Chapter 43: Forced Marriage?

Chapter 43: A Forced Marriage?

It had only been a week since they'd last seen each other, but Yang Su looked thinner and somewhat haggard, with bloodshot eyes.

He looked at Lin Zhijin, opening his mouth as if he wanted to ask why she went on a blind date, whether she was angry, and if she could give him another chance.

But what came out instead was, "Off work?"

"Mm." Lin Zhijin paused, then walked toward him. "Did it go well? Was it dangerous? Did you get hurt?"

"I wasn't on the front lines this time—it was a different kind of mission." Yang Su wanted to say that there was a war going on out there and the country was strapped for cash, so he was swamped with work, and once the war was over, he wouldn't be so busy. But he couldn't say any of that, and anyway, who knew when the war would end.

"About the other day... I'm sorry." Yang Su felt guilty for flaking on her twice in a row.

"I told you, you don't have to apologize to me. I know you do it for your country and your people. I really admire people like you—too bad I don't have that kind of dedication. Yang Su..." Lin Zhijin took a deep breath, deciding to rip off the Band-Aid. "I do like you. You're good-looking, you've got a great personality, you're open-minded, and I enjoy talking to you. But... I want someone I can lean on in everyday life, and I... don't want to spend my life worrying. I'm sorry."

Yang Su watched Lin Zhijin lower her head, staring at the little cowlick on the top of her head. His heart ached, but he kept his voice steady: "It's fine, I get it. I didn't think it through—I came after you without being able to give you a stable life. Zhijin, you're a great girl. I hope you find happiness down the road."

"Thank you. I hope you find happiness and stay safe too." Lin Zhijin looked at Yang Su, her nose inexplicably stinging as her eyes began to redden slightly.

"Zhijin, we can still be friends, can't we?" Yang Su asked.

"Of course." Lin Zhijin forced a smile.

Yang Su nodded. "Good. Here, take this—don't say no. It's a gift from a friend. I need to get back to the base; there's still work to do. I'll come see you next time I'm on leave."

Lin Zhijin stood there holding the big bundle he'd shoved into her arms, watching him turn around and walk off.

After standing there for a while, she finally carried the bundle home.

"Young Master, it looks like they broke up." Liu Yuan said with some excitement.

"Shut up. They were never together, so there's no breakup." Sheng Huaimin shot him a glare, but he was still in a great mood.

So many people had been setting Lin Zhijin up, and she'd been on several blind dates, but the one he saw as the biggest threat was Yang Su.

Good—she'd turned him down. After the New Year, before long, no one would be able to stop him from pursuing Lin Zhijin.

Back home, Lin Zhijin opened the bundle to find specialty goods from the capital—pastries, roast duck, jerky...

"Where'd this come from?" Li Yue asked curiously.

"Yang Su gave them to me." Lin Zhijin was silent for a moment, then pushed it toward them. "Dig in."

She'd made him soup several times, so eating some of his food was only fair.

Li Yue and Wang Chunhua exchanged a look but didn't ask—one glance at her face told them it was over.

Maybe it was for the best. Yang Su was always going off on missions and rarely came home from the base. Zhijin was a delicate young woman with no family to rely on. Better she find someone stable, someone who could be with her every day and take care of her.

"New Year's almost here—is the Women's Federation organizing a group dumpling and bun-making thing? Is it all the neighborhoods together or separate?" Lin Zhijin changed the subject.

"Separate, of course. There are too many people. We'll have a contest to see who makes the best buns and dumplings, and the city federation gives out prizes." Wang Chunhua waved her hand grandly, full of enthusiasm.

"Really? Then I need to get ready." Li Yue immediately chimed in.

Lin Zhijin snorted. "With your cooking?"

"Hey, don't underestimate me. My stir-frying is just okay, but my buns are awesome." Li Yue refused to back down.

"Besides buns and dumplings, what else should we make? Tofu? Fried meatballs?" Wang Chunhua was getting excited.

