In addition to the dowry money, the dowry gift was also very important. The amount of the dowry gift would show whether the future husband’s family attached great importance to the woman or ger.

Father Wei and Mother Wei would never prepare a good bride price for the Zhou family. Wei Cheng took this into consideration, so, fortunately, he was prepared.

He went directly to the jewelry store in the county seat to buy jewelry, which was packed in a carved wooden box.

To get married, one had to have a new set of clothes. Father Wei and Mother Wei didn’t pay much attention to the Zhou family, but Wei Cheng did. How could he not pay attention to such a happy event in his life?

Wei Cheng bought a royal blue cotton gown with simple patterns on the cuffs and neckline.

During this period of time, he had meat and vegetables to eat, and he started boxing every day. He used to look dry and yellow, haggard and sour, but now, he was full of energy and vigor. Then he put on a blue gown, and he looked even more handsome.

On the day of the appointment, Wei Cheng’s parents deliberately dressed brightly, not because they cared too much about a country ger, their future daughter-in-law, but because they came to show off.

To show that they were from the county town!

Father Wei and Mother Wei saw that Wei Cheng was wearing a royal blue gown, with a tall and straight body and a handsome face.

They felt in their hearts that there seemed to be something wrong with their second son; he had an extraordinary bearing, his back was no longer hunched, his waist was straight, and if he were to change into a gown with a brocade pattern, he would look like a rich man.

“Second, you should dress better in the future, as today, you look like someone from my Wei family.”

Although they felt that their second son was different, Mother Wei and Father Wei still thought that their eldest son was the most important. Even though Wei Cheng looked handsome in this outfit, in the hearts of Mother Wei and Father Wei, the impression of Wei Cheng would not change all of a sudden.

“Mother, what you said was true.” Wei Cheng responded.

Mother Wei was satisfied; her second child was obedient enough.

The Wei family hired a carriage and ordered the driver to drive. Matchmaker Zhang and the driver sat outside the carriage.

The Zhou family cleaned the house spotlessly yesterday. The Zhou family did not wear the old cotton and linen clothes they used for work but changed into ordinary cotton clothes, which they would only wear during the Chinese New Year.

The Zhou family went to the market yesterday and bought two catties of white sugar, one catty of Longsu candy, and half a bag of tea to greet the Wei family and their guests.

The children in the family watched the preparations eagerly. Mother Zhou only gave each child a bowl of sugar water. Longsu candy would be used to greet the Wei family and their guests, so she didn’t give it to the children.

All the relatives in the family came if they could: the two elders of the Zhou family, the eldest aunt of the Zhou family, the youngest aunt of the Zhou family, and her daughter, Zhou Yuan’s cousin Zhou Xiaorui, a fifteen-year-old girl, wearing a pink dress.

Zhou Xiaorui’s relationship with Zhou Yuan was average, and she had a better relationship with her other cousin, Zhou Lanlan, which may also be due to her mother.

Zhou Lanlan didn’t come today.

They didn’t know if it was to avoid suspicion or to disdain them in her heart.

The Zhou family gathered in the house to chat, waiting for the arrival of the Wei family.

The Wei family came here just in the nick of time. They entered the village in a carriage, and the carriage stopped outside the Zhou family’s yard. The villagers of Qinghe Village looked at the carriage and were really envious.

It was said that Zhou-ger couldn’t get married, but now, not only was he getting married, but he was also getting married to someone in the county.

The villagers of Qinghe Village had speculated about Wei Cheng’s appearance before; maybe he was average, or short and fat, and they also guessed that he had pimples on his face, that he was not good-looking at all.

Wei Cheng got off the carriage, tall and handsome; Father Wei and Mother Wei were glamorous and beautiful, and the people in Qinghe Village saw and envied them.

Seeing Wei Cheng’s outstanding performance, the girls blushed shyly.

The Wei family was so high-profile, well-dressed, and riding in a carriage; everyone thought that the Wei family’s betrothal gift to the Zhou family would be so generous.

After people entered the yard, the surrounding villagers began to discuss.

“The Zhou family was so lucky!”

“That’s right, even though they’re marrying a ger, they would still be in-laws with people from the county town.”

“How much do you think the dowry is?”

“…should be a lot!”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The Wei family came, and the dowry also came with them.

Villagers gathered at the gate of the Zhou family’s house to watch the excitement, craning their necks curiously about how much the bride price would be.

There were limited betrothal gifts in the countryside, and they were basically carried or put in big red baskets.

The coachman acted as the bearer of the dowry and carried four big red baskets from the carriage, so the betrothal gifts must be a huge amount.

At the beginning of the giving of the betrothal gift, both families entered the hall.

After exchanging greetings and sitting down, Matchmaker Zhang sang the gift list.

