Love Story in the 1970s

Upon learning that the Fang family had been allocated such an apartment, Lin Mei couldn’t hide her astonishment.

After the initial surprise, she felt genuinely happy for Fei Ni. In the past, Fei Ni had rushed into marriage with Xiao Fang, who had no savings, no job, and no house, and Lin Mei couldn’t help suspecting that she had done so to free up the house for Fei Ting’s marriage. This thought had weighed on her conscience. Now, knowing that Fei Ni had married into a well-off family, Lin Mei felt relieved. Besides, they were all relatives, and it was always better for relatives to be doing well. If Fei Ni were struggling, how could she stand by and do nothing?

Lin Mei then asked Fei Ni how many siblings Xiao Fang had. Upon learning that Fang Muyang’s older brother and sister were not in the city, Lin Mei felt a surge of personal joy. Fei Ni’s in-laws lived in such a large house, so naturally, they would reserve a room for their youngest son. Lin Mei assumed Fei Ni would be eager to move in with her in-laws—the prospect of having a private kitchen and bathroom alone would be enough. For people like her and Fei Ni, who had grown up using shared facilities, a private bathroom was a luxury. Lin Mei doubted she would ever live in a house with one.

Still, it was good that Fei Ni could enjoy such a place. That way, Fei Ting would have a larger house to live in. Given Fei Ting’s seniority and position, it would be a long time before he qualified for a housing allocation. Last week, Lin Mei had converted her newly received salary into two bottles of fine liquor, a carton of premium cigarettes, and the best pastries from the bakery. She had asked Fei Ting to accompany her to Deputy Director Yu’s home at the hat factory’s logistics management office to inquire about housing. Fei Ting disliked the practice of gift-giving, but that day, he had gone along without even needing persuasion.

Before they left, Lin Mei had advised Fei Ting to let her do the talking. He had no experience in presenting gifts, and saying the wrong thing could offend someone. Deputy Director Yu was in charge of housing allocations. Lin Mei discreetly presented the gifts before gradually bringing up their housing difficulties. Deputy Director Yu accepted the gifts and was polite but firm in his principles. He explained that many people were waiting for housing and while he understood their predicament, there were currently no vacant units. Fei Ting would have to wait until someone moved out. Seeing their disappointment, Deputy Director Yu offered another suggestion: Old Yuan from the finance department had recently had three private property houses returned to him. According to regulations, Old Yuan would have to vacate the factory-allocated housing. If Fei Ting could negotiate with Old Yuan and move in immediately after he left, ahead of others, the unit could be assigned to Fei Ting. Lin Mei took the advice and went to see Old Yuan, only to find ten other people already waiting in line, all hoping to move in as soon as he left. Two families were even fighting in front of Old Yuan’s door. After leaving Old Yuan’s place, Lin Mei regretted the fine liquor, cigarettes, and pastries she had given away. What kind of advice was that? Fei Ting was even angrier, swearing that he would rather live on the streets than ever give another gift to that bastard Yu.

But Fei Ni was different from Old Yuan. If she moved out, she wouldn’t give the house to strangers instead of her brother and sister-in-law.

Lin Mei didn’t bring up the housing issue with Fei Ni. She assumed Fei Ni would eventually move in with her in-laws and didn’t want to pressure her by mentioning it prematurely.

Lin Mei’s voice was filled with joy as she spoke.

Fei Ni quickly understood the source of her sister-in-law’s happiness but couldn’t bear to shatter her hopes, so she didn’t mention the housing issue either. She couldn’t explain to her sister-in-law, who was crammed into a small house with their parents, why she had no intention of moving in with her in-laws.

Suddenly, Lin Mei said to Fei Ni, “I’m pregnant.”Fei Ni was also infected by Lin Mei's joy and asked with a smile, "How many days? Why didn’t my brother tell me?" Not only her brother, but no one in the family had mentioned it to her.

"Your brother doesn’t know yet. I’ll tell him when he comes back tonight."

