Love Story in the 1970s

Fang Muyang was holding an ice bottle and eating ice cream when, in a moment of surprise, the spoon slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Fei Ni rummaged through her lunch box and pulled out her own spoon to give him. As she handed it over, their fingers brushed, and she quickly withdrew hers. She lowered her head, staring at Fang Muyang’s shadow on the ground, and said softly, “Think it over and give me your answer tomorrow. If you have another way to get a house, just pretend I never said anything. Even if you can manage to get a house, you’ll still need to furnish it yourself. If you agree to my proposal, I’ll take care of the furniture.”

She didn’t want Fang Muyang to choose any other option.

“How can I let you handle everything alone? It’s not like you’ll be living there by yourself.”

“Then you shouldn’t be so extravagant with your money. There will be plenty of expenses in the future.” From large items like the bedside cabinet, table, and chairs, down to small things like the washbasin, bowl, and chopsticks—everything required money. She didn’t have much savings either and could only borrow from her parents, then repay them bit by bit each month by being frugal. It would be good if Fang Muyang could contribute some money.

Fang Muyang agreed readily.

Fei Ni suddenly realized that Fang Muyang had skipped the step of agreeing outright and moved directly into the new phase.

His straightforwardness left many of the words she had prepared useless, and she fell into a brief silence.

Fang Muyang broke the quiet: “When should we go through the marriage procedures?”

Seeing that Fang Muyang seemed completely normal today, Fei Ni grew suspicious and asked him, “How much of the past do you remember?”

“I remember you told me we were classmates—in the same class in elementary school and still in the same school in middle school. We really are fated.”

If they had started school just one year earlier, they wouldn’t have had the chance to attend the same middle school. Before the nationwide suspension of classes, most key secondary schools in their city were gender-segregated. When children were still unaware of gender differences, boys and girls could share desks, but once they reached adolescence, they were separated. Even in co-ed schools, boys and girls had little contact, mostly keeping to themselves.

Fei Ni pressed further, “What about things I didn’t tell you—do you remember any of those?”

Fang Muyang recalled that before boarding a train for an inter-city exchange, he had packed all his belongings into a suitcase and entrusted it to Fei Ni. It was too risky to carry everything with him, and leaving it at home might lead to it being searched. Since Fei Ni had offered to keep it for him and her family background was impeccable—unlikely to be raided—he handed it all over. Inside the suitcase was an emerald ring, tucked inside a record sleeve. His grandmother had given it to him before she passed away, instructing him to give it to his future partner when he married. At the time, marriage felt distant to Fang Muyang; he only thought of it as his grandmother’s keepsake, something he must not lose. When scraping together travel expenses for the exchange, he even removed the windowpanes from his small cabin to sell for money but never considered parting with the ring.

Once he gave it to her, he never saw it again and didn’t know if the ring was still there. If it was, it could now be placed on her finger.

Suddenly shifting his tone, Fang Muyang said, “You used to like me a lot. Because no one ever liked me the way you did, I’ve always remembered that.”

There was no such memory in Fang Muyang’s mind. But Fei Ni was too composed, and he couldn’t resist teasing her to see her flustered. As soon as he said it, Fei Ni lost her calm.

“That’s absolutely not true!”Fei Ni continued pushing the bicycle forward. The street lamp ahead shone on her face, revealing her flushed complexion. This person truly had no shame—how could he be so presumptuous and self-righteous? He must be out of his mind.

Fei Ni fell silent, but Fang Muyang refused to let her off: "If you don’t like me, why did you take care of me in the hospital?"

Still with that shameless tone.

"That’s a separate matter." Afraid Fang Muyang wouldn’t believe her, she added, "I took care of you because I have principles. Don’t vulgarize such things."

"Then when did you start liking me?"

Fei Ni replied firmly, "Never. You’ve misunderstood."

"If you don’t like me, why did you marry me?"

Fang Muyang knew that seventy percent of the reason was for the apartment—just like how she used to ignore him and go to the movies with others for the same reason. But he enjoyed seeing her flustered, especially now, with the street lamp casting a slanting light on her face, making her complexion appear even more rosy.

"I need the apartment, and so do you, don’t you?"

Fang Muyang wasn’t annoyed at all and continued questioning her: "As I recall, when others get married, they share a bed. Why are we still sleeping separately?"