"Fried meatballs? Let's do several kinds of fillings—pork and cabbage, shredded radish, and sauerkraut. Make a big batch and send some to Aunt Zhang and Sister Li." Lin Zhijin perked up, her eyes sparkling.

"Better to just buy the tofu—making it ourselves is too much work. We don't have the time." Li Yue thought about their work schedules and figured they wouldn't have time to make tofu.

"Fine, I'll order a few blocks from Tofu Zhang tomorrow." Wang Chunhua made the call.

Over the next few days, Lin Zhijin, Li Yue, and Wang Chunhua were run off their feet—working during the day and preparing New Year goods at night. Fried meatballs, fried tofu puffs, fried twisted dough sticks—the courtyard was filled with delicious aromas for days, and the neighborhood kids lingered by their door, unwilling to leave.

"Here, take these and share them with the other kids." Lin Zhijin handed a bowl of freshly fried dough twists to the oldest child.

"Oh, Zhijin, don't bother with them." Sister-in-law Ye happened to come out to call the kids home for dinner and hurriedly tried to stop her.

"It's just a few—a little treat for the kids." Lin Zhijin waved her off and turned to go back inside.

Freshly fried was the best, so the three of them ate a bowl themselves, then packed up portions to bring to Secretary Zhang and the others at work the next day.

They also prepared some for the neighbors they were close to. As for everyone else, they simply didn't have the energy to make that much.

As Spring Festival approached, the streets and alleys of Nancheng were filled with holiday spirit. Their courtyard had spring couplets pasted up, written by Zhang Jinxiu, a soldier's wife who lived there. She was said to be from a refined family, skilled in calligraphy, painting, music, and chess.

Lin Zhijin didn't know much about such things and couldn't judge the quality, but she could tell the writing was beautiful.

"Zhijin, this one's for you."

Lin Zhijin snapped back to attention. "For me?"

"Yes. Paste it on your door too—out with the old, in with the new. I hope the new year brings you health and happiness." Zhang Jinxiu said gently.

"Thank you." Lin Zhijin thanked her, then she and Li Yue pasted up the couplet. After thinking it over, they brought some of their homemade snacks over to Zhang Jinxiu as a token of appreciation.

Seeing them return, Zhang Jinxiu was a bit surprised. "You didn't need to be so polite."

"These little snacks for your beautiful calligraphy—we're the ones getting the better deal." Li Yue teased with a laugh.

It was Lin Zhijin's first time inside Zhang Jinxiu's home. The place was elegantly arranged, tastefully decorated, and especially that entire wall of books—it was filled with the fragrance of literature. This must have been a scholarly family originally.

She couldn't help but walk over to the bookshelf and gently touch the books. "Sister Zhang, you have so many books here."

Zhang Jinxiu smiled and walked over. "These are what's left from my family's collection. I've loved reading since I was young. After following the troops around, I lost many books—these are all that remain."

"Sister, have you read all of these?" Li Yue asked curiously.

Zhang Jinxiu nodded with a gentle smile. "I read whenever I have free time, so I've slowly made my way through them. If you two like, you can borrow some—just take good care of them and don't damage them."

Seeing that they genuinely appreciated her collection, Zhang Jinxiu was pleased, as if she'd found kindred spirits, and was happy to lend them out.

"Really? Thank you, Sister." Lin Zhijin quickly expressed her gratitude.

Some of these books she'd never even heard of—they might have been destroyed in the later movements. This time... she should try to protect them if she got the chance.

"You're welcome. I can tell you truly love them." Zhang Jinxiu's tone was soft.

"Well, it's getting late. We should head back—we'll come visit again another time." Lin Zhijin said.

"Alright." Zhang Jinxiu looked at the fried meatballs and dough twists they'd brought—they looked delicious, fragrant and perfectly golden.

Lin Zhijin was famous for her cooking; every meal she made smelled amazing. Zhang Jinxiu herself wasn't much of a cook and had to team up with Sister Bai to manage meals.