Lin Mei was nearly thirty. The year the college entrance exams were canceled was her final year of high school. Her academic performance wasn’t outstanding, and she had even felt somewhat relieved when she heard the exams were canceled. Even if they hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have passed—now she no longer had to make excuses for failing to get into university, since no one could. She had thought she could follow in her parents' footsteps and become a factory worker, but instead, she was sent to the countryside for re-education, where she met Fei Ting. It was much later that she began to regret the absence of the college entrance exams—by then, she had returned to the city, but Fei Ting was still in the countryside. She knew that with Fei Ting’s academic record back then, he would certainly have been admitted to university. His elementary school performance was average, but he attended key municipal schools for both junior and senior high. After Fei Ting returned to the city, got a job, and married her, Lin Mei felt content for a while. If not for her unexpected pregnancy, she would have remained satisfied. A small room like this was hardly suitable for three generations to live in. Though she had seen more than one family of three generations crammed into a single room—her parents’ home was currently housing three generations, with her mom and dad, her older sister and brother-in-law, and their little niece—it was precisely because she had endured such living conditions that she had been hesitant to have a child. Her current home was slightly better than her parents’, but the so-called partition didn’t even have a door, just a curtain.

She had originally planned to wait until they were allocated a larger place before having a child, but the contraceptive measures failed, and she became pregnant. She had obtained the pregnancy diagnosis from the hospital the previous week but hadn’t told Fei Ting yet. She wasn’t sure whether to keep the child. There were many reasons to do so—she loved children, and she was at the right age—but she didn’t want to raise a child in such cramped conditions.

Now, however, her sister-in-law had brought good news, and she felt the timing of this child was just right.

"Mom and Dad don’t know either?"

Lin Mei smiled. "Aside from me and the doctor, you’re the first to know." She fetched the diagnostic report to show Fei Ni. "I haven’t had my period for over a month. Last week, I went to the hospital for a check-up, and it confirmed I’m pregnant."

Fei Ni thought to herself, My brother knows too—that’s why he wants to make furniture to earn rent. The reasons her brother had given for wanting to make money were true, but not the most important one. The crucial factor was that his wife was pregnant and had been uncertain about keeping the child due to their cramped living conditions. His pride and sense of responsibility compelled him to secure a more spacious home for his wife.

Fei Ni took three hundred yuan from her bag—the money she had prepared to cover her brother and sister-in-law’s rent. She didn’t specify its purpose.

Lin Mei firmly refused, using the same line Fei Ting had: help in emergencies, not poverty. Besides, Lin Mei didn’t consider herself poor. Their combined salaries were enough to get by, and when the child arrived, their wages would increase with seniority. The only issue was housing, but now even that didn’t seem like such a big problem.

"Your brother’s and my salaries are sufficient. If I ever need money urgently, I’ll definitely tell you. Now, please take this back."

Fei Ni had no choice but to put the money away.

Fang Muyang went to his parents’ home, while Fei Ni stayed at her parents’ for dinner.

When the meal was ready, Lin Mei suggested everyone start eating without waiting for Fei Ting. Fei Ni insisted they wait a little longer.Lin Mei said, "He must have eaten at his classmate's house. He's helping them build furniture—how could they not pay him and still have the nerve to not feed him? Tomorrow I'll tell him not to go. Work is exhausting enough as it is. Fei Ting is also a bit simple-minded, doing two people's work at the factory for one salary." Lin Mei's most tender moments toward her husband were when she scolded him for being simple-minded.

Fei Ni said, "I've had too much watermelon and can't eat right now. Let's have dinner a little later."

When Fei Ting returned, his face was covered in sweat, and he carried a bag of apricots. Lin Mei had mentioned wanting apricots that morning, and he had bought them by evening. Fei Ting told his sister to take some with her.

Fei Ni said, "Brother, go wash up quickly. When you come back, my sister-in-law has good news to announce."

At the dinner table, Lin Mei announced she was pregnant, and the whole family was overjoyed. Though they had married last, they were the first to have a child. Fei Ni was happy for them too. Amid the joy, there was a hint of worry, but she didn't let it show.

During the meal, Lin Mei was very talkative.

"Mom, I have a piece of fabric I haven't used yet. Give it to Little Sister's in-laws tomorrow as a meeting gift. I also have some pastry vouchers here—pack them a thick box of pastries. We can't let them look down on us."

Fei Ni laughed, "Sister-in-law, you should keep it for yourself. Now that you're pregnant, your old clothes probably won't fit. I still have some pastry vouchers left from the last time you gave them to me, so we don't need them this time."

Fei Ma said, "Don't worry about it. I've already prepared everything."

Fang Muyang came to pick up Fei Ni and brought along the electric fan he had bought.

Old Fei, enjoying the breeze from the fan, remarked, "Electric is much better than my palm leaf fan."

Fang Muyang sat with his father-in-law, cooling off, and conveyed his own father's arrangements.

"Old... My parents plan to visit you first, then take our whole family out to a restaurant. After the meal, we'll go see his newly assigned apartment. Once that's done, the driver will bring you back."