The question startled Fei Ni, making her heart race. They had reached a spot without street lamps, and under the cover of darkness, she felt at ease letting the heat spread from her ears to her cheeks. Fei Ni knew Fang Muyang was no longer the same as when he first woke up. After so many days in the hospital, it wasn’t surprising he understood the practical implications of marriage.

"Others are others; we are we. Others marry to live together; we married for the apartment."

"Can’t it be for both?"

"No. The apartment is half yours and half mine."

"Fine, as you say."

Fang Muyang thought she was truly trusting of him—whether that trust stemmed from looking down on herself or on him, he couldn’t tell. Then it occurred to him that she probably wanted the apartment so badly that she set everything else aside.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Fei Ni noticed Fang Muyang’s gaze fixed on her while she was looking at the shadows on the ground. His stare made her skin tighten, and she suddenly realized he was a young man. Once they moved into the apartment, they would be living together day and night. Her face flushed even more, but thankfully, the darkness concealed it, so she wasn’t afraid of him noticing. She’d deal with the future when it came. At least living with him wouldn’t mean sacrificing her freedom. Once she had money, she’d buy a piano for her room and play whatever she wanted, with no one to control her.

Fang Muyang laughed, "If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you?"

He openly observed her in the dim light, and even without looking at him, Fei Ni could feel his gaze. Her hands gripped the handlebars tighter and tighter.

"You must stare at the nurses often, don’t you?"

"Are you jealous?"

"No."

"If I’m going to paint someone, I have to observe them."

"Are you sure it’s not just an excuse to stare at girls under the guise of painting?"

"That’s an interesting interpretation."

Fei Ni hadn’t expected him not to refute it and reminded him, "That was in the past. Nowadays, if you keep staring at girls for the sake of painting, it could still be seen as improper behavior. You’d better be careful."

"If we get married, you’ll be the only woman I paint. No matter how I paint you, it shouldn’t raise any concerns about improper behavior."

His words made it sound as if she were jealous, which was far from the truth.

"Paint whoever you want.""I prefer painting you, but you won't let anyone look. You get annoyed after just a few glances."

Fei Ni ignored Fang Muyang and kept walking. After a while, she realized he was going the wrong way—to return to the hospital by bus, he needed to head in the opposite direction.

She reminded him, but Fang Muyang said, "I'll walk you back. I don't feel at ease letting you go alone."

"I don't need it. You should hurry back to the hospital. Any later and you won't be able to get in." In recent years, there had been few security issues in this area.

"If I can't get back, I'll just sleep outside your building. In summer, sleeping outdoors is quite cool."

Fei Ni was irritated: "What are you worried about? I'm over twenty."

"Even so, I'm concerned. If something happened to you, who would I marry? Let me take you back."

Fang Muyang spoke with unshakable confidence, as if their impending marriage gave him both the responsibility and the right to ensure her safety.

"You've learned to ride a bicycle?"

Fei Ni thought the current Fang Muyang was no different from anyone else, except for his lost memories. She had never been sure if he had recalled the past, but she felt that if he truly remembered, hiding it would do him no good.

"I learned from someone at the hospital. Come on, I'll get you there faster."

Unable to resist Fang Muyang, Fei Ni eventually climbed onto the back seat.

The wind rushed into the collar of Fang Muyang's shirt, billowing it instantly. Fei Ni looked up at the sky; the chorus of insects only made the night feel quieter. Under the glow of a street lamp, she glanced down and noticed his shirt seemed different from before.

"How do you wash your clothes? You're not just rubbing them against the washboard, are you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"If you keep washing like that, it'll probably fall apart after a few more times."

"Then someday you can show me how, and I'll learn from you."

"Figure it out yourself." She had demonstrated for him before—she even suspected Fang Muyang was setting a trap, where too many demonstrations would make laundry her responsibility.

She couldn't help asking, "Haven't you ever washed clothes before? When you were an Educated Youth, you must have done your own laundry."

