No matter how much she looked down on the courtyard, Bai Ping still had a mission today.
“Mom, Dad, Factory Director Song and his wife said they want to come over and discuss things between Song Guoping and me. Which day in the next couple of days would be convenient for you?”
The dinner table fell instantly silent.
Bai Lan said bluntly, “If you’re going to bring up such mood-killing talk, could you at least wait until we’ve finished eating?”
Bai Ping slammed down her bowl and chopsticks. “What’s it got to do with you? Are you jealous that I’m marrying into the Song family?”
Bai Lan: “Ha. Jealous that you’re a tool?”
Bai Ping hadn’t heard the word “tool” used that way before, but she could understand the literal meaning. Her face immediately flushed red with anger.
She was indeed a tool for the Song family to get through their crisis. Because of her whistleblower letter, the authorities had been investigating Factory Director Song and had actually uncovered some shady dealings. That was exactly why the Song family was so desperate to find Song Guoping a partner—to cut his ties with that woman in the countryside.
And she had conveniently appeared before the Song family at just the right time.
But these things were fine to know privately. Bai Lan had laid it all out so blatantly that Bai Ping felt utterly humiliated.
Bai Dad also put down his chopsticks. “Bai Ping, are you really sure you want to marry into the Song family?”
Bai Ping nodded firmly. “I don’t want to live in a courtyard, and I certainly don’t want to marry some useless man.”
Blunt enough. No one at the table knew what to say.
Bai Lan didn’t actually mind that Bai Ping had these thoughts. What she minded were her methods.
So she said directly, “Dad, some things you just can’t control. So don’t.”
—
“Ah, I never imagined she’d turn out like this!”
Dinner ended unhappily because of Bai Ping’s words. But Bai Ping didn’t leave. She was determined to stay at home for the next couple of days. Bai Lan didn’t want to share a space with her, so after dinner, she asked Xu Jianbei to go for a walk. Just as they stepped out of the alley, she heard her mother talking with Qian Chunyun.
She didn’t walk over, but she still caught Qian Chunyun’s words.
“No matter what, a child is still carried for ten months and given birth to. I’ve heard about Xiao Ping’s prospect—the son of the steel plant director. His conditions are very good.”
Bai Mom looked at her old friend and shook her head. “The conditions are good, but he’s not marrying her because he likes her.”
Bai Mom felt a marriage like that wouldn’t last.
“Still, it’s better than marrying some street loafer with no money and no power, living a bitter, hard life!”
Qian Chunyun’s words sounded reasonable on the surface, but Bai Lan felt her way of thinking aligned quite well with Bai Ping’s.
Bai Mom seemed to sense this too and didn’t say anything more. She just listened as Qian Chunyun continued analyzing the situation.
Seeing this, Bai Lan pulled Xu Jianbei a little farther away. She didn’t want to listen to any of this.
But after they’d wandered around outside for a while and came back, they saw Qian Chunyun still chatting with someone. This time, however, her conversation partner had switched to Bai Ping.
The two were laughing and talking, seemingly finding plenty of common ground.
Bai Lan didn’t go over to eavesdrop, but she could still hear Qian Chunyun advising Bai Ping to get along better with her family and so on.
It was too long-winded, so Bai Lan tuned it out. Xu Jianbei thoughtfully pulled her back toward the courtyard. But before he left, his gaze swept over the two women. He felt there was something strange about them.
—
Regardless of the family’s reaction, Factory Director Song and his wife showed up with gifts the next evening.
The purpose of this visit was for both families to meet and discuss the wedding arrangements.
Judging by this alone, the Song family seemed to value Bai Ping quite a bit.
But the Bai family knew this was all for show. Bai Lan, through Xu Jianbei, had learned that the Song family’s situation was starting to improve. This was thanks in part to them publicly announcing their intention to marry Bai Ping.
Outsiders didn’t know Bai Ping’s true nature. They only knew that the Bai family had a spotless political background. Naturally, the Song family wouldn’t have any ideological issues by marrying into such a family.
