they quickly settled the discussions on the bride price, dowry, and wedding arrangements.

It was already 1968, and the requirements for young intellectuals to go to the countryside were becoming increasingly strict.

Lin's mother didn’t dare to delay. As soon as Lin Qing's marriage was settled, she immediately arranged for the two to get their marriage certificate the very next day. The wedding banquet could be postponed, but the marriage certificate had to be obtained first.

When she went to inquire about potential marriage candidates, she discovered that the marriage market was flooded with unmarried young people trying to get married early to avoid going to the countryside. It was clear that the situation was becoming more severe.

"Lin Qing, I’m here to pick you up," said Cen Xi, a little excited as he spoke to Lin Qing, who had just come out.

Cen Xi had arrived early in the morning at the Textile Factory Family Courtyard.

He had woken up early and almost timed his arrival perfectly. Today was the day he would get the marriage certificate with the love of his life, and he was a little too eager to get started.

As soon as Lin's mother opened the door, she saw her soon-to-be son-in-law’s handsome face.

"Nuan'nuan, Cen Xi is here!"

Lin Qing had still been eating breakfast when she didn’t expect him to arrive so early, so she didn’t dare to delay. After stuffing down a few mouthfuls, she headed out.

"Why did you come so early?"

"Early? It’s not early. City hall is already open," Cen Xi said. He had timed his arrival to be there as early as possible to get the marriage certificate.

Lin Qing’s face instantly turned red.

"Lin, you look really beautiful," Cen Xi, rarely seeing her blush, was momentarily captivated.

Lin Qing felt like she wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide in.

"Let’s go quickly!"

"Did you bring the documents? The documents?" Lin's mother’s voice came from behind.

"Yes, I brought them," Lin Qing waved her hand to indicate she had them.

The two didn’t delay and headed straight to city hall.

Unlike the expected quietness, there was quite a line in front of the marriage registration office.

"See, I told you we should come early! Even though we got here early, there’s still a long line. We’ll probably have to wait for another half hour," Cen Xi said, looking at the length of the line.

Lin Qing nodded. She really hadn’t expected so many people this early in the morning.

Thinking that in another half hour she would become someone’s spouse on the household registration, she felt a bit nervous.

Looking at the man who was a head taller than her, she couldn’t help but wonder, how tall was he?

She was already 1.65 meters tall, and although her health was poor, her stature wasn’t affected much. So, Cen Xi must be over six feet tall, right?

"What’s on your mind?" Cen Xi, seeing the girl next to him zoning out, couldn’t help but ask.

"How tall are you?" Lin Qing blurted out.

When Lin Qing realized what she had just said, her face flushed red once more.

Cen Xi smiled and replied, "I measured it during my last physical examination—1.86 meters."

"Wow, you're so tall!" Lin Qing exclaimed.

"Don't you think we're the perfect height for each other?" Cen Xi deliberately gestured with his hand.

If Lin Qing leaned her head to the side, she would just be able to rest it against his chest. He thought their heights were perfectly matched.

Lin Qing, however, felt a bit embarrassed.

Noticing her embarrassment, Cen Xi stopped teasing her. He didn’t want to push his luck—after all, they had plenty of time now that they were officially married!

"It's our turn."

Lin Qing was still amazed at how fast time had flown by.

Before they knew it, the two emerged from the civil affairs bureau office, holding their marriage certificates like prized trophies.

"I'm really married now," Lin Qing still found it hard to believe.

"I finally married you," Cen Xi, the scholarly man, had a smile on his face that didn’t quite match his usual demeanor.

After carefully stowing away the marriage certificate, Cen Xi said, "Let's go buy the items those officials mentioned earlier."

When they were getting their marriage certificate, the clerk had told them that they could purchase some items without the usual ration tickets. This was a golden opportunity.

Even with Cen Xi’s decent salary, the ration tickets they got each month were limited. Opportunities like this couldn’t be missed!

"Okay!"

"We can start by buying some furniture. In a few days, the house assigned by the factory should be ready for us. The only downside is that it’s a shared courtyard this time." Nowadays, people generally preferred the tube-shaped buildings since they had indoor toilets, so there was no need to go outside the courtyard to use the restroom.

"That's alright. It's all good," Lin Qing wasn’t too concerned about it. For her, having a place to live was already a blessing.

After all, her older brother hadn’t been assigned a house yet!

Cen Xi and Lin Qing headed straight to the department store to buy items that didn’t need ration tickets, such as furniture, pillowcases, and thermoses.

Lin Qing hadn’t expected that getting married would make these hard-to-find items suddenly accessible without ration tickets.

Cen Xi also planned to buy some clothes for Lin Qing.

"No, let’s not buy ready-made clothes; they’re too pricey. We should get some fabric, and I’ll sew them myself," Lin Qing said.

"But isn’t that too much work for you?" Cen Xi was reluctant.

Lin Qing smiled, "What's tiring about it? It's just two pieces of clothing. It's very simple."

Lin Qing loved making her own clothes. However, fabric ration tickets were hard to come by these days. Because someone in her family worked at the textile factory, she was able to get some flawed fabric, which supported her hobby of making clothes.

Seeing that Lin Qing wasn’t forcing herself, Cen Xi reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, let's buy the fabric! What colors do you want?"

The salesperson was sharp-eyed and quick to read people. Seeing the few patches on Cen Xi and Lin Qing's clothes, she could tell they were well-off.

And judging by the atmosphere between them, it was clear they were newlyweds.

"Oh my! Have you two just gotten married? Are you here to buy clothes for your wedding?"

"Yeah!" Cen Xi nodded.

"So the only thing left is this green fabric. The bright red fabric has already been sold out. Right now, the only option for a wedding outfit is this green one."

The saleswoman was indeed right. Lately, it's become trendy to get married in green military uniforms.

As Cen Xi reached for the green fabric to inspect it, Lin Qing stopped him, saying, "No, let's check out something else!"

Cen Xi looked puzzled and leaned in close, whispering, "Why?"

Lin Qing could feel his warm breath near her ear, making her ears tingle slightly. She shifted slightly and whispered, "My mom already got it for me. Let's get something else!"

Cen Xi finally nodded in agreement. Since his mother-in-law already had it covered, there was no need to buy the same thing. Of course, he still assumed his mother-in-law had gotten the green military uniform!