After thinking for a moment, Zheng Xiaoyue finally voiced her thoughts: "Brother, sister-in-law, don't you think there's a huge gap between our two families' circumstances? Look, they live in a two-courtyard siheyuan, the house is so big, and he himself is already a deputy regimental commander at such a young age. His family is probably not an ordinary family either. If a family like ours marries into a family like that, we'll be seen as marrying up."

Jiang Ruyu hadn't expected her to be worried about such things, but upon reflection, she realized she wasn't wrong.

"Xiaoyue, I knew from the beginning that Liu Xiangxiang's brother-in-law was quite well-off. The reason I wanted to introduce him to you wasn't because I wanted you to marry into a higher social class. It's mainly because Jiang Tao himself is very capable, and he's in the military year-round, so his family can accompany him. That way, you'll have less trouble dealing with your in-laws and sisters-in-law."

Also, Xiaoyue, I understand you don't want to be accused of marrying up, but I think a man who is good in every way is more important than his family background. We can't just disagree with someone because his family is well-off and insist on finding someone with poorer circumstances, can we?

"But what if his family thinks I'm not good enough for him?"

"That depends on whether Jiang Tao can handle the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law well, and also on whether you can stand up for yourself. Xiaoyue, although our family is not as good as his family, we are not lacking in anything. We have jobs, we can earn money, we are not bad-looking, and we used to be good students. We didn't go to university because there were no universities available. You can't look down on yourself and always feel that you are not as good as him. Otherwise, others will only think that you are easy to bully."

Jiang Ruyu could tell that her sister-in-law probably had a crush on Jiang Tao, but she felt a little inferior and thought she wasn't good enough for him.

Zheng Yang looked at his younger sister and shook his head helplessly, saying, "How did you develop such a soft temper? Let me tell you, all these years, Dad hasn't done anything but save money for us. I'm already married, and he's just waiting to marry off his daughter. The dowry he's prepared for you means you can hold your head high no matter who you marry. What are you afraid of?"

"I, I..."

"Alright, let's stop talking about her and let her think about it herself."

The next day, as Zheng Xiaoyue walked out of her workplace after get off work, she ran into Jiang Tao, who was waiting at the door on his bicycle. He was standing next to his bicycle, wearing a black woolen overcoat and a matching scarf around his neck. He looked completely different from when he wore his military overcoat; he was more gentle and less sharp-edged.

"Here is Zheng Xiaoyue."

Zheng Xiaoyue's colleague, standing nearby, looked at her gossipy: "Who's this? Your boyfriend?"

"No, don't talk nonsense, we just met." Zheng Xiaoyue blushed and waved goodbye to them, then ran over to Jiang Tao: "What brings you here?"

Jiang Tao paused, a hint of helplessness showing on his face. He glanced at the girl, sighed, took off the scarf from his neck, and put it around her neck: "We agreed to spend some time together, Zheng Xiaoyue. My vacation is short, I don't have many days for you to get to know me. I really like you, and I hope you can consider me carefully. It's not easy to meet someone you have a connection with, like, and feel is a good match for. I'm also this age, so think about me carefully. Shall I take you out to eat now?"

Zheng Xiaoyue could sense the seriousness in the man in front of her, and she nodded unconsciously: "I will consider it carefully."

For the next few days, Jiang Tao would try to spend time with Zheng Xiaoyue every day after get off work at noon and in the afternoon, hoping to persuade this confused girl to agree to be his girlfriend.

Unfortunately, Zheng Xiaoyue was incredibly patient; she simply wouldn't speak, saying that they hadn't known each other long enough to see anything.

Jiang Tao was completely impressed by this girl, so he decided to stick with her and refused to believe he couldn't get her to talk.

Seeing her brother-in-law getting anxious, Liu Xiangxiang went to Jiang Ruyu and whispered, "My brother-in-law is such a rare find! He convinced my father-in-law that very night, and my mother-in-law didn't dare to say a word against him. If your sister-in-law is also interested, then agree. If not, say so soon, don't keep us waiting."

Jiang Ruyu was definitely on her family's side: "Your brother-in-law is not bad, and Xiaoyue is not the kind of person who rushes in. This kind of thing depends on them. I'll go back and ask Xiaoyue what she thinks. If it's not suitable, I won't delay you from finding someone else."

Liu Xiangxiang quickly explained, "Hey, you have such a temper. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that you know Jiang Tao is a soldier, and he really doesn't have much time. This time, he had to extend his leave by several days to be able to spend time with your sister-in-law. He's such a good person. I've never seen him care about people so much before. That's why I mentioned it to you. Why are you getting so upset?"

Jiang Ruyu smiled and said, "You have to understand Xiaoyue. You yourself said that your mother-in-law is not easy to get along with. If your family is well-off and you feel this way, then it's normal for her to be afraid, let alone us, who are just ordinary people. You can ask your brother-in-law to promise her that he will never be mistreated by his mother after the marriage. That should dispel her concerns."

"You, Jiang Ruyu, you really think of your sister-in-law. I wish I had a sister-in-law as good as you."

"Hehe, then let's see if you can be as understanding as Xiaoyue, haha!"

"Go to hell."

The two chatted about gossip for a while before going about their own business. That evening, Liu Xiangxiang waited for Jiang Tao to come back and told him what Jiang Ruyu had said: "That young lady is worried that she will be mistreated after marrying into a wealthy family. You need to find a way to make her believe that you won't let her suffer."

Jiang Tao smiled and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I understand."

The next day when Jiang Tao saw Zheng Xiaoyue again, he looked at her and said, "Zheng Xiaoyue, let me tell you about my experiences from childhood to adulthood."

Zheng Xiaoyue smiled and nodded: "Okay."

In fact, after spending these few days together and communicating, and considering Jiang Tao's character and the things her brother and sister-in-law said to her, Zheng Xiaoyue had already decided to accept him.

Just like my sister-in-law said, don't miss out on someone who might be a good match because of unknowns. Dating doesn't necessarily mean getting married. If it doesn't work out, they will support her in breaking off the engagement.

The older brother said, "Xiaoyue, don't be afraid. I'm standing behind you. I'll take care of you no matter what happens."

Her father also said, "What's there to be afraid of? She can't eat you. If you get along, you stay together; if you don't, you separate. This is a wise saying left by our ancestors."

Jiang Tao was unaware of Zheng Xiaoyue's plans. He recounted his childhood experiences, especially his mother's attitude towards him and his attitude towards his mother.

While his current position is inseparable from his father's influence, it is also inseparable from his own hard work. When he was young, his mother deliberately neglected him for some reason and didn't care about him. Now she wants to take care of him, but unfortunately, his father and he himself no longer need his care.