Chapter 40: Marriage

“Silly girl, why are you crying? This is a happy occasion,” Zhou Guiyun said, though her eyes were slightly red, unable to hold back the tears as she felt the pain of parting with her daughter.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take good care of myself,” Jiang Qian wiped away her tears and reassured her.

As for the gold she had found in the mountains, that was indeed her doing, but she still had plenty of it stored away in her space. She had kept a large amount of it and only took out a small portion—just one-tenth—to use as the family’s unexpected windfall.

“Even though we’ve made our judgment, it’s hard to be certain. If Han Shiguo doesn’t treat you well or bullies you, don’t just suffer in silence. Your father, mother, and brothers will stand up for you. If it comes to it, you can always get a divorce and come back home!” Zhou Guiyun didn’t know about the gold she had hidden, but she quietly reminded her daughter.

Zhou Guiyun had once been alone, wandering here in the early years. That showed how resilient she was by nature.

Divorce and losing face were never an option for Zhou Guiyun.

Living well was far more important than anything else!

Jiang Qian’s eyes reddened again.

She knew that her mother truly loved her!

But her mother wasn’t the only one giving private money.

Once her mother left, her sister-in-law, Zhao Aiying, came in.

Zhao Aiying also came to give Jiang Qian a dowry gift. However, she didn’t have much—only ten yuan—but it was all she had painstakingly saved up.

“Sister-in-law…” Jiang Qian hesitated, not wanting to accept her sister-in-law’s gift.

“Every woman only gets married once in her life. This is just a small token from me, sister-in-law. Don’t mind that it’s not much—just take it,” Zhao Aiying said with a smile.

Then, her second sister-in-law, Zhao Aifeng, and third sister-in-law, Su Zhirou, also came in, each adding their own small contribution to the dowry.

The money wasn’t much, but it was all from their hearts.

In the end, Jiang Qian did a quick count, and to her surprise, she was almost a little rich.

The bride price was 100 yuan; her parents had given her another 200 yuan, and each of her sisters-in-law contributed 10 yuan.

There was also the 10 yuan from her second uncle and aunt, as well as the contributions from her paternal uncle and second uncle’s family.

Jiang Qian’s father, second uncle, and the two older uncles—her late grandfather’s brothers—had all contributed as well. Jiang Qian’s grandfather was the third in line among them.

Those uncles and aunts also contributed with their share of the wedding gift money.

So, just from these contributions alone, the total came to over 300 yuan, making her, without a doubt, a little rich lady.

Of course, all this money was part of the customary exchanges and would need to be repaid. But after receiving it, her mother gave it all to her.

To keep it safe and prevent anything from being lost, Jiang Qian tucked the money into her storage space. She then took a deep breath, tidied up her thoughts, and went to bed to sleep.

The next morning, her fourth brother, Jiang Shouchuan, came to pick her up, along with her good friend Su Lili and her fiancé, Qin Fu!

They had all taken the morning off but would need to go back to work in the afternoon after sending her off to her wedding.

Jiang Qian was overjoyed, giving Su Lili a big hug!

“Congratulations on your wedding!” Qin Fu smiled and handed over a gift. He and Su Lili had prepared a pair of pillowcases for her, with matching lovebird pillows!

Jiang Qian took them and said, “Thank you. Once you two are married, you have to write to me in advance.”

“Of course!” Su Lili replied with a smile and a nod.

After they finished speaking, Jiang Shouchuan called his little sister into the room with a smile and handed her a red envelope. “Little sis, this is for your dowry. Don’t tell anyone else.”

Inside the envelope was 100 yuan—his hard-earned pocket money.

Jiang Qian glanced at the red envelope and could tell it contained a decent amount. “Well, I won’t be polite with you, Fourth Brother!”

“Ha, not even a little bit of hesitation!” Jiang Shouchuan laughed.

Jiang Qian smiled. “I’m not hesitating. I know you’re rich, Fourth Brother. What you give me, I’ll gladly take!”

Jiang Shouchuan lowered his voice, “Han Shiguo is a good guy. He’s handsome, has a great personality, and is capable. But our family isn’t lacking either. You don’t have to worry about feeling inferior as the new bride. You’ve got the whole Jiang family behind you. If things go well, then great, but if they don’t, just pack up and come back. Don’t let him bully you!”

“I know.” Jiang Qian felt her eyes well up again. She was being a bit sentimental, not wanting to marry. Her family had been so good to her, and she was reluctant to leave.

But no matter how much she hesitated, she had to go through with it.

At 9:30, Han Shiguo arrived with the wedding procession, riding a bicycle.

It was unclear where he had borrowed them from, but somehow, he managed to get four bicycles.

The four bicycles were ridden by his younger cousins, a few unmarried young men.

They were well-prepared, each bike carrying a large basket of wedding candies.

As soon as they entered the village, no matter who they saw, they handed out candies. It didn’t matter whether the person was male or female, young or old; anyone they came across got a handful.

They smiled and said, “This is wedding candy from my brother Han Shiguo and my sister-in-law Jiang Qian. Everyone, share in their happiness!”

By the time they reached the Jiang family’s home, nearly everyone had received some candy. How could anyone not be happy with such a sweet gesture?

There were people surrounding them in layers, both inside and outside!

“The groom is really generous!” an older woman laughed.

Others also joined in, praising him.

The atmosphere quickly lifted.

Amidst the laughter of everyone, Zhou Guiyun smiled and called over the female relatives she had invited to help, asking them to bring out the dowry she had prepared for her daughter.

Four brand-new quilts, new clothes and shoes, towels, a hot water bottle, a basin, and a spittoon—all sorts of daily necessities.

These items were placed on the backseats of her cousins’ bicycles, and baskets were prepared to hold them. Soon, they would all be sent to the Han family.

This display of dowry made it clear to everyone just how much the Jiang’s family was willing to give for their daughter.

As the auspicious time arrived, Jiang Qian, her face flushed red, stepped out of the house surrounded by her brothers, sisters-in-law, and friends.

“The beautiful bride is coming out!” everyone cheered happily.

The words “beautiful bride” were no exaggeration. Although there was no fancy wedding dress, at this moment, Jiang Qian was every bit as radiant as a blooming flower.

She was already known as the village beauty, the most stunning girl around.

Who in the village didn’t have a young man secretly admiring her?

But now, seeing Han Shiguo’s tall, handsome figure, one couldn’t help but agree that only someone like him truly deserved a daughter of the Jiang family.

However, just as Jiang Qian was about to sit on Han Shiguo’s bicycle, a group of her nieces and nephews suddenly burst into tears, crying in unison.

“Aunt, Aunt, don’t leave!”

They were still young, not fully understanding what marriage meant, but they knew that their aunt was leaving, and they didn’t want her to go.

Jiang Qian, already feeling a little emotional, couldn’t hold back her tears when she heard her nieces and nephews crying.

But it was part of their tradition—the bride would cry on her wedding day as a sign of gratitude and reluctance to leave her family.

Zhao Aiying and Zhao Aifeng, the two sisters-in-law, quickly comforted the children, “Aunt is getting married, but she’ll always be your Aunt!”

“We want Aunt! We want Aunt!” The children cried heartbroken.

But the onlookers couldn’t help but smile, all understanding that it was because the Aunt loved her nieces and nephews so much that they were so reluctant to see her leave.

Despite their sadness, there was nothing they could do. With a smile on his face, Jiang Qian’s new husband, Han Shiguo, took her home.