Bringing Good Luck to your Husband in the 70s - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Buying a Bicycle and a Watch

Su Yue got up early the next morning because she had to go shopping with Han Aiguo. It felt almost like going on a date with her boyfriend, so she wore the long dress that Old Lady Han had made for her.

Since the weather had turned cold, she layered a short jacket over it that was a work jacket she had modified herself. The length only reached her waist, making it slim and flattering, and it looked great with the long skirt. On her feet, she wore the small white leather shoes she had bought from the town. She tied her hair into a princess style, leaving two soft, slightly curled strands to frame her forehead.

This was the first time she had dressed up so carefully.

Li Xiaoqing and Wu Xiaoxiao also woke up by then. When they saw Su Yue’s outfit, both of their eyes lit up with stars.

“Su Yue, you look so pretty as if you’re a fairy!” Wu Xiaoxiao exclaimed in admiration, staring at Su Yue’s face before touching her own and sighing deeply. She had always been considered a beauty herself, confident since childhood. But after meeting Su Yue, that confidence had been shattered.

It was infuriating how unfair the world could be.

Su Yue twirled happily in a circle and waved. “Then I’m off, bye.”

Just as she was about to leave, Wu Xiaoxiao quickly stopped her. Under Su Yue’s puzzled gaze, Wu took out an eyebrow pencil and a box of lipstick from her bag. “Wait, let me draw your eyebrows and put on some lipstick. You’ll look even better.”

Both Su Yue and Li Xiaoqing were surprised. “You have cosmetics? I’ve never seen you wear makeup.”

Wu Xiaoxiao pouted. “I stay here all day, who would I put makeup on for? It’d just be wasted.”

Without further explanation, she pulled Su Yue into a chair and began enthusiastically shaping her brows. “Your skin is fair and flawless, so you don’t need powder. Just darken your eyebrows and add some color to your lips and you’ll look amazing.”

Su Yue thought to herself, Eyebrows? Well it seems like Wu Xiaoxiao isn’t bad at this at all.

Her thought proved right. Wu Xiaoxiao’s work was far from the thick brows that were popular at the time. Instead, she gave Su Yue natural, graceful brows that suited her perfectly. For the lips, she used a soft touch of color, deeper near the inner lip, giving the effect of a bitten-lip style.

To Su Yue, it looked incredibly fashionable.

Her face appeared even more stunning after Wu Xiaoxiao’s touch. She jokingly thought she could eat two big bowls of rice on her looks alone now.

When she stepped out the door, Han Aiguo, who had been waiting outside instinctively looked up. His eyes widened, and he stared blankly at her, speechless.

Su Yue laughed inwardly, walked up slowly, and winked. “What’s wrong? Are you attracted by your partner’s beauty?”

Han Aiguo actually nodded.

Su Yue burst into laughter and playfully pinched his arm. “Come on, Comrade Han Aiguo, we have business today. How about you watch while we walk?”

His lips curved faintly at her teasing. He gave her another long look, then turned and led the way toward town.

By now, he could walk without crutches. Though he still limped, walking wasn’t a problem. So, for the first time, the two of them took a stroll side by side to the supply and marketing cooperative.

It wasn’t fully day yet, and since it wasn’t market day, the road was empty. Seeing the chance, Han Aiguo quietly shifted his hand over, gently wrapping his big palm around Su Yue’s smaller one. He held it firmly.

Su Yue glanced sideways and almost laughed at the serious expression on his face as he looked straight ahead.

The corner of his mouth curved slightly as he said, in a good mood, “I asked my mother to check the dates last night. She said the fifteenth of next month is auspicious. Let’s get married then.”

Su Yue looked up in surprise. “So soon? Aren’t there other good days?”

Han Aiguo pressed his lips together, guilty. He didn’t answer, but in truth his mother had found several good dates. He simply chose the nearest one.

Su Yue immediately saw through him. She was both annoyed and amused. “So you picked this date on purpose, didn’t you?”

Han Aiguo gave her a pleading smile. “Yue’er, I only get leave for the New Year. After that, I’ll have to return to the army. The New Year is just a few months away. I want us to marry before then, so my mother can spend the holiday reassured and happy. We don’t know how long it’ll be before I can come back again.”

Su Yue thought it over. During his years in the army, he might not have had much family leave at all. If he left again, who knew when they’d meet. It really didn’t matter whether it was sooner or later. Since he wanted it early, so be it.

“Alright,” she agreed. Then, suddenly remembering, she asked, “But wait, you’re a soldier. Don’t you need to report your marriage to your superiors and wait for approval? You haven’t even reported it yet so can we just marry?”

Han Aiguo touched his nose, looking guilty. “I reported it already. They approved.”

Su Yue blinked in shock. “When did you report it?”

He lowered his voice, even guiltier. “Last month.”

Her eyes widened. This man had reported his marriage just after they confirmed their relationship without even telling her?