“Brother Bai, Brother Bai! I’ve been wanting to come over for a long time. Our families didn’t have enough fate last time, but this time, we certainly do.”
Bai Lan was under the eaves with Qin Yan. Hearing this, the corner of her mouth twitched.
The last time around, because she had refused, quite a few things had happened between the two families. Now, to brush it all aside with “didn’t have enough fate” was truly something.
Qin Yan patted Bai Lan. “Hey, your third sister is pretty impressive. Look how polite Factory Director Song and his wife are being.”
The other neighbors in the courtyard, upon learning that the Song family had come to call, were all craning their necks this way. Hearing this, they couldn’t help but nod.
Bai Lan noticed Bai Ping’s expression—she looked proud as well.
Fine. The family had already let it go. Bai Ping could do whatever she wanted. Bai Lan couldn’t wait for her to marry and leave. These past two days, with Bai Ping staying at home and sharing a room with her, it had been so uncomfortable. Bai Lan was even thinking of doing what the Xu family had done—getting a wooden board to separate her bed from Bai Ping’s.
Inside, the fake pleasantries continued. Outside, the crowd of neighbors kept growing. Qian Chunyun, who had gone out that day to attend a relative’s wedding, had returned at some point and was also squeezing in to watch the spectacle.
Bai Lan watched her looking so interested and thought to herself that this woman was quite the gossip too.
After the Song family of three left, this woman immediately walked into her house and pulled Bai Mom aside, eagerly discussing what needed to be prepared for the two families’ marriage alliance.
—
“Really, I went to my relative’s house today, and her daughter’s wedding was so grand. Not to mention the three big items—she had ten quilts as a dowry alone. Plus five hundred yuan at the bottom of the chest. Tsk tsk, Aihong, when the time comes, how much are you planning to give your Xiao Ping?”
The Song family had come and discussed the bride price they were preparing: the three big items plus five hundred yuan in cash.
Bai Lan thought this woman was being awfully nosy. Wasn’t she supposed to be friends with her mom? Butting in like this to meddle in the family’s affairs was really rude.
Bai Mom didn’t feel right kicking her out, and Bai Dad didn’t either. In the end, Bai Lian was the one who politely ushered Qian Chunyun out.
The woman didn’t mind. She smiled, nodded at the Bai family, and slowly walked off.
Bai Lan found this woman really annoying. But she was settled in Haicheng and would probably leave in a day or two, so the family didn’t say anything.
Bai Ping, naturally, picked up right where Qian Chunyun had left off and immediately started negotiating with the family about her dowry.
Bai Dad looked at her with disappointment. “You think the family is going to covet your bride price? When your eldest sister got married, we said that for all four of you girls, the bride price from the groom’s family would all be given back to you as a dowry. On top of that, the family will add one hundred yuan as savings at the bottom of the chest. It’s the same for all four of you. We won’t favor anyone, and we won’t shortchange anyone either.”
Seeing her father say this, Bai Ping nodded sheepishly and slipped out without another word.
As soon as she left, Bai Mom sighed and shook her head.
Bai Lan exchanged a glance with Bai Lian. They both felt that Bai Ping should just get married and be done with it. Otherwise, day after day, she was ruining the atmosphere in the house.
—
Soon, all the neighbors knew exactly how much the Song family had offered as a bride price and how much Bai Dad had promised as a dowry.
All of a sudden, Bai Ping became the envy of all the women.
With her bride price and dowry combined, Bai Ping was suddenly wealthier than many people who had worked their whole lives.
Xu Jianbei inevitably got dragged into the banter by the older women too. They asked him how his bride price was coming along, and warned him not to be outdone by the Song family. Otherwise, Bai Lan not choosing the Song family but picking the Xu family instead would be a huge loss.
Bai Lan overheard these remarks and was momentarily speechless.
Over at the Xu family, there was apparently some commotion too.
After hearing about it from Xu Jianbei, Bai Lan didn’t even know what to say anymore. Every time something happened with Bai Ping, it somehow got dragged back to her. It was disgusting.
