Chapter 39: The Headache of an Exorbitant Bride Price

After singing, Shi Dahai suggested going for barbecue, but He Shinian declined. Eventually, Shi Dahai and Zhou Xian left, while He Shinian rode his bike home.

Once home, he took a shower and lay in bed. A message from Zhou Xian arrived: "Secretary He, I spoke with our director. He is completely in favor of it. He didn't even care about the word count; he agreed to 1,000 yuan per article."

He Shinian was surprised and replied, "Isn't that too much?"

"Not at all. Our director even suggested 2,000 yuan per article. I told him that if it were too high, the nature and flavor of the arrangement would change, so he finally settled on 1,000 yuan."

Seeing that He Shinian did not reply immediately, she added, "1,000 yuan is in line with the market rate, so you don't need to feel burdened, Secretary He."

He Shinian was struck by how thoughtful and perceptive Zhou Xian was. Feeling the pressure lift, he replied, "Thank you. Please convey my thanks to your director as well. I’ll treat you both to a meal another day to thank you in person."

"That sounds great! Our director was actually hoping to meet you too."

After exchanging messages with Zhou Xian, He Shinian thought that his primary duty was to follow and serve Wu Yunqiu, and he simply did not have enough time to write the articles himself. It would be better to delegate this task. But to whom? He thought of Tian Mi and immediately sent a message.

"Are you asleep?"

"Oh... how surprising! The section chief is actually messaging me. Aren't you afraid your girlfriend will get jealous? Hehe!"

He Shinian thought about replying that his girlfriend was not around, but that seemed too ambiguous and inappropriate. Instead, he wrote, "I have an important task that could generate revenue for the department. I wonder if you’d be interested?"

"Wow, that’s great news! As long as it's something I can do, just give the order, Chief."

He Shinian explained the situation to her. Upon hearing it, Tian Mi exclaimed in surprise, "So, I could generate 2,000 yuan for the department every week? That’s over 100,000 yuan a year! Couldn't I fulfill the department's entire annual revenue target all by myself?"

He Shinian smiled and replied, "I'll take that as a 'yes.' It’s settled then. If you don't have enough energy to handle it alone, you can find others to help you."

"Mission guaranteed! Thank you, Chief. You are truly amazing."

He Shinian: "..."

The next day, Qiao Yina returned. She called while He Shinian was jogging along the Ning River.

"I bought you breakfast. Shall I bring it over to you?" Her voice on the phone was gentle, lacking the arrogance and imperiousness of the night before.

"No need, I’ll be back in ten minutes."

Back at home, Qiao Yina was hunched over the coffee table writing something. Seeing He Shinian return, she stood up and smiled, "You're back? The breakfast is cold now, let me heat it up for you."

He Shinian grunted an acknowledgment and went to the bathroom to shower. Qiao Yina went into the bedroom, retrieved his underwear and clothes, and waited outside the bathroom door.

"Shinian, I brought your undergarments and clothes."

He Shinian was surprised; why had Qiao Yina suddenly become so virtuous and polite?

After he showered, Qiao Yina brought the reheated soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns to him. "Eat up!"

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I have."

He Shinian took a bite of a dough stick, sipped some soy milk, and asked, "What were you writing just now?"

Qiao Yina picked up the paper covered in dense handwriting and said, "It’s all about what we need to prepare for the wedding."

She then began to recite everything written on the paper like a torrent of peas: buying a house, the bride price, a car, the wedding banquet, renovations, appliances, the "three golds and one jade" jewelry...

Listening to this, lines of frustration appeared on He Shinian’s forehead. If they followed everything Qiao Yina said, wouldn’t the wedding cost over a million yuan?

Down payment for a house: 300,000.
Bride price: 188,000.
Car: 150,000 to 250,000.
Wedding banquet: 5,000 per table for 30 tables, totaling 150,000.
Renovations: 180,000.
Appliances: 100,000.
Jewelry: 60,000.

