Su Wenli also heard that Su Xingran had self-studied the entire junior high school curriculum and passed the principal's assessment, so she no longer needed to return to school. She could study at home and only go to school to take the exams. Now, everyone in the village was praising Su Xingran for being smart and quick-witted.

Su Wenli was furious. She knew that Su Xingran, that wretched girl, had always had good grades since elementary school, but she never expected her to be so capable of homeschooling and learning material she hadn't even formally studied. Why did all the good things have to happen to that wretched girl?

From a young age, Su Xingran was pampered by her second uncle and aunt. They never let her work in the fields or do any chores. They would always get her new clothes and shoes for the New Year, and she would get the best food first. Although she lived a better life than other girls at home, there were many children in the family, so she didn't get much of what she was entitled to.

Compared to Su Xingran, she was far inferior, which was why she disliked Su Xingran so much. Why was it that even though they were both girls, Su Xingran was pampered by her parents, while she only had her grandmother's affection. Her mother was nice to her, but compared to her brothers, she still couldn't compare. Her father and grandfather hadn't really valued girls much to begin with.

The more Su Wenli thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more her expression twisted. The house was now a complete mess, all because of her older brother Su Wenxing's wedding dowry. They argued and fought every single day; she felt utterly fed up whenever she came home.

Old Man Su, Old Woman Su, Old Man Su, and Zhao Xiaohua sat silently in the main hall of the house. There was only a week left until the wedding ceremony at the bride's house, when they would go to the bride's family to deliver the betrothal gifts. The wedding day would be ten days after the gifts were delivered. Yet, the family still hadn't been able to provide the traditional wedding favors.

The "three turns and one sound" (referring to a type of revolving door, a watch, a radio, and a ceremonial instrument) are hard to come by even if you have money; they require tickets. The family only had one sewing ticket, which they had previously stolen from Su Xingran's house. The village chief offered money to Su's father to thank him for saving his youngest son, but Su's father refused. Later, the village chief remembered that there was an empty sewing ticket at home, so he gave it to Su's father and insisted that he accept it.

Bicycle tickets, watch tickets, radio tickets—these can only be obtained with money, either by exchanging them with others or by borrowing them. But who can you exchange them with, who can you borrow them from? Very few people in the village have these tickets; some families have already used them when their children get married. The old village chief certainly has some, after all, he has a son in the military and his daughter-in-law is a civil servant. But they dare not go to his door for fear of being scolded.

What are their parents going to do now? Getting him married is a major life event for Wenxing; they can't just abandon him and let him remain a bachelor. Zhao Xiaohua is currently the most anxious person in the family besides Su Wenxing. She's worried that her eldest son won't be able to find a wife and will remain a bachelor, and she's also very satisfied with her son's girlfriend's family background.

With a father-in-law who's a workshop foreman, if Wenxing can appease his wife and ask her father for help, he might be able to become a team leader in the factory. And when his father-in-law gets promoted or retires, Wenxing might even be able to take his place. Then, countless people will come to him asking for favors; wouldn't he be overwhelmed with gifts?

Zhao Xiaohua was quite imaginative, and her fantasies were quite beautiful. In her imagination, she seemed to have already seen the future where she didn't have to work in the fields, and spent her days eating and drinking, strolling around, wearing gold rings, gold bracelets, and gold necklaces on her hands and neck—the good life of a wealthy lady in the city.

What do you mean, "what to do"? You are his parents, and if you can't think of a solution, how can you expect us, his grandparents, to help? Eldest son, if you two are really worried about your eldest son, take out what money you have and figure out if you can use it to buy a ticket, or go out and borrow a ticket.