Dinner was a lavish spread, with seafood He Lang had brought back and pork He Ze had bought.
The He Family lived well, much better than the Xue family.
The men of the He Family chatted as they ate, creating a picture of harmony.
The women mostly listened to the men talk.
This was the first time He Ziqing had met Xue Yue, and she kept sneaking glances at her.
Xue Yue felt her gaze and asked with a smile, "Why do you keep looking at me?"
He Ziqing blushed and said, "Third Aunt, I just think you're really beautiful."
Xue Yue chuckled at her words. "You little sweet-talker."
Mrs. He laughed as well. "Our Ziqing has the best taste, just like me. I took a liking to your Third Aunt the moment I saw her. I thought she was beautiful, too."
Gao Cuiyun rolled her eyes and muttered, "What's the use of being beautiful? It was 500 yuan."
Although Gao Cuiyun didn't speak loudly, they were all sitting close together. Aside from the men, who were busy talking, all the women heard her.
Xue Yue was already used to it. Gao Cuiyun had brought this up several times.
Mrs. He's face instantly darkened.
"Second Brother's wife, do you get some sick pleasure out of harping on this? Has this family failed to feed you or clothe you? You just have to make everyone miserable every single day."
Mrs. He's voice was loud, and everyone in the room turned to look.
Gao Cuiyun's face flushed. Under everyone's stares, her eyes darted away. "I was just saying. It was 500 yuan. Am I not allowed to talk about it?"
As she spoke, Gao Cuiyun shot a glance at He Ze.
'She wasn't afraid today. Her husband was back.'
"He Ze, are you going to control your wife or not?" Mrs. He said to He Ze, who was sitting on the kang, her voice full of displeasure. "Your father and I made the decision about He Lang's marriage. Your wife brings it up every day. Is she trying to say she has a problem with us?"
He Ze had shown no reaction when Gao Cuiyun spoke earlier.
"Mom, my wife may not be tactful, but she's not wrong. For Third Brother's marriage, you and Dad didn't even consult us before bringing her home. That doesn't look good to outsiders. What's more, you acted on your own without even asking if Third Brother was willing. And 500 yuan is a lot of money. Even at my factory, no one's family would dare demand such a high bride price for a wedding."
'What was there not to understand?' Mrs. He seethed when she heard this. 'The husband and wife had planned this together, sending the wife in first to start the fight.'
Mrs. He sneered. "Well, He Ze, you've gotten bold. How do you know Third Brother isn't willing? Let's get this all out in the open today, so you and your wife don't harbor any resentment."
With that, she looked at He Lang.
"He Lang, speak up. Do you have a problem with the wife your father and I found for you?"
He Lang put down his chopsticks. He glanced up at Xue Yue, whose head was lowered, then looked at his mother. He saw her glaring at him fiercely and understood her meaning immediately. If he dared say he had a problem, his life would be miserable from now on.
He Lang sighed internally and forced a slight smile. "No problem."
Mrs. He turned back to He Ze. "Did you hear that? Third Brother has no problem. At the end of the day, aren't you just upset about how much we spent on his marriage? Let me tell you, 500 yuan is a lot, but 400 of it came from money He Lang gave me over the years."
Gao Cuiyun said eagerly, "Mom, who are you trying to fool, saying that money came from Third Brother? Everyone knows he doesn't have a job and doesn't work. Where would he get that kind of money?"
Mrs. He shot a look at Gao Cuiyun. "He Ze's wife, he's been a factory worker for less than two years. He contributes 15 yuan a month to the family. To date, that's only a little over 300 yuan. You know how much the family's work points are worth. After spending 200 yuan to buy He Ze's job and paying for the children's schooling, how much do you think was left? If He Lang hadn't given me the money, do you think your father and I could have come up with 500 yuan?"
No one spoke. Everyone was wondering the same thing, 'Could He Lang have really provided the money? But where would he have gotten it from?'
