Xia Rong, under the envious gazes of the crowd, went on stage to receive her bicycle ticket as a reward. Zhou Xiaohui, sitting below, looked pale. Xia Liang, seeing this, couldn't help but worry and quickly comforted her, "It's alright, don't be afraid, it's all over now. My brother's fine, isn't he?" She gently patted Zhou Xiaohui's back, and Zhou Xiaohui's expression softened slightly. After the meeting, Xia Liang prepared to help her into the workshop when Xia Rong, seeing this from a distance, rushed over and asked, "What's wrong, Xiaohui? Are you feeling unwell?" She anxiously looked Zhou Xiaohui up and down. Zhou Xiaohui couldn't help but laugh when she saw this and said, "I'm fine. I was just startled. Are you alright?" Xia Rong couldn't help but laugh too, "No, I'm not hurt at all. Not a scratch. Don't worry." Zhou Xiaohui nodded, said goodbye, and left with Xia Liang.

When Xia Liang got home from get off work, she checked that the dried meat was almost done drying, so she put it away, wrapped it in oil paper, and picked up a jar of salted duck eggs that were still pickling. Then, remembering something, she went to her room to write a letter. "Hello, Comrade Gu Yanxiao, I have prepared some dried fish and beef jerky for you, as well as salted duck eggs, but the salted duck eggs need to be pickled for twenty days before they can be eaten." She then attached the pickling date of the salted duck eggs, folded the letter, and put it into an envelope that she hadn't mailed before. After checking that the photo was also inside, Xia Liang sealed the letter, took her things, and went to the post office.

As March approached, pedestrians on the street were taking off their coats and wearing short-sleeved shirts. Xia's mother called to Xia Liang, who was on her way to and from get off work, and asked, "What kind of clothes should you make for your sister-in-law?" Xia Liang thought for a moment and said, "Just a simple style, nothing too flashy, just a bright color." She went to the warehouse and found several pieces of fabric: pink, yellow, black, light blue, and a piece of fuchsia. Xia Liang said, "Mom, you and Dad should make a few more clothes too. When my brother gets married, there will definitely be friends attending, and relatives from Xiaohui's side too." Xia's mother initially wanted to refuse, but hearing her daughter's last words, she didn't say anything, thinking that making one or two pieces shouldn't be a problem. She took the fabric into the kitchen. Xia Liang went into the kitchen and saw that the rice was cooked and the dishes were prepared, just waiting for her father to return so she could start cooking. Just then, the front door creaked open, and Xia Rong returned pushing his bicycle. Ever since he got the bicycle ticket, he had bought a bicycle and used it to pick up and drop off Zhou Xiaohui every day. Originally, Xia's mother said that the bicycle ticket Xia Rong had been rewarded with could be used as a betrothal gift for Zhou Xiaohui, but Xia Rong refused, saying that he would find a way to do that himself.

Xia Liang asked, "Brother, are your bicycle ticket, radio, sewing machine, and everything else ready?" Xia Rong nodded, "Don't worry, everything's ready. We'll just go straight there on the day." Seeing that her brother had arranged everything, Xia Liang didn't say anything more. Time flew by, and the day of Xia Rong and Zhou Xiaohui's engagement arrived. Early in the morning, the four members of the Xia family dressed neatly and went to Zhou Xiaohui's house. Accompanying them were several friends Xia Rong had met at the black market, who helped carry the sewing machine and other betrothal gifts. Many relatives from the Zhou family also came. Zhou Xiaohui's aunt and mother were in Zhou Xiaohui's room. Seeing her daughter with two braids, wearing a light blue floral shirt, and an undisguised smile on her pretty face, Zhou's mother felt both gratified and heartbroken. It seemed like just yesterday she was barely a chopstick long, and today she was getting engaged. Although it wasn't a wedding, in this day and age, an engagement was almost like a wedding. Seeing Zhou's mother's red eyes, her aunt clicked her tongue and said, "What were you and your brother-in-law thinking? How could you marry Xiaohui off to a country bumpkin?" Zhou's mother was conflicted and didn't want to speak, but her aunt continued, "Xiaohui, your cousin's husband works in the same factory as your cousin. They earn almost fifty yuan a month together. They gave a dowry of 188 yuan and a sewing machine." As she spoke, she raised her chin, looking like she thought, "You can't compare to my daughter." Zhou Xiaohan knew what kind of person her aunt was and didn't want to argue with her, but Zhou's mother was unhappy. How could her daughter be so good, and what was wrong with her own daughter? She couldn't help but defend herself, "Although Xiaohui's boyfriend is from the countryside, he works in the same factory as her now, in the transportation team. They said they would give a dowry of 666 yuan, a bicycle, a radio, and a sewing machine." Unexpectedly, Zhou's aunt burst into laughter upon hearing Zhou's mother's words: "I said, sister..." "Ah, even if you're lying, there's a limit! Six hundred and sixty-six yuan, let alone whether he can come up with it or not, even if he could, don't you see how much your Xiaohui can afford it?" She stopped abruptly, nearly causing Zhou's mother to have a stroke. What was wrong with her Xiaohui? How was she any less than her cousin? But Zhou's aunt wouldn't stop. She went outside and told her sister-in-law, "Zhuzi's wife, let me tell you, your second sister is hilarious! She actually said Xiaohui's boyfriend's family prepared a dowry of six hundred and sixty-six yuan, plus a bicycle, a radio, and a sewing machine!" She spoke as if she'd heard the biggest joke in the world. Zhou Xiaohui's aunt, standing nearby, looked like she wanted to laugh but dared not. Several men drinking tea nearby, including Zhou Xiaohui's uncle, looked disapprovingly at their brother-in-law and said, "Second brother-in-law, second sister's bragging is outrageous! Everyone has a competitive spirit, but there's a limit!" Zhou Xiaohui's father's face darkened, but he didn't argue like Zhou's mother; he just smiled and remained silent. Suddenly, a noise came from outside. The group guessed it was the groom's family arriving and went out to greet them. Zhou Xiaohui's aunt, who was the first to step out, exclaimed, "My goodness!" Zhou Xiaohui's aunt behind her also gasped in surprise. There were about ten people from the groom's family. Some were carrying sewing machines, others radios, and still others bicycles. Xia Liang was carrying a piece of pink fabric, while her mother carried wrapped clothes. Xia Rong walked at the front, holding a box containing a watch. The Zhou family relatives quickly made way for them. The young man at the front stepped forward and handed a watch to Zhou's mother. A plate, which hadn't been brought out earlier to avoid attracting attention, was covered with a red cloth. On the cloth were bundles of red ribbons tied together with large denomination coins. Someone whispered, "This must be five or six hundred yuan." Zhou's mother, taking the plate from her son-in-law, proudly raised her chin and said, "Six hundred and sixty-six yuan. I told Xiaohui's father we didn't want that much, but Rong insisted, saying our Xiaohui deserved it." She laughed heartily. Xiaohui's aunt, standing nearby, turned pale. She hadn't expected Xiaohui's boyfriend to be so capable, and now, thinking of her own son-in-law, she felt he wasn't so great after all. Then came a series of exclamations: "My God, there's a watch too! I saw this watch at the department store before; it cost over three hundred!" Someone silently calculated that the six hundred and sixty-six yuan dowry, plus the watch, bicycle, radio, and fabric, amounted to over a thousand yuan. At this point, no one called Xia Rong from the countryside anymore; such a dowry was rare even in the city.