The matchmaker breathed a sigh of relief, but Douhua frowned. When she was bullied, the village chief had never lent a helping hand.
But she didn't dare to contradict the village chief, so she could only nod reluctantly, while wondering if she could get the money back.
The matchmaker was shrewd; just by looking at Douhua's expression, she knew things weren't as simple as she'd imagined.
But she didn't dare to argue with the village chief. Her eyes lit up and an idea came to her: "Douhua, it's a good thing that the village chief is helping to look after the bride price, but you have to get the village chief to write a note."
The village chief glanced at the matchmaker and said, "Don't you trust me?"
The matchmaker's heart skipped a beat; could it be that the village chief wanted to embezzle the money?
She looked at the tofu pudding and said, "The old bachelor said he'll come to pick you up in three days. Get ready, the good days are yet to come."
Watching the matchmaker leave, the village chief looked at Douhua and said, "Douhua, your house will belong to the village in three days. You won't have a place to stay in our village anymore."
Douhua was shocked: "Village chief, this is my home, how could you do this?"
The village chief sneered: "You married into this family. Your husband is dead. No one will kick you out as you and your daughter live here."
But now your daughter is married and her household registration has been moved, and you're getting married too. Do you still want to hold onto this house?!
Douhua fell silent for a moment. The village chief's words were not without reason. It was a pity that she had given birth to a daughter. If it were a son, the villagers would not have bullied them like this.
"Village chief, you can come and collect the house in three days, but you have to return the money and watch to me in three days." Douhua had no choice but to compromise.
The village chief nodded and left, and the others followed suit, leaving one after another with regret and greed.
Three days later, the old bachelor arrived with a group of young men from Mushroom Village to pick up the woman, with the matchmaker following behind.
The matchmaker went home that day and told the old bachelor about it. When the old bachelor came to pick up his wife today, he had the matchmaker come along.
Douhua had two large baskets in front of him, stuffed full of things, but in the eyes of the old bachelor, these things were really quite tattered.
A quilt that had been used for who knows how many years reminded the old bachelor of his impoverished days.
A few broken copper and tile pieces—those must be kitchen utensils; they probably won't last much longer.
There were several other sets of clothes, all patched upon patched, the colors faded beyond recognition after washing.
When the village chief saw the old bachelor coming over, he went up to greet him and then handed Douhua a watch, two hundred yuan, and an IOU.
Douhua couldn't read, so the old bachelor took a look and realized that Douhua owed the village chief money for grain over the past few years.
The old bachelor asked Douhua, "Do you acknowledge these unpaid grain rations?" Douhua, upon hearing the amount on the old bachelor's IOU, gaped in astonishment.
“Village chief, I borrowed 100 catties of fine grain from you when my daughter got married. That was my dowry for her.”
The village chief nodded, "One hundred yuan is just the price of one hundred jin of fine grains."
The old bachelor spoke up promptly: "Douhua, the village chief is right. It's reasonable for fine grains to cost one yuan per jin. The highest price on the black market is already one yuan and one jin."
Douhua had questions in her mind after hearing what the old bachelor said, but she didn't feel comfortable speaking up.
The old bachelor handed the village chief a pack of cigarettes: "Village chief, thank you for looking after Douhua's dowry. Without you, I don't know if the dowry would have survived."
The village chief nodded, carefully examined the old bachelor, and said, "It's Douhua's good fortune to marry you. Take her away."
The suona horn started playing, and the tractor chugted along as the young men lifted both baskets onto the tractor.
No matter how tattered the contents of the basket were, they were Douhua's most treasured possessions, and the old bachelor didn't want to upset her.
Today is the day Nan Nan arrives home, and it's also his wedding day. I hope Nan Nan can attend his wedding.
The tractor driver was Ma Mingchun, who was already married and his wife was pregnant.
After dropping off the old bachelor and Douhua, he hurriedly led Village Chief Ma to the train station.
Ye Chenming carefully helped Yan Xiaonan, who was already showing signs of pregnancy, out of the car. Bei Nan and Cuihua followed, carrying large and small bags.
Yan Xiaonan's pregnancy was excellent. Apart from vomiting once, she ate well afterward, and vomiting was simply not an issue.
Ma Mingchun stared blankly at Yan Xiaonan's protruding belly for a moment, thinking about his wife's pregnancy, and suddenly had a strange idea: could they arrange a marriage between their children?
But he couldn't bring himself to say it. Everyone knew that the Yan family was now very powerful and wealthy. If he spoke rashly, he might lose his friendship with them.
Seeing that the tractor was empty, Ye Chenming could only roll up the package and let Yan Xiaonan sit down.
"Ma Mingchun, thank you for your hard work. Please drive slowly, Nan Nan is pregnant," Ye Chenming said politely.
Ma Mingchun nodded repeatedly. He had noticed the large belly a long time ago, so he could drive fast.
He regretted that he had been in such a hurry; otherwise, he would have used a larger truck, which would have been much safer.
The tractor chugged into Mushroom Village, and the villagers became excited, making Douhua extremely nervous.
The old bachelor was already waiting by the tractor: "Sister Cuihua, you're back too! Nan Nan, I'm getting married today!"
Yan Xiaonan looked at the big red flower on the old bachelor's chest, smiled, and took out a hundred yuan from her pocket, saying, "This is a gift from our family."
Douhua watched in stunned silence. A gift of one hundred? Wow, Mushroom Village is really rich.
And who is this Nan Nan? No wonder the old bachelor insisted on waiting for her to arrive before starting the banquet; she's the God of Wealth.
Looking at Yan Xiaonan's large belly, the old bachelor hesitated and said, "Nannan, why don't you go back and get some sleep first?"
Yan Xiaonan shook her head. They had bought soft sleeper berths, which were a bit small, but they could still sleep well.
Taking advantage of everyone's presence, the Yan family distributed the gifts they had brought from the capital. They were nothing more than sweets and snacks, but that was enough to bring everyone some joy.
The wedding began, and the old bachelor, accompanied by Douhua, toasted the villagers before sending Douhua to the bridal chamber.
The new house has everything: a sewing machine, a bicycle, a bright red cotton quilt, and a new set of furniture.
Douhua suddenly felt like crying. She had come out of her cold cave dwelling and married into a new tiled house. She felt like she had risen to the top in one step.
Now she is most grateful to her distant relative, Sister-in-law Ma, because without her introduction, she wouldn't be where she is today.
After thinking about it, she took out fifty yuan from the dowry the old bachelor had given her, wrapped it in red paper, and went to Sister Ma's house three days later when she returned to her parents' home.
After finally finishing the wedding banquet and putting her luggage away at home, Yan Xiaonan was eager to go up the mountain.
Ye Chenming found a flashlight and a windbreaker. Although it was summer, the temperature on the mountain was still quite low.
Cuihua originally wanted to go with them, but thinking that with Chenming around, she also needed to take care of things at home, so she told them to go and come back quickly.
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