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Old Liu seemed to have noticed as well. He gently tapped the sofa and said.
"You two go into the room first."
After the Liu sisters left, Liu Zhongming asked Fang Zhenhua to sit down, and then the Liu couple began a comprehensive investigation into him.
Liu Zhongming learned everything about his family background and personal thoughts.
Although Liu Zhongming had already learned about the family situation from Handong, he still wanted Fang Zhenhua to say it himself, so that at least it could be verified.
Clearly, Fang Zhenhua earned Liu Zhongming's approval in terms of honesty.
If the old man passes the test, then there will be no problem with Liu's mother. Although Fang Zhenhua's family is not well-off, the child himself is exceptionally capable!
They have three children, but only one youngest daughter is still unmarried, which makes the elderly couple quite anxious.
After all, this isn't forty years from now. For a college graduate like Liu Fei, it's perfectly normal to be talking about marriage.
The more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the happier she becomes.
After lunch, Zhao Mengsheng suggested that he and his wife take Fang Zhenhua and Liu Fei out for a stroll.
The reason the two of them were there was to prevent Fang Zhenhua and Liu Fei from feeling awkward when they were alone together.
After all, girls in the 70s were relatively thin-skinned.
Moreover, the presence of Zhao Mengsheng and his wife is actually a good thing for Fang Zhenhua. Liu Lan is also a traitor; she can not only contribute but also tip off others.
Sure enough, when Zhao Mengsheng and Fang Zhenhua went out first, they whispered to each other.
"Do your best in a bit. Your sister-in-law just said that Feifei had a very good first impression of you, so there's hope."
Liu Fei is clearly a member of the "looks matter" club, and Fang Zhenhua is good-looking enough.
In the afternoon, the four of them went to the Summer Palace. In order to create a private space for Fang Zhenhua and Liu Fei, they specially took two boats on the Suzhou River.
Liu Fei knew her sister and brother-in-law's intentions and couldn't help but blush.
But it's clear that she doesn't reject it.
Sitting on the small boat, with a man in his fifties rowing in front of him, Fang Zhenhua made a suggestion.
"Shall we sit in the back?"
Liu Fei nodded.
Fang Zhenhua is also a member of the "looks-matter" club. Liu Fei is tall, about 1.7 meters, with fair skin, and looks a bit like the Hong Kong actress Kwan Chi-ling.
Her beauty and elegance, combined with her sweetness and cuteness, blend perfectly without any sense of incongruity.
Sitting at the stern, Liu Fei softly inquired about Fang Zhenhua's past. When she heard that Fang Zhenhua had lost both his parents at a young age and had been raised by his older sister and brother-in-law, she was deeply moved.
She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
"Your sister and brother-in-law are such good people."
"That's what I thought too, so when I joined the army, I thought that one day I would be able to repay their kindness."
If someone else had said this, Liu Fei might have felt that the Qi family was a burden.
But after Fang Zhenhua said it, Liu Fei felt that he was a kind and righteous person, and a damned face-obsessed person.
"You studied surgery?"
"Yes! I studied general surgery, and my teacher is Professor Qiu."
Professor Qiu from Tongji University in Jiangcheng?
Fang Zhenhua realized who it was.
"If you were in southern Xinjiang, perhaps many of our comrades could have survived."
"I'm not a living Hua Tuo either!" Liu Fei chuckled softly, but she still asked a question.
"You've had a tough time fighting in southern Xinjiang?"
Men with experience are definitely attractive. When Fang Zhenhua talked about his experiences in southern Xinjiang, he mentioned that he led the elite platoon to take down the enemy's position, that he saved his comrades twice, and that he broke the military region's record.
As Liu Fei listened, she became completely absorbed.
What an outstanding man, even better than her brother-in-law.
When Fang Zhenhua waved his hand in front of Liu Fei's eyes, Liu Fei finally came to her senses.
"what happened?"
"It's okay."
As if thinking of something, her pretty face flushed slightly, as beautiful as the afterglow of the setting sun.
This time, it was Fang Zhenhua's turn to be mesmerized.
Pshaw, what a pair of face-obsessed fools.
Chapter 14 Pre-war Engagement
Fang Zhenhua studied at the military academy for two years, and his progress was remarkable, with his grades in all subjects ranking among the top in his class.
Even Fang Yingda, the instructor, always spoke highly of Fang Zhenhua. In Fang Yingda's view, Fang Zhenhua was a born general.
He made great progress in his career, and at the same time, Fang Zhenhua also made great progress in his love life.
Military academies are closed environments, so Liu Fei couldn't talk to Fang Zhenhua often. Therefore, the two young people chose the most common way in this era.
They wrote letters to each other, pouring out their hearts.
Over two years, they wrote two or three hundred letters to each other, exchanging letters almost every two or three days.
In the letter, Liu Fei talked about many things, such as her frustrations at work and trivial matters in her life. She shared everything she could with Fang Zhenhua.
As for Fang Zhenhua, there wasn't much interesting stuff at the military academy, so he came up with a different idea and used another method.
Every time Liu Fei wrote to him, in addition to offering advice and agreeing with her, he would always add a love song to the letter.
In the 1980s and 90s, he collected love songs from all over mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and the effect was extremely remarkable.
The image of a talented man was established in Liu Fei's mind.
He's skilled in both martial arts and literature, capable of writing songs and lyrics, and handsome—making him incredibly attractive to Liu Fei.
The young couple's feelings for each other quickly blossomed, and after two years, they even reached the point of discussing marriage.
Sensing this sentiment, Liu's parents had Liu's mother approach Wu Shuang.
Essentially, Wu Shuang was the matchmaker for this young couple, so it was most appropriate for her to arrange things like matchmaking and key points in their marriage negotiations.
