At 7:30 in the evening, Yang milan , who was busy in the yard, heard the sound of children laughing and playing.
When he looked up, he saw his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and their whole family arriving.
The children ran ahead, while the adults followed behind, each holding bowls and chopsticks in their hands.
This couldn't be helped—life in those days was poor, and every household only had a limited number of daily necessities like plates, bowls, basins, and dishes.
So, whenever there was a wedding or funeral in someone's family, guests usually had to bring their own bowls and chopsticks.
For example, Yang's milan family of three only owned four bowls, two plates, and two enamel basins. Naturally, they couldn't host more than a dozen people.
That's why Li mercy family came prepared, bringing all their own dishes and chopsticks from home.
But when they entered the yard, Yang milan noticed something strange—their expressions weren't right, as if they were hiding emotions.
Even Li mercy eyes were red, as if she had just cried.
Though a little puzzled, Yang milan didn't think too much of it. He quickly went forward to greet them.
"Dad, Mom, you're here. Please sit down!"
"Mm."
Li tau nodded and followed Yang's milan words, taking a seat at the simple dining table that had been temporarily set up. The others also sat down one after another.
Li mercy though nervous, started helping as soon as she entered—after all, this was her home.
Seeing everyone seated, Yang milan brought out the enamel basin of steamed rice.
In those days, there were no electric rice cookers. Even if there were, ordinary people couldn't afford them. So rice was mostly steamed in basins or pots.
When the rice was served, everyone swallowed hard—rice was precious, not locally grown, and had to be bought from the cooperative. At 20 cents a pound, it was more expensive than flour.
It was rare to see so much rice served at once.
And then came an even bigger surprise: after a cold dish, Yang milan brought out a full pot of braised pork, stewed with potatoes and beans.
The tender red pork belly with soft, greasy potato cubes looked so delicious that it made people want to eat two full bowls of rice.
Adults and children alike stared at the meat, unable to look away.
Yang milan quickly fried the last cabbage, then sat down with everyone.
Feeling their eyes on him, he laughed awkwardly and said, "Dad, Mom, brothers and sisters-in-law, don't just sit there—pick up your chopsticks!"
But Li tau coughed lightly: "Don't be in such a hurry to eat. Don't you have something to announce? Say it first, then we'll eat."
Yang milan thought for a moment, then stood up, holding Li mercy hand. Looking solemnly at his in-laws, he declared:
"Dad, Mom, tomorrow I plan to go with li mercy to get our marriage certificate!"
Everyone froze in shock.
Li tau asked cautiously, "Are you saying… you're finally going to get the certificate?"
"Yes," Yang milan nodded. "li mercy and I have been together for four years now, and maggie is already three. It's time we made it official."
Li tau burst into hearty laughter. "Good! I fully support you. Tomorrow morning, go to the commune and get it done so we won't have to worry anymore!"
At this, the eldest brother-in-law, Li Jianguo, let out a long sigh of relief: "I was so scared! With such a serious announcement, I thought you were going to divorce our life mercy !"
Yang milan finally understood why they had looked so grim earlier—it was all a misunderstanding.
He smiled and said, "How could there be a divorce? In this life, I'll never divorce—I'll only ever be widowed, not divorced!"
The whole family was stunned again. They had been waiting nervously for some cruel words, but instead, Yang Milan declared his commitment to li mercy .
Then he added, "Getting married is a major event in our lives—it should be treated formally."
"Good, good! The more formal, the better," Li tau agreed in relief.
Zhang Guiying still asked nervously, "Besides the marriage certificate, is there anything else?"
"Yes."
As soon as Yang milan said that, everyone tensed again.
He quickly reassured them: "Don't worry, it's good news. When I went to the city a few days ago, I found a part-time job. From now on, I might focus my work there."
"What kind of job?" asked his brother in law Li Guoqing.
"Translation. I'll be translating foreign-language materials. It pays well—definitely better than doing farm work."
"Does that mean you have to leave home and go to the city?"
"No, I can do it from home. I just send the translations to them, and they'll mail me the money."
"How much can you earn in a month?" Zhang Guiying asked.
Yang milan shook his head and said,
"I'm not sure yet, but when I went there a few days ago, I only worked for a day and a half out of three, and I earned 132 yuan in total!"
"How much?"
"132!"
Everyone was stunned. That number was beyond their imagination.
Li tau , as the village Party Secretary, earned less than 300 yuan in an entire year—that's only about 25 yuan a month.
Yet Yang milan had made 132 yuan in just one and a half days! It completely overturned their understanding of money.
Zhang Guiying asked nervously, "This is legitimate work, right? It's not illegal?"
Yang milan smiled. "Mom, I work for the country. How could it be illegal?"
"But… this is too much money! It's more than what state officials earn!"
Yang milan explained patiently, "There's a serious shortage of translators nationwide right now. I'm only just starting out. As I gain more experience and my skills improve, I'll earn even more in the future."
"Can you really earn more?"
"Conservatively speaking, I can probably make 700 to 800 yuan a month without a problem," Yang milan replied.
"My heavens, wouldn't that make you a millionaire in just over a year?" Zhang Guiying exclaimed in shock.
"That's about right," Zhou Yang said with a smile.
Ten thousand yuan a year sounded unbelievable, but considering the royalties and Yang's milan translation speed, it wasn't an unrealistic goal at all.
At this moment, Li Fengnian looked at him and asked seriously, "So… do you plan to stay in the village forever and never leave?"
To Li tau , whether Yang milan could stay with his daughter was far more important than how much money he could earn.
Yang milan nodded. "I don't plan to leave for now. But if, in the future, I do get the chance, I'll take li mercy and maggie with me. If I can't take them, then I will definitely never leave alone!"
Li tau looked him in the eye. "Good. I hope you'll always remember what you said today."
"Mm!" Yang milan agreed firmly.