sbdcsierra Chapter 1612 Want more
Chapter 1612 Want more
Chapter 1612 Want more
After Ye Chenghe bought the color TV, he hired a tractor to deliver it directly to Chen Xiuni's hometown village.
After all, his wedding is only three days away, and he will have to take care of things at home afterward.
Although his mother had already bought double the amount of some wedding supplies before the New Year, and the cigarettes, alcohol and dishes could be based on Ye Chenghai's, she also consulted him on other wedding matters, since he was the one in charge.
So we had to buy them in advance, send them to the bride's parents' house first, and then bring them all over on the wedding day.
He wasn't worried that Chen Xiuni's family would swallow the color TV, unless they didn't want to get married anymore.
His family is highly sought after now. If you break off the engagement because of this and offend them, they'll be in big trouble.
If he hadn't started dating early, and hadn't been so persistent back then, Chen Xiuni wouldn't be involved now; there would be plenty of people wanting to arrange marriages for his brother.
When the tractor carrying the color TV entered the village, it attracted a lot of attention from the villagers. However, after seeing Ye Chenghe, everyone greeted him with smiles.
The tractor stopped in front of Chen Xiuni's house, and all her family members gathered around, while the neighbors craned their necks to watch the spectacle.
"Chenghe's here. What did he bring? Does he need a tractor to haul it?"
"You're getting married soon, what did you give your wife's family as a gift?"
Chen Xiuni's mother, beaming, told everyone, "We asked our son-in-law to go to the city to help us buy a color TV, which will be given to my daughter as part of her dowry in a couple of days."
"My husband and I have never been to the city even once or twice in our lives. We have no idea where to buy such large appliances. We are completely clueless and can only ask our son-in-law to buy them for us."
Chen Xiuni had already discussed it with her parents, so they knew exactly what to say as soon as they saw the color TV arrive.
This is also something that brings honor to our family.
The neighbors were in an uproar. "My goodness, your family even gave a color TV as part of the dowry?"
"This is worth more than a three-ring watch and a radio."
"This is unbelievable! Not long ago you were saying you'd bring gold as part of the dowry, and now you're saying you'll bring a color TV? Are you trying to empty your coffers?"
"Giving so much? Are you trying to make a living?"
The couple ignored the neighbors' comments and happily asked someone to help carry the color TV inside first, then invited Ye Chenghe to come in and sit down.
Chen Xiuni was beaming and extremely happy.
Ye Chenghe said to her, "Is this alright?"
She nodded happily, "Yes, I will keep an eye on him and make sure my nephew doesn't mess around. I'll bring him along on my wedding day."
“I left before dawn and it’s been a whole day. I have to hurry back. I don’t know if my parents have looked for me yet.”
"Won't you stay a little longer? It's dinnertime, why don't you have some before you leave?"
"No, my family has definitely cooked it already."
Ye Chenghe didn't stay long, only said a few words and then left.
Their family and the surrounding neighbors excitedly gathered around the color TV inside the house, praising their daughter for finding a good partner.
No family in the surrounding villages has ever had such a grand wedding, with a color TV as part of the dowry.
After he left, a voice came from behind saying that his family was well-off and gave a high bride price, so naturally they should give more.
Ye Chenghe pursed his lips and quickened his pace toward his home.
The two villages are not far apart; it only takes about ten minutes to walk there.
He was immediately berated by his mother as soon as he got home.
"Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day. I can't find you even when I need to."
"I'm off on business."
"What business do you need that you can't see anyone all day?"
Sister-in-law Ye hadn't seen him all day, and she knew he must have gone to buy a color TV.
I got angry just thinking about it, so I punched him a few times.
"Is it okay for you to be so pushy? They might not even appreciate it and will just think you're a sucker."
"Who would spend this much money to get a wife? It's already spent, and we still have to keep spending and supporting her. Now that's how it is, what will happen when she has to support her whole family?"
"Their appetites have been spoiled; people from the countryside shouldn't be compared to those from the city..."
Ye Chenghe got annoyed by his mother's nagging and said, "Alright, stop nagging. Do you still want me to get married properly? If you don't want me to get married, then don't get married."
Sister-in-law Ye was furious. "The invitations have already been sent out, everyone knows you're getting married in a couple of days, and now you're telling me you don't want to get married? Do you have no shame?"
"You were the one who insisted on getting married back then, and now you're saying this again. You're going to drive me crazy!"
"If you still want me to get married, then stop nagging. It's so annoying. Just resolve the issue; it's not like we can't afford it."
Ye Yaopeng frowned and said, "Alright, stop talking. Cheng He isn't wrong. He was brought along anyway, so it's just a formality. At this critical juncture, how can we say we won't get married?"
