Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 210 Huo Benqin Buys 3 Gold Medals

Jingyan hugged her, rested her head on her shoulder, and said softly, "Third sister, things will get better and better for us in the future."

Jingxian patted her back: "Yes, I'm so glad I have you."

Jingyan tilted her head: "Now you won't resent your second sister for taking you back back then, will you?"

Jingxian laughed and patted her on the shoulder, "It's been so many years, how do you still remember? It must have been your second sister who told you, she just can't keep secrets."

He Zhijun, who was standing nearby, heard this and looked on with a gossipy expression. Jingxian, seeing the curious looks on the faces of the people in the room, smiled, released Jingyan, and said:

"It's not a big deal. When I was little, I think I had just learned to walk, there were a lot of children in my family. There happened to be a couple in the village who didn't have any children, so they were thinking of adopting one. My parents were good-looking, so all the children in my family were good-looking. They came to ask, and my mother gave me away."

Seeing everyone's wide-eyed expressions, Jingxian continued, "Back then, there were many children in the family, and the older children took care of the younger ones. When my second sister came home from school and found I wasn't there, she went to ask my mother..."

My mom said she gave me away, and my second sister threw a huge tantrum at home, demanding I come back. Eventually, my mom couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she took her to that family and carried me back. My second sister later said that when they found that family, I was sitting on the kang (heated brick bed) eating snacks; their living conditions were much better than at home.

Jingyan chimed in with a smile, "Yes, there was a time when you had a fight with your second sister and you said that she shouldn't have brought you back, that you were enjoying yourself over there."

“I was too young to understand the deep sisterly affection back then. Come to think of it, there were eight sisters in the family, and your second sister was the one who loved her younger brothers and sisters the most,” Jingxian sighed.

"Did that family adopt another child later?" Sister Shen asked curiously.

Jingxian tilted his head and thought for a moment: "I really don't know. Maybe it's because I was sent away, and my brothers and sisters at home don't care about the situation of that family. They kept it from me. To this day, I still don't know which family took me back then."

"So much time has passed, I usually wouldn't even think about this unless we were talking about it today," Jing Yan said with a smile and a shake of her head.

The topic veered off course, but it quickly returned to the main point, with everyone discussing looking at houses after the Lantern Festival, aiming to settle on one as soon as possible and have the wedding around May Day. Of course, the task of finding a house was once again left to Jingyan, since she was the most relaxed person in the family.

"Jingyan, didn't you say before that you contacted Yuan Xiaoling to help find someone to introduce to Ronggang? We've already finalized it. When you have time, go and let them know so they can stop looking around." Jingxian quickly instructed.

Jingyan slapped her forehead: "Look at my memory, I completely forgot about this. I'll call and tell you right now."

The phone call connected, and they exchanged New Year's greetings. Then Jingyan told Yuan Xiaoling that Ronggang's marriage was settled. Yuan Xiaoling congratulated her repeatedly before explaining why there had been no news for so long:

"Sister Zhang, you know my mother is the head matchmaker in our family. I told you about Ronggang's conditions before. You might not know, but girls in Haishi are very precious. They only have a few criteria when choosing a partner."

Either you need the money, the talent, or the power. If you have none of these, being a local will do; after all, locals usually have ancestral property, at least they own real estate.

Ronggang is great in every way, except he doesn't meet these criteria. Girls from other places don't usually have such high standards, but my mom doesn't know him well. Introducing him without understanding him is risky. If they become a harmonious family, everything will be fine; but if they're constantly at odds, then things will be really awkward.

My mom recently took a liking to a girl from out of town who came to work. She was originally planning to get to know her better before mentioning it to you. But since you've already made a decision, that's perfect!

I'll tell my mom right away that she must let me know once Ronggang's wedding date is set. We want to attend the wedding and share in the joy.

Jingyan was relieved to hear this. She was afraid that the other side had also found a suitable candidate, but then the other side changed their minds, which would please neither side. The current situation was the best possible outcome.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Huo Benqin and her sister and brother-in-law visited each other's homes with their children. They sat at two tables, one for the children and one for the adults. The children's world was simple; they talked about eating, drinking, and interesting things at school, and they chatted quite enthusiastically.

