Chapter 35 : The Eve of the Wedding

The bracelet had a very beautiful green color, but was covered with a layer of dirt, making it look dull. Wang Juhua did not like cleanliness and had touched it many times with her dirty hands.

Jiang Li put the bracelet away. It was a relic of the original owner’s mother, and she would keep it well.

…

“What? Qi Shaoqiang gave three major items plus 188 yuan as a betrothal gift?”

Jiang Hongmei’s lips trembled with anger. When she got married in her previous life, Qi Shaoqiang only gave her fifty yuan as a betrothal gift according to the rules, and also made new furniture for her. The rest were two sets of tattered clothes.

She didn’t get a penny of the betrothal money, but her mother gave her ten yuan in private as a “safe deposit.”

Jiang Hongmei felt like her heart was twisted into a knot. She wanted to rush into Jiang Li’s room and question Qi Shaoqiang, why did she deserve such a large gift?

“What are you doing? You are such a silly girl! The more gifts Jiang Li gets, the more things our family will get! She’s a poor woman, how can she carry all her belongings to her husband’s house without leaving anything at home?”

Wang Juhua happily calculated that she would keep the three major items as a betrothal gift for her son, and Jiang Changyi would definitely take the lion’s share of the remaining 188 yuan. However, she should still be able to get 50 yuan.

After hearing this, Jiang Hongmei felt a little better. No matter how much dowry Jiang Li had given, in the end, it all went to her family.

After getting married, she would go back to her parents’ home from time to time and bring more things back.

The Zhuang family has many people, so life must be tight. But she could bring her own things back with her and stand tall, which would make her stand out among her sisters-in-law.

But when she thought of the 188 yuan, Jiang Hongmei pestered Wang Juhua, “Mom, Jiang Li gave so much as a betrothal gift, can you give me an extra 50 yuan as a deposit?”

“I don’t have any money. The bulk of it is in your father’s hands! Besides, that damn girl Jiang Li took away the pension, and your brother needs to go to school. The money at home is not enough.”

Wang Juhua finally understood that she had raised this girl in vain, because she started turning her elbows out before she even stepped out the door.

Her mother-in-law is very powerful, so it will be impossible for her to support her parents’ family in the future. It would be good enough if she doesn’t steal things from her parents’ home to take to her husband’s family.

In that case, she had to take good care of everything in the house for her son.

Jiang Hongmei was anxious, “Mom, you are biased! You are planning to leave everything in the house to Jiang Tianci. I’m not your child! You picked me up for nothing!”

The mother and daughter were angry with each other, and they still hadn’t reconciled when they went out the next day.

Jiang Li was about to get married, but she still didn’t feel the reality.

When Aunt Jingui heard the news, she brought Chunlan over overnight to help her pack her things.

Half complaining, half happy, she said, “Child, you are in such a hurry to get married. Why didn’t you tell your aunt earlier? When a girl gets married, she should at least bring two new quilts, not to mention the furniture.”

“Cotton tickets are hard to get, and you don’t know if there’s anyone available to exchange them for.”

“I can still think of a way to build a cabinet, and if I cut down a peach tree at home, that should be enough. Now I will let your uncle cut it, and there’s no need to ask a carpenter to make it. Your uncle can do it himself. The cabinet doesn’t require much manual work.”

Aunt Jingui was nagging while cleaning up, while Li Chunlan pulled Jiang Li aside to chat. “Lizi, tell me, how did you get together with Qi Shaoqiang?  You’re getting married so soon, aren’t you?”

Li Chunlan’s eyes were filled with doubts. Jiang Li poked her with a finger. “What are you thinking?”

“It was Jiang Hongmei. She brought me along when she went to break off the engagement with Qi Shaoqiang that day. On the way back, I happened to take a ride with the guy who sent him back. That’s how we got to know each other.”

So that’s how it is. Li Chunlan put her heart back at ease and helped Jiang Li pack her things, feeling a little reluctant. “We’ve been good friends since we were young. Now that you’re married, who will I play with in the future?”

Jiang Li pinched Li Chunlan’s apple-like smiling face and said, “If you’re so reluctant to leave me, why don’t you marry Bailutang?”

“Well, you shameless girl! Mom, look at her. You’re getting married, and you’re so shameless that you dare to tease me.” Li Chunlan got anxious and started to tickle Jiang Li.

Aunt Jingui did not take sides with either of them and scolded them, “You two silly girls, you’re still acting like children even though you’re so old. Girls in the village who are the same age as you have already given birth to two children. Lizi is right. I’ll marry you off soon. Then you’ll be able to keep your mouth shut when you become a mother.”

“Mom, you’re also biased toward Lizi. I will ignore you two,” Li Chunlan turned around angrily and was coaxed by Jiang Li for a long time before she gave up.

Aunt Jingui looked at her two pretty daughters and began to feel worried. The pears had been found now, but Xiaolan was a very stubborn girl.

There had been people who proposed marriage to her in the past two years, but she either disliked the men for being lazy or looked down on their looks.

What else can shesay? We don’t want the lazy man, the dirty man who doesn’t care about hygiene, the illiterate man who has no culture, and the man who beats his wife.

This is a difficult one to choose because this girl has such high standards that her family has rejected so many marriage proposals that even matchmakers don’t come to the door.

Sometimes when she got angry, she would call this crazy girl, but her father would side with her and say that it was not impossible for her to stay at home and be raised for the rest of her life if she didn’t get married.

Her brothers also responded, making themselves unpopular among the people.

“I think what Lizi said is right. Lizi, when you get married, please help me keep an eye out for young men with good character.”

Jiang Li naturally agreed. Apart from anything else, based on the care that Aunt Jingui and Xiaolan had given her, she couldn’t just watch Xiaolan follow the same path as in the original novel.

In the original novel, Li Chunlan carefully selected and chose a male educated youth from the village named Chang Jinguang.

Before his marriage, the educated youth looked gentle and kind, but in fact, he was a selfish, cold-hearted, and sophisticated egoist.

Before he went to the countryside, he had a girlfriend in the city. They were sent to different places to work in the countryside, and they kept in touch through letters after going to the countryside.

His girlfriend had been working in the countryside for less than two years, but because life there was too hard, she married a local male member of the commune.

In a fit of anger, he also went to find Li Chunlan.

Chang Jinguang chose Li Chunlan for two reasons. First, Li Chunlan was good-looking and had a good personality, and was one of the best in the village.

Secondly, her family had many people and a lot of labor force, and with the help of a few grown men, they could also finish their part of the work.

Her parents also loved their daughter and would definitely give them some money from time to time.

In the original novel, Li Chunlan had a natural liking for educated young men, and Chang Jinguang deliberately seduced her, and the two decided to get married soon.