Chapter 3: Decision

◎ I Have a Boyfriend ◎

Ever since the original host went to visit her aunt in Beijing with Bian Qianqian and met Jiang Che, she had set her sights on this fair-skinned, handsome young man. Especially after hearing from Bian Qianqian’s cousin that Jiang Che’s father was the deputy director of a state-owned cotton factory, she became even more fixated on him, unwilling to let go.

As the saying goes, “a woman’s pursuit of a man is like a thin veil.” Jiang Che was never much of a gentleman to begin with, and given that the original host was quite good-looking herself, after some back-and-forth, the two of them ended up in a relationship.

Fortunately, though neither of them were particularly reliable, they still had some boundaries. So far, the most intimate they had gotten was just hugging and cuddling—still within Wei Xuan’s acceptable limits.

As for Jiang Che’s talk about taking responsibility today, Wei Xuan held her forehead in exasperation…

This was clearly just a trap set by the original host. She had noticed that Jiang Che only wanted to have fun with her and had no intention of marrying her, so she deliberately schemed against him.

Just as the two were getting affectionate during their meeting, the original host deliberately had Bian Qianqian bring people over to catch them in the act. Then, she provoked Jiang Che with a few words. Jiang Che, unwilling to lose face, fell right into the trap.

If Wei Xuan had to say, the original host was quite the strategist. She just wasn’t sure if the excitement from successfully orchestrating this whole thing had been too much for her—so much so that she fell asleep and never woke up, leaving Wei Xuan to take her place here.

Sigh…

Wei Xuan looked around at the room she had just finished cleaning and let out a helpless sigh.

She had initially planned on staying here for a long time, but now it seemed like she wouldn’t be here much longer.

Now that she had calmed down, she understood the situation clearly—things had already progressed this far, so she might as well go along with it.

Honestly, wasn’t this actually the better choice for her? Sure, she could break off the engagement, but then what?

She was about to turn eighteen. In this era, if she weren’t pursuing further studies, she might already have a child by now. Whether it was Jiang Che or someone else, she would have to marry eventually. At least Jiang Che met her standards for looks—she wouldn’t be at a loss.

Another thing was that, even though Wei Xuan had inherited all of the original host’s memories, fake was still fake. No matter how much she pretended, she and the original host were fundamentally different in both personality and habits. Over time, it was only a matter of time before the Wei family noticed something was off.

If she got married and moved far away, she wouldn’t see them as often, making it harder for them to detect any inconsistencies. Even if they did notice some differences, she would have an easier time explaining them away.

After sorting out her thoughts, Wei Xuan finally opened the door and went out to prepare dinner. That evening, after the Wei family members returned from work, ate their meal, and went back to their rooms, she walked over to knock on her parents’ door.

Since she had already made up her mind, it was best to inform her family as soon as possible so they could be mentally prepared.

“Ni’er, what’s the matter? Don’t just stand there—come sit on the heated brick bed,” her mother said.

At this hour, Wei Xuan’s parents had already gone to bed. Seeing their daughter come in, both of them sat up, leaning against the headboard.

Wei Xuan didn’t hesitate and sat down on the edge of the bed, but when it came time to speak, she hesitated. The words were at the tip of her tongue, yet she struggled to get them out.

Mother Wei noticed Wei Xuan’s hesitation and assumed her daughter was too embarrassed to ask for money. Without a second thought, she got up, rummaged through the cabinet behind her for a long while, and finally pulled out fifty cents. Handing it to Wei Xuan, she said, “Didn’t you say the other day that your face soap was all used up? Take this and buy another bar. Whatever’s left, save it for some popsicles.”

Wei Xuan stared at the money that had been stuffed into her hand, feeling both amused and deeply moved. This was probably the kind of motherly love she had never experienced in her past life.

But there was no way she could accept the money. She firmly pushed it back into her mother’s hand before finally speaking. “Dad, Mom, I actually have something to tell you.”

