Previously…
In Love Story in the 1970s: Drama Info and Couple Moments Episodes 1 to 5, we saw Muyang try to sabotage Fei Ni’s date with Ye Feng. Did he succeed?
Couple Moments Episodes 6 to 10
Episode 6
The movie date was even more hilarious. Muyang managed to sit between Ye Feng and Fei Ni, to Ye Feng’s disappointment. After the two rivals quarreled about seating, Fei Ni offered to sit in the middle. She was too tired to watch the movie, though, and dozed off. Seeing this, Muyang put her head on his shoulder. Ye Feng protested, but Muyang shushed him, not to disturb people.
Once the movie was over, Muyang continued interrupting their date until they dropped him back at the hospital. When alone with Fei Ni, Ye Feng spoke truthfully about his mom’s condition for their relationship. He also added his condition: he didn’t like her hanging out with Muyang to avoid people gossiping.
Fei Ni went home and did a lot of thinking about what Ye Feng said. Although she felt sad because she couldn’t go to college, to repay her brother’s sacrifice, she would marry Ye Feng and forget about college. She also had to say farewell to Muyang.
The next day, Fei Ni went to visit Muyang for the last time. She took him to watch a movie, had a steak dinner, ate ice cream, and bought him new clothes. After they returned to the hospital, she told Muyang that they couldn’t meet each other anymore. She apologized that she had used him for a recommendation to go to college, but now that she decided not to go to college, she shouldn’t take advantage of him. She returned the ¥100 Mujing gave her to Muyang. Awww, Fei Ni didn’t even use the money!!! Fei Ni was firm with her decision not to see him anymore. Muyang reasoned that he still needed to master the basic skills and couldn’t even tie his shoelaces. Fei Ni thought he lied and rode away. Muyang chased her but tripped on his shoelace. Indeed, he hadn’t mastered tying his shoelaces! Poor thing!
Muyang went back to his ward, brokenhearted, and started browsing his sketchbook. And JUST LIKE THAT, after seeing his drawings of the same girl from behind, whom he didn’t remember her identity, he started gaining all his memory back, including his parents and his grandmother, and realized he had drawn Fei Ni.
Realizing that Fei Ni was his former classmate, whom he had had a crush on since high school, Muyang decided to go to her house and climb the tree to see her. Fei Ni finally revealed to him that she would marry Ye Feng because of her difficulties. She didn’t love him, but didn’t dislike him either. He had a stable life and a home. She owed her brother too much; if she married, her brother could return home and marry. Muyang told her not to marry Ye Feng; he would find a way to help her in 2-3 months. Muyang didn’t tell her that he had recovered, as he remembered that Fei Ni told him at the restaurant that once he recovered his memory, her job was done.
The next day, Muyang went to see his father’s old friend, Mr. Fu, who owned a newspaper company. Mr. Fu agreed to train Muyang to be an editor for two months. Muyang asked Mr. Fu not to tell anyone that he had recovered his memories. Muyang went to a government office to apply for housing, and they called Ms. Xu at the textile factory to take him into the new factory dormitory.
Meanwhile, Ms. Xu, saw the star-struck Ling Yi adoring her son while he was playing basketball. Ms. Xu, forever a flip-flopper, thought that this pretty girl was a far better wife candidate to Ye Feng than Fei Ni was. Ling Yi was a local college student, and after graduating, she would be assigned a good job.
Episode 7
The next time, Ye Feng invited Fei Ni to meet his mom. To win her heart, Fei Ni brought a bunch of gifts. However, Ms. Xu had decided to choose Ling Yi to be her future daughter-in-law, so she also invited Ling Yi. Moreover, Mr. Xu treated Fei Ni like a maid and asked her to make a braised fish, as Ling Yi liked it. At the dinner table, Ms. Xu further praised Ling Yi for being a college student and asked her to play the accordion because Fei Ni could only play the piano. Fei Ni just swallowed the humiliation and finished the braised fish she cooked. After eating, she excused herself and took her gifts with her!
