Ji Yang had managed to squeeze 200 yuan out of her father’s pocket yesterday. Getting any more money out of him would probably be difficult.
The bride price Jiang Ye gave her would most likely be taken by her father and kept for himself. There was a good chance he wouldn’t let her take any of it with her when she left home.
Of course, she could still find a way to get the money from Jiang Ye if he gave it to her family, but that would be a hassle. It was better not to give them anything in the first place and save herself the trouble.
Jiang Ye fell silent for a moment. Ji Yang’s words had left him at a loss for what to say.
He had only ever heard of brides’ families demanding hefty bride prices, including things like watches, padded cotton jackets, corduroy trousers, two sets of clothes, and two bolts of fabric. There were also the so-called requirements for an outstanding bride: 110 yuan, a bicycle, a watch, and a sewing machine.
But Ji Yang only wanted two yuan.
A bride price of two yuan…
Jiang Ye was silent for a moment before asking, “What about the other things? A watch, a bicycle, a sewing machine, and the thirty-six pieces of furniture. What do you think about those?”
They had already registered their marriage, so discussing these things now felt a little strange. Still, they were practical matters that needed to be addressed.
Ji Yang replied, “I’ll earn my own money and buy a watch later. I don’t know how to ride a bicycle anyway, so buying one would be pointless. I don’t know whether your family already has a sewing machine, but it would be great if you did. Having one would be quite convenient. As for the thirty-six pieces of furniture, I don’t really mind. It depends on whether your family needs to replace any of its furniture.”
Jiang Ye thought it over. “All right. I understand.”
That one sentence brought the discussion to an end, and neither of them said anything more about it.
When it was time to pay with money and ration tickets, Jiang Ye introduced Ji Yang to Old Wang.
“This is my wife-to-be. From now on, whenever she comes here to eat, just put the bill on my tab. We’ll settle it between us later.”
“Sure! Things were a bit rushed today. Sister-in-law, come by another day, and I’ll make you some of my specialty dishes.”
Ji Yang put on her professional, customer-service smile. “Everything was delicious today. Thank you so much.”
She wanted to address him by name but felt that simply calling him Old Wang might not be appropriate.
Old Wang chuckled. “Sister-in-law, just call me Old Wang, the same way Jiang Ye does. We grew up playing together. We’re practically brothers, so don’t stand on ceremony.”
“All right, Old Wang. Once we’re married, Jiang Ye and I will invite you over to our place for a meal.”
“Sounds good!”
After leaving the state-run restaurant, Jiang Ye rode his bicycle and took Ji Yang home. Then he pedaled back to the factory.
The staff apartment buildings where the Ji family lived had small living spaces and too many people crammed into each household. Everyone washed their own clothes and hung them on lines downstairs.
When Ji Yang spotted the clothes she had washed earlier, she went over to inspect them. They had turned out quite clean.
She went upstairs and knocked twice on the door. Ji Man came out and opened it.
“Well, well! Look who’s back! Isn’t this my poor older sister who’s about to be sent to the countryside?”
“Then you’re mistaken.” Ji Yang took the marriage certificate out of her bag. “Today, I married your former boyfriend.”
Now, wasn’t that unexpected? What a delightful surprise!
As soon as Ji Man heard the words former boyfriend, she instinctively assumed Ji Yang meant Jiang Zhiyuan. Her face turned green with anger. But when she saw the name Jiang Ye written on the marriage certificate, her expression changed several times.
“You married Jiang Ye?”
“That’s right! When I went out today, I kept thinking about how you got together with my boyfriend. Since I no longer had a boyfriend, I had no choice but to find yours.”
Ji Man’s expression became rather strange.
Jiang Ye… the man who had died at just twenty-three years old.
If Ji Yang married him, wouldn’t she become a widow at a very young age?
Thinking this, Ji Man looked at her older sister with sympathy.
Originally, she had wanted Ji Yang to be sent to the countryside, preferably to the harshest place in the Great Northwest.
She hadn’t even had the chance to put her plans into action, yet Ji Yang had already married Jiang Ye, a man who had less than a year left to live.
Comparing the two possibilities, Ji Man wasn’t sure whether Ji Yang would suffer more by going to the countryside or by marrying a man who was destined to die young.
After weighing things up, Ji Man decided that although Jiang Ye would die early, at least Ji Yang wouldn’t have to endure the hardships of rural life. After Jiang Ye died, Ji Yang could even inherit his job.
Just like in her previous life, she could use Jiang Ye’s job to exchange for a less demanding position. That would be pretty good too.
“Ji Yang, don’t you think you rushed into this?”
Although Ji Yang had already registered her marriage, Ji Man still wanted to try to break them up.
Being a widow was hard, but going to the countryside was even worse.
With that thought in mind, she immediately transformed herself into a caring younger sister. She pulled Ji Yang over to the sofa, poured her a glass of water, and began trying to persuade her to end the marriage.
“Ji Yang, let me tell you something. You haven’t experienced how cruel the world can be.”
“Do you really think marrying Jiang Ye is better than going to the countryside? Actually, it isn’t.”
“You’ve met Jiang Ye, haven’t you? The way he stares at you is terrifying. He looks like someone you really shouldn’t mess with.”
“And I’ve heard that he fights viciously. He once beat up a genuinely good man who had an excellent reputation in their neighborhood and broke the man’s leg.”
“Think about it. Isn’t it possible that someone like him could be violent toward his own family? What if he starts beating you after you get married?”
“Besides, Jiang Ye smokes and drinks. Smoking isn’t so bad, but what if he gets drunk? He might lose control of his strength and accidentally tsk, tsk beat you to death. What would you do then?”
At this point, Ji Man shook her head.
“Today is your wedding day. But next year, this very day could be the anniversary of your death. By then, we might all be attending your funeral feast, with seven dishes on the table.”
Ji Yang pretended to be swayed by her argument.
“Then what should I do? If I don’t marry him, I’ll have to go to the countryside, and I don’t want that. How about… I talk to Brother Zhiyuan and see if we can get back together? After all, when it comes to boyfriends, the original is always the best.”
Ji Man: “…”
Who the hell told you to drag Jiang Zhiyuan into this?!
“Manman, say something! Why have you gone so quiet? Do you think it would work if I went to find Brother Zhiyuan and told him I wanted to marry him?”
Ji Man hesitated before answering, “…I think Jiang Ye is pretty good, actually. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!”
Ji Yang looked doubtful. “Really? You honestly think Jiang Ye is good? Didn’t you just say he beats his wife?”
“Ah, well, I only heard those things from other people. How much of what you hear can you really trust? You should just listen and forget about it.”
She glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost two o’clock.
“Let’s stop chatting. The house hasn’t been cleaned today. Hurry up and go do it.”
Ji Yang remained seated.
“Go on!”
Ji Yang smiled. “Oh, come on! Today is my wedding day. How can you expect me to clean the house? I’m not doing it.”
With that, she picked up her bag and returned to her room.
The weather was hot, and the room was small, making it feel even stuffier. Standing beside the bed, Ji Yang felt that absolutely everything was inconvenient.
She went outside, fetched a basin of water, and locked the door. After soaking a towel, she took off her clothes and wiped away the sweat on her body. Then she dug out a clean set of clothes and changed into them.
She washed the clothes she had taken off and hung them up to dry.
After that, Ji Yang lay down on the bed and decided to do absolutely nothing.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of air conditioning, mobile phones, air conditioning, mobile phones…
No air conditioning. It was unbearably hot.
No mobile phone. She was bored out of her mind.
And just like that, Ji Yang eventually fell asleep without even realizing when it happened.