Jiang Zhida and Tao Tao’s wedding was set quickly; shortly after the New Year, they would begin the engagement process.

Yang Mei was at home counting items, saying, “Even though the time is tight, we can’t leave out anything for Tao Tao.

Although things aren’t as formal as they used to be, with the three letters and six etiquettes, or the four dowries and five types of jewelry, some steps cannot be skipped.

Four-color gifts, candies, pastries, traditional wedding cakes… Dazi, we’re still missing some rice cakes. Go buy them, and I’ve given you all the money needed for the engagement gifts. Remember, don’t forget the red envelopes.”

Yang Mei wore a crimson red coat today, matching red leather shoes, and carried a festive air of joy.

As she went out, she greeted everyone with a smile, sharing candies with neighbors and children.

Before they could ask, she eagerly shared the news about Jiang Zhida’s upcoming engagement.

She returned home with even more smiles, filled with the well-wishes she had received.

Jiang Zhida had bought all the items Yang Mei mentioned.

She pulled him over with Uncle Jiang to double-check, and after confirming everything was correct, she felt reassured.

“Take everything and load it into your car. Is your brother here? What about your second uncle and little aunt?”

Jiang Zhida checked the time and was about to answer when he heard a car downstairs.

Looking out the window, he saw it was his brother Jiang Zhishu’s car.

“My brother’s here, but I haven’t seen second uncle or little aunt yet.”

Yang Mei couldn’t wait. “I’m going to call them. Why are they so slow?”

Before she could reach the phone, Jiang Zhida stopped her, saying, “Mom, they’re all here. I see their car.”

Uncle Jiang and his family had come by taxi since they didn’t have a car of their own and were now retired.

Meanwhile, Jiang Shengnan and Father Cen arrived in their car, as Cen Zhengnian was busy with work and Cen Huaian had already started school.

Everyone helped load the gifts, and Jiang Shengnan, looking at the numerous items, said with a smile, “It’s quite a haul.”

Yang Mei nodded proudly. “I’ve drafted several lists to ensure we didn’t miss anything. Dazi’s finally getting married, and we certainly don’t want Tao Tao’s family to feel we’ve neglected her.”

There were so many items, especially large ones like the refrigerator, washing machine, TV, cabinet, and bed, that they had to call a truck to transport them.

Jiang Zhida led the way in his car, followed by Jiang Zhishu and his wife Chuxia in another car, and behind them, eight trucks carried the items—a lucky number, with everything prepared for a proper wedding.

The cars moved along the main street, drawing much attention.

Nowadays, couples usually prepared engagement gifts, but not this many, and passersby couldn’t help but look back repeatedly.

Many young women especially expressed admiration and envy, wondering which affluent family was arranging this engagement so generously.

As the convoy arrived at Tao Tao’s alley, even more neighbors came out to watch.

“Oh my goodness, aren’t those the Four Major Pieces?”

“Look at all the furniture, such a large cabinet, and even a bed that takes up a whole truck.”

“A car at the front? Whose family is engaged? What a grand display!”

With so many onlookers, the convoy moved slowly and finally stopped at Tao Tao’s door.

The neighbors were wide-eyed with amazement.

They had heard that Tao Tao was dating a wealthy man, but given her family’s circumstances—with her parents disabled and the family struggling financially—people were skeptical.

Despite her college degree, they doubted her wealthy boyfriend’s family would agree to the marriage.

Some even suspected he might just be playing around, as rich men often did.

Now, seeing this caravan of gifts, the neighbors felt truly humbled.

In addition to the wedding gifts, the car’s trunk was filled with chickens, ducks, fish, various pastries, fruit, tobacco, and incense—each item in auspicious numbers of ten or eight.

When Tao Tao and her parents stepped outside and saw everything, they were stunned.

Tao Tao blinked, looking at Jiang Zhida in disbelief. “Why so much?”

Father Tao also shook his head repeatedly, saying, “It’s too much, really too much.”

“Not at all,” Yang Mei said with a smile, directing Jiang Zhida, Jiang Zhishu, and the others to carry everything into Tao Tao’s house. “I was worried it wasn’t enough. Tao Tao is such a wonderful girl, willing to marry my son, who’s such a handful. I’d happily give everything in our house for this.”

