Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 214: Too Embarrassed to Face Others

Ning Jiandong looked at Wen Shi, then at Yi Chichi, and asked a question from deep within his soul.

"So how did you two end up liking each other?"

The couple exchanged a glance, and Wen Shi answered.

"It was fate."

He wouldn’t say a word more, and Ning Jiandong didn’t press further, just said, "I hope my nephew’s fate comes soon too."

At this, he sighed, "He’s not getting any younger. If he doesn’t get married soon, he really won’t find a wife."

"Each generation has its own blessings."

Yi Chichi comforted him.

Ning Jiandong thought it made sense, but he still couldn’t help worrying.

He couldn’t resist complaining, "Why don’t you have a sister?"

Yi Chichi was amused and exasperated, feeling as if it was her fault for not having a sister for his nephew to marry into the family.

It’s really unreasonable.

"Uncle, you can ask your friends if they have any nieces. Use your social network, with the Ning family’s status, it’s truly easy to find a wife."

It is indeed easy, but most people don’t find him appealing.

Those who do are either already in relationships or married; those without a relationship also refuse because his nephew is a soldier.

Being a military wife is an allure for many unmarried young women, especially rural girls.

But families who understand the military life and truly care for their daughters mostly don’t want their obedient daughters to become military wives.

Because being a military wife is hard.

If they can live with the soldier, it’s a bit better, but if not, they are separated by distance and have to bear the burden of supporting the elderly and raising children.

This is why his nephew has a hard time finding a partner.

"He has high standards."

"Let him find someone himself."

Wen Shi offered sincere advice, "Uncle, you also said he has high standards. Even if you find someone for him, he might not find them suitable, so why worry about it?"

This made sense, and Ning Jiandong took it to heart.

"I’ll go back and tell my brother."

Laughing and chatting, they finished the meal.

Leaving the state-run restaurant, Ning Jiandong asked where they were staying for the night, whether they wanted to stay at his place.

Wen Shi declined, saying they had a place to sleep.

Then, after saying their goodbyes, they went their separate ways.

Ning Jiandong went home, and Wen Shi took Yi Chichi to see his retired comrade Hou Dahai.

He was a tall, burly man with a bushy beard, yet had a remarkably youthful baby face.

The contrast was striking.

His voice was thunderous, and Yi Chichi felt like she was hearing thunder when he spoke.

Seeing Wen Shi, he immediately gave him a bear hug, then playfully punched him twice.

"You rascal, only remember me when you need something, act like I don’t exist when you don’t need me. Who treats their brother like you do?"

Though his words were full of complaint, his clear and determined eyes were filled with joy.

Obviously, he was delighted by Wen Shi’s visit.

"You talk like you’re not a rascal yourself."

Wen Shi rolled his eyes theatrically, then pointed to Yi Chichi, "Meet my wife, Yi Chichi."

"Chichi, this is my brother from Border City, Hou Dahai. You can call him Monkey or Brother Monkey."

"Hello, sister-in-law."

"Hello, Brother Monkey."

After greeting each other, Hou Dahai asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

Wen Shi handed the lunchbox he was carrying to him, "Brought you some braised pork."

"Let me see."

Hou Dahai opened the lunchbox and grinned broadly, "Now this is more like it, you remembered to bring me food."

Then, dissatisfied, he asked, "You brought meat, but why didn’t you bring rice?"

"...Forgot."

Wen Shi replied righteously, "I only thought about you loving meat, forgot you like rice too."

This left Hou Dahai speechless, so he just led them to the cafeteria to eat and chat.

"Are you on duty tonight?"

"A case came up. We’ve been working non-stop lately."

Hou Dahai had transferred from the army to the police force, so a case that kept them busy was definitely not small.

Wen Shi, knowing the discipline, didn’t ask, and Yi Chichi, having family in similar jobs in this well-informed era, wouldn’t ask either.

So they talked about other things.

Just as they finished eating, someone came to get Hou Dahai for an assignment, and he apologized, "Sorry, Old Wen, sister-in-law, duty calls. We’ll meet again next time."

"Alright."

The cafeteria was at the back of the police station, and to get to the front they needed to pass through the office. As they walked by his desk, Hou Dahai casually opened a drawer and handed them a ticket.

"Tomorrow morning’s 7:15 a.m. officer’s train car, don’t mess up the time and miss the train."

"We won’t."

Wen Shi took the ticket and replied, and Hou Dahai acknowledged with a nod and turned to Yi Chichi, "See you next time, sister-in-law."

"Take care, Brother Monkey."

Yi Chichi politely bade farewell, then stood with Wen Shi at the door, watching him and his colleague pedal away on bicycles.

Once they were out of sight, they leisurely strolled towards the train station.

"Do police always go on assignments by bicycle?"

"That’s pretty good. It used to be all on foot."

Wen Shi laughed, "I have another comrade who transferred to a town in Nan City, working as a policeman. Their entire police station had just one bicycle, so if it was taken, the rest had to walk or run for their tasks."

Yi Chichi thought, ...this must be what Uncle calls the pedal era.

By the late 70s, the motorcycle era would begin.

First two-wheeled motorcycles, then sidecar motorcycles known as "three-wheelers."

Then the four-wheel era.

But right now, the four-wheel era was still far off, and even the two-wheeled and three-wheeled eras were still years away.

"When you were on assignments in Border City, what kind of transportation did you use?"

"Typically cars, but for special cases, horses, bicycles, and legs were all options."

"Sounds challenging."

She couldn’t help but remark, and Wen Shi seized the opportunity, softly saying, "Wife, seeing how tough things are for me, you should pamper me more in the future."

Since their relationship was confirmed, this guy had begun shamelessly using it to his advantage.

If he was dealing with a shy girl, they probably wouldn’t know how to respond.

But Yi Chichi was thick-skinned, nodded when she heard him, "Alright, I’ll definitely pamper you more."

Her way of pampering was unique; she drew him a portrait at the guest house.

Pencil, white paper, sketch.

When it wasn’t finished, Wen Shi, posing as she directed, was filled with anticipation, secretly deciding that he wouldn’t let his wife take the drawing when finished, as he wanted to keep it himself.

After it was completed, upon seeing the artwork, a wave of heat rushed from his soles straight to his head, face turning red, heart racing, breathing difficult.

"What, what is this?"

He looked at Yi Chichi incredulously, lips trembling.

"It’s you."

Yi Chichi asked with a smile, "Do you like it?"

"I do like it, but wife, don’t you think there’s something wrong with this picture?"

Who sketches such suggestive pictures of their own husband?

Yi Chichi, seeing nothing wrong with her artwork, laughed, "It’s just some marital fun, you’re not going to show it to anyone, so what’s there to be afraid of?"

"...I’ll keep it."

He folded up the sketch and put it in his pocket, making a decision not to let anyone come near him before he got home the next day.

Otherwise, he’d have no face to see anyone.