In 1975, after graduating from high school, I chose to join the military. With my outstanding performance in the army, I was promoted to platoon commander four years later. When I came home from vacation, I got engaged to my elementary school teacher, Hui Lan.
However, on the day of the engagement, Liqin, the former blind date, blocked the door with her family. In front of Hui Lan, she accused me of ruining her reputation and making her unable to marry now, and demanded 150 yuan in compensation for reputation damage.
Otherwise, she'll expose me for what I really are.
I was a child from the rural South, and although my parents were simple farmers, they had a visionary vision. They have always taught us to study hard, and only through the power of knowledge can we get out of this familiar land, go to the unknown world, and realize our dreams.
Although they were not wealthy, they persisted in sending our three siblings to school for education. I also tried my best to get into university, but unfortunately, I couldn't do it because my grades weren't the best.
After graduating from high school, I returned to my hometown and worked as a substitute teacher at a commune elementary school. However, knowing that this was not the end for me, I listened to my friend's advice and decided to enlist in the army.
After layers of screening, with my high education and advantages, I successfully obtained the enlistment notice. However, enlisting in the military meant that I had to leave home for several years, so my parents wanted to arrange a marriage for me before I left.
After all, a lot of people in that era were already married at my age. I agreed to their advice and started my own blind date journey. I have a high school education, I'm not short, and I'm a teacher, and although I'm a little thin, that doesn't affect my charm.
As a result, many matchmakers are vying to introduce me to someone.
One day, Aunt Liu from a neighboring town came to visit my house with her daughter Liqin, hoping that we could have a conversation. Liqin is a big beauty, with red lips and white teeth, and bright eyes, which is rare in the countryside.
I was thrilled to see her, but I didn't know how to speak because I was too shy. In contrast, Liqin seemed very calm, even a little indifferent, rarely looked at me, and stood in the corner by herself.
She also answered my questions casually. After staying like this for about half an hour, suddenly a large bug flew onto Liqin's shoulder, and she jumped up in horror.
I immediately reached out and helped her get rid of the bugs.
When Lichen's mother and her parents came out of the room, they saw the two of us together. When they saw this, they couldn't help but laugh and asked how we were talking.
I didn't actually know anything, but for the sake of face, I could only pretend that it felt okay. Unexpectedly, Liqin also said that it felt good, and she could talk about it and try it later.
After hearing this, Liqin's mother and her parents were very happy and thought that this could happen, so they began to discuss how much the bride price would cost if they really got married.
Liqin's mother stretched out three fingers and shook them in front of her parents. The father did not speak after reading it, bowed his head and pondered for a while, and then exchanged glances with his mother before speaking.
Thirty bucks? This is really not a problem for our family. "What thirty, that's three hundred dollars! A beautiful girl like our family Liqin, who is naturally beautiful, you want to marry into the family for thirty yuan?
It's a fool's dream. "Three hundred? Our family has so much money? "Then I don't care, if you want to marry our family Liqin, that's the number, and you can figure out the rest yourself." ”
Liqin's mother's bride price request really surprised us, and we didn't know how to respond. For my family, thirty yuan is already very precious, let alone three hundred.
You must know that at that time, even if the production team was profitable, my father's monthly income was only 30 yuan, and if I didn't eat or drink, my family needed to save for a year to make up this money.
Due to the pressure of household expenses, this money is often insufficient, let alone surplus. Against this backdrop, my parents approached me to ask what they thought of Liqin. I told them frankly that although Liqin was beautiful, our family could not afford it.
After listening to my words, my parents decided to decline this family business, and they walked up to Liqin's mother and expressed their refusal in a tactful tone. However, Liqin's mother's reaction was unexpected, she immediately changed her face, and said in a weird manner: "I can see that your family is talented and will definitely be able to do great things in the future, how can you not even take out such money?" ”
In the face of Liqin's mother's accusation, I comforted: "It's still early, let's talk about this later." ”
My mother defended me and sent Liqin's mother away, and I felt that it would not be so simple. Sure enough, rumors began to circulate in the village that I had a problem with my style. But due to the lack of evidence, coupled with the good reputation of my family, the turmoil quickly subsided.
A month later, I was going to enlist in the army, and two days before I left, my father cooked a sumptuous meal and poured a large glass of treasured wine, and we talked a lot about our hearts, and he gave me ten dollars in case of emergency.
He said that the money was originally intended for me to marry a daughter-in-law, but it didn't seem to be in a hurry at the moment, so he asked me to take it. Although the money is small, it is very heavy, which made me determined to do my best in the army and help my family improve their lives.
After three months of recruit training, I was assigned to the garrison company of the communications station, the main task of which was the maintenance of various electronic equipment. Therefore, learning circuit diagrams and familiarizing ourselves with equipment operation methods have become our daily compulsory courses.
With a high school degree and a solid foundation, I can quickly understand and master the principles of complex drawings, and I can achieve excellent results in every assessment. Later, many competitions were held within the company, and the company commander recommended me to participate, and I lived up to expectations and successfully won the championship, which was praised by the whole regiment and won glory for the company.