“What is it, Ni’er? Speak. Did your sisters-in-law bully you? Just tell me, and I’ll stand up for you!”

“Oh, enough of that! Don’t interrupt—let’s hear what our daughter has to say first,” Father Wei cut in, stopping Mother Wei’s hasty questioning. He turned to Wei Xuan.

“Yes, Ni’er, go ahead,” her mother urged.

Seeing both of them looking at her so anxiously, Wei Xuan steeled herself and finally voiced the decision she had already drafted in her mind. “Dad, Mom, my boyfriend came to see me today. He said that in a couple of days, his family will come to propose marriage. I wanted to let you know in advance so you can be prepared. I’ve already agreed to it.”

“When did you get a boyfriend? How come I didn’t know about this?”

Seeing that her parents’ expressions weren’t particularly disapproving, Wei Xuan continued, “Mom, I couldn’t just bring up something uncertain at home. If it didn’t work out and word got out, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

She then briefly introduced Jiang Che’s family background to her parents, spending quite some effort to ease their concerns. By the time she finally left their room, it was already quite late.

After Wei Xuan left, Father and Mother Wei lay in bed, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Father Wei was relatively calm. Though he cared for his daughter, he wasn’t as affectionate with her as Mother Wei was. Besides, daughters eventually had to get married—it was just a part of life.

Mother Wei, however, felt a deep sorrow at the thought of her daughter getting married and no longer having someone to share personal conversations with every day.

But at least the man Wei Xuan had chosen seemed decent. Once she married him, she wouldn’t have to toil in the fields anymore. That thought brought her a small sense of comfort.

After thinking it over, she couldn’t help but say to Father Wei, “When Ni’er gets married, no matter how much the groom’s family gives as a bride price, we must let her take it all with her. We can’t let them look down on our Ni’er.”

“Alright, we’ll do as you say.”

“And also, find some time tomorrow to visit Guanggui. We need to start preparing the dowry cabinet—it’s best to get a matching set so it looks nice. As for the quilts and pillows, I can make them with the help of our three daughters-in-law. The rest can wait until the groom’s family comes to discuss, but no matter what, we have to make sure our Ni’er has a grand wedding.”

“Got it, I know all this already. No need to nag—just go to sleep. We have to wake up early for work tomorrow.”

Seeing her husband turn over impatiently, giving her his back, Mother Wei rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction. But in her heart, she had already made up her mind—she would use most of her private savings to help Wei Xuan with her dowry.

Meanwhile, back in her room, Wei Xuan finally felt at ease now that the big issue was settled. That night, she slept soundly. When she woke up, her family had already gone out to work.

Checking the time, she figured it was just right to make breakfast.

After a quick wash, she headed to the kitchen.

Having eaten plain food for a while, she was craving something salty for breakfast today.

She started by putting the porridge on to cook. Opening the cupboard, she saw there was still some white flour left. Wei Xuan decided to make a simple version of rou long (meat rolls), which was easier than making steamed buns or flower rolls. Of course, there was no meat, so she had to make do with scallions and yardlong beans. As long as the seasoning was right, the taste wouldn’t be bad.

In her past life, Wei Xuan had been from the south, but she loved eating wheat-based foods. She had seen rou long in a cooking video before but never had the chance to try making it herself. Now, she finally had the opportunity.

There wasn’t much white flour left, so she had to mix in some cornmeal to make it enough.

After kneading the dough and setting it aside to ferment, she took the time to run to the backyard vegetable garden. She picked a handful of yardlong beans and scallions, washed them clean, chopped them up, and seasoned them for the filling.

She placed the prepared veggie rolls directly on top of the porridge to steam. By the time the porridge was ready, the veggie rolls would also be done.

Before the food was even finished cooking, the Wei family members had already started returning home one after another.

“Oh wow, I could smell this delicious aroma from far away! I was wondering which house it was coming from, and turns out it’s our little sister making breakfast. We’re in for a treat today!”

