Chapter 9: Five Hundred Yuan Dowry

“Ningning, Auntie Lu has already discussed it with your father. He strongly supports your revolutionary friendship with Comrade Zhou Yubai. What are your thoughts?”

As soon as Shen Chuning sat down after leaving the kitchen, Lü Xiaohong immediately held her hand and said kindly.

Shen Chuning blushed, “I’ll listen to my father.”

Lu Xiaohong’s smile widened. Listening to her father meant she agreed.

Holding Shen Chuning’s hand, she said, “Okay, since your revolutionary ideals align with Comrade Zhou Yubai’s, you should unite soon and work together to strive for the construction of our motherland!”

Shen Chuning shyly nodded.

Lu Xiaohong said a few more words about establishing revolutionary friendship and creating a better future, completing the formalities.

Finally, Lin Shulan took out a thick red envelope from her pocket and stuffed it into Shen Chuning’s hand, “Ningning, Auntie knows that your family cherishes you.  Our Zhou family won’t mistreat you either. This is the dowry, take it.  Arrange whatever you want to add to your small family.”

“Yubai originally planned to get the ‘three turns and one ring,’ but considering you might not live in the village, I discussed it with him, and we decided to give you the money and vouchers directly, so you can buy whatever you want whenever you want.”

Not only Shen Chuning was stunned by the thick red envelope, but the Shen family’s father and sons and the aunties present were also shocked.

The countryside wasn’t as particular as the city, where marriages involved the ‘three turns and one ring.’  A typical dowry was twenty yuan, and a generous one was fifty yuan.

But the thickness of Lin Shulan’s red envelope if it were all banknotes, it would be at least several hundred yuan!

It seemed that Zhou’s son truly liked Shen Chuning.

The red envelope was too thick, and Shen Chuning didn’t know whether to accept it.

Lin Shulan directly held the red envelope with her fingers, “Take it quickly. This dowry money is all from Yubai himself; we old folks didn’t contribute a cent.”

Father Shen came to his senses and immediately stated, “Auntie, don’t worry, your dowry is generous, and our dowry for Ningning won’t be lacking either.  Thirty-six pieces of furniture, quilts, cotton wool, and new clothes will all be prepared!”

When Lu Xiaohong and the three aunties who had helped propose marriage left the Shen family’s house, they were still smiling.

It was worth the trip today.

It was effortless, and they had a meat meal and sugar water, and even the mung bean porridge contained only a little cornmeal besides rice.

The aroma of rice, tsk tsk, fragrant!

Shen Qingsong looked at Shen Chuning with a loving look, tears welling up in his slightly reddened eyes.

Thinking of her father being blown away by a blasting charge in the quarry in her dream, and looking at her living father, Shen Chuning felt a lump in her throat, a mix of excitement, joy, and sadness.

“Good, good, our little Ningning has grown up and reached the age to marry,” Shen Qingsong’s calloused hands gently stroked Shen Chuning’s soft black hair.

Then he assigned tasks to the three Shen brothers, “Eldest, Second, Third, our sister is getting married, you brothers must show your support.  Your sister can’t lack what other girls have!”

Shen Zhengxu immediately stated, “Dad, don’t worry, you don’t need to say that. The Zhou family is generous, and our family can’t be lacking.”

Shen Zhengliang also immediately agreed, “Everything we have now belongs to our sister.”

Although Shen Zhengrong didn’t speak, his expression clearly showed he agreed with his brothers.

Shen Chuning suddenly remembered that in her dream, her father and three brothers had also given her everything they had when she got married.

And their continuous support later led to their family’s poverty and downfall.

“Dad, brothers, no!”

Shen Chuning immediately objected strongly, “You can give me the thirty-six pieces of furniture, the new quilts, and new clothes, I’ll keep them. But I won’t take any more. I’ll leave half of the dowry given by the Zhou family to you.”

Shen Qingsong and the three Shen brothers were all stunned.

They looked at Shen Chuning strangely.

In the past, Shen Chuning wouldn’t actively ask them for anything, but she wouldn’t refuse what they gave her.

She only ate fine grains, wore fine cotton cloth, and had snacks. Even her hair ties had to be the most fashionable.

Without fine grains, she would go hungry.

Without beautiful clothes and hair ties, she would lie in bed all day and wouldn’t even get out of bed, let alone go out.

Now Shen Chuning was actively saying she would keep half of the dowry at home.

The father and sons looked at each other.

Shen Chuning naturally knew what her father and brothers were thinking.

She put on a small face, pouting her lips, and said stubbornly, “I don’t care, if you don’t do as I say, I’ll go to the Zhou family to break off the engagement and then go find Chen Ziyun.”

“Shen Chuning!”

Before Shen Qingsong, Shen Zhengxu, and Shen Zhengliang could react, Shen Zhengrong scolded angrily, “What nonsense are you talking about? Marriage is not a child’s play! This is not only irresponsible to yourself but also to Comrade Zhou Yubai!”

As soon as Shen Zhengrong finished speaking, Shen Chuning saw Zhou Yubai’s tall figure appear at the door.

The man’s eagle-like sharp black eyes fell on her.

Shen Chuning’s watery eyes blinked, feeling a chill rising from her feet, freezing her in place.

She was anxious and afraid, and for some reason, her eyes uncontrollably welled up with tears…

The moment her eyes welled up, Zhou Yubai looked away and looked at Shen Zhengrong, “Zhengrong, come out for a moment, I have something to talk to you about.”

“Yes!”

Shen Zhengrong and Zhou Yubai served in the same army. Zhou Yubai was the battalion commander, and Shen Zhengrong was his company commander.

He habitually saluted Zhou Yubai.

After Shen Zhengrong went out with Zhou Yubai, Shen Qingsong looked at Shen Chuning with some lingering fear, saying, “Ningning, be good. Your marriage with Yubai is settled, don’t ever get angry and say such things again.”

Shen Chuning quickly held back her tears and pressed on, “Then you have to listen to me. If I say I want to keep half of the dowry, you have to keep half.”

Shen Qingsong couldn’t refuse his daughter, quickly nodding, “Okay, okay, Dad will listen to you, we’ll keep half.”

Shen Zhengrong walked a distance with Zhou Yubai before Zhou Yubai spoke.

Shen Zhengrong felt a little uneasy, “Brother Bai, if you’re looking for me because of my sister’s marriage and there’s something difficult, just say it. I… I’ll try my best to solve it.”

Although his sister was the apple of their family’s eye, he also knew that other families wouldn’t like a girl like his sister.

Moreover, a comrade as excellent as Zhou Yubai, not to mention in the village, even in the army, many female soldiers liked him.

Their regiment leader had even personally tried to matchmake him with the most beautiful military doctor, known as the “flower of the army,” but Zhou Yubai had refused.

He really didn’t know what happened, that Zhou Yubai actually agreed to marry his sister and gave such a generous dowry.

“Nothing difficult. I talked to Shen Chuning last night, and I’m willing to become revolutionary partners with her. I called you out because I need to apply for marriage leave and need you to return to the unit immediately.”

Shen Zhengrong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Zhou Yubai’s words, and gave a crisp salute, “Yes, Battalion Commander, I’ll return to the unit immediately!”