The Wei family gave the Zhou family a dowry gift of three taels of silver, two chickens, four catties of meat, two catties each of peanuts, melon seeds, red dates, and candies, two catties each of wedding rice, twenty wedding cakes, and two bottles of wedding wine.

The dowry silver and dowry gifts offered by the Wei family were quite satisfactory, but they did not have the grandeur of the county town at all.

However, in the countryside, it didn’t matter whether you married a girl or a ger, it was enough.

However, besides Father Zhou, Mother Zhou, and Zhou Yuan’s three older brothers, everyone present was muttering in their hearts that the Wei family came from the county town and this dowry was too petty.

When Zhou Xiaorui saw Wei Cheng, she also felt that Wei Cheng was tall and handsome, and began to envy Zhou Yuan for not only marrying into the county seat but also marrying Wei Cheng. Now that she saw the Wei family giving the Zhou family a betrothal gift, she was no longer envious; she curled her lips and thought, the Wei family must be a poor family- giving such a small betrothal gift, so what if they live in the county?!

Aunt Wu’s reaction was gloating in her heart, clutching the handkerchief in her hand, pretending to cover the corners of her mouth, covering up the smile on her lips.

Zhou Yuan’s three sisters-in-law were working in the kitchen.

The Zhou family all smiled sincerely and didn’t care how much the Wei family’s betrothal gift was. After accepting the betrothal gift, the two families exchanged pleasantries, and then the two families also started talking, discussing the wedding date along the way.

Wei Cheng couldn’t stand it- he didn’t see Zhou Yuan’s figure, and while the two families were discussing, he planned to sneak out to find someone. Mother Zhou also noticed and used the excuse of going to the kitchen to go out of the main room and stop Wei Cheng.

“Yuan Yuan was in the room.” After the appointment, the two could meet in private, and Mother Zhou did not stop him.

“Thank you, mother-in-law!”

Wei Cheng had a sweet mouth and directly called Mother Zhou his in-law. Mother Zhou laughed happily.

Mother Zhou entered the kitchen, and Wei Cheng went to look for Zhou Yuan. A group of children in the yard saw Mother Zhou leave and immediately surrounded Wei Cheng to beg for red envelopes.

In addition to the five children of the Zhou family, there were also children of relatives. About ten children took the red envelopes and cheered happily. Some opened them immediately, and some secretly hid them to buy candy later.

Shitou took the red envelope and put it in his trouser pocket, and asked, “Are you my little uncle’s husband?”

“Of course!” Wei Cheng asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name is Shitou!”

This should be Zhou Yuan’s nephew.

Wei Cheng asked Shitou to tell him where Zhou Yuan’s room was. Shitou pointed to the leftmost room and told Wei Cheng that it was his little uncle’s room.

Zhou Yuan also had his friends in the room, Zhou Qiu and Zhou Muzi, who came to accompany Zhou Yuan early in the morning.

Wei Cheng knocked on the door, and it was Zhou Qiu who opened the door. Seeing that it was Wei Cheng, she laughed like a thief, “Yuan Yuan, Wei Cheng was looking for you.” The ending sound was deliberately drawn out.

Being teased, Zhou Yuan also blushed when he saw the tall figure at the door.

Zhou Qiu turned sideways to let Wei Cheng in. Zhou Qiu and Zhou Muzi wisely left, leaving them alone, and even closed the door gently.

Wei Cheng walked up to Zhou Yuan, staring at Zhou Yuan closely, thinking hard!

Wei Cheng’s direct gaze made Zhou Yuan so shy that he didn’t know where to put his eyes, hands, and feet, and he didn’t even dare to meet Wei Cheng’s gaze.

“Wei Cheng, why are you here?” Shouldn’t he be in the main room?

Wei Cheng chuckled, moved over, and said, “You’re still calling me Wei Cheng? Shouldn’t you change it?”

Zhou Yuan opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say, so he stood at a loss for a while.

Seeing that he was nervous, Wei Cheng stopped teasing and said, “You could call me Brother Wei!”

Zhou Yuan hummed lightly, raised his head slightly, and called softly, “Brother Wei.”

“I came to you because I have something to give to you.” Wei Cheng took out a wooden box from his arms.

“Something to give to me?” Zhou Yuan blinked in doubt.

Wei Cheng handed him the wooden box, and Zhou Yuan took it and opened it. Seeing the contents of the wooden box, he raised his head in surprise, and his bright eyes finally met Wei Cheng’s focused gaze.

“This…”

Zhou Yuan wanted to refuse, but Wei Cheng didn’t give him a chance to refuse.

“You couldn’t refuse. This was a dowry gift from me. The outside dowry gift was prepared by my parents. This was a dowry gift prepared by me, and it also represents my heart. Do you like it?”

Wei Cheng said it was a betrothal gift for him, and it was Wei Cheng’s wish. Zhou Yuan couldn’t refuse, so he nodded, “Yes, I like it!”

