For some reason, on the day Jiang Ye came to visit the Ji family, Ji Man invited Jiang Zhiyuan over as well.
Perhaps she wanted to show off that she had chosen the best man. Ji Man praised Jiang Zhiyuan over and over again, laying it on even thicker than the exaggerated compliments Ji Yang had seen people post under her Weibo account in her previous life.
“I heard that when the factory selected its outstanding employees, Brother Zhiyuan received the Award for Dedication and Commitment. It’s a huge recognition from the factory for all his hard work and diligence over the years! If you ask me, Brother Zhiyuan is truly remarkable. Ordinary people could never win an award like that.”
When Jiang Ye arrived, he was carrying a watermelon. Ji Yang immediately cut it open and placed the slices on the coffee table for everyone to enjoy. Then she pulled Jiang Ye down beside her and listened to Ji Man while eating watermelon, thoroughly enjoying the show.
Seeing that Ji Yang wasn’t saying anything, Ji Man continued showing off.
“Tomorrow, Brother Zhiyuan and I will go register our marriage. From then on, I’ll be the only wife in Brother Zhiyuan’s life. We’ll definitely stay happily together for the rest of our lives.”
She tugged at Jiang Zhiyuan’s arm and asked in a sweet, coquettish voice, “Brother Zhiyuan, are you happy?”
Jiang Zhiyuan was quite susceptible to this sort of flattery. He patted Ji Man’s hand and replied, “Of course I’m happy.”
After finishing one wedge of watermelon, Ji Yang picked up another. Fruit was incredibly difficult to buy these days, and she hadn’t eaten any for several days. Now that she finally had watermelon, she intended to enjoy as much as she could.
She had no idea where Jiang Ye had bought it, but the watermelon was wonderfully crisp, sweet, and delicious.
“Brother Xiaoye, your watermelon is so delicious!” Ji Yang said in an exaggeratedly sweet voice, deliberately raising her pitch.
“Tasty, isn’t it? I’ll buy you more next time.”
He just wished she would speak normally. Listening to that voice was giving him goosebumps.
Ji Man: “…”
Nobody paid attention to Ji Man’s display of affection. Instead, she ended up having someone else show off in front of her.
Sulking, she said, “Brother Zhiyuan, will you buy me fruit in the future? I like apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, pineapples, strawberries, grapes…”
Jiang Zhiyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Where was he supposed to find all those fruits? Fruit was expensive, and you needed ration coupons to buy it. He genuinely couldn’t afford them.
“Why aren’t you answering, Brother Zhiyuan? You’re so good to me. You’ll buy them for me, won’t you?”
“Mm-hmm, I’ll buy them. I’ll get you Chinese hawthorn berries and persimmons in the future.”
Those were much easier to find.
Ji Man: “…”
Who wanted to eat that stuff?
Chinese hawthorn berries were far too sour, while persimmons were too astringent.
“But I want bananas, grapes, tangerines, apples…”
Ji Man continued arguing over the fruits she wanted, insisting that Jiang Zhiyuan buy them for her. In her mind, this wasn’t really about whether he could afford the fruit. It was about whether he loved her.
If he loved her, of course he’d satisfy her wishes.
Ji Yang picked up another wedge of watermelon and cheerfully fanned the flames.
“Manman isn’t asking for much, either. They’re just a few pieces of fruit. Comrade Jiang Zhiyuan, you love her so much. Surely you aren’t too stingy to buy her a few fruits, right? No way, no way, no way! Are a few pieces of fruit really more important to you than Manman?”
On one side, Ji Man gazed at Jiang Zhiyuan with her big, pleading eyes. Across from her, Ji Yang watched him with a smile in her eyes while munching on watermelon.
Jiang Zhiyuan suddenly felt that if he didn’t give the right answer today, he might not make it out of the Ji family’s house alive.
“I’ll buy them! Whatever Manman wants to eat, I’ll buy for her!”
After saying that, he smiled and added, “I’ve noticed that you sisters actually get along pretty well. I was worried you wouldn’t get along before.”
Ji Man: “…” Hmph!
Ji Yang: “…” Heh.
Jiang Ye silently continued eating his watermelon.
Soon, it was time for dinner. Ji Yang’s father and stepmother were the sort of people who cared a great deal about appearances. With both future sons-in-law visiting, they didn’t skimp too much on the meal. They stir-fried two vegetable dishes, prepared a cold salad, opened a can of yellow peach preserves, and stewed a fish.
