When the mother returned home, she told her daughter what her husband had said: "The master said that Chen Hong's fate cannot clash with yours. Tell Chen Hong to get engaged tomorrow at noon."

Su Wei was secretly pleased, knowing that the twenty yuan she had given had an effect, or at least ten yuan had an effect; otherwise, her husband might not have said that. She said, "Okay, I'll go and inform Chen Hong when he gets off work tonight."

The tricycle factory wasn't far from Su Wei's new house; it only took a few minutes to get there.

Chen Hong rode his bicycle out of the factory gate after get off work and saw Su Wei standing outside. He walked over to her, got off his bike, and asked, "Honey, do your parents agree to our engagement?"

Su Wei smiled and said, "What do you think, my silly boy?"

The word "fool" sounded so sweet coming from the mouth of the woman he loved. Chen Hong smiled and said, "I'm willing to be your fool for the rest of my life."

Su Wei laughed and said, "Alright, just treat me like a silly girl and raise me for the rest of my life!"

Chen Hong laughed and said, "Yes, we're a pair of fools. I'm just lucky, and I finally found my life's destination in marriage."

Chen Hong really didn't need to ask Su Wei's parents whether they agreed or not; if he did, he would really be a fool.

The two walked away into the distance, chatting and laughing. Their shadows were so long against the backdrop of the setting sun, as if their shadows in the sunset were accompanying their marriage to go further. Their laughter blended into the silent sunset.

Su Wei said, "I really want to be a silly girl in front of you for the rest of my life, to protect me like a silly little sister, until we grow old together. Go back and make some arrangements; we're getting engaged tomorrow at noon. Oh, and while you're at it, let's also inform Dong Qing and his wife, and have them attend our engagement ceremony tomorrow at noon."

Although Chen Hong knew this would be the outcome, he couldn't help but feel excited upon hearing it. He smiled and said, "I haven't visited Dong Qing's house in a long time. Would you like to come over to his house with me tonight?"

"Of course! They haven't been to their new house since they moved, and I'd like to visit too!"

After Su Wei finished speaking, she sat on the bicycle rack behind Chen Hong, and Chen Hong rode the bicycle towards the city.

Girls in this era were very conservative. After all, this place wasn't far from her own village, so Su Wei sat properly behind Chen Hong.

She hadn't gone far from the village when she became unruly, tightly hugging Chen Hong's waist with both hands, as if she wanted to merge her body with her beloved man.

This silent embrace left them with nothing but happiness and sweetness.

The two rode their bicycles into the city and got off in front of a tobacco and liquor store. It wouldn't be appropriate to visit empty-handed, so Chen Hong went into the store and bought a case of Moutai liquor.

Upon reaching the entrance of a restaurant, Chen Hong asked Su Wei to wait at the entrance before walking into the restaurant.

He went into the restaurant, bought some cold dishes, and also bought two pounds of braised beef.

Chen Hong's life isn't so difficult anymore. For the past year, every month Dong Qing would have Su Wei give Chen Hong 1500 yuan. Every time, Chen Hong would refuse, saying, "Su Wei, your family just finished building a house and is a bit tight on money. You keep it for yourself; I don't need this money!"

After a while, Su Wei found it hard to refuse, and she would keep some for herself. She never felt that what Chen Hong gave her was money, but love, an indescribable love that money couldn't buy.

The two arrived at the gate of Dong Qing's villa. The gate was ajar. Su Wei got out of the car carrying wine and food, walked forward and pushed open the gate. Chen Hong pushed his bicycle and followed her into the yard.

Once inside the courtyard, Chen Hong parked his bicycle, took the wine from Su Wei's arms, and the two walked towards the villa.

The two carried wine and food into the house. Dong Qing sat in the living room with his son in his arms watching TV. Their two daughters were too young and stayed at his mother-in-law's house. Li Yuzhu and Dong Sanmei were cooking in the kitchen.

Dong Qing glanced at the groceries and wine they were carrying, stood up, and said with a smile, "Are you two worried I can't afford to feed you?"

Su Wei joked, "We're worried you won't treat your home like your sister-in-law's, so it's safer if we bring wine and food over for dinner."

Hearing them talking, Li Yuzhu came out of the kitchen and said with a smile, "Girl, don't call me sister-in-law anymore. Brother Hong is three years older than us, so you'll be my sister-in-law from now on."

Su Wei was, after all, a girl, and no matter how fiery a girl's personality was, she would blush upon hearing these words, and a blush would instantly appear on her face.

Blushing, she said, "Sister-in-law, that joke went too far!"

This was the first time Dong Qing and his wife had ever seen Su Wei shy. Dong Qing said, "Your sister-in-law is just joking with you. Even if she wants to change that way of addressing you, she'll have to wait until after the wedding, right?"

Su Wei blushed and smiled, saying, "I won't change anything. She'll always be my sister-in-law, and I'll rely on her for the rest of my life."

Su Wei's words made everyone burst into laughter. Li Yuzhu laughed and said, "I didn't expect my little sister to be so good at being cheeky."

Su Wei asked, "What did you just call me?"

Li Yuzhu said, "Calling you 'sister'? Are you crazy?"

Su Wei smiled and said, "Let me ask you, does an older sister ever call her younger sister 'sister-in-law'?"

"You wait here for me. You all sit down, dinner will be ready soon."

After Li Yuzhu finished speaking, she took the cold dishes from Su Wei and walked towards the kitchen.

Dong Qing asked, "Su Wei, I heard from Hong Ge that you two are planning to get engaged. Have your parents agreed?"

Su Wei said, "My parents have given their approval. We're coming over tonight to let you know that we're getting engaged tomorrow at the hotel. We hope you and your sister-in-law will definitely attend."

Dongqing said, "Your sister-in-law and I will definitely attend tomorrow at noon."

Before long, Li Yuzhu and her third sister had prepared dinner, a total of nine dishes including the cold dishes Su Wei had brought, and they also made two soups.

Li Yuzhu took the wine set to the kitchen to wash it, then placed it on the dining table in the living room, where Dong Qing poured the wine.

Dongqing has this habit: he doesn't like to shovel alcohol; he drinks as much as he can.

During the meal, Dongqing and Chen Hong talked about nothing more than the machinery factory and the tricycle factory, while Li Yuzhu and Su Wei talked about nothing more than everyday matters.

Dong Sanmei sat at the dining table and rarely spoke, because she was not particularly familiar with Chen Hong and Su Wei and could not join in the conversation. After finishing her meal, she went back to her room to rest.

The next day at noon, Chen Hong arranged two tables of food at the hotel. His parents, siblings, and other relatives attended, as did Dong Qing and Li Yuzhu. The men and women sat at two separate tables.

In those days, engagement ceremonies were very simple. For the two of them, engagement was just a process, nothing more than the two families sitting together for a meal to formally settle their marriage.

Chen Hong and Su Wei exchanged engagement rings and put them on each other's fingers, thus completing the engagement ceremony. From then on, Su Wei was Chen Hong's fiancée.

Chen Hong's parents were very satisfied with their daughter-in-law. His mother gave Su Wei a gift of 1,000 yuan, which was quite a lot of money in those days.

Chen Hong's two older sisters also gave gifts, which Su Wei accepted. She could refuse everything else, but she could not refuse the gifts unless she was unwilling to accept the marriage. Her mother had also given her instructions on this matter at home.