"I'm just angry that we have to keep putting up these decorations. If you can't afford it, don't compare yourself to others. It's normal for rural families to be inferior to urban families, but you have to keep comparing."
"If we say that Ah Hai's wife bought a washing machine now, people will laugh at her for not having one. And since the dowry she brought wasn't as much as Ah Hai's wife brought, will we have to make a scene with Cheng He tomorrow and make him pay the difference?"
After Sister-in-law Ye said this, the father and son fell silent again.
They thought about it and realized that besides the extra appliances, the amount of betrothal money the two women could bring back was also different.
It's hard to say whether Chenghe will make up for it again.
Sister-in-law Ye felt that there might actually be a possibility, and she became even angrier, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Ye Chenghe.
“They’re marrying a wife, not buying one. The money they’re giving is enough to buy several wives. You’re not allowed to put any more money into it.”
Ye Chenghe obediently replied, "I understand."
"Shameless! He thinks that just because we're getting married soon, he can control you and make you do whatever he wants."
Ye Yaopeng also looked at Ye Chenghe and said, "There's really no need for us rural folks to compare ourselves with those from the city. People may make comparisons, but no one will laugh at us. They couldn't afford it anyway. There's no need to put on a show and pretend to be like them."
"I know, I'll just buy her a color TV to save face, that'll be enough, I won't subsidize her anymore."
“The extra dowry we gave originally went into her parents’ pockets, but now we’re asking you to save face for her. If you do any more, she’ll think you’re easy to manipulate, and in the end, it might all benefit her family.”
Ye Chenghe rubbed his temples. "I know. If you try to talk to me again, I won't agree. Is that alright? I'm exhausted. I've been running around all day, and I haven't even had a hot meal yet. All I've heard you guys talk is talk."
"Whose fault is it? Who made you run around like this? It's all because of your good wife."
Ye Yaopeng tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, stop talking. Let him eat in peace."
Sister-in-law Ye then fell silent.
Ye Chenghe also thought that since he had already bought her a color TV, satisfying her vanity, there shouldn't be any more problems.
To his surprise, she came again the very next day.
His mother's prediction was spot on. This time she came to say that the dowry money she brought was only 600 yuan, which wasn't enough... It was two-thirds less than her sister-in-law's...
Ye Chenghe instantly became furious. As the two walked along the beach, he shoved away Chen Xiuni's hand that was grabbing his clothes.
"Are you never going to stop?"
Chen Xiuni panicked instantly and grabbed him again, "Chenghe..."
"You have to compare everything. Can you even compare? You insist on putting on a brave face. Isn't it normal that you can't compare?"
“I was worried that your family would be unhappy if the bride price was different, so my mother specially increased it from 800 to 1800 for you. But you ended up deducting even more.”
“And now you’re comparing yourself to your sister-in-law, saying she has a bigger dowry and a washing machine. Well, I bought you a color TV too, and now you’re thinking you need the same dowry. Why don’t you just ask your parents to give you all their money back? Instead, you come here to complain to me.”
"This is never going to end. How about I arrange for your parents to become factory managers or something, to raise your social standing, so you'll be like your sister-in-law?"
"It's ridiculous. What's the point of comparing? Why do you, from the countryside, have to compare yourself to people from the city? It's normal to lose. Who's laughing at you? It's just that you lack confidence."
"If you're really worried about being laughed at, then don't get married. That way, you won't have to worry about being laughed at for not being as good as your sister-in-law."
Ye Chenghe was really furious when he said he didn't want to get married; he never imagined that getting married could be so troublesome.
Before, I would look forward to it with joy, but now I just feel annoyed and frustrated, wishing it never happened.
They've already done everything they could, and given them everything they could, yet they're still pushing their luck.
She thought he was still the same shameless guy who always followed her around. He had spoiled her so much that she couldn't even know her place and still insisted on comparing herself to her sister-in-law.
What are we comparing? We can't even compare our heads, why do we have to?
We're all from the countryside; everyone knows our own circumstances. Trying to pull all these tricks will only make us a laughingstock.
Neither he nor his family looked down on her; it was she who looked down on herself first, worried about being outdone, and that's why she did all this.
Chen Xiuni's eyes instantly reddened, and tears streamed down her face.
"We're getting married the day after tomorrow, and now you're telling me you don't want to? You're trying to kill me."
"Who told you to keep causing trouble? To save face for you, I went to the city before dawn yesterday to buy you a color TV, just to make you look good. And now you're pushing your luck again. What do you take me for? You think I'll give you whatever you want? Do you think I'm a sucker?"