Once everyone had taken their seats at the dining table, Ji Xingguo looked at Ji Yang, then at Ji Man, his expression filled with emotion.
“Yangyang and Manman have grown up. You’re both young women now, and before long, you’ll be married into other families. I’m quite reluctant to see you go. But no matter where you marry, you’ll always be my daughters, Ji Xingguo’s daughters. There will always be a place for you in this home, and your father will always welcome you back.”
After speaking, he raised his wineglass and downed half of its contents. The glass held roughly two ounces of baijiu.
Everyone obligingly joined him in drinking.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was quite pleasant. Ji Yang also behaved herself and concentrated on eating. By the time they had finished two bottles of baijiu and eaten half the dishes, Ji Yang’s stepmother began discussing the real business.
“Xiao Jiang, I raised Yangyang from the time she was a tiny baby. Her mother died early, and I’ve been just like her own mother. I’ve worried myself sick over her.”
“I still remember when I first came into this family. She was barely a month old and weighed hardly more than a cat. The family couldn’t afford powdered milk, so I carried her from one neighbor’s house to another, begging for a little breast milk. When there was absolutely no other way, I would boil rice water for her to drink.”
“You could say I went through a great deal of hardship to raise her to adulthood.”
Perhaps she had moved herself with her own words, because she even dabbed at the corner of her eye before continuing.
“Now Yangyang has grown up. She’s sensible, does well in school, is polite, and is beautiful, too. She’s such a wonderful girl. Xiao Jiang, our family can’t just let you marry her without paying anything!”
She was asking for a bride price.
Hearing this, Jiang Ye lowered his eyes and fell into thought.
To be honest, as a grown man, he found it a little embarrassing to say that he would pay only two yuan.
He turned to look at Ji Yang. She remained perfectly composed and even smiled at him, encouraging him to speak his mind boldly.
All right. Since his soon-to-be wife was determined to stick to this arrangement, he would have to know where his loyalties lay. He said, “Uncle Ji, Auntie Ji, here’s what I’ve been thinking.”
“Everyone says a wedding should include the ‘three big items and one big sound’ a sewing machine, a bicycle, a wristwatch, and a radio. But my family already has a sewing machine, so there’s no need to buy another one. It would only sit around collecting dust. If Yangyang wants to use it, she can use the one we already have at home.”
“As for the bicycle, my family has one of those, too. If Yangyang wants to ride it, I certainly won’t deprive her of the chance. I’ll walk while she rides.”
“As for a wristwatch, to be honest, my family really doesn’t have any watch ration coupons. Once I’ve saved up enough coupons in the future, I’ll make it up to her.”
“And as for the radio, if Yangyang likes one, I’ll definitely find a way to get her one later.”
No matter how he put it, there wasn’t a single item he intended to buy before the wedding.
After discussing the three big items and one big sound, Jiang Ye moved on to the traditional set of thirty-six pieces of furniture, referring to the various large and small furniture items a newlywed couple was expected to have.
“Of course, we need to prepare a new home. The wardrobe, bed, and other things in my room are all newly purchased. I’ve also bought Yangyang a dressing table. I’m sure she’ll like it.”
“However… Uncle and Auntie, you both know that furnishing a home costs quite a lot of money. My family was left with debts when my father passed away, and we still haven’t paid them all off. So, as for the bride price, my family can’t afford to give very much at the moment.”
Ji Yang’s stepmother immediately pressed him for an answer.
“Then how much bride price is your family planning to give?”
To Ji Xingguo and his wife, all the other things were just talk. The bride price was what mattered most.
Jiang Ye opened his mouth, then closed it again. He pressed his lips together and hesitated for a long moment before finally raising two fingers.
“Two yuan.”
Ji Yang lowered her head and secretly chuckled. Suddenly, a jingle started playing on repeat in her mind:
“Everything costs just two yuan! Whatever you buy, it’s two yuan! For two yuan, you won’t lose out, and you won’t be cheated…”
And just like that, she’d married herself off for two yuan.
Goodness, what an impressive achievement!
“How much? H-How much did you say?” Ji Yang’s stepmother could hardly believe her ears. She suspected she must have misheard him.
Since the words were already out, Jiang Ye decided to stop holding back.
“Two yuan.”
“I don’t agree!” Ji Xingguo slammed his hand on the table and roared.