The wind is gentle and the flowers are falling. Today is the beginning of autumn, and I actually saw a fallen leaf in the yard.
It’s a magical time when “autumn is known when a leaf falls”.
The summer vacation is coming to an end soon. After school starts, Cheng Xiang will work part-time as a music teacher at school.
Zhou Tianlei planned to get his marriage certificate before school started.
After discussing with Cheng Xiang, Cheng Xiang also expressed his intention.
The two began to prepare the materials needed for the wedding.
In this era, it is still quite troublesome to get a marriage certificate. Unlike in later generations, just get a household registration book and an ID card.
You need to apply to the place of residence and issue a certificate.
Moreover, in this era, the woman’s household registration must be moved to the man’s family after marriage.
Zhou Tianlei had some doubts about whether Cheng Xiang should change his household registration.
Cheng Xiang has an urban household registration. In this era, urban household registration represents rights and advantages, and many resources are tilted towards urban household registration.
So much so that people are so eager to obtain an urban household registration that they even spend their entire family’s assets to buy an urban household registration for their children.
Zhou Tianlei wanted to keep Cheng Xiang's urban household registration. Although it took some effort and some connections, he was not afraid of trouble as long as Cheng Xiang was willing.
After dinner, he grabbed Cheng Xiang who wanted to go back to his room to rest, led her to sit on the sofa, and asked in a low voice: "Think about it, are you willing to transfer your household registration here?"
Cheng Xiang tilted his head and thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't matter, you can just move here."
In fact, no matter in that era, whether it was education, medical care, or various welfare, all good resources were tilted towards big cities.
It’s not that she doesn’t care about urban household registration, but she knows how fast development will be in later generations. No one will believe that Shenzhen, a small fishing village on the seaside, will be designated as a special economic zone in 1980, and it will soar and develop rapidly. A few decades later, it became a first-tier city in the country.
Even the capital city will expand rapidly in the next few decades, and the once remote countryside has become part of its fifth ring road.
Cheng Xiang remembered that in the original book, Zhoujiazhuang was eventually classified as a high-tech development zone, with direct access to expressways, high-speed rails, and an airport. The development potential of this place should not be underestimated.
Therefore, it is not impossible to make a small fortune in the future by moving your registered permanent residence.
Zhou Tianlei didn't know that Cheng Xiang was making plans in his heart.
Her nonchalant attitude towards urban household registration made him feel even more special about this woman.
He thought to himself that maybe Cheng Xiang didn't want him to be in trouble, so he wanted to get the marriage certificate successfully first. Anyway, sooner or later, he would go to the city to develop, and then he would buy her and the children's household registration together.
Then he nodded and said, "Okay, let's move here first."
Cheng Xiang thought for a moment and said, "I will go back to the city tomorrow to open a letter of introduction. After everything is done on your side, we will go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to apply for a marriage certificate."
Zhou Tianlei nodded.
Cheng Xiang saw that his reaction was mediocre and asked, "Is it easy for you to handle this?"
Zhou Tianlei nodded and said, "It's easy to handle. Just go to the village committee and issue a letter of introduction."
Cheng thought for a moment and said casually: "Remember to get the divorce certificate."
Zhou Tianlei was startled. He said solemnly: "I don't have a divorce certificate."
Cheng Xiang's heart tightened. Maybe now is the time to solve the mystery in her heart.
She raised her eyebrows: "Oh, He Qing'er's mother didn't get a marriage certificate?"
Zhou Tianlei was speechless for a moment and pondered for a moment without saying anything. He raised his head to meet Cheng Xiang's calm eyes.
There was no inquiry, no doubt, no emotion, just looking at him quietly, waiting for his answer.
He stared at Cheng Xiang, suddenly enlightened, and realized that Cheng Xiang might have guessed something.
He took a breath and looked at Cheng Xiang solemnly, with tenderness in his eyes: "Think about it, I have never been married, you are my first woman, and you will also be my only one."
When Cheng Xiang heard the words, the corners of her mouth slowly raised, and she finally forced out the old man's truth. The old man's confession was so straightforward, which made her very happy.
Cheng wanted to suppress the secret joy in his heart and asked seriously: "Who is the father of Xiao Yang and Qing'er?"
Zhou Tianlei knew that he was in the wrong. He wanted to marry someone and let someone act like a stepmother without telling them the truth. It was really unjustifiable.
At this time, he felt like a child who had made a mistake and was being interrogated, but he did have something to hide, so he could only pick up some things he could say and tell her.
"Yes, my comrade."
Cheng wanted to nod, and just as she guessed, she gave him a look, indicating for him to continue.
Zhou Tianlei hesitated for a moment: "He is my instructor. We are comrades-in-arms and work partners. I am not very good at talking and have a straightforward personality. He is careful and can make up for my shortcomings. We have always cooperated very well.
One year, we had a mission and happened to pass through his hometown, which was a small mountain village in Hunan. I went back with him. He had a son at that time and he recognized me as his godfather. He and his wife had a very good relationship. When he was not at home, he helped his son guard the house and support his parents.
After we returned to the army that time..." Zhou Tianlei paused, "We rushed to the battlefield. He died and I retired. I went to his hometown again and gave him his Pension and military medals. At that time, her wife was pregnant and about to give birth. She cried heartbrokenly while holding the military medals. The pension was taken away by her mother-in-law. Before I left, I told her that if she had any difficulties, she could Come to me.
After returning to my hometown, I set up a breeding factory. A year later, she came to me with her children and said that her mother-in-law had taken away her house and pension. She had been kicked out and had nowhere to go, so she had to come to me. Me, then I left them. "
After Zhou Tianlei finished speaking, he looked up at Cheng Xiang with a solemn expression.
Cheng Xiang raised his eyebrows: "That's all?"
Why did he retire? What happened between him and that woman? Why the woman left was not mentioned at all.
Zhou Tianlei took Cheng Xiang's hand and rubbed the back of her hand with his fingertips. He pondered for a moment and said, "Think about it, some things have discipline and order. Forgive me for not telling you, but I have nothing with that woman. She is just me." The widow of a comrade in arms.”
"That's it?" Cheng Xiang asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"That's all," Zhou Tianlei answered firmly.
"Then she just regards you as her late husband's comrade-in-arms?" Cheng Xiang asked with gleaming eyes.
Zhou Tianlei said solemnly: "I don't know."
Cheng Xiang pursed his lips and said, "I don't believe you don't know."
Zhou Tianlei moved closer to her, put his arms around her waist, and said in a deep voice: "How do you want to believe it?"
Cheng Xiang looked at the burning light in Zhou Tianlei's eyes.
She subconsciously hid back and asked him again, as if she was angry: "Is she good-looking?"
"It doesn't look good," Zhou Tianlei said without thinking.
Cheng Xiang secretly smiled, then asked with a shy smile, "Am I good-looking?"
"It looks good." Zhou Tianlei's voice was a little hoarse, but this time there was no hesitation.
