My monthly salary is fixed at 25 yuan, without fail, and has never increased.
They still had to squeeze out 20 yuan out of the 25 yuan to save.
All he can keep is five yuan a month, not even enough to buy some daily necessities.
He had to be careful not to let anyone find out, and live a frugal life.
Buying a pack of cigarettes requires careful consideration, and even a bowl of plain noodles can be so expensive that it keeps me up at night.
We saved every penny, one by one, to accumulate this little bit of wealth we have today!
I've saved less than 300 yuan so far.
But it's still a long way from the 2,000 yuan dowry!
Two thousand yuan is no small amount; it's almost enough to build a new house or buy several pigs!
Shen Zhiyu gritted his teeth in anger, feeling extremely irritated.
He bent down and rummaged through the blankets to find the money he had hidden there—a wad of crumpled banknotes tightly wrapped in a plastic bag.
He clenched his fists, took the money he had hidden, and walked back to the supply and marketing cooperative dejectedly.
He thought to himself that this amount of money was far from enough, let alone enough to marry Liu Yuelan.
Liu Yuelan was one of the most beautiful women in Qingshan Village. She was literate and good at math, and as the eldest daughter in her family, many young men lined up to pursue her but couldn't catch up with her.
He didn't become the son-in-law of the Liu family.
He'll be stuck as an ordinary employee for the rest of his life, doing jobs like moving things, registering documents, and standing behind the counter. He can forget about going anywhere else!
Even Old Li from the village entrance doesn't need to give him a second glance!
Shen Zhiyu was extremely annoyed, so he went straight to his post and started working without any further ado.
He picked up a duster and absentmindedly swept the counter haphazardly.
But that's not really sweeping dust.
His eyes weren't on the counter at all, and his movements were just perfunctory.
Not even a speck of dust or hair was stirred up!
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared at the door.
A sweet smell filled the air.
He subconsciously looked up and saw that familiar figure; his eyes immediately lit up.
"Yuelan?"
His heart skipped a beat, and an undisguised joy appeared on his face.
Liu Yuelan wore a brand new dress she just bought today, and it looked absolutely gorgeous.
The skirt has a wavy lace hem that sways gently as you walk.
Her black leather shoes were polished to a shine, and you could see your reflection in them.
Two braids were neatly draped over her shoulders.
The ends of her hair were tied with red ribbons, which were very eye-catching and made her look particularly youthful and lively.
Her complexion was fair with a rosy glow, her features were delicate, and she had two shallow dimples when she smiled.
"Yuelan, you've come to see me, haven't you?"
Shen Zhiyu put down the feather duster, grinned, and his smile stretched almost to the back of his ears.
Liu Yuelan blushed slightly, a rosy blush spreading across her cheeks.
She lowered her head and spoke softly, "No, I came to buy soy sauce."
She knew in her heart that she still had some feelings for Shen Zhiyu.
She had considered him as a person.
Honestly, he is polite and courteous, good-looking, and not short.
She has a good personality and doesn't lose her temper easily.
The job was in a supply and marketing cooperative, a stable and respectable workplace.
He can support a family, unlike other young people in the village who only know how to drink and gamble all day.
In the entire Qingshan Village, every girl envied such a good boyfriend.
It's just that his family was too poor, and their conditions were really bad.
The house was made entirely of dilapidated mud-brick houses.
Not only was the house pitch black, but the stove in the kitchen was also cracked.
And she also has a mother who is notoriously difficult to get along with.
With that temper, he wanted to argue with everyone he met, and the villagers would avoid him.
Such family members are not only frightening to their children, but even strangers would avoid them.
Seeing Liu Yuelan lower her head and chuckle, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Shen Zhiyu opened the drawer.
He pulled out a velvet hair accessory from inside.
"Yuelan, here, this is for you. You'll look beautiful wearing it on your head."
The flower in the hair was deep red, and the velvet material shimmered in the sunlight.
It's obviously not something you'd find at a street stall.
Liu Yuelan looked up and her eyes lit up the moment she saw the hair accessory.
Although she wouldn't admit it, she really liked the gift.
Of course she knew where she could buy this.
That was a rare item that could only be found in department stores.
And it's not cheap either, it costs five yuan.
But instead of reaching out to take it, she lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and then gently bit her lower lip.
She raised her eyes and softly called out, "You..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitated.
"What... exactly do you want?"
"Yuelan!"
Shen Zhiyu called out, then ran to Liu Yuelan and carefully placed a delicate hair flower into her palm.
"Yuelan, it's time for us to settle things!"
“I…I’ve liked you for a long time, but I’ve never said it. This time I’ve made up my mind. I even went to your house, but…your mother said you want a dowry of two thousand yuan.”
Liu Yuelan's face instantly turned bright red.
She instinctively clenched the flowers in her hand, but lowered her head even further.
"I heard about this from my mother. She's right, the bride price is always this amount whenever someone proposes marriage."
She looked up and secretly glanced at Shen Zhiyu.
“My dad had my fortune told a few days ago. Chen the Cripple even said… that I have a lucky face for my husband, and whoever marries me will have a prosperous life.”
"So..."
Her voice became softer.
"If you really wanted to marry me, you would be willing to prepare this dowry, right?"
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