Wu Shuang was quite proud of the marriage she had facilitated; the man and woman were a perfect match.
Therefore, Wu Shuang decided to personally set off for Yantai City.
Since the only people in Fang Zhenhua's family who can make decisions are his older sister and brother-in-law, they must be informed of this matter.
How can the groom's hometown not be involved in marriage negotiations?
At the very least, the two families should sit down together and have a proper talk, right?
Wu Shuang arrived in Jingzhou City by military aircraft, and then the Handong Provincial Military Region sent a military vehicle to personally escort her to Yantai.
As soon as she arrived in Yantai, the commander and political commissar of the Yantai Military Sub-district received the news and immediately accompanied her to Fang Zhenhua's hometown, Wenjiang County.
The county party secretary and county head of Wenjiang County, knowing that a high-ranking official had arrived, dared not be negligent.
Therefore, in addition to Wu Shuang, a founding member, several other leading cadres also came to the Qi family.
This terrified Mr. and Mrs. Qi, who thought Fang Zhenhua had died on the battlefield.
Wu Shuang looked at the Qi family's mud house, frowned, and then sighed softly.
He is indeed from a poor family, but great talents can come from humble backgrounds!
When faced with the somewhat reserved Qi family couple, Wu Shuang's true nature was revealed once again.
"Dashan, Fanglan, don't worry. I am the mother of Zhenhua, and my son is the political instructor of Zhenhua's company. I have some good news to tell you this time."
"Boss... what good news is it?"
Qi Dashan asked somewhat haltingly.
"Let's go inside and talk."
There was no dish soap back then! So the Qi family's enamel mugs and bowls were all a bit black and grimy.
Fortunately, the leaders of the production team were quick-witted; they had already prepared enamel mugs and filled them with water for the leaders.
Wu Shuang didn't drink water, but instead held Fang Lan's hand and said...
“Zhenhua saved Mengsheng’s life on the battlefield. I like this boy very much, so I arranged a marriage for him in the capital. Now he and that girl have a very good relationship and have reached the point of discussing marriage.”
"So the reason I came to Yantai this time is partly to see you and talk to you about this matter, and partly to bring you to the capital so that the two children can get engaged in the capital first. What do you think?"
My younger brother/brother-in-law hasn't come home for two years. Apart from the commendations for his meritorious service and the allowances he sends back, there's been almost no news of him.
But now they suddenly announced their engagement, a piece of unexpected news that caught the Qi couple completely off guard.
However, Fang Lan reacted quickly, or perhaps she was worried about her younger brother, so she boldly asked.
"Don't call me leader. I heard from Zhenhua that you two are about the same age as Mengsheng in my family. Just call me Aunt Wu."
"Aunt Wu, what does Zhenhua's family do, that girl they know?"
Wu Shuang secretly cheered in his heart, and then said.
“This girl is actually related to our family! Her older sister is Mengsheng’s wife, so Zhenhua and Mengsheng will be brothers-in-law in the future.”
"You don't need to worry about this girl's family; you'll find out once we get to the capital."
Wu Shuang didn't want too many people to know, so she deliberately created a riddle.
Looking at the leaders and then at Wu Shuang, Fang Lan thought to herself, no matter what, that girl's family must be much better off than her own.
Aunt Wu looks like a high-ranking leader. Anyone who is related to her family must also be a leader, right?
How could Zhenhua marry the daughter of a leader?
Fang Lan's breathing became rapid when she thought of this.
Zhenhua, he's made something of himself.
"Fang Lan, would you like to come to the capital with me?"
"Aunt Wu, I'll do whatever you say."
Wu Shuang could tell that Qi Dashan was an honest and simple person. Once Fang Lan made a decision, things would be simple for Qi Dashan.
"That's fine then. You guys pack your things and come with me to the capital. Don't bring anything else; we have everything at home."
"Yes, yes, Aunt Wu, I'll do whatever you say."
Wu Shuang arrived by military aircraft, and she will return in the same way. The Qi family couple, along with Qi Tongwei, are also benefiting from Wu Shuang's presence.
When Wu Shuang returned to Beijing with the Qi family of three, an unexpected piece of news interrupted her plans.
She then immediately called Zhao Mengsheng and asked him to bring Fang Zhenhua back to Beijing, and Liang Sanxi and Jin Kailai were no exception.
Zhao Mengsheng was surprised on the phone and asked why there was such a rush. Wu Shuang gave him a final answer.
Their army is about to have new combat missions, which Lei Zhen has already arranged, so Fang Zhenhua wants to get engaged before the battle.
This news was also confirmed by Fang Yingda, who was also leaving the military academy to transfer to southern Xinjiang to serve as a division commander.
Fang Zhenhua and his group were to be transferred to Fang Yingda's division.
The nine-time streak is a thing of the past.
Zhao Mengsheng was very worried, fearing that Liu Fei would disagree. However, what made Zhao Mengsheng feel gratified was that Liu Fei seemed to be more sensible than their own Liu Lan.
She did not stop Fang Zhenhua from going to the battlefield, and she readily agreed to their pre-war engagement.
She also told Liu Zhongming and his wife that she would only get married when Fang Zhenhua returned, and that she would never marry if he didn't return.
When Comrade Xiao Fang heard this, his heart almost melted. Such a good wife is hard to find even with a lantern!
Fang Yingda was unable to attend Fang Zhenhua's engagement party because he had to leave for southern Xinjiang ahead of schedule.
However, Lao Fang said that he would make up for it when he got married, which shows that he is quite satisfied with his prized student, Fang Zhenhua.
Fang Zhenhua, Zhao Mengsheng, and three others returned to Beijing.