Volume One, Chapter 19: Wouldn’t It Be Enough If I Just Married You?

As Wang Dong stepped out of the Liu family home holding the water bead gun, he couldn’t help but sigh. People really need to put themselves in others’ shoes. If he hadn’t had a conscience and delivered this bear meat and paws, he’d still be stuck handling the gun issue himself. The Gun Control Law had been enacted back in ’81. Though not as strict as in later years, it was still a case of strict entry and lenient exit. Those who already owned guns only needed to update their permits; for those without, getting a permit was nearly impossible.

Right now, if he wanted to buy a gun openly, he’d have to go through the hassle of obtaining certificates and proof, which would probably cost a lot. But now, it was simpler—he only needed to get a firearm permit, after which he could freely buy bullets. One water bead gun and over a hundred rounds of ammunition—this was quite the haul for Wang Dong.

Honestly, holding this gun made Wang Dong somewhat uneasy. After all, he’d secretly kept the truly valuable parts of the bear for himself. The bear’s nose and shoulder blades, which had medicinal value, and the precious bear gallbladder were all tucked away. Every time he thought about it, Wang Dong felt a pang of guilt. Compared to these honest, hardworking people, he, a man from the future, couldn’t help but show a trace of mercantile cunning.

“Brother Dong, I know this might be hard for you to hear, but I still have to say it—I really thank you,” Liu Fuquan said as he walked Wang Dong to the village entrance.

“If it weren’t for you, my son Liu Hong would have died on the mountain. Even if we’d recovered his body, we couldn’t have buried him in the ancestral grave. You’ve done us a great favor this time. Now, the two old men have someone to see us off in our twilight years, and when my son passes, he can rest alongside us in the family plot. I…I…”

With no one else around, Liu Fuquan dropped the pretense of being a strong man and wiped away his tears. Hearing this, Wang Dong was suddenly shocked. Of course—he had almost forgotten! If Liu Hong had truly died chasing the bear and fallen off the cliff, it would have been a tragic death. According to local customs, he wouldn’t be allowed in the ancestral grave but would have to be buried elsewhere.

Wang Dong glanced at Liu Fuquan. “It’s alright, Uncle Hei. There’s no need to worry. Look, Liu Hong has come back safely. After a month or two of rest, he’ll be a strong, capable man again. You don’t need to be so upset.”

“I’m not upset, I’m not upset…” Liu Fuquan said, but still wiped his eyes.

Just then, as Liu Fuquan did so, he noticed a solitary figure sitting on the threshing stone not far away.

His temper flared instantly. Liu Fuquan scooped up a clod of dirt from the ground. “Hey, I told you to scram, you fox spirit! Why are you still here?”

Wang Dong saw clearly too. The lone figure crouching on the threshing stone was none other than Xiangyu, the woman he longed for day and night. He hurriedly stopped Liu Fuquan. “Uncle Hei, calm down. Let’s not get angry. Isn’t there a better way to talk things through?”

Though the words were gentle, who could truly keep calm? Liu Fuquan, out of respect for Wang Dong, dropped the dirt clod he had almost thrown. He shot a glare at Xiangyu and shouted, “Brother Dong, thank you again. You should leave quickly before that demoness hurts you too!”

Those words were clearly meant for Xiangyu. After saying this, Liu Fuquan walked away.

Wang Dong, carrying the Ma rifle on his shoulder, approached the threshing stone where Xiangyu sat alone. Looking at her familiar face, he fell silent for a long moment. He had so much to say but found no words.

He wanted to tell Xiangyu that he thought of her every day she was away, that he would make sure she lived well, that life wouldn’t always be so hard. But if he said all this now, she might think he was crazy.

“Y-you… hello?” Wang Dong finally ventured.

Xiangyu raised her head and glanced at him, mumbling with her head lowered, “Not very well.”

Her temper was just as before. That one phrase made Wang Dong feel a bit at ease, and he sat down carefully on the threshing stone, probing gently, “Miss, my name’s Wang Dong. And you?”

“Wu Xiangyu.”

“They all told you to leave, so why are you still here?”

“I’m not leaving. My father won’t let me.”

Her father? Wang Dong had no vivid impression of this future father-in-law. Xiangyu rarely mentioned him. Wang Dong knew only that the old man was a former soldier, stubborn, and had died from illness. But perhaps he wasn’t quite dead yet—there might still be hope.

“So, why won’t your father let you go?”

Xiangyu lifted her swollen eyes to look at Wang Dong, then lowered her head again. “He said he doesn’t want me anymore. He took the bride price from someone else, so I’m their daughter-in-law now. If I can’t enter their home, I have no home.”

Hearing this, Wang Dong’s heart nearly leapt out of his throat. Could fate be so cruel? Rejected by her own father and unaccepted by her future in-laws, yet if he brought her home, she’d be a good wife indeed.

Still, Wang Dong knew his wife’s temper well. If he dared to be frivolous now, she’d surely give him a fierce scolding.

“Hey, your father’s just angry. He wouldn’t really abandon you! Isn’t it said that a daughter is her father’s little cotton-padded jacket? You’re being too sincere.”

“No, he means it,” Xiangyu kept her head down, as if someone had ripped out her backbone.

“I’ve had three men already, and before the wedding, all of them met with accidents—two died in the mountains. If it weren’t for you, the third would have died there too. My father said with my reputation, no one will marry me now. This is my one chance. If I hold on to it, great. If not, I’ll be an old maid forever.”

As she spoke, tears rolled down her round face, and her voice trembled, “Actually… I don’t mind being an old maid. What’s life but life? But my father… my father’s health isn’t good. Every day he lives is a gift. I just want, before he closes his eyes, for him to see me married, see me have children, so he can die peacefully… But now I…”

Looking at the tear-streaked Xiangyu, Wang Dong swallowed hard and said almost unconsciously, “Then, then I’ll marry you!”

“Huh?”

Xiangyu raised tearful eyes and sized Wang Dong up and down, snorting in disdain. “You? Ha! My father would have to believe that first!”