He had been washing his own clothes since childhood. To channel his boundless energy, his mother always excluded his clothes when hiring someone to do the laundry. With no one to help, he had no choice but to wash them himself. His grandmother had a washing machine, but it was too crude for anything of decent quality and was abandoned after one use. His clothes happened to suit that rough machine. When he felt too lazy to wash, he would accumulate his laundry and take it to his grandmother's house. When he washed them himself, he was even rougher and more forceful than the machine. During his time as an Educated Youth, he hardly did any laundry because he could trade other tasks for it.

Fei Ni didn't get an answer but didn't press further. She told Fang Muyang, "Anyway, I won't be washing your clothes in the future."

"We can help each other out. If you don't want to do laundry, I can wash yours too."

"No need. Let's each handle our own. Just take care of yourself." She didn't have many clothes to begin with—if they got ruined, what would she wear?

"Why draw such a clear line?"

Fei Ni thought that if they didn't, she would likely be the one to suffer.

"Are you really going to the cement factory? Can you handle the work?""What's there that I can't do? The only worry was not having a place to live, and now that's been settled, isn't it?" His hands had dug canals, farmed fields, and built furniture. If he could carry grain, hauling cement wouldn't be a problem either.

Fei Ni suddenly felt grateful for the cover of night—some words could only be spoken now. "Let's hurry with our marriage arrangements. I'll take tomorrow morning off, and in the afternoon, we'll go to the Office of Educated Youth to get your marriage introduction letter." It wasn't just about the house; her brother's hardship repatriation also depended on the Office of Educated Youth. Without it, her brother would never be able to return.

Afraid she sounded too eager, Fei Ni added, "You don't want to stay in the hospital forever, do you?"

"Of course I want to live with you as soon as possible."

Fei Ni couldn't find any fault with Fang Muyang's words, yet she still felt uneasy.

Fortunately, Fang Muyang rode quickly, and they soon arrived at Fei Ni's building.

"I'll take the bike with me and bring it back to you tomorrow morning."

"No need. Ride it to meet me tomorrow at noon. I'll take the bus in the morning. You should head back now."

"I'll wait until you're inside."

Fei Ni was a little annoyed. "We're already here—how could I possibly get lost?"

"If you turn around, I can look at you a little longer. Don't you want that?"

Fei Ni didn't want to argue further. She turned away without even saying goodbye, knowing they would surely see each other tomorrow.

It was only about ten steps to the building entrance, but Fei Ni walked briskly, as if she truly feared Fang Muyang watching her for too long.

Once inside, her heartbeat quickened even more. She climbed to the third floor and peered out through the stairwell window. The light was dim, but she could just make out Fang Muyang's silhouette.

She inwardly complained about his dawdling. At this rate, who knew when he'd make it back.

"Fei Ni!"

Fei Ni turned to see Old Fei. Although she had said she'd be back late today, it was now so late that her father, worried something might have happened, was about to go out looking for her.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you back so late?"

"I went to the movies with Fang Muyang."

"Fang Muyang? Weren't you with Ye..."

"Ye Feng and I are over."

Old Fei felt his mind go fuzzy. He needed a moment to collect his thoughts.

But Fei Ni gave him no chance to calm down, directly telling her parents she was going to marry Fang Muyang.

"Weren't you just at Ye Feng's place last week?"

"Ye Feng's mother has no fondness for me whatsoever." Fei Ni's tone was calm. "Of course, that's not the main issue. The real problem is that Ye Feng plans to continue living with his parents after marriage. His mother openly dislikes me—I can't very well force my way into their home."

Old Fei couldn't help but say, "Ye Feng is nearly thirty—how can he still have so little backbone, always doing whatever his mother says?"

"It's not that he lacks backbone. He just knows what matters most to him." Fei Ni didn't want to speak ill of Ye Feng behind his back. "He's comfortable living at home. If I asked him to move out, it would be unreasonable. Everyone has their own path—his and mine simply don't align. Let's not bring him up again."

Old Fei and his wife exchanged glances before saying in unison, "You're still young. There's no need to rush into marriage."

Fei Ma added, "When your second sister was getting married, didn't you advise her to be careful? How come when it's your turn, you're being so hasty?""When you first asked me to introduce you to a partner, you listed four requirements. Xiao Fang only meets the age and appearance criteria. You should meet more people before deciding. Besides, you just broke up with Ye Feng—if you marry Xiao Fang right away, people might think you were two-timing before."

