Chapter 270 - 269: From now on, we will take several photos every year
Xia Xiao glared at Gao Jiaxing, "We haven’t even gotten our marriage certificate yet. It’s perfectly normal for us to move out, but if the captain and aunt don’t bring it up, you can’t say anything about it now. Even if you’re going to say something, you could wait a year or half a year. There’s no rush at this moment."
Gao Jiaxing nodded. It was no big deal for him, mainly because he wanted to take care of Xia Xiao. Moreover, when it came to building a house outside, Gao Jiaxing wanted to build on the empty space next to his family’s home, so that his relatives could also take care of Xia Xiao. They would all look after each other; otherwise, he would be even more worried about Xia Xiao living alone as a woman.
The two didn’t stay on the back hill for long. Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing returned to the Gao family, and by then the production team was already buzzing with the news of Gao Jiaxing’s proposal to Xia Xiao.
So, as Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing made their way back, many people looked at them with smiles, others offered their congratulations. Upon entering the house, Zheng Xianghong was also beaming.
"Dad, Mom, I plan to marry Xia Xiao," Gao Jiaxing said once again.
"Great, great, any day works for us. Tomorrow, the day after, they are all good days, especially since it’s just before the New Year," Gao Guoqiang replied, and even if Gao Jiaxing had said they were getting married today, Gao Guoqiang would have been pleased.
Zheng Xianghong looked at Xia Xiao and said, "Xiaoxiao, you should mention it to your family as well and let them know. Why don’t you and Jiaxing go out now and send a telegram to your family?"
Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing nodded. Zheng Xianghong turned to Gao Jiaxing and said, "Come in, I’ll tell you what to buy for the wedding in the county town."
Gao Jiaxing went into the room with Zheng Xianghong at once, and Zheng Xianghong handed Gao Jiaxing some money, saying:
"This money is what your father and I have saved for you to get married. The money you sent back is all here. Although it’s not customary now, you’re marrying someone’s daughter, and you should give a little something to show your intentions. I’ve already given your older brother’s share. This is for Xia Xiao. Give it to her. It’s not much, just a small token from your father and me."
"Mom, there’s no need, I have money," Gao Jiaxing shook his head, not taking the money Zheng Xianghong offered.
Zheng Xianghong glared at her son and stuffed the money into his hands, saying, "That’s your money, but your father and I still need to show our support. Go to town quickly, before it gets dark."
Without saying much more to her son, Zheng Xianghong urged Gao Jiaxing to hurry back before the roads got darker and harder to find.
Outside, Sun Yuhua said to Xia Xiao, "We’ve always known we’d be one family eventually. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. You have a good eye. Jiaxing is now a platoon leader, more promising than the He family’s son."
Xia Xiao smiled slightly and said, "Sister Yu Hua, you have good taste too. Brother Gao is a reliable person, and you’re just as fortunate."
Sun Yuhua didn’t say anything. At that moment, Gao Jiaxing came out, bid farewell to the people of the Gao family, and Xia Xiao accompanied Gao Jiaxing to the county town.
They didn’t rush by ox cart but walked to the town. The transportation wasn’t very convenient, and the roads were tough to navigate. Normally it was alright, but they became especially bad on rainy days.
"Brother Gao, wearing your military uniform back here, don’t you feel like a giant panda being ogled by everyone?" Xia Xiao suddenly blurted out on the way, mainly because she noticed the passersby glancing at Gao Jiaxing several times, and at the production team, everyone had surrounded Gao Jiaxing, prompting her comment.
"You’ll know once we’re in the county town how convenient it is to wear a military uniform," Gao Jiaxing replied.
Indeed, as they reached the town, Gao Jiaxing’s uniform did make things a lot easier. When he and Xia Xiao walked together and mentioned they were preparing to marry, no one pried any further.
After sending the telegram home, Xia Xiao went out with Gao Jiaxing to stroll around. Seeing that Gao Jiaxing passed by the supply and sale cooperative without going in, Xia Xiao became puzzled.
"Brother Gao, where are we going? Aren’t we going to buy things?"
"We’re here, let’s go in," Gao Jiaxing told Xia Xiao.
Xia Xiao looked up and saw it was a photo studio. It was only then that Xia Xiao realized she had been reborn here for eight or nine years and had never taken a photograph.
"Oh my, I’ve never had a photo taken." This was a big loss.
"You do have photos. You had them taken when you joined the production team. Your family has some," Gao Jiaxing said.
"I mean these past few years," Xia Xiao hastily added, breaking into a cold sweat internally for nearly slipping up, but indeed, she had never thought about taking photos during these years.
Mainly, because it was the original owner’s body, although her appearance had changed significantly, it still had the original owner’s features, so Xia Xiao had never really thought about taking photos before and had overlooked it.
The original owner had photographs, but Xia Xiao truly did not.
If it wasn’t for Gao Jiaxing bringing Xia Xiao here, she might not have even considered taking a keepsake photo of herself.
Xia Xiao followed Gao Jiaxing into the photo studio. At the time, photographs were black and white, and Gao Jiaxing took the initiative to take several shots with Xia Xiao.
Xia Xiao thought about the future, where usually women liked to take photos and often dragged men to take pictures with them. But now, it was the other way around, with Gao Jiaxing insisting on taking several photos with Xia Xiao.
At that time, taking photographs was not as intimate as it would be in the future. The closest gesture was to lean in slightly, but not close enough to touch each other.
Leaving the photo studio, Xia Xiao said, "I must look very ugly in those photos. I felt my face was stiff, unnatural."
"Xiaoxiao, you are beautiful, and you’ll look good no matter how you’re photographed," Gao Jiaxing reassured the somewhat disheartened Xia Xiao. "Don’t worry, the photos will be nice."
Gao Jiaxing hadn’t originally planned to take so many photos, but before entering the studio, upon hearing Xia Xiao say she hadn’t taken any for years, he spontaneously took several with her.
At that moment, Gao Jiaxing was quite content inside; if it hadn’t been for the wait of a few days to collect the photos, he would have been eager to see them right then and there.
So, Gao Jiaxing also said, "From now on, we’ll take a few photos every year to keep as memories."
Xia Xiao smiled and nodded, "All right."
At that time, photography was very simple, with no excessive posing or actions—definitely nothing as intimate as modern wedding photos. The poses were all in line with the aesthetic of the era.
After taking the photos, they went to the supply and sales cooperative. Actually, getting married nowadays didn’t require a big feast, so there was almost nothing to buy.
However, since they were getting married, they still bought a few things, and when Gao Jiaxing left, Zheng Xianghong had instructed him.
So they picked up a couple of red cloths and bought two hairbands for Xia Xiao to tie her hair. Looking at these, Xia Xiao inwardly marveled at how different it was from the future.
But at that time, it was just the way things were. Having these items was quite nice under the circumstances. Xia Xiao refused when Gao Jiaxing wanted to buy face cream, stopping him from purchasing something she wouldn’t use—it would be a waste.
When the times changed and they could buy jewelry without being too serious, Xia Xiao wouldn’t hesitate to accept such gifts from Gao Jiaxing.