That night, Li Qinkuai seriously pondered her mother’s words and accepted reality.
Since the past couldn’t be changed, and she now knew what was to come—not to mention she had been reborn—why couldn’t she change things?!
Moreover, Duan Pengyue’s attitude was different this time.
On the wedding day.
Duan Pengyue arrived early in the morning, wearing a military-style uniform borrowed from who-knows-where, his hair slicked back in a neat style. He looked handsome and spirited, every bit the good man.
Li Qinkuai wasn’t at all surprised by his outfit.
He had worn the same thing in her previous life.
Duan Pengyue walked up to her, extending his broad palm. His eyes held a smile, and his tone was indescribably gentle: “Comrade Li Qinkuai, from now on, I am your man. Will you let me be the pillar of your life?”
Li Qinkuai looked down at his hand, then slowly reached out and placed hers in it.
Once again, she was marrying Duan Pengyue.
“Duan Pengyue, treat my sister well, or I’ll never forgive you!”
Li Qinfen shouted, his eyes reddening.
“Don’t worry, brother. I’ll definitely treat her well. Mom and Dad, you can rest assured too—I won’t let her down!”
“Good!”
The relatives attending the feast all applauded.
Afterward, the couple began toasting the relatives. By the end of the wedding, both their cheeks were flushed red.
Since Li Qinkuai would be returning to the city with Duan Pengyue in just a few days, they didn’t bother preparing a separate room. Instead, Li Qinkuai’s own room was used as the bridal chamber.
In Lijia Village, there was no custom of teasing the newlyweds in the bridal chamber. After the feast, the relatives all returned to their own homes.
When Duan Pengyue pushed open the door to the room, Li Qinkuai was sitting on the bed, counting the gift money they had received that day.
In total, it was three hundred twenty-five yuan and eight fen.
Of that, one hundred yuan was the bride price Duan Pengyue had given, and another one hundred yuan was the dowry her parents had given Li Qinkuai.
Originally, the dowry in Lijia Village consisted of furniture, but since Duan Pengyue was taking Li Qinkuai back to the city, Li Dafu and Cheng Yun had given money instead of making furniture.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Li Qinkuai tucked the money under her pillow and looked toward Duan Pengyue as he entered. He was flushed all over, clearly having drunk quite a bit.
Meeting Duan Pengyue’s gaze, Li Qinkuai felt inexplicably nervous. She paused, cleared her throat, and said, “Stop right there! Since we’re already husband and wife, we need to set some house rules.”
“Setting house rules on our wedding night?” Duan Pengyue asked, puzzled.
“Yes!” Li Qinkuai’s tone was firm.
Duan Pengyue walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, responding with a mix of resignation and affection. “Alright, tell me what these house rules are.”
His voice was low and husky, and the scent of alcohol still lingered on him, but his eyes were clear as he looked at Li Qinkuai, waiting for her to announce these so-called house rules.
Li Qinkuai cleared her throat again, feeling somewhat uneasy under his gaze. Trying to sound composed, she said, “Rule number one: Since we’re married now, I am your rightful wife. I don’t care who you might have had in your heart before, but from today onward, there can only be one woman in your heart—me. If I find out otherwise, we’re getting a divorce!”
“If someday you don’t want to be with me anymore and fall for another woman, you can just tell me directly. I’m not an unreasonable person. But you must not secretly flirt with other women behind my back, and absolutely no affairs. If you tell me, I won’t cling to you—I’ll pack up and leave without a fuss. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
Duan Pengyue agreed without hesitation, though the smile in his eyes faded slightly.
It seemed he hadn’t made himself clear enough recently—Li Qinkuai still suspected he liked other women.
Seeing him agree so readily, Li Qinkuai nodded in satisfaction. “The second rule, and the most important one: from now on, all the household money will be managed by me. Can you accept that?”
Duan Pengyue didn’t reply. Instead, he reached into his chest pocket, pulled out a bankbook, and pressed it into her hand. “From now on, all the major household funds will be under your control. As for ration coupons, I’ve used them all up.”
Li Qinkuai opened the bankbook and saw a balance of three thousand yuan, with both whole and fractional amounts. Ration coupons weren’t a concern—after returning to the city, the Duan family had plenty.
“All the money I’ve saved over the years is in there,” Duan Pengyue explained. “But as a man, you can’t leave me completely penniless, right? There are times when I need money too. Shouldn’t I at least have ten or five yuan on me?”
He negotiated cautiously.
If he didn’t have a single cent on him, how embarrassing would it be to go out and not be able to pay for anything!
Li Qinkuai actually agreed with this point. She directly counted out thirty yuan from the wedding gift money and handed it to him.
After all, in her previous life, after Duan Pengyue brought her back to the city, he never fell short when it came to money—he always sent it back to her on time every month.
“Spend it sparingly,” Li Qinkuai reminded him.
Duan Pengyue took the money and nodded obediently, then asked, “Are there any more household rules?”
Of course there were.
Li Qinkuai put away the bankbook and the money before continuing with the final household rule. “The third rule: after we’re married, we’re a unit. You can’t let anyone bully me or mock me, whether they’re your family or friends. If they bully me, they’re bullying you. If they mock me, they’re mocking you. Do you understand this principle?”
Duan Pengyue promised earnestly, “Don’t worry, no one will ever bully you!”
Li Qinkuai was very pleased with his response and nodded happily. “Alright, those are the three household rules.”
Duan Pengyue raised an eyebrow. Just these three? He had expected many more.
“Since you’ve stated your household rules, I have mine too.”
“What household rules do you have?” Li Qinkuai hadn’t expected Duan Pengyue to have a set of household rules as well.
“First, apart from me, you can’t like other men. Stay at least three steps away from them, don’t look at other men too much, and don’t secretly get too close to other men behind my back.”
“Second, if someone bullies you, you must tell me. Don’t secretly resent me in your heart. If you tell me, I’ll handle it.”
“Third, throw away any thoughts of divorce. The Duan family has never had a divorce in its generations. Once I marry you, I won’t think about other women, so don’t even consider divorce.”
Hearing the last rule, Li Qinkuai finally understood why Qing Shuangyun was so determined to have her killed—this was the reason!
Duan Pengyue wouldn’t divorce, so Qing Shuangyun had no chance to marry him. Only if she died would Qing Shuangyun have an opportunity.
What a ruthless heart!
“These are my household rules. Can you agree to them?”
Duan Pengyue’s words snapped Li Qinkuai back to reality. His intense gaze fixed on her, giving her the feeling that he would be upset if she didn’t agree.
“As long as you can abide by the household rules I set, I can abide by the ones you set.”
Li Qinkuai didn’t want to speak in absolutes. After all, Duan Pengyue had only agreed for now—what if he couldn’t keep his word in the future?
No one could predict what the future held, right?
Duan Pengyue curled the corner of his mouth into a smile.
How cunning.
“Since that’s the case, let’s continue then.”
Duan Pengyue suddenly leaned in, whispering softly by her ear. His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, causing Li Qinkuai’s body to go weak and her face to flush instantly.
Li Qinkuai naturally knew exactly what he meant by “continue”!
Before Li Qinkuai could react, Duan Pengyue had already pressed down on her. His clothes had somehow been stripped off, and his hands were now undoing hers…
“Don’t… wait…” Li Qinkuai resisted half-heartedly.
“I can’t wait!”
The moment the words fell, the man kissed her domineeringly, silencing her protests.
Soon, the wooden bed began to creak and groan, as if protesting…