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Helping an elderly lady cross the street may come with its risks, but at that moment, Jiang Qian wasn’t afraid, as she had two students with her.
Seeing an aunt in need, she stepped forward to offer help.
The aunt asked her about her identity, and Jiang Qian, standing tall and composed, didn’t hesitate. She briefly introduced herself, saying, “I’m the daughter of the Jiang family from the Wuxing Brigade, and I teach at the town primary school.”
When Han’s mother heard this, she was very pleased and eagerly greeted her, saying that her son was already engaged to her cousin, so they would be relatives in the future!
However, her relationship with Jiang Yue was rather indifferent, and she hadn’t paid much attention to this distant future relative. She simply smiled politely.
But who would have thought that it would end up being her who would be matched with her son? Such is the unpredictability of life — the tables had truly turned in an unexpected way.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qian also smiled. “Yes, that did happen, but it was a long time ago.”
Matchmaker Zhang smiled broadly. “Yes, it was a long time ago, but your Aunt Han has always remembered it. As soon as I mentioned that I wanted you to meet Shiguo, she immediately agreed. If it hadn’t been too late yesterday, she would have asked me to come right away. But it’s fine, it’s not too late; I came first thing this morning to ask for your opinion. If you’re willing, we can arrange a meeting. Jiang Qian, you have the day off today, right? It would be a good chance to meet and see if you’re satisfied with Shiguo. If you are, the formalities will follow. Shiguo has promised, in addition to the hundred in betrothal gifts, he will also prepare the ‘three turns and one bell’ for you. Oh, just look at this, with a betrothal gift like that, and someone like Han Shiguo with his talent and looks — you can’t say he’s not truly satisfied with you!”
Upon hearing this, not only did Zhou Guiyun and the three sisters-in-law exchange looks, but even Jiang Qian couldn’t help but be surprised.
The “three turns and one bell” refers to a radio, a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a watch, terms that only began to appear in the late 1950s.
This was typically used in marriage arrangements as part of the betrothal gifts.
However, only wealthier families in large cities could afford the “three turns and one bell.” In 1968, just a few years after the famine, many families were so poor that they couldn’t even afford proper clothes.
As for the “forty-eight legs,” these refer to various household items: a double bed with four legs, a dining table with four legs, four chairs with sixteen legs, two boxes with eight legs, a wardrobe with four legs, a small wardrobe with four legs, and a small coffee table with four legs.
Having thirty-six legs for a marriage was considered quite respectable.
However, the Jiang family, not eager to form a marriage alliance with the Wang family, had initially been offered forty-eight legs from the Wang family, which also promised a sewing machine and a betrothal gift of fifty.
This was actually quite an investment.
It showed that the Wang family was genuinely satisfied with Jiang Qian, and sincerely wanted to marry her.
Because of this, and given that the Wang family was in decent circumstances, the Jiang family agreed to the arranged meeting.
However, now the conditions proposed by the Wang family were utterly crushed by the Han family’s offer.
“Is this because they’ve heard about the betrothal gifts offered by the Wang family and want to one-up them?” Zhao Aifeng couldn’t help but comment.
Could it be that Matchmaker Zhang had let slip about the Wang family’s near-arranged marriage for the younger sister?
“Not at all, not at all,” Matchmaker Zhang quickly explained, “I would never gossip like that. I promised not to say a word, and not even with an iron crowbar could you pry it out of me. This was all Han Shiguo’s idea. When he heard I was talking about Jiang Qian, he added the three essentials himself!”
Such sincerity was truly impressive!
However, Zhou Guiyun and the other women all turned their gaze toward Jiang Qian. They were quite adept at focusing on the key points. “Han Shiguo is pleased with our Jiang Qian? Just because she helped his mother?”
Jiang Qian remained silent, but the image of the handsome soldier from yesterday involuntarily surfaced in her mind. Could he be Han Shiguo?
And as it turned out, that was indeed the case. Matchmaker Zhang smiled and said, “That’s right. Han Shiguo saw Jiang Qian yesterday. He mentioned that on his way back, he happened to see you, and when the elementary school kids called you ‘Teacher Jiang,’ he described your appearance to me. He asked if it was you. When I confirmed, he said that in addition to the forty-eight legs, he would also add the three essentials as part of the bride price. All of that was because he heard it was you!”