The things in the wooden box were very valuable, but they were not worth Wei Cheng’s disappointment, so he accepted them.

“Yuan Yuan.” Wei Cheng pulled people to sit down.

“Huh?” Zhou Yuan sat down obediently; the box in his hand was already covered. His face didn’t turn red when Wei Cheng called him by his nickname. His family and friends all called him Yuan Yuan, and he was used to this title.

Wei Cheng coughed, cleared his throat, and said, “My family separated a few days ago, and I was separated out.”

What!?!

Did Brother Wei just say his family split up!?

Zhou Yuan was stunned!

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Wei Cheng continued, “The Wei family’s shop, the county house, and the house in the village all belong to my elder brother. I only get a house in the suburbs of the county town and three acres of land in the village.”

“En.” Zhou Yuan nodded in response.

Brother Wei spoke; he listened carefully, but why did Brother Wei tell him this?

“Huh? Your Brother Wei only has three acres of land under his name. Aren’t you afraid that Brother Wei won’t be able to support you?” Wei Cheng immediately laughed at his reaction.

“Don’t be afraid!” He was not afraid; he could endure hardships. “We could farm together and raise a family together.” He didn’t care about the separation of the family; he only cared about this person!

Zhou Yuan’s earnest expression of wanting to share the joys and sorrows with him made Wei Cheng’s heart soften.

His heart and eyes were full of Zhou Yuan.

Wei Cheng felt itchy in his heart and couldn’t help but hug Zhou Yuan gently. He couldn’t hide his affection for Zhou Yuan in his heart, and couldn’t help but confess in a low voice, “Yuan Yuan, I really like you!”

Zhou Yuan’s face was flushed; the person he liked confessed to him that he liked him, and his originally bright eyes became more translucent, overflowing with joy.

Zhou Yuan liked Wei Cheng and fell in love with him the first time he saw him. Wei Cheng did not despise him and his family because they were countrymen, and even treated them with courtesy. His thoughtful behavior that day fell into his heart.

He was not a multi-minded person; even if he liked Wei Cheng, he would not think too much about it.

Their identities were different, and he could only regret keeping that feeling in his heart.

When he and Wei Cheng met again at the market, Wei Cheng took the initiative to say hello and opened his mouth to greet them. Wei Cheng’s words made his heart tremble slightly, and he couldn’t help secretly looking forward to something. Later, at the sight of Wei Cheng giving gifts on the street- which was the first time he received a gift from a man- other than being at a loss and nervous, his mind was blank.

And he couldn’t help but think, Wei Cheng… liked… him?

The first time, he fell in love with him; the second time… his heartbeat involuntarily, and he fell even harder for him.

He was looking forward to him coming home for a few days. If Wei Cheng liked him, he would definitely come to propose marriage. He was looking forward to it for four days, but Wei Cheng didn’t come.

His family members began to consider proposing marriage to him, but there was a person in his heart; even if…that person didn’t have any interest in him, he was unwilling to marry others.

For the first time, he had the idea of ​​not wanting to marry.

He was worried about how to tell his family that he didn’t want to get married for the time being.

Later, Wei Cheng came to propose marriage—

“I, I also like Brother Wei.”

The voice was very soft, but Wei Cheng heard it!

Wei Cheng’s lips curled up, satisfied physically and mentally. It turns out that the feeling of being connected with each other was so exciting that the body and mind were numb, and the joy was indescribable.

Lips pressed close to Zhou Yuan’s ear, “Wait for me to marry you!” His voice was so low that Wei Cheng didn’t even notice that his voice was still hoarse.

“Good!”

“So cute!”

Wei Cheng hugged him for a while, and then slowly let go.

He wanted to hug him for a while longer, but he couldn’t stay in a ger’s room for long, even if the two were engaged.

After finishing what he wanted to say, he should also return to the main room.

Just as Wei Cheng entered the main room, Father Wei and Mother Wei saw him coming back and got up to leave.

The Wei family also did not eat the guest banquet prepared by the Zhou family.

It seemed that they didn’t want to stay any longer!

The Zhou family tried a few words of persuasion, but they all understood their expressions. Father Wei and Mother Wei’s attitude showed that they did not want to stay longer.

Wei Cheng followed behind with an unclear expression, without making a sound.

There were some things he couldn’t do now, but after this time, he wouldn’t let the person he liked be wronged.

However, his eldest aunt, before going out, did not forget that the Wei family promised to give money as a thank you if the blind date succeeded.

“Sister Sun, I am Aunt Wu, remember?” Mother Wei’s surname was Sun.

Mother Wei remembered Aunt Wu; it wasn’t that they were acquainted with each other before, but the two of them chatted once before they found out that Aunt Wu’s family had a business, and she was much warmer to Aunt Wu than to Mother Zhou.

