Looking at the two thousand yuan Sang Suxiang had stuffed into her hands—and contrasting it with the meager twenty yuan Wei Cuiying had prepared for her under the guise of concern—it was instantly clear who truly cared about her.
In her past life, she had been foolish, blindly chasing after blood ties while forgetting that the care and affection Sang Suxiang showed her far surpassed that of any biological mother-daughter bond.
Unable to contain her emotions anymore, Jiang Tang threw herself into Sang Suxiang’s arms and hugged her tight. “Mom, I don’t want to leave you.”
Startled by her daughter’s sudden move, Sang Suxiang quickly recovered and gently patted her daughter’s back. “You and your brother are all grown up. Sooner or later, you’ll have your own lives to live; you can’t spend your whole life revolving around your father and me. Xiaotang, life is both long and short—we all have to earnestly pursue the things we want to do so we won’t live with regrets.”
Jiang Tang felt her mother’s words made complete sense. In her past life, her mother had told her these exact things, but back then, her heart and mind were entirely consumed by her biological parents, and she had even felt that her mother was standing in the way of her happiness.
Yet she had forgotten that true happiness had always been right by her side.
That night, Jiang Tang pulled her mother into bed with her and talked late into the night. Through the conversation, the mother and daughter recaptured the warmth of Jiang Tang’s childhood days.
Sang Suxiang couldn’t help sighing with emotion: “Our Xiaotang has grown up and is getting married. But in my eyes, Xiaotang will always be a child.”
Leaning into her mother’s arms, Jiang Tang acted coquettishly just as she used to when she was little: “That’s right, I want to be Mom’s child forever and keep pestering Mom.”
Seemingly remembering something, Sang Suxiang said, “Xiaotang, keep the savings you have for yourself. There will be many places where you’ll need money after you get married and accompany the troops. Your father and I are still young and can earn money—you don’t need to worry about us. Mom just wants our Xiaotang to be happy and joyful. If you’re ever unhappy in the future, remember to come home.”
Tears welled up in Jiang Tang’s eyes once again. Her mother was simply too wonderful, too kind. This time, she would also protect her mother well and never let the tragedy of her past life repeat itself.
The next day, before dawn had even broken, Xiao Xun arrived carrying the traditional “three rounds and one sound” betrothal gifts.
Jiang Minghong invited Xiao Xun into the living room to sit.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Sijie walked out of his room and saw the superior officer sitting in their living room sofa in full green military uniform. Though his posture remained upright and stiff, the way his hands rested on his thighs looked somewhat restrained.
Jiang Sijie rarely got to see Xiao Xun look so uncomfortable, as Xiao Xun was almost always calm, composed, and effortlessly in control of everything.
Unable to resist, Jiang Sijie sat down right across from Xiao Xun and deliberately teased him.
“Xiao Xun, you seem pretty nervous? Come on, call me Big Brother and let me hear it.”
Stepping out of her room just then, Jiang Tang heard her eldest brother’s voice and the expression he wore as he deliberately badgered Xiao Xun.
Although, by all accounts, Xiao Xun marrying her did indeed make him her brother’s brother-in-law, Xiao Xun was older and a superior officer to boot; some things didn’t need to be taken quite so seriously.
Just as Jiang Tang was about to speak, she heard Xiao Xun’s voice call out in an almost obediently docile tone: “Big Brother.”
As soon as those words left his lips, not only was Jiang Tang stunned, but even Jiang Sijie failed to react in time.
Jiang Sijie flushed with a hint of embarrassment, thinking that this finally confirmed how deeply Xiao Xun genuinely liked his younger sister.
He had never seen Xiao Xun act like this before.
Once all the Jiang family members had gathered in the living room, Xiao Xun pulled a thick envelope out of his pocket and slid it across the table.
“My purpose in coming to Yuan City this time was to find my betrothed. With limited time, I might not be able to gather everything needed for the wedding. These are the cash and food coupons I can pull together right now—I’m placing them in Comrade Jiang’s safe-keeping for now. From now on, my monthly salary of one hundred yuan will also be handed over to Comrade Jiang to manage.”