The adults started discussing Ronggang and Huo Benqin's wedding date. In order not to interfere with everyone's work time, they finally decided to hold the wedding on National Day. Jingyan mentioned renting a separate house for the young couple, closer to her home, so that it would be convenient for them to come back for meals.

Sister Huo was very satisfied with this, and then they started talking about the betrothal gifts and dowry. Although Jingxian's chicken farm was profitable, it had only been two years. Jingyan had already paid back half of her money, and she only had about 10,000 yuan left.

Jingxian said, "Our family will give a dowry of 10,000 yuan and three gold pieces. As for the three major items, let's not give them for now. In a few years, when we have saved up some money and the children buy a house, I will make up for it with the three turns and one sound, plus furniture. What do you think?"

Sister Huo and Brother-in-law Huo exchanged a glance, then Sister Huo turned to them with a bright smile: "Oh, dear in-laws, you're such a kind person! I truly believe you've really taken a liking to my Xiaoqin this time. Ten thousand yuan, that's a really sincere offer!"

Our parents left Xiaoqin 1,000 yuan as dowry, and I, as her older sister, gave her another 3,000 yuan. Xiaoqin's savings over the years are also included in the dowry, bringing it to about 14,000 yuan. It seems like more than your family's betrothal gift, but if you factor in the furniture and appliances after buying a house, it's not that much.”

Rong Gang looked at Huo Benqin's family, his face burning. He had always believed that it was immoral to use a woman's money. Knowing that his current financial situation was not as good as Huo Benqin's, he secretly vowed that he would pay more attention to the chicken farm in the future and support the family's expenses. As for his wife's money, it was hers to keep and her family should not covet it.

The marriage negotiations went smoothly. After Huo Benqin's family returned home, Huo's sister remarked, "Everyone says that Northeasterners are straightforward and generous. Today I truly witnessed it. My future in-laws' aunt probably brought out all the money she could afford. No one knows what their situation was like when they first came here, but Xiaoqin worked in the shop and heard some rumors."

In just two years, they managed to save ten thousand yuan. That's the result of the mother and son working tirelessly from dawn till dusk. Xiaoqin, after you get married, you must treat your husband well.

I've heard people say that Northeasterners have bad tempers. So, if you encounter something unpleasant, try to reason with them instead of confronting them directly. A gentle approach is much more effective than a head-on confrontation.

Huo Benqin nodded in agreement: "Rong Gang is reasonable. I will share joys and sorrows with him after we get married."

After the Huo family left, Jingyan pulled Jingxian back to her room: "Third sister, you gave 10,000 yuan as a bride price, plus the three gold pieces, do you have enough money?"

The price of gold is about 260 yuan per gram now, and three pieces of gold would weigh at least 20 grams, so we'd need to prepare about 4,000 to 5,000 yuan. How about I pay for it as a gift to Ronggang?

Jingxian glared at her, annoyed: "Have you ever heard of anyone giving four or five thousand yuan as a wedding gift? That's enough for an average family to get married. I gave such a high dowry because Xiaoqin mentioned she had about ten thousand yuan in savings when the two families were looking at each other."

Although we don't covet the dowry, if the betrothal gifts are too small, how will Ronggang hold his head high in front of his future wife? Ten thousand yuan is a way to save face for him.

As for the three gold pieces, I have a solid gold bracelet, quite heavy, which your brother-in-law bought for me before. I'll give this to Xiaoqin directly, and then we'll buy a ring and earrings to complete the set.”

Seeing that her third sister had a plan in mind, Jingyan didn't say anything more. How to put it, her third sister is someone who can accept help when she needs it, but if you give her too much help when she is confident that she can get through it, it will be a burden for her. Even if you are sisters, you should maintain the necessary boundaries, otherwise, even the best relationship will develop cracks.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Runze and his wife left Changxing Island and returned to Beijing. After seeing his sister off, Shen Runze visibly relaxed, as if he had thrown away a burden. His obvious relief made the couple laugh.

Starting from the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, restaurants reopened, and those who needed to go to work resumed their daily routines. Only the children were still on winter vacation and could relax a bit, spending their time eating, playing, sleeping, and perhaps reading books.

Of course, such leisurely days belonged only to Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao. An'an was already a high school student with heavy academic burdens. Even during holidays, she dared not completely relax. Apart from eating and sleeping, she spent the rest of her time in her study room preparing for exams or doing practice problems.

