He knows very well his own worth, and a high-spirited person like Zhang Xiaofei probably doesn't fancy him.
In elementary school, because his grades were poor, he repeated a grade and ended up in the same class as Zhang Xiaofei. He ranked at the bottom, while Zhang Xiaofei was at the top. After elementary school, he returned home to farm, but Zhang Xiaofei continued up to high school. If the Zhang family hadn't stopped supporting her, she probably could have gone further.
Now that the country has resumed college entrance exams, Zhang Xiaofei might have plans to pursue them too. So how could someone like him, a mere soldier, even be in her sights?
If he doesn't get into a military academy, it's hard to have any big success in this lifetime. At most, his brother-in-law might help him become a volunteer soldier, but becoming an officer is impossible given his level of education.