“Auntie…” Tao Tao’s lips trembled with emotion, feeling the sincerity of Jiang Zhida’s family.

She knew this generosity wasn’t just for the engagement but to give her a sense of support, acknowledging her family’s challenges.

They also offered a sizable red envelope as a gift, but Tao Tao and her parents tried to refuse.

Jiang Zhida took the thick envelope and placed it in Tao Tao’s pocket, saying, “Take it, silly. This is your own little treasure now.”

Tao Tao, flustered, tried to hand it back. “The other gifts are already enough; I can’t take this.”

Jiang Zhida held her hand down, stopping her.

Yang Mei, nearby, said, “Tao Tao, it’s tradition to give a gift during the engagement, so you should accept it.”

Jiang Shengnan and Chuxia nodded in agreement, and Chuxia added, “Yes, when I got married, my parents gave me a lot of gifts too.”

Hearing this, Tao Tao decided to accept the money, although she resolved that when she got married, she’d return the amount as part of her dowry.

The Tao family’s house was too small for the new furniture, especially the Four Major Pieces.

These were meant for the couple’s new home, which Jiang Zhida had already shown Tao Tao—a courtyard house near Yunmeng Lake, not far from Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian’s residence.

That afternoon, the Jiang family enjoyed a hearty lunch at the Tao family’s home.

Then, accompanied by Tao Tao, the truckload of wedding gifts was transported to her and Jiang Zhida’s new house.

Tao’s father and mother also went along.

When they saw the large courtyard house with its big yard, surrounded by buildings in the middle and on the sides, they were both nervous and excited.

They were happy that their daughter had married well but also worried that she might have married too well, fearing she might not be able to stand her ground in her new family and could easily suffer losses.

However, remembering the respectful attitude of Jiang Zhida’s family towards them, much of their anxiety faded.

Still, they felt uneasy about such a big house.

The Tao family had lived in a small ten-square-meter house for decades and had never imagined a yard this large, rooms this spacious, or a home with so many rooms.

“Tao Tao, it’s wonderful, really wonderful.”

Tao’s father held her hand, repeating these words, feeling happy for his daughter.

Jiang Zhida noticed the older couple’s expressions and said, “Uncle, Auntie, this house is big. After Tao Tao and I get married, you can come live here too.”

“No, no, no,” Tao’s father quickly waved his hands in refusal, and Tao’s mother shook her head nervously.

“We’re used to our own home. You two should live here as a couple; don’t worry about us.”

Chu Xia and Jiang Shengnan were also looking at the house. Chu Xia said to Jiang Shengnan, “This courtyard’s layout is quite similar to the ones I bought in the East City and Xidan.”

Jiang Shengnan nodded, “Courtyards are basically all the same structure, only differing in size. The larger ones have two or three main sections.”

Jiang Shengnan had lived in a courtyard house when she was young.

Her parents were both renowned scholars, and during that time, university salaries were high. Seeing this courtyard brought back memories of her childhood.

However, she no longer had much desire to live in a courtyard.

In the retirement community, everyone around her shared the same interests; they would visit each other and chat if they got along, or simply ignore each other if they didn’t.

She and her husband had a son and daughter-in-law who were filial, and they were quite content with their lives now.

Jiang Zhida personally drove Tao’s parents home.

After arriving at their house, Tao Tao wanted to spend more time with Jiang Zhida, so she got back into his car and left again.

As Tao’s parents were about to enter their home, curious neighbors who had been itching with curiosity surrounded them.

“Old Tao, how’s Tao Tao’s new house? Is it big? Is it like the houses of government officials?”

“Did her in-laws give her a dowry? How much was it?”

Some people even said sourly, “Old Tao, you’re going to live in luxury now that your daughter married into such a wealthy family.”

“Old Tao, after Tao Tao gets married, will she bring you to live with her? Your house is so small.”

Tao’s father and mother, who were already not great at socializing, found themselves even more at a loss for words as they were surrounded.

They could only wave their hands, saying “no” repeatedly, without giving the neighbors any of the information they wanted to hear.

As for the exact amount of the dowry, they didn’t know either—it was all with Tao Tao.

