Chapter 5

Early the next morning, Gao Han arrived with the betrothal gifts.

Song Qingdai had just washed her face when she heard someone outside shouting,
“Hey! Isn’t that the Gao family’s boy? What’s he doing bringing so much stuff to the Song house?”

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Gao Han’s tall, broad-shouldered figure and long legs immediately drew the attention of the neighborhood aunties.

Sure, they gossiped that he was a scoundrel—already a grown man and still hadn’t married, spending his days loafing around the brick factory—but they had to admit, the man was truly handsome and full of presence.

Probably no one else in the entire Hongxing Town could compare.

“I’m here to propose marriage.”

“What?” The aunties’ jaws nearly dropped to the ground.

Inside the house, Song Qingdai heard his voice and immediately ran out.

Sure enough, there he stood at her family’s gate—tall and upright, with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes, his face strikingly handsome.

In his hands were a carton of “Big Front Gate” cigarettes, two bottles of strong liquor, two pig legs, and a premium cut of pork shoulder.

“C-Comrade Gao?” Song Qingdai was stunned.

She knew he’d said he would come to propose, but she hadn’t expected him to show up this early—it was barely dawn!

“Jiejie, seriously! Comrade Gao’s already here to propose and you’re still not inviting him in?”

Seeing Gao Han come to propose, Song Mingshan was secretly overjoyed.

Looks like this man really was desperate—he’d stoop to anything.

If Song Qingdai actually married him, there’d be no happiness in her future.

Just standing there, Gao Han exuded a fierce aura that made people instinctively avoid him. His brow furrowed, his face clearly carrying impatience.

It made Qingdai’s heart tremble a little.

If he didn’t really want this marriage, he could’ve just refused—why did he have to look so hostile?

But in fact, the man’s bad mood came from seeing the tattered, patched-up clothes on her.
He’d known her life at home wasn’t easy—but he hadn’t realized it was this bad.

Then he glanced at Song Mingshan beside her—wearing the latest puff-sleeve dress, leather Mary Jane heels, a wristwatch, and even a pretty pearl necklace.

She looked fashionable and modern.

In comparison, Song Qingdai looked like she’d just come out of a refugee camp.

She had no status in this home at all. Qingdai had planned to reclaim some of her belongings that morning—but didn’t expect Gao Han to show up so early.

“Comrade Gao, please come in.”

As soon as he stepped into the house, Gao Han placed his gifts on the table.

His tall figure made the main room feel cramped.

The Songs weren’t exactly poor—most of the money Qingdai had earned while working in the factory had gone to support the household.

“Uncle Song, I’m here today to formally propose to Comrade Song Qingdai. If you have any requests regarding the marriage, feel free to name them.”

Feng Cuifen and Song Yuanshan were both dumbfounded.

But they didn’t dare make any real demands. The Gao family wasn’t to be trifled with—especially Gao Han’s mother, who was known as the fiercest of the fierce.

Their main goal now was to quickly marry off this “money-losing girl” Qingdai and hopefully get a decent bride price out of it. Since Gao Han was just a laborer, they could even skimp on providing a dowry.

“Oh, come now, what’s there to ask for? These days everyone supports freedom of love and marriage—this is your young people’s business to decide.”

“As for the bride price…” Feng Cuifen’s eyes spun slyly. “When the Zhang family came, they offered two thousand. Now with what’s happened between you two—our family still has to return that two thousand to them. So your offer can’t be less than that, right?”

Hearing this, Qingdai frowned hard. She knew Feng Cuifen was trying to squeeze money out of Gao Han.

She quickly shot him a look, signaling not to listen to this greedy woman.

But to her surprise, Gao Han replied directly,
“For good luck, I’ll offer three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan.”

“What?!”

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Especially Song Mingshan—her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight?!

Zhang Shaoxing’s two thousand yuan had already been considered a record-setting bride price in Hongxing Town.

She didn’t expect Gao Han to come in swinging with nearly four thousand!

“Comrade Gao, even if you’re going to bluff, at least make it believable. Everyone knows you work in a brick factory. No need to boast just for face!”

Recovering from the shock, Song Mingshan immediately sneered.

In her mind, Gao Han—just a blue-collar man from a rural town—couldn’t possibly afford that kind of money. He was definitely just trying to show off.

Men often liked to save face like this.

Not like Zhang Shaoxing—he actually had the means to back it up.

“You’re questioning me? Or are you trying to teach me how to handle my affairs?”

Gao Han’s sharp gaze landed on her, radiating danger. Song Mingshan flinched, her face turning pale.

She had completely forgotten—rumor had it this man didn’t even spare women when he got violent.

She never believed Gao Han was any good. There was no way he’d treat women gently or respectfully.

So rough, so uncultured—he couldn’t compare to Brother Shaoxing at all!

“Three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight? Are… are you serious?” Feng Cuifen’s voice trembled.

She had thought Zhang Shaoxing’s two thousand yuan was already a fortune.

But Gao Han had just offered nearly double that!

That kind of money—almost equivalent to a year and a half of her wages.

“Comrade Gao Han…” Qingdai finally couldn’t stay silent. She knew this money would end up in Feng Cuifen’s hands. Gao Han probably didn’t understand their family dynamics.

“Comrade Song, do you have your own bank account or passbook?”

Qingdai paused, then remembered—before her mother died, she’d left behind a savings book for her.
All these years, Feng Cuifen had constantly tried to trick her into handing it over.

But truthfully, it didn’t contain much—less than a thousand yuan—savings her mother had set aside for her dowry since she was a child.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Then we’ll go to the bank later and deposit the bride price directly into your account.”

“What? Absolutely not!” Feng Cuifen panicked and tugged at Song Yuanshan’s sleeve, signaling him to step in. Nearly four thousand yuan slipping through her fingers? No way.

This fat duck was already in her mouth—she was not letting it fly away.

“Young man, what kind of talk is that? Bride price has always gone to the parents. Giving it to Qingdai—how does that make any sense?”

“Besides, she’s young and inexperienced. What does she know about managing money? If you give it to us—her parents—we’re not going to take it from her for ourselves. We’ll keep it safe for her. In the future, if you two need anything—like when you have children—the money will be used for your family anyway.”

Not just Feng Cuifen—even Song Yuanshan’s eyes were glowing green at the mention of that much money.

The way he looked at Gao Han was like eyeing a piece of juicy, irresistible meat.