Rongqiang also moved back to stay with An'an, helping him with his homework and tutoring him on anything he didn't understand. Because An'an's study schedule was tight, Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao, who had originally planned to relax, also had to study for two extra hours every day under the pangs of their conscience, as a way to comfort themselves. After that, they would go downstairs to watch TV series.

The two children are currently fascinated by the popular TV series "The Legend of the White Snake". In addition, with the previous releases of other period dramas such as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "The Return of the Condor Heroes", "Xin Shiba Mei", and "The Legend of Shushan", the children also fantasize about being female knights-errant.

Jingyan often saw the two little girls, Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao, draping bed sheets as capes and using feather dusters as swords, poking and stabbing each other in a very serious manner. The adults watching were embarrassed, but the two girls were completely oblivious to the embarrassment and even thought they were very chivalrous.

Seeing the two of them going crazy, Jingyan chose to turn a blind eye and went straight into her room to practice calligraphy.

Once the Lantern Festival was over, the island suddenly became lively again. Those who had gone home to visit relatives had returned, and the atmosphere returned to normal. Jingxian chose a weekday to take Huo Benqin to a jewelry store to choose wedding jewelry. Ronggang accompanied them throughout the process, while the chicken farm was left to Rongqiang to look after, which was a good way to make the best use of everyone's talents.

Huo Benqin followed them into the jewelry store. Looking at the rows of gleaming gold ornaments, she was, to be honest, a little dazzled. She looked through the display window for a long time before choosing a ring that weighed only a little over a gram. The band was very thin, and while it looked good on her slender fingers, it was more suitable for everyday wear than a wedding ring—a bit too small.

Jingxian knew what she meant and wanted to save her money. He grabbed her hand and said with a hint of relief, "Silly girl, this is for your wedding ring. Ronggang will buy you this ring after the wedding. This time we need to pick one that weighs five or six grams to make it look grand. This is the gift from your in-laws, so we can't skimp on it."

Huo Benqin hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Auntie, let's just buy light gifts. It's enough to show our appreciation. We've already given so much in betrothal gifts. Buying more gold jewelry would be too much of a waste of money. We don't need to make things difficult for ourselves just to save face."

Jingxian laughed: "Let's just buy rings and earrings this time. We don't need to buy bracelets. I already prepared a gold bracelet. It doesn't have a fancy design, it's just a plain bangle. The only advantage is that it's heavy. So we can buy whatever we like. We can afford about ten grams."

Huo Benqin then looked at Rong Gang, who was even more bewildered. He didn't know anything about women's jewelry, so he could only stammer, "Listen to your mother. After we get married, you will manage the money and take charge of the household. I will listen to you from now on."

Simple and practical words are the most touching, at least for Huo Benqin. The wedding date has just been set, and she has already taken over the management of the household. This makes her feel very comfortable. She smiled and nodded, and discussed with Jingxian about choosing a style.

In the end, they spent over 2,300 yuan to buy the ring and earrings. Huo Benqin followed the two back to their rented room. Jingxian took out a small bag wrapped in a handkerchief from the closet.

As the layers were opened, a gold bracelet lay inside. Yes, it was indeed plain and without any pattern. But once Huo Benqin got her hands on it, she knew that this thing was very valuable because... it was heavy.

"I bought this bracelet over ten years ago when gold was cheap. It weighs about forty grams. You see, if our rings and earrings are too light, they look terrible next to this bracelet."

"These are the three gold pieces our family gave you. Take them back with you. The betrothal gifts are all in this savings account, take that too. Buy whatever you want. From now on, you're in charge of Ronggang's family." Jingxian said, handing the savings account and gold jewelry to Huo Benqin.

Huo Benqin was truly dumbfounded. Was this the time for the betrothal gifts to be given? She had never been married before and didn't know that these were things that could be taken away directly.

While she was still hesitating, Rong Gang had already stuffed the things into her bag and handed her the cotton coat: "It's getting late, I'll take you home."

She was sent home in a daze. When her sister and brother-in-law returned in the evening, Huo Benqin showed her the three gold pieces and the bankbook to her sister. Her sister was shocked: "This family is too honest. They gave it to us so early. Aren't they afraid we'll run away with the money?"

Brother-in-law Huo… “We wouldn’t abandon our family and career for something like this, would we?”