Old Fei was astonished to hear there would be a driver and couldn't help asking, "What does your father do for a living?"

Fang Muyang said, "He's currently at home, unemployed. The car was rented from a taxi company."

Although Old Fang's old acquaintances had told him to just ask if he needed a car, he had never used one—not for official matters, let alone private ones like meeting the in-laws. Fang Muyang directly called the taxi company for him and reserved two Warsaw cars. Chartering cars required booking a day in advance, costing twenty yuan per Warsaw car per day, with additional charges for over forty kilometers. Old Fang wondered how his rebellious son, after years of rural labor, had become so savvy about spending money so quickly after returning.

"That must be quite expensive, right?"

"Don't worry about the money. Let's have my eldest brother, his wife, my second sister, and her husband join us tomorrow. Fei Ni and I didn't have a wedding banquet, so this is a good chance for everyone to get together."

Lin Mei chimed in with a smile, "Can one car fit so many people? Maybe I shouldn't go."

"It'll definitely fit."

Once the meeting details were settled, Fei Ni left the Fei household with Fang Muyang.

Fei Ni didn't give her elder brother any more money, knowing he wouldn't accept it even if she did.Lin Mei ate the apricots Fei Ting had bought for her and continued sharing her views: "I told you before, our younger sister didn’t marry just to help you return to the city. She took marriage very seriously, and now it’s even better than I imagined—she’s going to live with her in-laws. Once her place is vacant, she certainly won’t let outsiders take it. That means we’ll have a house too. Thinking back, I’m still upset about giving our good things to the Yu family. We should’ve saved them all for our sister."

"Did she tell you that?"

"She didn’t, but isn’t it obvious? The housing at your hat factory can’t compare to the apartment her in-laws were allocated. The kitchen’s in the hallway, and there isn’t even a private bathroom."

"She has her own concerns. Fei Ni might not want to live with her in-laws. You didn’t mention any of this to her, did you?"

"Do you think I’m that tactless? That would be like pressuring her to give up the house for us. But I can’t figure out why she wouldn’t want to live with her in-laws."

"You know the saying, ‘A high match is no match’?"

"What does that mean?"

"You received your high school education before classes were suspended. How come you don’t know this?"

Lin Mei felt a bit embarrassed: "Can’t you just explain it plainly?"

"Living with your in-laws is different for you than it is for her. Marrying me was a step down for you. My parents feel like you’ve suffered by coming here, and they treat you even better than they treat me…"

Lin Mei laughed: "No need to be so modest. We’re quite well-matched. We’re around the same age, both high school graduates, and even our parents have similar jobs. What’s more, the layouts of our family homes are almost identical."

Fei Ting couldn’t help but laugh too. They really were a well-matched couple.

Fei Ting continued: "There wasn’t much of a gap between my sister and Xiao Fang, but you have to admit, there’s quite a difference between our families now. If my sister returns the house to the factory—which would mean giving it to us—and moves in with them, what if conflicts arise? She wouldn’t have the confidence to argue, and where would she go then?"

"Why wouldn’t she have confidence? If there’s a conflict, she shouldn’t leave. She should stay right there in their home, in the best room. Besides, Fei Ni married Xiao Fang when he was at his lowest—she took care of him in the hospital whenever she had time, and he didn’t even have a job when they got married. Think of all the reflections she wrote for his sequential pictures and how many books she bought to give away. People should repay kindness. If he doesn’t, we’ll have to make him." Lin Mei then reconsidered, "But you never know about people’s hearts. The other day, I ran into Wang Wenxue from our educated youth point buying pastries at our shop. He divorced his rural wife and returned to the city. Back then, he pursued her so fiercely just for a daily egg, and now that he doesn’t need her anymore, he abandoned his wife and child for a return-to-city quota, even without a house or job. If someone like Xiao Fang’s family really made it big, who knows how arrogant they’d become? But I think Xiao Fang’s family is decent. Didn’t they give our parents an electric fan today?"

Imagining herself as Fei Ni, Lin Mei vented a lot of satisfying thoughts, but she wasn’t Fei Ni. She realized the house wasn’t as within reach as she had thought, and her child might very well be born in this very room.

Fei Ting comforted her: "If we really can’t get allocated a house, I’ll take you to rent one. Don’t worry about this.""You have a home yet you still want to rent? How could you even think of that? Are you a landlord or a capitalist? So what if the place is a bit small? With that money, you could do so many better things. I'm saving up to buy a television to watch."