And this didn't even include other expenses, let alone the costs on the groom's side. He Shinian had served in the military for five years, earned two second-class individual merit awards, and had some savings from his service and his mother's inheritance. But even if he emptied everything, it wouldn't be enough.

"Why is it so much?"

"Is it a lot?" Qiao Yina walked over, took his arm, and said, "If you think it's too much, why don't you reconsider my parents' proposal from yesterday?"

He Shinian fell silent. It seemed the Qiao family hadn't given up and had sent Qiao Yina to act as a lobbyist.

Qiao Yina continued, "My parents said that as long as you marry into our family, they will cover all these costs. We won't have to spend a cent, and they won't even ask for a bride price. Isn't that a great deal?"

He Shinian was speechless. That was over a million yuan! Qiao Hailin was just a deputy director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, and Wei Ziqin was a middle school teacher—where would they get that kind of money? However, for He Shinian, while other things could be discussed, he could never agree to this.

"I still insist on my principles. I will not marry into the Qiao family."

Qiao Yina’s expression turned cold. "Shinian, why exactly? Do you think my family would treat you poorly if you married in? Or is it that marrying into the Qiao family makes you lose face?"

"Shinian, don't worry. As long as you are willing to come over, I promise you won't suffer any grievances, and I will love you with all my heart."

"That’s not the reason. Yina, I’ve never known where my father was since I was young, and my mother passed away early. But this home, this lineage—even if they are gone, I must uphold it."

Qiao Yina retorted, "Lineage? Is lineage really that important? What kind of society do we live in now? What is the point of clinging to those traditional ideas?"

He Shinian said nothing; he truly did not want to quarrel with Qiao Yina over this.

"If you don't marry in, can you come up with all that money?" Qiao Yina pressed.

He Shinian was silent; of course, he couldn't.

"I have no objections to the 188,000 bride price. As for the house and car, I don't think it's necessary to buy them right now. We can save up slowly after we're married. It won't be too late."

"5,000 yuan per table for the banquet is too high. It's unnecessary; we aren't trying to show off. By the standards of Ninghai County, 800 yuan per table is enough."

"As for the jewelry, anything modest will do. Those are just material things."

Qiao Yina’s anger flared up: "Shinian, who buys a house *after* getting married? My colleagues, my friends—who doesn't have all this handled before the wedding?"

"If we wait, three years? Five years? If we never manage to buy one, I’ll be a laughingstock among my friends and colleagues."

"We only get married once in our lives. Who doesn't want it to be grand? An 800-yuan standard? Are you talking about rural standards?"

"A colleague of mine, who isn't even that good-looking, had over 100,000 yuan worth of jewelry alone for her wedding. My standard is already low enough."

He Shinian was speechless for a moment and said honestly, "I just can't come up with that much money right now."

Seeing his tone soften, Qiao Yina took his hand. "If you don't have the money, why insist? If you marry into our family, wouldn't all these problems be solved?"

Here it was again. He Shinian looked at Qiao Yina with surprise, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity with her for the first time.

"Yina, we are getting married to build a life together. We aren't doing this to compete with others or to put on a show for anyone. Why care about what others think? Isn't it enough that we are happy?"

"I don't want that," Qiao Yina rejected him outright. "Shinian, I’ve been with you for six years. I’m pretty, I have a good figure, nice skin, and many people pursue me, yet I chose you. Shouldn't you consider things from my perspective?"

"To help you stay in Ninghai, I didn't hesitate to swallow my pride and beg Feng Anping. Isn't that enough to prove my love for you?"

He Shinian’s heart wavered slightly.

Qiao Yina looked around the room and continued, "This house was left to you by your mother; it’s your prized possession, I understand that. But a wedding is a matter between two families. Do you have to make it look so pathetic?"

Looking at Qiao Yina, He Shinian felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water. Suddenly, he didn't want to get married at all.

"Yina, I want to hear your honest thoughts. Is this about the house and car your parents are offering, or do you truly want me to marry into your family?"