"What others think of me doesn’t matter. I know in my heart that I’m not that kind of person." She knew it actually mattered—if she wanted to advance, she couldn’t ignore others’ opinions. But after caring for so many years, the biggest benefit was merely blending in with the masses, living safely, with no one considering her particularly progressive.

Fei Ma could tell she was speaking out of anger: "Of course I know your character. You’re just being stubborn. But even if you are, you should find someone with better conditions than Ye Feng. Choosing Xiao Fang…"

"Marriage isn’t about overthrowing landlords and redistributing land. No matter how good someone else’s conditions are, they’re theirs. Even if I temporarily benefit from them, they can take it back whenever they want." She added, "Our factory is allocating housing now. If I miss this chance, who knows how long I’ll have to wait. If I want to marry someone, Fang Muyang is the most suitable. I don’t think Fang Muyang is worse than anyone. With his family background, he still got recommended for university after working in the countryside, and he even saved someone while visiting home. Not everyone can do that." Besides the housing, he had other advantages—she didn’t have to hide what books she wanted to read or what records she wanted to listen to. In these times when even spouses might report each other, with someone like him, only she would have grounds to report him.

"Yes, Xiao Fang is good, I know. But you could get housing by marrying someone else too. With your qualifications, finding a man who can get allocated housing isn’t difficult."

"This house would be mine. If someone else gets the housing, I wouldn’t feel secure living there." As long as she had a house, everything else would come gradually. When things were lacking, there were substitutes—without a bed, two trunks pushed together could serve, or she could just sleep on the floor.

Fei Ni knew what her parents were worried about and added, "Fang Muyang is about to have a job now. Our life won’t be too difficult in the future."

Fei Ma wanted to say more, but Old Fei pressed her hand and said to Fei Ni, "It’s getting late. Let’s discuss this tomorrow. Everyone should get some rest."

After Fei Ni went to the washroom to freshen up, Old Fei spoke to his wife: "You know how she is. When has she ever changed her mind once she’s decided?"

"But why did she choose Xiao Fang? Look at his face—it’s naturally the face of a young master who’s never suffered. Even if his family falls into decline, he’d still go charm some wealthy heiress…"

"What era is this? ‘Charm some wealthy heiress’?"

Fei Ma shot Old Fei a disdainful look. "I mean he’s suited to be a live-in son-in-law for a wealthy family, not for ours. He doesn’t look like someone who can work hard or support a household. If Fei Ni marries him, she’ll have nothing but hardship ahead."

"I don’t think Xiao Fang is as you say. Didn’t he spend years in the countryside as an Educated Youth? He even saved someone—how can you say he can’t endure hardship?"

"Whether he can endure hardship or not, there’s plenty of hardship ahead. His parents have been sent down to the countryside and can’t help at all. Other families require ‘thirty-six legs’ for marriage, but Xiao Fang only has two legs, no matter how long they are. The three big items are basic, and now some people even expect a television set for marriage."The elderly couple fell silent when the topic of the television set came up. Ye Feng worked at the Radio Industry Bureau, so marrying him would certainly mean having a television set. But because Ye Feng's mother looked down on their daughter, they didn't consider it a good match either.

When Fei Ni entered carrying water, she overheard her parents mentioning the television set. In a very matter-of-fact tone, she said, "There are barely two programs worth watching on television all week. It's not as practical as a radio."

Her words carried the distinct flavor of sour grapes. The old couple glanced silently at the radio on the five-drawer cabinet—the one Fang Muyang had given them—but said nothing.

Fei Ni had no idea the radio was from Fang Muyang; no one had ever told her.

Early the next morning, Fei Ni hastily ate a few bites of breakfast before heading downstairs, where Fang Muyang was waiting for her.

"Didn't I tell you to come find me at noon?"

"Taking the bus costs money. Isn't it free if I give you a ride?"

Fei Ni thought he had a point, but this was completely out of character for him. "Since when have you become so frugal?"

"We'll need money to buy furniture. Might as well save where we can."

Fei Ni hopped onto the bicycle seat. The morning breeze tousled the hair across her forehead, and she caught the scent of soap from Fang Muyang's shirt—he'd probably used too much. His laundry skills were always this sloppy.

But she didn't point it out. If she did, he'd ask for a demonstration, and she absolutely refused to do his laundry for him.