Hearing this, An Xin turned to Bai Yichen and said,
“Since you’ve agreed that I can continue to take care of my family after marriage, I’ll agree to this marriage. What should we do next?”

The An family’s situation was dire—they were dirt poor. While there wasn’t much they could prepare, some formalities still needed to be discussed.

Just as the two finalized the engagement and were about to plan their next steps, Chen Hongyan loudly interrupted from the side.

“An Xin, listen to me. Once you’re married, don’t worry about us anymore.”

Tears began streaming down Chen Hongyan’s face. She understood well that An Xin was the An family’s backbone. Without her, they might not survive. But she couldn’t let her daughter be dragged down by them. In the end, she was still a kind mother with a soft heart!

Everyone present fell silent.
If An Xin truly walked away, this family would starve—it was inevitable.

An Xin knelt down beside her mother, tightly holding Chen Hongyan’s hands. Her gaze was firm, her tone steady.

“Mom, don’t worry about me. I’ve grown up now. I’ll work hard, earn money, cure your illness, and raise my siblings into successful adults.”

“But…”

Chen Hongyan was already crying uncontrollably, gazing at her suddenly mature daughter. Her feelings were a mix of pride and sorrow.

It was her fault. If she hadn’t fallen ill, her daughter wouldn’t have to shoulder such burdens.

An Xin gently rested her head on her mother’s chest, her voice soft and affectionate.

“Mom, don’t hold back anymore. Right now, what matters most is curing your illness. My siblings and I still need you.”

Children are always the mother’s weak point. An Xin’s plea, full of retreating to advance, left Chen Hongyan no choice but to silently accept her daughter’s decision to support the family even after marriage.

Once the mother and daughter had calmed down, Bai Yichen slowly took a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to Chen Hongyan. His expression was somewhat shy.

“Auntie, it’s settled then—I’ll marry An Xin. Right now, I only have 1,060 yuan on me. Let this be An Xin’s bride price. Once I earn more, I’ll make sure to honor you.”

He had scraped together all the money he had for this bride price, hoping Chen Hongyan wouldn’t look down on it.
If I had known I’d marry so soon, I would’ve curbed my spending habits earlier.

The village officials couldn’t help but reveal envy in their eyes when they heard Bai Yichen offering 1,060 yuan for the bride price.

As expected of someone who holds a steady government job—he can afford such a generous bride price! Most village girls were married off for one or two hundred yuan, yet Bai Yichen was offering over a thousand for a village girl.

For Chen Hongyan, a simple rural woman, this was the first time she had seen so much money. Her trembling fingers gently pushed the red envelope back, speaking softly.

“You don’t need to give us this bride price. Just treat An Xin well after you marry her.”

She understood how desperately the An family needed money, and Bai Yichen’s bride price felt like manna from heaven. But she couldn’t take it—if she did, people might look down on her daughter in the future.

An Xin stood silently to the side. She felt the bride price was rightfully owed to her family; after all, raising a daughter wasn’t easy. Giving something in return was expected.

Seeing Chen Hongyan’s refusal, Bai Yichen discreetly glanced at Hu Zhigang, the village chief. Hu immediately understood, standing up to interject.

“Ms. An, don’t refuse. Giving a bride price is proper and necessary. Besides, your family could use this money—whether for treating illnesses or raising children.”

Seriously, the An family is starving, and yet they want to act noble? Hu Zhigang couldn’t help but roll his eyes. If this bride price were mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to pocket it immediately.

1,000 yuan in the 1980s was no small sum.

“This…”

Chen Hongyan looked torn. Seeing her mother’s hesitation, An Xin stepped in.

“Mom, just accept it!”

Bai Yichen also chimed in, “That’s right, Auntie. This bride price is something I should give. Please, take it.”

Meanwhile, Tian Zhengying’s eyes burned with envy as she stared at the large red envelope. She managed to feign concern, urging,
“Take it. It’s the groom’s token of sincerity. After all, once the wedding is done, he’ll be calling you ‘Mom.’ It’s only right for children to give money to their elders.”

If only I’d sent my daughter to charm Bai Yichen earlier! she thought bitterly. Sure, my daughter might be on the hefty side, but all women look the same with the lights off.

With everyone’s persuasion, Chen Hongyan carefully glanced at her daughter, who gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Finally, she relented.

“Alright… I’ll accept it.”

As soon as Chen Hongyan accepted the money, Bai Yichen took out a smaller red envelope. The onlookers almost popped their eyeballs out of their sockets.

What the… He’s marrying a village girl! How many red envelopes is he planning to give?!

Bai Yichen handed the smaller envelope to An Xin, who looked confused.

“We’re getting married, so here’s 200 yuan. Use it to prepare some things for the wedding,” he explained. “Clothes, shoes, candies, and bridal scarves—those kinds of things. I’m not very good at this sort of stuff.”

The crowd fell silent.

What?! He’s even giving money to the bride for her own wedding prep? These city folks have way too many rules!

An Xin initially wanted to refuse. She had plenty of supplies in her dimensional storage—clothes, shoes, socks, and more—but she couldn’t reveal it. Given the An family’s poverty, exposing her secret would be inappropriate. Reluctantly, she accepted the money.

“Alright then, I’ll use this to prepare for our wedding. Think of it as a loan—I’ll pay you back once I earn some money.”

Bai Yichen: “…”

The crowd: “…”

Oh, please. Who are you kidding? A penniless girl acting all high and mighty…

And just like that, the wedding was set. The ceremony would take place in three days.

After concluding the formalities, everyone stayed to eat at the An family’s home. While the food wasn’t luxurious, it was clear they had prepared everything they could.