“Comrade Han Aiguo, you didn’t even ask if I wanted to marry you, yet you dared to submit a report? What if I didn’t want to?”

Han Aiguo’s face hardened. “Yue’er, I told you that dating without marriage in mind is just being a hooligan. What, do you want to play with me?”

Su Yue was left speechless, while Han Aiguo secretly smiled inside. In truth, he had never even considered the possibility of breaking up. She was his, and he would never let her go. Marriage was inevitable. If she resisted, he’d find a way to change her mind. She was destined to be his wife.

Talking like this, they reached town before they knew it. Han Aiguo bought three buns and handed them to Su Yue, knowing she hadn’t eaten breakfast.

“I ate already,” he explained. “Later, we can have noodles.”

Su Yue took a bite, and then held it up to his mouth.

He smiled, opened his mouth, and took a small bite.

Back and forth, the two of them shared the buns, stealing bites from each other in the corner before heading to the supply and marketing cooperative.

First, they went to the bicycle counter. “Comrade, we want to see the bicycles,” Su Yue said.

The salesperson was knitting a sweater and only glanced up lazily, thinking they were just looking. He was about to scold them, but when his eyes fell on Su Yue’s appearance, he quickly swallowed his words.

She didn’t look like someone who couldn’t afford it, so he immediately stood up with a smile. “You’re in luck. A new batch arrived just yesterday afternoon. If you’d come later, they’d already be reserved.”

He eagerly showed them the bicycles.

The bicycles of this era were huge, with high seats and wide crossbars. One person could sit on the bar in front, another behind; some could even carry four people.

Su Yue pointed to a good one. “How much for this one?”

“With a ticket, it’s 150 yuan,” the salesperson replied.

Su Yue turned to Han Aiguo. “Let’s buy this one.”

He had no objection.

She took out the ticket and money and handed it over. “We’ll take it. Please issue the receipt.”

The salesperson was stunned by how quickly she decided. It was like buying candy, not a major purchase. He became even more respectful, rushing to process it and hand over the bicycle.

Afterwards, they went to the watch counter. Su Yue had once bought a watch ticket from Sister Jiang, who knew she liked collecting tickets. Though she hadn’t planned on buying, she’d kept it. Now it came in handy.

She picked out an old Shanghai watch, the most popular brand at the time.

The salesperson recognized her as the one who had just bought a bicycle and greeted her warmly. “Good eye! This is our bestseller, it looks great and lots of people want this.”

“How much is it?” Su Yue asked.

“One ticket and 120 yuan,” he replied.

Big items had fixed prices, so Su Yue simply paid and asked for the invoice.

Han Aiguo immediately fastened the watch onto her left wrist. Her fair, slender wrist made the watch look especially elegant, and he couldn’t stop glancing at it.

After shopping, they went to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor confirmed Han Aiguo’s leg was healing well and prescribed another month of medicine. Then, they headed home.

They had walked into town, but now they had a bicycle. Unfortunately, Han Aiguo’s leg still couldn’t bend much, so he couldn’t ride that’s why Su Yue had to do it.

But there was a problem, she was wearing a long skirt and couldn’t mount the bike.

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Su Yue smacked her forehead, blaming herself. She had thought only of looking pretty and forgotten about the bicycle. Now, with a “luxury car” in hand, she still had to rely on her legs to walk back.

Amused, Han Aiguo patted her head, took the handlebars, and walked alongside. “Let’s go. You can ride it after changing into pants next time.”

——-

What a coincidence, it was lunchtime when Su Yue and Han Aiguo returned to the village, so many people saw them walking together. The sight made heads turn; villagers stared in surprise, their gazes darting back and forth between the two as though trying to piece something together.

Qian Guihua, who loved nothing more than chatting about everyone else’s business, was among them. Her eyes lingered on the shiny new bicycle for a long while, and then shifted to Su Yue’s face. She finally curved her lips into a meaningful smile and asked nosily, “Comrade, where did this bicycle come from? And why are you coming back with Su Yue?”

Han Aiguo normally never dealt with gossipy women in the village. When he met elders, he usually offered only a polite nod before moving on. Faced with Qian Guihua’s prying, he answered indifferently, “The bicycle belongs to Comrade Su Yue.”

Before she could ask further, he and Su Yue walked away quickly, making it clear they had no intention of lingering.

Qian Guihua could only watch their backs in frustration. Curling her lips, she muttered sourly, “Why rush off so fast? Hmph. Most likely, something’s going on between them. Didn’t he have something with that Wang family girl before? And now he’s with the educated youth? Tsk, tsk…”

Others who overheard her wisely stayed quiet. Though they didn’t agree with her words, her gossip lingered in their minds.

When they reached the educated youth quarters, Han Aiguo moved to help Su Yue push the bicycle inside. But Su Yue waved her hand.