But soon, Bai Lan realized she wouldn’t have to be disgusted for much longer.
—
Three days later was the day the Song family was coming to deliver the bride price.
Because the Song family was in a hurry and wanted to lock down the arrangement as soon as possible, after discussing it with the Bai family, they moved quite quickly. They rented a large truck and, accompanied by a mediator, delivered the entire bride price.
The brand-new bicycle, sewing machine, and tape recorder on display in the courtyard drew exclamations of amazement from the neighbors. Quite a few unmarried young women declared that this was exactly how glorious a wedding should be, just like Bai Ping’s.
Bai Ping’s smug expression made Bai Lan almost think she had become the world’s richest woman.
Xu Jianbei, as the natural point of comparison, was once again dragged into the contrast.
“I’ll prepare the same for you in the future,” Xu Jianbei said, looking at Bai Lan as he watched the three coveted big items.
Bai Lan shook her head. “We each already have a bicycle. Don’t buy another one. A sewing machine would be fine, and you already have a tape recorder yourself. Buying more would just be a waste of money. Better to spend it on other things instead.”
Xu Jianbei thought for a moment, and taking advantage of the crowd outside, pulled Bai Lan into his room.
“What’s wrong?”
Bai Lan was curious about Xu Jianbei’s behavior. Normally, he wouldn’t pull her alone into his room like this. He was always afraid people would see and ruin her reputation.
Xu Jianbei pointed to a camphor wood chest in the corner. Then he took out a brass key. “Everything inside this chest is for you.”
Bai Lan knew about this chest. It had been brought over during the move. She’d heard he’d gotten it from the secondhand market. But she had no idea what was inside.
“Then I’m really going to open it and take a look!”
Xu Jianbei nodded. “Go ahead. I was originally planning to wait a while and give you a surprise.”
Thinking about what had been on his mind these past few days, Xu Jianbei felt that no day was better than today. People outside were constantly comparing Bai Lan with Bai Ping, saying Bai Lan wasn’t as fortunate as Bai Ping. Hearing those words made him very uncomfortable. He wasn’t a factory director’s son, but he could give Bai Lan a better life.
Bai Lan had no idea what Xu Jianbei was planning. She used the brass key in her hand to open the chest. There was a click or two, and the ancient brass lock came undone.
She lifted the lid of the chest and saw two beautifully crafted wooden boxes inside.
A wooden chest with wooden boxes inside—like a Russian nesting doll.
That thought suddenly crossed Bai Lan’s mind, and she laughed out loud.
Xu Jianbei quickly leaned over, thinking Bai Lan was happy about the gift he’d given her. But then he saw that the wooden boxes hadn’t even been opened yet. He was a bit confused. But thinking about what was inside the boxes, his ears turned slightly red. He cleared his throat, walked over himself, and took out one of the wooden boxes.
“Take a look. Do you like it?”
What met her eyes was a stunning set of ruby jewelry. A necklace, earrings, bracelet, and ring—not a single piece missing. The rubies set into each piece were not only dazzling but nearly as large as longan berries.
Bai Lan covered her mouth in shock, her eyes wide as she stared at Xu Jianbei.
People said that the 1970s were a time when gold, jade, and gemstones were everywhere, that you could trade a bag of rice for them. But Bai Lan had lived through it and knew that while that might have been possible, no one was coming to trade with her. So in the half year she’d been here, she hadn’t stumbled upon any bargains.
She never expected Xu Jianbei to give her such a valuable set of jewelry.
After the initial shock, Bai Lan shook her head. “This is too valuable. I can’t…”
“Yes, you can,” Xu Jianbei said, picking up the ring and holding it out to her.
Now, people didn’t really have the custom of proposing with a ring when getting married. Xu Jianbei only chose the ring because it was the lightest and easiest to handle while he was holding the box.
But Bai Lan immediately thought of marriage. And then she started to feel nervous.