“Sister, you write such beautiful Spring Festival couplets—could you write us some ‘fortune’ characters? I want to give them to the elderly who live alone on our street, so they can feel the holiday cheer too.” Li Yue suddenly spoke up.

“Of course, I’m great at writing ‘fortune’ characters. I’ll start tomorrow.” Zhang Jinxiu agreed readily.

“Sister, don’t play favorites—our street needs some too.” Lin Zhijin chimed in.

“As long as you all don’t mind them, that’s all that matters.” Zhang Jinxiu’s eyes were full of warmth.

The next day, Lin Zhijin told Su Jianhong about it. Su Jianhong thought it was a great idea and immediately approved money to buy red paper and ink brushes—no way were they going to make someone help out and have them pay for it themselves.

The two arrived at Zhang Jinxiu’s place, where she was already setting up her brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Seeing them, she smiled and said, “I was just about to start. Perfect timing—help me cut the paper.”

They split the work: Lin Zhijin and Li Yue cut the paper, while Zhang Jinxiu wielded the brush with bold strokes, writing and pausing all day.

“Sister, you must be tired. Sit down and take a break.” Lin Zhijin attentively massaged her shoulders, already planning to learn calligraphy and painting from her later.

Zhang Jinxiu rubbed her wrist—writing that many characters was tiring, sure, but Lin Zhijin’s thoughtfulness made it worth it.

They carefully dried the ‘fortune’ characters, organized them, and started delivering them door to door the next day. For the really old folks, they even helped stick them up.

“The new government is great—it doesn’t take our stuff and even helps us regular folks.” An old woman said happily.

Lin Zhijin smiled and said, “Glad you think so, Grandma. Are you okay living alone? Want us to send you to a nursing home?”

The old woman’s face immediately changed. “No, I won’t go. I can still get around on my own—I’m freer here. There, everything’s controlled and you still have to work.”

Seeing the old woman’s expression, Lin Zhijin sensed her fear of the nursing home went beyond just losing freedom. Her heart sank—could there be a problem right from the start?

She decided to report this to Director Zhang and have her look into it. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, so they’d wait until after the new year.

On New Year’s Eve, the whole southern city was soaked in festive atmosphere. Lin Zhijin, Li Yue, and Wang Chunhua gathered early to get the reunion dinner ready.

“Zhijin, you’ve got to show off your cooking for tonight’s reunion dinner—I’ve already bragged about you. Director Zhang and Sister Li are waiting to taste your cooking.” Li Yue said as she tied on an apron.

Lin Zhijin gave her a helpless look. “What about you?”

Wang Chunhua was organizing the ingredients on the side. “I’ve already chopped everything that needs chopping. Just say the word—which dish should we cook first?”

“Let’s stew the fish first—having fish every year is a good omen. Zhijin, you handle it. I know my own cooking, so I won’t ruin it.” Li Yue stepped aside to let Lin Zhijin take over.

“Stewing fish is fine, but killing it—that’s on you.” Lin Zhijin was still too scared to gut the fish.

“You’re such a chicken.” Li Yue skillfully cleaned the fish while Wang Chunhua started the fire.

Just then, Zhang Jinxiu came over carrying a bowl of meat, smiling. “My husband hunted a few rabbits—I brought some to add to your table.”

“Sister Zhang, you’re too kind. Come in and sit—we’re just cooking. Why don’t you join us for the reunion dinner? The more, the merrier.” Lin Zhijin hurriedly invited her.

“I won’t crowd in—I’ll spend the new year with my husband.” Zhang Jinxiu gave a shy smile.

After she left, Wang Chunhua couldn’t help but envy her. “They’ve been married for years, yet they’re still like newlyweds. Unlike me—we’re so old and familiar, it’s like touching cured meat.”

“Hey, Zhijin’s right here—watch your mouth.” Li Yue shot Wang Chunhua a look, then turned to Lin Zhijin with a smile. “Ignore her. Let’s keep cooking.”

Soon, the table was loaded with braised fish, fried meatballs, stir-fried veggies, steaming pig’s trotters, chicken, and duck—a full spread.