As soon as Third Sister-in-law Wei stepped into the courtyard, she spoke in a flattering tone. She knew that her mother-in-law didn’t like her much, so she wanted to win some favor with her younger sister-in-law instead. After all, everyone in the family knew that their mother-in-law’s favorite was this youngest daughter.

Sure enough, her words hit the mark. Mother Wei’s face lit up with a proud smile as she said, “Of course! My daughter used to be too busy with her studies to cook, but now that she’s putting in a little effort, her skills are already far beyond the average person’s.”

Eldest Sister-in-law Wei quickly echoed her mother-in-law’s praise, while Second Sister-in-law Wei just scoffed in disbelief. Their little sister-in-law was notoriously lazy, barely stepping into the kitchen once in a blue moon. There was no way she could make anything good—Second Sister-in-law simply didn’t buy it.

“Hmph, only the eldest’s family and the third’s family know how to flatter.”

Wei Xuan blushed from the nonstop praise of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo. She had merely made a simple breakfast, yet they talked as if she had prepared a grand banquet. Quickly, she interrupted them, “Mom, you’ve been working all morning—you must be tired. Come wash your hands and take a break before eating. Afterward, you can rest a bit more.”

Hearing this, Wei Mother turned to look at her husband and three sons. Seeing the fatigue on their faces, she knew they were exhausted from their labor. She decided not to continue praising her daughter and immediately instructed the daughters-in-law to fetch bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen to start the meal.

Wei Xuan hurried back to the kitchen to take the vegetable rolls out of the pot and sliced them while they were still hot—each person got just the right portion.

After placing the dish on the table in the main hall, Third Brother Wei sniffed the air, raised his thumb, and praised, “Little sister, your cooking skills are really something! It smells amazing.”

Wei Xuan smiled without responding, and Wei Mother continued, “Of course! Our girl has always been smart—handling kitchen work is a piece of cake for her.”

“Hehe, little sister really is skilled. From now on, I’ll have to taste her cooking more often.”

“As if! Your little sister is about to get married and move to the city. Where will she find time to cook for you?”

“What?” The three Wei brothers all looked up at their mother in surprise. When had this happened? How come they didn’t know anything about it?

Wei Mother glanced at her three clueless sons and lifted her chin slightly with a hint of pride. “That’s right. Your little sister has found a fiancé in the capital, and he’ll be coming soon to propose.”

“Mother, what did you say? Is little sister really going to marry into the capital and live a good life?” Second Sister-in-law Wei, who had just entered with a stack of bowls and chopsticks, was momentarily stunned by the news.

In her heart, her sister-in-law was nothing more than a lazy, good-for-nothing girl who accomplished nothing. Aside from being slightly better-looking, she believed she was superior in every other way. So why was Wei Xuan the one who got to marry so well?

Her mother-in-law always talked about how her precious daughter would marry into the city and live a good life. Though she never voiced her opinion, deep down, she thought the two of them were just daydreaming. City folks weren’t fools—why would they take in a wife who was utterly useless and treat her like a treasured goddess?

So now this ridiculous dream was actually coming true?

Of course, Wei Mother picked up on her second daughter-in-law’s underlying dissatisfaction, and she was absolutely thrilled. Did they really think she hadn’t noticed that her daughters-in-law never believed her girl would find a good match? Well, look who’s laughing now! Serves them right.

Though she was bursting with joy inside, she still maintained a composed expression. She merely gave a reserved “Mm” and replied indifferently, “If you ask me, your little sister is still young—there’s no rush for her to marry. But the groom’s side is in a hurry. They’re afraid that if they wait too long, she might change her mind. Seeing how sincere they were, and considering that her fiancé is a dependable man, I reluctantly agreed.”

Wei Xuan, listening from the side, twitched at the corners of her mouth. The way the old lady put it—if she weren’t the one getting married, she might’ve actually believed it.