Xu Jianbei keenly sensed Bai Lan’s unease. He decisively set the box down on the table. Then he took her hand with one hand, holding the ring with the other, and guided her to a chair. He crouched down in front of her, holding the large ruby ring up with both hands, his eyes shining as he looked at her.
“I know we haven’t known each other for even half a year yet, and maybe we still don’t know each other well enough. But every time I see you, I want to talk to you. And when I can’t see you, I want to talk to you even more. When I’m with you, I feel both excited and at peace. I think this is what the poets in books call love.”
The words were actually quite corny. But looking at Xu Jianbei’s bright, shining eyes, Bai Lan suddenly understood what it meant for her heart to flutter.
Seeing this, Xu Jianbei smiled and held the ring a little closer to her.
Bai Lan could no longer suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth. She reached out her hand.
Xu Jianbei immediately took it and slid the ring onto her finger.
The ring fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for Bai Lan.
Her fair fingers paired beautifully with the ruby ring.
Xu Jianbei couldn’t resist pressing a light kiss to the back of her hand.
Feeling the gentle touch on her skin, Bai Lan cupped Xu Jianbei’s face in both hands, tilted her head down slightly, and pressed her lips to his.
Outside, the excitement was in full swing, everyone envying the generosity of Bai Ping’s dowry.
Inside, it was quiet and serene, pink bubbles floating through the air.
—
Bai Ping stood at the entrance of her house, wearing a newly made woolen coat, basking in the envious gazes of the crowd.
But she wasn’t satisfied. What she wanted most was to see Bai Lan’s regret.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find Bai Lan anywhere in the courtyard.
“Could she be so regretful that she’s hiding somewhere crying?”
“Xiao Ping, what did you say?”
Bai Ping shook her head. “Auntie Qian, thank you so much for today.”
This Auntie Qian was really quite nice. Knowing that her parents weren’t exactly thrilled about this marriage, she had come over first thing in the morning to help. Her enthusiasm was even greater than her own parents’. This only deepened Bai Ping’s resentment toward her parents.
They always said they loved her, said they had cherished her since she was little. But she was only getting married once in her life. The bride price wasn’t embarrassing at all. Why couldn’t her parents show a little more warmth and happiness?
If others saw this, they might think her family had something against the Song family.
She was going to be living with the Song family from now on. Offending them would only make her future life with her in-laws difficult.
Thinking about this, Bai Ping’s resentment toward her parents grew even stronger.
And on top of that, Bai Lan—the one who should be regretting this—still hadn’t shown up.
That’s right. Bai Lan hadn’t appeared at all. It wasn’t until mealtime that she finally emerged in the courtyard.
Her mother was calling everyone to eat. Bai Lan hurried toward the house. As she walked under the eaves, she collided with Qian Chunyun, who was coming out of the house.
“Oh, Auntie Qian, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
Qian Chunyun shook her head. “I’m fine. Your family is about to eat. Auntie is going home. Your third sister’s bride price arrived this morning, and you were nowhere to be seen. When you go inside, at least apologize to your sister. You only get one chance in a lifetime to be sisters…”
Bai Lan was in a good mood today, so she didn’t bother arguing with Qian Chunyun. But she didn’t want to listen to her lecturing either. She turned and walked into the house.
Seeing this, Qian Chunyun shook her head. She thought to herself that the Bai couple really hadn’t done a very good job raising their children.
Bai Lan had no idea Qian Chunyun was talking about her. She walked into the house with a big smile on her face and immediately saw Bai Ping’s sour expression.
She acted like she hadn’t noticed, smiling as she went over to hug her mother’s arm.
“What’s with you? Find some money on the ground?”
Bai Lan kept smiling. “Better than finding money…”
Seeing her youngest daughter like this, Bai Mom finally smiled too.
“Alright, alright. Time to eat.”
Seeing mother and daughter happy, Bai Dad naturally joined in the cheerfulness.
Bai Lan got up to help set the table. But as she moved her foot, she kicked something. She bent down to look, and her face immediately changed dramatically.
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