Fei Ni sat on the back of the bicycle, her mind completely occupied with thoughts of housing. The evening wind blew into the back of Fang Muyang's collar, causing his white shirt to puff up instantly. Fei Ni wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her head against his back, and squeezed the wind away.

This person was truly good. But the better he was, the more she felt she couldn't test him. Placing all her hopes for life on this person before her would be a heavy burden for both of them. Her sister-in-law, and even her parents, believed she was very lucky to marry Fang Muyang—which meant that in others' eyes, her circumstances and his were not equal...

"Why do you seem a bit unhappy today?"

"Not at all, I'm very happy. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and I'll soon be an aunt."

"You still can't bear to part with this place, can you?"

Fei Ni didn't respond. No matter what, she had to keep her own room. Once she gave it up, the hat factory likely wouldn't allocate her another one in the future. Although her brother couldn't get a place assigned to him for the time being, his turn would come someday... But now that her sister-in-law was pregnant, they really did need a larger place.

"You're not destined to live here for long. In a few days, you'll surely leave the hat factory."

Fei Ni laughed. "Where would I go if I left the hat factory?"

"You're capable of so many things, I really can't guess where you'd go."

"You just like teasing me."

Fei Ni let Fang Muyang put his arm around her shoulder as they entered the building. When she saw a housing exchange notice in the hallway, she stopped walking.

Most people in the city lived in publicly-owned housing, with only usage rights, not ownership. If they felt their place was too small, inconveniently located, or had an undesirable floor, and wanted to exchange a private room for a suite or vice versa, they could only register their information at an exchange station or post notices like this to arrange a swap. If both parties reached an agreement, they could sign an exchange contract and move.

Next to the housing exchange notice was another one for job transfers.

Fei Ni's eyes were fixed only on the housing exchange notice. Someone wanted to exchange their two-bedroom apartment for two separate rooms because their son was getting married. The notice specifically mentioned that it was a unit with its own private bathroom.

Fei Ni took down the notice and carefully read it from beginning to end. She silently scolded herself for being foolish—she should have thought of exchanging housing earlier.

Her one room and her parents' one room could be exchanged for a two-bedroom apartment with two bedrooms and a private bathroom. Once the exchange was made, the factory wouldn't be able to take her room away. The exchange contract would, of course, be in her name. Her brother could move in first and continue waiting for his own housing allocation. Once her brother got his assigned place, the two-bedroom would still belong to her and her parents. Then, whether she lived with her parents or exchanged it for two separate rooms again, it would be possible.

This way, she could keep her room while solving her brother and sister-in-law's temporary difficulties.

Fei Ni brought the notice back to her home, planning to contact the person tomorrow using the work unit phone number listed on it. The notice specifically stated that they could be contacted any day of the week.

Fang Muyang seemed to have guessed what Fei Ni was thinking and asked her, "Have you decided about renting?"Fei Ni nodded, "But the house you mentioned earlier is too expensive. Let's just find two small rooms—one for the bedroom and one for your studio." She still needed to have some savings. Her only stable income now was her salary, and she couldn't spend it all on rent. The kind of standalone house Fang Muyang had described was too extravagant for her.

"Is it really necessary for us to move into the kind of house you're talking about?"

"Of course it is. The extra room can serve as both your studio and the living room. This room is indeed a bit too small, and it's quite inconvenient for your painting. Besides, when your guests come over, they'll see the bed right away, which isn't ideal. I know you love to act first and ask for permission later, so I'm telling you in advance—don't look for a house that exceeds my standards. If you do, I won't move in."

"I don't want to move."

"You have to move. If you hadn't brought up moving, I wouldn't have even thought of this."

"If I refuse to move, what are you going to do? Throw me out?"

Fei Ni pinched his ear, "I'll have the movers carry you out along with the furniture, and you'll pay for the shipping."

Despite all its shortcomings, because they were about to leave it behind, Fei Ni could only see its advantages now. This was the first home that belonged to her, the little nest she and Fang Muyang had built together. She thought back to the days when they had just moved in—back then, it was nothing more than a house, empty and bare. Later, she bought some secondhand items, and it barely qualified as a home. After Fang Muyang returned, this home grew fuller and fuller. It was so familiar that she could walk through it with her eyes closed and never take a wrong step.

That day, they forgot to buy mosquito coils again. To ward off mosquitoes, they had no choice but to apply Floral Water. Fei Ni reluctantly dabbed some on Fang Muyang carelessly, but he applied it on her with great care and attention.