I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 20: Discussion

Are you hungry?

After leaving the department store, Jiang Zhou checked the time. "The logistics department's ride-sharing service won't be here for a while. Let's go grab a bite to eat first."

"What would you like to eat?" he asked.

Yuan Xiu: "I'm fine with anything."

There was a state-run restaurant near the department store, and Jiang Zhou led Yuan Xiu into the restaurant.

It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was quite crowded. There was only one empty table in the corner against the wall. Jiang Zhou asked Yuan Xiu to reserve the table first, and then put all the food there before going to the counter to order.

Yuan Xiu glanced at the blackboard on the wall that listed today's menu: dumplings, noodles, and stir-fries. There were several kinds of stir-fries, both meat and vegetables, which was much more plentiful than the state-run restaurants in her hometown county.

In the town, it was even more difficult; the supply of white flour and refined grains was a rare sight.

Yuan Xiu, who was guarding the items, had no idea what dishes Jiang Zhou had ordered. She only saw him hand several tickets to the waiter guarding the counter.

The waiter was quite friendly, all smiles, but the smile vanished when he saw Jiang Zhou walking towards Yuan Xiu, and he even rolled his eyes slightly.

Yuan Xiu kept looking in that direction and naturally sensed the waiter's disdain for her.

She sensed it as soon as she entered; the disdain was directed at her personally. She guessed it was because the handsome officer was accompanied by a country bumpkin dressed like a villager and they didn't like her.

That morning, the two went in and out together, buying a lot of things with bags and bags of them. Anyone with eyes could probably tell what kind of relationship they had. Some people were sweet-talking and would say nice things without hesitation, while others were jealous and would secretly purse their lips and roll their eyes.

It would be a lie to say that I don't care about what others think.

However, Yuan Xiu also knew that she was originally a village girl. Even if she wore her best clothes and dressed herself up neatly and cleanly, she would still be different from those city girls.

In those decades of her past life, Yuan Xiu learned how to adjust her mindset. She decided to just let them be envious and jealous that she had found a good partner.

"What are you laughing at?"

Yuan Xiu smiled and shook her head: "I'm happy, I'm very happy today. I haven't been to a state-run restaurant for many years. The last time was when my dad was here."

Jiang Zhou sat down. "Should we send a telegram back home after our wedding?"

Yuan Xiu's smile froze. "No need to waste this money. They probably already know."

Even if the evidence from the military hasn't been sent over yet, Director Wu should have already taken action at Xiangyang Commune, and the old couple will naturally know what she went to do without saying a word after leaving home.

By this time, they must be in a complete mess.

I bet they scolded her quite a bit too.

As for the telegram, Yuan Juan will definitely send it, and she will also mention it to the Yuan family.

"And you?" Yuan Xiu recalled what Zhou's mother had mentioned about her mother-in-law when they were at the department store earlier.

She learned about Jiang Zhou's mother's remarriage from the factory where Jiang Zhou's family used to work. In the past few days, whether it was submitting the marriage report or getting the marriage certificate and settling down, Jiang Zhou had not mentioned his mother.

This almost made Yuan Xiu forget that she had a mother-in-law.

"I had already sent her a telegram before, but she didn't have time to come. If we meet, we'll see each other in the future."

Jiang Zhou spoke very calmly.

Yuan Xiu didn't ask any more questions, and he didn't ask her about her hometown either, probably realizing that she didn't want to talk about it.

The kitchen window was calling out the dishes. Jiang Zhou got up to get the dishes: two plates of dumplings with chive and egg filling, a plate of stewed pork with potatoes, and two stir-fries.

Each item is quite substantial.

Yuan Xiu's gaze swept over the dishes on the table before turning to Jiang Zhou.

"It's not going to go to waste." Jiang Zhou picked up chopsticks and handed them to her. "Eat."

Yuan Xiu took the chopsticks and couldn't help but smile, but she didn't ask any questions.

Indeed, nothing was wasted. Yuan Xiu didn't finish either of the two plates of dumplings, and only ate a little bit of the meat and vegetables. Jiang Zhou finished the rest all by himself.

After having several meals with Jiang Zhou, she gained a better understanding of his appetite. It seems she needs to be more careful when cooking for him in the future, so that he doesn't go hungry.

After leaving the state-run hotel, Yuan Xiu followed Jiang Zhou to the place where they had gotten off the bus that morning to wait for the logistics department's car.

Before the car arrived, Jiang Zhou and Yuan Xiu discussed the wedding arrangements.

"Let's follow the trend and hold a tea party, inviting everyone to our house to sit down, have tea and some wedding candy. Later, we can find some time to invite Old Li and a few close friends over for a meal. What do you think?"

Yuan Xiu nodded: "I'll listen to you."

These days, it's still common to hold banquets in the countryside. No matter how good or bad the food is, you have to go out and exchange gifts. In the city, it's different. It's more common to invite colleagues and friends to a lively tea party, which is considered attending a wedding.

During the planned economy era, everything required coupons, and very few people had enough grain coupons and meat coupons to host a wedding banquet.

"Then let's do it tomorrow. I'll go back and say hello to everyone."

Yuan Xiu agreed, "Want to come along?"

Jiang Zhou curled the corners of his lips. "If you're not afraid of people making fun of you, you can go."

"I guess I'll pass. I'll see him tomorrow anyway, so I'll just stay home and pack my things."

Upon hearing the word "home," Jiang Zhou paused slightly. "Okay, you can pack your things at home."

The logistics department's vehicle arrived, the driver honked the horn, and the two got in.

Seeing that they had bought so much stuff, the driver clicked his tongue twice: "You must have spent quite a bit today."

Jiang Zhou chatted with the driver, "I've spent a lot. I can't buy less even if I want to, I have to use it all. I now understand what it means to be rich even if you're broke."

"That's true. If you want to set up a home, you have to spend money even on a vegetable basket."

They chatted idly all the way to their destination. After entering the courtyard, they were inevitably pulled aside by familiar people who asked them a few questions. Jiang Zhou took the opportunity to mention that he and Yuan Xiu had gotten their marriage certificate and invited everyone to come to his house for tea and a lively gathering the next day if they were free.

"I'll definitely come, I'll definitely come!" Sun's wife, Xiulan, even asked Yuan Xiu, "My sister-in-law knows how to do makeup, should we have her come over tomorrow to do your makeup?"

Yuan Xiu: "Wouldn't this be too much trouble for her?"

She'd never experienced what makeup felt like on her face in both of her lives combined, so trying it out tomorrow wasn't a bad idea.

"What's the trouble? Just give her a handful of candy. She has everything she needs. I'll take her there first thing tomorrow morning. By the way, are you staying at a guesthouse or your new house tonight?"

Xiulan's sister-in-law teased her with a wink.

"Of course, it's the guesthouse," Yuan Xiu said hastily.

Jiang Zhou glanced at her.