Ye Feng chased her down and asked her to apologize to his mom for her rudeness, but Fei Ni stated that his mom preferred Ling Yi over her. Despite Ye Feng’s insistence that his opinion mattered, not his mom’s, Fei Ni left. She went to see Muyang at the hospital to rant about her disastrous meeting with her future MIL and gave him the gifts instead. Muyang told her about him getting a job and housing, and he would lend the dorm for Fei Ni to stay while he stayed at the magazine firm. But Fei Ni said, the dorm would still be his.
Feng Lin overheard the phone convo between Ms. Xu and the government officer who requested housing for Muyang. Feng Lin wanted to secure the housing spot for her boyfriend, so she slandered Muyang as having a moral issue because he was pursuing Fei Ni to the factory. Feng Lin gaslighted Ms. Xu for making a bad decision by letting Muyang get the housing at the factory. Hearing that her decision might tarnish her reputation, Ms. Xu met with Muyang and told him that the higher-ups had a new policy that the housing was only for married couples. Unless he could show her a marriage certificate by the next day…
Disappointed, Muyang went to the factory to find Fei Ni. He found her arguing with Ye Feng. Ye Feng insisted that Fei Ni suck up and apologize to his mother because he had argued with his mom to defend Fei Ni, rejected Ling Yi, and promised a job for Fei Ting. Fei Ni argued that she never asked him for that job. Besides, they didn’t suit each other, so he’d better find another girl who obeys him and whom his mom liked. Seeing Ye Feng being hostile to Fei Ni, Muyang interrupted and offered her a ride home. Ye Feng was angry and threatened her with her brother’s job and her college prospects if Fei Ni went home with Muyang. Fei Ni was fed up with Ye Feng’s arrogance and chose Muyang. Yay!
During the ride home, Muyang told Fei Ni that he lost the housing opportunity because he was unmarried. Suddenly, Fei Ni had a bold idea! She proposed marriage to Muyang! She reasoned that it would be a fake marriage, but it would solve both of their problems. He would get the housing, she would have a place to stay, while her brother could return and marry her girlfriend. Muyang added that even after marriage, he would support her dream to go to college, awww!
Episode 8
In the morning, before registering for marriage, Fei Ni went to see her boss, asking her for a letter of introduction for her to get married to Muyang. Ms. Xu, although surprised by the sudden news, was overjoyed that her son would no longer pursue Fei Ni. Fei Ni even said she realized that she was not on par with her son and that Muyang was more suitable for her. So Ms. Xu issued her introduction letter.
Fei Ni stopped by the hospital to tell Muyang that she got the intro letter, but he was not there. Returning home, she found Muyang had brought gifts and proposed to her parents. Of course, they disagreed with the marriage. Her father was worried about Muyang’s brain damage, and her mother was worried that Muyang didn’t have a home or a job. Later, when Fei Ni criticized his impulsiveness in proposing to her parents, Muyang said they had to be open to her parents and believed that they could win over their hearts.
Fei Ni informed her bestie Lin Mei that she would marry Muyang. Lin Mei, who accompanied her several times to the hospital to see Muyang, disagreed that Fei Ni did this for her and Fei Ting’s sake. She regarded Muyang as an “idiot” or a “fool”. Fei Ni insisted that she did it for her own sake.
Muyang had a bigger mission. First, he went to win over Fei Ni’s dad. He even had a philosophical discussion with Dad about Ye Fei, Fei Ni’s former boyfriend. Ye Fei wouldn’t cherish Fei Ni because he regarded Fei Ni as a social climber. Not only did he win Dad’s heart, but the whole neighborhood knew Fei Ni would marry the local hero Muyang. There were chatters everywhere about the upcoming venue when Mom went home from the market. Mom was more difficult to win over, as Dad said it needed a “preemptive strike”, lol!