“I won’t be using it much. From now on, Han Aimin can ride the bicycle to deliver cakes. That way, he won’t waste so much time walking to town at night. I’ll come fetch it whenever I need it.”

Han Aiguo nodded, and then asked if she would come with him to his family’s house for dinner. Su Yue shook her head. Her intuition told her the Han household wouldn’t be peaceful today.

So Han Aiguo took the bicycle back home alone.

As soon as he stepped through the gate, the children playing in the yard spotted him or more accurately, the bicycle he was pushing. They immediately exclaimed “Wow!” and ran over, surrounding him with wide eyes and eager hands.

“Uncle, where did this bicycle come from?”

“Uncle, can I ride it?”

“Uncle, carry me up, I want to sit on it!”

Han’s third daughter-in-law had been scattering feed for the chickens. When she turned and saw the bicycle, she froze in astonishment. Dropping her chicken feed without a care, she hurried over, eyes glued to the gleaming frame.

“Eldest Brother, where did this new bicycle come from?”

Her shout drew out the rest of the family. One after another, everyone crowded around, curiosity plain on their faces.

In those days, a bicycle was the equivalent of a luxury car in later generations. Even adults couldn’t help their curiosity, let alone children.

Old Lady Han came out of the kitchen at that moment. Seeing the whole family gathered, she decided it was the perfect time to make an announcement. She declared on Han Aiguo’s behalf, “This bicycle is bought for your eldest brother’s wife.”

Her words left everyone stunned. Only Han Aimin stayed calm, as though he had already known.

Second Brother Han turned to his mother in disbelief. “Mother, when did Eldest Brother have a wife? Why don’t we know anything about it?”

Old Lady Han snorted. “You don’t know because you’re blind and slow. If you’d had sharper eyes, you’d have figured it out by now.”

Han Aimin covered his mouth and snickered. Han Lao-er and Han Lao-san exchanged confused looks, struggling to process what she meant.

Han Aiguo ignored their reactions. Pushing the bicycle further into the house, he turned to Han Aimin. “Han Aimin, this bicycle will stay here from now on. Your sister Su Yue said you’ll have to use it to deliver cakes in the future.”

“Really?!” Han Aimin’s eyes lit up. He could hardly believe it. “I get to ride a bicycle to deliver cakes?  Are you sure?”

Han Aiguo patted him on the shoulder. “Take good care of it. Don’t damage it.”

“I will, I promise!” Han Aimin nodded enthusiastically. He was already determined to guard the bicycle like treasure. From now on, he wouldn’t let the other children even touch it.

Han Lao-er and Han Lao-san, meanwhile, were frozen in shock. Both had the same incredible thought: could their mother mean that Su Yue… was their eldest brother’s wife?

Han Lao-san finally blurted, “Mother, you don’t mean Su Yue is Eldest Brother’s wife, do you?”

Old Lady Han’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. “Of course. Who else would it be if not Su Yue?”

Han Lao-san gaped. “When did Su Yue and Eldest Brother… How come we never knew?”

Old Lady Han clapped her apron proudly. “I’m telling you now as soon enough, your eldest brother will marry Yueyue. Don’t call her Su Yue anymore. From now on, she’s family.”

Han Lao-er and Han Lao-san exchanged another look. This time, they finally accepted it: their eldest brother was truly in a relationship with Su Yue, and marriage was imminent.

After digesting the shock, they both broke into grins.

“Congratulations, Eldest Brother,” Han Lao-er said warmly. “Our sister-in-law is so kind, you’re truly fortunate to marry her.”

Han Lao-san added with a laugh, “Why didn’t you tell us earlier? I always thought Mother liked Sister-in-law so much because she wanted to adopt her as a goddaughter. Who knew she wanted her as a daughter-in-law instead?”

That remark made everyone laugh.

Everyone, that is, except Han’s second and third daughters-in-law. The two of them stared at the gleaming new bicycle, resentment building in their hearts.

After all, a bicycle required not only a ticket but also over a hundred yuan which was enough for the family to eat for an entire year. And yet it had been bought for Su Yue?

When they had married, they hadn’t received anything close to that.

The third daughter-in-law’s expression soured immediately. She turned to Old Lady Han and demanded, “Mother, you said this bicycle was bought for eldest brother-in-law’s wife? Then why didn’t we get one when we married?”

The second daughter-in-law stayed silent, but her accusing gaze spoke volumes.

Old Lady Han’s cheerful mood crumbled in an instant, her face paling.

Seeing the situation, Han Lao-san quickly pulled his wife’s arm and scolded, “Gu Ming, what nonsense are you spouting? Get back to your room!”

But Gu Ming shook off his hand and shouted back, her voice sharp with bitterness. “Why should I? Can’t I ask Mother? This is too unfair! Why does eldest brother-in-law get a bicycle for his marriage but we didn’t? Mother always claims she treats the four brothers equally, is this what you call equality?”

Han Lao-san roared angrily, “Gu Ming, shut your mouth!”