Shen Hui returned home and, seeing her father lying sick in bed, couldn't help but burst into tears:
"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm truly sorry! but I truly don't know what to do anymore. Xue'er has been bullied several times by other kids because she looks different. I'm so scared. I don't know what will happen when she starts school in two years."
Shen Huanzhi looked at his daughter, tears streaming down his face as well, and said:
"My girl, this isn't your fault. I know you truly loved that American from the way how you treated Tao. You are my daughter. I know you completely. If that American didn't have treated you with genuine care and sincerity, you wouldn't have given up Tao's love to marry him. It was the war that tore you and and your husband apart and left Xue'er without a father to protect her. This not only frightened you but also broke my heart. I'm getting old now and my health is failing. I don't think I have much time left before I go to join your mother. But I can't help but worry about you... and about Xue'er. Just like what you said, she will go to school in two years and one day she will grow up and find her boyfriend to marry. If things stay as they are now, how am I supposed to face your mother after I pass away?" At this point, he paused and let out a long sigh. Just as Shen Hui was about to speak, he raised his hand to stop her and countinued, "Your mother and I lived a comfortable and peaceful life with fairly well-off but our greatest regret was not giving you any siblings. To tell you the truth, before you, we had a son. He was a year older than Tao. I remember when he was just two years old, he suddenly fell ill with pneumonia. You know that the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine was limited to treat something like that and at that time no one in our town had the knowledge about Western medicine, which ultimately led to his demise. Your mother was overwhelmed with grief. Not only did she fall seriously ill, but she also lost the baby she had been carrying for just two months. From then on her health never fully recovered. It wasn't until two years later that she became pregnant with you. So if anything were to happen to you now, neither your mother nor I could rest in peace though she had passed away. Please, my daughter, take my advice to marry Tao. He has never stopped thinking about you all these years. I don't believe you're completely without feelings for him either. After all, you two grew up together. Not only do you know each other completely but you also understand each other's temperaments and habits. And Nanny You has always treated you like her own daughter. That's one reason. And the other is that he is an official, a war hero. If he becomes Xue'er's father, no one will dare to bully her again. You won't have to live in fear every day. It is much better than you taking the risk to cross into Hong Kong illegally. Even if you did manage to get to Hong Kong safely, do you make sure that Xue'er's father is still waiting for you after these years? If he has married again, what would you do with Xue'er in the unfamiliar city where no one you know? How would you make your life with a child? My girl, please think it over carefully for your sake and for Xue'er's. Don't let me leave this world with regret and worry in my heart."
Hearing his father's words, Shen Hui couldn't say anything but simply wiped away her tears. Looking into his hopeful eyes and seeing his face, so gaunt and worn from illness, she could no longer bring herself to say "no". She nodded and said softly:
"Dad, I will listen to you and think it over carefully."
When Nanny You learned that Shen Hui had finally agreed to marry You Tao, she was overjoy beyond words. Sometimes she could even be heard humming cheerful tunes as she went in and out of the house. Her excitement quickly spread to everyone in Shen family. Shen Huanzhi seemed to be on the mend. He was even able to get out of bed and sit in the courtyard, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Xue'er nestled in his arms, reciting newly learned poems and herbal prescriptions. Liu'er went happily to and from school every day, spending her free time studying and playing with Xue'er. You Tao threw himself into preparing the paperwork for his political background check while Shen Hui submitted her marriage application to her work unit. Everyone was doing what they were supposed to in an atmosphere of joy and harmony. But You Tao knew that Shen Hui's feelings for him weren't those of romantic love, more like the affection between siblings. Even so, he still wanted to be with her. And he made a love confession to her:
"Hui mei, I know that you still love Xue'er's father in your heart. I also know that the reason you're willing to marry me is for Xue'er's sake. You just want me to protect her. I understand that completely. But let me tell you I will protect you and Xue'er without hesitation no matter whether you're willing to marry me or not. We will be husband and wife if we get married. If not, we'll still be like brother and sister. This is how I see it from your perspective. But from my side, you don't have to feel guilty toward me. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. When you were in Beijing, I failed to protect you and didn't take good care of you so that I missed our chance to be together. No matter whether you are my Hui mei or Xue'er's mother, it makes no difference to me. I have never changed my love for you. You can't imagine how happy I was when I heard that you had finally agreed to this marriage. Hui mei, please don't be fear. I'm here to protect you and Xue'er with everything I have. No one will dare to bully you and Xue'er again. I'll treat her as my own daughter and raise her with all my heart. Let's become a real family, your father, my mother, Liu'er, Xue'er, you and me. Thank you for giving me the chance to finally feel what it's like to have a complete home."