“Oh, you were planning to help out, but it looks like we’re in luck—we get to eat without lifting a finger.” Secretary Zhang joked upon seeing the table full of dishes.

“Exactly, saves us the trouble.” Sister Li brought two bottles of yellow wine and had Lin Zhijin warm them over the fire for a cozier drink.

Once everyone was seated, Lin Zhijin raised her glass and smiled. “I’ll toast to everyone—wishing you all good health and all the best in the new year!”

“Cheers!” Glasses clinked together, the crisp sound ringing through the room.

“Zhijin, has that Zhu Xiangwen been coming around lately?” Secretary Zhang asked casually.

Lin Zhijin was taken aback—Secretary Zhang knew about Zhu Xiangwen too?

“Occasionally. The day before yesterday, he sent someone with a bag of apples, but I didn’t take them. He’s a decent person, but I don’t think we’re a match.” Lin Zhijin didn’t hide anything.

Zhu Xiangwen was genuinely nice, but there was no spark—she’d never felt a single flutter of attraction.

Director Zhang nodded. “His father has some issues—better not to get involved.”

Lin Zhijin’s heart skipped a beat. Was Zhu Xiangwen’s father also a spy?

“Don’t jump to conclusions—we can’t accuse anyone without proof. But even if his father were clean, his family isn’t a good place. I’ve looked into it—his mother only seems easygoing.” Secretary Zhang stopped short of saying more.

Lin Zhijin understood the implication: “only seems easygoing” meant she was hard to deal with, or very much so.

What she didn’t expect was that on the fifth day of the new year, the day for welcoming the God of Wealth, Zhu Xiangwen’s mother would come looking for her.

“Cadre Lin, hello.” A well-dressed woman stopped Lin Zhijin.

Lin Zhijin was puzzled. “You are?”

“Hello, I’m Xiangwen’s mother. My surname is Wang—you can call me Teacher Wang. Do you have a few minutes?” The woman wore a faint smile that didn’t reach her eyes, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

“Of course, go ahead.” Lin Zhijin got off her bicycle and walked alongside her, waiting.

Zhu’s mother looked at Lin Zhijin—she was indeed pretty, but what good was beauty alone? “Cadre Lin, I’m here today to talk about you and Xiangwen. I hear you’ve been seeing each other lately, and Xiangwen is quite taken with you.”

“Teacher Wang, I have met Comrade Zhu a few times, but I don’t think we’re a good fit.” Lin Zhijin had already declined several times, so why was Zhu Xiangwen’s mother still coming to her?

Zhu’s mother gave a faint, self-satisfied smile. “Not a good fit? Why? Meeting Xiangwen is fate. You know our family’s standing, and Xiangwen is a hardworking, promising young man. Wouldn’t it be a shame to let him slip away?”

Lin Zhijin was stunned—she’d expected a confrontation, not a matchmaking pitch.

Suddenly, she recalled what Auntie Zhang had said during the reunion dinner: Zhu Xiangwen’s family had issues. Was this an attempt to drag her in, or to use her to save Zhu Xiangwen?

“Teacher Wang, your family’s standing is indeed excellent, but feelings can’t be judged by status alone. Comrade Zhu is a fine person, but our personalities don’t mesh. I’m sure with your family’s position, you’ll find a daughter-in-law ten or a hundred times better than me.” Lin Zhijin replied politely.

Zhu’s mother frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. “Whether you mesh or not, you’ll find out after spending time together. Cadre Lin, may I call you Zhijin? Zhijin, I’m saying this for your own good—you’re a young woman, not getting any younger. Finding a good match early is the sensible thing to do.”

Lin Zhijin took a deep breath, keeping her tone as calm as she could. “Teacher Wang, I just turned eighteen after the new year—that’s not exactly old, is it? As for whether we fit, it’s like a pair of shoes—I know best if they fit. You needn’t worry about that.”