In truth, besides the second son and his wife, the eldest son and his wife believed it. If nothing else, the things He Lang brought back every time he went out weren't cheap.
Mr. He took a drag from his water pipe and glanced at the three brothers. "Since we've laid everything bare today, I'll say this. When a tree grows large, its branches spread. It's the same for our He family. After we hold the wedding banquet for He Lang in a few days, you three brothers will split from the household and live on your own!"
"Dad!"
He Nan truly didn't want to split the family. As the eldest son, he had a duty to care for his parents. Besides, they were still young; it wasn't time to split the household.
"Dad, splitting the family is fine, but you and Mom have to come live with me," He Lang said slowly and deliberately.
"Third Brother, what are you saying? I don't agree to splitting the family. And even if we do, Mom and Dad will live with the eldest branch. I'm the eldest."
Guo Jinfeng glanced at her husband, looked like she was about to speak, then lowered her head without saying a word.
The second son and his wife said nothing. Gao Cuiyun, however, was delighted to hear about splitting the family. 'If they separated, the money her husband earned each month would belong to their own small family.' Thinking about having so much money every month, Gao Cuiyun was already lost in a blissful daze.
"Enough. We'll talk about this in a few days," Mr. He interrupted. "For certain reasons, He Lang and his wife haven't had a proper wedding celebration yet. The villagers are particular about this. In a few days, after his wife's brother gets out of the hospital, we'll hold the banquet. The family will start preparing in the next few days. No one is to drag their feet."
Xue Yue had come directly to the He Family because of the bride price issue, and now they were only just getting around to holding the wedding banquet. It felt like putting the cart before the horse, but rural people valued this tradition. Many villagers didn't have marriage certificates; as long as a banquet was held, they were considered married.
'This would make things more official, at least,' Xue Yue thought, having no objections.
Mr. He had actually decided long ago to split the household once all three of his sons were married. He remembered his own youth; his wife had suffered greatly at the hands of his mother and sisters-in-law. He didn't want to be like some of the old-fashioned patriarchs in the village who held onto the family assets until death, refusing to let their children go independent, only to earn resentment and live unhappily themselves.
To Xue Yue, this meal tasted like chewing wax. 'Sigh, every family has its own problems.'
That night, back in their room and tucked into bed, Xue Yue was still sighing.
He Lang, having just finished washing up and entering the room, immediately saw his new wife sighing. A corner of his mouth lifted. He closed the door, blew out the lamp, got onto the kang, and slipped under the covers.
Of course, he had secretly taken this blanket from his mother's cabinet earlier that day.
He turned to look at his new wife and saw her staring blankly with her eyes open.
"What's wrong? Did I hear you sighing? Having regrets? Think my family is too much trouble?"
"No regrets. It's not like I forced the He family to pay the 500 yuan. I was just feeling a bit emotional," Xue Yue said softly.
A smile touched He Lang's lips. "You're right. So you don't need to overthink it. The family is splitting up not because of you, but because my dad decided long ago to do it once all three of us brothers were married. It just happened to come out today."
A flicker of surprise showed in Xue Yue's eyes. 'She didn't expect He Lang to guess what was on her mind so accurately.'
She turned her head toward He Lang. In the darkness, she could faintly make out his silhouette watching her. Xue Yue suddenly felt a pang of shyness, a feeling she had never experienced before.
"He Lang, about our marriage... were you forced into it? If you're really unwilling, we can call it off. I'll write an IOU for the 500 yuan and pay your family back."
Before, in her desperation to save her brother's life, Xue Yue hadn't been able to consider anything else. But now, it suddenly occurred to her that if He Lang was unwilling, even in her impulsiveness, she understood that a marriage shouldn't start with resentment.
He Lang stared at Xue Yue for a long moment. Then he lay flat on his back, looking up at the ceiling, and said casually, "If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else. You don't need to worry about me. Go to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll go buy some things for the wedding."
After speaking, he closed his eyes.
Xue Yue looked at He Lang. 'It seemed he had compromised, deciding to just make do with her.'