Song Caixing waited for Xie Daguang's family to come to her home to propose marriage.

One day, two days, three days...

Xie Daguang never came to see her again.

Qiao Guilan and Song Erzhuang were going to Shitou Village to propose marriage. Their families were preparing for a happy occasion, and both of them were overjoyed.

Song Yinhua went to the county town to buy fabric and made a set of clothes for everyone in the family.

Song Erzhuang put on the clothes the girl had made and happily twirled around in front of Qiao Guilan, "Mom, look how I look! Don't I look good!"

"It's beautiful!" Qiao Guilan touched the fabric. "Just by touching it, you can tell it's a good quality material. With the silver flowers and the tailor's skill in making this garment, it must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"I took out all the money I've saved from buying herbs and wild vegetables over the years. It's just enough for everyone in our family to make a set of clothes. I used the little left over to buy some gifts." Song Yinhua said perfunctorily, "Baogen's wedding is a big event. You and Dad should dress presentably. The gifts are here. You and Dad should take them with you when you go to Baogen's girlfriend's house later."

"So many gifts, two bottles of wine, a carton of cigarettes, tea, red dates... Ah! You bought two bottles of malted milk powder? And so many supplements, how much money did this cost?" Qiao Guilan was heartbroken. "Why do you spend money so recklessly? Even if it's your own savings, you can't spend it like this."

“I don’t have enough money. Some of these gifts were bought with the money from selling the old hen.”

Qiao Guilan pinched her philtrum and said, "Yinhua, you promised your mother that you wouldn't touch the money from selling the old hen, and that you would save it all for your brother's wedding!"

"Aren't these gifts for Baogen's wedding?" Song Yinhua asked. "You and Dad want to go empty-handed?"

Song Erzhuang spoke before he thought, "That definitely won't work!"

“Mom, you see, even Dad knows you can’t go to the girl’s house empty-handed to propose marriage.” After saying that, Song Yinhua asked her father, “Dad, Baogen said the girl’s family wants 238 yuan as a bride price, plus three turns and a radio. Have you prepared all that money?”

In her past life, Song Yinhua paid for the weddings of her three stepchildren, so she knew there were many things to consider when it came to marriage and was always very concerned about it.

If one is not careful with etiquette, it is easy to offend the in-laws, and the marriage may fall through.

Qiao Guilan also asked her husband, "Quickly take out the passbook, let's go to the village credit union together this afternoon to withdraw the money."

Song Erzhuang stammered as he went to get the passbook.

Qiao Guilan looked at her new clothes and was extremely happy with them. But when she saw all the gifts, she felt bad about spending her family's money.

We'll need to hold a banquet later, which will cost money.

Qiao Guilan happened to see Song Caixing standing there motionless holding the clothes. "Caixing, what's wrong with you? Your older sister just picked these clothes up from the tailor shop in town today. Hurry up and put them on to see if they fit. If they don't fit, your older sister will take them to the tailor shop in town to be altered."

"Huh? Oh." Song Caixing responded absentmindedly, then stood there motionless.

"Caixing, what happened to you?" Song Yinhua had long noticed that Song Caixing had been acting like she had lost her soul these past few days. When asked what was wrong, she would just give a few perfunctory answers and refuse to say anything.

"N-nothing." Song Caixing felt guilty and didn't dare to look Song Yinhua in the eye, afraid that she would see through her.

"Why don't you try on the clothes if there's nothing wrong? Don't you like the fabric or the pattern?"

"No, I like it." Song Caixing took the clothes and went inside to change.

Song Yinhua followed her inside. "Is it because Xie Daguang hasn't shown up these past few days that you're thinking about him?"

Song Caixing looked at Song Yinhua, opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed her words.

“Cai Xing, just tell me what’s wrong!” Song Yinhua advised. “You’ve seemed like you’ve lost your soul these past few days.”

Song Caixing glanced at the doorway to make sure her mother hadn't come over before telling Song Yinhua half the truth: "That day, Brother Daguang said his mother would come to my house to propose marriage the next day, but several days have passed and she still hasn't come."

"Caixing, you don't actually believe the nonsense of a scoundrel, do you?"

"Brother Da Guang said he wouldn't lie to me." Song Caixing was so anxious she was almost crying.

Suddenly, Qiao Guilan screamed from the main room, and the two sisters rushed out.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Song Yinhua asked.

Qiao Guilan gripped Song Erzhuang's new clothes tightly with one hand and held the bankbook in the other, crying angrily, "Your father lent all our family's money to others, and now we don't have a single penny left! What about Baogen's marriage?"

Song Erzhuang was in the wrong. He could kill someone with a single blow, but Qiao Guilan held him by his clothes and he didn't utter a sound.

Song Yinhua noticed that the handwritten signatures on the bankbook were all her father's names.

"Dad, who did you lend all the money to? Go and get it back quickly," Song Yinhua advised. "Baogen's wedding can't be delayed."

She knew that her father had lent all the money to her eldest uncle and third aunt.

Song Erzhuang wanted to keep it a secret from his wife and children, and was determined to protect his relatives.

He would make up stories, saying he lent the money to a bricklayer who was building houses, and then he would say he lent it to so-and-so, claiming that the person was in dire need of money and needed it to save their life, and that's how he lent the money.

The people he mentioned were all people his wife and children didn't recognize.

"You can't keep this from me!" Qiao Guilan was so angry that tears streamed down her face. "Are we not going to make a living? Is Baogen not going to get married? You go and get your money back right now! If you ruin Baogen's marriage, I'll never forgive you!"

"I...I...I'll go to their house tonight to ask for it back, but they're not home right now," Song Erzhuang stammered guiltily.

Qiao Guilan has been married to him for over twenty years. How could she not know that he was lying?

"Where do the bricklayer who borrowed money from us, and the others, live? I'll go with you now, and we'll wait for them!"

Song Erzhuang refused to leave and stood there motionless.

Qiao Guilan desperately tugged at Song Erzhuang's clothes, trying to pull him outside.

"Let's go, we'll go collect the money right now!"

"I...I...I'll go by myself." Song Erzhuang pushed Qiao Guilan aside and ran out by himself.

Qiao Guilan blew her nose and habitually wiped it with the corner of her clothes. Seeing that it was a new dress, she couldn't bear to part with it, so she wiped it with her hand and then went to complain to her daughter while crying.

She spoke ill of her man in a negative light.

He's incompetent, can't support his wife and children, and even beats them.

His family was so poor that they were looked down upon by the whole village, yet he still lent money to others.

I've never had a single good day since I married him.

Qiao Guilan cried her eyes out.

Song Erzhuang had already run to his older brother's house.

"I didn't borrow money from you. Don't come to me with your business with your older brother. I don't know anything about it." Tang Suxiang was at home alone with her two children.

Ever since the whole village found out that her father hired swindlers to cheat people in the village, she hasn't dared to leave the house these past few days, and she doesn't even dare to eat in the yard.

All the tables and chairs in the yard were moved inside the house, just in case some villagers threw manure into the yard.

"Which factory does my older brother work at in town? I went to find him. Baogen is getting married, and the bride's family is asking for a dowry. All the money in the family has been lent to my older brother and Sanhongyan. I didn't dare let Guilan know about this. I lied to her and said that I lent it to someone else. Now Guilan is making a fuss with me and wants me to get the money back."

As Song Erzhuang complained, Tang Suxiang, holding her granddaughter, coldly said, "Don't tell me about your family's affairs; it's none of my business."