"Can he even afford a house in Beijing City? Look, I’m not trying to be an, but even if he makes a few hundred a month, you can’t buy a place as small as ours for less than several thousand, or even ten thousand yuan, with today’s housing prices. You’re not planning to get married while renting, are you? If you do, everyone in the neighborhood will laugh you to death."
"A house?" Ge ili was a little dazed.
Ge ixia nodded. "Then what are you getting married for? Don’t you want a ho of your own? Dad is already against you two. If he had a house in Beijing City, maybe he’d agree."
That evening, while the family was having dinner, Ge ili brought up that Shitou wanted to et them.
"What’s there to see? Doesn’t he just have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth like everyone else?"
Ge ili’s father said dismissively, then took a bite of food and had a sip of his liquor.
Ge ili looked at him helplessly. "Dad, I’m being serious. Shitou is a good person. Wanting to et you is his way of being responsible toward ."
"Responsible for what? Have you two slept together already?" Mr. Ge’s words were brutally blunt.
"Dad—" Ge ili’s face turned red as she glared at him.
Beside her, Ge ili’s eldest sister-in-law clicked her tongue. "He can co visit, sure. But you need to tell him our conditions first. The betrothal gift must be 1,888 yuan, not a cent less. We also want the Four Big Items, forty-eight legs of furniture, and of course, a house in Beijing City. Otherwise, he can crawl back to wherever he ca from."
Ge ili was displeased. "Sister-in-law, isn’t a betrothal gift of 1,888 yuan a bit too much?"
"That’s the price for marrying soone from out of town."
Ge ili’s second sister-in-law also chid in with a teasing smile. "Let’s not even talk about the betrothal gift for a mont. Buying a house here isn’t sothing just anyone can do. Even for soone who runs their own business and earns a lot, it would still take a few years, right?"
The eldest sister-in-law snorted. "Then let him wait a few more years. Our ili is still young, anyway."
"Haha, Sister-in-law, if you hadn’t ntioned it, I would have almost forgotten—the man is already over thirty. If you ask , ili, while we may not be national beauties, we’re not ugly either. Why find soone so old? It’s better to be with soone young; you’ll have more to talk about. Don’t end up regretting it when you’re old."
Mr. Ge nodded along. "That makes sense. But age is secondary. If he can really get a house in Beijing City and et our family’s demands, then I’ll agree."
"Dad, how could Shitou possibly have that much money right now?" Ge ili mumbled.
Sipping his liquor, Mr. Ge glanced at her. "Didn’t your mother say his boss is very rich? I heard he’s from the sa place as Shitou. He can’t just stand by and do nothing, can he? Whether it’s for buying a house or paying the betrothal gift, the money will be there."
Ge ili sat there in a daze. ’Ask Shitou to borrow money from his boss to buy a house? Would Shitou be willing?’
"Buy a house?" Shitou was stunned when he heard what Ge ili said.
Ge ili nodded. "That’s what my dad said."
Shitou looked at her. "The betrothal gift of over a thousand yuan, the Four Big Items, and all that... I could probably manage it if I save up. But buying a house... I don’t have that kind of money right now."
He only dared to say this because he was in Beijing City now, earning a decent amount each month. Back in the day, even the betrothal gift alone would have shocked him.
Buying a house plus the betrothal gift and everything else would easily cost over ten thousand yuan. Shitou couldn’t even fathom it.
"Why don’t you borrow so from your boss?" Ge ili said softly.
Hearing this, Shitou paused, then shook his head. "No. The reason I’m earning so much every month isn’t because my work is truly worth this much. It’s because Third Brother He is looking out for . If it were soone else, people would be scrambling to do this job for less than a hundred yuan. So, there’s no way I can ask him."
Shitou might not have many skills, but he had his principles. Being poor was his own business; He Lang was already doing everything he could to look out for him. As the saying goes, you help soone in a crisis, not just because they’re poor. If he borrowed money for his wedding now, he might need to borrow again the next ti life got hard. Shitou couldn’t bring himself to ask.
Ge ili got a little angry. "Then what do we do? Didn’t you say you wanted to marry ? How long will it take for you to save up all that money?"
Shitou’s brow furrowed, also worried.
Seeing his silence, Ge ili grew even angrier.
"My family already looks down on you for being from the countryside. Now you can’t even et this one condition. Do you still want to marry or not? Besides, you’d be borrowing the money, not just taking it. From where I’m standing, it doesn’t seem like he values you that much anyway. Otherwise, he should have offered to help with sothing like this without you even asking."
After Ge ili finished speaking, she saw Shitou looking at her with a strange expression. Her heart skipped a beat, but her words remained sharp.
"What are you looking at? Am I wrong? He’s the one who brought you here, so he should be responsible for you. If not, then just stop working for him! You could open your own clothing store. You’re familiar with the business now, right? If you went out on your own, you’d definitely earn way more than you do at his shop. Then I could quit my job, and we could open a clothing store together. What do you think?"
The more Ge ili spoke, the more carried away she got. She thought it was a brilliant idea. That way, they’d be their own bosses. They wouldn’t have to answer to anyone, and all the money they earned would go straight into their own pockets.
By the ti she finished, Shitou had lowered his head.
Ge ili frowned and went over to pat Shitou’s chest. "Did you hear what I said? You know where he gets his inventory from, right? Didn’t you go with him a few tis? What do you think of my idea?"
Shitou’s face was blank, his voice flat. "It’s not a good idea. If you want to be your own boss, I won’t stop you. But I know myself. I’m not cut out to be a boss. I can only work for Third Brother He. Working for him gives peace of mind."
Hearing this, Ge ili was absolutely furious. "How can you be so unambitious? Can’t you think about the long term? Are you really planning to work for him your whole life?"
"There’s nothing wrong with that."
Ge ili stared at Shitou, but he kept his eyes lowered, saying nothing.
After a mont, Ge ili gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I get it now. You’re angry with . And who am I even doing all this for? Forget it. I was just talking. It’s up to you what you want to do. Since we can’t seem to agree, I’m heading back."
Ge ili turned and started to walk away. Shitou didn’t move an inch.
Ge ili took several steps, but when she saw that Shitou wasn’t coming after her to try and coax her, she ran off in a huff.
Leaving Shitou standing there, lost in thought for a long ti.
From that day on, Ge ili never ca to the shop to see Shitou again. Shitou, in turn, beca quiet and withdrawn. Everyone else in the shop could tell that sothing must have happened between them.
Xue Yue quietly said to He Lang, "Sothing’s off with Shitou. Why don’t you go ask him? Did he have a fight with his girlfriend?"
He Lang glanced at Shitou. "It’s normal for couples to fight. They’ll be fine in a few days."
It wasn’t until Aunt Ge ca looking for Shitou that they found out what had happened.
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