“That Zheng boy probably heard about your blind date in the alley when he came back. Look,” Grandma Jiang pointed to the package on the cabinet, “He came to our house with this package, asking around to find out where you went. I thought he wasn’t a good match before, mainly because I thought it was just your crush, but judging from his expression, I knew he cared more about you than you did, so I told him where you went.”

Jiang Ruyu looked at her grandmother with a silly grin: "So Grandma, do you think he's suitable now?"

Grandma Jiang sighed: "Well, it depends on how you look at it. His job is indeed very good, with a high salary and extra income. He earns enough to feed the whole family, not to mention his father's job at the coal shop. Besides, he doesn't have a mother, which has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you won't have to worry about mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships in the future. The disadvantage is that you won't have any elders to help take care of the child."

Grandma Jiang explained to her granddaughter, little by little, the pros and cons of Zheng Yang to her from a practical point of view: "Another thing is that he has few brothers and sisters, only one sister. I watched Xiaoyue grow up. She is a sensible child and is still young. She can help her brother when he gets married and has children. However, as I said before, her brother and sister-in-law will be responsible for her future work and marriage."

"When a girl gets married, it's like she's been reborn. Although it's not as important as it used to be to stay with one man for life, and you can get a divorce if things don't work out, divorces are still rare. Women usually bear the brunt of what outsiders think and what others say. So, you have to be very careful about getting married."

Jiang Ruyu listened attentively as her grandmother analyzed the situation. Having grown up in a large courtyard, she had witnessed countless arguments and conflicts between families over trivial matters. She also knew that marriage was not simply a matter of two people liking each other and being happy together.

"Grandma, I know. I haven't agreed to anything with Zheng Yang yet. I'm thinking of observing his temperament, personality, and character first. Anyway, I'm still young, so I can observe him more carefully."

Marriage is a matter between two families. For a girl, marriage is truly like being reborn. She may not know about others, but she herself cannot marry a man just because of a few nice promises without considering anything else.

Grandma Jiang nodded: "It's good to be cautious like this. Zheng Yang was a bit naughty when he was young, but we don't know him as he's grown up. But his father is an honest man. If you really think he's a good person, then seriously consider it. We've been neighbors for many years, so let's not make it difficult to see each other. Also, girls must respect and love themselves, you know?"

"Don't worry about this, Grandma, I know." A few years ago, the Tian family's daughter was deceived by the man she met through a blind date. The two were engaged, and the Tian family's daughter was tricked into losing her virginity. Then the man's mother came up with a crooked idea to make her son pretend to be unwilling, in order to get a wife without spending money.

The Tian family parents didn't know what was going on. Although they were angry that their daughter had been jilted, they didn't want to cause any trouble. Their daughter was heartbroken and scared, and told her mother that she had been deceived and had been sexually assaulted. The Tian family parents were both angry and anxious. They were angry that their daughter was not self-respecting and that the man's family was despicable and filthy.

Seeing that things were getting ugly and outsiders were pointing fingers, the eldest son of the Tian family finally made a decision. He firmly disagreed with his sister marrying such a person and went directly to the man's parents' house with his cousins ​​to demand an explanation. He threatened the man's parents to provide compensation or he would sue them for indecent assault.

At that time, hooliganism was a particularly serious crime, and some people who were made examples of criminals were executed. The man's family was scared and said that they had married his sister through normal procedures, and asked the other family to be lenient and not hurt the relationship between the two families. The eldest son of the Tian family only said, "My sister will not marry into your family. We dare not marry our sister to such a family because your son is a hooligan."

In the end, the groom's family provided a dowry, and the Tian family's daughter was married off to a neighboring city. The Tian family also provided a dowry. The Tian family's daughter brought a generous dowry, and although she married far away, she learned her lesson from this experience and is now living a pretty good life.

This incident shows the importance of a girl's self-respect and self-love. If the Tian family girl hadn't had a good family member to support her, her life would have been ruined.

Grandma Jiang was obviously also thinking about the Tian family in the second courtyard: "Sigh, it's good that you know what's important. That girl from the Tian family was only able to handle things because her brother made a decisive decision for his sister. Otherwise, she would have been the second Ma family."

So, choice is everything. The Ma family in the tenement also encountered the same situation. However, they disliked their daughter for being shameful and didn't care. They sent their daughter away without asking for a bride price or dowry, and didn't even hold a banquet. Now, their daughter is doing the work of a maid and old woman in her husband's family, and she doesn't get any appreciation. Even her own child looks down on his mother. It's truly heartbreaking.

Jiang Hui overheard his grandmother and sister's conversation. It turned out that Brother Zheng from the east had taken a liking to his sister, and his sister seemed to have a bit of a crush on him too. He had no problem with Brother Zheng; he was convinced of his brother's character because he had carried his sister to the hospital last year.

Moreover, based on his understanding of his sister, she was definitely not the kind of woman who would be easily fooled by sweet talk from men. She was not easily fooled. He just needed to wait patiently for her good news. However, he hoped that his sister would not delay too long, but he also did not want her to get married too soon. He hoped that he and Jiang Lin would see his sister get married before they left.

Jiang Ruyu will always remember the conversation tonight. Many years later, she will still recall her grandmother's teachings. By then, no elder will have analyzed the pros and cons for her so earnestly.

For a while afterward, Jiang Ruyu looked at her relationship with Zheng Yang with a critical eye. She forced herself to stay clear-headed and not let the novelty of the moment cloud her judgment. She tried her best to use her limited life experience to examine Zheng Yang's strengths and weaknesses.

She was acutely aware that if she got married, she would have to face the mundane realities of daily life, and the happiness she had now was only temporary. If she were to actually get married, the life of being able to go to the movies whenever she wanted and go wherever she wanted would be gone forever. Life wasn't a movie or a drama; it was just the monotonous and boring repetition of each day.

Zheng Yang also noticed the strangeness of Jiang Ruyu. She would always ask some strange questions, which left him very confused. He had to give his opinion, otherwise the little girl would get upset.