Zhao Heping: "Nothing, just asking if we are used to living in the village and how my leg is recovering."

Lü Beichu narrowed his eyes, "It's quite humane. The twenty educated youth living in the educated youth camp will go back to celebrate the New Year after the village distributes pork, and will come back after the Lantern Festival. After that, there will be only five of us left in Dafeng Village."

Zhao Heping thought for a moment and said, "When are you going to town? Please help me send a letter home. Even if I can walk, I'm afraid I can only use a cane for a short time."

"You need to go to the town's health center to remove the splint on your leg. I'll go borrow a bicycle from Wang Shuning when the time comes. If I can't borrow one, I'll carry you there."

Zhao Heping felt a little sorry. He and Lu Beichu were not related in any way. They just happened to live together. During the time when his leg was injured, Lu Beichu took care of all the cooking and housework. He would definitely pay him back when his leg healed.

In the woods near the village.

Zhao Leyi pouted and was quarreling with He Weiyuan, "We agreed on three turns and one ring plus two hundred yuan for the betrothal gift. This is my family's bottom line. If it weren't for this, my parents wouldn't agree to our marriage."

It was already a low marriage for a city girl like me to marry a country boy. I graduated from high school while He Weiyuan only graduated from elementary school. We were unequal in every way. If I could not go back to the city and I was old enough to get married, why would I have to wait a few more years?

"It's really hard to get a ticket with three turns and one ring, and the watch is useless. I can just sew clothes by hand without a sewing machine. It only takes an hour to walk to town, so there's no need to buy a bicycle. Two hundred yuan for the bride price is a bit too much. My sister-in-law only got fifty yuan for the bride price when she got married."

He Weiyuan also wanted to wear a watch like Lu Beichu and ride a bicycle like Wang Shuning, but his family really didn't have the conditions. Besides, Zhao Leyi's hometown was so far away from Dafeng Village, and she didn't have any dowry, so why should he give so much as a dowry.

Originally, his parents favored his eldest brother, and they only offered 50 yuan as a gift to marry his eldest sister-in-law. Zhao Leyi wanted three turns and one ring, so his mother slammed the table and rolled her eyes, saying, "Is Zhao Leyi made of gold or silver? What the hell is this?"

"How can your sister-in-law be the same as me? Girls in our city who don't marry three times and one ring will be looked down upon."

"But when we get married, the only relatives of yours who will come are your parents and brother, and no other relatives or friends." As long as Zhao Leyi's parents don't say anything, who knows if there will be any three turns and one ring.

Zhao Leyi was so angry that her chest was throbbing with pain. "If the wedding banquet can be held at my house, my uncles, my wife's family, and my uncles together can't even fit in ten tables. Weiyuan, are you really not serious about marrying me? Otherwise, how could you not even handle this little difficulty?"

Thinking that Lv Beichu and Guo Jingyi had not yet confirmed their relationship, Lv Beichu gave the watch to Guo Jingyi without any regret. Zhao Leyi stared at He Weiyuan and felt more and more that the man in front of her was not worthy of her. Why couldn't she find someone like Lv Beichu? Maybe she could even go back to the city with him, but the other party came half a year later than her and took a fancy to Guo Jingyi who was traveling with her.

Liu Sicun was also a useless person. He failed to separate the two of them after several attempts at seduction, and all the words he said in front of her were wasted.

He Weiyuan raised three fingers, pointed to the sky and swore to the earth, "Of course I will marry you. As long as you want something, I will spend all my wealth to buy it for you. But those things in the house are not mine. Don't worry, when we get married, I will immediately separate the family, and then all the money I earn will be handed over to you."

Zhao Leyi felt relieved when she heard He Weiyuan's promise to split the family. Which woman doesn't want to be the master of the family? With the mother-in-law standing in the way, she can't even eat freely. Splitting the family is good, but...

"If the family splits up, where will we live?" She had secretly visited He Weiyuan's house a long time ago. It only had three large rooms. If the family split up, they could only get one room. Wouldn't they have nowhere to live if they had a child in the future?

"My family has a piece of residential land at the back. After the family splits up, we will build a new house there and sell the old house to my eldest brother. My parents will live with my eldest brother and his wife." He Weiyuan had planned all these things long ago, including how much money his family had. He was afraid that when the family split up, his parents would be partial to him and give him less.

Zhao Leyi was very satisfied with living in the new house, but after three turns, the 200 yuan betrothal gift was not only her parents' idea, but also what Zhao Leyi herself wanted.

She lived far away from home, and it was impossible for her to transport the bicycle and sewing machine back to the city, so they would definitely be hers when the time came. Moreover, with two hundred yuan in her hand, she would not have to worry about food and clothing for at least two or three years.

"If your family really can't afford it, you don't have to give up the watch, but you can't do without the bicycle and sewing machine. Think about it, those are gifts for me, and I will definitely take them to the new house. Giving me two hundred yuan is like giving us our future home. Now that your family is paying, when the family is divided, you don't have to share the two hundred yuan with your eldest brother. In the end, we are the ones who get the better deal. I'm doing all this for our future life."

Zhao Leyi had to trick He Weiyuan into her side. After all, she had not married into their family yet and could not go there in person to earn the bride price.

A daughter-in-law here is most valuable before she gets married. If you don't ask for a dowry now, you will get nothing after you get married.

He Weiyuan was a little embarrassed. What Zhao Leyi said made sense. If he took all the betrothal gifts given to her to their new home, they would all be his. But his mother said that at most she would give him a sewing machine plus fifty yuan for the betrothal gift. The sewing machine was only given because Zhao Leyi was from the city and had been well educated.

"I'll go back and negotiate with my parents, but it's not easy. After all, my sister-in-law only gave 50 yuan as a betrothal gift when she got married, and you're giving several times more than hers. My eldest brother will definitely make a fuss." He Weiyuan had given Zhao Leyi a heads-up in advance. Striving for something is one thing, but getting what you want is another.

Zhao Leyi nodded with satisfaction, thinking that she could control He Weiyuan.

Wang Shuning came to He Zhaofeng's house carrying a basket. While washing clothes in the river at noon today, she and He Zhaofeng's wife were chatting while washing clothes. Their family was going to kill an old hen that had not laid eggs for more than a week today, but they felt it was too extravagant to eat chicken during the New Year or other festivals. So Wang Shuning, who wanted to drink old hen soup, offered to buy half, and the other party agreed eagerly.

Seeing Wang Shuning coming in, He Zhaofeng's wife caught the old hen whose feet had been tied up, cut its neck and let the blood out. This was done to prove that the chicken was alive, and not a sick chicken that had died and was sold.

Wang Shuning squatted beside and watched. The hen was not big, but its skin looked a little yellow.