Seeing her firm stance, Zhu’s mother’s expression shifted, and her tone grew harder. “Zhijin, I know you work at the Women’s Federation and have a respectable job, but marriage is no small matter—it’s not whatever you want it to be. Our Xiangwen is destined for great things, and he needs a wife who can support him from behind, not a willful little girl.”

Lin Zhijin nearly laughed in frustration—this woman simply wouldn’t listen.

“Teacher Wang, I’ve already said that Comrade Zhu and I aren’t a match. So my personality has nothing to do with him or with you.” Lin Zhijin’s smile had faded.

She now understood why Secretary Zhang had said Zhu’s mother only seemed easygoing—she spoke softly but was completely self-centered. Perhaps it came from being a teacher, always lecturing from on high, expecting everyone to obey. Anyone who didn’t was seen as defiant and unreasonable.

Zhu’s mother hadn’t expected Lin Zhijin to talk back. Her face darkened. “So you won’t listen to me. Fine, I won’t say more, but I hope you’ll think it over carefully—don’t make a decision you’ll regret.”

Crazy. One was Mrs. Sheng, the other was Zhu’s mother—both of them were unhinged.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yue ran into Lin Zhijin on her way home from work and saw her fuming with anger. Curious, she asked.

"Don't even mention it. Zhu Xiangwen's mother came to see me, demanding I make things official with her son right away. She acted all high and mighty, like letting me into their family was some kind of charity I should be grateful for. I told her we're not right for each other, that I've already turned Zhu Xiangwen down, but she just acted like she didn't hear a single word I said." The more Lin Zhijin talked, the angrier she got.

Li Yue frowned. "Sister Wu fixed you up? I'll go talk to her tomorrow. Last time she set you up with a guy who was barely five-foot-three, and now this. Hmph, she's just using you to curry favor with others."

Lin Zhijin knew this too, so when Li Yue offered to go talk to her, she didn't object. She'd also have Sister Li put in a word, so Sister Wu wouldn't take it lightly and keep using her to curry favor.

On the other side, Zhu's mother was just as furious. Their family was so well-off—they'd deigned to accept Lin Zhijin into their home, and she should have been falling all over herself with gratitude. Instead, she had the nerve to say they weren't right for each other.

"Did you go see Lin Zhijin? What did she say?" Director Zhu took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Hmph, she's acting all high and mighty with me. Does it have to be Lin Zhijin? Our Xiangwen is such a great kid—he could find someone ten times better than that Lin Zhijin. She's uneducated, uncultured, and she was even someone's mistress before. If she married into the Zhu family, our relatives and friends would be laughing at us behind our backs." Zhu's mother said with some indignation.

Director Zhu furrowed his brow. "Didn't I tell you? Lin Zhijin may come from a humble background, but she's tight with Mayor Yang and Deputy Secretary Zhang. Especially Deputy Secretary Zhang—he treats her like she's his own daughter. He got her into school, helped her join the Party. I'm part of the local faction, and with so many local officials falling from power lately, if we don't align with the new government, I could be next on the chopping block. It just so happens Xiangwen likes her—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Zhu's mother was still reluctant. "Deputy Secretary Zhang has no kids. Mayor Yang has a daughter—couldn't we ask about her, or maybe a niece? Should we have someone ask around?"

"Are you out of your mind? Who do you think Mayor Yang is? His daughter is way out of our league. Not just his daughter—even his niece is a no-go. And even this Lin Zhijin, didn't you say she already turned him down?" Director Zhu suddenly sat up straight. "What exactly did you say to her? And how did she react?"

Director Zhu realized that sending his wife to talk to Lin Zhijin had been a mistake. With her arrogant, condescending attitude, she'd probably just made things worse.

Sure enough, the next day Deputy Secretary Zhang called Director Zhu in for a talk. The gist of it was that the Zhu family's status was too high, and Lin Zhijin was just a minor clerk at the Women's Federation with no family backing—she just wasn't good enough. Lin Zhijin knew her place, and he told Zhu's wife to stop bothering her with nonsense.