"No, I'm just worried that it won't look good to have only that little money on display at the wedding..."
"What's wrong with that? What rural family has such a large dowry for a wedding? We're already giving you a color TV to bring over the day after tomorrow, that's already impressive enough. Don't be so greedy, wanting everything."
"I just don't want to be laughed at, I want to be perfect..."
"How perfect do you want it? I gave you the same dowry, and you wanted a car to pick you up, so I arranged that. You wanted large appliances, and I arranged that too. Now you want me to give you more dowry money? You really have a way with your imagination. Do you think I'm a sucker?"
She sobbed, "I just thought that since we're married, we're family. You gave it to me to display, it's just for show. Anyway, it's all ours."
“We’re just passing money from one pocket to another, just to make it look better. There’s no real difference. I won’t give this money to my parents.”
Ye Chenghe remained unmoved with a straight face. "Then why don't you let me put out ten or twenty thousand, so you can save face?"
"This is so fake..."
"You know your family definitely can't afford that much money, so how dare you demand the same things as your sister-in-law? Everyone knows what your family's situation is."
“My family’s circumstances are not good, and we can’t compare to my sister-in-law’s, but you don’t need to keep emphasizing it.”
"You son of a bitch..." Ye Chenghe couldn't help but curse a couple of times. Among the men, they were all used to being so vulgar.
"You're the one comparing yourself to others, you're the one who feels inferior, and now you won't let me speak?"
Chen Xiuni just cried and didn't say anything.
Ye Chenghe got angry and turned to leave.
Chen Xiuni quickly chased after him, "Chenghe..."
"Think carefully about whether you want to go through with this marriage."
"At this crucial moment, if you say you won't get married, aren't you afraid of losing face later?"
"Is this your excuse to manipulate me? What do I have to be ashamed of? It's not my fault."
She softened her voice, tugged at his clothes, and said pitifully, "After we get married, what's mine will be yours, right? Why are you so fussy? It's just a thousand or so yuan to display, and it'll be ours again once we put it away."
"Am I being petty? It's clearly you who's greedy, wanting everything and always comparing. If you have this kind of mentality now, won't you always compare everything your sister-in-law has to her?"
"People will always compare us, my sister-in-law and I..."
"When others compare themselves to others, you can't just say that you, a country person, can't compare to city people. Is it so hard to admit that you are not as good as others? It's a fact, after all."
That's what bothers him.
If you can't compete on terms of resources, there's nothing you can do about it. Who can choose their birth? Can't you just do your best in other areas?
Chen Xiuni lowered her head. "I understand. That's fine then."
Ye Chenghe sighed, "That's enough. Stop making a fuss and causing all this trouble. You've already had enough of a good time. Life is about living it, not comparing yourself to others."
"Don't try to be like your sister-in-law in everything. It's normal for you to be different, and that's how people will see things in a more normal way."
"This isn't meant to belittle you. We should only do what we're capable of. You can do better in other areas."
She nodded, wiped away her tears, and said, "I understand."
"Good to know. Keep an eye on that color TV. If we don't see it on the wedding day or it's broken, that would be truly embarrassing."
"Don't worry about that, nothing will go wrong. My parents have their pride too."
"Ah."
"Don't be angry. I misunderstood. It's already very good to have these things now. It's much better than at the beginning. If we had gotten married two years earlier, we wouldn't have these things."
Ye Chenghe's expression softened. "It's good that you know. Don't want more once you've got it."
"Ah."
As long as she can figure it out, Ye Chenghe won't blame her.
We're all young, and it's normal to want more after getting what we've got. Everyone wants both, as long as we can figure it out.
"Alright, it's getting dark, let's go home early."
"it is good."
P.S.: This chapter mentions a comment; this is a unified response to last night's little rant.
I was getting a bit tired of writing last night. Humans have seven emotions and six desires, and we're bound to have some minor mood swings. I didn't want to write, so I just vented. I didn't expect it to cause such a stir. So many people jumped out and told me not to end it. I don't usually get this many comments.
It won't end easily. As everyone says, the next book might not be any better. I'll cherish the one I have and keep writing it.
Thank you all for your continued support. The time for ending hasn't come yet, and I will continue to write the later parts well.
It will be written that the old lady dies peacefully in her old age, that Ye Yaodong becomes a true shipping magnate, and that the fate of the children will be properly determined.
This is an update from last night, totaling 7000 words. There will be another update tonight as usual.
After waking up around noon and reading the comments, I'm full of energy again. I'll write 10,000 words today. Thank you everyone.
Thank you all for your continued support!
bow!
(This text exceeds 200 words, and including it in the main text would incur a charge, so it's included in this chapter.)