In the end, the money was still accepted by Grandma Yang, but she also told the family that they would prepare more private savings for Yang Tao and instructed everyone not to spread the news. Such a large bride price would attract too much attention. In addition, aside from the two already-made cotton quilts, they also planned to prepare two wooden chests, a thermos flask, a washbasin, and two sets of quilt covers as dowry. This dowry was already very generous—more decent than even what the brigade captain’s daughter received.
Back to the couple: after Chen Zhicheng left, Yang Tao followed him out—partly to see him off, and partly because she had something to say.
“Why did you give so much bride price? Do you really still have money? Our family didn’t actually want that much. Did your family misunderstand something?” she asked nervously.
“I really still have money, enough for us to live for a while. My grandfather gave some, and my parents also sent some after they heard about it. They just hope we live well, there’s no misunderstanding. They even sent some ration coupons over—later you can pick whatever you like to buy. Don’t send me off, go back and rest. You still have work in the afternoon.”
Yang Tao mainly worried his family might misunderstand, but since he said so, she stopped insisting and waved him off.
“Alright, you should also go back and rest.” She turned and headed back after waving at him.
Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, the 22nd arrived. The day before, they had already asked the brigade leader for leave and obtained the marriage certificate documents.
That morning, Yang Tao got up early and changed into her best outfit with the fewest patches—a white floral shirt and dark blue trousers. The wound on the back of her head had already scabbed over. Previously she always wore her hair loosely tied in a low ponytail to avoid pulling on the injury, but today she wanted a different style. Her hair, though not very black, was thick, so she used a simple mirror to braid it into two fishtail braids, loosening them slightly for a youthful, lively look.
The original owner didn’t even have a jar of snow cream, let alone makeup, but she was young with good natural features. Aside from not being very fair-skinned, she still looked decent. Yang Tao only trimmed her eyebrows using her brother’s razor, making her face look sharper and more energetic.
By the time she finished getting ready, it was probably not even six o’clock. Yesterday, she and Chen Zhicheng had agreed to leave around 6:30. They would first go to the city to shop, then return to the town to register their marriage. The city had more complete supplies, so they planned to buy things there first and handle registration on the way back. They also planned to have breakfast in the city.
Around 6:10, Chen Zhicheng arrived. After greeting the family, the two set off.
They walked about twenty minutes to reach the bus stop. From there, the bus passed through the town and went directly to the city, taking about an hour. The earliest bus was around seven o’clock, so they had plenty of time.
At the stop, they waited another twenty minutes before the bus arrived. Because it wasn’t market day, there weren’t many passengers. They chose a seat at the back. The ride was bumpy and slow.
After arriving in the city, they first went to a nearby state-run restaurant for breakfast, each ordering a bowl of noodles. After eating, they asked for directions and took a bus to the city’s largest supply and marketing cooperative.
The supply cooperative was indeed large—four floors in total. The first floor sold daily necessities, the second food items, the third fabrics and clothing, and the fourth expensive goods like bicycles, electrical appliances, and watches.
They first went to the third floor to look at clothes. Since time was limited, they planned to buy ready-made garments directly. The styles in the city were slightly more varied, but still mostly black, white, and blue, with only a few brighter pieces mixed in. From Yang Tao’s modern perspective, they weren’t very attractive, but this was the era’s style, so she could only accept it.
In the end, she chose two outfits: a white long-sleeved shirt with black trousers, and a blue plaid short-sleeved top with a doll collar paired with a black skirt. These could be mixed and matched. She also bought two pairs of shoes—simple black leather shoes and a pair of period-style sandals.
Chen Zhicheng originally wanted to buy her a red dress, but she felt it wouldn’t suit her skin tone, so she refused firmly. Seeing her insistence, he didn’t push further.
She also wanted to buy him clothes, but he said he already had some. He only bought one set—a white shirt and black trousers—for their wedding day. After that, most of his ration coupons were used up.