Episode 9
Mom was not only angry with the “preemptive strike,” aka the whole neighborhood knowing that her daughter would marry the local hero, but she was also informed by Lin Mei about the real reason Fei Ni married Muyang. Fei Ni defended Muyang in front of her parents that Muyang respected and supported her dream to go to college. Moreover, she desired a relationship where both were equals, while with Ye Fei, he and his family looked down on her. Mom eventually relented. Fei Ni, her parents, and Lin Mei went to the registrar’s office. However, after waiting for an hour, Muyang didn’t show up. Fei Ni’s parents got angry and left, declaring Muyang was irresponsible. Lin Mei quietly told Fei Ni that her brother returned and that she also told him about Fei Ni’s upcoming marriage. Knowing something might go wrong, they went to look for Muyang, only to find that he was kidnapped and tied to a tree by none other than Fei Ting! After convincing her bro that she would be fine, they released Muyang. Fei Ni and Muyang then rushed to register their marriage.
At wedding night, Fei Ni was so stressed that she handed Muyang the fake marriage agreement, stating that they were only husband and wife by name, and he would allow her to attend university. Muyang signed it anyway. He then told her his secret, that he had already gotten his memory back, but he didn’t tell her because he was afraid she would stop taking care of him. He also gave Fei Ni a stick for self-defense, just in case… lol! Muyang then took the floor and let Fei Ni took the bed.
The next morning, Muyang and Fei Ni went to show Ms. Xu their marriage certificate. The usual Ms. Flip-flop told them that all units were taken, and they had to wait for the next batch available. Fei Ni was angry and pointed out that a single worker, Feng Lin, was given housing instead. Their argument escalated, and Muyang pulled Fei Ni out of the office; if not, she would lose her job. Muyang promised they would get the housing back. So that night, at 11 pm, they sneaked out of Fei Ni’s house and went to Ms. Xu. office, to sleep on the office benches, under their wedding blanket.
In the morning, when Ms. Xu arrived at work, she was horrified to see Fei Ni and Muyang sleeping there! Hahaha!
Episode 10
Ms. Xu was so furious, but Muyang said in front of her and the crowd that she promised them new housing, but she bailed out. Now they didn’t have anywhere to go but to sleep at her office until a new unit was available. Ms. Xu adamantly wanted to kick them out and ordered Feng Lin to throw the couple’s belongings and call the security guard. Feng Lin was not happy with the order, not because she had to do the dirty work, but because Muyang recognized her. He not only rescued her from the collapsed house during the disaster, but he also witnessed her living with her boyfriend. That would be a big scandal if her secret came out, so Muyang hinted that he recognized and knew about her situation. Suddenly, Feng Lin volunteered her house to the couple, declaring a benevolent communist spirit, lol! Ms. Xu was relieved, but the angry Feng Lin vandalized the house before Muyang and Fei Ni moved in. Muyang threatened her not to bully Fei Ni, or her secret wouldn’t remain buried.
Later, Muyang had an idea of painting the wall where Feng Lin vandalized. They painted a vibrant mural of golden rapeseed fields under a bright sun. Fei Ni added a small poem to the wall. They were so happy, like a real newlywed decorating their new house, even smearing each other’s faces with paint in a child’s play.
Well, the secret of Muyang and Ling Yi was somewhat clarified. They met again at the newspaper office, and Muyang’s boss, Mr. Fu, seemed know them both. Ling Yi asked Muyang if he hated her because she didn’t. In fact, he was grateful, because if she did, he wouldn’t meet Fei Ni. In his memory, he and she were just childhood friends. As for why he gave his university spot to her, only she knew it.
The newlyweds quickly settled into their new home. After painting the mural, they bought used furniture. The bunk bed, although I had seen it on the drama poster, was questionable to her parents and the nosy neighbors. Fei Ni reasoned that because they didn’t have much money, they bought the bunk bed to use the upper level as a storage. I loved their rooftop, accessible through their attic window, with a beautiful view of the field!
TL;DR
- Love rivals be gone, Fei Ni proposed marriage to Muyang, so they could share the housing.
- Not easy to get married, but once they were married… not easy to get the house, either!
Their vintage-vibe wedding photo.
Keywords: Love Story in the 1970s, 纯真年代的爱情, Arthur Chen, Chen Feiyu, Sun Qian.
