Kinship driven by profit is worth less than nothing better to pull up the quilt and get some beauty sleep.
After chatting a while, the mother and two daughters went back to their rooms.
Over at the Gu family’s house, however, it was bustling like a festival.
The day after tomorrow was Saturday they were going to the Su family to formally propose. First visits demanded proper ceremony.
There were also wedding supplies to prepare: the betrothal gifts, daily necessities, clothes for moving with the army, quilts, shoes, socks…
Gu Jingzhou wouldn’t allow Su Die to suffer even the slightest grievance. A man’s heart stirred only once in a lifetime of course he would prepare everything with care.
So the whole Gu family mobilized.
The scale of it left Li Dong and Xia Weiguo staring in disbelief.
“Brother Zhou, you’re really getting married? That’s lightning fast.”
“Sister-in-law Die agreed?”
Gu Jingzhou shot them a proud look. “In war, speed is everything. Your sister-in-law adores me naturally we should marry quickly.”
His little Die was outstanding. If he didn’t hurry and bring her home, he wouldn’t sleep at night.
Li Dong scratched his head, envious. “When you marry, you’ve got to marry someone you truly like. That’s when life has direction.”
They worked until deep into the night. Gu Jingzhou barely slept before rising again he had to make breakfast for his future wife.
If Su Die could wake up and eat something he prepared himself, every ounce of fatigue was sweet.
His mother, Zhao Shuyi, watched him bustling in the kitchen and smiled.
“When a man knows how to cherish his wife, the household prospers. Women already work, bear children, run the home. If men don’t help, what kind of life is that?
At this rate, Jingzhou, I’ll be holding a grandson before long.”
After a busy morning, Gu Jingzhou headed out carrying two steaming lunch tins.
The moment he stepped into the Su family courtyard, he saw two middle-aged women shouting at each other, each louder than the other.
Su Die leaned against the doorway, yawning, amused by their quarrel.
“Bada Hutong is my turf! Since when did you get to steal it?”
“Bah! Since when do matchmakers claim territory? Whoever succeeds gets the credit!”
“The thirty-nine blind dates Su Die went on were all introduced by me! Su Lan’s marriage has to go through me!”
“Get lost! The men you introduced were all crooked melons and split dates. Su Die didn’t fancy a single one!”
The two top matchmakers from the north side of the city had arrived at dawn, ready to fight to the death over a five-yuan brokerage fee.
The six thousand yuan Su Lan received after her divorce had drawn not only relatives from the Su and Niu families, but also widowers and lifelong bachelors itching with calculation.
In a country where the average monthly wage was twenty or thirty yuan, six thousand was a fortune.
Greed was human nature. A widowed mother and daughter would naturally be targeted.
But Su Lan, having survived a marriage worse than death, preferred high-quality singlehood. She had no desire to remarry and serve another extended family.
The matchmakers argued fiercely, but Su Die continued eating her fragrant breakfast unbothered.
Gu Jingzhou had made beef-and-celery potstickers one bite at a time, savory and crisp.
Su Lan, unwilling to watch the spectacle, grabbed two flatbreads and left with Duoduo.
Niu Zhenzhu rolled her eyes. Trouble followed trouble without end.
“My Su Lan just divorced. She’s not looking to marry.”
Freshly divorced and already being hunted for proposals the opportunism was obvious.
Yao the matchmaker laughed, face wrinkling.
“Come now, Su Lan isn’t even thirty. She can’t stay unmarried forever.”
Gong the matchmaker added sweetly,
“A woman is like a fish it can’t leave the water that nourishes it.”
Su Die wiped her hands and finally spoke.
“Let’s stop circling. Aren’t all the men asking you to matchmake just eyeing my sister’s six thousand yuan?”
Yao coughed awkwardly.
“Well, Su Lan has a job and good looks. A generous dowry naturally makes her popular.”
Gong chimed in,
“There are even young bachelors who’ve never married! She’s lucky. Don’t hesitate set up meetings soon.”
Niu Zhenzhu’s hands itched with the urge to slap someone.
But Su Die smiled and held up a bankbook between two fingers.
“See this? My sister gave all the money to me as my dowry. Anyone hoping to strike it rich by marrying her can save the dream.”
Su Lan had handed the bankbook to Su Die that morning, afraid she couldn’t safeguard such a large sum herself.
Su Die tucked it safely away. No one would touch it unless Su Lan needed it.
Hearts changed under temptation. It wasn’t worth gambling.
The two matchmakers stared at each other. None had expected the money to be in Su Die’s hands.
And Su Die? She was the “Cleaver Beauty” quick with her blade when angered. Within ten miles, few dared cross her. Add in her soon-to-be officer husband with a solid family background, and she was untouchable.
The two women deflated and slunk away.
Only then did Niu Zhenzhu finally breathe easier.
“They’re shameless. That’s practically robbery.”
Su Die remained calm. In later times, countless men and women would marry for wealth some even lured spouses abroad for insurance scams.
Human nature couldn’t be trusted blindly.
There were good people in the world. There was love. But evil slipped through every crack.
A clear head was everything.
Su Die was someone who repaid sincerity with kindness but if anyone dared scheme against those she cared about, she would show no mercy.
“Don’t worry. When soldiers come, we block them; when water rises, we build dams. As long as we stand united, no one can cheat us.”
She never stirred trouble but she never feared it either.
Niu Zhenzhu left for work, reassured.
Soon only Su Die and Gu Jingzhou remained.
“Die, here’s my bankbook. You keep it.”
He had brought the savings from years of service, leaving only loose change on himself. If he was about to marry, he would hand over everything. Only then would he feel at ease.
Su Die glanced at the number and blinked. “That much?”
Six thousand eight hundred yuan. At twenty-four, already a regiment commander impressive saving ability.
She met his eyes teasingly. “Not afraid I’ll run off with it?”
He shook his head without hesitation.
“I’m not afraid. I’d be willing even if you tricked me. After all… I like you. The moment I saw you, I knew it had to be you.”
Su Die: “!!!”
Was she being flirted with again?
“You’re handing me the bankbook that’s tying yourself to me.”
Her cheeks flushed. Sweet words were one thing but this sincerity moved her more.
Her heart felt warm.
“Then,” she asked softly, “are you willing to be tied to me?”
Gu Jingzhou gazed at her steadily open, earnest, blazing with certainty.