"You paid back forty? And you bought two new outfits?"
Lin Haodong's face changed upon hearing this. Forty yuan to pay off the debt, forty yuan for new clothes, plus the wedding preparations such as candy and cookies, where would he find the money to hold the banquet?
His expression changed several times, and he couldn't help but hold Liu Pianran's hand and whisper to her, "Pianran, it's enough to wear one new dress for the wedding. There's no need to wear two. Let's go find Ji Xia and get our money back."
"But I just like the new styles; the one made at the tailor shop is too ugly."
"How could that be? You're beautiful, you'd look good even in a burlap sack. Listen to me, get this money back, and make sure the banquet goes well. It'll bring honor to us."
"The banquet is your family's business, why should I return your new clothes—"
"There's absolutely no need for two new outfits at the banquet—"
"Then I'll give you the clothes from the tailor shop, and you can return them?"
Lin Haodong's face turned pale and then red, feeling as embarrassed as if he and his partner had been caught having an affair by the militia.
The tailor shop bought the fabric and then had them make it to Liu Pianran's measurements. How could she possibly return it?
He's a college student, yet he took the finished clothes to the tailor shop and demanded a refund. Did he even consider his own dignity?
If it were Ji Xia, she would never have put him in such a difficult position.
He didn't even need to worry about whether he had the money to host a banquet, because she would take care of everything herself and never let him have to worry about these things.
Lin Haodong was filled with anger and regret. The thought of leaving him arose in his mind. He had already sacrificed so much for her. Couldn't she be more sensible?
His lips moved, but seeing Liu Pianran's resentful and dissatisfied expression, he ultimately didn't say what was on his mind.
Liu Pianran is different from Ji Xia. This woman grew up pampered in the city, and her love of beauty and selfishness are innate. It is impossible for her to be as family-oriented as a girl who grew up in the countryside.
He had no chance to regret it; he had already gotten the marriage certificate.
"Fine, do whatever you want. I'll figure out a way to pay for the banquet."
Lin Haodong responded listlessly. Liu Pianran knew he was unhappy, but thinking about the beautiful dress she could get tomorrow, she happily checked her shopping list again.
Halfway there, Lin Haodong looked at Liu Pianran's happy profile and suddenly said, "It's almost noon. Let's go to the state-run restaurant to rest for a while, have something to eat, and then go back?"
Liu Pianran agreed; she also wanted to take advantage of Lin's mother's absence to have a proper meal.
She had already realized that with her mother-in-law present, no matter how many good things there were, and even if she paid for them, her mother-in-law would be unhappy if she ate a few more bites.
Anyway, she'll be going to school with Lin Haodong soon, so I'll just put up with her for a while.
Liu Pianran readily agreed, and while she was ordering, Lin Haodong excused himself to go to the restroom and hurriedly ran back to the supply and marketing cooperative.
There weren't many customers at the supply and marketing cooperative, so Liu Hongju sidled up to Ji Xia to discuss the garment-making business.
Several sets of clothes were sold out as soon as they arrived each day, and this continued for more than a week. Last weekend, Ji Xia took stock and found that the three of them had earned almost forty yuan in a week, which was more than their monthly salary.
Liu Hongju and He Qiuying's ambitions grew, and they discussed with Ji Xia about getting two more sewing machines.
Ji Xia smiled helplessly. In the planned economy era, of course there was no worry about sales.
But they only had one sewing machine, and the living room could only hold two or three sewing machines. They had almost run out of fabric, and if they couldn't find a source of goods, relying solely on the supply and marketing cooperative to buy fabric to make dresses would be too costly.
She felt that she should now try to find a source of goods and see where she could get cheap and good quality fabrics.
As the two were discussing in hushed tones, Lin Haodong hurriedly ran to the supply and marketing cooperative, and said to Ji Xia with a forced smile, "Ji Xia, we don't need Pianran's dress anymore, give me my money back."
Ji Xia looked up and glanced at him: "Is this Liu Zhiqing's idea?"
"certainly."
Ji Xia chuckled a few times: "The money was given to me by Liu Zhiqing. If you want it returned, have her come over and return it."
"I am her husband. What difference does it make whether I return it to her or she does?"
Lin Haodong's face darkened upon hearing this, but remembering that the money was in Ji Xia's hands and that she was stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason, he suppressed his anger and pleaded in a low voice, "If you're worried that I won't honor the debt, I can give you a receipt and guarantee that it won't implicate you."
Ji Xia curled her lips, looking at Lin Haodong's pale face and feeling utterly disgusted. What had blinded her in her past life that she could have been deceived by a man like this for over a decade?
She glanced at him with a hint of sarcasm and mockery: "I have no interest in your marital affairs. If I want to return the money I received from her, I will return it to the original source."
"Ji Xia, she and I are husband and wife. Is it meaningful for you to deliberately make things difficult for her?"
Lin Haodong couldn't help but raise his voice, then after a long pause, he helplessly advised, "I know you're unwilling, but now that's the end of it—"
A glass of cold water was splashed on his face. Ji Xia's face turned cold: "Get out! Who's unhappy? I'm very happy that she took you away. I just can't stand your freeloading attitude. So what? If you want to get rid of her, come and get rid of her right now."
Lin Haodong wiped the water off his face, his face turning ashen with anger.
"You—you—this is between my husband and me, what do you mean by 'living off a woman'? Don't think that just because we had a past relationship, you can insult me like this—"
"Go ahead and call the police if you dare. Insult? Do you think I've just met you?"
Ji Xia sneered disdainfully: "The money was Liu Zhiqing's dowry, meant to buy a beautiful wedding dress. How dare you ask for it back?"
"You have no money, and you don't know how to borrow from relatives, friends, or the village. All you know is how to cheat and swindle women. Lin Haodong, you're supposed to be a college student. Don't make me look down on you."
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