Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

Jia Zhangshi still wanted to act arrogantly.

After waiting for a while, all she saw was Jia Dongxu following behind with a dejected look on his face. She couldn't see the girl at all. Jia Zhangshi's face immediately darkened, and she felt a little panicked.

Aunt Li pulled Jia Zhangshi into the inner room.

The neighbors had already gathered in the central courtyard, whispering and discussing among themselves.

A moment later, Jia Zhangshi's loud shouts rose from inside the house:

"What kind of nonsense is this!"

"You change your mind so easily! How can you do things like this!"

"We've prepared some fine wine and food at home."

Aunt Li glanced at the dishes on the stove—a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes and a pot of steamed salted fish, not even a proper meat dish—and couldn't help but purse her lips.

However, he still patiently said:

"I didn't expect her family to suddenly change their minds, saying that the girl should stay at home and work for another two years before discussing marriage."

"This is truly an accident, a complete accident!"

"Let's eat first."

"Next time, I guarantee I'll find Dongxu a girl with even better qualities, ten times better than this one!"

Madam Jia said irritably:

"You didn't get the job done, but you still want to eat? Next time, when you bring the girl, then we'll have this meal together."

Ultimately, it was a shameful matter, so Jia Zhangshi didn't make a fuss about it.

Those watching in the courtyard couldn't hear what the two were discussing, but they could tell that the matchmaking arrangement for the Jia family had taken a turn for the worse.

They immediately began to whisper amongst themselves, their eyes filled with mockery as they looked at the Jia family.

Jia Dongxu was dumbfounded:

My beautiful wife is gone just like that?

Seeing that she wouldn't get to eat the meal, Aunt Li grumbled and left the Jia family home in a huff.

Walking through the alley, she couldn't help but mutter to herself:

Given the Jia family's circumstances and their stinginess, who would want to work for them?

They really think country girls are eager to marry into the city!

Aunt Li had been a matchmaker for many years and knew the details of every family on the street. No matter how much Jia Zhangshi embellished her family's reputation, she could tell the truth just by looking at the dishes on the stove.

Before leaving, she squeezed the one yuan coin in her pocket.

That was given to me by Wang Anping that morning.

He couldn't help but think to himself:

Fortunately, today's work wasn't a complete waste.

After Aunt Li left, Sun Ersao from next door came over and asked about the situation in a low voice, feigning concern.

Feeling utterly humiliated and with nowhere to vent her anger, Jia Zhangshi shouted:

"That family is utterly despicable!"

"They agreed to a blind date, but then changed their minds at the last minute and even demanded a dowry of fifty yuan. They're practically selling their daughter! We absolutely cannot become in-laws with this kind of family!"

"How can you say that? Country folks are really not presentable."

"In the end, it's just that girl's bad luck; she missed out on our Dongxu!"

Rather than saying she was rejected by someone else, Jia Zhangshi simply said that her own family had rejected her.

After all, it sounds better to say it that way.

Sun Ersao nodded repeatedly in agreement:

"Absolutely! This is outrageous!"

He agreed verbally, but knew perfectly well what was going on in his mind. He gave a few perfunctory replies and quickly went back inside.

soon.

The news that the girl hadn't come spread throughout the courtyard.

Everyone knew the Jia family's financial situation and understood Jia Zhangshi's personality. No matter how many excuses she made to smooth things over, everyone knew perfectly well that the girl clearly looked down on the Jia family and that's why she made up excuses to avoid them.

This creates a stark contrast—Wang Anping also has a partner.

Moreover, that girl was very beautiful.

The news was told by several young men in the courtyard. Even Sha Zhu, who is always picky, and Xu Damao, who loves to gossip, couldn't help but praise the girl's beauty, so she must be quite good-looking.

It's just that others didn't see it.

Many people are very curious.

Everyone was hoping that Wang Anping could bring his girlfriend back to the compound soon so that everyone could see her.

As evening fell, Wang Anping slowly pushed his newly bought bicycle into the courtyard, just as Yan Bugui was squatting at the gate, picking up two small crucian carp the size of his palm.

"Hey, Teacher Yan, you've had a great day!"

"I actually caught two!"

Wang Anping made a casual joke, and Yan Bugui responded without even looking up:

"Not bad, I got lucky today, at least the trip wasn't a complete waste!"

He would go to the river every weekend, and if he could catch a few fish, it would be a free bonus. For someone as shrewd as him, it was a great thing.

This fish is too small, and braising it would use too much oil; even if I wanted to sell it, no one would want it.

Yan Bugui brought it back to prepare for his family to eat.

Add more salt.

I'll steam it again later; it'll be a meat dish eventually.

As he was speaking, Yan Bugui caught a glimpse of the bicycle beside Wang Anping out of the corner of his eye, and immediately froze, looking up sharply with wide eyes:

"You bought a car?"

"Wow, a permanent 28-inch! That must have cost a lot of money."

He didn't even care about the fish in his hand. He jumped up and circled the brand-new bicycle again and again, wanting to touch it but afraid of breaking it.

The envy in his eyes was almost overflowing, and he kept muttering:

"That's great, that's wonderful!"

"This is the first car in our courtyard house!"

"Anping, you're living the good life! Can I borrow this bike for a couple of rides?"

Yan Bugui wasn't too surprised that Wang Anping could afford a bicycle.

Everyone in the compound knew that Wang Anping had received his uncle's pension from the steel rolling mill, so he was already quite well-off.

I never expected that he would buy a car so quickly.

This is a feat that not everyone can accomplish.

If those envious people knew, they would definitely say that this kid is a spendthrift.

Wang Anping smiled and said:

"It's just a car, is it really that big of a deal?"

"It's no problem for you to borrow it; just let me know when you really need it. But can you ride a bike? This is a brand new bike; if you scratch or bump it, you'll have to pay for the repairs."

Yan Bugui was somewhat surprised to see Wang Anping agree so readily.

He thought to himself that although this kid was sometimes cold and hard to get along with, he was quite generous, but he kept agreeing with him verbally.

In fact, Wang Anping didn't care about a bicycle at all. His thinking was different from that of people in this era, and he didn't value these things as much as others did.

Seeing Yan Bugui staring at the bicycle with the look of someone who had found a treasure, Wang Anping smiled again:

"You like it that much?"

"How about you wipe the car down for me, just so I can get familiar with it beforehand?"

I drove to quite a few places today, and the car did get quite muddy.

Unexpectedly, Yan Bugui readily agreed, and said happily:

"OK."

"no problem."

Wang Anping didn't hold back either.

They parked the car directly in front of Yan Bugui's house.

After standing there for a moment, remembering what had happened in the courtyard that day, I casually asked:

"I heard Jia Dongxu went on a blind date today. How did it go? Was the girl pretty?"

Yan Bugui curled his lip:

"Hey, don't even mention it, they didn't even come."

"Jia Dongxu's mother said to outsiders that the girl suddenly raised her dowry demands, but everyone in the courtyard knew that she probably didn't like the Jia family's conditions and changed her mind."

"Oh, Professor Yan, you're an intellectual; you shouldn't talk badly about people behind their backs."