“I’m not hot. Let’s hurry to your uncle’s house—being late wouldn’t be good.”
After saying that, Gu Tingzhou took the lead and walked out first.
Lin Jiaojiao followed closely behind.
When they arrived at her uncle’s house, he had already returned from work.
Her aunt had also prepared a lavish lunch.
Six dishes and one soup.
Braised pork, braised carp, pork with cabbage and vermicelli stew, stir-fried pork with green chili, braised potatoes with ribs, and tomato scrambled eggs.
Plus a seaweed soup with minced meat.
In this era, this was an exceptionally high-standard meal.
It was clear how much importance the uncle and aunt placed on Gu Tingzhou.
Even Aunt Li Ruyi had specially steamed a large basin of white flour buns.
Lin Jiaojiao couldn’t help but feel moved.
Her uncle and aunt had probably emptied their pantry just to host him.
“Xiao Gu, Jiaojiao, come sit and eat. The dishes will get cold otherwise,” Li Ruyi urged.
“Yes, Xiao Gu, don’t be polite. Just treat this place like your own home,” Uncle Lu Bing added.
“Alright, Uncle, Aunt. You should sit too—no need to keep serving us,” Gu Tingzhou said.
After the couple sat down, he pulled Lin Jiaojiao gently, and she finally sat as well.
Seeing their interaction, Li Ruyi and Lu Bing exchanged a smile, occasionally reminding them to eat more.
Throughout the meal, Lu Li and Lu Qiang acted as if they were invisible, focused entirely on eating.
Their son aside, Li Ruyi couldn’t help shaking her head at her daughter’s hearty appetite.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be easy for her to find a husband.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help glancing at Gu Tingzhou.
This young man—his looks, speech, and manners—clearly came from a well-bred family.
If only her daughter could find someone like him in the future.
To welcome Gu Tingzhou, the usually light-drinking Uncle Lu Bing even drank a couple of glasses with him.
After the meal, it was time to discuss the marriage arrangements.
After Lu Li washed the dishes and Lu Qiang went to rest, Aunt Li Ruyi poured water for everyone and sat beside her husband.
Seeing everyone gathered, Gu Tingzhou sat upright and said,
“Uncle, Aunt, because Jiaojiao’s family situation is complicated, she suggested that you two handle our marriage matters.”
“You’ve worked hard for this.”
“It’s what we should do. Jiaojiao is like our own daughter,” Lu Bing said warmly.
“Yes,” Li Ruyi added. “My younger sister passed away early, and this child has suffered a lot. Thankfully, she’s finally seeing better days.”
“Comrade Gu, we don’t have many demands. Just treat Jiaojiao well.”
Gu Tingzhou immediately stood up, gave a formal military salute, and looked at Lin Jiaojiao gently before saying solemnly:
“Uncle, Aunt, please rest assured. I swear on this military uniform that I will treat Jiaojiao well.”
“I will never let her suffer any grievance. As long as I have food to eat, I will never let her go hungry.”
Hearing his promise, the couple exchanged relieved smiles.
Their worries about him possibly looking down on their niece disappeared completely.
“Good. We believe you,” Lu Bing said, gesturing for him to sit.
After sitting down again, Gu Tingzhou continued:
“Because my leave from the military is limited, I will take Jiaojiao back to the army in two days, so there won’t be time to hold a wedding now.”
“My parents suggested that when the New Year holiday comes, I bring Jiaojiao back to Beijing, and we will make up the wedding ceremony then. What do you think?”
The couple naturally had no objections.
Soldiers carried heavy responsibilities, and leave time was limited.
Since they had promised a proper wedding later, they agreed readily.
“Of course. You can arrange it as you see fit,” Li Ruyi said.
Gu Tingzhou nodded, then asked:
“Uncle, Aunt, regarding the bride price—how about the ‘three turns and one sound’ plus 1,888 yuan?”
At that moment, not only were Lu Bing and his wife shocked, even Lin Jiaojiao was stunned.
From the original owner’s memories, she knew that in rural areas, bride price was usually around twenty yuan or some grain.
The “three turns and one sound” referred to:
Bicycle
Sewing machine
Watch
Radio
In cities, even for decent families, bride price rarely exceeded two hundred yuan.
A bicycle and sewing machine would already be considered very good.
So hearing this amount left her genuinely shocked.
Because she knew Gu Tingzhou’s family background from the novel—he was wealthy, yes, but not this exaggerated.
In the story, when he married Lin Miaomiao, the bride price was only about 300 yuan, though the “three turns and one sound” was still included.
So why was hers multiplied so many times?
This was practically an astronomical bride price!
“W-what did you just say? How much?” Uncle Lu Bing finally asked, unable to believe it.
“1,888 yuan,” Gu Tingzhou repeated calmly.
He had noticed their reaction, but there was no contempt in his expression.
Honestly, even he had been slightly surprised when his mother mentioned it.
Not because of reluctance—but because it was unusually generous.
In Beijing, the typical bride price was around five to six hundred yuan.
But his mother had said: since such a good girl was marrying into their family, they should give more to make her family happy.
And 1,888 was also an auspicious number.
So he simply accepted it.
Besides, even this amount meant nothing to him—everything he had would eventually belong to his wife anyway.
At this moment, he had completely forgotten their earlier “three conditions” agreement.
“Isn’t… isn’t that too much?” Uncle Lu Bing asked honestly.
Before anyone noticed, Aunt Li Ruyi pinched him hard under the table.
She had never seen such a clueless man.
When the other side was willing to give so much, it clearly meant they valued their niece.
Didn’t people always say the more a groom spends, the more he will cherish his wife?
Money aside, at least it showed sincerity.
Still, in her heart, she decided they absolutely could not accept the money.
Before their niece went to the military, they would give it all back to her.
After all, having money meant having confidence.
At that moment, Gu Tingzhou glanced at Lin Jiaojiao and said:
“This is my mother’s intention. She said that Jiaojiao marrying me is my blessing—and our entire Gu family’s blessing.”
“So the bride price amount doesn’t matter. As long as Jiaojiao is happy, and you two are satisfied, that’s enough.”
Look at him—so good with words.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Uncle and Aunt’s faces immediately broke into bright smiles.