“I remember, come to my house another day, and I would treat you well.”

“Hey! Okay, I would definitely go!”

The Wei family got into the carriage and left.

The Wei family had all left.

Did they still have to prepare the meals?!

Zhou Yuan’s three sisters-in-law were waiting for Mother Zhou to speak.

Mother Zhou was also generous, and she didn’t let the Wei family leaving early spoil the mood. Today was her ger’s engagement day, so she should be happy.

“Husband, boil a chicken, and the pork would be stewed. There are eggs and vegetables in the kitchen. You three could go and make more. Our family would have a good meal today.”

“Okay Mother, let’s do it right away!” The three sisters-in-law immediately went into the kitchen and got busy preparing for today’s dinner. There was chicken and pork. What a happy event.

They were still worried just now, since the Wei family left early; it could make Mother Zhou unhappy, and today’s rich meal would be for naught.

“Sister-in-law, how could the Wei family be like this? They didn’t give us any face, so they just left.” Zhou Yuan’s other aunt and Mother Zhou had a good relationship, and they both talked with each other. On the contrary, she had a bad relationship with Aunt Wu, and Zhou Yuan’s other aunt also didn’t like Zhou Wu’s snobbish eyes.

Mother Zhou sighed. Since Father Wei and Mother Wei came in, they disliked the Zhou family’s dilapidated home. They didn’t hide their expressions. Mother Zhou was paying attention, so she could see this clearly.

When talking in the main room, they would only answer and say a few words in a perfunctory manner.

They were also picky about the taste of pastries and said that the things in the countryside were not as good as those in the county. What’s funny was that they compared the pastry in hand with the most famous Baixiang Zhai pastry in the county.

Mother Zhou knew that the red bean cake that Mother Wei ate came from Baixiang Zhai, which was said by her ger.

As soon as Wei Cheng returned to the main room, the Wei family got up and wanted to leave without showing any face to the Zhou family.

“Sister, do you think I was too impatient when I agreed to Yuan Yuan’s marriage to the Wei family?” Mother Zhou was worried.

Because of her lack of consideration, Wei Cheng’s thoughtfulness, and her grandmother’s kindness, she just wanted to settle Yuan Yuan’s marriage and didn’t consider anything else.

“Sister-in-law, it’s hard to say.” Aunt Yu didn’t finish her sentence, but according to the Wei family’s attitude, Mother Wei definitely didn’t like her nephew Zhou Yuan.

“That’s right. Fortunately, Wei Cheng, the son-in-law, was really kind to my Yuan Yuan.”

Mother Zhou didn’t think much about it anymore. Once the marriage was settled, it was impossible to go back on her word.

If her ger was really having a bad time in the Wei family, she would definitely come to support her ger.

After a busy day, Mother Zhou finally had time to visit her ger.

Mother Zhou opened the door and went in, and saw her ger sitting on the dressing table, propping his chin with one hand, staring at a wooden box.

“Yuan Yuan, what were you looking at? What’s so good about a wooden box?”

“Mother!” Seeing Mother Zhou, Zhou Yuan called softly.

“I don’t think I’ve seen this box before. It’s very exquisite. Where did it come from?” The wooden box was rectangular, painted on the outside, and carved with small patterns on the wooden body. Mother Zhou had never seen such a box in her ger’s room.

“Brother Wei gave it to me.”

From Wei Cheng?!

Zhou Yuan directly handed the wooden box to Mother Zhou, and Mother Zhou suspiciously opened the wooden box and saw all the things in the box.

Inside were a gold bracelet carved with auspicious clouds and a white jade hairpin, estimated to cost at least five taels of silver.

Mother Zhou was surprised and asked, “This was… Wei Cheng gave it to you?”

Zhou Yuan nodded, “En.”

“It seems that Wei Cheng really likes my ger.”

Seeing her ger bowing his head shyly, Mother Zhou didn’t know when this happened; it must be when the two of them were alone, they said some sweet words to one another.

Mother Zhou was less worried now. Withei Cheng’s affection for her ger, Wei Cheng would protect her ger when he married into the Wei family.

“Yuan Yuan, your future mother-in-law would not be easy to get along with. Mother was really afraid that you would be wronged when you marry.” Mother Zhou sat beside Zhou Yuan, still wanting to remind her ger.

Zhou Yuan didn’t have those worries. “Brother Wei said just now that he and the Wei family have separated.”

Separated!?!

Mother Zhou understood everything now!

No wonder Mother Wei looked down on her ger, but she didn’t object to Wei Cheng’s marriage- the families were separated. If Wei Cheng liked it, Mother Wei might not want to refute Wei Cheng’s wishes too much.

“So my mother could rest assured!”

Now that the Wei family was separated, Mother Zhou was completely relieved!