Hearing his confession, she was deeply moved. With tears in her eyes, she said:
"Tao ge, after hearing your words, I really don't know what to say. But don't worry. Once we're married, I will fulfil my duties as your wife. I'll be a good revolutionary partner to you, take care of my father and Nanny You and raise the two children well. I want my father and Nanny You to enjoy their peaceful and happy old age surrounded by the laughter of children and grandchildren. And I want you to be able to focus on your revolutionay work without any worries. Thank you for understanding me, Tao ge."
You Tao pulled Shen Hui into his arms gently. This was the first time he had held her like this since they had been separated nearly ten years ago. A deep sense of comfort and happiness welled up in his heart. Shen Hui, on the other hand, nestled shyly into his arms, her expression somewhat complex, but she still reached out and wrapped her arms around him.
But the atmosphere of joy and harmony in both Shen and You families didn't last long. Before long, they knew that You Tao had been summoned for successive conversations with the leaders at both the municipal and provincial levels. The topic of these meetings focused on one central issue: his marriage. To be precise, it concerned the class background of his intended partner.
First, Shen Hui didn't come from a proletariat family. Although they could still be considered part of the working class, the Shen family had retained ownership of land for many years after Liberation without voluntarily donating it to the state. This was seen as evidence of their lack of political consciousness and absence of proactive revolutionary spirit. On the contrary, Comrade You Tao came from a pure proletariat background. He had fought in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Chinese Civil War and the Korean War (known domestically as the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea), earning multiple commendations as a revolutionary hero and eventually rising to the position of a key state cadre. From the standpoint of class background, they were considered incompatible.
Second, although the Shen and You families had long maintained close relations, their relationship represented that of the exploiting class and the exploited class. Even to this day, You Tao's mother continued to serve as a domestic helper in the Shen family, which fundamentally conflicted with the revolutionary spirit and great policies of the New China. Being an important cadre of the state, Comrade You Tao had failed to recognize and correct this situation in a timely manner, and therefore must be seriously criticized.
Third, the foundation of their marriage was deemed to be rooted in feudal-style arranged marriage, which the Party explicitly opposed and actively sought to abolish. So this marriage wasn't authorized.
The last one, also the important one, was the issue of Shen Hui herself. She was seen as a typical petty bourgeois intellectual with a penchant for worshipping foreign things. In the past, she had once abandoned a revolutionary comrade ---- Comrade You Tao who had been fighting courageously for the founding of New China, and instead chose to marry an American imperialist, even bearing his child. Worse still, she had shown no signs of genuine remorse for her actions. Therefore, Shen Hui was deemed fundamentally unsuitable to be the revolutionary partner of Comrade You Tao.
In view of all the above reasons, the Party organization formally disapproved of the marriage application between Comrade You Tao and Comrade Shen Hui. It was strongly advised that Comraded You Tao seek a revolutionary partner within the revolutionary ranks, a female comrade with sound class background and firm ideological standing.
In addition to the content of the conversations, the provincial and municipal leaders brought up the close relationship between You Tao and Wang Hongjun during the Korean War. Although You Tao repeatedly explained that Wang Hongjun and he were merely ordinary revolutionary comrades, not involved in anything further. But it was strange that his explanations were regarded as an attempt to evade Comrade Wang Hongjun's revolutionary passion. They accused him of being deceived by the sweet words of a petty bourgeois, thereby losing the vigilance that a true communist fighter ought to possess. Naturally, he was subjected to serious criticism and was informed that Wang Hongjun had also submitted a marriage request to the organization, naming him as her intended partner. He was told in no uncertain terms that he must correct his attitude and make the right choice, or else he would be dismissed from all his positions and permanently disqualified from any future consideration by the Party.
When all this news reached the Shen family, Shen Huanzhi merely let out a sigh. Aside from looking at his own daughter with deep worry, he said nothing. Nanny You, on the other hand, burst into tears, holding Xue'er tightly in her arms and repeatedly murmuring:
"My girl, you'll always be my real granddaughter."
Shen Hui showed no expression, quietly and calmly accepting everything as it came.