In fact, Jiang Zhida didn’t take Tao Tao anywhere; he just took her for a drive, wandering around the streets, and then they enjoyed a healthy and delicious dinner at a private restaurant.

On the way back, Tao Tao said to Jiang Zhida, “The dowry your family gave is really too much.”

Jiang Zhida glanced at her, and Tao Tao was holding the dowry money that Yang Mei had given her.

“Feeling pressured?”

Tao Tao nodded, “Yes, very pressured. You gave so much, but I don’t have much of a dowry to give in return. Plus, I still need to leave some money for my parents.”

Jiang Zhida replied, “You can leave the dowry money for your parents.”

Tao Tao said, “No, it’s money from your family. I already feel uncomfortable holding it.”

Jiang Zhida chuckled lightly.

If he weren’t driving, he would have held her hand and asked how the money could possibly feel so uncomfortable.

“Once we’re married, everything I have will be yours. Will you still care about the amount of money then?”

Tao Tao replied, “But we’re not married yet. It’s different. And even after we’re married, I still have my job—I can’t rely on you for everything.”

Tao Tao had already graduated from university and was no longer doing part-time work in Yun Mengze.

She had attended Capital Normal University and then been directly admitted to a graduate program.

After graduating, she was assigned to teach at a college in Beijing.

The school was also in the western district, though a bit far from Xidan, requiring more than half an hour by bus.

But from the new courtyard house, it would only take 20 minutes.

Jiang Zhida suggested that after they got married, she should get a driver’s license.

He owned more than one car, and it would be much more convenient for her to drive to work than take the bus.

However, Tao Tao had not yet agreed to learn.

She didn’t like relying on Jiang Zhida for everything.

What she loved about him was his kindness and how he had helped her in the past—not his wealth or status.

Perhaps it was because of this that Jiang Zhida grew fonder of Tao Tao.

He had encountered too many people who pursued him for his money or family background, and their blatant greed made him sick.

By the time they arrived back at Tao’s house, it was already dark.

Tao Tao still wanted to return the dowry money to Jiang Zhida, but he insisted that she keep it.

Tao’s father and mother had been waiting for Tao Tao to return. When they saw Jiang Zhida, they stood up nervously.

Tao’s father asked, somewhat awkwardly, “Have you eaten yet, Da Zi? Do you want to eat something here?”

Jiang Zhida smiled and shook his head, “I’ve already eaten, Uncle. There’s no need to go through the trouble. I just want to have a word with you and Auntie before I leave.”

“Okay, okay.” Tao’s father didn’t know what to do, so he stood there, waiting for Jiang Zhida to speak.

It was Jiang Zhida’s first time dealing with such genuine people.

He gently helped Tao’s father sit down.

Jiang Zhida, who usually had a casual and somewhat mischievous expression, suddenly became serious. “Uncle, Auntie, thank you for trusting me with Tao Tao. Rest assured, I will take good care of her and never let her suffer. If I ever treat her poorly, you’re welcome to scold or hit me, and I won’t resist.”

Tao’s father and mother, hearing his sincere promise, felt the last of their worries melt away.

They looked at him with satisfaction in their eyes.

“Tao Tao is lucky to marry you!” Tao’s father grasped Jiang Zhida’s hand, tears glistening in his eyes.

He had lived all these years with one wish: for his daughter to marry into a good family and live a happy life.

Now, not only had she found a good family, but it exceeded their expectations.

Tao’s father was overjoyed.

Tao Tao looked at Jiang Zhida, her heart swelling with warmth.

She was grateful for that one moment of courage when she had confessed her feelings to him.

Otherwise, after their pretend relationship ended, they might never have crossed paths again.

After seeing Jiang Zhida off, Tao Tao sat under the dim light at home and took out the envelope containing the dowry money.

She said to her parents, “Dad, Mom, I want to bring this dowry to Jiang’s family. I’ll leave most of the money I’ve earned over the years for you.”

Tao’s father nodded, “That’s the right thing to do. We can’t keep the dowry. Your mother and I can take care of ourselves. You should keep your money for your dowry. We have some savings and will add to your dowry as well. Jiang’s family gave such a large dowry—we can’t send you off with too little, or people might gossip about you.”