Rebirth in Famine: She Thrives by Lucky Space

Shen Youjun was the last to come out, and he saw Hou Wenhui.

"Hou Zhiqing, why so slow?"

"Shen Zhiqing, I’d like to talk to you."

Shen Youjun raised an eyebrow, "Then let’s talk while we walk."

Hou Wenhui was conflicted inside, unsure how to speak.

"I don’t know what Hou Zhiqing wants with me?"

Let it be, if it’s not said, you’ll never know the outcome.

"Shen Zhiqing, have you settled down yet? Or perhaps someone from your family has arranged a match, or perhaps there’s a childhood sweetheart? Or maybe you’re interested in someone?"

Shen Youjun laughed, "No, my family’s life is average, with quite a large family, so four of us siblings came down. Why is Hou Zhiqing asking this?"

Hou Wenhui could see that Shen Youjun’s family conditions were average, and actually, her hesitance was partly due to this.

"Shen Zhiqing, have you thought about settling down here? Our hope of returning is slim, and I’ve lost hope now."

Shen Youjun stopped, knowing he’d be a fool if he didn’t understand Hou Wenhui’s meaning.

"Hou Zhiqing, I want to, but never had the right person. At my age, I certainly hope to settle down."

Hou Zhiqing, we’ve come here together. It’s been years, and we know each other’s temperaments a bit. If you can still see something in me, maybe consider me? Could we become a family?"

Hou Wenhui was satisfied. She was pleased that this man took the initiative rather than leaving her, a female comrade, to speak first.

"Shen Zhiqing, since we’re here, let’s not consider each other’s families.

You’re right, we’ve worked and lived together for years, and understand each other’s temperaments.

Honestly, I don’t want to wait anymore, and I don’t have the energy to keep waiting.

I don’t have a betrothed or anyone I like back home, so let’s be together."

Lu Family siblings’ betrothal and marriage had stirred feelings in Hou Wenhui, as she felt she couldn’t hold on alone here anymore.

Let’s just find a shoulder to lean on.

"Don’t worry, Wenhui. I’ll surely treat you well." Since he met her, Shen Youjun had considered Hou Wenhui, but she seemed like a pampered girl with a bit of a temper.

Her family’s conditions should be good, so he was hesitant to show his interest, mainly afraid of awkwardness if rejected.

The main reason was Hou Wenhui’s apparent disdain for settling here; it was clear she had high hopes for the future and hadn’t thought about starting a family here.

Unexpectedly, she came to him herself; she truly couldn’t hold on anymore.

"I believe you."

"Wenhui, also, I don’t have enough money to build a house." It was difficult to admit.

"I’m not asking for a brick house, a mud house will do. Plus, I have some money myself."

Shen Youjun felt incredibly ashamed, "Wenhui, I have three hundred yuan. If needed, we can find a mason, or just build two rooms. But then we wouldn’t have money for furnishing or wedding banquet."

A man saying such things is very embarrassing.

"This will be our home, I have a few hundred yuan myself, so together, let’s build a brick house. We might never be able to leave here."

Having agreed, "Wenhui, let’s go find Village Chief Li to get a letter, and go to the Zhiqing Office to handle the paperwork. If possible, let’s get the marriage certificate too."

They had no urgent matters over the next few days, so they handled everything without delaying work; they wouldn’t want to miss any work in the future.

Hou Wenhui took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright, let’s go find Village Chief Li."

They didn’t return to the Zhiqing base, only grabbed the introduction letter before heading out, since time was tight.

Just then, they saw Chaoyang driving by, and Shen Youjun flagged him down and explained the situation.

"No problem, hop on, I’ll take you to the county. If you’re quick, you can return with me; I really don’t have time to wait."

They realized this saved them a lot of trouble.

Chaoyang dropped them at the Zhiqing Office and then headed to the supply and marketing cooperative.

They were lucky. There were few people there today, so they swiftly got the introduction letter, and hurried to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate.

"Wenhui, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative."

"I don’t have anything to buy." Though she had a few hundred yuan, building the house would take quite a bit.

"We won’t have a wedding banquet, but we should give out wedding candies to everyone. Chaoyang is just at the coop."

They arrived just as Chaoyang finished shopping and was stocking the car.

"All sorted?"

"Yes. We want to buy some candy and return with you."

"No problem."

Shen Youjun bought two jin of fruit candies to share with the Zhiqings and the village children; it was all he could do.

Hou Wenhui was still feeling a bit dazed, realizing she was now a married woman.

Along the way, Chaoyang congratulated them both.

Upon reaching the Zhiqing base, news of their marriage shocked everyone.

Generally, there hadn’t been much interaction seen between them, so how did they end up married?

Shen Youjun was beaming, "Wenhui, I’ll go find a mason to discuss things."

"Shouldn’t you find Village Chief Li?" She realized that getting married felt pretty good. It provided them with some drive for the future.

"Yes, I’ll go now."

The female Zhiqings gathered around Hou Wenhui.

"I just felt hopeless. So when we discussed it, realizing there’s no way back, we decided to just go ahead and marry."

Her words echoed concerns of all the female Zhiqings, knowing they couldn’t wait forever; a woman’s youth is limited.

"Wenhui, why choose Shen Zhiqing?"

"Because the villagers in Li Family Village treat us well, but marrying into the village is almost impossible.

Living in Li Family Village means we can’t really leave. So I chose Shen Youjun."

Upon reflection, they realized she had a point.

While chatting at the Zhiqing Office, they learned many female Zhiqings had married local villagers, while male Zhiqings married local girls.

But Li Family Village was different. The villagers weren’t against them and even helped them, but wouldn’t marry them.

The young men never gathered around them, so their options were only within the Zhiqing group.

Starting to understand, they each considered their own futures. There were more male Zhiqings, giving them a bit of choice.

The three female comrades thought about their own prospects, considering the possibility of settling down, finding some peace.