Jiang Qian wasn’t particularly interested in big-ticket items like watches.
But she was genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected that the handsome soldier she met yesterday was actually Han Shiguo.
She had been thinking that such a handsome soldier must have caught the eye of some lucky girl. Yet, in the end, could it be that she was the one who would be lucky?
Jiang Qian decided to meet him. If he turned out to be a good person, she would marry him!
“Younger sister, do you remember what Han Shiguo looked like? Did you see him when he saw you?” Su Zhirou asked with a smile.
When Jiang Qian looked up and saw everyone watching her, her face turned red. She awkwardly said, “I think I have a bit of an impression.”
“Then, what do you think?” Matchmaker Zhang quickly asked. “A young man like that is hard to come by!”
Thinking about the handsome soldier from yesterday, who was so satisfied with her that he was willing to spend so much to marry her, Jiang Qian, despite her usually calm demeanor, couldn’t help but feel a bit shy and embarrassed at the moment.
Seeing that her mother and others were eager to hear her response, she spoke the classic words that had echoed through generations: “When it comes to marriage, I listen to my parents.”
“Well, if I’m satisfied, then the marriage will be decided by my parents. If I’m not, I’ll say I still want to honor my parents for another couple of years.”
Seeing her daughter’s response, Zhou Guiyun understood immediately. With such a suitor who had good taste, she was pleased, and her face showed a hint of satisfaction.
She then turned to Jiang’s father, who was standing by the door, keeping watch. “Husband, shall we have the Han family come over to meet? It’s a good opportunity since Qianqian is free today.”
“Alright,” Jiang’s father nodded, having listened carefully to what Matchmaker Zhang said.
“Then, would you trouble Matchmaker Zhang to make another trip? Go over there and let them know,” Zhou Guiyun smiled.
Things were progressing smoothly, and as expected, the matchmaker was quite happy.
Matchmaker Zhang immediately beamed with joy. “Alright, alright, I’ll head to the Han family again. You all get ready!”
As she was about to leave, Zhou Guiyun quickly stopped her. “No need to rush. Have some more sweet red sugar water before you go.”
Matchmaker Zhang smiled as she drank the overly sweet water, feeling quite satisfied. She didn’t stay long, though—she left in a flash, like a whirlwind.
Once the matchmaker had left, Zhou Guiyun turned to her daughter. “You met Han Shiguo yesterday. What did he look like?” From her daughter’s expression, it seemed like he was a good match.
Jiang Qian hadn’t spoken yet when her second sister-in-law, Zhao Aifeng, laughed and said, “Mom, you’re asking this like you don’t know. If little sister wasn’t satisfied, she wouldn’t have agreed to let them come for the match today.”
“That’s right, we don’t know how good he is, but it seems like little sister has already given him her heart,” the eldest sister-in-law, Zhao Aiying, added with a smile.
Though Jiang Qian’s face turned red, she wasn’t afraid of her sisters-in-law’s teasing. “You’ll see for yourselves when they come over.”
His external appearance really did meet her aesthetic standards.
However, when it comes to marriage, being handsome alone isn’t enough; everything else must align as well. Only if there are no significant issues can one marry.
But the way Jiang Qian appeared, with a slight blush on her face, only made her sisters-in-law think that she had already taken a liking to the man. They couldn’t help but smile.
Su Zhirou, the third sister-in-law, also couldn’t hold back a chuckle. However, instead of teasing her, she asked the most practical question, “If you like him, will you have to follow him and go with the army after you marry?”
The issue of following the military was indeed something that had to be considered carefully.
“This is still early,” Jiang Qian’s father, Jiang Father, said, a hint of reluctance in his voice.
On the other hand, Zhou Guiyun didn’t say much because, if the marriage went through, her daughter would have to follow her husband to the army. What sense would it make for a young couple to live apart?
It wasn’t like there weren’t conditions; if they could, she’d follow him!
Jiang Qian also spoke up, “If it works out, I’ll definitely go with him. I won’t live apart as a long-distance couple. But if that happens, I’ll need to leave my job behind. Third sister-in-law, would you want to take over my position?”