Meanwhile, Sister Li and Li Yue both had chats with Sister Wu, making it clear that Lin Zhijin was part of the Women's Federation, which often held social events. Finding a partner was easy for her, so Sister Wu didn't need to concern herself with the personal affairs of the Federation's staff. She'd be better off worrying about her own son—he was getting old with no wife, and his work had been slipping, possibly on the verge of getting fired.

Both of them broke out in a cold sweat. Deputy Director Zhu went home and gave his wife a good scolding.

She was supposed to persuade Lin Zhijin, but instead she'd put on airs like a mother-in-law already. Who gave her that kind of nerve?

"What do you mean you went to see Lin Zhijin? Mom, you went to see Cadre Lin?" Zhu Xiangwen clutched his chest.

"I was just trying to help since you like her so much. Who would've thought she'd be so stubborn." Zhu's mother said, displeased.

Zhu Xiangwen staggered. "Mom, you... I need to go explain this to Cadre Lin."

She'd already turned him down before the New Year, and he'd been hoping to find another chance. Now with his mother pulling this stunt, there would probably never be another opportunity. But he truly couldn't accept it.

Sister Wu was also scared out of her wits. She hadn't expected the Women's Federation to be so protective of Lin Zhijin. But what made her even angrier was Zhu's mother.

If you approved of the match, you should have handled it properly. She hadn't even married into the family yet and was already acting like a domineering mother-in-law. What girl wouldn't run the other way?

After this whole episode, one might have expected fewer people to try setting her up, but instead there were more. They could see how the Women's Federation protected her—especially Secretary Zhang's support—which meant marrying Lin Zhijin would create a connection with Secretary Zhang.

Just as a rural outreach campaign was coming up, Lin Zhijin immediately volunteered to go, to lay low for a while.

"Day after day of campaigning, and still so many cases of domestic violence, child abuse, even abandoning children. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs—how can they drown or abandon their babies just because they're girls?" Wang Xiaoyao said, red-eyed, as she prepared materials.

"That's exactly why we need to educate and spread awareness." Lin Zhijin looked at the data on the documents—it was truly shocking.

"Let's go to Yinkeng in Baiyue Township first. I hear most girls born there are either abandoned or killed. We have to do serious outreach, or even more girls will die." Chen Qiuqiu said heavily.

Lin Zhijin nodded. Looking at Jinkeng next to Yinkeng, it was slightly better—no infanticide—but domestic violence was severe.

"Someone filed a report, which is how we found out about Jinkeng and Yinkeng. The neighboring villages probably have the same problems. Sister Chen, how should I approach the outreach this time?" Lin Zhijin asked.

"I've read your draft. It's good as is—start from practical interests. Otherwise they'll pay lip service and go right back to violence and infanticide the moment we leave." Chen Qiuqiu said after a moment's thought.

Baiyue Township was somewhat remote, and Jinkeng and Yinkeng even more so. A group of women—especially young, attractive ones like Lin Zhijin and Wang Xiaoyao—would be at high risk.

Though they had guns, two hands can't fight four. They decided it would be safer to bring a few soldiers along.

Early the next morning, Lin Zhijin wore a cotton jacket and pants that had been washed many times, her hair in a single braid, with no jewelry whatsoever—simple, neat, and unadorned.

"Alright, when we get there, try not to wander off alone, especially you, Zhi Jin and Xiao Yao. Don't go to secluded places." Chen Qiuqiu reminded them repeatedly.

Most people wouldn't dare do anything, but there was always the risk of some reckless fool who didn't care about consequences. If something happened, it would be too late for regrets.

"We'll pass through Anping Township—that's your hometown, isn't it?" Chen Qiuqiu glanced at her.

"Yes, my hometown is a bit better than Baiyue Township, but not by much. Next time you go to Anping, I'll come along too." She couldn't hide forever. If she ran into Lin Youtian, she could use their story as a case study for her talks.

Daughters aren't a loss. If a daughter makes something of herself, the family gets to enjoy the benefits. But if you mistreat your daughter, no matter how successful she becomes, it'll have nothing to do with you.

Author's note:

None.