He wished he could be trapped in her allure forever, sinking deeper.
Fu Wenwen brought cloth to Xiao Hong's house. Xiao Hong's eyes lit up as she saw the fabric, and she touched it with admiration. "This fabric is really imperfect? It's too good to be true!"
"It's genuine. Cui Hua also bought a lot. This piece is for you," Fu Wenwen said, placing a roll of cloth before Xiao Hong. "This fabric is perfect for making clothes for a baby, it's soft and gentle on the skin."
"This... how much is it?" Xiao Hong asked excitedly, looking at the cloth and then at Fu Wenwen.
"3 yuan," Fu Wenwen smiled. Xiao Hong immediately started to get up to find money, but Fu Wenwen stopped her. "Sister Xiao Hong, you don't have to rush to give me the money!"
"What's wrong?" Xiao Hong asked Fu Wenwen curiously.
"I... I heard from Sister Cui Hua that you can embroider?" Fu Wenwen asked softly. Xiao Hong's expression changed. "Sister, this must not be known to anyone."
"I know, I won't tell anyone. I have an idea, but it's just a preliminary thought for now. There's no rush with this, let's wait a couple more years." Fu Wenwen laid the groundwork for Xiao Hong. Xiao Hong didn't understand, but she didn't press for details.
During the "Smash the Four Olds" campaign back then, her family had almost faced re-education and labor reform like others. Fortunately, their family's ancestors were farmers, which saved them from that fate.
Because of that incident, the older generation in her family never dared to pick up needle and thread again. By her generation, only she had been taught, and the others hadn't learned.
"Sister, what do you want?" Xiao Hong held the cloth, measuring and marking sizes while looking at Fu Wenwen record the dimensions. Xiao Hong glanced over and pointed at Lin Feng's measurements. "Sister, why did you only record half of brother-in-law's?"
"Ahem, isn't having long legs enough?" Fu Wenwen asked, blushing.
"It's enough, it's loose anyway, so it doesn't matter too much," Xiao Hong chuckled. Seeing Fu Wenwen's flushed face, she understood.
"Is... there progress with Lin Feng?" Xiao Hong asked mysteriously.
Fu Wenwen paused and quickly shook her head. "No, no, how could there be any progress!"
"Your face betrays you!" Xiao Hong laughed, holding Fu Wenwen's hand. "Sister, I know marrying Lin Feng might feel like a compromise, but fate is often like that! Lin Feng's circumstances might not be ideal, and he has Lin An, but Lin Feng is definitely a reliable man. If you think he's alright, why not give him a chance?"
"You two should try dating?" Xiao Hong said, observing Fu Wenwen's reaction. Seeing that Fu Wenwen was hesitant but not overtly resistant, Xiao Hong smiled faintly.
Fu Wenwen, however, was caught in a dilemma. "Sister Xiao Hong... I..."
"Is there something you can't figure out?" Xiao Hong asked, looking at Fu Wenwen.
"It's not really anything specific. He even brought up divorce before..." Fu Wenwen said slowly. "He said he could divorce me, so I could return to the educated youth point. When I went back to the city, no one would know I was married."
"Then why didn't you agree?" Xiao Hong asked. "Isn't that the best for you?"
"How should I put it? I feel like if I get married and then get divorced, it would make people think there's something wrong with me. Besides, my parents already know I married Lin Feng. We just got married, and if I said I was divorced, they'd definitely think it's my fault," Fu Wenwen explained.
"After seeing Liu Zihua clearly, I feel like men in this world are all bad. Even if I divorced, I wouldn't want to remarry. So I just won't divorce. Of course, if Lin Feng meets a girl he likes, I'll divorce him. I definitely won't hold him back," Fu Wenwen said to Xiao Hong.
Xiao Hong saw a flicker of disappointment in Fu Wenwen's eyes and felt that Fu Wenwen wasn't expressing her true feelings. "Sister, I really can't say much about this, but I think feelings develop over time. You and Lin Feng are clearly both developing feelings. Is it really good to reject him like this?"
"I think you're more like you lack confidence in yourself. Or do you think Lin Feng will do something to hurt you like Liu Zihua?" Xiao Hong's words made Fu Wenwen freeze, and she shook her head. "I believe Lin Feng won't."
"See, how deep is your trust in him? You can say with certainty that he won't, without any doubt?" Xiao Hong patted Fu Wenwen's hand and said softly. "What we women want is simply a man who can protect us in times of danger, someone we can rely on, who treats us well, and whom we can trust. Life is just about living together, and what matters is whether you two can get along, if your ideas are aligned. Everything else will naturally become less important."
"Since you trust Lin Feng so much, why not give him a chance? You don't have to reject him outright. You can observe him slowly and see if he's the one you want to spend your life with. If not, it won't be too late to reject him then," Xiao Hong's words made Fu Wenwen fall silent.
Xiao Hong didn't disturb Fu Wenwen and tidied up the cloth she had brought. Fu Wenwen finally came to a decision.
"Sister Xiao Hong," Fu Wenwen called softly. Xiao Hong turned back and smiled. "Figured it out?"
Fu Wenwen shook her head. "Not figured it out."
"Then you?" Xiao Hong was startled and looked at Fu Wenwen.
"But I've decided to give him a chance, and to give myself a chance too." Fu Wenwen looked at her hands. Since she was brought here to be Fu Wenwen, shouldn't she also accept everything here and let go of the past?
"That's the right way to think!" Xiao Hong nodded, happy for her.
"Mm." Fu Wenwen smiled faintly. "Thank you for your guidance, Sister Xiao Hong!"
"We're family, why be so formal! Don't blame me for being meddlesome, Lin Feng is really good despite his tragic background!" Xiao Hong said to Fu Wenwen with a smile. "Just look, which man in this village can compare to Lin Feng? If it weren't for his divorce and bringing Lin An, many girls would want to marry him!"
"Oh? He's that sought after?" Fu Wenwen was surprised, and a strange feeling of sourness welled up in her heart.
"Look at how sour you sound. You still say you're not interested in him!" Xiao Hong said with amusement, seeing Fu Wenwen's slightly unhappy expression.
"How can I be sour?" Fu Wenwen refused to admit it.
"His conditions aren't good, but yours are much better. Many young men in the village are waiting for you and Lin Feng to divorce so they can pursue you!" Xiao Hong laughed, looking at Fu Wenwen's delicate face. "You're beautiful, you have a good figure, not to mention you're from the city, an educated youth. If you wanted to get married, the men in the village would have gone crazy."
"They don't fancy me!" Fu Wenwen smiled and shook her head.
"Why?" Xiao Hong was surprised.
"Because I'm not good at housework!" Fu Wenwen smiled playfully. "Even if they were willing, their mothers wouldn't be."