Jiang Sijie felt a twinge of envy toward Xiao Xun’s salary; he only made seventy yuan a month himself!
Yet seeing that Xiao Xun was willing to hand over his entire salary for his sister to manage, it showed he was truly sincere about marrying her.
After Xiao Xun finished speaking, Jiang Minghong finally spoke up: “How you two want to live your lives after getting married, and who manages the money—we as parents have no intention of interfering in that. As long as you treat our Xiaotang well, we can let go of everything else. As for the ‘three rounds and one sound’ you brought over, you should find a way to take them back; you might just need them when you accompany the troops.”
Glancing at the Phoenix bicycle, Butterfly sewing machine, and Panda radio that had been moved into the living room, Xiao Xun replied, “Uncle and Auntie, rest assured—if Comrade Jiang goes to accompany the troops, not a single essential item will be missing from what gets prepared. As for the items brought over today, think of them as a small token of sincerity from a junior to you both. Besides, since the items are already bought, transporting them all the way to the military post would be inconvenient and a hassle along the way. It’s better to just buy a fresh set once we arrive at the destination.”
Seeing her parents preparing to argue further, Jiang Tang interjected: “How about this—since the bicycle, sewing machine, and radio from the three rounds and one sound are inconvenient to transport, we’ll just leave them here at home to use. I’ll take this Shanghai-brand wristwatch with me—that should be fine, right?”
In truth, Jiang Minghong and Suxiang could easily tell from what Xiao Xun had just said and the items he brought that his family background was quite impressive.
That wasn’t hard to understand either; the Xiao family had served in the military for generations, contributing immensely to the nation’s construction, so a slightly better family condition was entirely normal.
However, neither Jiang Minghong nor Sang Suxiang wanted their daughter to hold her head any lower after marriage.
They had raised their daughter to ensure she lived a happy and joyful life, not to sell her off or trade her for money through marriage.
Jiang Minghong said, “The large items are indeed inconvenient to carry. Before Xiaotang leaves, I’ll manage to secure a few industrial ration tickets so she can take the money and tickets with her and buy new ones at the military post. As for what Xiao Xun brought today, leave it all here at home.”
A warm, prickling heat welled up in Jiang Tang’s eyes. She was truly, deeply fortunate to have such wonderful parents.
Yet she didn’t intend to take the tickets and money for those items; her parents had already given her a generous dowry.
Besides, she trusted in her own abilities: even upon reaching the military post, she could earn money with her own two hands—at the very least enough to support herself—not to mention the wealth stored safely inside her spatial dimension.
What kind of hardship hadn’t she endured down in the countryside in her past life? Though Jiang Tang had no intention of suffering this time around, she was still fully prepared to rely on her own strength and work hard.
However, Jiang Tang kept these thoughts to herself, knowing that if she voiced them, her parents would never agree.
After having Xiao Xun stay for breakfast, Jiang Minghong and Sang Suxiang finally sent Jiang Sijie and Xiao Xun along to accompany Jiang Tang to work.
Originally, the plan was for Xiao Xun to take her alone, hoping it would give Jiang Tang and Xiao Xun a chance to spend some time together and build their relationship.
But Jiang Sijie stubbornly refused. Completely ignoring his parents’ subtle hints and winks, he insisted on escorting his younger sister to work himself.
When Xiao Xun generously welcomed Jiang Sijie to tag along, Jiang Sijie quietly upgraded his impression of this future brother-in-law even further.
The three of them rode their bicycles right up to the entrance of the textile factory.
Just as Jiang Tang was about to push her bicycle through the gates, a memory from her past life flashed through her mind.
It seemed it was precisely on this day that the military received an urgent temporary mission, prompting them to send a telegram for her eldest brother to cut his family visit short and return early.
If she remembered correctly, the moment she started her workday today, they would be heading back to the military post.
Their next meeting wouldn’t be until she traveled to the military post to join him.